I had a similar health scare this year that made me reduce my drinking.I quit drinking just before Christmas and haven't picked up the bottle since.
Last fall was really rough for me. Was trying to buy a home plus football being on nearly every day had me drinking all the time.
I work from home three days a week, so when I was hungover, I could still get through the day without having to deal with anyone face to face.
I'd buy a 4 or 6 pack of Fireballand take one to the head as soon as I pulled into the driveway to get me right. Then I'd drink 3-4 more throughout the rest of the evening depending on how I was feeling. Fireball is really bad for you but it wasn't as potent as straight whiskey or bourbon, so the hangover isn't as rough. I was functioning on it, but my wife could always tell when I was drinking, so I'd try to hide it from her and it was tearing her apart.
I had a bad health scare and found out I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I went to my primary care physician and got some blood work done. Turns out, I had fatty liver disease
The good news is, you can reverse it if it's caught early enough by losing weight and cutting back on the drinking
I kept drinking anyway, but whenever I did, I'd feel like complete shyt, and could feel like my blood pressure would go up. I tried to drink less and less and my doctor kept increasing my medication until my BP finally got back to normal. (It would only go up after I drank the night before) so I just quit.
That shyt was rough the first few weeks, but eventually, I felt better and better when I'd wake up the next day. I had gotten so used to feeling like shyt when I'd wake up. Headaches, bloating etc. I finally had energy to start exercising. We moved into our new house so I started hooping again and got into golf and walking real heavy.
I realized that I was replacing the times that I'd normally drink (after work or on weekends) with exercise, golf or spending time with my son. I hadn't realized the toll that my drinking was taking on my marriage and family life. I thought my wife was just trippingbut it was also affecting how I could hang out with my son because I didn't have the energy for shyt.
I have an addictive personality. Some people can just have one or two drinks and be goodbut loved the feeling when I was drunk and had a good buzz going
I felt more social and relaxed, but I was chasing a high that didn't really exist. now I like the person who I am a whole lot more. I'm more clear headed and focused plus I have more time and energy to just live life. I'm still on BP meds, but I'm working hard to stay in shape. I want to be here as long as I can. I've replaced the addiction to alcohol with golf and I have a little more money to spend on it since I'm not buying booze.
to anyone that's trying to quit. It'll be rough. Really rough at first because your body and mind will crave it. You may find yourself in old situations where that muscle memory has you wanting to take a drink. I'm honestly not sure what I'll do during football season this year
but non-alcoholic beer helps in social settings and watching sports. I promise you it is so much better on the other side. Just that feeling of waking up every day feeling better than you did yesterday because you didn't drink is incredible.
I'm not completely sober, but I'm not drinking everyday like I was a couple months ago
