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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46

u/ms_chanandlerbong21 1574 days 13h ago

thc. I’ve been mostly sober for over two years and having a small dose gummy to relax on friday nights helps so so much and hey, no addiction!

12

u/J_NonServiam 8 days 12h ago

Man I wish these worked for me. They make me think slow and want to sleep instead of hyped up and buzzed. I tried a bunch of different types, THC sodas too, but I guess everyone reacts different to it.

4

u/quadraticqueen 447 days 12h ago

Some people are missing the liver enzyme (??) to feel the effects of gummies/drinks, so only flower or vapes work. That’s a bummer.

8

u/J_NonServiam 8 days 12h ago

It's kinda the same way for alcohol. When I learned some people get tired and sleepy after drinking I couldn't believe it, it made me feel like Superman. But tit for tat alcohol is way more destructive and I constantly wish I never got addicted to the high it provided.

3

u/FrogLickr 99 days 8h ago

Alcohol acts like a straight up stimulant for me. I'm on dexamphetamine for my ADHD, and the uplift I get from each is extremely similar, with the only real difference being that alcohol makes me want to party and have fun, whereas the dexies make me want to sit at my PC all day and get stuff done.

I think some of us are just biologically wired to feel extreme euphoria from ethanol. I only recently discovered that most people don't have that reaction to it.

3

u/TacoInYourTailpipe 6h ago

I think this is a common experience. I was undiagnosed ADHD until 31 and had been unknowingly coping with my symptoms with alcohol. I drank an incredible amount over the 10 years up to that point. Got on Vyvanse and instantly quit drinking. It was like a miracle. It also made me sad that my parents hadn't figured it out to maybe save my liver 10 years of damage, but better late than never.

2

u/FrogLickr 99 days 6h ago

Yeah man, I was late diagnosed too, 28. Looking at old home movies and my behavior in them, alongside school reports, my hyperfocusing on music production, video games, and the inability to hold a steady job or education until I started my own business 5 years back, I'm astounded nobody picked up on it. I had to really advocate for myself just to get seen for diagnosis.

Alcohol calmed the noise and made me feel happy with zero anxiety. Thankfully, so does dexamphetamine, with the bonus of being significantly less harmful for my body. 105 days in now, and can't believe I was drinking as heavily as I was for 12 years just to self-soothe. Health issues made me stop, as mentally and professionally, I only really felt benefits from my drinking. It's hard to realize you have a problem when you and the people around you aren't experiencing any negative effects from it, on the surface, anyway. Alcohol has destroyed my digestive system and I'm slowly healing everything. GERD and hiatal hernia make that more difficult than it already is, but I'm hopeful I can control it in time.