I was a mostly social drinker. Alone or at home, Maybe 1-2 drinks a night. So for me it would be 2 or 3 nights a week, and particularly with clients it could get heavy. My liquor of choice was bourbon (Makers) and I drank a lot of beer. Wine I’d drink with meals. If I added it all across a month, 50-150 drinks as a guess. Average 100. More in Korea, where drinking culture is insane. Now I am strict to 1 drink a week. No matter what. Usually when with a new client so I don’t need to go through the bs.
When I stopped, family was easiest. I just explained it. Friends also pretty easy, although initially they didn’t invite me out, because they thought it would be awkward, painful to me.
But work and clients was a huge problem. I had a bunch of false starts there. I think we work in similar fields, and you know how awkward it is to host a dinner for a client, order wine, and drink none. I’d do the tricks, like talk to the waiter before and tell him I’m going to ask for vodka and soda, but I want to just have soda. Or I’d take a small glass wine and never drink it. I finally decided I don’t care, after I’d lost 50 pounds. I could look them in the eye and say I don’t drink because it was making me fat. But I don’t have issues with you, mr client drinking.
It wasn’t easy. But for me it was necessary.
Its very problematic in Korea still though, where a company dinner isn’t complete until someone passes out or pukes. I just always bring along designated drinkers from my company who don’t mind TOFTT.