--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to drink a lot. I had to stop…" description: "\"I used to drink a lot. I had to stop drinking because it was getting the better of me, and I replaced that with really doing shows.\" — Colin Hay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfb/colin-hay-16645_drink_i-used-to-drink-a-lot-i-had-to-stop-drin_362005.jpg" --- # I used to drink a lot. I had to stop drinking because it… ![“I used to drink a lot. I had to stop drinking because it was getting the better of me, and I replaced that with really doing shows.” quote by Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfb/colin-hay-16645_drink_i-used-to-drink-a-lot-i-had-to-stop-drin_362005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfb/colin-hay-16645_drink_i-used-to-drink-a-lot-i-had-to-stop-drin_362005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfb/colin-hay-16645_drink_i-used-to-drink-a-lot-i-had-to-stop-drin_362005.jpg) > “I used to drink a lot. I had to stop drinking because it was getting the better of me, and I replaced that with really doing shows.” [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He quit excessive drinking and redirected energy into performance art. **In simple terms:** Stopped drinking, focused on shows. Key Takeaway Channel harmful habits into creative outlets. Themes addiction creativity personal growth Mood motivational hopeful Type personal development inspirational When to use this quote - rehab programs - stage performance - personal coaching Key Concepts behavior change artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to replace a vice with art? - Can performance sustain long‑term recovery? A Different Perspective Creative work may not fully address underlying addiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [Getting better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-better/) [Stop drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-drinking/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Drinking: something to do while getting drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/drinking-something-to-do-while-getting-drunk/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [A kid once said to me "Do you get hangovers?" I said, "To get hangovers you have to stop drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/a-kid-once-said-to-me-do-you-get-hangovers-i-said-to-get-hangovers/) [Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/) > [“It’s an extraordinary thing—every time I see you, you appear to be recovering from some debauch. Don’t you ever stop drinking? How about when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pelham-grenville-wodehouse/it-s-an-extraordinary-thing-every-time-i-see-you-you-appear-to-be/) Pelham Grenville Wodehouse > [This is a pretty shitty flash mob. It's in my living room, only my family showed up, and they're just telling me to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-amram/this-is-a-pretty-shitty-flash-mob-it-s-in-my-living-room-only-my/) Megan Amram > [And it´s so different for a lot of people I´ve known. One partner doesn´t love the other enough to stop drinking, or gambling, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alma-katsu/and-it-s-so-different-for-a-lot-of-people-i-ve-known-one-partner/) [Alma Katsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alma-katsu/) > [It's just an inspiring journey in itself to stop drinking this late in my career after abusing alcohol and to have this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-montgomery/it-s-just-an-inspiring-journey-in-itself-to-stop-drinking-this-late/) [Ryan Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-montgomery/) > [Yes , I got issues .yes , I say ima stop drinking / doing drugs & never do .yes , I say I wana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-diaz/yes-i-got-issues-yes-i-say-ima-stop-drinking-doing-drugs-never-do-yes/) [Irene Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-diaz/) > [I'd do anything to have the perfect body. Except maybe workout, stop drinking, or eat healthier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-do-anything-to-have-the-perfect-body-except-maybe-workout-stop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The day I became free of alcohol was the day that I fully understood and embraced the truth that I would not be giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-hemingway/the-day-i-became-free-of-alcohol-was-the-day-that-i-fully-understood/) Liz Hemingway > [“I´ve always wanted him to love me the way I loved him. He did love me, I know he did. Just not the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alma-katsu/i-ve-always-wanted-him-to-love-me-the-way-i-loved-him-he-did-love-me/) [Alma Katsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alma-katsu/) > [“Oh I can't stop drinking the coffee, I stop drinking the coffee and I stop doing the standing and the walking and the words-putting-into-sentence-doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorelai/oh-i-can-t-stop-drinking-the-coffee-i-stop-drinking-the-coffee-and-i/) Lorelai > [“If you abandon your two glasses of wine, it is to show your children, your friends, and your society that your life is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/if-you-abandon-your-two-glasses-of-wine-it-is-to-show-your-children/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [“You try every trick in the book to keep her. You write her letters. You drive her to work. You quote Neruda. You compose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-try-every-trick-in-the-book-to-keep-her-you-write-her-letters-you/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [nobody ever stops drinking until the cost of drinking becomes higher than the cost of not drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-holland/nobody-ever-stops-drinking-until-the-cost-of-drinking-becomes-higher/) [Isabelle Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-holland/) > [“By my tenth glass of wine I started to wonder whether there was something wrong with my palate. Everyone else was marking the wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/by-my-tenth-glass-of-wine-i-started-to-wonder-whether-there-was/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## More by Colin Hay > [I don't walk off and come back for encores. I figure I can add four weeks to my life that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-don-t-walk-off-and-come-back-for-encores-i-figure-i-can-add-four/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [In certain ways I still feel like I'm finding my way. I feel pretty comfortable playing acoustic guitar and singing, but then I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/in-certain-ways-i-still-feel-like-i-m-finding-my-way-i-feel-pretty/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I feel pretty comfortable in a lot of different musical styles. I like rhythm, and I like melody and so forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-feel-pretty-comfortable-in-a-lot-of-different-musical-styles-i-like/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I can't remember too much about the '80s, to be honest with you... I wish that weren't true, but it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-can-t-remember-too-much-about-the-80s-to-be-honest-with-you-i-wish/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I don't think I'm going to change jobs at this point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-don-t-think-i-m-going-to-change-jobs-at-this-point/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I'd love to have a hit record. I don't believe anyone that says they wouldn't like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-d-love-to-have-a-hit-record-i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-says-they/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I just want to be a better guitar player, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-just-want-to-be-a-better-guitar-player-really/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [Well, my thoughts about California are kind of mythological. To me, as well as being a real place, it's a place where people go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/well-my-thoughts-about-california-are-kind-of-mythological-to-me-as/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I like to let the songs speak so that they can go through some kind of rebirth as you play them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-like-to-let-the-songs-speak-so-that-they-can-go-through-some-kind/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I sit around and play acoustic guitar - usually acoustic, sometimes electric, occasionally piano, but more often guitar, just trying to come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-sit-around-and-play-acoustic-guitar-usually-acoustic-sometimes/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I just found over the years that it's very hard to change people's perception of what it is that you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-just-found-over-the-years-that-it-s-very-hard-to-change-people-s/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I was brought up west southwest coast of Scotland and my mother and father had a music shop, and so I was surrounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-was-brought-up-west-southwest-coast-of-scotland-and-my-mother-and/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [There's a fine line between character building and soul destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/there-s-a-fine-line-between-character-building-and-soul-destroying/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I tend to write, either myself, or I sometimes write with a co-writer, my friend that lives up the road. It's usually a relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-tend-to-write-either-myself-or-i-sometimes-write-with-a-co-writer/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [The Men at Work thing is always there, it's always going to be there. It's not something I consciously think that much about anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/the-men-at-work-thing-is-always-there-it-s-always-going-to-be-there/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) [Explore all 39 Colin Hay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) ## More Drink quotes > [When you drink from the stream remember the spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverbs/when-you-drink-from-the-stream-remember-the-spring/) Chinese Proverbs > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/) [Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/) > [“Never date a man who can’t out-drink you in tequila.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-l-maxwell/never-date-a-man-who-can-t-out-drink-you-in-tequila/) [Gina L. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-l-maxwell/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Obediently, I squash into a corner with a glass of cider. A chalkboard menu declares that the special of the day is stargazy pie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-madeleine/obediently-i-squash-into-a-corner-with-a-glass-of-cider-a-chalkboard/) [Laura Madeleine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-madeleine/) > [I still get nervous about singing. I drink tea with honey and lemon before every concert. And I need to have scented candles in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-still-get-nervous-about-singing-i-drink-tea-with-honey-and-lemon/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [“I don't drink since it ruined the best thing I ever had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-lauren/i-don-t-drink-since-it-ruined-the-best-thing-i-ever-had/) [Kimberly Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-lauren/) > [Before everyshow I do like a thousand... I drink ten glasses of water!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-brothers/before-everyshow-i-do-like-a-thousand-i-drink-ten-glasses-of-water/) [Jonas Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-brothers/) > [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I get pretty focused when I start working on something. And I drink a lot of water, way more than most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-woodman/i-get-pretty-focused-when-i-start-working-on-something-and-i-drink-a/) [Nick Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-woodman/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) Browse all 5,653 Drink quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to drink a lot. 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