I’m considering giving up alcohol for awhile. This is not out of concerns of excess but of vanity: our trip to Mexico is coming up and I want to get slim down some. Also, my quarterly blood work is due and it is always good to lay off the booze to better the liver function tests.
Once upon a time I briefly had a primary care doctor who thought I drank too much. I was in my 20s and was going out to the bars on weekends. She was a Baptist and did not drink herself, furfilling the medical joke:
“What defines a drinking problem patient? “
Answer: “Someone who drinks more than their doctor.”
She concluded my weekend tippling was not only harming myself but others, which was news to me. At the time I felt OK and had never attacked anyone in a drunken fury nor have I ever left the children home alone while I went out and drank so I didn’t buy her guilt trip. She warned me I was going to go through serious withdrawal when I stopped drinking. I have gone weeks without a ‘snort’ and the most I have experienced is mild annoyance.
Once upon a time she gave me a prescription for an alleged depression of which my Halsted St. compotations were a sign. After a week on the stuff I had lapses of memory, my mouth was dry as cotton, and every time I stood up I got dizzy. Gin and tonics never did that to me.
Abstinence will be challenging given this weekend is our friend’s annual Seasonal Depression party. Going to parties and drinking sparkling water is no fun. Watching everyone else get grandiose and silly while you keep sober is simultaneously educational and intensely boring. I could RSVP “yes” and not show, and cover myself by sending an e-mail thank you the next day, saying “Darling! What a wonderful party! Excuse me for slipping out without saying goodbye but you were doing so well with the twink* I didn’t want to intrude!” I could be bitchy and add something like “I hope you are feeling better soon.” Of course this only works at large parties.
*Or whatever is the host’s panache.
22 comments
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January 14, 2013 at 9:06 PM
Laurent
Stange reasons for not drinking? Is this proven that you slim down if you don’t drink? or whatever.
January 14, 2013 at 9:49 PM
Jay
I have been forced to give it up for a year. Does not bother me a bit but I have not lost any weight.. Good luck.
January 14, 2013 at 10:42 PM
anne marie in philly
wine spritzer for you, young man!
January 15, 2013 at 2:10 AM
Cubby
“…my quarterly blood work is due” This line floored me. What are you? A lab rat? Are you going to the doctor too often? I’m the opposite, probably going not often enough. I haven’t been to one since 2001 and even that was only to get a script for some Lamisil (which was 100% effective).
Wanna play doctor in March? I’ll let you take my temperature
January 15, 2013 at 5:17 AM
Urspo
What’s your insurance?
Sent from nowhere in particular.
January 15, 2013 at 7:19 PM
Ron Tipton
Cubby, I get blood work annually (due February this year). This is a wise move to detect any medical issues before they become too serious.
January 15, 2013 at 4:31 AM
RuralBeard
Try taking something LITE, sip, don’t guzzle (not that you would) and have a good time. Losing weight doesn’t mean giving everything up…trade off. I do the calorie count and it works without sacrifice…only quantity. As for the blood work, continue eating and drinking as usual. Don’t try to fool the results by not being you. If anything is a concern, you should know. Remember, while your losing weight…moderation. Hugs from Here
January 15, 2013 at 7:33 AM
Cameron
If I feel like I’d need to drink to enjoy a party, then it’s not a party I would want to attend, anyway.
Sometimes it’s “politically advisable” to attend certain parties, in which case I make a quick exit. Sans alcohol.
January 15, 2013 at 7:33 AM
Shawn
I’m back from another trip…..
I think its good for anyone to take a break from things in life. Just if a reset or cleansing. Red meat, desserts, sodas, sky diving and such. Weight loss will result from the lack of alcohol calories, so it’s a good way to achieve your Mexico beach body. Just don’t replace the calories with desserts! As you (Spo) know, I had a problem with alcohol so I gave it up permanently.
January 15, 2013 at 9:53 AM
truthspew
I’m fortunate in that I have a primary care doctor who is my age, of Italian ancestry like me, and we have an appreciation of many of the same things. We’re also both big guys. I recall the first time I saw him he mentioned for my height I should be 160lbs. I looked at him, saw the portly doctor and said “I will when you will”. We came to an agreement then.
I should say, I’m sort of rough on doctors. I know a lot about the human body and what they do so I ask tough questions, but am also open to their advice.
And my inner ear issue taught me something, there are things that Doctors just assign to catch-all conditions. Luckily it was the allergist I’d seen since i was a kid who caught it. It was all the ear infections I had as a kid. The scar tissue was retracting the ear drum, something the ENT didn’t pick up on. I can recall a discussion with the ENT where we discussed the art and science of being a physician.
The only thing that the ENT did that had any effect was high dose prednisone. That alleviated the symptoms. But I know the negatives of that. They dropped me down to 2.5mg during allergy season.
January 15, 2013 at 11:49 AM
the cajun
Lose the tonic or other mixers. Full of sugar. Gin is slimming (I’m sticking to that one) as is vodka, if you can stand it.
From my experience (being from NOLA, and all) I have found that binge drinking is far more dangerous to health than the evening cocktail and glass of wine, or the outing on weekends with friends. Drinking in the bathtub is not social intercourse. Cheers, anyway.
January 15, 2013 at 5:09 PM
Jay M.
NO! No Lite! That means NO TASTE!!! But I agree with you on losing weight faster. Alcohol is nothing but empty calories (excuse me while I refresh my bourbon on the rocks).
I’ve got to go get my blood pressure meds scrips renewed so I have to lay off, too. This is the “year of the bleeding”. He’ll have the lab draw more blood than I donate when I give double reds. Don’t know why they need all that blood to run tests that require a drop or two, but whatever.
Oh, and if you prescribe hot sex, will my insurance cover it?!?!?!! COOL!!!
Peace <3
Jay
January 15, 2013 at 6:34 PM
victorinvermont
Wow, that primary care physician you had sounds terrible. Good thing you are referring to her in the past tense, and with the word “briefly.”
January 15, 2013 at 7:15 PM
Ron Tipton
I never drink at home, booze or coffee. Just neve got in the habit. But when I go out I do like to have a tipple or two just to get a nice buzz. However, if I’m driving I have not even one drink. Just not worth taking a chance of getting into an accident. During the upcoming Spo-o-thon I’m having Bill picked me up after I imbibe.
January 15, 2013 at 7:21 PM
Ron Tipton
By the way, I doubt you’ll lose any weight if you give up the booze. I’ve never seen a fat alcoholic, they all seem to be skinny to me.
January 15, 2013 at 7:40 PM
Jay M.
I seriously doubt that Urspo is an alcoholic. But alcohol is pure sugar in your system that digests first, leaving the other stuff in your stomach to turn to FAT since your system thinks it’s full and running on good stuff! So giving up alcohol is a good way to eliminate useless calories.
Alcoholics tend to be skinny because they don’t eat right, they subsist on alcohol, and that means they lose all their body fat because it eventually gets consumed to make up for the nutritional deficits that alcoholism tends to being to the forefront.
Gee, Upspo, hope I’m not being too forward on a doctor’s blog!
Peace <3
Jay
January 15, 2013 at 11:22 PM
wcs
Yes. Wine is my problem, and by problem I mean many empty calories. If I want to lose weight, wine is the only place I can cut because I already eat pretty well. I could increase exercise… naaaaaah.
January 15, 2013 at 11:41 PM
Erik Rubright
Just drink vodka and diet soda. No calories! Problem solved.
January 16, 2013 at 6:49 PM
jason
I hardly ever drink…so maybe I’ll pick up the slack for you
January 17, 2013 at 5:53 PM
Donald
I am making a martini right now!
January 17, 2013 at 7:44 PM
Urspo
What gin do you prefer?
Sent from nowhere in particular.
January 17, 2013 at 6:08 PM
Mark in DE
Spouse & I are also on a slimming regimine because we too are going to Puerto Vallarta in a few weeks. We are both following Weight Watchers but not going to the meetings. Spouse doesn’t drink and I only drink socially but do really enjoy a Cosmo or two. Last weekend I limited myself to one Cosmo at our friend’s cocktail party.