@IUTSM Glad you made it through that one without hassle from the law...
Good thoughts everyone...
No I would not have considered myself alcoholic or even an alcohol abuser by Brit standards... and I likely could be the dude who limits things to one or two on a special occasion which is always why I feel a bit weird posting in this thread. I never want to undermine the real struggle some of you are dealing with...
In saying I have had periods where binge drinking was problematic, unsafe and unhealthy. Mainly teenage idiocy. Also, I lost a brother and brother in law to A/D misuse/ overdose. And my old man was the highest functioning alcohol abuser I met in my life. He could not drink for months but then might drive home so drunk he couldn't talk or walk.... and then get up at 5am ready to tackle life again... but be smashed every evening for months on end... And I have plenty other relatives whose drinking habits blow my mind.
The main positives in the last 6 months have been:
1) Better sleep
2) Less inflammation. Less joint pain. As an aging skateboarder who wants to keep at it, this is no small thing.
3) Lost some weight. Although sugar addiction is real...
4) Saved some money, which I promptly spent on skate and surf shit...
5) Generally a bit more even keel in mood and temper throughout the day. Giving up caffeine could further help this I am sure.
Negatives:
1) First sip of a good beer after a great or terrible day... but that's always a slippery slope.
2) When visiting new places, it was rad to sample the local offerings. it really felt like another way to connect to a place... but again this is a slippery slope and there are many other ways to do this.
3) A weird one but I was perhaps more creative when under the influence. A few beers might inspire pen to hit paper, and spark some ideas that would get fleshed out while sober. I don't really do that anymore.