[The Lizard of Oz]

A wagon is an excellent place from which to sagely nod at the meltdowns as they go by

Mech if you've never followed a bona fide RVF meltdown while on a rigorous 1 year drinking wagon, you don't know what you're missing...

[bacon]

Relevant to this great thread

http://epichustle.wordpress.com/2013/11/...p-alcohol/

[WestCoast]

Well I just decided I am going to take this challenge up starting mid/late January. So not a 100% full year. But 270 days or so.

If I were a betting man I would definitely bet against me. My sober game is a joke compared to 2-3 drinks night game.

That said I am handing a good friend $2000 and telling him to give me $200 back each month I don't drink. This will prevent me from drinking.

So it's a 10 month challenge. Doable.

[Vitriol]

(12-05-2013 01:11 AM)MikeCF Wrote:  

One year of not drinking:

http://dangerandplay.com/2013/11/21/one-year-sobriety/

There's something really interesting he put in this post. It seems to relate to both drugs and alcohol and some related issues about conditioning and control.

Quote:

They drink to shut off the noise that authority figures have ringing in their ears.

A better solution is to reject the slave morality you live under. I’ve enjoyed alcohol but never needed it because I live under my own code. I am my own super ego.

Society and my parents and teachers and the other idiots who tried implanting their voices in my head are all dead.

Kill your family and the voices will stop and so too will your need to drink alcohol.

I genuinely think that when you're in grade school and a teenager getting constantly told to sit at a desk and shut up even when you don't want to causes a lot of pent up aggression. I still have visions of taking fuckers who try to give me orders and bashing their fucking heads into a wall. It takes years of "detoxing" the social conditioning to finally try to figure out who the fuck you are and what you want to do with your life, instead of living as someone else's slave who gets a token amount of wages in exchange for working for someone else's dream and jumping through their hoops.

If you can totally peel back all of that social conditioning you may get to a place where you don't need a lot of things that you previously did. However, this isn't easy in a highly developed culture with omnipresent authority and media. Think of all those voices you heard over the years telling you to follow orders and tell them to FUCK OFF. They didn't know what was best for you then, and they're probably still pumping out rejects with no future with their "education" and "programs."

[Bushido]

Seriously considering this.

I read the book that BB recommended. Very interesting, if a little hardcore in some aspects.

As mentioned, it would be cool to share more ideas for first dates without alcohol. I get that it can be done but it really sounds like a LOT more work and more dates to get the lay.

All my first dates revolve around a certain circuit of bars near my place. It's never more than 3-4 drinks but it has ensured me a great ratio of lays early on (maybe 70-80%). That's still the main thing that makes me hesitate. I can handle bars and even work events without drinking but would hate to be losing pussy because I didn't have a couple of beers on a date.

[The Lizard of Oz]

(12-05-2013 10:33 PM)WestCoast Wrote:  

Well I just decided I am going to take this challenge up starting mid/late January. So not a 100% full year. But 270 days or so.

WestCoast, you can start in mid/late January and do a full year from that point. There is no law against that...

Once you get to 10 months you are so close, why would you rob yourself of the glory and honor of the strict 1 year wagon??

(12-05-2013 10:33 PM)WestCoast Wrote:  

If I were a betting man I would definitely bet against me.

Then this is your chance to surprise yourself.

Even setting aside all the other benefits, I think there are serious brain-altering effects to just doing something with absolute rigor for a full year that you keep rebelling against but have the discipline to do it anyway. It toughens you up and makes you into a stronger and better man.

[WestCoast]

^ yeah I will likely up the bet on myself. I will attempt this, coincidentally I just picked up a girl who doesn't drink at all. She looks like she just graduated college and is actually mid 20's. Will be a good practice test on no alcohol dates. Which again, I admit above, is weak relative to my 2-3 drinks game.

I used to drink a ton. Like 5-6 on a night out, so the 50% decline was good, but it's time to wean off entirely.

Based on all the data, sure as fuck I am not going to be sober in Iceland so that's why I am definitely not starting till mid January.

[el mechanico]

(12-06-2013 09:27 AM)WestCoast Wrote:  

^ yeah I will likely up the bet on myself. I will attempt this, coincidentally I just picked up a girl who doesn't drink at all. She looks like she just graduated college and is actually mid 20's. Will be a good practice test on no alcohol dates. Which again, I admit above, is weak relative to my 2-3 drinks game.

I used to drink a ton. Like 5-6 on a night out, so the 50% decline was good, but it's time to wean off entirely.

Based on all the data, sure as fuck I am not going to be sober in Iceland so that's why I am definitely not starting till mid January.

Have you considered hiring an actor to drink for you?

[The Lizard of Oz]

(12-06-2013 09:37 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Have you considered hiring an actor to drink for you?

This reminds me of a joke I heard years ago.

You have to imagine the main character speaking with a classic Irish accent.

A man walks into a bar and orders three shots of Jameson, neat. He sits in a booth by himself and drinks these three shots at the same time. This seems a bit odd, but no one says anything.

This becomes a regular thing. This man walks in and always orders three shots and drinks them by himself, seemingly lost in contemplation. Sometimes he orders additional rounds, but always three shots at a time.

Finally, curiosity wins out and someone comes up to the man and asks him why he does what he does, if it's not a secret.

His face brightens up. "Oh, it's no secret. It's just that I miss my old man and my brother so much now that I'm away from home. We three would always have drinks together. So I order one drink for each of the three of us and I feel like they're both here in spirit, if you know what I mean".

Of course this is met with great respect and understanding. Everyone in the bar is very into the idea of this guy communing in this way with the men of his family.

This goes on for some time.

Then, one night, this man walks into the bar again. His face looks drawn, grim, and haggard. He walks up to the bartender and makes his order.

"Two shots of Jameson, neat".

A hush falls over the place, but no one says anything. He is served his two drinks in silence and goes over to his usual booth with a haunted look.

Finally the bartender can't help it anymore. He walks up to the guy and says,

"Pardon me if I'm imposing. But I have to ask -- has something happened to your father, or God forbid, your brother? We're all your friends here if you'd like to share".

"Oh", the man answers glumly, "No, thanks for asking. My dear father and brother are both in excellent health. It's just that I've quit drinking".

[el mechanico]

^ Got a legit lol from me

[cardguy]

Most jokes suck. That one didn't.

[Aliblahba]

(12-05-2013 05:40 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Who's going to meltdown on the forum first and get banned? A year? No way 10 days.

I bet I can have any of the challengers in a bar within an hour of a meetup. Any takers?

[The Lizard of Oz]

(12-06-2013 01:49 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

I bet I can have any of the challengers in a bar within an hour of a meetup. Any takers?

Even when you're on one of your endless "extended 6 month breaks"?

[Aliblahba]

(12-06-2013 01:56 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

(12-06-2013 01:49 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

I bet I can have any of the challengers in a bar within an hour of a meetup. Any takers?

Even when you're on one of your endless "extended 6 month breaks"?

Those were because I mostly abided by G.O. #1.

http://documents.nytimes.com/general-ord...r-soldiers

Doubt we'll have the opportunity to meetup at Camp Dwyer.

[big poppa]

I'm not much of a drinker, barely 4 beers a week.on average.

Love the smoke though, and I'm contemplating whether or not to take this challenge up with weed instead.

[johnw28]

I've done several 90 day stops before and everything feels better. I'm in on a one year hiatus. Figure in you just have two drinks at a bar for a year plus tip you'll save between 2700 and 3600

[Duke Castile]

When people are drunk, they can't tell you aren't drunk too. They only see if you have a drink or not. Same way with a date. Order a "wise man" on your date. Have a few. She'll get plowed and you'll be fine. She'll never know. Even if she sips it after a couple of her own.

[Pyre]

(12-07-2013 05:42 PM)Fisto Wrote:  

When people are drunk, they can't tell you aren't drunk too. They only see if you have a drink or not. Same way with a date. Order a "wise man" on your date. Have a few. She'll get plowed and you'll be fine. She'll never know. Even if she sips it after a couple of her own.

What is a "wise man"?

[Aliblahba]

(12-07-2013 07:40 PM)Pyre Wrote:  

(12-07-2013 05:42 PM)Fisto Wrote:  

When people are drunk, they can't tell you aren't drunk too. They only see if you have a drink or not. Same way with a date. Order a "wise man" on your date. Have a few. She'll get plowed and you'll be fine. She'll never know. Even if she sips it after a couple of her own.

What is a "wise man"?

Yeah, and how do you deal with drunk girls when your sober? They drive me up the wall while not drinking.

[nek]

I'm in. I'm thirty and I'm starting to notice the adverse effects in myself a bit, but mostly in people around me. It seems the negative side of drinking when people started drinking - the lack of control and doing idiotic shit - starts to rear it's ugly head again once they're older and still drinking. When you're young, it's fun and you get a pass b/c it's new to you. When you're older, you're just an alcoholic. On top of it, there seems to be a more depressed mood about people who are habitually drinking at my age. So it's depressed/angry and idiotic vs. fun and idiotic.

I've drank my share, done some wild partying, and was always trying to top myself. Even more drunk, even crazier partying. But it has gotten old, and I'm ready for more constructive challenge in my life.

[bacan]

(12-04-2013 03:34 AM)cardguy Wrote:  

@Charlemagne - lol "the fear" - wow, I really hate that. There is no worse feeling in the world. Really messes with my head.

Yeah, I had one of those recently. Worst part of it was finding that I had the drunken-logic of storing an open can of beer that I didn't remember buying in my laptop bag with my (now wet) laptop

I really want to change my drinking habits... I'm done with blackout drunken nights..

[Vitriol]

(12-01-2013 06:09 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

Vitriol,

Several months won't effect the really serious changes -- but hey, you got a taste of them, getting into shape, etc.

No, the deep changes come toward the end of the first year -- after the "boredom" passes...

I think I need to re-evaluate what I initially said.

Since I took that long break from alcohol I don't drink to the point where I get legitimately "fucked up" anymore.

I was getting "the fear." To me, the fear meant pretty severe anxiety and panic attacks and I didn't know what the fuck was causing them. Looking back I think it was a combination of severe stress, caffeine that was used to try to wake up from hangovers, and heavy drinking over the course of a year or two before I took that break.

The lesson I learned was to get away from the stressful career and stop the heavy pre-gaming and drinking to the point where I legitimately got smashed. Drinking is actually more enjoyable when it's slower and more "smooth" if that makes sense.

[Horus]

I'm up for this. I've been drinking far too much over the last few years and this is increasingly by myself at the end of the day. I'll be spending the next three weeks travelling in India and my goal is not to touch a drop while I'm there.

[Charlemagne In Sweatpants]

I'd like to propose a theme song for this thread...

[The Lizard of Oz]

johnw28, nek and Horus, glad to hear all of you are in. If you feel like it, please post starting dates and periodic updates on the thread.