Bill Burr - My Journey Of Quitting Alcohol
Summary
TLDRThe speaker reminisces about their past drinking habits, influenced by classic TV shows and the allure of high-quality liquor. They describe their preferred way of drinking, with a focus on the experience rather than the quantity. The turning point comes when the speaker's wife confronts them about their nightly drinking, leading to a decision to quit. The speaker successfully abstains for over a year, motivated by not wanting their children to see them drunk and by the realization of their behavior during a late-night attempt to sneak a drink. The narrative reflects on the complexities of alcohol consumption and the personal journey towards sobriety.
Takeaways
- 🍹 The speaker quit drinking around the time they could afford high-end alcohol, like a luxurious bottle of tequila.
- 📺 They used to enjoy watching old TV series where characters frequently drank, which influenced their drinking habits.
- 🥃 The speaker reminisces about their preferred way of drinking, which involved a lot of ice and a specific pour-over technique.
- 🤷♂️ They criticize modern bar practices, like using an eye dropper for drinks, and long for the old-fashioned way of serving drinks.
- 🏠 The speaker describes their home drinking ritual, which they called a 'home po', involving large cubes of ice and a specific ratio of alcohol to ice.
- 👩❤️👨 The speaker's wife expressed concern about their nightly drinking and prompted them to consider quitting.
- 🚫 The speaker decided to quit drinking after realizing the impact it had on their nightly routine and their wife's feelings.
- 🗓️ They initially attempted to quit for 50 days, then extended it to a year, and eventually stopped completely.
- 👨👧👦 The speaker didn't want their children to see them drunk, which was a significant factor in their decision to quit.
- 🧓 The speaker reflects on their own childhood, noting that their parents didn't drink, and how they perceived other adults who did.
- 🍻 They acknowledge that being a 'nice drunk' doesn't make it okay to drink around children, drawing a line between being fun and being responsible.
Q & A
Why did the speaker decide to stop drinking?
-The speaker decided to stop drinking after realizing they were consuming alcohol excessively every night, which was affecting their life and their relationship with their wife.
What was the speaker's drinking habit before quitting?
-The speaker used to enjoy a drink with big cubes of ice, pouring it over the ice until it reached a certain level, which they referred to as a 'home po'.
What television shows did the speaker mention watching that involved drinking?
-The speaker mentioned watching 'Peter Gunn', '77 Sunset Strip', 'The Untouchables', and 'Peaky Blinders', where characters were often seen drinking.
What was the speaker's perception of whiskey bars and their serving style?
-The speaker disliked the pretentious serving style of whiskey bars, where drinks were served with an eye dropper and the staff dressed in an overly rustic manner.
What was the turning point for the speaker that led to their decision to quit drinking?
-The turning point was when the speaker's wife pointed out their nightly drinking habit and snoring, prompting them to reflect on their behavior and decide to quit.
How long did the speaker initially plan to quit drinking for?
-Initially, the speaker planned to quit drinking for 50 days, but eventually extended it to a full year and then continued beyond that.
What was the speaker's strategy to quit drinking after the initial 50 days?
-The speaker decided to extend their no-drinking period through the holidays and then committed to a full calendar year, eventually continuing for over a year and a half.
Why did the speaker not want their children to see them drunk?
-The speaker did not want to set a bad example for their children and wanted to avoid the negative behaviors associated with drunkenness that they had witnessed in others.
What was the speaker's opinion on the idea of being a 'nice drunk' around children?
-The speaker disagreed with the idea of being a 'nice drunk', stating that even if someone is pleasant while drunk, it is not an acceptable behavior, especially around children.
What personal experience from the speaker's past influenced their decision to quit drinking?
-The speaker's decision was influenced by their own childhood experiences, where they saw friends' parents being drunk and the negative impact it had on their perception of those families.
How did the speaker's wife react to their drinking habit?
-The speaker's wife was concerned about their nightly drinking and confronted them about it, which was a catalyst for the speaker to reconsider and eventually quit drinking.
Outlines
🥃 Reflections on Quitting Drinking
The speaker reminisces about their past drinking habits, including the allure of high-end tequila and the ritual of enjoying a drink with large ice cubes. They describe their decision to quit drinking after realizing the negative impact it had on their life, such as snoring and the potential for their children to see them drunk. The narrative includes references to old TV shows that often depicted drinking, which influenced their earlier habits, and a humorous anecdote about trying to sneak a drink without waking their wife. The speaker's commitment to sobriety is highlighted by their successful attempt to abstain for over a year and a half, motivated by a desire to set a better example for their children.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Drinking
💡Tequila
💡Quitting
💡Old School
💡Home Po
💡Hipster
💡Whiskey Bars
💡Peaky Blinders
💡Nerds
💡Birthday
💡Irish Grandma
Highlights
The speaker decided to quit drinking due to excessive consumption.
They reminisce about the allure of high-quality tequila and its impressive presentation.
Old TV shows like Peter Gunn, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Untouchables influenced the speaker's drinking habits.
The speaker's preferred method of drinking involved big cubes of ice and a significant pour of liquor.
They criticize modern hipster whiskey bars for their minimalist serving style.
The speaker humorously describes their 'home po', a large drink they used to make at home.
A turning point in the speaker's decision to quit drinking was a conversation with their wife about their nightly habits.
The speaker's wife noticed a pattern of drinking that prompted them to reconsider their habits.
The speaker decided to take a 50-day break from drinking as a challenge.
They successfully extended their break to a full year without drinking.
The speaker reflects on the difficulty of quitting drinking and the desire to avoid relapse.
They express a desire for their children to never see them drunk as a way to set a good example.
The speaker recalls their childhood and the influence of seeing other parents drink.
They discuss the complexities of being a 'nice drunk' and the potential dangers of drinking around children.
The speaker shares a humorous anecdote about their Irish grandmother's affectionate behavior when drinking.
The conversation concludes with the speaker's appreciation for whiskey and the decision to quit drinking for the sake of their family.
Transcripts
[Music]
I got naturally that's why I stopped
drinking I was just like I was like
downstairs like you know I was getting
hammered man you know because you get to
the point where you know you're making
some money and then you can buy like the
topnotch like that bottle of tequila you
got me it kills me cuz I quit right
around there so I never got to try it I
never got to try it dude this thing like
the bottle itself looked like it the
bottle looked like it was worth like a
th000 bucks like it looked like these
like handcraft
like you know like masonry to make the
bottle and I've poured that for people
and they think it's amazing but I my
thing was uh I used to watch Like Me TV
and I used to watch old series like I
used to love watching Peter gun and uh
77 Sunset Strip and The Untouchables and
they were all drinking and [ __ ] and I
would just sit there and watch them and
this there's that English show too that
was on uh peaky blinders yeah I mean how
you watch that show without getting
hammered as on me right wow so you were
a drinker watching TV Weir that's oh no
I was old school like literally sit in
the recliner and then my thing was the
big cubeba ice and then I would pour it
and it had to go up over the ice right
so it be like this much booze and I'd be
like I only had three and my Nea would
be like they were like this big and I go
it's a home po that's what I called it's
a home po I like I'm making up for
remember you go to those stupid hipster
like uh whiskey bars they come up with
the eye dropper and the guy's dressed
like he just shoot a horse it's like
what is this [ __ ] spere you're doing
here get the F out of here with that
pour me a [ __ ] drink you'd get shot
in the old west Corner guy a [ __ ]
drink like that you
[ __ ] boy I love it me a drink like my
baby's not teething you
[ __ ] so then it got to the point
right one night my wife goes you're
[ __ ] getting hammered every night
what's she never gets up she go you know
what's going on with you're snoring I
said all right you're right I'll lay off
and she goes all right that's the last
one right and it was only two and I was
like you know did you see that uh George
and Tammy uh the uh shown Tammy wiet he
had this thing when he he do this thing
with his teeth she knew he was gonna
start drinking again so she tried to
like distract him so I poured one more
and I kind of waited till she was asleep
and I'm literally walking down the
[ __ ] stairs into our bedroom and I
got the [ __ ] thing on this side and
I'm trying not to make like these noises
and I just sort of Saw myself going like
dude you're you're
[ __ ] this this is where you're at
this is where you're at so um it was
like 2018 I was like I'm going to just
try to take 50 days off and then the
holidays were coming I was like you know
one time I took a year off let me see if
I can do that again and then I did it
and I was like well I never did it
January to December because I started in
November then I did that and I go what
about one calendar year birthday by then
I was like a year and a half in and it's
so [ __ ] hard for me to quit it was
just like I don't want to go through
quitting again so I just stopped and
then I also like the idea that my kids
were never going to see me drunk like
that's not a good thing it's just like I
remember when I was growing up my
parents didn't drink and I thought they
were such [ __ ] nerds so maybe once in
a while my dad would have a beer or
something but like and I go some of my
friends house and they' be Friday night
and we'd go over to you know go out a
legally drink and they would be like
half in the bag and I'd be going like
man these people are cool they're cool
it's like no they it was they
were they were not that's not a good
example you know what I mean so even if
it's the dad like I got a friend who's
the drunk I love you guys come here here
buddies I'm like I just because you are
nice drunk with your kids doesn't make
it okay to be drunk like like it's still
it makes it better though it does it
does make it better it's not [ __ ]
dragging your mom down the stairs by her
hair that's a little easier you know
what I mean I had an Irish grandma would
give you kisses when she got loaded get
over here and you're like here we go
with the kisses so you're right I like I
liked it with the whiskey I really did
yeah yeah yeah so you make a good point
bill
oh my God uh uh o o o oo o
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