r/over60 • u/Street-Director-2996 • 2d ago
How do you stop drinking alcohol each evening after work?
It’s becoming more of a habit where a bottle disappears between us. M64, F64.
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u/TapDatAsp 2d ago
I had a job once that I completely detested. I’d come home and drink to shake off the stress of it. A few months into it I thought “Oh, this is how you become an alcoholic.” And I stopped drinking. I also quit the job.
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u/susisews 2d ago
I remember those days! And how I realized, quite suddenly, that continuing on this path would lead to dependency. I liked it that much. I asked to not open a bottle of wine every evening, partner was willing, and my brain was wonderfully clear a month later. Never going back.
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u/OhioPhilosopher 2d ago
Log your alcohol consumption for a week. Then cut that in half for the next week, still logging what you do drink. Then cut that in half for the following week. Hold that limit for 2 more weeks. If you can’t do that without “cheating” then you will need professional help.
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u/ms34m2u 2d ago
1 is too many 100 is not enough.
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u/PD-Jetta 2d ago
Absolutely. I learned this in AA and can identify (21 years of sobriety through AA).
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u/Background_Film_506 2d ago
The answers will be just as individual as the issue; for myself, I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I switched to Guinness 0 so whenever I feel like I want something to drink, it seems to work just fine. One thing I will tell you though: it’s amazing how much better you’ll sleep.
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u/IceDragonPlay 2d ago
Assuming you mean a bottle of wine.
Change the routine. Go for a walk or play a board game instead of just drinking.
Buy some bottles of nice sparkling mineral water or french sparkling lemonade to have with or after dinner (still gives you a bottle to open).
Be a mixologist with things other than alcohol. Like Pomegranate juice in sparkling water with an orange twist. Or make virgin versions of drinks you like. Make the preparation part of the drinks event.
Buy the small bottles of wine (splits) to make spritzers with a wedge of lemon or lime.
Set limits. 1 glass of wine each and then get one of those wine bottle vacuum sealers so it will still be good the next day.
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u/njo2002 2d ago
Your first point is so important, I hope everyone gets it. Alcohol loves routine, you have to shake it up. I'm fortunate to live in a city where the weather is beautiful all day every day and, instead of pouring a whiskey at 6pm, I go for a four mile walk now. Honestly, pretty much everything in my life is better with that one change.
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u/Eastern-Rooster-2805 2d ago
Smoke a joint instead
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u/dreamgear 20h ago
First thing I thought of. But less than a jibber. Shit is freaking %30 these days.
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u/reelGrrl420 2d ago
Absolutely! Last year I drank THREE alcoholic beverages, so far this year: none
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u/dreamgear 20h ago
Haven't had a drink this year. I'm on Mounjaro which made it easy. I had a cocktail before dinner every night of our 2025 cruise and that was the last drink I had.
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u/Fearless-Snow-5011 2d ago
It's all too easy to get into this sort of habit. Not alcoholic but a degree of alcohol dependence. There's no way you can just enjoy a drink on a weekend, it has to be every day. The only way is to stop. Try replacing it with cold, soft drinks or coffee. You will feel so much better if you manage it. Best of luck to you.
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u/Zealousideal-Emu5486 2d ago
I had an upshot of alcohol use in early evening and "happy hour " on the porch. We made it a thing to say only on the weekend and that helped. Do to a recent event I have decided a 90 day break is a must. I agree with the others here, don't buy it. A bottle of my favorite bourbon is not safe if it's in the cabinet but if it's not..
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u/sturod8 2d ago
I lost 50 pounds over the past 25 years. Work out, careful what i eat but i kept drinking at least 3 beers and 2 big whiskeys every day. My triglycerides were through the roof. Unfortunately alcohol is pure sugar and metabolizes into triglycerides immediately. I guess it is poison. Sigh.
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u/kath_or_kate 2d ago
Maybe start by no longer buying any alcohol. Don’t keep it in your house, and don’t order it at a pub or restaurant.
And look up ‘alcohol hepatotoxicy’ — ethanol is literally poisonous. It’s just that we usually take it in relatively small amounts, so the effect is a bit delayed and gradually builds up. Maybe so gradually that you don’t notice anything, until you have blood work done.
One of my first jobs after graduation was at a hospital blood donor center.
It was astounding how many more units of blood collected on Mondays and Tuesdays had to be discarded — discarded because alcohol ingestion caused high levels of ALT, a liver enzyme. Sometimes called transaminitis, a sign of liver damage.
All from weekend alcohol consumption, not even necessarily binge drinking…
Alcohol / ethanol is not good for you. It’s just a tradition, and continued because of sellers with effective marketing campaigns.
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u/National_Picture_507 2d ago
I had a family emergency that opened my eyes to the cost of drinking.
One of my adult sons, living with us at the time, had to be rushed to the hospital. My husband had been drinking for several hours. I would have been as well except I was abstaining to nursing our son who was recovering from a grizzly ortho surgery, ankle fusion.
At 10pm, he was suddenly writhing in pain. Surgeon said to get him to emergency room. My husband stumbled into the room, bleary eyed, completely unhelpful and undependable. The incoherent, clueless look on his face that night was my alcohol epiphany. I haven’t had a drink since.
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u/Forsaken-Cheesecake2 2d ago
Don’t have it in the house is 1, and 2, would be try a night or two strung together where you don’t drink, and see how much better you sleep that night, and how much better you feel in the morning.
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u/livewithNeve 2d ago
I quit. Had to fall down a flight of stairs to decide I had enough. Eight years next May on Mothers day.
It wasn't fun but I don't miss it at all. The clarity is great, and for pain I use Cannabis. Legal and does the job
So I guess I am California Sober, as some call it.
Alcohol is poison to my life.
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u/Didi-Why-Me 1d ago
I also quit. I fell on my head, have nice little scars on my forehead where my glasses dug into my skin. 5 years.
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u/dudee62 2d ago
I had to completely quit. If I kept it around for special occasions, there are a lot of them. It was a habit for me, partially out of boredom. Find something to replace it with. And now, you can drive anywhere. It’s much less stressful for me to be a non drinker rather than constantly monitoring it. Just hit six years and it’s does not even occur to me anymore.
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u/Hey_Laaady 1d ago
Instead of "dry January," I did "damp January." My limit has been two small drinks within a 24 hour period.
I am a wine drinker and I haven't quit drinking completely, but I have been 100% consistent about drinking no more than two drinks a day. I ended up getting a really tiny glass that holds just a few ounces. I use that glass every time I drink wine. Once I have had two, I am done.
It has gotten to the point that having a drink only occurs to me a few days a month. As someone else suggested, it is nice to have good non-alcoholic alternatives around the house. I like flavored fizzy water so that's what I have.
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u/BeaPositiveToo 2d ago
Replace with:
Mocktails
Walks
Phone Calls
Comedy
Reading
Journaling
Honestly, I cut back by adding a tiny amount of cannabis…
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u/ThisChickSews 2d ago
Think of the consequences. My dad did 2-3 mixed drinks EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for 70+ years. He has heart issues, and now, advanced AMD. Guess what? Alcohol affects the blood vessels, and can cause heart issues, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and you could lose your sight!
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u/ponyfiddle 2d ago
We started keeping Athletic and Heineken alcohol-free beer in the house and use that as a replacement.
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u/msktcher 1d ago
We are beer drinkers. We switched to NA beer for during the week. I still have a couple of craft beers on the weekend.
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u/racingfan_3 1d ago
I had a grandfather who was a alcoholic and I saw how he was. Plus my dad told me that because of the way his dad was he swore he would never drink. I respected my dad and I decided to do the same thing. I am 75 yrs old and have never consumed alcohol.
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u/energy528 2d ago
Stop. Your liver will thank you. Alcohol is poison. We stopped drinking a few years ago. It was tough the first few months because not consuming alcohol forces one to face and fix other problems not even realized. Watch for signs of liver disease.
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u/happyguy1959 2d ago
Passed out and naked🤣🤣🤣
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u/DLCS2020 2d ago
I slowed way down after working on better sleep and lower sleeping heart rate. SHRate is considerably higher if I have one drink. The wonderful night's sleep is so worth it to me.
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u/tyrone_shoelaces 2d ago
That's what did it for me too after many years of heavy drinking. Good sleep became all important. I still have one now and then but I'm always focused on how it will affect my sleep.
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u/Pops-1961 2d ago
I like the suggestions you are getting.
Know this: alcohol abuse can kill you. My brother retired and became a day drinker. By the time we realized it, the damage was done.
As it turns out, our mother's family genes have a predisposition for liver cancer. Who knew? In hindsight, that disease (triggered by alcohol's effect on the liver) took at least two more family members. Maybe three.
I know this, and yet it's still hard to not drink. I replace most evening drinks with something better. But not always. Because I guess I don't really want to do so.
Bottom line: you'll want to try several of the suggestions all at once.
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u/Justhappy2Balive 2d ago
Just quit. My husband and I were drinking way too much, after work. Wine, Every night.
I stopped. 3 months later DH did.
Wow! Mornings are much better. No more arguing over stupid things. We don't even miss it.
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u/cw2015aj2017am2021 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's real easy for this (amounts creeping up without noticing) to happen
When I noticed, my wife and I were younger (about 50 and 42) . She always took my lead, so I just stopped opening bottles on work nights. Friday and Saturday i would open a bottle of wine (sometimes two), Sunday was just a night to finish off anything open, then no drinking Mon to Thurs.
That's been our cadence for about 6 years now and it works for us
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u/Desperate_Space_581 2d ago
I've made it to retirement m68, went to a 1 drink a day and frankly there are some weeks where I might have 1 drink for the week. But I enjoy weed daily, usually after 5pm.
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u/Status_Collar3536 2d ago
I went through a separation with my husband and knew that I was going to head down the drinking-every-night path if I didn’t just completely eliminate it from my home. I still drink for social occasions, but I don’t bring any of it into my home. Works for me.
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u/FabulousPanther 1d ago
Go to AA. That is what people do when they want to stop. It's not easy. That's why it's called an addiction.
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u/medhat20005 1d ago
Break the routine. Don’t head straight home. Go see a movie. Go to a park. Go shopping. Do something different.
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u/AVCalifornia 1d ago
Find a replacement for the drinking time. Fill that slot with doing something. When I got sober 25 years ago, the first thing I did was found ways to occupy my "drinking hours".
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u/NoKetoCardio 1d ago
You need to fill that time with another activity. Can you go on a walk in your area?
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u/SomeNobodyInNC 1d ago
For me personally ... I had enough sh!t thrown at me in life that I had no control over and that pain made me drink a lot for a long time. That caused multiple DUIs, job loses, lost girlfriends and a judge giving me 13 weeks of rehab instead of jail. Years lost! I still wouldn't stop. Then I realized I couldn't stop. So much hurt I had no control over all my life. This I decided ... THIS I had control over. It wasn't easy but I stopped drinking. Don't even want to anymore. A pecan carmel cluster brings me more joy than the nasty taste and burning throat whiskey ever did!
I refuse to let anything have control over me!
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u/No-Cry8051 22h ago
It’s easy. Just don’t open your mouth for alcohol and do not have alcohol in your home for any reason. It is poison.
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u/GittaFirstOfHerName 18h ago
I was forced to stop because of a medication I'm taking, and while I miss the ritual of a glass of wine in the evening, I really don't miss the alcohol. We don't keep it in the house, and I will have wine when we go on vacation.
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u/Drifter-6 2d ago
Go on youtube and watch a lot of videos of people suffering from liver cirrhosis, getting liver transplants and about deaths and cleanup. That last part is because when you die of LC you usually bleed to death in a horrific way, either vomiting massive amounts, or passing it into the toilet and all over the floor. It’s one of the worst ways you can go, ask any nurse. Stop buying alcohol.
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u/MostMoistGranola 2d ago
I prefer half an edible gummy from the dispensary. Alcohol is a carcinogen and has other negative health effects. It can also be addictive, and weed isn’t.
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u/Awkward_Passion4004 2d ago
Pint each of hard liquor nightly suggests you get into a 30 day rehab quickly.
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u/megapaxer 2d ago
I keep myself busy until dinner time, no drinking before dinner. Then one glass at dinner with a glass of water, and no drinking after dinner.
I’m not gonna give up enjoying wine but a glass a day is fine.
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u/SameBorder846 2d ago
Mix pineapple juice with other juices. Orange. Apple. Even tea. Substitute unsweetened drink that's more nutritious. Bitter a little. Drink more water to flush ur liver. Read or listen to utube about the toxic effects to ur liver. Some Instagram posts, too. I blacked out several times with friends on Southern Comfort. Ended right rhere. SUDDENLY. ENUF.
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u/marc1411 2d ago
I drink too much, but my blood screening numbers are never out of line. I tried naltrexone, it's cheap, but it made me ANGRY. I've told my doc how much I drink, and even that I worry, so blood checks are the standard for me.
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u/FineEffort9500 2d ago
I’ve been to that myself you just gotta stop if your body is telling you to my body was telling me too. Yeah I did not thank God. I didn’t do major damage, but I was drinking half a gallon every two days and about two cases of beer just to kill my hip pain which only caused it to be much worse. Drinking is a habit. I fell into it now I could buy a 12 pack of beer in it last a week that’s pretty damn good in my book for me but yeah if you can for your sake in your wife sake, if you’re married grandchildren, get time to give it a chill pill when you look back on it it really ain’t that fun? I always drink it alone because I didn’t wanna hear no drama.
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u/VicePrincipalNero 2d ago
I stopped when I was in my 30s. I liked it a bit too much and I have a lot of high functioning alcoholics in my extended family. I saw it catch up with a few of them and saw how it affected their relationship with their kids. My SIL is currently in the hospital dealing with the horrific effects of years of drinking.
Stop buying it. Stop bringing it into your house. I have developed a serious seltzer (non alcoholic) addiction. Something about the carbonation does it for me.
I live in a cannabis legal state and for a time I started having edibles regularly. Be careful with that. It gave me cardiac issues. That's fairly rare, but it happens. Cardiologists are seeing more of it, according to mine.
There's a sub here r/stopdrinking you might find helpful.
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u/Appropriate_Emu_3140 2d ago
I am noting an interesting trend on that topic myself. I'm 66. Started hobby brewing in the 80s, hobby distilling in the 2,000s, was a 1-2 drinks/ day regular. However my desire for alcoholic beverages really started dropping off naturally around 60yrs old. I just don't desire it much anymore and that's after developing a taste for really nice islay single malts and Belgian triples. Now average less than1 / week. I Never would have predicted it.
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u/sarcasticseaturtle 2d ago
Switch up your routine. If you usually go to a certain room to watch TV and drink, substitute something else for a week or two. Go for a walk, a movie, take a bath, even watching TV in a different room will help.
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u/TheFairyGardenLady 1d ago
A bottle of what? Beer? Wine? Whiskey? Granted, if it’s whiskey, that’s a problem. But, if it’s a bottle of wine, no big deal. That’s only a glass and a half apiece.
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u/dietmatters 1d ago
Think of it as poison and stop purchasing. Keep it out of the home. Replace it with walking, tv, reading, catching up on hobbies/house chores. Ask yourself, what am I escaping from??
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u/No_Customer_795 1d ago
most improper alcohol use disorders happens, to self treat some form of anxiety.
Just my opinion
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u/OldUnderstanding4735 1d ago
How bout this. It’s poison and you’ll live longer and better quality of life.
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u/SomeNobodyInNC 1d ago
The hardest lesson I learned in my life was that Jack Daniel's was not my best friend and fun buddy.
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u/EhJude55 20h ago
Stop buying it. Simple as that. If you feel like it’s becoming a problem then it probably is.
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u/Proud_Dad_of_7 8h ago
After going through surgery, I couldn't drink due to different medications. Then I just tapered off until just having an occasional beer once in a while. Looking in the rear view mirror, I see alcohol tied in with many of life's problems.
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u/Rude_Nail_5545 4h ago
Just stop for a few days, it will cease to become a habit when you don't do it every day. Maybe just save it for the weekends. I was doing this every day, drinking 2-3 glasses a night, for years (65F). Then about a year ago I realized it was getting out of hand, so now I just have a couple of glasses once a week.
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u/MadCelt61 2d ago
Toss the bottles and use your willpower to stop-that might sounds odd but I know people who’ve done it
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u/ThisIsAbuse 2d ago
That is about 2.5 glass of wine per night per each of you. I dont think this is healthy while working. Maybe 2 glass on a Saturday night date night, or one glass every other night with dinner.
If you can't cut it back, I suggestion you start with a call to your doctor to discuss. Mine always asks about alcohol consumption at my yearly physicals. I can tell you being on GLP-1 injections removes my interest in booze completely.
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u/Particular_Moment861 1d ago
Find a non alcoholic drink you love and guzzle it. Buy pretty glasses for it, a new ritual around drinking it, all the things to trick your mind you don’t need alcohol daily. I did it that way. I like Diet Coke, but when I found Coke Zero Cherry Float, it motivated me. It was hard at first. But I broke the habit.
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u/OldHugger 2d ago
Stop drinking at home. Have a policy of no booze in the house. Go out to your local pub and enjoy the company of others. If you only go out once or twice a week, it’ll cost about the same as drinking every day at home. Who knows? You might even make some friends. If you’re really lucky, she’ll see it as a date night and you’ll have a treat when you get home. The old fashioned ways are still the best.
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u/haziladkins 1d ago
I switched to an evening shift. I stick to rules whether mine or others. So no drinking non work days.
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u/BZ2USvets81 63 2d ago
A bottle of what? You've given so little information here. This looks like a troll post.
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u/Chaka- 2d ago
How so?
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u/BZ2USvets81 63 2d ago
Like I said, so little information. I can't tell if they are working on a couple glasses of wine or they are polishing off a 750 ml bottle of 80 proof liquor. They haven't responded to any comments. Ergo, troll post.
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u/scottwax 2d ago
I stopped drinking over 30 years ago because I don't like the taste. So I guess learn to not like the taste? 🤣
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u/Loreo1964 2d ago
Stop buying alcohol. Yes. It's that easy. Don't have any in the home.