My conservative estimate is $12 a day in alcohol. Probably more actually. Anyway, my reason for this topic is, I have always been motivated by $$$ not to make me happy but to prove from my poor upbringing that I could become “something.” That was partial to my addiction. Now I use it as a tool to fuel my sobriety. I have now added to my goals that every 5 days I transfer $60 to a new sobriety account to show my progress. It’s a huge motivator for me!
Edit to add: I actually went back the past 3 months and found my alcohol spending during that time alone averaged $16 a day so I updated my app to reflect that. So my savings in just a week went up.
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Great plan. My Grandad did this years ago when he gave up smoking (in the days when you saved in a jar). That became his frivolous money and he enjoyed the holidays etc. he spent it on. Great motivator!
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Great tool! I don’t have a special account or something, but drinking and smoking cost me many hundreds a month. Actually I don’t understand how I did it for decades while mostly on modest wages. Since I quit I can save and I do, I can go on big holidays, I can buy the best bikes. For me it isn’t the greatest motivation, but it sure helps lots!
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Spending my booze savings on good things has been a huge motivator for me. Especially things I would have broken by now as a drunk.
The best day of my recovery was when I accumulated enough days that my alcohol savings paid for my commercial fishing boat and made me my own boss!
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It’s great when you can see the value of your hard work! Like you, I spent between $16 and $20 per day, I didn’t move money to a savings or anything so I didn’t see the savings, but I certainly felt it. I was no longer out of money the days before payday and text messages when my account dipped below $50 stopped.
Keep it up!
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I can relate to this. It’s something subconsciously I still cling to. Even sober now, where the financial part seems to just take care of itself when I’m approaching life with a spirit of service. I’m still insecure about it in my heart of hearts.
But same though! I figured about $21/day. Drinking, nights out, tipping like I was a hot shot, stocking up at home, ordering garbage food. Holy cow that adds up!
Just not drinking freed up so much money it’s no wonder I felt tight trying to meet any other goals! Now I watch the savings grow.
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I save a ton of money, yes. But now that I’m sober almost six months I’ve filled that drinking time with plenty of hobbies that are of course fueled by cold hard cash. I’m good with this.
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Yeah my conservative $12/day was just the bottle(s) I would buy to take home. Not to count the extra wasting out and ordering and high tips “like a hot shot.” Then the order on door dash during covid restrictions got really high.
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It’s nice to do super market shops that are actually cheap!!
According to the app counter I’ve saved almost £3000!!!
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This is sooo super cool!!! I love ur recovery account! It’ll add up fast and then u can purchase something u really want or need! Awesome idea!!
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I would like a meat smoker and by the way I was drinking that should be possible by next month (unfortunately.) Fortunately through my addiction I was able to separate it from my family and career to the point I have a successful career. Unfortunately I made enough money to increase spending on alcohol. I am a binge drinker. To the point I can function in those aspects but then my drinking gets to the point that I would just pass out where I was wake up and wonder how 8 hours passed. Or what I said or did during that time. I was able to avoid my kids seeing me drunk but I would start the drinks at dinner and once bedtime routine was done I would double and triple the drink until the bottle was gone. I had to only buy a pint and a couple shooters so that I wouldn’t be able to drink more cause it wasn’t in the house. It always blew my mind how ppl had home bars with multiple bottles of liquor.
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I too use $12/day as my estimate, more likely $20/day.
On the low-end, I have saved $19,524, and on the high end, $32,540.
I drank for 22 years. This means I spent somewhere between $100,000 and $161,000. As depressing as this is, when I consider what I’d have had I invested this in an IRA, rather than drinking it, I’d have $259K on $12/day rate.
If I let that run with no additional contributions after my last drink until age 65 (14 years) It would grow to $794K.
To complete the thought: since $100K invested generates about $750/mo in interest income, the opportunity cost of drinking for 22 years cost me $5700/mo in potential passive income.
Conclusion: I drank a big chunk of my retirement income, plus the penalties and interest of early withdrawal.
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This is what got to me too. Fortunately I’m young enough to put those extra funds into retirement. I’ve already contributed but not the max and my savings max me out on both 401k/and IRA
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That is a good idea! I may do that
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I honestly cannot come up with any estimate other than “a bunch”. Besides the daily intake, there were the fines, court costs, towed cars, lawyer’s fees, copays for rehabs, increased car insurance, re-taking the tests for my license, fees to reinstate my license, copays for Antabuse. I won’t be specific on the Internet, but there were sex relationships both short and long term that cost me cash in various and sundry ways, relationships or actions in relationships that would not have happened were I sober. Oh, and a marriage and divorce that began and ended out of my alcoholism. Child support for twelve years and college payments out of that one.
I drank for 35 years, so how do I count the lost opportunities or material goods when my capital went for booze?
I’ve been sober a fair amount of time, and I have enough. A quote I picked up in AA is “Enough is a feast”. I have enough and then some and I’ve made financial amends to those who needed it and to my community. I have an easy mind and peace in my heart.
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$78 saved so far in 6.5 days. That’s at a minimum. I’m guessing since I’m coming up on a week it would be more. I say that cause you knowing going out to eat once a week the drinks and tip are usually inflated. I know I have checked my budget and my expenses on alcohol have well exceeded $550 in the past for a month. Which would put me closer to the $17.5/day. Anyway, here to sobriety going towards my retirement and me being healthy to live long enough to enjoy it.
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Again this is the lowest conservative estimate. I just want to say how it actually deeply saddens me how blessed I have been to be able to earn a decent salary and how wasteful I have been. What I have saved in a week of not drinking is a minimum wage earners 2 days of hard work. I earned minimum wage and struggled 16 yrs ago before I joined the Army. I could have given back so much to those that need it. Advice, Donations, a Shoulder or Ear just Friendship that I isolated by drinking. With gas prices and inflation as it is now, I’m frustrated with it but I am not too financially impacted. I think my next step will be to just find an act of kindness that is close to my early struggle days that may bring a shining glimmer of hope to someone.
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Could have beens & water under the bridge. You’re here now. You can do all that now. And more. Congrats on a full week man. That’s huge. Keep going!
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I was curious about this the other day. I did the math and in the 3 and half years I haven’t been smoking cigs I’ve saved almost $8,000 and that was with conservative math of just a pack a day. If I was drinking I would easily smoke almost 2 packs. I haven’t done the math for my drinking because I’m not sure how to get an accurate number. I didn’t drink every day but when I did I would down a pint of whiskey which cost about $20-$25 (or it did. May be more now)
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