
40 Days Without Booze - stock_toaster
http://jdmoyer.com/2013/08/14/40-days-without-booze/
======
bitops
_> booze enables workaholism, because of the fast unwind time_

I think this is the key insight from the article. I went through a stressful
period where I used alcohol to wind down quickly. But in reality it just made
things worse because it numbed me up to the real reasons why I was stressed
out. Sometimes though, we don't want to look at the deeper issues
(emotional/psychological) for why we are unhappy, and booze provides some
quick and effective relief.

I've recently gotten much healthier and it's amazing to experience that the
old adage about "making a lifestyle change" really is the core of it. All the
different parts of your life have to hang together for the positive switch to
happen. If you think of exercise and diet as a way to "pay down the debt"
you'll never get out from under whatever is holding you down.

~~~
nrivadeneira
I find that a hardcore workout works even better than alcohol. Not only do you
get the same winding down effect in a short period of time (assuming you're
really killing yourself and working to exhaustion in the gym), but you get a
lot of additional benefits along with it: better focus, improved health,
boosted confidence, and improved body composition. You wake up the next
morning feeling a lot better about yourself. My experience with alcohol is
often the opposite.

~~~
Osmium
> working to exhaustion in the gym

I don't disagree, but when I've tried this I just find myself doubly
exhausted: once (mentally) from the work, and again (physically) from the gym.
Still agree that making time for the gym is really important though. But for
me, it's not the answer to mental exhaustion but rather just part of a healthy
lifestyle generally (personally, proper sleep hygiene is the only solution
I've found to mental exhaustion and overwork).

~~~
WalterSear
I would hazard that you are coming to this from a relatively sedentary point
of view. Often overlooked is the huge hump to get over before exercise starts
showing it's benefits. It can take months if you do not have the strength it
takes to work out effectively, or are performing less than optimal exercise
routine, such as one focused on cardio.

~~~
Dewie
I have gone for half a year or longer exercising on average 5 times a week,
sometimes more. Excercise is often physically draining for me afterwards. My
experience is opposite of it taking a "long time to [feel?] benefits": it just
takes 10 pushups to a 7 minute circuit workout for me to feel great and
invigorated. A longer workout often leaves me feeling drained in the hours
after. My circulatory system might feel much better, but my body feels tired.

~~~
nrivadeneira
Not all exercise sessions are made equal. If you're just doing 10 pushups or 7
minute circuits for 6 months, you're still very much in the beginner phase.

It took me a few years of consistent intense training to really get into the
groove of things. I've been at it for about 9 years now. This is the intensity
that I aim for (mind you, this is not me in the video):
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAhNyvTF5Uw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAhNyvTF5Uw)

After that level of intensity on a consistent basis for a few years, you adapt
to it. While you may feel tired, you gain energy from it as well.

~~~
Dewie
I did much more than 10 push-ups or 7 min circuit training each session for
those six months (and those six months isn't the only time I've exercised,
just one of the longer uninterrupted streaks of it). Don't patronize me.

~~~
nrivadeneira
Not trying to patronize you at all, and I apologize if it came off that way.
I'd say that most people in the tech/hacker community aren't too well
acquainted with consistent, dedicated exercise. It wouldn't be unreasonable
for someone to have the belief that after 6 months of 7 minute circuits, their
body should be well adapted to intense workouts. Since I don't know who you
are or where you stand on the experience spectrum, I took an educated guess,
and apparently was wrong.

------
jere
I've slipped into the habit of drinking almost every single night over the
past few months and I'm currently trying to cut it out. It's harder than I
thought it would be.

Like the author said, I've never noticed any physical withdrawal, but I have a
strong urge to have a drink every night (sometimes even in the middle of the
day). This is one of the most stressful times of my life and it's so hard not
to just say "fuck it" and give up. And even when I don't really have that
strong of an urge, I'm haunted by rationalizations and second guessing: "just
have one," "moderate drinking isn't bad for you," etc. I'm trying to do more
self tracking to prove to myself that the last one is BS.

What really sucks is I've noticed that a few beers will cause me problems with
dehydration, weight gain, horrible sleep (I'm told I _always_ freak out in the
middle of the night after drinking) and yet I've developed such a tolerance
that I don't even get buzzed unless I'm on an empty stomach.

~~~
3pt14159
Yeah, I assume you are in your late twenties. I've talked privately with lots
of people in the Toronto tech scene about daily drinking. I was doing it when
I was 27 during a stressful period when the acquisition of a company I started
began to fall apart (I only ended up making 9 months of the 4 year vesting).

I was told that it either lasts until you have kids, turn thirty, or turn into
a full blown alcoholic. I took the easier way out and just quit my position.

~~~
jere
Wow. I turned 27 last week. It wasn't always about drinking because of stress
(I happen to really like trying different craft brews), but lately it has
been. My wife is going through some serious medical issues and depression,
which invariably puts a strain on finances also.

~~~
3pt14159
If there is anything I can do, I'd be happy to help not just you, but anyone
in your situation that is reading this.

Medical issues are horrible, especially when then happen to a SO because it
puts an unsolvable problem between two people that know they love each other
but slowly slide into a distance that only exacerbates the problem.

Not that I could ever properly understand what you are going through, but I've
found that being patient, and actively choosing to be patient, even when you
don't want to be, and being kind, even when you don't want to be, really,
really help a relationship because the other person usually senses that you
are choosing to do something for them.

Sometimes it is just this concious choice that gives them validation that they
are cared for and the other person can pull themselves up a notch. Sometimes
not, but even in those times, the funk they are in is slighly less funky.

------
gadders
When you click on a link here you never know if booze will mean alcohol or
some node.js/go framework you've never heard of.

~~~
d23
[http://html9responsiveboilerstrapjs.com/](http://html9responsiveboilerstrapjs.com/)

~~~
ryandrake
Missing the word "beautiful" to describe every aspect of the visual design,
but very funny!

------
reustle
Great writeup. As someone who never drinks, and never has, it continues to
sound like a drug to me and I want no part of it. That said, I still get
questioned about my decision like I have 2 heads.

~~~
smsm42
It is not "like a drug", it is a drug just like any other substances commonly
called drugs. We just integrated it into our culture, and learned to live with
it and accept the consequences of its use (on the societal level, personally
it is still as capable of destroying lives as any other drug if abused). But
it doesn't change neither chemistry nor biology nor physiology of what is
happening.

So if someone talks to you about dangers of such things as marijuana while
sipping wine or beer - you're talking to either dangerously ignorant or
dangerously dull person.

~~~
munificent
> if someone talks to you about dangers of such things as marijuana while
> sipping wine or beer - you're talking to either dangerously ignorant or
> dangerously dull person.

Or maybe you're talking to someone smart enough to realize that just because a
bunch of things are in the same _category_ , that doesn't make them
_equivalent_.

~~~
jasondemeuse
You're totally right, I would hope that many people would be as smart as that
person and understand how much more dangerous alcohol can be than marijuana or
many other drugs.

~~~
munificent
> how much more dangerous alcohol can be than marijuana or many other drugs.

That may be true but is irrelevant. The original claim was that someone
talking about the dangers of marijuana while drinking is an idiot.

My claim is that talking about one says nothing about their knowledge of the
other since they are _different things_. I can talk about the dangers of bear
attacks while driving a car. I can talk about the dangers of flying while
using a ladder.

That doesn't make me a hypocrite, it just means I'm not spending every waking
moment sorting my activities and discussion points by aggregate danger level.

~~~
aclevernickname
It doesn't make you a hypocrite, but using your example, it would make you an
idiot armchair pundit, unaware of your surroundings, or the comedic irony in
which your statements are now grounded. Which is more in-line with the
original point, I think.

Not that I'm saying you're any of those things, mind you, but your analogy was
fairly flawed. :)

------
akilism
I was a heavy drinker, at some points a 6 pack a night, for well over 10 years
and I quit cold turkey and have been sober for going on 5 years now. There was
definitely a point where getting to bed was a task but I'm such a changed
person emotionally and mentally than I was when drinking. Somethings are just
not for everyone. The worst part was definitely seeing who my real friends
were and who were just the people who I drank with.

~~~
will_work4tears
Same here, about 10 years. Started off with the Wife and I splitting a bottle
of wine every night, or a six pack. It was fine for awhile, then I'd often do
a bottle myself. We'd drink 5-6 nights a week, then it was every night. Less
than two years ago my son was born and drinking spiked, I cut waaay back, and
when I recently changed jobs, I started again (and subsequently quit working
out).

I'm not doing it cold turkey though. No AC in the summer here mixed with a
lifelong struggle with insomnia has given me more than a few nights of very
little if no sleep. At least until Summer is over and the heat doesn't keep me
awake, I'll have some wine handy to drink a bit before bed (no earlier than
7pm and I'm in bed by 8:30 or 9:00 - I get up at 4:30 am).

Before the last couple weeks when I decided enough was enough, I'd often, at
least the weekend, start drinking at 4pm and take down an entire bottle of
wine/saki AND a six pack of IPA.

The irony is, I eat relatively healthy and low calorie, but I've gained 45lbs
in the last few years, and I'm thinking most of that is beer and wine - I
rarely drink hard liquor or mixed drinks.

Other than trouble getting to sleep, I've not had any other physical symptoms,
but I'm worried. 10 years of constant drinking just cant be good.

~~~
keithpeter
_" The irony is, I eat relatively healthy and low calorie, but I've gained
45lbs in the last few years"_

125ml red wine = 85 cal, or 510 per bottle. English style bitter is a bit
better at 180 cal per pint, so on your consumption mentioned in 3rd para, that
is just under 1600 calories extra _per day_.

------
cityzen
I quit drinking six years ago cold turkey. Working for myself it was always
easy to find a time/reason to have a drink and I realized it wasn't heading
down a good path. My wife and I were also looking to have kids and I decided I
didn't want to drink around them. For awhile people either didn't understand
it or were amazed that I just quit (I love to party, still do!).

My best friend kept nagging me about having a few beers with him when I
visited. Since we both smoked for a short time in high school I suggested that
we, instead, buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke a few while we're hanging out.
"But I don't smoke anymore." Lightbulb moment.

The biggest thing i realized is that drinking is something to do. You hang out
with the same people at the same bars talking about the same crap. Initially
it's pretty boring when you quit but I really don't even think about it
anymore. I will say that in the time since I quit drinking I had two kids, my
business has seen year over year success and I've completed an Ironman
triathlon.

~~~
MartinCron
_My wife and I were also looking to have kids and I decided I didn 't want to
drink around them_

I've actually made it a deliberate point to drink around my children to role
model responsible alcohol use: Never in excessive volume, never an excessive
frequency, never in response to stress or to drown unhappiness, never alone,
never something that's not enjoyable as a beverage, never ever ever before
driving (or motorcycling, bicycling, whatever).

I'm hoping it helps. I'll report back in in 20 years to see if my kids are
better off with positive role modeling than I was with terrible role modeling.

------
nmcfarl
My wife is pregnant and as a show of solidarity I’m not drinking around her
(which cuts out the majority of my drinking). Which is not quite this
experiment, but has shown me one thing where his and my experiences differ:
Socializing.

As it turns out I socialize a lot in bars - and I don’t like bars at all when
not drinking. Mocktails° help - but not enough, and basically no bars serve
those in Seattle, only fancy restaurants. Which has meant more socializing at
fancy restaurant bars…

In general it’s been a mildly interesting change in behavior and a pretty good
experience.

° Fake beer is just bad. And I don’t like sodas. And soda water seems like
ostentatious abstinence.

\---

Edit: Thanks for the suggestions! I should clearly have asked the internet
before doing this, I could have been doing it much much better :)

~~~
jsolson
> and basically no bars serve those in Seattle, only fancy restaurants.

I suppose this depends on what you mean by "bar". I've got some friends who
are mostly abstainers, and they've had some delicious mocktails at Vito's,
Tavern Law, and Rumba. I treat all of those as more bar than restaurant (I
don't know that Seattle has turned me into more of a booze hound, but it's
certainly made my booze habit more expensive), but they've all got full food
menu's and kitchens. Where are you finding that's less mocktail-friendly?

~~~
nmcfarl
I treat Vito’s as a restaurant (a very, very lounge-y one) - this is pretty
much a personal choice, as I like their kitchen (and their mocktails). I
should check Rumba’s mocktail selection.

And I don’t find other cities more mocktail friendly - Seattle’s pretty
impressively good at it - in the restaurant scene. And perhaps I should just
be spending more time talking with the bartenders at the bars :)

------
Havoc
Went from drinking way too much (Think black out) to zero recently. It was
actually surprisingly easy - weirdly effortless.

What freaks me out though is how difficult it is to hit the sweet spot. i.e.
To drink, but low-moderate amounts and only irregularly. That would be ideal
in my view - I don't seem to have sufficient willpower for that yet, so its
zero drinks for now.

~~~
nitid_name
This is one thing that Alcoholics Anonymous gets right... when you're
dependent enough on alcohol to get to the "alcoholic" label, drinking just one
or two is really not gonna happen.

------
maurits
I feel that the understated effect is, that _doing x_ or _stopping with y_ for
a month gives you the idea (illusion) that you are in full control of your
life.

~~~
Havoc
Fair point. I'd say as far as strategies goes its one of the better ones.

30+ days is enough to get at least a semi-objective indication of physical
dependence, which is a good start.

~~~
aray
I've heard 40 days is enough to develop a habit (or break one), so to me this
is a good period of time to try to work out the kinks of getting into (or out
of) something.

------
ultimoo
>> ...alcoholism is often linked to highly driven, ambitious, over-achieving
personality types...

I have come across this point multiple times in the past -- reading or
conversing -- but never has a concrete source or study been cited. Not to say
I don't agree with it -- anecdotal evidence is not always false.

It is really true though? I consider myself very driven and ambitious and also
have a drinking habit, but know a few others who don't.

~~~
a3voices
People who drink alcohol in moderation statistically make 10-15% more money.

[http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/drinking-
statistic...](http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/drinking-statistics-
by-income-080210)

~~~
plg
People who drive Porsches statistically have higher salaries. Lets all go buy
Porsches and our salaries will go up. I'm in, what about you?

------
plg
I know a lot of people who are similarly dependent upon (if not outright
addicted to) exercise. Typically running although I've seen it with cycling
and swimming as well. For these people if they don't get their exercise on
schedule, they go absolutely nuts. There are many benefits to exercise but for
many there are also big big risks, e.g. joint problems, soft tissue injuries,
etc.

~~~
wavesounds
I used to be a pack-a-day smoker now I'm a runner/cyclist and you're exactly
right if I've been sitting all day and I don't get exercise by the time it
gets dark I start going nuts. That being said I'm pretty confident my body was
designed to run and not to inhale burning plant matter or drink excessive
amounts of fermented grain. So far I feel much better and I don't have any of
those problems.

~~~
glitch003
>That being said I'm pretty confident my body was designed to run and not to
inhale burning plant matter or drink excessive amounts of fermented grain. So
far I feel much better and I don't have any of those problems.

Intriguing. Designed by what?

~~~
wavesounds
Millions of years of evolution chasing food to eat or running from being eaten
:-)

------
tomjen3
(I am reading this after two glasses of wine).

Am I alone in thinking that he sounds like an addict? I mean, sure he didn't
have a big issue sticking to his decision, but at the same time the list of
changes is pretty significant.

~~~
ctdonath
Was thinking that too. For all the verbiage, there was only a vague " _I had
only been averaging a couple drinks a day_ " way down the article as an
indication of what the abstained-from baseline was. _Averaging_ two? The
"couple" numeric implies room for large values of 2, and "averaging" easily
includes two days of nothing followed by 6 in short order.

This brings back the crux of those who argue such subjects: some people are
the "a glass with dinner" type and experience almost no effect, some people
are the "six-pack at a time" type and experience significant effect, and very
few in either category seem able to acknowledge the other category exists at
all. Their average may be comparable, but frequency * intensity produce wildly
differing results.

~~~
DanBC
2 glasses of wine could be 2 glasses, at 250 ml per glass, of a 14.5% ABV
wine. This is a considerable, probably dangerous, amount of alcohol.

(In the UK this is described at 3.6 units per glass, or about 7 units per day.
Safe limits for men are not more than 3 to 4 units per day, not every day.)

Or it could be 2 glasses, at 150 ml per glass, of a 10% ABV wine. That would
be 1.5 units per glass, or 3 units per day.

~~~
ctdonath
That just accentuates his curious vagueness about the baseline he varied from.

A "serving" of alcohol is considered 0.6 fl oz, or 14 grams, of ethanol.
People tend to overestimate what constitutes a "serving" of any food/drink,
with consequences in line with the withdraw effects he experienced.

~~~
DanBC
> A "serving" of alcohol is considered 0.6 fl oz, or 14 grams

Not in the UK!

------
blahbap
I think the whole premise that it should be hard to go 40 days without alcohol
is ridiculous. If not drinking for 40 days is an experiment you're already in
a minority with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

~~~
fader
Seriously? Do you eat meat? Try going for 40 days without eating it. Or wheat.

Changing your habits is hard and requires thought. I've recently given up meat
and am suprised at the changes I've felt and at how difficult it is to
socialize (restaurants, buffets, etc.) Does that mean I had an unhealthy
relationship with chicken?

~~~
blahbap
The point of the article seems to be that it is an admirable experiment to be
able to give up alcohol for 40 days. If that is indeed an achievement for the
author, that seems to suggest that he is physically or socially addicted to
alcohol to _some degree_, which can be described as unhealthy. For me giving
up meat or wheat would be much worse, because they are a part of my diet. I
also enjoy drinking, but alcohol is not part of my diet, and I would be
surprised and worried if I had any difficulties staying away from alcohol for
40 days.

------
pwenzel
I can definitely relate to the workaholism issue.

After getting the kid to bed, I often work late and need to wind down fast so
I can hurry up, go to bed myself, hurry up and sleep, and then hurry up and
get up in the morning.

I need to work on that.

~~~
goostavos
Yeah, it feels like a narrow line to walk, but the effectivness of alcohol as
a wind down quick elixr can not be denied. I found myself mixing whiskey into
a glass of water last night at 2:30 just so I could slow my mind down enough
to get to sleep. As I was watering down the alcohol so I could quickly consume
it I paused for a second to wonder if this was destructive behavior, but... It
feels like I'm in control of it. The alcohol is a tool.

A drink before bed to me is like the inverse of waking up and drinking coffee.

~~~
AlexandrB
> A drink before bed to me is like the inverse of waking up and drinking
> coffee.

I find that weird. My sleep is completely wrecked if I have something to drink
beforehand - I'll go to sleep fine, but the sleep is always fitful and I don't
feel rested in the morning.

------
hammock
>I did find it more difficult to remain polite in the presence of people who
were actively annoying me, but I managed to hold my tongue in most cases.

Recently, I did a 42-day voluntary abstention from drinking. And, unlike
everyone else I know who has tried this, I didn't cheat. It was inspired by a
21-day abstention a few months prior, which was due to a backpacking trip on
which we decided not to bring any booze.

At the end of these periods I felt great, physically and mentally. After
starting up again, my alcohol consumption was less than it used to be. Sleep
was better than ever, and I wake up feeling refreshed - the better sleep is
far and above the most noticeable effect. Generally I just feel healthier.

The social thing is a challenge, but not impossible. I actually forced myself
not to go out any less, I still kept every plan with friends to visit bars,
clubs, etc. Just drank a club soda. I quoted the above because I had a similar
experience: when you are sober, you quickly realize that there are a few or
several of your friends who you cannot stand to be around sober. You realize
how annoying they are.

It was fun pushing myself for three and then six weeks. It inspired me to
follow up with a three-day water fast (that was particularly painful, again I
did not cheat). I am interested if any HN readers have suggestions of other
self-denial tasks to try out.

~~~
bitops
The ultimate in self-denial: no computer usage outside of works hours for a
week!

~~~
eeeeeeeeeeeee
Does a smartphone count?

~~~
bitops
For anything other than taking phone calls or checking email, yes.

~~~
smsm42
How checking email is not computer usage?

------
jakejake
I personally enjoy a tasty beverage on occasion. But if I were to go 40 days
without drinking I'm not sure that I would even notice. The OP doesn't sound
like he was a particularly heavy drinker, but it always has a slight
problematic ring to me when somebody tells me they haven't drank for X number
of days. Especially when X is a fairly small number. I always figure that
since they're tracking the time so specifically that they must be dying for a
drink.

------
antitrust
I have learned distrust. I distrust anything that makes me feel good without
having achieved something that merits that sensation.

Alcohol is like being wrapped in a comforter. You are warm, the world is soft,
and like a child, you trust in everything turning out alright.

This has no relationship to the real world.

While I have enjoyed alcohol many times, and both drunk to excess and been a
social drinker, I find that it distracts me. It distracts from what I should
be paying attention to, while I'm busy feeling good and safe.

~~~
Havoc
> you trust in everything turning out alright. This has no relationship to the
> real world.

I have tried the opposite: 100% serious balls to the wall control freak &
pessimism and mistrust of "everything turning out alright". I'm sad to report
that that approach is no good.

I'm starting to think a decent dose of naive "it'll turn out alright" is
_useful_.

~~~
antitrust
Another option is a middle path:

It will turn out, how it turns out.

Sounds tautological, but it preserves the idea that multiple real world forces
determine the outcome, not wishing or feeling. That might save us from
paranoia.

------
peterwwillis
Tips on abstaining:

* Don't keep any alcohol in your house

* Don't go anywhere that drinking is the primary focus, or even secondary focus

* Pick up a regular hobby that makes you happy and do it at least three times a week

* Talk to people you enjoy and join them in activities that don't involve drinking

* Put the amount of money you'd normally have spent on booze into a piggy bank and watch it grow

* Make a list of things that make you happy, and revisit it when you're feeling down (instead of revisiting booze)

* Get a buddy to abstain with you from drinking or smoking for mutual moral support

* Put an 'X' on a calendar for every day you don't drink

* If you find it difficult, give yourself an arbitrary goal date. Once you reach it, try to extend it further

* Make it easier for you to drink healthy things by getting things you need (tea infusers, pitchers, juice concentrate, water bottles, etc)

(I recently did two months, which was much harder for me than I anticipated,
but I finally got over the hump and have had very little to drink for weeks.
Feels nice to have more productive things to do than burn money and feel run
down in the morning, and i'm looking better too!)

~~~
scotty79
> Pick up a regular hobby that makes you happy and do it at least three times
> a week

It would be awesome if I could do just that. And I don't even drink. Other
points seem much easier though.

~~~
peterwwillis
You just need to try things until you find something you keep going back to.
Examples of hobbies:

Exercise (running, crossfit, weight lifting, parkour, tabita, yoga, hiking,
biking)

Sports (rock climbing/bouldering, soccer, baseball, basketball, autocross/road
racing, roller derby, surfing, archery, sailing)

Martial arts (aikido, thai boxing, brazilian jiu-jitsu, tai chi, capoeira,
kendo, eskrima/arnis, krav maga, fencing)

Dancing (salsa, merengue, swing, tango, blues, ballroom, hip hop, jazz)

Music (learn an instrument, live local shows, discover new genres, download
and listen to new music)

Literature (join a book club, cheap books from thrift stores or yard sales,
try fiction/nonfiction, reflect on what you read, blog it)

Blogging (research and then write about a subject you care about)

Volunteerism (soup kitchens, community gardens, local government, special
needs, peace core, hackerspaces, free education community organizations,
conventions, public awareness, public services, community programs)

Weird stuff (slacklining, acro-yoga, aerial silks, unicycling, juggling, rope
bondage, home brewing, crafting, building models, puzzles, trivia, ham radio,
blacksmithing, astronomy, woodworking, car tuning, karaoke, magic, gravestone
rubbing, gardening, canning, locksport, leatherwork)

------
vacri
My old boss told me that her brother spends one month a year not drinking, to
prove to himself that he doesn't need the booze... but he always did in in
February, because it was the shortest month.

~~~
cenhyperion
That kind of rationalization probably indicates a pretty big problem.

~~~
peterpathname
... or a healthy sense of humour. we didn't hear how much he drinks other
months.

------
justinator
These sorts of stories hit me hard - not that I have my own, "I quit for x
number of days", but rather, I don't think there was 40 days total in the last
year that I had a drink. It would take a few years to get that number.

I guess I just never developed the taste. Hard to understand the other side of
the ritual.

------
dhughes
I rarely drink maybe one beer a month at my wildest but I live in a province
of sport drinkers where weekdays but especially the weekend people drink until
the pass out. Most events are attended by people who drank before arriving
which is common but I mean they started drinking at 7am and the event is at
10pm.

Currently I a non-drinker have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which sucks
because it's insulting for me to have of all things what is considered a
disease of heavy drinkers. It hurts, I mean my liver actually hurts and it's
frightening to have a problem like this a damaged organ in my body. I'm not
even fat my friends all ask how I keep so thin, I mean I'm 5'8" short for a
guy and at my peak I was 180 pounds but you'd never know it by looking at me,
but all my life up to a few years ago I was a consistent 150 pounds. I'm down
to 165 pounds but still my doctor telling my my risk of heart attack and
stroke is double due to a fatty liver, and this from a family of people who
all die from a stroke or heart attack.

Your liver is precious! I don't think people realize how important it is they
hear jokes about their liver when drinking to the point it's a joke or just
noise more than advice. Then Tylenol the next day to fix their hangover which
damages the liver even more.

You liver is the only organ which can regenerate but I would guess not from
systemic damage only physical damage to specific defined areas.

Long live our livers!

------
jolt
I can relate. About three months ago i went from drunk daily to absolutely no
alcohol. I too felt like it took a lot longer for me to unwind, but now i use
my after-work-momentum to get things done at home which i neglected when i was
drunk, like cleaning, doing the dishes and general hygiene. My day is
generally better balanced; i run a little slower at work, and a little faster
in my personal life. Thanks for sharing.

------
awolf
In the same vein, I highly recommend people try cutting out grains for 40
days. If you're like me, you may very quickly feel so drastically better that
going back to grain-eating would be out of the question.

Don't get me wrong: many people do just fine on grains. But some non-
negligible percent of people live with a low-level general malaise without
even knowing that it's not normal. I know I did for years.

------
foohbarbaz
No problem for me: one beer either puts me to sleep or gives me sinus
headache. Don't understand what people like about alcohol.

It's a pretty primitive drug too. Such a simple and small molecule, might just
as well sniff glue, it seems to me.

Tobacco is so much fun in comparison. Quit that cold turkey many years ago.
Still like it though.

------
localhost3000
I stopped for a few months several years ago (to study for the GMAT, of all
things). Granted, this coincided with me actively practicing puzzles and trick
questions (essentially this is what the high end questions are) but I _felt_
noticeably sharper. Like I'd gained 10-20 IQ points. Prior to this I drank
quite often over several years (college plus a few post college years). This
break (and my awareness of its effects) caused me to really curb my drinking.
Now I drink sparsely and mostly to appreciate a nice wine or beer or well made
cocktail. I think there's a balance to strike. Enjoyment in life might be
worth a marginal IQ point here and there. I dropped out of bschool but learned
this lesson getting myself admitted. Thanks bschool! :D

------
majke
Hey, I did just that few months ago! It worked well for me. It took some time
for my friends to accept that I 'm not drinking. I don't think this experience
will affect my life, but it was really satisfying to prove myself.

I think I'll repeat 40 days without drinking next year.

------
nathanscott
Just a heads up, if you're thinking about what it's like to give the booze a
rest for a while there is a community of people who take on a 3 month or 12
month sobriety challenge and blog about their experiences. It makes for super
interesting reading, and the passion in the community really reflects how big
the drinking issue is in people's lives.

[http://hellosundaymorning.org](http://hellosundaymorning.org)

Full disclosure: My team built the tech. But you'll want to get involved for
the community.

------
marincounty
There's some people who drink because they need too. You know who you are. You
might be drinking because of generalized anxiety, or panic attacks? I know how
you feel. Try to keep the drinking to a minimum though. As you age, the need
for alcohol might decrease; it did with me. I never thought I could give up
drinking, but I think age played a part? Now, I need to get off prescription
drugs? A doctor once told me, every patient is different--that might be the
only useful advise he ever gave me.

------
misiti3780
I quit drinking for three 30 days stints last year (not back to back though).
I can relate to most of what he says - I did feel a lot better, I didnt lose
that much weight though (oh well). In the end, I think this experiment is
really great but one also needs to consider where you live - I live in lower
manhattan where I cant walk 5 feet without passing a cool looking bar / happy
hour. I am glad I quit drinking for three months last year but am I having
more fun drinking now - definitely.

------
tlarkworthy
I gave up drinking for a year and a half. My conscious really expanded in that
time, and my stools were like iron bars!

I started drinking after I moved away from that town, and into a new city
knowing nobody. Alcohol helps me socialise faster. Anyway I didn't feel like
stopping again after gaining friends, as I had already learnt all I needed to
know about being sober endlessly. Now I am much older and I don't really drink
that much naturally - due to massive hangovers. The circle of life

------
jasey
I went the whole of 2011 without drinking.

The only difference was my wallet was fuller and I probably had a slightly
better immune system.

The hard part was being at social events where for the most part I was the
only one sober. I found I would analysis everything allot more and found that
personality types I didnt like got much worse when they had been drinking. I
also realized that some of my friends were really obnoxious and hated seeing
them like that. When your also drunk you dont notice these things...

------
corylehey
I did the same thing last year, falling asleep was a lot harder. Its like a
circus up there in the brain.

~~~
smsm42
There are techniques to handle that. I haven't have too much experience in it
but from what I heard in limited encounters with them, unless you have some
physiological problem, you can learn to relax and get the circus under control
pretty efficiently. Takes some work, of course, as any good thing does :)
Drugs are an easier shortcut, that is true.

------
loceng
Yoga is how I broke my workaholism. It took a long time though - but it gave
me 90 minutes each time I did it where I "couldn't" leave and/or do work; It
started to break the cycle, and that's all I needed to start happening
initially.

------
cnp
My GF and I quit drinking for four months once and it totally changed our
lives. All the haziness disappeared, and so did our desire to get senselessly
smashed. Everything, literally, improved in our lives --work, school, focus,
our relationship: everything.

------
hawkharris
I wish more people would stop drinking for the social benefits as well as the
health benefits. In my opinion, alcohol makes people less interesting and
articulate even though it makes them feel more sociable.

------
c0deporn
" alcoholism is often linked to highly driven, ambitious, over-achieving
personality types." gives me a reason to worry.

------
rdl
It's interesting to do "no X for Y days", vs "no X ever". Seems a lot more
attainable.

------
exabrial
To quote Jack Sparrow: "But where has all the rum gone?"

------
adrianlmm
I have 34 years w/o drinking buzz, the best way to combat an addiction is to
never start it.

~~~
epo
Welcome Captain Obvious. Please tell us how to achieve world peace. Oh! Don't
have wars. We were hoping for some evidence of, you know, intelligence or
insight.

