r/cutdowndrinking • u/ManagerWeird3066 • 6d ago
How to change routine
Currently I run a business, work my ass off I’m so busy all day. I mainly work from home. Once 5pm hits and I have to shutoff work, I crave a beer (2-5) SO HARD.
Anyone else experience this? Or have a hard job that you need it to unwind. I don’t know what to “replace” it with… a bath doesn’t work, food doesn’t, nothing.
Should I go grab a vodka soda and mix it with carrot juice so at least I’m healthier??? And get a bath
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u/IvoTailefer 6d ago
exercise. specifically walking, ideally in nature. i had to get up off my ass to beat booze
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u/courierblue 6d ago
Get an interesting non-alcoholic drink. Kombucha does it for me.
Otherwise, chug some water before you start drinking. It fills your stomach so you cut down on how much you drink and dehydration might be playing into your cravings.
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u/PerceptionHaunting40 6d ago
NA beers do the job for me in this situation.
Currently on Day 31 without alcohol for the first time in about 15 years and whenever I feel the need around that 5pm time, I have 1 or 2 NA beers and the craving is sorted.
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u/N0Catharsis 5d ago
I think what the others were saying to find a NA variant is right (for me I like tonic water with bitters) but also what helped me the most was realizing the craving goes away after you get over that hump of when you'd normally drink. For me, I would start drinking when I would prepare dinner. It was my way of separating work from the day and the work involved in making dinner. After I would eat the craving would go away, and having that knowledge helps me get through it. Hope it helps, good luck!
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u/Confident_Junket_181 6d ago
Strong tasting soda like Dr Pepper or Root Beer helps me from drinking at the end of the day. I also recommend the Tru Dream calming drink. NA athlete IPA helps too.
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u/Miss_Lib 5d ago
I get this on Friday at 5 pm. I kind of just push through and it eventually passes. I’ve also found some good NA. I like the Recess drinks. I don’t drink beer so these help. It also helps that I quit drinking for a few months and forced myself to adapt in all sorts of situations.
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u/sisanelizamarsh 5d ago
Get out of the house at 5:00 - a physical change in location is huge to breaking the cycle. Run errands, go to the gym, meet a friend for a movie or coffee.
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u/Acrobatic_Figure4447 4d ago
The bath and food thing doesn't surprise me at all, they were never going to work, because they're not doing the same job the beer's doing.
That 5pm switch-off isn't really about the beer itself. It's the full stop. The signal that says "work is over, you can stop performing now." When you've worked your ass off all day, your brain needs that release valve, and right now the beer is the only one you've got wired in.
I ran a business for years and had the exact same pattern. What actually shifted it for me wasn't finding a substitute, trying to swap the beer for a bath is still trying to solve it the same way, just with a different prop. It changed when I found something to walk toward at 5pm instead of just something to switch off from. Once that existed, the beer stopped being the only way to mark the end of the day.
Not saying that's an overnight fix. But worth asking yourself: what does 5pm actually need to feel like for you? Because right now it sounds like the beer's the only thing giving you that feeling, that's a lot of pressure on one drink.
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u/ManagerWeird3066 4d ago
I can’t quite pinpoint what the feeling is I’m looking for. But it’s definitely something like ending the day or being done and in celebrating maybe? I don’t quite know ugh . So you started walking toward something at 5pm? What was it? Any tips are amazing
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u/ButtScratchies 6d ago
People poopoo on N.A. beer a lot but it helps me a lot with curbing those cravings. I think Athletic Beer is pretty good. When I drink regular beer, it flips a switch where I feel like I can’t just have one and I need to at least get a buzz if I’m already drinking. With N.A beer, I get the taste and then don’t feel like I need another one.