What do you love about your AF or non drinkers life

Sunnyisland

Last night I was reading a story and it brought up an idea, since you have been sober or if you never drank , what has changed for the better in your life ?"
What I'm hoping to accomplish with this thread is to come here each day, or when the mood moves me, to document one thing each time that has changed for the better in my life as a result of Alcohol Free living. I thought a thread might be nice to try in case others want to do this too.

So....here goes for my first 1 thing post!

My life is better Alcohol Free because I can relate rationally to Mrs realies much more of the time


Anyone else?

hubba

Following on with Realies lovely idea, I value consistency in my new life.

If I promise to visit someone in three weeks time, I know I'll do it. Or if I plan exercise, say, next Saturday, I know there'll be no problem with doing it. There's no fear that I will back out due to hangover or low energy or an attack of paranoia from 'the guilts'.

So that means a lot to me, and those around me.

Strawberry Fields

I value going out and remembering where I've been and what happened even what
I had to eat and how much I spent and how much or little I enjoyed myself. Rather than it was great I don't remember a thing anything could have happened. Who knows.

Dunny

Might sound silly but I'm enjoying music alot more than I did while drinking.

Sunnyisland

What I love the most about my alcohol free life is that I can face my family without being ashamed, And that I have more time on my hands to do something more productive. I sleep better and wake up happier ever since i've given up drinking.

Bassfish

Great idea for a thread, good to hear the positivity.

-What i love is being always able respond to situations and be available for people,
Take last Saturday night, my friend was in a crash on the M50, nothing too serious but his car was undriveable. He rang me to come and help him because he knew i wasn't going to be pissed off my head in some god awful pub. The week before, my sister had to go to England at a few hours notice and I was there to take care of my niece and nephew.
I love that, i love that people know they can depend on me to help them if they're in bother because they know i'm not going to be pissed or hungover.

-Not drinking puts the value of your time and money into perspective. Before i used to be like, €30 for a theatre ticket? that's very dear, €30 on a round of shots-No hassle boy! Insane when you think about it.

-I find that as much as some people judge you for not drinking, probably because you're causing them to take a look at their own habits, a lot of people have great respect for you and admire it. I work in a job where i have very serious responsibilities and i have to make important decisions every day. I work with a few people aged 21/22 (i'm 28) who are good at the job but by their own admission, are useless on mondays after their usual heavy weekends and often not too spritely on a friday morning either. This has not gone unnoticed by our line manager. Last thursday over lunch, one of the younger ones casually mentioned in front of the boss that they were meeting a friend for a few drinks that night. My boss had already asked her to take the lead in an important meeting Friday morning. About an hour later my boss rang the girl and said she had changed her mind and decided she wanted me to take the lead in the meeting. Couldn't help but think it was down to the fact she knew that i would be fresh and clear headed and the other one may not be. Long term when it comes to going for promotions, i think it will be good to have that reputation of dependability.

I think everyone should focus on what you GAIN by not drinking rather than what you're supposedly missing out on.

kerryjack

I Love to be able to sit in to my car and drive home without the fear of meting the cops I drive every where now, and could drive up to an hour to a good spot for a night out where before i would be stuck down in the local which was getting deader by the minute. but i did find some people would be using you for driving them home, the worst were probably family members who would be using you as local taxi service, but I put a stop to that fairly lively.

emmabrighton

Oh I like this idea. The biggest gain for me is knowing that since I have stopped drinking I can most honestly say I have done nothing that I should feel guilty for and I most definitely do not regret a single decision I have made or have the fear resulting from a night out, or worse still, a night in.

Having a good nights sleep every night is another bonus. Remember when you would drink all evening and even if you hit the hay at 10 and got up at 8 for work the next day you would still be hanging and longing for 5 and the end of work just so you could go home to bed? Well, I can and I am so happy that does not happen to me anymore. Like another poster said, I have become a much more responsible, dependable and efficient person since I no longer drink. I can only imagine that people prefer me the way I am to the drunken mess I used to be on a night out.

Sunnyisland

Of course I love waking up with no hangover, But it goes beyond that, I wake up these days earlier than I need to, and sometimes sort of make myself stay in bed a little longer, I never want to forget how wonderful it is compared to a hangover, and the prospect of another wasted day dreaming about a Lie in "tomorrow."

Life is good.

Corkgirl210

I love living life instead of existing... too much time, effort and money spent "enjoying" myself - all centered around drink... when really I was medicating and trying to becoming the person who I wanted to be.. but now I am the person who i wanted to be.. no longer take short cuts.. i get there through emotionally working on myself...
loving life and nothing not even drink can give me this piece of mind!!!! ;o)

Sunnyisland

I love feeling physically good - so very much better than the old drinking days. So many aches and pains are clearing up. I'm sure it has something to do with NOT poisoning myself everyday, and eating better and supplementing with good stuff and exercising. I love feeling good! And I'm happy because I think it's going to keep getting better & better.

Anyone anymore ?

hubba

I'm finding I can take on a lot more ... hobbies, favours for people, little projects, exercise, mental challenges.

It's a mixture of things feeling easier to achieve and my energy and focus levels being much increased. So, on a weekly basis, I want to take on more and more, I'm full of enthusiasm and actually getting excited about things again. I don't dread approaches to do something or go somewhere like I used to. Now I'm on the lookout for them.

iusedtoknow

I love the fact that I can be relied on and also can rely on myself

So much of my drinking life was taken up with me being in a pub or terrace drinking. Nothing in my life has changed really, i meet my friends in the same bars, have some 0% and then go off and get on with things, instead of heading home and sitting on the couch all evening with a take away

Since quitting drinking I have successfully trained for and ran a 10k
been the "go-too" guy for friends on numerous occasions, purely because they knew I was avaliable to help out when needed
slept better than ever before
lost weight
become a much better husband

in short, i've become who I want to be with only 1 minor change - quit drinking

a fat guy

I managed to give up a host of other things that were bad for me, videogames, bad foods, etc.

I have also taken up a lot more hobbies that I normally wouldn't have bothered with, such as the harmonica, drawing and actually studying during my summer holidays! One of the best things I ever did was kicking the stuff...

Cushtie

off the top of my head

1. waking up on a Saturday morning and not dying with a hangover and actually getting stuff done
2. not wasting the whole weekend because of the above
3. not been all depressed by Sunday evening cause of both of the above
4. More money in my pocket
5. mentally much much more switched on.


there are loads more but though...:)

Sunnyisland

FINALLY figuring out that I can just let that whole mind game notion of "just one drink" go. I love the idea of never battling myself in my own head again over fantasies of one stupid lousy drink.

kjl

Ive been off the drink for 10 years, I like that I'm 32 and look 26

hubba

I love the freeing up of my mind. The mental detox.

I used to spend most of the day thinking about drink. Whether it be when I could have one next or how guilty I felt about the night before. Not because I didn't anything spectacularly bad (well not usually!) but I usually drank more than I wanted to or had planned to so would spend large amounts of my time beating myself up over my lack of self control. I would also spend time worrying about bottles clinking when taking the rubbish out, the amount of alcohol in my trolley at the supermarket and what people thought. What the off license man must think of me? Whether or not I looked hungover at work, or was underperforming because of it. Also, how much I had spent this month on it.. etc etc etc. Exhausting and depressing.

All that is now GONE. No thinking when I can get my next hit, no guilt, no obsessing, no beating myself up anymore. My mind is free for more constructive endeavours and just being me, now, in the moment. Content in existing, shame free.

steel header

Good topic...I quit 10 years ago. When I was 30. Though mentally I was 14 and that might be an exaggeration, 10 is probably more like it.

The fact that I can think like an adult today is what I like most. That didn't happen over night, but it did happen over time. Being able to care about others and worry about them is also nice. Being able to send my kids to collage own a home, keep a job and find out who I am is a blessing.

I think that might be the biggest tragedy for people who have a problem and never get past it. Never finding out who they are...

anhedonia

love the fact that my life is just beginning, been living in a fantasy for many years, and have finally woken up.

Sunnyisland

Personally finally figuring out that I can just let that whole mind game notion of "just having one drink" go. I love the idea of never battling myself in my own head again over fantasies of one stupid lousy drink.

hubba

realies wrote: »

Personally finally figuring out that I can just let that whole mind game notion of "just having one drink" go. I love the idea of never battling myself in my own head again over fantasies of one stupid lousy drink.

Me too, and that's a biggie. I don't think I enjoyed any night for the last 10 years of drinking because of that nonsense. It's one of the main reasons I quit to be honest. I got so sick of the wasted time and energy thinking about it.

Sunnyisland

The more I sit back and really contemplate what sobriety means to me and how I got to this great point in my life I realize that sobriety isn't really a goal or a final destination, It is a huge & long journey of change and awakening. When I finally made the decision to get Alcohol free and stick to it I thought there would be an end point, a point where alcohol was a non-factor, and although I feel I have passed the point where alcohol isn't a negative factor in my life and something I have to worry about, Sobriety and Personal improvement has become the most prominent focus on my daily journey. I can't believe that I am actually excited daily to move forward and get better mentally, physically, and personally. This journey has completely changed the way I view my life and has really changed my focus on what my future might hold. And none of it, the excitement, the improvement, the changes, the happiness would have ever occurred if I hadn't taken the first step on the journey to living completely sober.

Focus on what you want and take the first step on the journey, and even if you have a detour now and then I promise it will be worth it if you continue walking on your path to sobriety :-)

Aykina

I love the calm from all the extra 'head-space'... guilt, hangover-depressions, tiredness, head games with myself and being disappointed all take a lot of energy.

Alcohol free I'm much more secure in myself. I don't feel over committed or hassled, and by comparison regular workaday life is just so relaxing!

unreggd

The natural high of a really good night out

Permanent confidence / self-esteem

Good health

Not being dependent on a drug

Sunnyisland

I love that I am walking through life confidently again.

stefan idiot jones

I love the moral high ground and smug satisfaction of seeing my other half crippled in bed for half the next day while I am happily going about my daily business. No more hangovers, great isn't it ?

Sunnyisland

I love waking up after a great night's sleep. Gone are the night sweats, the panic attacks & my heart pounding in the middle of the night.

I love having more energy & being more organised.

I love not having anything to hide.

I love going down the by the off licence in the supermarket knowing I wont be buying it and more importantly that I dont want to buy it.

I love being happy.

I love my family & appreciate everything & everyone so much more.

I love my life.

hubba

I love the not dreading an invitation to go out cos of the whole 'how much will I end up drinking' thing. These days I'm just excited about who I'm meeting and where we are going and loving the chat (and remembering it all!!!). Then the icing on the cake, getting into my banger and driving home. Aaaah.

anhedonia

Frank Sinatra said

“I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.”

Well, when I woke up this morning, I felt rested, peaceful, happy, and optimistic about the new day. And if thats as good as im gonna feel all day, I suppose i'll just have to live with it

and Frank Sinatra can go fcuk himself.

hubba

Not making promises I can't keep nor being on the receiving end of same from my drinking 'buddies'.

Drinkers, at a certain point in the evening, are feeling so good that they love everyone and want to help, and start making promises. This feeling of largesse and desire to come to the rescue of your fellow man feels very noble and genuine at the time but the next day is a different story and you feel like a snake as you try to wriggle your way out of whatever generous commitment you made. I've also been let down terribly by fellow drinkers so I know how much it hurts.

I actually had a nightmare about this the other night so the feeling is fresh in my mind (18 months after quitting).

libnation

hubba wrote: »

Not making promises I can't keep nor being on the receiving end of same from my drinking 'buddies'.

Drinkers, at a certain point in the evening, are feeling so good that they love everyone and want to help, and start making promises. This feeling of largesse and desire to come to the rescue of your fellow man feels very noble and genuine at the time but the next day is a different story and you feel like a snake as you try to wriggle your way out of whatever generous commitment you made. I've also been let down terribly by fellow drinkers so I know how much it hurts.

I actually had a nightmare about this the other night so the feeling is fresh in my mind (18 months after quitting).

Yes why does this happen? What's the science behind it? The 'I love everyone' feeling... I thought euphoria was the effect of other drugs but it sometimes happens with alcohol resulting in 'I am so sorry I haven't seen you much recently and am a dickhead; I love you' texts to people.

mitosis

Two things:

That my mind is sharp in the morning.

I can get in my car any time day or night.

Sunnyisland

I love the fact that I won't be hiding or dodging or lying if anyone asks me why I'm not drinking, and I respond "for health reasons.:D

hubba

realies wrote: »

I love the fact that I won't be hiding or dodging or lying if anyone asks me why I'm not drinking, and I respond "for health reasons.:D

I have to say I haven't actually used that one yet and it's the most honest and obvious!

emmabrighton

I don't miss being fat, bloated and spotty with greasy limp hair. I used to go to the gym every day and run for an hour and then crack open a bottle of wine when I got home. I look like a blimp in every photo taken of me for the past 4 years. Now, I only work out 2-3 times a week, have great complexion and am fitting into clothes that I haven't worn since college and all because I don't drink. Roll on Christmas 2012!

xim2

not feeling paranoic about what i did/say on my crazy rants when too much drink invloved
not feeling sad for hurting people i care saying/doing silly stupid things
not wasting money like crazy
better skin
sans belly!

Wattle

xim2 wrote: »

not feeling paranoic about what i did/say on my crazy rants when too much drink invloved
not feeling sad for hurting people i care saying/doing silly stupid things
not wasting money like crazy
better skin
sans belly!

+1

mtsachev

Having more than 1 hobby and really enjoying it - if you don't wake up at 2pm on weekends you get loads of time to do things you love
Doing many things I only dreamed of as a kid - flying a plane, balloon flight
Better health and getting fit
Actually enjoying dancing rather than doing it because that's what others do

Sunnyisland

Have seen many a good reason the last two days and nights why I love my alcohol free life :-)

Aoifums

I'm not sure if I'd have said anything before Christmas. Didn't notice anything last year as I only stopped in December '11. Ow wow. I like not being a w*nker to anyone on Christmas Day, not dying on Stephen's Day and then not blowing all my money that night. I tend to stay away from mad drinkers nowadays and had forgotten how horrible alcohol makes some people.

hubba

I seriously love not feeling like I need rehab after the Christmas 'season' and my tum feeling just fine, not on fire and like a washing machine from so much booze and rich food combined.

Also, my exercise routine remains in tact, not one session missed due to either being pissed or a dying of a hangover. And that's important to me.

anhedonia

I love that there is now very little chance of me being taped on some narcissistic rant at the end of the night that goes spectacularly viral.

Got out just in time I reckon

wandatowell

Read through the thread and there seems to be quite a bit of money saving going down in these parts.

Im going to join in. Had a bit of an eye opener this week when Id seen how much I spent on beers this Christmas

Carpet diem

I love being able to get up in the morning looking forward to a challenging day ahead.

I love that I am in shape for the first time in about 8 years! Still seem to be broke by the last week before payday though, need to stop spending money on stupid stuff

Carpet diem

I love not having the fear on a Sunday evening.

galwayhooker

Love having no hangover in the morning!

anhedonia

Love not being suicidal on a Tuesday morning.
On Mondays I was usually so physically fcuked that the day was just a farce, but on Tuesdays I would have to try to get some grip on reality again and start dealing with my week's work.
Life doesnt have to be that hard. It doesnt have to be that way anymore.

superblu

Me and my mate were discussing this. I love not having to wonder at what time am I safe to drive my car the next day.

Am in the process of making some very crucial business decisions. There was no momentous moment where I stood in front of a mirror and vowed to never drink again but I eased off to ensure I have absolute clarity. I wasn't a big drinker as such but am pretty much down to nothing and it feels great. My other half still enjoys a drink in the evening but would never be preachy to her. Not gonna put pressure on myself to be totally abstemious but as things stand the pros of not drinking definitely outweigh the cons and I've never felt better.

supackofidiots

does anyone ever remember looking in the mirror and not recognising the person staring back at them??