Life after Beer

To be honest, I’m a few years past my Norwegian black metal kick and haven’t thought about changing the avatar in a while, but yeah you’re right

 

I'm thinking my 70s will be for vodka.

 

Vodka and water or are you more of a juice mixer?

 

There is no life after beer, for if I am no longer drinking beer then I must be dead.

 

Haha I see I have been mentioned. The truth is not a day goes by I don't think of having a beer or three. My life has changed in many ways because of my abuse of my body with reckless indulgence in things I enjoy, and beer is a main culprit among things that ruined my health and that I no longer am able to consume or do

OTOH I still am alive, don't think I'm gonna kick tomorrow, I still get to enjoy fully another favorite recreational "vice", I still get to enjoy a daily cup of coffee and one beer a month, and even though it sucks being nearly vegan (1/2 lb. fish per week, use non fat dry milk). I have found making sugar free, whole grain confections taste good is a worthwhile hobby, and the results taste better and better as I forget more and more what "real" baked treats taste like. I am 2/3 of the way through writing a sci fi novel that never would have gotten started if I hadn't recovered my health, and my favorite hobby of all, foraging for mushrooms, edible plants, and herbs, is even more enjoyable now that I don't carry around the 50+ lbs. of fat I used to do.

I am not sure the younger me would have listened to any advice this me could send back in time, and abuse less of the things I enjoy to consume, but I offer the advice to cut back to all of you who may find yourself enjoying this hobby way too much, as once I did, so that you can enjoy this hobby for all of life.

 

I don’t drink vodka. Yet.

 

I applaud your transition. You saw the writing on the wall, read it, and actually changed your behavior. Most people only do the first two.

 

There are many cerebral types here. Perhaps beer makes one smart, so should never be advised against.

 

You never have to give up that liquid gold - you only have to decide if you want to extend your life or not. Beer is life. I'll quit drinking when my corpse is fed to the gators and crocs.

 

I second that!

 

I'm an OG, and already have two medical conditions that are aggravated by alcohol. I've had to limit consumption to one or two lower ABV beers a day, six days a week, embrace lower ABV styles, reduce buying, and reduce my cellar size so I'm not left with a huge stock if I have to quit altogether.

A couple of years ago I gave up on beerfests because to really get my money's worth, I would have to drink more than I should - those samples really sneak up on you. Just doesn't pay if you have to limit yourself to the equivalent of a couple of Buds.

I'm only on my fifth day of dry-February (picked over dry-January due to fewer days), but I've already lost a few pounds and have fewer aches and pains. It seems inevitable that I'll be told by my doctors to give alcohol up all-together at some point. Switching to NA beers seems pointless since NA and BBA are mutually exclusive. When I resume in March, I should reduce the number of days a week to three or four.

 

Do you mind me asking what you have? Following your posts for sometime now it looks like you are able to enjoy a good number of beers. Including some good higher alcohol stouts.

 

I have gout and AFib, I'm on meds for both, and both have a number of possible triggers. Gout aches and pains can be quite painful if I have alcohol the same day I have turkey, shellfish, or deep-fried foods. AFib events can be triggered by dehydration, stimulants (caffeine, alcohol), stress, fatigue, etc. My doctor said to avoid binging and my current consumption hasn't seemed to to be a trigger in any AFib events. While one high-ABV beer is within my limits, sometimes one leads to two. Maybe I should only keep one in the fridge at a time.

 

I’d probably drink more liquor. Or maybe wine. Or maybe both.

 

I'd probably find a new hobby or switch to NA beer. Those are the two main options that I see.