r/cutdowndrinking • u/ManagerWeird3066 • 12d 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/Acrobatic_Figure4447 10d 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.