Abstinence

[Tony uk]

Last week I came to a dicision, which this week I wanted to share on this Dialogue. I have never been a big user of alcohol, more for social events. The last year or two, occasionally I drank a more than usual. This was under the false illusion that it would help me cope with stressful issues, wrong I know. 

As of last week, I have freely taken choice to abstain from alcohol. I wanted to say this in a public arena, to people, friends, whom I respect. 

[Pyreaux]

Letting others know will help you be accountable. Self-medicating stress with substances can become a spiral, and that can be with any substance, even sugar. So, it's not just about cutting off one substance, but proactively choosing how else you will deal with stress. Now that your brain knows alcohol works, you can say "no" today, but who knows what you'll say if it gets bad. You ideally want to find a more natural slow hitting dopamine replacement to manage stress. Reading a good book or gardening is a primary example of delayed satisfaction. A pet or house plant to care for could give you small hits of joy. Listen to music and cook. There is also sometimes a pendulum effect if you have too much joy, it can be hard to stay high, so one thing you can do is choose to have a good cry. Watch sad movies or pray to God and let the tears come, use a scream pillow, or a punching pillow. Release as much as you can, you'll feel better, as the pendulum swings back to equilibrium.

Edited June 11, 2025 by Pyreaux

[Calm]

3 hours ago, Tony uk said:

Last week I came to a dicision, which this week I wanted to share on this Dialogue. I have never been a big user of alcohol, more for social events. The last year or two, occasionally I drank a more than usual. This was under the false illusion that it would help me cope with stressful issues, wrong I know. 

As of last week, I have freely taken choice to abstain from alcohol. I wanted to say this in a public arena, to people, friends, whom I respect. 

Good for you.  The science does seem to indicate alcohol is not that great for you.  If it’s not having significant positive benefits such as an occasional socializing with friends or a strong family tradition of sharing a glass of wine, it seems better to not use it, not worth the potential health cost.