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Comment by hector_ka | Hacker News Reader

I noticed if there is no beer in the house, usually I stop drinking.When I stop drinking sleep more and better and feel more creative. Is just a cycle that needs to be altered.

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Additionally try picking some sort of substitute for the beer ritual, tea or taking a hot shower, something you already think of as relaxing that can mark the end of the stressful part of the day.

Edit: And whatever you do talk to your doc.

This is really good advice. I'm also prone to having a beer when I get home, which turns into two, and then I'm on the couch all night relaxing when I intended to work.

Tea, milk (which you'll probably want to drink if you're doing any heavy exercising, to gain weight), ice cold water, even wine have been good substitutes for me. I find that I am usually just very thirty, and if I can quench my thirst initially and have something to sip every few minutes, I no longer reach for a beer.

That said, whatever you choose has to be something that you find relaxing. If you find tea or wine to be a hassle and not relaxing, try something else.

I agree, especially with the tea part. I am a regular / heavy drinker in a very similar position to the OP, recently a friend stayed over and he drinks a LOT of tea, after two evenings with him I instinctively said "fancy a tea?" instead of "fancy a beer?". Also even two beers can screw with your sleep, that's why I try to only drink on weekends :)

To help with that, start by setting a monthly budget for beer, and hold yourself to it. The budget cap could be the method for weaning the habit down: start with $50, then progressively move it downward each month. Based on your post, a $50/month cap would run out quickly, so you'd have to start rationing. Once you can accept a rationed cap, it just an act of reducing it over time.

Otherwise a good idea, but setting the cap in terms of cash can introduce an incentive to buy the cheapest possible beer so that you can buy more of it. I would suggest capping the total volume of alcohol instead.

Yep, I did the same thing for drinking Cokes and it was easy to stop, even though I use to drink 2+ a day. You can still get a beer (or coke) when you go out, but when won't do it often if you are cheap like me.

couldn't agree more

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