I was never a heavy drinker–usually it was just wine or some hard cider or something–but I quit drinking altogether when I started taking an SSRI for my anxiety. One night, I split a bottle of wine with my partner, and the rebound anxiety I felt for the next three or four days made it feel like I wasn’t taking meds at all. That was unacceptable to me. I’d kind of like to drink here and there still, but I’m not willing to deal with the way it makes me feel.
It was disruptive to my routine and hurting me more than I enjoyed it. It would throw me off for days and make me feel depressed. It also lead to unhealthy food choices and weight gain.
I’ve had a few times where I’ve been like “yolo” and had drinks with friends but each time I’m reminded of why I don’t drink
Didn’t fully quit. Just rarely drink it anymore. Mostly because of the headaches red wine gives me. I hate white wine. I love red wine. Red wine doesn’t love me.🍷
she was worrying about the negative effects on my health and well-being. so i tried doing without for a while and noticed how right she was and that i don’t “need” it at all.
I didn’t drink a lot, I was a lightweight, but I did notice that I was using it to not feel things. And I didn’t want to end up like my parents- who are both alcoholics.
On top of that, I started being treated for mental illness (schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder) and the meds I’m taking don’t mix well with alcohol. So I had to quit anyway.
I simply prefer being more conscious, rather than less. It’s become increasingly apparent as I age. I used alcohol to run from myself when I was young. I don’t want to live like that anymore. I prefer to be held by myself, to be present, to increase my awareness.
I was a pretty heavy drinking until I started taking a medication for anxiety called Buspirone. One sip of anything with alcohol in it made me instantly dizzy and nauseous. I stopped drinking completely, never looked back and am thankful every day that I stopped.
It makes me feel horrible the following day, one drink can be enough to throw me off the next day, so I just don’t do it. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.
Back in January, my drinking started to get out of hand. After work, I felt the need to stop at the gas station to grab those tiny wine bottles. That’s when it hit me—I was starting to become my mother. Most of my childhood memories of her involve her being drunk, and I don’t want that for my kids. I had half a bottle of wine in March after I was broken up with, and it made me feel like absolute shit. I haven’t touched alcohol since.
I never drank that much maybe once a month, there were times when I was younger I drank every weekend. But normally I got like super drunk. 2-3 times a year. I did some wine tasting in the holidays and started to feel like an adult.
But not even 8 months later I found out I have a Histamin allergy and that alcohol in general is bad for my body.
I got red swollen itchy spots in my faces and on my body and I had so many times diarrea, it was just not worth it.
I am still partying but totally sober, only drinking water. I need to say I get like a group effect that because everyone is tipsy I also feel and behave tipsy, but the next morning I feel amazing also I can go home without any problem.
I had memory loss brought on by PTSD. Alcohol is one of the worst things to put on your body for brain health, so I cut it down a lot. I still drink on occasion, not outside of that. Even amid occasions, I tend to opt for mocktails and NA options. I realized that usually all I really want is a fun drink, and that’s become way more accessible in the NA category with more places offering NA options.
I’m not super strict on not drinking- it’s just incredibly rare now. And if I do it’s like one drink, maybe two. I used to drink a LOT though, and daily.
Hangovers are the worst, they affect me terribly and I can’t have a decent day after drinking. I also have a pretty addictive personality so I have to really watch what I consume. I also was heavily using it to manage negative emotions and was drinking alone which is not a good sign. On top of all that, my family has issues with substance abuse and alcoholism and I am no exception- so I quit while I was ahead.
I haven’t quit but have dramatically changed my habits. I didn’t drink often but when I did I went balls to the wall and allowed it to contribute to poor decisions.
I was never a big drinker anyway, but since becoming a mother, I only drink once in a while. Maybe a nice glass of whiskey or a few drinks when I’m out with friends once every couple of months.
Honestly don’t miss it – I honestly think most of the reason why I drank in the first place was because the drink tasted good. I’ve replaced that with sparkling water now.
Became a father & realized my daughters might think it’s normal for their dates/marriage to be an alcoholic. Stopped cold turkey for about five years. I have one drink now occasionally with a meal or sports game. I don’t miss it & glad I got off that self destructive mindset.
I knew I needed to quit. I’d been trying for a decade. Hair of the dog eased into drinks to stop withdrawal. My body would wake up at 6am demanding a drink. I told myself I’d go to detox for my birthday and found one that would send me home with meds so I didn’t have to take off work. I got to the appointment at 9am already in serious withdrawal and they called an ambulance on me.
I work from home and was able to get away with it for a long time but it was really starting to impact my work. I didn’t get in trouble but it was within earshot for sure.
My overall health and wellbeing. I didn’t want to end up like most of my immediate family. I wanted to break the cycle and trauma for my kids, so they didn’t have to live the life I did.
Alcohol killed my mom. She was my best friend. I can’t taste alcohol anymore without being reminded. It’s just not worth it. I also see literally zero health benefits (at least none that outweigh the cons, so yeah).
My baby sister. I already wasn’t a big drinker, like 3 to 4 times a year I’d drink. Since our dad was an addict shes super sensitive to any of that stuff.
The experience never feels worth it to me. I don’t like how it makes me feel during or after. It’s expensive and it’s never actually left me feeling good.
I associated it with being dragged out of my castle by the rabbid monsters known as egstrovertz to go out drinking every friday night, now I have learnt how to tell the egstrovertz to keep their foul socialisation away from me so I no longer get dragged to their weird and loud and crowdy pub forteresses where I have no choice but drink to pretend I m part of that loud horde, all hail goddess Introvia
It was bad. I still haven’t forgiven myself for this. But I drank and drove, I was extremely aggressive towards those I loved and didn’t remember it the next day. And the straw that broke the camels back was me passing out in my living room and my daughter thinking I had died. 😒
I never really enjoyed drinking alcohol at all. Mostly drank, because everyone else did so.
My new partner also stopped drinking few years ago before we got together and ever since we got together, I quit for good, too. I figured out, that I needed some support to follow through it when I get asked if I want a drink, so that I can say: no. 🙂
As a woman, I feel like it’s a bit more annoying to not drink alcohol, because I hated when people assume me to be pregnant or religious.. I hated it so much, that I felt like I had to explain myself. Now that my partner and me both do not drink, I can just say: no thanks, we don’t drink alcohol – and nobody asks further questions 🙂
Because I’m an alcoholic so I can’t stop once I’ve started. I kept doing stupid things, waking up in strange places and being sick with hangovers all the time and I couldn’t even remember any of the fun bits because I would black out every single time.
Comments
I was never a heavy drinker–usually it was just wine or some hard cider or something–but I quit drinking altogether when I started taking an SSRI for my anxiety. One night, I split a bottle of wine with my partner, and the rebound anxiety I felt for the next three or four days made it feel like I wasn’t taking meds at all. That was unacceptable to me. I’d kind of like to drink here and there still, but I’m not willing to deal with the way it makes me feel.
It was disruptive to my routine and hurting me more than I enjoyed it. It would throw me off for days and make me feel depressed. It also lead to unhealthy food choices and weight gain.
I’ve had a few times where I’ve been like “yolo” and had drinks with friends but each time I’m reminded of why I don’t drink
Didn’t fully quit. Just rarely drink it anymore. Mostly because of the headaches red wine gives me. I hate white wine. I love red wine. Red wine doesn’t love me.🍷
my fiancée.
she was worrying about the negative effects on my health and well-being. so i tried doing without for a while and noticed how right she was and that i don’t “need” it at all.
haven’t touched a drop ever since (August ’23).
becoming chronically ill. wasnt really a choice for me, was forced into it
I didn’t drink a lot, I was a lightweight, but I did notice that I was using it to not feel things. And I didn’t want to end up like my parents- who are both alcoholics.
On top of that, I started being treated for mental illness (schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder) and the meds I’m taking don’t mix well with alcohol. So I had to quit anyway.
Seeing a video of myself drunk
Chronic extremity painful gastritis.
I simply prefer being more conscious, rather than less. It’s become increasingly apparent as I age. I used alcohol to run from myself when I was young. I don’t want to live like that anymore. I prefer to be held by myself, to be present, to increase my awareness.
I was a pretty heavy drinking until I started taking a medication for anxiety called Buspirone. One sip of anything with alcohol in it made me instantly dizzy and nauseous. I stopped drinking completely, never looked back and am thankful every day that I stopped.
It makes me feel horrible the following day, one drink can be enough to throw me off the next day, so I just don’t do it. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.
Back in January, my drinking started to get out of hand. After work, I felt the need to stop at the gas station to grab those tiny wine bottles. That’s when it hit me—I was starting to become my mother. Most of my childhood memories of her involve her being drunk, and I don’t want that for my kids. I had half a bottle of wine in March after I was broken up with, and it made me feel like absolute shit. I haven’t touched alcohol since.
made my hot flashes worse, slept worse when I had a glass of wine. Which is too bad because I love wine 😩
I didn’t have a job (not due to alcohol) so I literally didn’t have the money to buy any. I simply couldn’t obtain it. Now I don’t crave it anymore
My health.
I never drank that much maybe once a month, there were times when I was younger I drank every weekend. But normally I got like super drunk. 2-3 times a year. I did some wine tasting in the holidays and started to feel like an adult.
But not even 8 months later I found out I have a Histamin allergy and that alcohol in general is bad for my body.
I got red swollen itchy spots in my faces and on my body and I had so many times diarrea, it was just not worth it.
I am still partying but totally sober, only drinking water. I need to say I get like a group effect that because everyone is tipsy I also feel and behave tipsy, but the next morning I feel amazing also I can go home without any problem.
I like my life better without it.
I had memory loss brought on by PTSD. Alcohol is one of the worst things to put on your body for brain health, so I cut it down a lot. I still drink on occasion, not outside of that. Even amid occasions, I tend to opt for mocktails and NA options. I realized that usually all I really want is a fun drink, and that’s become way more accessible in the NA category with more places offering NA options.
Started a new medication and it says not to drink. I never really drank often anyways so it didn’t matter to cut it out.
I’m not super strict on not drinking- it’s just incredibly rare now. And if I do it’s like one drink, maybe two. I used to drink a LOT though, and daily.
Hangovers are the worst, they affect me terribly and I can’t have a decent day after drinking. I also have a pretty addictive personality so I have to really watch what I consume. I also was heavily using it to manage negative emotions and was drinking alone which is not a good sign. On top of all that, my family has issues with substance abuse and alcoholism and I am no exception- so I quit while I was ahead.
Intermittent fasting. Plus I like weed more.
I haven’t quit but have dramatically changed my habits. I didn’t drink often but when I did I went balls to the wall and allowed it to contribute to poor decisions.
Hangovers
Kids were planned. Stop drinking while we were trying and obviously during the pregnancies. Discovered I didn’t really care for it anymore
Pancreatitis
I was a severe alcoholic for a long time, and what made me quit is getting into legal trouble. I’ve been sober for seven years now.
Pregnancy and Motherhood.
I was never a big drinker anyway, but since becoming a mother, I only drink once in a while. Maybe a nice glass of whiskey or a few drinks when I’m out with friends once every couple of months.
I didn’t like the way it made me feel anymore.
Honestly don’t miss it – I honestly think most of the reason why I drank in the first place was because the drink tasted good. I’ve replaced that with sparkling water now.
Liver disease. And I’m only in my early 20s.
[removed]
[removed]
Bursting out in tears in front of 15 friends
Became a father & realized my daughters might think it’s normal for their dates/marriage to be an alcoholic. Stopped cold turkey for about five years. I have one drink now occasionally with a meal or sports game. I don’t miss it & glad I got off that self destructive mindset.
I almost died.
I knew I needed to quit. I’d been trying for a decade. Hair of the dog eased into drinks to stop withdrawal. My body would wake up at 6am demanding a drink. I told myself I’d go to detox for my birthday and found one that would send me home with meds so I didn’t have to take off work. I got to the appointment at 9am already in serious withdrawal and they called an ambulance on me.
I work from home and was able to get away with it for a long time but it was really starting to impact my work. I didn’t get in trouble but it was within earshot for sure.
My overall health and wellbeing. I didn’t want to end up like most of my immediate family. I wanted to break the cycle and trauma for my kids, so they didn’t have to live the life I did.
Alcohol killed my mom. She was my best friend. I can’t taste alcohol anymore without being reminded. It’s just not worth it. I also see literally zero health benefits (at least none that outweigh the cons, so yeah).
My baby sister. I already wasn’t a big drinker, like 3 to 4 times a year I’d drink. Since our dad was an addict shes super sensitive to any of that stuff.
The experience never feels worth it to me. I don’t like how it makes me feel during or after. It’s expensive and it’s never actually left me feeling good.
I associated it with being dragged out of my castle by the rabbid monsters known as egstrovertz to go out drinking every friday night, now I have learnt how to tell the egstrovertz to keep their foul socialisation away from me so I no longer get dragged to their weird and loud and crowdy pub forteresses where I have no choice but drink to pretend I m part of that loud horde, all hail goddess Introvia
It made my anxiety, especially my health anxiety, so much worse. It made everything worse, really.
Got me extra sad and made grieving extra hard over my best friend.
Makes me tired, doesn’t taste good anymore, and too expensive
It was bad. I still haven’t forgiven myself for this. But I drank and drove, I was extremely aggressive towards those I loved and didn’t remember it the next day. And the straw that broke the camels back was me passing out in my living room and my daughter thinking I had died. 😒
I never really enjoyed drinking alcohol at all. Mostly drank, because everyone else did so.
My new partner also stopped drinking few years ago before we got together and ever since we got together, I quit for good, too. I figured out, that I needed some support to follow through it when I get asked if I want a drink, so that I can say: no. 🙂
As a woman, I feel like it’s a bit more annoying to not drink alcohol, because I hated when people assume me to be pregnant or religious.. I hated it so much, that I felt like I had to explain myself. Now that my partner and me both do not drink, I can just say: no thanks, we don’t drink alcohol – and nobody asks further questions 🙂
Switched to weed. Overall a better choice especially for someone who has depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
Because I’m an alcoholic so I can’t stop once I’ve started. I kept doing stupid things, waking up in strange places and being sick with hangovers all the time and I couldn’t even remember any of the fun bits because I would black out every single time.
[removed]
I realized I would never have a healthy loving long term relationship if I kept drinking.