Can't Shake this Habit

JayC I have no problem with anyone giving to me straight and if I misunderstood I apologize but it did not sound to me like you thought there was anything wrong with what you were doing - not in your original but in the way you responded to others. I did not mean additional pets to keep you in  -  I was thinking about your lonely cat lol!  I understand that crosswords are relaxing and never said they were a bad thing. I don't - I think they are very relaxing and brain challenging.... So sorry if I misunderstood you - good luck! Jackie

jayC, i completely understand your situation. you can change this habit. i know it's really hard, but you can do this. if somone would have told me five years ago that one day, i would stop drinking ( even socially at a party or when meeting co-workers for dinner) i would have said that person was crazy. beer was my drink of choice too. it was so yummy. i had to start focusing on the cons instead of the pros. two things that got the ball rolling were #1 - money - an extra $20 bucks a week = $80 a month = that is a good chunk of money.  if you had a 20 dollar bill in your pocket this morning and this afternoon it was gone and you couldn't find it , wouldn't that irritate you? now what if that happened every week? think about it........  #2 - dehydration. i started to be more aware of how icky i felt in the morning. no headache or upset stomach - just thirst. a thirst that felt unquenchable. that's when i started to make the association with beer just not being good for me. a couple of beers at the end of the day turned into one, then half, then none. it was a work in progress, but i got there. you will too. you are already moving in the right direction by discussing this. keep working on it. unfortunately, i do not know anyone in your area or i'd set you up to meet some people. keep posting. think of it as networking! good luck - mel

Hey Phatagn07, Thanks for the constructive and rational explanation of how this really works against me. Primarily, the dehydration, which I will now think about how it is counterproductive to not only losing weight, but the 2-3 liters of water I drink daily, to keep out of the ER. The money savings is just an additional benefit. Thanks for recognizing my post as a request for input like yours to help me past this routine. I will keep posting, and maybe I can help you get over an obstacle also.