Quitting drinking for a few months,,, anyone tried?

[dcb777]

I quit drinking for 2 years (1 of the years was my senior year of college). It is hard to do at first, but if drinking is really a problem or if you are just quitting until after the LSAT it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I still went out with friends etc, just didn't drink. Once you start again though, you will most likely drink exactly the same as before.

[fluorescenthippo]

i could easily quit getting drunk but it would be hard for me to not sip a good beer a few times a week. sorry i have nothing really to add to this thread

[Zarathustra]

I had a similar problem because I graduated college a semester early and hung around school for a few months with no obligations. The key to avoiding black outs is keeping your tolerance for alcohol under control. Heavy drinkers might act perfectly natural and may not even feel that drunk, even with a BAC high enough to completely impair the memory-forming functions of the brain. Just set some limits for yourself and be conscious of how many beers you can drink to feel good but not completely housed.

[housenuts]

it's pretty hard to set limits for yourself.

i could easily say to myself that i'll have a 12 beer limit and be fine, and not do anything i'd be embarassed about the next day. but the thing is, after 12 beers, then i can't stop and will then have another case.

[Pete H]

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but hate losing days of my life to hangovers and lethargy.

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That was the main reason I started to reduce my drinking.

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I would have no idea what to do on a weekend night when I'm out with my friends... drink soda and laugh at them?

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That's what I've done.

Sometimes I've had amazing time sober laughing with them, but I have very weird sence of humour and I can be totally random even if I'm sober.

Sometimes drunken idiots make me angry and I have to leave before the fat lady sings.

You may also want to do something else than go out with your friends every weekend.

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Has anyone, in college or otherwise, stayed sober for a few months? Is it feasible or will I just succumb to peer pressure?

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The social pressure to drink is ridiculous. It's incredibly hard to drink water/soda/coffee when everyone's trying to buy you shots.

[Lonhro]

It's extremely feasible. I'm a heavy drinker and I know I could go cold turkey tomorrow if I wanted to - I just choose not to. I have no reason to. All it takes is willpower. Go out to a bar, be a pussy and buy a coke. When your friends ask you if you want a drink and you say "no" and then they turn up at your table with a beer or a scotch or something, simply don't drink it. They might try it a couple of times but then they will get sick of buying you drinks that go to waste/the ice melts before they can have it after their drink. It's a simple thing. Alcohol isn't really THAT addictive.

[kidcolin]

I didn't drink at all in college. A lot of my friends did. It was never really a problem. At all. Never any pressure, never any big deal. Some of my friends also didn't drink. So sometimes I'd hang out with just them, sometimes just my drinking friends, sometimes we'd all go to a party or bar.

Sounds like more than anything you're an actual alcoholic though. You've got bigger fish to fry. Blacking out 3 days a week is pretty sick.

[stickyman]

I've done it a few times. A flight surgeon once told me if you can stop cold turkey for 14 days, then you are not dependent on alcohol - ie an alcoholic. I went 4 1/2 months without booze. Once. It can be done - do it, pass the bar, and become a drunken irish lawyer - unless you're not irish..

[Shoe]

I am currently taking a 3 month break from drinking. It has been about 7 weeks now, the last day I drank on was January 1st. I'm not in college though and can't imagine trying to do this while I was in college.

It was really easy at first -- and my body felt awesome, both mentally and physically after going about a week without alcohol (probably my first week in 10 years without alcohol).

Now it is getting harder, mainly because how much better I felt after stopped drinking has pretty much became normal, and it's hard to keep turning down drinks that my friends want to buy me or even complete strangers (A guy at my poker table today was buying free rounds for the entire table all night long -- I almost cracked there).

Once my 3 months is up I plan to limit my drinking much more. I was pretty much drinking 5-6 nights a week. If I relapse to that point again I think I'll have to just give it up completely.

[nath]

I did quit on two separate occasions in college, once for a month, and once for 18 months. Each time, I was just sick of the volume I was drinking, what it was doing to my brain, etc.

The first time I really enjoyed going out, still, and I had a good time at parties and such.

The second time I was sick of the scene before long. Everyone seemed obnoxious. My fresher brain desired more intellectual pursuits, and I wasn't plagued by depression or mood swings to nearly the same degree.

Of course, during that second period, I also discovered drugs, which opened my eyes to a whole new world, but I digress.