Author Topic: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go  (Read 12538 times)

Latestarter73

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Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« on: October 28, 2018, 02:23:52 AM »
Hi, I'd like to pretend to myself that I'm an aspiring Mustachian but the evidence says otherwise...

On the positive side I have sold a BMW M3 and my wife's Range Rover (a 3.6l V8 that was mainly used for a 0.5 mile school run!) was crashed into and written off. We are currently a one car family and I usually catch the train to work. I have recommissioned my bike but not using it as much as I should. I have been through my monthly expenses and cut maybe £200 pcm from them (cheaper home insurance, lower mortgage rate, dropped BT Sport from the tv package but not dropped the cable subscription as divorce costs more!).

However, in the last two days I have blown around £200 on distinctly non-Mustachian actitivites: beer at the pub on Friday night followed by a Chinese takeaway and then more alcohol at home (at least I cycled!), fish and chips from a takeaway for my wife's lunch on Saturday and (here's where MMM would be face-punching if he could have restrained himself this far) I drove the 0.7 miles to the chippy and got a parking ticket while waiting!
After a trip into town (I walked but the wife and girls drove) where we bought printer ink, I then drove to buy coal for our fire and bought more alcohol.

Utterly wasteful and counterproductive as I'm trying to lose some weight and gain some 'stache. If I did the £200 waste every week that's c£150k every decade using MMM's maths, plus likely health issues from a rotting liver.

So here's the public accountability play - I'm giving up the booze until Christmas and starting to question and note everything I spend. I'll try to post updates: wish me luck!

kei te pai

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2018, 02:55:30 AM »
Yes, the booze does need to go! How did you manage to get through that much money for a couple of takeaway meals and a few drinks??
If you keep hanging out in the MMM forum you will find lots of encouragement, and some calling to account.
Best Wishes

katekat

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2018, 02:58:27 AM »
Wishing you lots of good luck and chiming in to say I'll keep an eye on this thread (hope that helps with the accountability!). Booze & crap food is a big area of spending/health weakness for me, too. I found a couple of 'resets' I have done this year (dry January & 1 set of whole30) to be useful psychological tools for making tiny positive changes in the right direction -- hope you find some value in yours!

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2018, 03:42:38 AM »
Yes, the booze does need to go! How did you manage to get through that much money for a couple of takeaway meals and a few drinks??
If you keep hanging out in the MMM forum you will find lots of encouragement, and some calling to account.
Best Wishes
Hi, I'm also pretty startled by how I blew that much but it wasn't really just a few drinks... I think it breaks down to c£40 in the pub, then £25 on takeaway and another £20 on wine and snacks post-takeaway. Fish & chips for wife and girls £11 and parking fine £35 (doh!!). I then spent a bit over £50 on a bottle of Jim Beam, a bottle of brandy, Coke and coal for the fire. There's some Jim Beam left this morning (and lots of brandy - my wife drank a lot less than me). Crazy! However, I have got better at not beating myself up so negatively now I'm a bit older (45): instead I see this ridiculous splurge as a useful lesson and one I might have missed if it was less extreme.

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2018, 03:50:15 AM »
Wishing you lots of good luck and chiming in to say I'll keep an eye on this thread (hope that helps with the accountability!). Booze & crap food is a big area of spending/health weakness for me, too. I found a couple of 'resets' I have done this year (dry January & 1 set of whole30) to be useful psychological tools for making tiny positive changes in the right direction -- hope you find some value in yours!
Hi Katekat and thanks for the post. I do dry January every year but whenever I try to go dry at other times I fail because I'm kinda ok with failing, whereas January dryness is somehow sacred (how weird is that?). I'll try to remember to update this in a week's time with a dryness & thrift review.

former player

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2018, 04:42:48 AM »
Hi and welcome.

I think you are quite right to go slowly on applying mustachianism to the rest of your family.  You might like to check out this thread on maintaining a good relationship with a reluctant SO -

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-convert-your-so-to-mmm-in-50-awesome-steps/

My tolerance for alcohol definitely decreased in my 40s, so I get where you are on the health side.  And I get how small unconsidered amounts of spending add up, too.  Limiting yourself to spending only a defined cash withdrawal every week might be one way to deal with that.


Good luck.



May2030

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2018, 05:46:40 AM »
Are you suffering from the booze blues after your binge? Remember how you feel today and write it down so you remember in a weeks time why you are doing it. Emotionally feeling the reason for doing something really reduces the need for will power when temptation strikes.

I did a month off the drink which turned into a year as I questioned my relationship with alcohol. It took 6 weeks to break the habit and you will be surprised by how many triggers you experience. You don't need luck as you are going to do it.

Discovering MMM is just the start and leads to lots of interesting avenues. When you have read everything here and need more the "escape artist.me" is UK based and worth a look.

CrustyBadger

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2018, 06:26:43 AM »
Hi Latestarter73!

Come join us on this thread for some support and encouragement if you'd like!

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/give-up-the-hooch-booze-free-for-as-long-as-you-please!/200/?topicseen

elliha

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2018, 07:35:42 AM »
If you don't want to quit drinking but want to limit yourself it might help to develop rules for alcohol like: "I get to buy one bottle of hard liqueor a month. I can buy alcohol at a store on x day then I need to wait until next week to buy any more. I can make only one visit to buy alcohol even on the day it is allowed. I can buy beers at the pub and nothing else. I have a budget for alcohol of x amount per month/week." You might want or need other rules but based on what you say these would be my rules to get a handle on the situation. If you cannot keep the rules I think you should consider going without alcohol for 2-3 months. If/when you decide to drink follow rules again and if you keep breaking them I think my must consider an even longer pause or stop drinking for good.

stachestache

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #9 on: October 28, 2018, 08:26:50 AM »
I am a member of a group that can be found very near the front of the phonebook.. We talk about alcohol but mostly how to live a better life.

Generally, making rules on how to drink can be a sign that there is a problem.

I'm not judging and I can definitely relate to the spending while drinking.

I had to quit drinking in September of 2015. I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Although, sometimes, I still feel sick and tired.

Best of luck to ya!

foobaz

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2018, 09:47:11 AM »
Giving up booze is one of the low hanging fruits to getting into a better financial (and health) situation, unless you happen to have an addiction.

elliha

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2018, 10:11:57 AM »
I am a member of a group that can be found very near the front of the phonebook.. We talk about alcohol but mostly how to live a better life.

Generally, making rules on how to drink can be a sign that there is a problem.

I'm not judging and I can definitely relate to the spending while drinking.

I had to quit drinking in September of 2015. I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Although, sometimes, I still feel sick and tired.

Best of luck to ya!

Yes, they can be but if TS is just in a position where he has overdone alcohol and has temporarily fallen out of his normal habits they can be a good way to go back to an alcohol consumtion he can handle. I realize he may be a fullblown alcoholic and then it will likely not work at all.

scottish

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2018, 11:40:42 AM »
May I ask, why are you burning coal on your fire?

india dark ale

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2018, 12:40:24 PM »
I'm guessing coal burns longer and is cheaper in the UK?

mveill1

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2018, 01:22:02 PM »
Hi - I feel your pain. I am coming off the end of a "Sober October" month and I too have issues with the booze and the spend! I'm rooting for you.

What helped me (not that I am not still struggling) is to find something interesting to do that requires you to not be hungover. Did you have BT Sports for the footy, or the fights? You can join an sunday league (there are speedwalking football leagues so no excuses). You can take boxing fit classes, you can start jiu jitsu, whatever floats your boat. You mentioned cycling - is it a good bike? If not and it's an impediment, you can find something used and very decent for way less than £1,000. Though personally I'd stay away from cycling (especially clubs) as it looks like the spendiest sport ever invented. Especially in the UK.

Anyway, you get my point, all of that could help you with the booze, by orienting you in a more interesting and productive direction.

As for your wife... certainly in my own life what has helped is to NOT talk in terms of deprivation. Instead, it's about setting goals about how much we should save, so that we're safe, and we have some margin to be able to make real choices in the future, and not stay mere wage slaves our whole lives. Moneydashboard is great to track your spending (just keeping track helps). Perhaps the goal could simply be to stash away £1,000 a month. Clear cash - not in employer pensions or any of that. It's a bit of a bait and switch, as she may be hoping you're saving for a kickass cruise, but you'll cross that bridge when you get there. Important is to train that muscle. That's sort of where I'm at.

Hope this helps - best of luck. 

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2018, 01:42:51 PM »
May I ask, why are you burning coal on your fire?
It's a very fair question, as it's not a practical thing, it's really just to make the evening more cosy (the thing the Danish call hygge)

mveill1

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #16 on: October 28, 2018, 01:51:05 PM »
I'm guessing coal burns longer and is cheaper in the UK?

do you mean as opposed to wood like you do in the US? i think it's historical - relative prices between coal and wood isn't the same here as it would be in more forested countries

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #17 on: October 28, 2018, 02:03:17 PM »
Hi - I feel your pain. I am coming off the end of a "Sober October" month and I too have issues with the booze and the spend! I'm rooting for you.

What helped me (not that I am not still struggling) is to find something interesting to do that requires you to not be hungover. Did you have BT Sports for the footy, or the fights? You can join an sunday league (there are speedwalking football leagues so no excuses). You can take boxing fit classes, you can start jiu jitsu, whatever floats your boat. You mentioned cycling - is it a good bike? If not and it's an impediment, you can find something used and very decent for way less than £1,000. Though personally I'd stay away from cycling (especially clubs) as it looks like the spendiest sport ever invented. Especially in the UK.

Anyway, you get my point, all of that could help you with the booze, by orienting you in a more interesting and productive direction.

As for your wife... certainly in my own life what has helped is to NOT talk in terms of deprivation. Instead, it's about setting goals about how much we should save, so that we're safe, and we have some margin to be able to make real choices in the future, and not stay mere wage slaves our whole lives. Moneydashboard is great to track your spending (just keeping track helps). Perhaps the goal could simply be to stash away £1,000 a month. Clear cash - not in employer pensions or any of that. It's a bit of a bait and switch, as she may be hoping you're saving for a kickass cruise, but you'll cross that bridge when you get there. Important is to train that muscle. That's sort of where I'm at.

Hope this helps - best of luck.

Thanks for the post.

Is it a good bike...? hah ha, definitely not! It's a 25+ year old Peugeot that might politely be considered a classic. However, I struggle to see myself cycling for trips of much more than 3 miles and it's fine for that. BT Sports was for the rugby (I used to play prop forward: that probably tells you quite a bit!).

It's the tracking of spending that I think will be the key. Since starting to read MMM I've realised over the last month or so without even tracking it that most of my spending and bad health choices are booze related (the low carb diet goes out of the window after a decent night's drinking). I'm going to deploy positivity too, seeing an abundance of good sleep and clearheadedness, rather than a deprivation of booze. I'm also two weeks away from a work(ish) trip to Miami and would like to hit the gym pretty hard and keep a clean diet in the run up (and ideally afterwards too). Well, at least that's the current mindset.

AMandM

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #18 on: October 29, 2018, 12:07:41 PM »
Just chiming in to add my encouragement. I totally sympathise about the fish & chips though... there is nothing you can substitute for a packet fresh out of the fryer.

What is your wife's attitude to the booze and to MMM?  My husband and I have found we often weaken at opposite times, so each of us can encourage the other to hold firm when tempted.

dude

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #19 on: October 29, 2018, 12:33:12 PM »
I spent $300 on 3 cases of beer this weekend (that I stood in line in the rain for . . .). Ouch. But I'm having an annual party and my friends love good beer and I love my friends, so c'est la vie.

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #20 on: October 29, 2018, 01:46:11 PM »
Hi, @Latestarter73! Congrats again on the BMW3 sale, and even more so on your alcohol accountability decision. That's big powerful stuff, my transatlantic friend.

+1 also on going easy with the family, pushing yourself instead of them. You can earn their respect faster than you can force anyone to change. You are doing great; keep it up.

scottish

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #21 on: October 29, 2018, 03:27:23 PM »
I'm guessing coal burns longer and is cheaper in the UK?

do you mean as opposed to wood like you do in the US? i think it's historical - relative prices between coal and wood isn't the same here as it would be in more forested countries

I'm not in the US, thank god.    I was curious if the coal was to heat your house.

TrMama

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #22 on: October 29, 2018, 03:57:43 PM »
Good for you! If anyone asks, you can tell them that going dry is on trend now and you're just an early adopter. I gave up booze entirely about a year ago (can't actually remember when exactly). My reasoning is because I have a health glitch that's made worse by consuming even tiny amounts of booze. I'm trying to put off having the glitch corrected for as long as possible since the "fix" procedure is super unpleasant and carries some risks I'm not OK with.

However, I feel so much better now and have an easier time controlling my weight. Plus, alcohol has recently been pretty strongly linked to cancer, so hopefully I won't have to deal with that in future either.

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #23 on: October 29, 2018, 05:37:58 PM »
Good for you! Cutting back or giving up booze is a tough thing to do, best of luck!

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #24 on: October 30, 2018, 03:43:41 AM »
Just chiming in to add my encouragement. I totally sympathise about the fish & chips though... there is nothing you can substitute for a packet fresh out of the fryer.

What is your wife's attitude to the booze and to MMM?  My husband and I have found we often weaken at opposite times, so each of us can encourage the other to hold firm when tempted.

Hi AMandM,

Ah now this is where it gets tricky (and the wife has started to read my posts on this blog to improve our communication, so Hi Sarah!). DW will 100% say yes if I suggest booze/takeaway and frequently is the one making the suggestion.

However, she has said she will join me on this crusade of dryness as she also drinks far too much, but in a different way to me. On top of the comfort/emotionally driven  eating that is bad for her health, she will also have 5 or 6 bottles of wine each week but spread out rather than in binges as I do: in large part for her it's self-medication for anxiety/depression and finding the kids and me hard to live with. Life overwhelms her and drink provides a break.

She also hates the MMM thing as it frustrates her wishes for a very easy life spending without thinking, having a refreshed kitchen, new sofa... However, she has joined in on some elements and there are signs of her coming round to doing more stuff to make life better. I definitely agree with the various posters saying change needs to be encouraged by example rather than forced  on a SO. My purchase of a BMW M3 earlier this year (now sold) when so much needed doing around the house sets me down as a massive hypocrite so I need to dig myself out of a hypocrisy hole before leading by positive example! There's a Jetski in the garage that needs to go too (sometimes I think MMM wrote some of his lines with me specifically in mind - see his suggestions on what windfalls are NOT for in the "Wealth advice that should be obvious" post). Can you blame her for some simmering resentment at me and this MMM hypocrisy?  Obviously it's not actually as simple as that, but I can understand her frustration.

katekat

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #25 on: October 30, 2018, 04:22:22 AM »
I apologise, but I laughed a little at the jetski. A jetski! I think it's great that you understand your 'hypocrisy hole' and are willing to lead by example.

Zola.

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #26 on: October 30, 2018, 05:04:20 AM »
Latestarter you sound like great craic! :) . The booze is always fun but it is a depressant and it violently bleeds you of your money over time, and of course its not very healthy and leads to more unhealthy choices. I am someone who used to drink every weekend,  but now I leave it to once every few months to go out with friends. Having drink in the house is bad news as it always gets opened.

You also sound like you have hit an epiphany moment...I wish you all the best. You going to start a journal?
« Last Edit: October 30, 2018, 05:06:14 AM by Zola. »

CrustyBadger

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #27 on: October 30, 2018, 05:43:09 AM »
Latestarter (and Mrs. Latestarter!  Hi!) . I encourage you to take a look at Annie Grace's 30 day Alcohol Experiment.   It is online, and I believe it is still free.   

https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/the-alcohol-experiment-registration

You do not have to make a commitment to be "sober" during this time.   The decision to drink or not is up to you.  All she asks is that you reflect on your alcohol consumption and ask questions of yourself to see if what you are saying to yourself about alcohol (It helps me relax, I feel better when I drink, drinking makes me more fun... whatever) is in fact true for you.


Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #28 on: October 30, 2018, 09:55:18 AM »
Latestarter you sound like great craic! :) . The booze is always fun but it is a depressant and it violently bleeds you of your money over time, and of course its not very healthy and leads to more unhealthy choices. I am someone who used to drink every weekend,  but now I leave it to once every few months to go out with friends. Having drink in the house is bad news as it always gets opened.

You also sound like you have hit an epiphany moment...I wish you all the best. You going to start a journal?
Hi Zola,
Do I need to go to a different part of the forum to do a journal? The comments from Mustachians are really positive and I think it might be good to have a journal.
Cheers.

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #29 on: October 30, 2018, 10:02:34 AM »
Latestarter (and Mrs. Latestarter!  Hi!) . I encourage you to take a look at Annie Grace's 30 day Alcohol Experiment.   It is online, and I believe it is still free.   

https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/the-alcohol-experiment-registration

You do not have to make a commitment to be "sober" during this time.   The decision to drink or not is up to you.  All she asks is that you reflect on your alcohol consumption and ask questions of yourself to see if what you are saying to yourself about alcohol (It helps me relax, I feel better when I drink, drinking makes me more fun... whatever) is in fact true for you.
Hi CrustyBadger,

It's still free and I've registered but the video that you are supposed to watch before setting the start date is 13 minutes long, so I'll start the challenge later as I'm assuming it's better if I don't watch this at work!

UnleashHell

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #30 on: October 30, 2018, 10:16:29 AM »
fellow front row here.
I can confirm that the volume of alcohol needs to be decreased as the playing time wears off.
its also tougher to get over as you get past your window of opportunity to be selected for the lions.

honeybbq

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #31 on: October 30, 2018, 11:21:57 AM »
While the amount of alcohol you consume remains up to the individual, I've found the boxes of red wine available at the grocery store are rather decent and very affordable. Here they go on sale for $17.99 and contain 3 bottles worth of wine. It's nice for just a glass with dinner or so, and it lasts for weeks. Cheaper and less waste than buying multiple bottles. I usually alternate between the Malbec and the Cab.

mm1970

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #32 on: October 30, 2018, 01:15:16 PM »
Good luck!  I've dealt with alcoholism in my family, and it sucks.  Because of that, I have two siblings who almost don't drink at all.

I myself like a good glass of wine. And I've had some times when I used it to self-medicate with work stress and kid stress.  So I totally understand.  The other problem, with wine, food, and the like - is the people that you hang out with.  If you hang out with drinkers, it's hard to not be a drinker.

Some maybe helpful tips:  I have given up alcohol (for me, wine) for a month at a time in November a few times (along with wheat, sugar, and fried foods).  I felt much better and lost weight each time (though it was probably mostly the wheat).

I have made "rules" like no drinking except on weekends.

I have found *other* things to do to relax - go for a walk, read a book, drink a cup of herbal tea.


These days, it's pretty easy.  I still belong to 2 wine clubs, and I get 20 bottles of wine a year.  I probably purchase maybe 4 more, for a total of 2 bottles of wine a month.  Unfortunately/ fortunately - wine interferes with my sleep now.  And I need my sleep.  I have been working full time, I have 2 kids, husband travels, and I have been training for running races.  Sleep is just necessary.  So: I can't drink it after 5 pm or I won't sleep well.

Thus: I take my lovely bottles of wine to our weekly potluck.  I drink 1-1.5 glasses.  My neighbors drink the rest.  Every 2-3 months, I may open a bottle at home and drink it over the space of a week (one glass per day).  Many weeks I don't drink at all.  In the end, it means my average alcohol intake is probably 2 glasses a week.

Which is fascinating - I visited the doctor this week.  They wanted an estimate.  I gave it to them. The nurse REALLY wanted to increase it "2 a day?  6-7 a week?" NO, 2 a week.  (Because I've also read about breast cancer risk.)

On a side note, 5-6 bottles of wine a week is way too much.  One per week is more along the lines of the max recommendations for health.

TrMama

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #33 on: October 30, 2018, 01:32:11 PM »
Which is fascinating - I visited the doctor this week.  They wanted an estimate.  I gave it to them. The nurse REALLY wanted to increase it "2 a day?  6-7 a week?" NO, 2 a week.  (Because I've also read about breast cancer risk.)


This is the most fun part!

I saw a new optometrist this summer. During the intake he was asking me about health stuff and clearly didn't believe me when I told him I don't drink. His next question was, "What about other depressants?"

Then it was my turn to be confused, "Huh? Other depressants? Can you please be more specific?"

DS

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #34 on: October 30, 2018, 01:33:22 PM »
Was it on your past history or did they just expect that to be normal?

OurTown

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #35 on: October 30, 2018, 03:01:04 PM »
Good luck to the OP. I've been dry for 2+ years, it has really changed my life.

elliha

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #36 on: October 31, 2018, 01:56:37 AM »
Very glad to hear that you are making progress. All the best wishes and good luck! Having the support of your wife will probably help and you can do this together.

Lincolnshire Girl

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #37 on: October 31, 2018, 02:08:27 AM »
Hi from the UK!

I'd definitely recommend starting a journal thread or at least having a read of some of the other UK contributors.

Can't help with the alcohol I'm afraid - never touched it :)

mrmoonymartian

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #38 on: October 31, 2018, 02:25:28 AM »
Dude, you should probably stop burning the coal if it's not a life and death thing. Inhaling all that mercury will just make you want to drink more booze to drive out the crazy voices. Burn some wood instead - the cancer treatment will give you something to do in your old age, and your kids will thank you for it between the asthma attacks.

Good luck and stay positive!

AMandM

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #39 on: October 31, 2018, 09:40:23 AM »
Ah now this is where it gets tricky (and the wife has started to read my posts on this blog to improve our communication, so Hi Sarah!). DW will 100% say yes if I suggest booze/takeaway and frequently is the one making the suggestion.

However, she has said she will join me on this crusade of dryness [...]

She also hates the MMM thing as it frustrates her wishes for a very easy life spending without thinking, having a refreshed kitchen, new sofa... However, she has joined in on some elements and there are signs of her coming round to doing more stuff to make life better.[...]

IMO improving communication is an even greater accomplishment then improving your finances, so congrats to you both!  It sounds like you are moving towards being on the same team about some financial aspects too, and that is huge.

It might also help to reframe the MMM business in your minds as not frustrating a very easy life, but as making possible a very satisfying life. Good luck as you move forward together!

mm1970

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #40 on: October 31, 2018, 11:17:41 AM »
Was it on your past history or did they just expect that to be normal?
I dunno!

I think my past history (from 2 years ago) was probably 4 a week.  Maybe they expect middle aged women to increase their wine intake?

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #41 on: November 01, 2018, 02:06:54 PM »
Update: it's Thursday and despite it being the 'nearly weekend' I have no desire to drink. No booze since Saturday and I've managed a reasonably Mustachian week.

Moneywise it started badly on Monday with a fun trip to a theme park (pre-booked from a while ago: £60 for me and my daughter plus her friend). Despite taking a rucksack full of food and drink I managed to spend £40 there, plus the 80 miles drive to get there and back. I was so late getting home I went straight to bed so had to buy lunch the next day (£5). But apart from train fares to work that's all I have spent - packed lunch yesterday and today, with tomorrow's in the fridge already.

Exercise levels ok but not great: lots of walking on Monday, walking and upper body weights on Tuesday, nothing Wednesday (car used for work), but walking and squats today.

I have a work related social event coming on Saturday at my old rugby club, where my usual approach of attempting to drink moderately would almost certainly end messily. The commitment to dryness will need to be absolute, but I think it's easier that way and Sunday morning will be far better with a clear head.

Thanks to all the supportive comments!



BicycleB

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #42 on: November 01, 2018, 02:23:10 PM »
Great update, @Latestarter73. Good luck at the rugby club.

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #43 on: November 03, 2018, 03:17:43 PM »
Guinness all around me at the rugby club today, but only two coffees and a lime and soda inside me; great result. It was also a far easier win for me than England had, but at least they sneaked the win! Unfortunately my club team (Wilmslow) was absolutely hammered :-(

CrustyBadger

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #44 on: November 03, 2018, 07:47:41 PM »
But you were not hammered!   Good job drinking the amount you wanted to drink (none that time!)

TomTX

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #45 on: November 04, 2018, 05:04:37 AM »
May I ask, why are you burning coal on your fire?
It's a very fair question, as it's not a practical thing, it's really just to make the evening more cosy (the thing the Danish call hygge)

Interesting. Now that I know how terrible the heath effects are from the particulate pollution and heavy metals from burning coal, I would find it anything but cozy or relaxing.

It's not like the health effects are a new discovery, but it's been glossed over for a long time

https://www.history.com/news/the-killer-fog-that-blanketed-london-60-years-ago

katekat

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #46 on: November 04, 2018, 05:09:01 AM »
Congrats on your success at the rugby club!

Tempname23

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #47 on: November 04, 2018, 06:31:15 AM »
 Good idea, I quit also, except for a couple of medicinal drinks in the evening! :-)

Latestarter73

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #48 on: November 09, 2018, 03:52:41 PM »
Quick update: It's another sober Friday for me. Very sober as I've had a couple of very long tedious days at work. I adopted the stoical position of seeing the 7am-11pm day yesterday as a welcome return to focussed effort. I've had a 'can't be arsed' attitude for too long and a sudden jolt of proper concentrated work has done me good.

So, not a unit of alcohol has passed my lips in two weeks now and I'm cruising happily along. I think I was ready for the break.

kei te pai

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Re: Failing Mustachian - booze needs to go
« Reply #49 on: November 09, 2018, 04:19:34 PM »
Well done on the booze avoidance! How is your wife feeling about it?