Mad Dog
6:44 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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When you do give up drinking you become acutely aware of the severe drinking culture in this country.
You also get a lot of shit from people who insist you HAVE to drink. The same wouldn't be extended to someone giving up the tabs or crack. They'd be sympathetic.
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Wils
6:37 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Colchester Sid wrote...
"f it is at home - don't have any alcohol in the house
If it is at friends or families houses - cut them out of your life
If it is at the pub - stop going to pubs
If it is linked to football or holidays - stop going to football or taking holidays"
This ^
I was brought up as a heavy drinker and I realised (for me) it was more peer pressure or a cultural problem than alcoholism. I changed how I socialised (meet friends for dinner/cinema/theatre or whatever you are in to) and the alcohol came under control almost by itself. To be fair It was helped along by some self-imposed rules like giving up drinking during the day (I used to hit the pub as soon as they opened).
Another thing that helped was giving up drinking altogether for 3 months. Dry January is not enough to change habits, you need a good 3 months to develop new habits and settle into them. Once you have done that you have broken the back of it and it's downhill from there.
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wd40
5:35 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Up to a couple years ago could easily do 10 good cups of coffee a day
Replace the ones at home with having a smoothie which are refreshing and more healthy.
Knock up any tasty smoothie easily
cheap as well.
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JustAFatKevinDavies
5:29 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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if it werent for my morning coffee id only shit about once a month
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Colchester Sid
4:15 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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From personal experience - just think about where it is you drink and do this for a year or so
If it is at home - don't have any alcohol in the house
If it is at friends or families houses - cut them out of your life
If it is at the pub - stop going to pubs
If it is linked to football or holidays - stop going to football or taking holidays
Worked for me
Never been a coffee drinker so can't comment there
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Charoo
4:09 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Scott_D
“The hardest thing for me is sugar”
Yep me too - that is the one thing I have tried to quit and just cut down on but that’s a tough one for me too.
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Charoo
4:07 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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I’d happily never drink alcohol again - really can take or leave it. As mentioned below the first is the best and the second is because you enjoyed the first.
I generally have 1 or 2 beers then Heineken 0 but only if it’s ice cold, I actually like the flavour of that.
I’d struggle to give up caffeine, I like a big scoop of pre workout before training and I like a good coffee.
Like anything though habits take a small time to break and once you do it’s really not difficult unless you are properly addicted.
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scott_d
4:04 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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j2daeww - I'm not really a tea connoisseur so probably the wrong person to recommend!
I've had Tetley decaf tea in the past and it's absolutely fine.
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Side of Ham
3:53 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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j2daeww, do you want to buy a bridge?
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Manuel
3:50 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Woodford - Yep, same as me, not a hangover as such but just fucked and tired the whole day, don't feel right again until the next morning.
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j2daeww
3:49 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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What decaffeinated breakfast tea do you recommend to an American? I am a big fan of harrod’s English breakfast tea.
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scott_d
3:10 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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I'm not a big drinker. Wouldn't class myself a tee-total as now and then I might have a beer but in between I'll gladly have a non-alcoholic beer.
The days when Becks Blue was your only option are hopefully over, as it's pretty shit compared to the others.
There are now an array of non or low alcohol beers that you can buy in super markets and most of the major brands also stock non/low alcohol beers.
If I fancy a beer, the low alcohol stuff can often hit the spot and I stock it home instead of normal beer.
As for caffeine, pretty much the same in that I am not completely off but I tend to drink decaf tee and same applies - there are loads of decaf teas and they taste pretty decent.
I did both for health reasons and also to compliment my fitness and running and to be honest, it wasn't that difficult once I committed.
The hardest thing for me is sugar!
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Woodford Green
3:09 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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I drink coffee on most days but can't understand those that say they cannot function in the morning without having one.
I drink it because its a nice accompaniment with my breakfast and out of sheer boredom (usually when in the office)
In terms of alcohol, I like a few pints of lager after work on a friday but thats about it. Whilst I can drink more, I try and stop at 4 pints as anything more, it has a knock on effect on me the next day (not necessarily a full on hangover but generally feeling bloated and lethargic)
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BRANDED
3:02 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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I’m always giving up booze. Generally when I’m hung over.
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oioi
2:56 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Giving up booze is easy, I’ve done it loads of times.
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ted fenton
12:17 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Gary Strodders shank 10:31 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
Spot on Gary only the functioning parts of the liver repairs it's self.
I've been dry for 3 years next month as I have Cirrhosis I was told if I didn't stop drinking I would be dead within the year !
When I look back I was a functioning alcoholic... sadly cirrhosis is a terminal illness but a lot of people get away with heavy drinking.... I had jaundice when I was 10 and my consultant said that it would have injured the liver but maybe he was just being nice.
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Mike Oxsaw
11:46 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Coffee I love but can't drink - even a small cup and I get serious back pains about half an hour later (kidneys complaining, I guess), so I stopped drinking it years...decades ago.
Alcohol I can take or leave; several of my contracts have been in Islamic countries and although available was a pain in the arse to chase down - and fucked if I want to go to a hotel bar and drink on my own, anyway (although "company" would always introduce itself before I'd managed the second sip...).
Not a great lager fan, either (German & Belgium excepted), which is often all that was available outside the UK.
Cans & bottles of "foreign" beer are available in Thailand (where I plan to "run away" to), but are taxed to fuck, so I guess back on the wagon again.
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Stubbo
11:35 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Only alcohol I drink these days is some red wine if appropriate with a nice meal in/out. Maybe once every week or two.
Generally look to drink:
Heineken 0.0 or Ginger Beer & Lime.
Never been a coffee drinker.
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Manuel
11:33 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Mashed - I only really drink lager mate, so not that easy, and am quite fussy which ones I like.
Yea, I couldn't imagine getting ready to go out meet folk in pub or wherever then commence to sip a few sprites. In fact I find it utterly bizarre, but hey each their own :-)
PS: As I'm typing this I'm thinking like everything else under the same this has all been discussed on here before, several times.
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mashed in maryland
11:26 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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As for coffee, its fucking mental the crossover between people who moan about never getting any sleep and being tired all the time who you see knocking back coffee at 4pm.
No one ever makes the link
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mashed in maryland
11:23 Mon Jul 11
Re: Giving up alcohol and caffeine
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Manuel 3:20 Mon Jul 11
That's the lager. Switch to something else and you'll notice the difference. Sometimes even swapping pints for bottles helps.
You're spot on though.
A lot of this well meaning sobriety stuff lately seems to come from America (and/or is aimed at addicts). Having a couple of drinks is part of our culture, its not the done thing for blokes to unwind watching sports or having a game of pool or whatever while drinking soda pops.
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