# People who used to drink alcohol - When did you give up and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073 "2018-05-12T22:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/21 "2018-05-13T21:39:46Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > When you are treating dependencies on mood-altering substances, do mild stimulants like caffeine and nicotine play a role in whether or not someone is able to maintain abstinence? > > In other words, do coffee and cigarettes help people quit or do they keep people from quitting? It varies. But overall, continued use of caffeine or nicotine is generally no bar to abstinence from more problematic substances for the typical chemically dependent person. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/22 "2018-05-13T21:43:37Z")
I have not given up alcohol, but I certainly drink less than I used to. A lot less. Just got too old to be bothered with hangovers, plus in Thailand I saw all the old doofuses still drinking like they were college frat boys, and I thought I did not want to appear the same. Drink even less now in Hawaii. Not unusual for me to go weeks without a drink. Just can’t be bothered. No drinking buddies here, and the wife does not drink. My main drinking buddy in Thailand will be coming here in a couple of months though, so that may spike upward for a brief spell. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/23 "2018-05-14T01:13:33Z")
For a long time, I would drink a sixpack of beer in a week or so. But when I coldn’t drive anymore, and had to carry them home from the supermarket on foot, the novelty wore off. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/24 "2018-05-14T01:22:16Z")
I had a drinking problem through much of my 20s, and finally decided to quit about 4 years ago at the age of 29. And yes, I still miss it sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/25 "2018-05-14T02:20:24Z")
The summer after I turned 14, my friends and I would go to the YMCA dances after we had a few too many drinks. Often it was vodka and orange juice, but one time I choose Old English 800. I got so sick after 3 tall cans that I have never had another drink. And that was 51 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/26 "2018-05-14T04:00:10Z")
1999, I think it was New Year’s Eve. End of December, anyway. Don’t miss either. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/27 "2018-05-14T04:11:28Z")
I have the odd drink now and then but for the most part I qualify medically as a non-drinker. Drinking, like smoking, was something I enjoyed more in bars with like-minded people and since so many bars have had to go smoke-free (and a couple I liked that remain smoking banned the cigars I smoke) --------- I’m saving money both ways. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/28 "2018-05-14T07:57:39Z")
Going on 3 1/2 years without, and will another 40-50 more. I gave it up all together after alcoholism had taken the lives of several close family members, friends, and friends’ family members. I used to drink heavily and enjoyed it, but I will not be another victim of that poison. It destroys lives. I don’t care that other people drink though, I’m not one of those annoying types like those who nag people about smoking. To each their own. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/29 "2018-05-14T09:16:20Z")
I never enjoyed getting very drunk, but I used to enjoy moderate consumption of alcohol as a pleasant meal accompaniment, as a social lubricant and for its own aesthetic qualities. My wife doesn’t drink at all due to a near-teetotal upbringing (and later, a very serious allergy to sulphites, rendering nearly all wines deadly) - so if I drink alcohol at the dinner table, I’m typically the only one doing so - which just generally brought about a reduction in my overall consumption. I now consume maybe on average one alcoholic drink per month. So a couple of glasses of mulled wine at Christmas - a beer or two on my birthday - a glass of sloe gin when I have a sore throat - a glass of champagne or a G&T at a wedding - that sort of thing. It’s easier to tell people that I don’t drink than to explain how rarely I drink. I miss it a bit, but my reduced consumption has lowered my tolerance and I can now quite easily get a hangover from a single pint of strong ale. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/30 "2018-05-14T09:50:03Z")
I gave up hard liquor after college. Never liked the taste or the effects if I had too much. Bed spins aren’t fun. I occasionally enjoyed a Tequila Sunrise at Outback Steakhouse. Stricter DUI enforcement ended that pleasure. Outback serves very watered down drinks, but I don’t risk driving with ANY alcohol in me. I still drink beer. Never had a problem with moderation. 2 is my limit for a day. Most days I have only 1. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/32 "2018-05-14T11:18:32Z")
I quit last summer because I developed cirrhosis. I had a couple of notable falls off the wagon in the interim, but have remained mostly sober since then, and completely sober in the last 5-6 months. I can’t drink, it will just accelerate what already is going to kill me within a year or two barring a transplant. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/33 "2018-05-14T11:30:06Z")
I was a heavy drinker through my late teens and my 20’s. I just loved the feeling of getting smashed and letting go, and also felt I needed alcohol as a social lubricant. Hang-overs and various alcohol-related mishaps were too easy to shake off back then. Once the hangovers turned into two-day affairs, and the baggage from drunken shenaningans started to weigh on me, I quit altogether. These days I have a small selection of hard liquor in my house that keeps for years and years, as I only have a shot of the stuff every now and then, for the taste and the afterglow. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/34 "2018-05-14T12:17:19Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > It destroys lives. When I was getting sober, a coworker said to me, “Alcohol never did anyone any good,” a point that has stuck with me all these years. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/35 "2018-05-14T12:33:40Z")
A few months more than 6 years ago for me. I was following the classical downward spiral. I lost of number of things in life, but fortunately didn’t lose my family. I’m compulsive enough about things, that I don’t have faith in my abilities to stop at just one drink anymore. If I went back drinking, I’m absolutely certain I could for the first day. Possibly could stop at a drink or two for the second time and maybe the third, but then all bets would be off. It’s simply not worth the risk to try. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/36 "2018-05-14T12:45:57Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I have not given up alcohol, but I certainly drink less than I used to. A lot less. Just got too old to be bothered with hangovers, plus in Thailand I saw all the old doofuses still drinking like they were college frat boys, and I thought I did not want to appear the same. Drink even less now in Hawaii. Not unusual for me to go weeks without a drink. Just can’t be bothered. No drinking buddies here, and the wife does not drink. > > My main drinking buddy in Thailand will be coming here in a couple of months though, so that may spike upward for a brief spell. I’m pretty much in the same boat. I come from a family of drinkers. Was raised around alcohol. Up until a few months ago I found myself drinking copious amounts of beer on Friday and Saturday evenings. I finally got tired of the hangovers, weight gain, poor sleep, and the fear of health problems. So a couple months ago I decided to greatly curtail my drinking. My new rule is, “If I am not with someone who is also drinking, don’t drink.” This means I drink beer just a few times a year. I have lost about 15 pounds over the last couple of months, and feel better than I have in many years. I just hope I can stick to this rule over the long term. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/37 "2018-05-14T13:46:44Z")
I am considering giving up drinking. I don’t drink that often, but when I do I tend to drink too much. Then for the next couple of days I get horrible anxiety. When I’ve gone periods without drinking, I feel better mentally and physically and more productive in every way. The only benefit to drinking is the social aspect. That is a strong pull, but I don’t think it’s enough anymore. The anxiety after is horrible. I have that problem anyway and drinking just exacerbates it. What makes me not quit is the fact that many times I will only have a couple drinks and have no negative repercussions. But now and again I get a wild hair and end up overindulging. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/38 "2018-05-14T15:30:08Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I have the odd drink now and then but for the most part I qualify medically as a non-drinker. Drinking, like smoking, was something I enjoyed more in bars with like-minded people and since so many bars have had to go smoke-free (and a couple I liked that remain smoking banned the cigars I smoke) --------- I’m saving money both ways. We should meet-up in Ligonier one weekend. [Joe’s Bar](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3506) allows smoking, plus, hey, taxidermy. We stop in anytime we are out that way. You could burn tires in there and nobody would complain.😃 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/39 "2018-05-14T16:55:13Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We should meet-up in Ligonier one weekend. [Joe’s Bar](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3506) allows smoking, plus, hey, taxidermy. > > We stop in anytime we are out that way. You could burn tires in there and nobody would complain.😃 Its a regular haunt among the troops (and I do mean troops) during Ligonier Days for that reason. If I ever plan on the event again (it often conflicts with Knoebels) I warn you ahead of time. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/40 "2018-05-14T17:42:05Z")
I discovered a thing called “Cannabis milk”. All the fun, and none of the hangover. ---
**Author:** ![Emergency911](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@Emergency911](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emergency911)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073/41 "2018-05-14T17:49:30Z")
Was never a huge drinker, but ended up having a bout of severe pancreatitis back in 2002. Ended up in a coma for 6 weeks, when I woke up the docs told me I could never drink again. I took their word for it and haven’t done so. I don’t miss it at all, but when I am under a lot of stress, I have dreams where I am drinking and “suddenly remember” that I shouldn’t be drinking and wake up in a panic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-used-to-drink-alcohol-when-did-you-give-up-and-why/814073.md?page=3)