Been losing weight on Paleo diet, but very slowly. About 6 kilos in 6 months and lately it seemed to have halted. I have been very good, but for drinking alcohol. Because of health but mostly personal reasons (let's call it emotional "vulnerability") I have decided to try to not drink any alcohol for a while, and thinking about if and how to re-introduce it after some time. I have been drinking regularly and quite a lot (4 bottles lf wine a week, I think, on avarage). It is and will be difficult for me to cut it out but writing this I realize it is serious and necessary. Desperately needing any kind of encourgement, can I expect good things? Weightloss? Emotional benefits? Long-term health benefits?
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As a recent college graduate, I used to drink three or four times a week. But, after graduating in May 2012, I found a full-time job that began at the beginning of September. As such, I decided to cut out alcohol for a full month to see what benefits it had. Here are my observations: Benefits: Much better sleep! Once you give up drinking for a week or so, your sleep will be much better. You'll feel much more refreshed throughout the day with less brain fog resulting in more productivity in whatever you do. You'll feel much more in control! The ability to control an urge such as drinking will help you to be more disciplined in other areas of life. As someone who strives to cultivate good habits, I noticed that while not drinking, sticking to new habits became much easier (such as meditation, exercise, waking up early, etc.). I personally can't comment on the weight-loss aspect of alcohol reduction, but, I would assume that cutting out booze will help one lose a few lbs. After all, alcohol consists of mainly empty carbs, just like refined grains and soda pop. Drawbacks: For me, the major drawback was a lack of social interaction. This drawback was partially due to my move to Turkey (where I teach English), as I had no friend group to interact with. But, since I had made the decision not to drink, I figured it'd be unwise to go out to the bars and drink a few beers. Overall, it sounds like you know you need to give it up, you just need an initial impetus to begin the process. Try giving it up for a month. Tell yourself it's ONLY 30 days of your life and believe that your overall health will increase dramatically as a result of cutting all booze out. I would bet that once you cut out booze for 30 days, your desire to drink upon re-introducing it will be greatly diminished. |
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I too am an emotional drinker though I have cut waaay down being paleo! It is hard, I understand. When my daughter is nagging and whining and hubby comes home with baggage from the day and mom who lives with us needs something - Yeah. Vodka tonic for-the-win! I have noticed two things which I have just 'powered through' and it helps tremendously. I haven't quit entirely, but I drink soo much less now, maybe 1-2 drinks 2x a week, tops. Most weeks not anything. 1) I need less alcohol to feel it, which helps! The downside was in the beginning I didn't realize I was getting 'drunk' and as I'm on my 3rd drink or so, boom! It would hit me. So I simply stop after 2 drinks now, and try to drink them over the course of a few hours. Drink them quickly if you want a stronger buzz. :) This tends to keep my sleep disruption down and I don't feel terrible the next day. 2) Emotions, mostly anger/frustration, would drive me to drink but it made dealing with the situation(s) much harder. I also realized that the next day I couldn't deal either because I still felt like crap from drinking. This would usually trigger a much longer bout of 'burnout' where I kept being pissy and not dealing with stuff until something major bumped the adrenaline up and forced my hand. I'm ADD so that is not an uncommon thing in general, but there's really no reason other than masochism to create the situation myself! If you can't stop completely for a full 30 days, just two weeks will make a significant difference in how you feel when you drink again. I did that and it was amazing to me how I really didn't want to drink, when before it was like a knee-jerk reaction to make myself a drink/pour a glass of wine/have a beer. FWIW, AA meetings are helpful when you simply can't fix the kinds of problems I list above on your own. If you drink to avoid problems or deal with emotions (or not deal in some cases) and you just can't stop yourself for even a week - then definitely consider an AA group! |
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Dutchie, If you truly drink alcohol because of emotional reasons, you probably need to quit and stay quit. If you do you will experience life on life's terms. When you drink to handle emotions you simply stunt your emotional growth and cannot ever acheive contentment with your life. If you find you truly have issues to work through I recommend AA as a beginning. When you find the right meeting you will find people who will give you all the support, stories, asnd motiviation you will need to stay alcohol free. There are many kinds of AA meetings, you will need to search for one that clicks with your personality. The very best of luck to you. |
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alcohol will keep your insulin levels elevated and will halt fat loss until it is metabolised out of your system, if you are drinking regularly you will not achieve any meaningful fat loss unless you are chronically exercising like mad, which comes with its own set of problems regularly consuming alcohol has detrimental effects on the nervous system and there is a often a tipping point for most regular drinkers where the soothing qualities it has upon the nervous system turn to dependent (have to drink to feel "normal") and eventually aggravating (feeling irritable, nervous, anxious if you are not drinking). Long term over-use is known to heighten and create anxiety Overall if you are following a paleo or healthy lifestyle you might want to try crowding out the alcohol consumption with other activities. If you get up early in the morning to exercise it wont feel so good if you have been drinking the night before. This can be a great motivator not to drink, as well as looking and feeling fitter, improved sleep patterns. Yes, your social life will take a hit but if you stick with it you will get the results you are looking for and will eventually feel a lot better BTW, tomorrow I am celebrating 6 months no drinking, am down 45 lbs and went from 25 to 13% bodyfat since this past March - keep the big picture in mind as a motivator, best of luck to you! |
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I stopped cold turkey back in the beginning of June. Had been a moderate drinker for almost my entire life before that. Coincidentally, I started the Paleo lifestyle the same day I quit drinking. I felt like a totally different person while not drinking. More relaxed, more focused, a lot more energy, and the best advantage; much much better sleep. Alcohol really messes up your REM sleep. I did an experiment last Saturday. After not drinking for almost 4 months, I decided to have a few glasses of red wine with my wife at the winery. The minute I got home from the winery I felt so tired I needed to take a nap at 4 pm. After I woke up from the nap I felt like I was in a dense fog the rest of the night and into the next day. My drink of choice when I wads drinking was beer, and I even brewed my own for awhile. Now even the smell of beer turns me off and I can't stomach the taste of it. I suspect it has something to do with the wheat content as I have eliminated ALL wheat from my diet. So I am a believer that alcohol is very toxic to the body and should be used in VERY small amounts if at all. I lost 17 lbs. and just had the best lipid panel of my life on Paleo with NO alcohol. Try 30 days of no alcohol and you will be amazed on how you feel and will most likely never want to go back to your old ways. GOOD LUCK!!! |
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-It raises blood pressure -It has 90-100 calories per 1.5 oz. (hard liquor) -It disrupts the sleep cycle -It stresses the liver -It's expensive -It's addictive -In the case of wine, it's loaded with carbohydrates -........ |
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Like Holly and the Whole 9 say, the thing that you most need to eliminate is the thing that is hardest for you to give up. Sounds like you found your thing. |
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Weight loss. Yep, alcohol keeps you from metabolizing the fatty acids in your bloodstream. Sleep. It throws off your ability to get good delta wave sleep. Anxiety. Alcohol is a good anxiolytic for some people in the short term, but long term it's much worse. Toxins. Alcohol metabolism throws off all kinds of nasty compounds, particularly in excess. Definitely take a break for at least 30 days if you're at all inclined to do so. If you have difficulty moderating your intake after that (let's say less than 3 drinks per week) you may benefit from waiting it out a little longer. Moderation Management is a pretty good program if you think you may have some alcohol problems but don't want to become a teetotaler. |
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i stopped drinking when i went paleo and the benefits are amazing:
i hope this encourages you ~ i was flirting with alcoholism and drank as much as you for several years. i have never felt better and don't miss it at all! (there was a time when i couldn't believe that would be possible) take heart and go for it! you will be so happy that you did. giving yourself the one month is a good start. the positive reinforcement will be a big help in keeping you off the booze once you feel/experience the benefits. let us know how it goes. |
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Everybody wrote about the benefits. I am going to add the "encouragement part". First of all, when you go to a party, you don't really have to drink - you can pretend to drink! Walk around with a glass of free booze and pretend to sip it when somebody pressures you. If nobody says anything, just walking around with a glass makes an impression that you are drinking. Think of all the fun you can have at the party pretending to be drunk! You can still laugh really loud and do crazy things like everybody else, but this time you can actually enjoy doing crazy things in a sober state. Good for you for not drinking! Your liver will thank you! Your pancreas, too. |
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Paul took the words right out of my mouth (all the best in Turkey Paul!); I also loved what Nora Gedgaudas wrote about alcohol in Primal Body, Primal Mind. I looked for a good quote to add, but it's all good. She does an excellent job of explaining the correlation between sugar/carb addiction and alcohol cravings. I remember reading something to that effect years ago in William Dufty's Sugar Blues(1986). What got me over the hump was popcorn with olive oil + sea salt, which of course is no better for us, but was easier to quit later. All the best Dutchie! |
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Just a quick comment here, cut the alcohol if you are looking at weight loss as your primary goal. All alcohol is pumped full of sugars. If you have been Paleo for a while you know the bitter truth about sugars. Cut out alcohol cold turkey for a month, and observe how you feel and let judgment determine if you want to continue the pattern. Good luck! |
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Alcohol messes up my sleep every time. I find that fizzy water is a reasonable substitute. It feels more special than plain water, especially with ice and lemon in it. |
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Hope you are still going strong! Evenings are hard because usually that's when all the stuff comes up that leads you to want to drink! Get a hobby. If you have addictive personality it might be difficult to choose something "safe" to get addicted to. LOL For serious - so many people I know get involved in online gaming and such and BAM! They loose their life to that instead of drinking! If you enjoy reading or even playing a sport, check out meetup.com and see if there is anything in your area that will help to redirect your energies away. I run a sci-fi club and I use 'geeking-out' as my substitute. :) So what if it's the 100x I've watched this movie?! It's awesome! LOL (and I can sleep better after!) |
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hello all, I've been a vodka 100 proof drinker for 20yrs. drinking everyday and smoking weed. it hasn't ruined my life yet but I do feel foggy and just can't wait to get home after work to drink. now, it's day 2 without both. last night was pretty tough and had to run off and sit in the church parking lot. that calmed me down and I'm sure tonight will be the same. alcohol has ruined 2 very good jobs, passed relationships and much more. I will try the 30 days, my long term goal is never again. it's an ugly path that I don't want to walk down again. I wish everyone to stay strong and hopefully I will 2. |
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If you're used to drinking often you need to replace it with a different activity. You can't just spend the time you used to drink sitting on your hands staring at the wall. It won't work. Develop a hobby, preferably something that would be difficult or impossible while drinking. Go for an evening bike ride, join a volleyball team... volunteer your time at a hospital or something. I can tell you from experience that rigorous physical activity will leave you with a glow that you won't want to disrupt with alcohol. Positive begets positive... |
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Hi, for the last 5 years I have given up drinking during Lent. My wife joked I wouldn't be able to and this made me question if she was right. Five years on, I look forward to the chance to take control back. The only difficult time is the first weekend, breaking the routine. With an alchoholic brother, who is 4 years dry, i'm full of respect for him and how the quality of life has improved immensely. For myself, the biggest benefit is the knowledge that I can go without |
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of course there are benefits to abstaining from alcohol. are you stupid? |
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Organ damage: Liver, Pancreas, Adrenals, Kidney, Bladder, Thyroid, Brain, GI tract (intestines, leaky gut....) uh, need I go on? Speaking from my second day off Potato Vodka (for Lent) and hopefully for life. I feel better already! |
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