For the past year or so I have been incredibly stressed and I have/had no outlet other than drinking. I have/had been drinking most of the days of the week.
As those who have dabbled in such abuse of alcohol already know, getting wasted as a reprieve is temporary and you feel somewhat good only for a fraction of the time you are drunk. Then you feel like crap when you crash and most likely a good part of the next day. So not is alcohol not the solution to the problem, it exacerbates it. And there is the damage to health that comes with it.
I have tried quitting multiple times over the period but have given in every time so far. The only logical thing to do is try again. So I have been trying again. This past week I have only had two beers. I did this without flying off the handle which is a good thing. I have started working out again. This time I am taking it a bit easy so that I don’t burn out. Over the course of heavy drinking I had not been exercising at all. It’s probably me being hypochondriac but I felt like my heart was getting weaker. It wasn’t because of anything serious but when I had to exert myself like when climbing stairs or having to jog or sprint for a bit, I could notice my body not being up to the task which disappointed me. So I have started doing cardio (treadmill running) and reduced the meathead weightlifting routine. I managed to outdo my expectations during cardio and was able to jog at 8 speed for 50 minutes (two episodes of Scavenger’s Reign). 8 what? I don’t know the units but it felt good nonetheless.
It’s highly likely I will fail again. Things in the past fall apart when my old injuries flare up while working out so I will be trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. If it happens I will pay attention that it doesn’t make me spiral by maybe doing something different like walking. Hopefully after my body normalises I can go back to the occasional recreational drinking because I do enjoy doing that while watching a movie, football or just listening to music. I feel like it is taboo to say this as someone trying to quit drinking.
Not sure what you have tried so far but it certainly helps to have a group of friends that could help you get into any sports. Using sports as an excuse to stop you from mentally conceding to drinking works for a ton of people.
Example: I have friends who used to jog with a group or go cycling in the morning. If they ever go out, they will use sports as a reason to say no and leave early. Some others just go to boxing classes or the gym in the afternoons.
What really will work for you is to replace drinking with something else as an escape for stress. Having ways to relief stress is important.
That’s a good idea. I might start playing football again soon. I know of a neighbour around my age who plays pickup once a week.
Nice! I wish you success and hope you can find something stable that could relieve you from stress. Stress tends to be the strongest trigger for bad habits and also a good opportunity for good ones as well.