new thread
So as I look at the my the condition of my skin on my face, and my general mental health is not what it used to be, I've decided to go sober for a couple years. I'm 28 years old.
1. No alcohol.
2. No Cannabis
3. Quitting smoking soon.
4 Cutting down on Caffeine.
What benefits will I get from 1 and 2. I know 1 and 2 already will make 3 easier.
Anyone else that has gone through this.
I've drank since I was 20
2. I've smoked cannabis for 3 straight years.
3. Tobacco the same as number 2.
Plz don't say I make long hairs look bad, because I was always discreet about my usage. I never was intoxicated on any substance at work.
Great idea! Your hair and skin will be very pleased to be rid of the alcohol and especially the smoke!
I'm not at all convinced that moderate caffeine use (like 4 cups or less per day) has any bad effects whatsoever, but the other measures you're taking are definitely good.
Hey Kenneth, Good luck to you on making the changes you talked about. It's not easy to put any of that aside if you've been using it regular, but you can definitely do it if you are determined.
I used all of that stuff heavily for many years, and some harder stuff too. I don't encourage drug use, but I'm no prude either, I did what I had to do back then to get by, and I understand other folks going through it. When I decided to stop my heavy drug and alcohol use I immediately joined a gym. It helped me shift my focus, and replace the drugs with something healthy. I gradually made other changes in my life also which helped. I've been drug free for almost 20 years now, and I only drink socially now. My 40th birthday present to myself was to stop smoking, which was tough (2 packs a day, 3 if I was partying), but I made it, and haven't smoked in 9 years.
Another thing that helped with getting sober was getting into cooking. I got some basic cookbooks to teach myself how to make some very simple healthy things, and that was very good therapy. I used to get together with friends a few times a week and cook together. It was economical too, we shared the grocery bill, and always had leftovers for the next days lunch. Definitely a much healthier way to hang out with friends.
If you smoke pot regular with buddies, it's best to let them know that you quit, and ask them not to offer it to you anymore, or smoke near you for right now. I did that with my friends and the ones that kept trying to tempt me got cut off. I also realized only a couple of the people I ran with were really my friends. I got clean with one of them, and we're still tight 20 years later.
If you have any specific questions about quitting anything on your list, just let me know, I'll be happy to tell you what I know.
Congratulations and good luck to you.
Take care,
Joey
You will fill better in the long run. At 44 I am in better shape and look younger than my friends that drink and smoke.
Hi Kenneth, you've already made the most important, but easiest decision to give up the abuses. It's going to be harder to stick to that decision, but I wish you the very best of luck. The long term benefits will far out-way any short term problems.
Tobacco and alcohol are by far the most harmful on that list.
I wish you the best in pursuing a healthier lifestyle. As others have mentioned, getting in shape at the same time is a great way to redirect your energies and make you feel good about yourself at the same time. You'll want to do everything you can to nurture your body and will feel less drawn to vices.
I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be hard at first, especially when you are quitting 3 addictions at once, but I would go cold turkey on each one, one at a time. Lowering use never ends up working, i'm saying this from personal experience. I used to be a big pot smoker in high school and for a year or so after that. Quitting pot was hard because it's a mental addiction and I loved it. You need to find a reason why you want to quit and keep reminding yourself everyday why you are quitting. For me pot caused the "munchies" which interfered w/ my weight loss at the time. Since I quit, I've dropped over 100 pounds and now I feel better than ever. Keep active and don't feel bad if you slip up, it happens. Keep up updated on your progress, cheers and good luck :)
The next time you can't resist buying a beer, pour it over your head and shampoo with it. This is not only good for your hair, but you will still smell like beer, and all your drinking friends will still think you are groovy.
Seriously, when you get older and you start getting the stuff that older guys get, the doctors will all ask you about drinking and smoking, and when they hear you don't do either, they will be happy for you. They know from experience how much tougher it is to fight the final battles of one's life with the weight of those addictions around your neck. When they start saying they figured you didn't drink or smoke because you are still living, you'll know you made the right decision back when you were 28. Here's to wishing you well (toasting to that without alcohol), and may you live long and prosper!
Bill
Hello Kenneth,
I used to smoke cannabis/tobacco and drank quite heavily. I started smoking at 21 and finished when I was 28. I smoked and drank as a form of self-medication and also as an escape from past trauma. I found in the early days of use it helped depression/anxiety but as time when on I found that there was diminishing returns and in the end decided the harmful effects far outweighed the benefits. Often overtime as you probably worked out Kenneth you end up using more and more and getting less bang for your buck. A universal truth with most drugs and alcohol over time you get diminishing returns from them. In the end drugs and alcohol will run your life if you allow them to do so. I swapped my negative addictions for positive ones, mainly outdoor exercise and some endurance training which I found greatly helped relieve stress levels and better yet it was FREE!
I stopped smoking because my lungs told me to, it was getting harder and harder to inhale requiring more effect, and frequent blackouts from drinking was effecting my memory. I was using waterpipes which means inhaling deeply, if I had kept going I would have developed empheysema/chronic bronchitus in time. Even today nearly 14 years later my lungs are never going to be as good as they were before I smoked. Stopping now Kenneth you will probably go through a tough "withdrawal" more psychological then physical. And it may take a year or so for your lungs to clear themselves of the gunk deposited in them. But long-term your body will thank you with better health.
After stopping smoking I realised that most of my "friends" would only get together to smoke and drink. Drugs and Alcohol were the real reason to getting together. Pretty shallow hey? Also cannabis affects people mental states as well, some more then others. Often for the worse. Self-centered and self-obsorbed with paranoia. I have seen too many people who still use that are pretty screwed up. Both Pot and Alcohol are Depressants. So I stayed away from them as I didn't want to be around negative people and if you sit in a room of smokers you will still inhale their smoke. My advice is to stay away from people who will tempt you to go back. I found from my own experience of giving up that changing your environment was essential if you are serious about quitting for good. The danger period is the first few months, after that it's a lot easier to maintain sobriety and remain drug-free in my opinion.
I started to hang out with non-smokers and positive people instead which greatly helped me to stay motivated to keep off what was damaging to my mental and physical health.
I continued to drink regularly until recently. I discovered that when drinking there's a tendency towards unhealthy fatty sugary greasy food. When not drinking it is a lot easier to eat healthy fruit and plenty of greens.
With caffeine you could try drinking the non-caffeinated stuff.
Lastly, try and find some pictures of photographs of physical effects on bodies of smokers/drinkers and stick somewhere inside your closet so from time to time you can be reminded what may happen if you go back to smoking/drinking. Or reward yourself with a treat to a rock concert on the money that you saved from NOT sponsoring the alcohol/drug industry.
Good Luck,
Best,
Duncan
Good for you Kenneth!Believe me you will feel so much better once you get that stuff outta your life.I've been reading the accounts of the others who've responded and it's shocking, but not surprising,how it affects your health.I've been very fortunate to not have fallen into that lifestyle as I attribute my physical condition today for taking care of myself over the years.Granted I do drink alcohol and coffee,but in moderation.Still, I work out so I guess it strikes a balance.Anyway I hope you do succeed and thanks for being brave enough to tell us your story my friend.Cheers and the best to you:)
Mârk
Hey Ken,
Congrats on your decision.
I suspect that the last thing you need to hear is that things will be so great when you're off of this stuff. When you're withdrawing from this stuff the last thing you need to hear is someone saying how great your life will be when you don't feel so great.
Stick with it. I'll be praying for ya. I'm behind your decision 100%. If you need support I'm here for ya.
Raymond
Hi Kenneth,
I have nothing other than tremendous admiration for you!!!!
My all-time favorite dance partners, whether gay or strait, most of them have been through some sort of 12-step program or similar situation to help them get clean & sober. One of my favorite nieces also has had a long history with drug & alcohol abuse; but she is now doing very very well. It's not easy to turn one's life around in that way -- which is why one of the most popular mantras of a lot of AA folks is, "One day at a time!"
Just because someone has no prior history of drug or alcohol abuse doesn't give anyone the right to judge you or say anything like you're a "bad" representation for longhairs. Longhairs are just like everyone else: we are all individuals, each having some virtues to be admired; but also struggling with various vices...
Although alcohol & drug abuse has never been a personal problem of my own, this does NOT mean I'm unfamiliar with "addiction" -- I'm addicted to over-eating, for example, because I love love love food. I've also occasionally had some serious addiction times with porn when I was younger -- just ask my ex-wife who divorced me over that!
Nobody should be judging you: just do your best to live a healthy, happy, productive life. And if you "slip up" a few times while on your journey to sobriety, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and then do your best to get back on track again.
As others have said in some of their replies, though...
stay aware of the fact that the company you keep (meaning, your closest friends), if they are TRUE friends, should support you in your decision to go sober -- if not, you may have to find yourself some new friends. This has been my experience, at least (true for me, even when I tried to have some friendships with heavy drinkers when I didn't ever drink).
Take care -- and again, I have GREAT admiration for what you are trying to do, you have my full support & greatest respect!!!
- Ken in San Francisco
Yup, "been there, done that".....I quit drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes over 23 years ago....Life has been good ever since.
Best of luck and prayers go with you my friend....
WWT
Hi Kenneth,
This is wonderful news, and a big congratulations to you. Keep up the good work!
Take care,
David
Congratz making the decision and saying to yourself that you have a problem is the hardest part. Now you know that you can and will do something about it!
When I was 23 I decided to do the same as you are doing now.
I have smoked and drinked a lot for 8 years (In Holland you can start from 16 years old).
The first habit I kicked was smoking bacause that was the worst habit in my opinion but it doesn't matter what habit you kick first as long as you work on something. Also it's probably a good idea not to quit everything at once.
After that I quit drinking coffee, and a few months later stopped drinking.
Right now it's 3 years later and I haven't smoked or drank coffee since and feel a lot better. I've quit drinking for 2 years total but have been drinking ocasionaly when I feel like it recently.
Good luck and feel free to email me if you need help or advise!
Vincent
p.s. Quiting smoking is the best thing I've done in my life!
Some people stop drinking caffeinated coffee because it makes them jittery but there is little evidence showing coffee to be bad for your health. On the contrary, recent studies have shown it to be full of anti-oxidants and one even labeled coffee 'the new green tea'. Caffeine before exercise has also been shown to be beneficial in promoting fat loss.
I do agree coffee has advantages but since I don't drink it anymore I sleep a lot better and have more energy in the morning!
In moderation it is probably not bad for your health but I used to drink a lot and was depended on it, then it's not a good thing.
I don't miss my coffee so that's why I don't drink it anymore.
What's funny for me is that I never drank coffee until I hit my mid 30s.Always loved the smell of it while brewing but never had the urge to drink it till then.Now I have it daily and sometimes more than a cup a day.Funny too how I can drink a cup near bedtime and have no problem falling asleep shortly afterwards.Go figure.lol.Cheers....
Mârk
Can't drink caffeinated coffee because of hypertension. It does increase your blood pressure. I guess it's OK if your BP is normal, but ...
OTOH, staying awake without it is sometimes a challenge now, but I won't have caffeine unless I have to drive and am at risk of going off the road otherwise.
AFAIK it's the tobacco smoking that is bad for the skin, although I have no idea why. It's bad for a lot of other things too. Never been into that. I lost both grandfathers and one grandmother that way (although each died of a different health condition, but all tobacco related). One of them died before I was even born. Anyone who can give it up, should.
As for marijuana, I can truthfully say I haven't smoked any in the last ten years. That's not a legal admission that I ever did. It's not addictive. The only people who go into faux 'addiction treatment' for it do so to avoid being jailed (which, of course, is a very valid reason!). However, it's not great for your lungs, even though it's not nearly as bad as tobacco.
Caffeine is OK unless you have a higher than normal blood pressure, which I do. It increases when you consume caffeine. I now reserve caffeine only for situations where falling asleep would be more dangerous than the alternative. To spell that out, a near certainty of passing out and driving off the road is a greater danger than a much smaller (but non-zero) probability of also having a stroke and then doing the same.
Alcohol raises your BP too, but a man has to have some vices, IMHO. Not everyone would agree, but there it is. We all have to draw our own line in the sand.
Good luck with your endeavours.
You are young. I quit when I was 29 and have been clean and sober for 17 years. You can do it. You must tell yourself every day you WILL do it.
Cutting down on caffeine? Well, I'm sure your body will thank you for it.
Smoking is the toughest. I never smoked, but I am from a family of smokers. They would rather have their smokes than their beer. I lost both my parents to lung cancer. Both had a 4-pack a day habit. If you quit this vice successfully, You can do the rest.
Alcohol is a close second. One reason: it is the most socially accepted drug for millenia. Served with dinner, or at social gatherings, there is the peer pressure. I had a 2 case of beer a day habit before I finally quit. Back in '94, my alcohol bill was roughly $800 a month. That would have paid for a nicer apartment. What prompted me to quit? I got sick of being bloated, hungover and fat! I lost literally 85 lbs. in 6 months. Alcohol consumption slows your metabolism! And it destroys the capillaries in your cheeks and nose.
Now the benefits of giving up intoxicants? You'll exhibit much better judgment. You will have more energy. Your overall health and emotional well-being will improve. And you will LOOK better. Look at Mel Gibson: he shows the ravages smoking and alcohol have on the skin. Granted, he is 56, but older celebs than he look much better.
In a couple of weeks, I'll be 47. People who know me now would never have suspected me of being an addict. I exercise daily and I try not to eat to much junk food. And I'm generally a happy person.
Good luck in your quest. There will be days where you want alcohol, or maybe even a smoke (tobacco or otherwise). It is a tough road. I had some really stressful times where I wanted to jump "off the wagon" but I held in. And I did it without NA or AA. My parents actually gave me all their support. That is key: surround yourself with friends and family who will aid you in your journey. Another tip? Find a "self-improvement hobby". Whether it is an art project, IT certification, or getting a black belt in karate, it doesn't matter. The world is a big place and offers more than booze and drugs.
Good luck! Please keep us updated! And no, you don't give longhairs a bad name. You showed great courage in coming forth.