Yup, at the age of 55, I have decided to give up alcohol.
I was not a problem drinker; but the amount I consumed was increasing my weight, and affecting my overall health. I have been alcohol free for nearly 3 weeks. During that time, my sleep has vastly improved, I have lost weight, and I feel so much better. I see nothing but positives.
I am very happy with my decision so far. If anyone else has gone alcohol free for whatever reason, please share your experiences.
7 years ago when I lost my wonderful wife. Never a ādrinkerā but we shared a bottle of wine at weekends, now no enjoyment at all. So on the wagon.
Thatās fantastic. Well done you.
A few years ago I gave up smoking.
No staggering down. Just next day quit.
Turned out much easier than I could possibly have imagined. Wish I could do the same with my old friend the bottle.
As an artist and a philosophical thinker, being in the zone of enlightenment is a difficult sacrifice once the brain body fusion has taken its hold.
Sclerosis of the liver or psychosis of the river are options to consider..
I gave up alcohol 18 moths ago (was a social drinker , not more than 4 drinks a week)
I have lost about 30lbs and I also sleep better now
Good for you.
I canāt say that I never drink alcohol but I can go months without and the benefits are tangible for sure. I do like the taste of lager and beers but there are now many no-alcohol and very low alcohol beers that taste good to me.
I am this way since just before Covid started.
.. I think I might have since documented (best photo I could) and confessed pretty much all my beers here on the 2 threads.
I give up the sauce for Lent each year. Easier now than when I first tried, about 25 years ago. Never hugely tempted to stay off it, come Easter each year, though I think Iām drinking less outside holidays than I used to.
On the matter of sleep quality, Iāve found that 8pm is my cutoff time. After that, if I so much as sniff the barmaidās apron, Iāll be wide awake at 3am and feel dreadful the whole of the next day. As long as I go easy before 8pm, I can sleep really well.
Even more oddly, caffeine seems to have no effect on me. I can have a double espresso at 10pm and sleep like a baby.
I used to drink slowly for 8 hours with friends twice a year and, other than that, barely 1 drink a week. Such has been my health over the past 2 years I gave up completely a couple of years ago. Have become something of a connoisseur of non-alcoholic beer thanks to friends who have dine similar so of you want any recommendsā¦
I am up to drinking 3 a week occasionally (having been generously donated 2 wrong size orders by the Butcombe Brewing Company) and Iāve still been losing weight.
I last had a drink on the 17th December 1983. Had a couple of blood transfusions and the result was an āallergyā to alchohol. The Army doctor called it a negative metabollic reaction. It used to be be difficult to drink without alchohol, but the last five years have seen an increase in the range available.
Alcohol surely runs through my veins and DNA.
As a babe in a struggling domestics, then as a young child growing up in a busy local village pub.
My parents were very decent folks who felt comfortable with me conversing and acquiescing with old soaks talking merry nonsense holding up the bar. 
So good practice for being on the Forum then 
So, whatās wrong with a G&T apero, two bottles of Cotes de RhĆ“ne, port with the cheese, and cognac with the coffee.
Have I missed something? 
I used to be a proficient drinker until about age 35 and after the kids came along felt no inclination really to drink. Also being a rural dweller and frequently in the car it was always easier to know I was typically at 0mg before grabbing the keys.
So after 20 odd years of virtual teetotalism while I donāt miss any form of alcohol I do enjoy the odd glass of beer or wine and if travelling abroad I find public transport or being driven the most liberating.
Not drinking had no impact on my weight given the chocolate biscuits and cafe latte consumption. As a PS I also switched to decaf coffee when I swerved away from alcohol but still drink regular tea.
Yes, I enjoy a good cognac or scotch as an occasional treat. I do enjoy traditional naturally low alcohol natural cask bitters. I usually avoid pasteurised processed keg beer such as industrial lagersā¦ I just donāt trust the additives.
However I have cut out coffee completely, and I feel so much better for that. I do however drink a lot of tea. I suspect I might have had some sort of mild allergy to something in coffee.
I have a couple drinks a week. Socially.
60 now, I probably havenāt been impaired since my mid 20ās.
My current addiction is Haagan Dazs ice cream.
No not often.. if I am preparing speciality tea, which is not that often, then itās loose leafā¦ I have enjoyed various Chinese loose leaf teas brought back from Hong Kong.
Defo donāt use plastic chopping boards anymoreā¦
The tea bags we use use PLA, as most teabags in the UK now do, as they have switched to bio plasticā¦ not perfect but a step in the right direction compared to fossil fuel based polypropylene as used elsewhereā¦ but I suspect this is a whole separate topic,
Alcohol is bad for you, always has been, but we were told moderation is okay. Alcohol after 50 is particularly bad. Like you I wasnāt a heavy drinker, at least not since my partying days in my 20s. Mostly a glass of wine with dinner and cocktail on the weekend. A Canadian study came out ~2021/22 that had some stark revelations and that prompted me to quit cold turkey. No regrets and I felt an instant boon to my health. Sleep better than ever, bio-metrics improved all around. Physical activity is improved. I luckily never had weight problems but Iām definitely more fit. I still have a cocktail a few times a year for special occasions though. I also noticed I have a lot more money in my bank account. I was spending some $$ on fine wine.
I think one needs to be cautious with such statementsā¦ clearly moderation and reduced in take is important if you consume alcoholic drinks ā¦ and alcoholic drinks like many food stuffs are not risk free even in moderation.
However there is evidence that small amounts of red wine consumption can benefit some more elderly people with cardiovascular health and reduce the likelihood of heat diseaseā¦ so itās a balance of risks.Not all alcoholic drink are the same.
Alcohol can be addictive which is where problems can start as with all addictions, and increased consumption significantly increases risk to health.
Iām just a boring āol bloke who likes a pint of proper southern bitter, Brakspears heads the list, plus a few from all over the southern half deserve a mention.
And talking of southwest, real cider as in flat scrumpy (screech) makes a very pleasant afternoon.
Winter time an occasional real malt scotch, Islay is first choice.
Maybe an old vintage port just for the stilton over Christmas.
A nice glass of red in the mellow lateness of the evening while relaxing to some great individual turns me on music.
Iām OK with it all, no alcohol free for me, but thanks anyway.
