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Giving up the booze
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Good time there BWF and totally agree on the charity thing.
Well done on the 11 months RJ. It's 5 here. Had a couple of blips but going in the right direction
I'm pleased to hear that you appreciated my comments upon the satisfaction produced by the runner's high, BWF.
After all, other than investing in a pair of decent trainers, it's a feeling that doesn't cost any money to attain and can be achieved by anyone.
More importantly, the 'high' experienced after running produces no adverse side effects. If anything, it encourages the greatest sense of positivity and feeling of accomplishment.
As such, loved-ones, who may have previously experienced the heartache of helplessly standing by as you struggled, may now also wish to experience a piece of what you continue to enjoy in the hours after you've finished your run.
I don't believe your that your admission surrounding charities is at all uncharitable, since nobody has to agree to run for a charity.
Sadly though, there simply aren't sufficient ballot entries available; something I'm sure we all bemoan.
If we remain intent upon completing/competing in an event, after our ballot entry proves unsuccessful, we have no other option but to approach charity organisations where, in addition to paying the race entry fee, we must agree to raise a minimum amount.
In my opinion, runners should be offered the following choices:
Pay the race entry fee and raise as much as you can; or
Allow the charity to pay the entry fee on the provision that the runner agrees to raise a minimum amount.
In either event, the runner's chosen charity will always receive more in donations than the total cost of buying sufficient places in an event.
After successfully gaining my place in this year's GNR, through the ballot, I'm still considering whether or not to run for a charity.
If only such a place existed, where runners could reveal their successful ballot entries to charities and observe as charities competed against one another for the runner's signature.
To some, my suggestion may seem a little cruel but I'm wearing my miserable git head at the moment.
Januray will be booze free for me.probably gonna start/stop as of today and will keep it going as long as I can.When I ran my last marathon 10 years ago I went booze free from Boxing Day til post marathon in April. Like the idea of an evening run to keep me off the beer and wine.
As long as you don't do what I normally do and replace it with food. I find cutting down on alcohol works better and being more disciplined than removing it completely
Well done Jonnie!Great to celebrate success however sometimes not drinking is a bigger issue for others than it is for the non drinker IMO.People often think you're some kind of a weirdo for NOT drinking.
Well done on the 11 months. Are you going to do anything to celebrate your 1st year? Some families do, but mine doesn't, unfortunately. Mrs Easy is a tough bird and reckons being sober is the minimum expected requirement for me, so she doesn't make a fuss.
My A.A. homegroup always celebrates sobriety birthdays though.
Running wise, I'm coming back after a period of injury, followed by a longer period of idleness. Mrs Easy did a couple of ultras last year (she came 2nd and 3rd lady) and is doing a 12 and a 24 hour ultra in May and July respectively, and hopes to run 50 and 100 miles.
She's mental though.
Oh, I'm getting into yoga too, if only to help with injury prevention and make putting my socks on in the morning easier.
I think that your idea of giving up the booze is absolutely great and your plan of doing running is perfect.
Thanks, mate, but I've given up the booze; I was done with that on the 21st June 2009 (though there's some debate about the actual date; things were a bit hazy back then
).
My current plan is to try and do a sub 20 min 5k (I did do 21.10 a couple of years ago), and my last one was 26 minutes something, so I've a lot of work to do, which I'm doing.
I'm 46, which is no excuse for being slow, looking at the speeds that some of my fellow middle-agers run at.
Yep, drinker for about 15 years. Roughly 4 cans of Stella a night. I gave it up almost a week ago and haven't looked back. I wasn't really an alcoholic just someone who was bored and enjoyed a beer.
Since I stopped I wanted to get fit again. Running has gave me that incentive to not what to drink at all. Feels like if I run, and drink, I'm wasting my time running. I'll probably have the odd pint when we go for a family meal at the pub but that's about it.
Congrats to all who have stopped drinking and started running. It feels great!
I was an all or nothing drinker. Weekends tended to go along the lines of bottle of red on Wednesday night, same on Thursday night. Maybe a bottle and a half on Friday night. Saturday would be 4 cans of Guinness pre dinner, probably followed by up to 2 bottles of red over the rest of the night. Sunday, 4 Guinness pre dinner, a bottle and a half after dinner.
Alcohol was ruling my life and ruining it. It had to stop. Doing it just before New Year was a challenge!
It took a while to get used to not drinking, maybe a year? Now I don't even think about it, I can't stand the smell and would rather have a nice coffee. I've lost about 7kg, started running, increased cycling and feel fitter than ever.
My weekends are no longer wasted.
Hi, Cinders, easy does it.
I hope okay to resume posts?
I been trying to run half marathons, marathons now for 3 years, and have been so close a number of times, but booze took over.
Its true what people say in this forum, you need a replacement if you want to give up booze, what better incentive than to keep trying to reach those goals booze free.
Hence here trying again.
I was 10 weeks off the Edinburgh half marathon last year, and gave up. I reached the distance, but was well over the time limit. Even though route was mainly downhill. Yet my training is all hills West Yorkshire, Huddersfield.
Anyway glad some people are still here.
Are you still drinking, Sinbad?
Hi al,,
afraid so Easy.Does.It. Still trying to stop though. I will keep trying.
I know drinks topic has moved on. Yet it may be be a question of experimentation to find out what works for you. My favourite is lime and soda.
with regards to running for charities I totally agree, its like we have for got how we can enter races fun runs just for ourselves.
It took a good while - after stopping drinking - to enjoy drinking a non-alcoholic drink.
Lime and soda did nothing for me; not like a nice pint of whisky did.
crikey Easy.Does.It a pint of whisky, wow.
Hello! Felt compelled to post something regarding alcohol alternatives for those occasions where you want a sipping drink to match your compatriots real-booze.
A genuinely delicious non-alcoholic drink (I've been off booze completely for over 4 years due to years due to extreme greed booze-wise) is Erdinger Alkolholfrei.
It's the only 'adult' tasting drink I've found which is actually nice to drink, but at 'alcohol' speed (ie, slowly).
I work in the booze industry and have tried virtually every booze-alternative, and Erdinger is (IMO) the only nice one. Some of the lagers/ales are OK for about 2 mouthfuls, then become disgusting.
Krombacher also make a good one, but good luck finding it!
Waitrose 1% cider is quite nice...
Good luck to all who try quitting; if I can do it, you certainly can!
Any help please
Ive also stopped drinking in my build up.
Hope its worth it