Five years ago

[cathouse willy]

Five years ago today was the day I quit drinking. My daily dose was +6 beers a day and at $20 for a 6 pack of craft brew I figure I'm $37,000 ahead, not to mention the big thankyou from my liver. The only brews I still miss are the dark strong ales and lagers. I was buying a porter at 8% and a dark lager at 9.5%, I miss them but not enough to try one.

[Jim Bow]

Congratulations and good on ya!

[Hugh MacD]

Good effort! It's not just your liver...your heart and entire circulatory system are probably happier...and you have more money to play with boats

[Durnik]

& I somewhat miss a good strong ipa.. but like you, I'm happy with what I get as a reward.

[bluedog225]

Congrats and Happy Birthday!!!

The money is staggering. I’ve bought any number of things with the savings as the excuse. And rightly so.

it only gets better. Hang in there!

[Robbie 2]

Well done sir.

[hawkeye54]

Cathouse, I , too will add my congratulations - most impressive accomplishment, sir ! ! !


Rick

[Tom from Rubicon]

I told my wife that we smoked and drank up our happy retirement. Life is too short not to indulge. Over indulging I have done as a analgesic, and beyond that out of habit. I am all for folks not taking alcohol.

Tom

[Spin_Drift]

Very well done. Congratulations !

[ShorelineJohn]

A big congratulation to you!
I stopped for about 20 years as I raised my kids, it was real important to them. I started back up about 10 years ago, the beer seem to have gotten a lot better in that time. Last august I did a Saturday race and sometime after noon I open a beer, and realized it was the first beer of the year. If I could only do that with my smoking.

[wizbang 13]

i quit once for 8 years.
that wuz 27 years ago

[Jim Mahan]

Not a drop for me since April twentieth, twenty-sixteen. So worth it. Peace and freedom. Good on ya.

[CWSmith]

Congratulations, willy! I have that particular disease close to me and there isn't a day goes by that I don't say a prayer of thanks that it has not touched me, personally. I am immensely respectful of anyone who can quit. It takes guts, courage, and determination. I hope you are justifiably proud.

[David G]

Big Congrats!! Enjoy all the benefits.

I had a weird history with alcohol. My dad was a home-brewer, and a good one. So I was around beer a lot, and - being German/Swiss - they thought little of letting kids have a sip if they asked for it. Then I joined the Drum & Bugle Corps in junior h.s. Those kids were the 'bad boys/girls'. Mostly in high school. And I started drinking like a fish to keep up with them. I drank anywhere from a 6-pack to a short case at least one night a week. Big party-boy. All while doing a wide variety of sports. Then, senior year, I was tired of it. Tired of crappy beer. Tired of wasting a 'recovery day' every week. Tired of the same old characters. So I quickly tapered off, then quit. Spent more time surfing, and playing tennis.

I didn't start drinking beer again (or much of anything, really) until almost 15 years later - when I discovered microbrews. Good tasting beer, and I loved it, after being spoiled early by the products of my dad's brewing... and Swiss/German background. Now I drink beer, and love it. One at a time for the most part. Maybe 1-2 a week. Sometimes 1-2 a month. If I drink three... I'm partying!!! I remain hugely grateful for the whole craft brewing industry for re-introducing good beer to the U.S. palate.

[Paul Pless]

thats a nice story david
on a thread about abstinence

[wizbang 13]

i switched from a sixpak of IPA a day to a sixpak of Ranier a day 'bout 4 years ago...that was like cutting in half
I do not get hangovers ...no makeup day ...that's my SUPER POWER !!!!!

[David G]

thats a nice story david
on a thread about abstinence

Just pointing out that - for some of us - moderation is an alternative to abstinence. Not an option if you're an alcoholic, of course. But not everyone who gets into the habit of drinking to excess suffers from that condition.

[bluedog225]

25 years.

My inner teenager is looking forward to the XXX.

[Paul Pless]

tres equis?

[dutchpp]

Well done, keep it up for the next five years

[LeeG]

thats a nice story david
on a thread about abstinence

while the AA model is mighty flawed there’s nothing like experience to see what works and doesn’t. David is a good example of maturing out of excessive drinking that many have done. I never matured out, just settled into heavy pickling. A few folks I’ve known in the last decade had their last pickle.

[David G]

while the AA model is mighty flawed there’s nothing like experience to see what works and doesn’t. David is a good example of maturing out of excessive drinking that many have done. I never matured out, just settled into heavy pickling. A few folks I’ve known in the last decade had their last pickle.

Ayup.

And the good thing about drinking heavily for a few years is that it killed off a bunch of brain cells. The slow ones, per the 'Cheers' model <G>

[webishop14]

Congratulations on your birthday. In the beginning, I had to shy away from even thinking "...never again." Then I got to where the thought didn't bother me. Now I am so grateful for sobriety that I don't even want alcohol in my system anymore.

It only keeps getting better. Now I tell folks "I used to drink beer like it was water. Now I drink water like it was beer." Thirty five years later, life is good, and just keeps getting better.

[David G]

Congratulations on your birthday. In the beginning, I had to shy away from even thinking "...never again." Then I got to where the thought didn't bother me. Now I am so grateful for sobriety that I don't even want alcohol in my system anymore.

It only keeps getting better. Now I tell folks "I used to drink beer like it was water. Now I drink water like it was beer." Thirty five years later, life is good, and just keeps getting better.

I've got some friends who are many years sober. So happy for them. Makes a huge difference. The ones who seem to do best with the process folded some sort of counseling into it. Also, it's not just booze. People can become addicted to a variety of things. Abusing anything can be counterproductive: beer; bennies; sex; or bullion accumulation.

[Breakaway]

Good work!

Kevin

[Rich Jones]

Good news for you, your health and your family.
Also, your wallet.

At age 17, I watched a relative go through alcoholic withdrawal.
It was not a pretty sight.
Since that experience, I limit myself to no more than one drink a day.
I commend anyone who gives up drink for whatever reason.

That relative was victorious in the battle and was 35 years sober before his
death.

[Dan McCosh]

Mark Shields, who quit some 50 years ago: "God made alcoholism so that the Irish and Indians wouldn't take over the world."

[JimD]

Keep up the good work, CW.

[elf]

Congrats. I skipped the whole thing. Beer breath is gross.

[gypsie]

I could do with a bit of this. David G's model of moderation is something I aspire to. Very moderate intake of high quality beer.
I got a bit nuts over Covid. It took a very conscious effort to pull in the reins. Seemingly pleasurable things can become habit sooooo quick. I got to a point where I didn't even enjoy it, I was just doing it.

eased off now and a bit fussier, though I've had a few nights of indulgence.

Moderation in everything, including moderation itself....?

well done to all here who conquered their demons.

[bluedog225]

David’s line of reasoning has killed a lot of people and broken a lot of families.

Some respectful silence on the topic would have been a rare blessing.

Happy to chat over pm.

[David G]

David’s line of reasoning has killed a lot of people and broken a lot of families.

Some respectful silence on the topic would have been a rare blessing.

Happy to chat over pm.

Which part of my comments do you regard as counter-productive?