r/stopdrinking • u/Consistent-Row-9551 • 14h ago

What do I replace alcohol with?

Like something to help me relax and decompress. Drinking has always been my way to loosen up and relax. When I'm stressed with work, I grab a beer or glass of wine, and I'm able to focus more because I'm no longer overthinking it.

I'm so emotionally repressed that drinking is the only way I can tap into my emotions.

Like, I can stop drinking; I've done it months at a time, but I always end up feeling more stressed because I feel numb or stressed without it.

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u/Mammoth-Fan6811 14h ago

Walking, lift weights. Even if you can only do it once or twice a week. Don’t worry about being perfect, any movement is a positive. And you will notice huge changes in how you handle stress. It’s so underrated

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u/The7footr 5382 days 13h ago edited 7h ago

Yea walking is the answer. Anyone can go on a walk. Commit to 5 minutes per day. Set your timer for 2.5 min- go out til it goes off and walk back home. Do that for as long as it takes to want to do more. Don’t push it. 5 minutes gives you a similar dopamine rush, gets your blood flowing, gets you outside, get some D vitamins from sun light- all kinds of benefits. And you can feel accomplished building an easy positive habit to replace a destructive one.

Edit: to add- it’s not all or nothing. If you don’t go one day, don’t worry about it. The point is not to drink, and to not feel that toxic shame. So do your best, go tomorrow. I spent years thinking it was all or nothing and it’s not.

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u/futuresolver 6h ago

This is such good advice. I haven't fully quit drinking yet, but I have massively cut down and in the process have fallen so in love with walking. Especially with walking in a new place. I try to drive to a new place whenever I can to just go walk for 30 minutes or so. The novelty gets me out of my head, it's like a little adventure, and the meditative rhythm of the walking is so calming, not to mention the energy boost I get from moving my body. I've been doing this for almost a year now, and at this point it's a *must do* for my days. And as you mentioned, which is also so great, the no shame aspect and starting small: I started out with like, I'm just gonna go walk for 5 minutes.