@@lanaburnleyottawa I really like going on a bike ride when I can as well! You can feel the air flowing through your hair and engage the world from a different perspective (it's also great exercise!).
This is great advice even for those who don’t have an alcohol dependency? Since quitting drinking alcohol 6 months ago I’ve been playing trumpet and piano, learning Italian, and cooking gourmet meals! Very fulfilling! I want eventually start working and reading as well!
I think you hit the nail in the head. Everything that you have to learn to stay sober for the long term are the same skills you need to achieve any goal you set for yourself in life. For me it started with quitting drinking and is now a lot bigger, I am working on my overall health and fitness, reading more, working on my business and trying to be the best dad and husband that I can.
Drink club soda. It provides great assistance in helping on to stop drinking alcohol AND soda too; as soda is not good either. So, drink club soda aka carbonated water.
Great advice, I drink unsweetened ice tea and cold water. I indulge on lemonade and some soda at times, though. I figure its OK once in a while but you have to keep an eye on it!
@@getactivationenergy Yes, I agree. And I enjoy those drinks you mentioned too. Plus, unsweetened ice coffee. That is, I get the unsweetened because I put stevia in my ice coffee.
These suggestions will only get you so far, the real elephant in the "room" is your inner demons. Until you get rid of those, no activity or will power will help. A 12 step program is a great way to stay stopped long term, and achieve inner peace. Once you achieve inner peace, u dont need distractions, you can simply be. Sober 4 years, by the grace of my higher power, one day at a time. The life I have today is a total 180 from what I had.
Whatever it takes. What works for me is to focus on the fact that there are no benefits to drinking. If you understand that, you simply won’t want to drink
I agree, at the end of the day we have to re-arrange the way we live our lives in order to achieve peace and balance. In early sobriety though, we have to do whatever it takes to not fall back on drinking. Talking to a friend, going for a walk or a good game to distract yourself is better that going back to the old routine. But you have to work on those demons (distorted thinking and traumas) to find peace long term!
I drank alcohol nearly nonstop for 22 years, starting from the age of 27 because of night shift. I couldn't sleep after returning from night duty. As I complained to my colleagues about it, I was advised to always drink hot drinks like whiskey whenever I came back home. So I did. 17 year later, I got a white-collar job. That didn't stop me from the daily drinking of whiskey. I was a functional alcoholic ! I worked throughout, never lacked anything.I was drinking an average of between 3 and four bottles, 0,7 Liter, per week, but only at home. I have no peer group or adult group with which I was drinking. I never drank whiskey or alcohol outside. None of my friends or colleagues knew the extent of my alcohol consume. My wife complained about it, but not often. It was always only during a misunderstanding between us, even if it was because of alcohol consumption or not. Many times, I tried to stop. I never really caused stress regularly because of alcohol. I only drank alcohol at my study. Halleluja ! In a very stupid way, I bumped into a police officer. My driver's licence was taken away from me because of drunkenness at the wheel , never to be given back. I was asked to refrain from drinking alcohol for six months, after which I would do a medical and psychological test. If I passed, I would apply for the re-insuance of my driver's licence. I asked them if I was allowed to extend it to one year. I then extended the refrain period to one years by myself. I extended it because the temptation to drink alcohol after six months of refrain was high. After one year of sobriety, I did all the tests. I passed and re-applied for my driver's license. I got it back. Never again, will I drink alcohol. Of course I paid a few thousand dollars for the whole process. Even if I spend ten thousand dollars in order to quit alcohol, it was worth it. But, I never spent ten thousand dollars for it. Today, I live better, sleep better and behave better. May God bless that police officer who took away my driver's licence.
It takes lot to get us out of the drinking habit. I am glad things are working out for you. My story is very similar and it seems like a serious wake-up call is sometimes needed to see writing on the wall. I am glad you did not hurt yourself and others, this fear is what made me stop. I tell my group today to play it forward and imagine the consequences of continuing the path they are in. We can use our imagination to see what could happen so we don't have to go through this for real. This is why listening to other people in a group setting also works. Best.
Have you heard a joke in a bar after a few drinks that was really funny and when sober it's not funny at all? I'll always remember this woman who couldn't stop crying , out of control crying because someone else's hamster died two weeks earlier.
What are some engaging activities you enjoy instead of drinking?
cooking and riding my bike! I even like to drive my car in the country and get out of the city once in a while.
@@lanaburnleyottawa I really like going on a bike ride when I can as well! You can feel the air flowing through your hair and engage the world from a different perspective (it's also great exercise!).
This is great advice even for those who don’t have an alcohol dependency? Since quitting drinking alcohol 6 months ago I’ve been playing trumpet and piano, learning Italian, and cooking gourmet meals! Very fulfilling! I want eventually start working and reading as well!
I think you hit the nail in the head. Everything that you have to learn to stay sober for the long term are the same skills you need to achieve any goal you set for yourself in life. For me it started with quitting drinking and is now a lot bigger, I am working on my overall health and fitness, reading more, working on my business and trying to be the best dad and husband that I can.
Drink club soda. It provides great assistance in helping on to stop drinking alcohol AND soda too; as soda is not good either. So, drink club soda aka carbonated water.
Great advice, I drink unsweetened ice tea and cold water. I indulge on lemonade and some soda at times, though. I figure its OK once in a while but you have to keep an eye on it!
@@getactivationenergy Yes, I agree. And I enjoy those drinks you mentioned too. Plus, unsweetened ice coffee. That is, I get the unsweetened because I put stevia in my ice coffee.
Thanks for that, very useful information 🥰
I am glad it was helpful, thanks for watching!
These suggestions will only get you so far, the real elephant in the "room" is your inner demons. Until you get rid of those, no activity or will power will help. A 12 step program is a great way to stay stopped long term, and achieve inner peace. Once you achieve inner peace, u dont need distractions, you can simply be.
Sober 4 years, by the grace of my higher power, one day at a time. The life I have today is a total 180 from what I had.
Whatever it takes. What works for me is to focus on the fact that there are no benefits to drinking. If you understand that, you simply won’t want to drink
I agree, at the end of the day we have to re-arrange the way we live our lives in order to achieve peace and balance. In early sobriety though, we have to do whatever it takes to not fall back on drinking. Talking to a friend, going for a walk or a good game to distract yourself is better that going back to the old routine. But you have to work on those demons (distorted thinking and traumas) to find peace long term!
@@iluomobravo Focusing on the health benefits of alcohol will only get you so far. Drinking is but a symptom of our distorted thinking.
I drank alcohol nearly nonstop for 22 years, starting from the age of 27 because of night shift. I couldn't sleep after returning from night duty. As I complained to my colleagues about it, I was advised to always drink hot drinks like whiskey whenever I came back home. So I did.
17 year later, I got a white-collar job. That didn't stop me from the daily drinking of whiskey.
I was a functional alcoholic ! I worked throughout, never lacked anything.I was drinking an average of between 3 and four bottles, 0,7 Liter, per week, but only at home. I have no peer group or adult group with which I was drinking. I never drank whiskey or alcohol outside. None of my friends or colleagues knew the extent of my alcohol consume.
My wife complained about it, but not often. It was always only during a misunderstanding between us, even if it was because of alcohol consumption or not. Many times, I tried to stop. I never really caused stress regularly because of alcohol. I only drank alcohol at my study.
Halleluja ! In a very stupid way, I bumped into a police officer. My driver's licence was taken away from me because of drunkenness at the wheel , never to be given back. I was asked to refrain from drinking alcohol for six months, after which I would do a medical and psychological test. If I passed, I would apply for the re-insuance of my driver's licence. I asked them if I was allowed to extend it to one year. I then extended the refrain period to one years by myself. I extended it because the temptation to drink alcohol after six months of refrain was high.
After one year of sobriety, I did all the tests. I passed and re-applied for my driver's license. I got it back. Never again, will I drink alcohol. Of course I paid a few thousand dollars for the whole process. Even if I spend ten thousand dollars in order to quit alcohol, it was worth it. But, I never spent ten thousand dollars for it.
Today, I live better, sleep better and behave better. May God bless that police officer who took away my driver's licence.
It takes lot to get us out of the drinking habit. I am glad things are working out for you. My story is very similar and it seems like a serious wake-up call is sometimes needed to see writing on the wall. I am glad you did not hurt yourself and others, this fear is what made me stop. I tell my group today to play it forward and imagine the consequences of continuing the path they are in. We can use our imagination to see what could happen so we don't have to go through this for real. This is why listening to other people in a group setting also works. Best.
Have you heard a joke in a bar after a few drinks that was really funny and when sober it's not funny at all? I'll always remember this woman who couldn't stop crying , out of control crying because someone else's hamster died two weeks earlier.
I have an alter ego that comes out when I drink, and he is pretty obnoxious.