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Originally Posted by
b99flick 
Congratulations. It sounds like you are doing better in a number of ways and have found constructive areas to channel the extra energy. Hope it works out.
<< rootbeers?
Thanks!
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Originally Posted by
VKK3450 Serious question; how has it affected your social life? Much of mine is wrapped up in partying / pubs / etc... I'm not concerned about my drinking now, and I figure things will change as I get older, but I imagine that if I decided to give up drinking it would mean a drastic change in my leisure time. K
I had the same concern and apprehension when I stopped. In fact, it's one of the biggest fears most of my friends have about not drinking ( how it might negatively affect business relationships is next). At first, I was concerned when I went out, I would have zero fun. I had images of people whom I knew did not drink - and they either never went out to such events and/or stuck out like a boring sore thumb like Revenge of the Nerds. I discovered that this was just not the case. Most times, I could explain to anyone who asked that I just was not drinking that night or was on the wagon. Most people probably figured the ginger ale or club soda & lime in my hand was a G&T. That's when I discovered there were quite a few people I knew who also did not drink - I just wasn't looking. One guy was a top partner in a law firm I had known for a while. A really funny guy - and 'life of the party' type. The next thing I discovered was I started getting naturally more selective about the event I'd go to - and that was a good thing. A lot of my friends - when they do drink - are pretty heavy drinkers. When I started letting them know I had quit, I started finding out more about their own situations. I have one friend who is lucky enough not to get hangovers. He is not bragging or trying to make himself look good - it's just a fortunate fact of life for him. I found that almost all my other friends have reported that as they are getting older from their 20's to 30's and even some from their 30's to 40's, the severity of their hangovers are getting worse and some of them have considered stopping like I did.... from one-star hangovers to 2 or 3-star ones (see guide below). It used to be I could drink heavily the night before, and if I were hungover, I'd be fine by the noon. At some point, the hangovers started to have an effect even into the
next day. The first reaction was to think I just needed to "suck it up" or figure out some solution short of getting hold of a morning IV drip and oxygen mask. At the end of the day, quitting the booze altogether was the best solution. Alcohol served me very well in the past but just wasn't doing the trick for me anymore...
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One Star Hangover (*): No pain. No real feeling of illness. You're able to function relatively well; however, you are still parched. You can drink 5 sodas and still feel this way. For some reason, you are craving a steak & fries. Two Star Hangover (**): No pain, but something is definitely amiss. You may look okay, but you have the mental capacity of a staple gun. The coffee you are chugging is only increasing your rumbling gut, which is still tossing around the fruity pancake from the 3:00 AM Waffle House excursion. There is some definite havoc being wreaked upon your bowels. Three Star Hangover (***): Slight headache. Stomach feels crappy. You are definitely not productive. Anytime a girl walks by you gag because her perfume reminds you of the flavored schnapps shots your alcoholic friends dared you to drink. Life would be better right now if you were home in your bed watching Lucy reruns. You've had 4 cups of coffee, a gallon of water, 3 iced teas and a diet Coke --- yet you haven't peed once. Four Star Hangover (****): Life sucks. Your head is throbbing. You can't speak too quickly or else you might puke. Your boss has already lambasted you for being late and has given you a lecture for reeking of booze. You wore nice clothes, but that can't hide the fact that you only shaved one side of your face.(For the ladies,it looks like you put your make-up on while riding the bumper cars.) Your eyes look like one big red vein, and even your hair hurts. Your sphincter is in perpetual spasm, and the first of about five craps you take during the day brings water to the eyes of everyone who enters the bathroom. Five Star Hangover (*****): You have a second heartbeat in your head, which is actually annoying the employee who sits in the next cube. Vodka vapor is seeping out of every pore and making you dizzy. In fact, you are probably still drunk. You still have toothpaste crust in the corners of your mouth from brushing your teeth in an attempt to get the remnants of the **** fairy out. Your body has lost the ability to generate saliva so your tongue is suffocating you. You don't have the foggiest idea who the hell the stranger was passed out in your bed this morning. Any attempt to defecate results in a fire hose like discharge of alcohol-scented fluid with a rare 'floater' thrown in. The sole purpose of this 'floater' seems to be to splash the toilet water all over your butt. Death sounds pretty good about right now!
