Good reasons to give up alcohol

[oc16]

I am not saying permanently, but just for a while. I have been sick of the bar scene for about the last 15 years, and I unfortunately know some people who can't have a good time unless alcohol is involved and it's getting very old.

I was never a big drinker, when I was in my 30's I averaged close to 10 drinks a week and that's only because my roommate was a heavy drinker.

Now that I am in my mid to late 40's, I probably only average about 5 drinks per week (beer) and I'll even go 2 to 3 weeks without drinking.

Reasons I think it's a good idea:

1.) Saves you money

2.) Don't have to worry about impaired driving *I have felt impaired (though not legally) after just two pints of light beer and driving that way is a scary experience. If you get in a collision; I wouldn't be surprised if the cops can still charge you with something.

3.) Odds are you won't be missing out on a female connection if you stay out of bars. Most women are there with their husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends or are too busy looking at their phones to want you to approach them. I am not saying this will be the case all the time, but probably MOST of the time.

I think most of us are afraid to give up drinking (going to bars) because of FOMO (Fear of Missing out) You think, just maybe this one time my future wife or a woman I can really click with is in there just waiting for me to talk to her. However, the odds are stacked against you (see my reasons above)

4.) It makes you more mentally tough and resilient. Most of us drink to escape reality, but the escape it just temporary and drinking to escape whatever problem you are dealing with just makes it worse.

5.) It forces you to be more innovative and do other non-drinking events (bookstore, museum, sporting event, movies, dinner, etc.)

6.) Weightloss

7.) I have seen how alcohol can destroy. One of my good friends has struggled with alcohol for 30 years and it led to legal problems and problems with employment. He is my age and doesn't have a penny to his name.

Can you think of any more good reasons and/or have you tried it? How has it made your life better? I also read that non-alcoholic drinks are becoming more popular, and I would think holding a drink in your hand at a bar that tastes like beer isn't as bad as it seems.

 

[SW15]

3.) Odds are you won't be missing out on a female connection if you stay out of bars. Most women are there with their husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends or are too busy looking at their phones to want you to approach them. I am not saying this will be the case all the time, but probably MOST of the time.

This depends on where you live and where you go.

Approaching women at bars is the best option for same night sex.

Same day sex doesn't happen from non-bar approaching.

There's also usually a lag time between setting up a date via swipe app or Instagram/social media and the date itself. This can be 1-4 days. While it's possible to get first date sex from an app or a social media DM convo, it's not as immediate as showing up in a bar and approaching.

Bars are also good for first dates (set up any way).

You do have a valid point about a lot of women going to bars with girlfriends or are too busy looking at their phones. These are things that often decrease their openness to being approached. Because women tend to go to bars in group of at least 2-3 (if not more), a man will typically need a wingman/friend to go with him to bars for approaching. Rolling solo to bars makes pickup more difficult.

5.) It forces you to be more innovative and do other non-drinking events (bookstore, museum, sporting event, movies, dinner, etc.)

It is possible to set up first dates without late nights in bars or swiping on apps. It's going to require getting good at non-bar approaching.

Activity first-second dates like the ones you suggest are often more difficult options for creating a sexual mood.

It's very difficult to cut bars/nightlife venues out of the early stage seduction effort.

 

[zekko]

I know when you get older it can cause liver and kidney damage, and it's also a carcinogen.

 

[Ricky]

I was talking to a doctor i work with today about this.

when i grew up alot of talk about the French paradox and how wine was good for you

now pretty much all data indicates no amount of alcohol is good

in the heart of my pickup artist days i got terrible heartburn and went off coffee and alcohol

i did great picking up women at bars without drinking. Many of the other best pickup artists also didnt drink or drank sparingly. Its almost an unfair advantage to be sober and hit on buzzed women

 

[DarwinTaurus]

I know when you get older it can cause liver and kidney damage, and it's also a carcinogen.

I'm a functional alcoholic, and I had my liver and kidneys checked a few years ago, and they were in perfect health, which honestly surprised me.

I gave up alcohol at the start of the year, and lasted for 63 days, before I drank again.

2025, I'm going to attempt it again, although I don't think I can become a teetotaller. I'm aiming to perhaps drink once or twice a month.

To put it in perspective, my local bar where I'm a regular is owned by the Australian Venue Corporation, which owns 200+ bars in Australia. One of the ways to pay at the bar, is via an App on your phone, so sales are tracked, there is a loyalty reward system, etc. A few months ago, I was told that I'm the number one customer in the whole country for AVC. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

[Chow Mein]

If your reasonings against alcohol are:

a. Saving money
B. Lack of self control to call a DD
C. Impairing your ability to talk to women or really, anyone
D. Getting fat

Ummm dude, you have bigger problems than alcohol. Drink responsibly.

 

[sevbucmash]

Elton John stopped drinking and came out of the closet. I say, be careful with your experementations.

 

[Divorced w 3]

I haven’t drank in about 45 days and I feel great. Also, you can still go to bars. Prior to 2023, I wasn’t drinking for a long time. Anything you saw me write regarding game in bars was dead sober. Pulled college students, no issue.

 

[Mike32ct]

I haven’t drank in about 45 days and I feel great. Also, you can still go to bars. Prior to 2023, I wasn’t drinking for a long time. Anything you saw me write regarding game in bars was dead sober. Pulled college students, no issue.

What did you drink when out at bars that’s not alcohol?

 

[Ricky]

What did you drink when out at bars that’s not alcohol?

Best one in my exoerience is soda and lime in a ****tail glass. It looks like you are drinking a mixed drink so noone suspects

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

I mainly drink ginger beer in public. I'm beyond showing my masculinity in how well I can handle inebriation.

 

[Bible_Belt]

After an occasional day of physical labor, my lower back will seize up. A six pack of beer later I'm fine. And ok the next day. I'm sure I could get muscle relaxer pills if I wanted, but I have never liked pharmaceuticals. I have had flexarill, a common muscle relaxer, and it just knocks me out. Beer works a lot better.

 

[Scaramouche]

I'm a functional alcoholic, and I had my liver and kidneys checked a few years ago, and they were in perfect health, which honestly surprised me.

I gave up alcohol at the start of the year, and lasted for 63 days, before I drank again.

2025, I'm going to attempt it again, although I don't think I can become a teetotaller. I'm aiming to perhaps drink once or twice a month.

To put it in perspective, my local bar where I'm a regular is owned by the Australian Venue Corporation, which owns 200+ bars in Australia. One of the ways to pay at the bar, is via an App on your phone, so sales are tracked, there is a loyalty reward system, etc. A few months ago, I was told that I'm the number one customer in the whole country for AVC. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Hi Darwin,
You are a functioning Alcoholic.....So was I for most of my life....We share some distinguished company....Bismarck saw his way through 65.000 magnums of Champagne...Churchill who once opined that he had taken more from Alcohol than it had ever taken from him was in a constant state of inebriation....I first went to Darwin in the mid sixties,I lived at the Ross Smith in Parap...At that time in NSW,I was used to drinking about ten middies/half pints,of full octane beer 7% on the nights I went out...First night there I went down the Parap Hotel and was introduced to a young Guy,a fellow resident in my new home,about 28,six foot tall,skinny as a fowls face with a pot belly,and an enormous red nose,he had been there all Day and had the middy glasses 25+stacked in neat piles...No air conditioning then,just fans temperature in the mid nineties...The beer just went in one end and out the other,say half of it the rest went out in sweat,...in my early sixties I changed to white wines and for about 20 years knocked over a bottle a night...then about three years ago I started having digestive problems,Acid Reflux!that was it,I just stopped drinking and now just have a glass to be friendly.
I got away with it for so long,because I only drank at night on top of huge meals...when the breathalisers came in and the Police started to take it seriously I only drank at home.I never indulged in Spirits either they are deadly.Good Luck Taurus.

 

[DarwinTaurus]

Hi Darwin,
You are a functioning Alcoholic.....So was I for most of my life....We share some distinguished company....Bismarck saw his way through 65.000 magnums of Champagne...Churchill who once opined that he had taken more from Alcohol than it had ever taken from him was in a constant state of inebriation....I first went to Darwin in the mid sixties,I lived at the Ross Smith in Parap...At that time in NSW,I was used to drinking about ten middies/half pints,of full octane beer 7% on the nights I went out...First night there I went down the Parap Hotel and was introduced to a young Guy,a fellow resident in my new home,about 28,six foot tall,skinny as a fowls face with a pot belly,and an enormous red nose,he had been there all Day and had the middy glasses 25+stacked in neat piles...No air conditioning then,just fans temperature in the mid nineties...The beer just went in one end and out the other,say half of it the rest went out in sweat,...in my early sixties I changed to white wines and for about 20 years knocked over a bottle a night...then about three years ago I started having digestive problems,Acid Reflux!that was it,I just stopped drinking and now just have a glass to be friendly.
I got away with it for so long,because I only drank at night on top of huge meals...when the breathalisers came in and the Police started to take it seriously I only drank at home.I never indulged in Spirits either they are deadly.Good Luck Taurus.

I appreciate what you say about Spirits. My go too at my local bar, my round is a Scotch and Soda, and a shot of Fireball. I average usually a minimum of 5 rounds of this, and that is on a good day. Some days, especially when I'm not working (I work shift work, 2 days, 2 nights, 4 days off), I can get excessive. And excessive can become a problem when you only work half the year, on a $160k salary.

I so much miss the time earlier this year, when I took two months off alcohol. I'm an insomniac (due to shift work and alcohol), however, when I took a two month break, my Sleep Health improved through the roof. Now that I know what the benefits of cutting down are, that is my main goal of 2025.

(And yes, like you talked about, Darwin does have a big drinking culture)

 

[Scaramouche]

Hi Taurus,
Some people can get away with it for an exceeding long time....I Googled in Churchills drinking routine,one snippett was https://billbowkett.medium.com/following-winston-churchills-routine-for-a-day-a64c51b624bb
One aspect to consider is he ate really well,With his plateful of fresh vegetables,his Cook would get a Duckling,stuff it with a Partridge that was stuffed with a Quail,so he appeared to be eating one bird.....He was an active Guy,in his Eighties he was still indulging in his favourite hobby,laying bricks LOL...Built huge walls around his Estate.
At least you have Soda with your drink,it is alkalinic....Despite its Chloresterol,indulge in Cheese before drinking and eat at least two ripe bananas a Day,chew Gum....Get into going to a Gym,you will start talking to Guys whose healthy lifestyle rubs off on you.

 

[oc16]

The other thing I forgot to mention is that deep down, alcohol is an escape mechanism. It might make you feel good in the moment, but long term it makes things worse and won't solve your problems.

 

[Bingo-Player]

I enjoy the odd bottle of wine or pint of beer maybe a whisky if its a very special occasion

Never been one to prop a bar up drinking for the sake of it ,

Expensive , waste of time , surrounded by deadbeats talking utter nonsense about what could have been , hangovers

Urgh no thanks

Unless theres hot babes around I'm usually not interested

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

If you don't control the alcohol, the alcohol will control you.

Goes for drugs as well. And prescription painkillers.

 

[CornbreadFed]

1.) Saves you money

Really depends on what you are doing. Unless you are a chronic alcoholic or are solely drinking at bars and blowing 100s of dollars every week than I can agree. Otherwise, it is not that much spent.

2.) Don't have to worry about impaired driving *I have felt impaired (though not legally) after just two pints of light beer and driving that way is a scary experience. If you get in a collision; I wouldn't be surprised if the cops can still charge you with something.

If you can't drink responsibly then you should consider ubering to bars or going to AA. I highly doubt two pints of light beer are making you that impaired. I have a feeling you are leaving out important details.

3.) Odds are you won't be missing out on a female connection if you stay out of bars. Most women are there with their husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends or are too busy looking at their phones to want you to approach them. I am not saying this will be the case all the time, but probably MOST of the time.

I agree, most bars are busts and even bad for first dates IMHO.

4.) It makes you more mentally tough and resilient. Most of us drink to escape reality, but the escape it just temporary and drinking to escape whatever problem you are dealing with just makes it worse.

Sounds like this person needs to go to AA

5.) It forces you to be more innovative and do other non-drinking events (bookstore, museum, sporting event, movies, dinner, etc.)

I agree, but one drink won't kill you in these instances. I tend to drink fast, so I avoid drinks like wine, liquor, and etc at these types of events.

6.) Weightloss

Weightloss is associated with calories in vs calories out. If alcohol is causing weight gain then you are drinking too much of it. Applying calories in vs calories out, most 1-2 drinks a night are going to have less calories than a typical dessert or if you substitute it for non-diet drinks. I lost 45 lbs and didn't cut out drinking from life. In fact, it was much easier to do it then when I was trying to abstain because I would make up for it with desserts and stuff that tend to have more calories.

7.) I have seen how alcohol can destroy. One of my good friends has struggled with alcohol for 30 years and it led to legal problems and problems with employment. He is my age and doesn't have a penny to his name.

Again, AA or maybe you just don't have the genetics to consume alcohol and I can agree. For me, I cannot do marijuana or smoke anything because my body cannot tolerate it. There are plenty of people with healthy relationships alcohol in this world that do not have to worry about this issue.

 

[oc16]

Really depends on what you are doing. Unless you are a chronic alcoholic or are solely drinking at bars and blowing 100s of dollars every week than I can agree. Otherwise, it is not that much spent.


If you can't drink responsibly then you should consider ubering to bars or going to AA. I highly doubt two pints of light beer are making you that impaired. I have a feeling you are leaving out important details.



I agree, most bars are busts and even bad for first dates IMHO.



Sounds like this person needs to go to AA



I agree, but one drink won't kill you in these instances. I tend to drink fast, so I avoid drinks like wine, liquor, and etc at these types of events.


Weightloss is associated with calories in vs calories out. If alcohol is causing weight gain then you are drinking too much of it. Applying calories in vs calories out, most 1-2 drinks a night are going to have less calories than a typical dessert or if you substitute it for non-diet drinks. I lost 45 lbs and didn't cut out drinking from life. In fact, it was much easier to do it then when I was trying to abstain because I would make up for it with desserts and stuff that tend to have more calories.



Again, AA or maybe you just don't have the genetics to consume alcohol and I can agree. For me, I cannot do marijuana or smoke anything because my body cannot tolerate it. There are plenty of people with healthy relationships alcohol in this world that do not have to worry about this issue.

If a 195lb man who doesn't drink much has 32 oz of beer in an hour or so he will not be legally drunk but his BAC might be as high as .03 and your basic faculties start to get affected.