Anyone here straight edge or non-drinking?

[behndy]

this doesn't help you at all, but when i hit about 19 or 20 i just decided to stop drinking or ze drugs. but i was never into anything super regular. i would drink with friends and i liked mushrooms and acid, but never really got into anything like weed that's a more constant thing.

also, i'm boring. i don't go out much. so being around people's already weird, being around drunk people is just a different shade of weird.

that...... none of that is helpful in your situation. but yeah. i'm kinda default straightedge i guess? i've never called it that though. i just don't really enjoy being altered that much anymore.

ooo! except for opiates like vicoden. them shits is fun once a month or two. just splerrrrglrarlhg all over the place.

[warwick.hoy]

I'm pretty boring also; drinking to socialize isn't really my thing. Socializing isn't really my thing. People exhaust me. Drunks exhaust me even more. So obviously that means that I was all alone drunk all the time. Pretty sorry state of things.

And yes to what cassette-vettes says. It's easy to blame the substance,...but in reality it's the abuse of the substance that is at fault. And that's what I was doing. I'm cool with recreational drinking. If you are drinking to dodge your problems; or to be self destructive (which is what I was doing) then you are just setting yourself up for a disaster.

[Deltaphoenix]

Cassavette is pretty right on. Drinking/Drugging to excess isn't the problem, it is a symptom of the problem.
Like JWAR said too, after working on myself and filling the hole inside with other stuff: for me-spiritual growth/always still growing, real relationships,etc. Getting fucked-up doesn't seem fun anymore. I have done that, I know what waits for me if I do go down that road, and it isn't freedom or joy.

I will admit that I do indulge the addictive part of myself with pedals and synth stuff. But it is way easier to keep that under tabs, and more fun/less destructive than getting loaded.

[greyscales]

I've been edge basically since I was aware that people actually drank at all. Never had any interest in it, never wanted to try stuff for kicks. I don't know why. It just always felt too easy to fall into and the people who did get into just never seemed like people I wanted to be around.
People always ask me how I avoid it or don't get curious. Honestly I just fill my time with other things. That's part of the reason I started building pedals in the first place. It's probably started a lot of expensive hobbies (bikes, cooking, music) but it keeps me interested in life and gives me a reason to stay in an aware state of mind. Alcohol or drugs would just get in the way of things I like doing. Speaking as a lifelong non-user, I feel like prioritizing certain aspects of my life has helped me avoid substance use. Now people don't even bother about it. I don't make it a big deal and they don't pressure me. They know it's no use. Soon enough they don't care. And if they do care that much, I don't want them in my life.

My girlfriend drinks occasionally. Not much but a drink every now and then. She says that it just doesn't make her feel good enough to keep it up. Being in a secure relationship and around good friends allows her to live without it. Just being in a happier situation gets it off her mind.

So maybe getting some new hobbies, finding new crowds, and trying to live without it will help. Make an effort not to touch alcohol, and don't let friends who use it as a crutch become your sole contact.
I'm not trying to sound preachy or a know-it-all. Quite the opposite. My ease with it probably makes me a terrible example. But this is my experience, maybe you can garner something from it. Good luck either way, brother!

[gunslinger_burrito]

Thanks everyone!

I haven't been drinking a TON, and last night was by far the most I've had in three months or so. Even when I was going out drinking, I didn't get super smashed, and I never drink and drive. Sometimes when I'm at work or something and I'm having a shitty day it's tempting to just go home and shut it all off with some booze. I was pretty good for a while there.

What really frustrated, saddened, and pissed me off was that when I quit for a little while, no one wanted to hang out. I did hang out at bars once or twice, just ordering water or some food....but it was a bummer that the people I thought were my friends (well, they ARE, still) never just wanted to hang out and do other stuff. I did a little test of not calling or texting anyone to see who would contact me, and no one really did....

I'm fine spending most of my free time making music and art, and reading a lot. I really enjoy it, and it's the whole reason I'm going to quit again. I just need to get out of the house sometimes! Going to the coffee shop all the time doesn't really feel very social.

Maybe I'll just pick up my guitar whenever I'm not doing anything.

[The Wood Wizard]

Take tea/ water bottle or some juice with you, youll feel like your "drinking" with your buddies etc, and theyll be less likely to ask you if you want a beer, because you already have a beverage. this little trick works wonders. also let your friends know youre cutting down and they will understand (if they dont suck). its something you gotta work on, its different for everyone.

[sonidero]

What really frustrated, saddened, and pissed me off was that when I quit for a little while, no one wanted to hang out. I did hang out at bars once or twice, just ordering water or some food....but it was a bummer that the people I thought were my friends (well, they ARE, still) never just wanted to hang out and do other stuff. I did a little test of not calling or texting anyone to see who would contact me, and no one really did....

I'm fine spending most of my free time making music and art, and reading a lot. I really enjoy it, and it's the whole reason I'm going to quit again. I just need to get out of the house sometimes! Going to the coffee shop all the time doesn't really feel very social.

Maybe I'll just pick up my guitar whenever I'm not doing anything.

Are we the same person??? Today is the 1st of June so it's as good of a time as any to start something new... I live by the Greenbelt which is trails and a creek and trees and I like to go down there and walk around or take my tape recorder when I need to get out... I also like to walk around the Mall and pretend to be a normal...

[gunslinger_burrito]

Are we the same person??? Today is the 1st of June so it's as good of a time as any to start something new... I live by the Greenbelt which is trails and a creek and trees and I like to go down there and walk around or take my tape recorder when I need to get out... I also like to walk around the Mall and pretend to be a normal...

"a normal..."

Normals are boring.

The town I live in right now is sometimes referred to as "the vanilla valley" and I forget that I'm one of the relatively few dudes in town who's really covered in tattoos. I'll sometimes be walking around thinking "is there something on my face? what's with the strange looks?" and then I remember that it was mostly older people or soccer moms looking at me....

[Greenfuz]

hahahahahahahaha

hahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA


hah

ha

[christianatl]

Certainly not SXE, but going on ten years of sobriety.

[basti moon]

Don't drink much, but too often end up with too much drinks. Don't mind hangovers or bruises, but the anxiety of having done something annoying or even illegal without access to the reasoning behind it is turrible.
I sometimes think it triggers psychoses and I'm just lucky I've not jumped off a roof (well, a taller one at least) or something else I'll not wake up from. Then again I might simply be a playful moron and trying to overthink the alcoholism gene that runs in my ancestry.

Not sure if I want to never have the most interesting tastes available to me anymore, but if it's this impossible to become a responsible drinker it might be worth a try. For now, too busy to drink at all.

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

[sonidero]

Then again I might simply be a playful moron and trying to overthink the alcoholism gene that runs in my ancestry.

That's a great line... It's all about habits and when you have one to replace one it's easier...

[gunslinger_burrito]

It's relatively easy for me to switch one habit for another. I work out a lot and run two or three days a week, and making progress from working out kept me from partying too hard, and now it hopefully won't even be an issue again. What would happen in past, though, is that I'd exercise in the morning, work during the day, and then want to hang out with some friends, but I'd be kind of tired while hanging out and it didn't seem like I was having much fun. Booze solved that by giving me the illusion of energy, so now that I really really want to REALLY quit, I have to figure out how to have enough energy all day long, and/or into the night. I guess I have some experimentation to work out...

[warwick.hoy]

It's relatively easy for me to switch one habit for another. I work out a lot and run two or three days a week, and making progress from working out kept me from partying too hard, and now it hopefully won't even be an issue again. What would happen in past, though, is that I'd exercise in the morning, work during the day, and then want to hang out with some friends, but I'd be kind of tired while hanging out and it didn't seem like I was having much fun. Booze solved that by giving me the illusion of energy, so now that I really really want to REALLY quit, I have to figure out how to have enough energy all day long, and/or into the night. I guess I have some experimentation to work out...

Get plenty of sleep; up your water intake and eat healthy.

[gunslinger_burrito]

I've been slightly worried about alcohols and other stuff like I don't nearly indulge as much as others i know but I drink lots more now than i used to. I just feel i can't always have fun in certain situations without it and it's freaking me out a bit. Two of my best friends don't really drink and it's just interesting to hang out with them as I'm sort of like whoa do I have as much self control as you guys? Been freaked out by a few situations that have occurred while i've been drinking heavily or fucked up on something and wanting my brain to work ,articulate things, and just generally know what to do.

I don't think i could ever do straight edge but think i need to get a handle on not overdoing things. I've just kind of said fuck it while trying to fit in and coming to the realization that maybe it's better to try and find some sort of middle ground . Idk.

You could try limiting yourself to just three drinks at a time. I used to do that and it kept things under control. I've found, over the last year or so, that I'm wittier and more likely to flirt with women (since I'm cursed with being single) and generally feel like I'm more fun when I'm sober. When I would start drinking, it instantly would become harder to articulate myself, like you said.

Get plenty of sleep; up your water intake and eat healthy.

Done and done already. I think I need to watch my caffeine intake or something. Having an energy crash after work, when I want to come home and write music, really sucks. I need my concentration.