Less alcohol- January 2018- one day at a time

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  • calbadger
    calbadger Posts: 283 Member
    I'm up for this. I gave up vodka ten years ago this month and all other hard alcohol several years ago. My beer drinking has been cut back to summer barbecue and college football games, so that's out right now. It's just wine, but more than I want to have. I have, before the holidays, been passing on it several nights a week. I want to hit the New Year with my best effort in diet, exercise and alcohol. My wife will be going to visit her family in Britain on January 15. She's going to be cutting back, which is good, but since I will be doing the shopping, I should have two weeks with no wine in the house. If I choose sobriety until then, I should be able to be free for the rest of the month.

    One thing that I am concentrating on is that I'm not choosing to give up alcohol. I am choosing to enjoy life sober.

  • REBurwell82
    REBurwell82 Posts: 4 Member
    Definitely in! I think my liver needs a break after holiday season and ski trip! I’m more of a 1-2 glasses of wine or a beer or two on a weekend night usually but my intake was definitely more than average over the holidays! So I’m going no alcohol at all for January! Trying to eat healthier as well so this should lend itself nicely :)
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    @MaryBethHempel, I'm 60% through This Naked Mind. She recommends going through it slowly, and I'm going to do that when I finish this blitz through. There are so many insights I never thought of before. For me personally, I've always dreaded the idea of the AA-type approach. I figured if I have to be thinking about drinking every day for the rest of my life, I might as well be drinking. I know that doesn't make sense, and I do not mean to bash AA in any way; I know many people, including my best friend, who have really been helped in that program. However, Ms. Grace gives me hope that I can come to a place where I don't even think about alcohol much. And her rationale makes a great deal of sense to me. One insight is that alcohol doesn't make you feel good . . . it just gives you relief from the distress it, itself, has caused. Anyway, I'm glad others recommended it. She was a 2-bottle-a-night drinker, so she knows what we're going through in terms of struggling to moderate or quit.
  • mayloss
    mayloss Posts: 5 Member
    I would love to join this challenge. I drank a lot over the holidays and it had a horrible effect on my stomach. Taking it as a lesson learnt and aiming to have a dry January.
  • sheilajean58
    sheilajean58 Posts: 263 Member
    JulieAL1969 wrote: »
    jwoll81 wrote: »
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0996715002/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - This book changed my life.

    Thanks for sharing this book title. I plan on buying it. I read the first 40 pages which were free to download. I also like the author's videos on youtube.

    I think this will be supportive for me. It sounds very similar to a successful program I had experience with in the past which was primarily for weight loss but in reality applies to all behaviors that are used as a tool to manage feelings. i.e. over spending, eating, gambling, drinking . . . .
  • trchristy
    trchristy Posts: 155 Member
    Im in!!!! New Years Eve was my last hurrah for a while...once I start I dont stop for the night and then there is the whole eating everything in sight, mindless calories..... Its a vicious cycle and I would like to make more positive and less embarrassing choices in 2018. Thanks for the support, look forward to getting to know you all :) Happy New Year to US!!!
  • michaelbeauchamp
    michaelbeauchamp Posts: 2 Member
    I'm in. Going 100% dry.
  • trchristy
    trchristy Posts: 155 Member
    crazykatlady820 wrote: »
    I'm in again! I'm on day 80 of being sober and I don't miss it at all. I'm not a person who can just cut back, so in order to take control of my health and life I'm done with alcohol for good. It's nice to talk to people who can understand your struggles (and not judge you) even if our struggles aren't exactly the same.

    I can relate, I have tried to cut back and it just does'nt work for me. Congrats!!!!! on day 80!!!!Thats awesome :)
  • machchic
    machchic Posts: 229 Member
    So day 2 and I feel pretty good. I came home worked out and killing time till dinner is ready, This is the waiting game till dinner. Normally if I can make it to 8:00 pm I am good, dinner, tea and then bed. My concern is Friday night, hubby already bought V for the weekend. Uggg I am going to take 1 day at a time. I hate that I get irritated in the evening, sometimes I just need my space to get through it. Keep up the good work. @JulieAL1969
  • SanDiegofitmom
    SanDiegofitmom Posts: 303 Member
    amymoreorless wrote: »
    Goal — Dry January
    This is going to be a long month. Anxiety + sobriety = ugh

    I went through an awful year of anxiety in 2016 and I sadly would drink wine in the evening just to feel normal. I have an aversion to hangovers so it’s always been 2-3 glasses just enough to calm my mind, but it became really habitual and daily. Now that my anxiety is so much better, the habit is clearly something really unhealthy. I pride myself on clean eating, working out, but I drink much more than I should — my trigger in anxiety too. My goal in this 30 days is to work through anxiety without the crutch of a glass of wine!
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    Hubby at home most of the week so not drinking is a challenge. It is easy not to when he is out. However, got home from work last night and asked him to make me a lovely cup of coffee from our new Expresso machine... Then I had a bath. Then a meal. That stopped the fatal, "chat, drink and snack time" which, although lovely, undermines my efforts to cut down. It worked.. I think he is trying to cut down now too. Early days yet but hopeful! Thanks for starting the January thread.. and good luck everyone!
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    PS, I am taking a break from work for 3 weeks and will be downloading the book and reading it carefully.I have been fairly successful in cutting back and am trying to reduce gradually. Going cold turkey does not work for me. Negatives: My hip pain is worse without booze as the painkillers are not good enough! Positives: I am sleeping and feeling much better and on nights when I do drink I am drinking less. Happy New Year!
  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
    I made it yesterday. Reserved the "Naked Mind" from the library. It was tough yesterday. My anxiety is there still, but overall I am already calmer. I was tired, which makes me more tempted to throw in the towel. I won't be able to focus on how many days I don't drink for some reason. That feels overwhelming. I am doing what has worked before. I get a bottle mixed up of diet fruit punch to drink especially after work, or when tired. I am even drinking it sometimes when I am passing a liquor store. I make sure I have healthy food with me wherever I go. I try to get the necessary requirements that I can't miss earlier in the day. Like exercise, water, supplements, enough calcium, protein.... The food later in the day can be more varied healthy and fun. Anyways I want to join an accountability group for diet. Today I try out TOPS. My other goal is to be here to support and be supported. It may take having some kind of buddy system as well.
  • Alpha12
    Alpha12 Posts: 251 Member
    No wine yesterday, but I did drink on New Year's day. No wine on NYE. This seems to be a pattern for me. Drink every other day. Today will be the test as I'm sure I'll be tempted. I'm facing some of the same struggles as many of you here, but reading all the posts helps knowing that I'm not alone.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    SanDiegofitmom wrote: »
    amymoreorless wrote: »
    Goal — Dry January
    This is going to be a long month. Anxiety + sobriety = ugh

    I went through an awful year of anxiety in 2016 and I sadly would drink wine in the evening just to feel normal. I have an aversion to hangovers so it’s always been 2-3 glasses just enough to calm my mind, but it became really habitual and daily. Now that my anxiety is so much better, the habit is clearly something really unhealthy. I pride myself on clean eating, working out, but I drink much more than I should — my trigger in anxiety too. My goal in this 30 days is to work through anxiety without the crutch of a glass of wine!

    This is me too. I don't think I ever have admitted to myself that I have anxiety. I just go, go, go and keep going because if I ever stop then the anxiety takes over. I don't drink to where I am hung over most of the time, but I can put 3 glasses per night down without even thinking about it, because it definitely calms me down. These past two days I have not minded not drinking, but I have been a whirlwind of activity...working out, playing with my dog, cleaning obsessively, just to keep my mind busy. I am not sure if this is good or bad. Clearly I have some other issues I need to address here. I think I will look into getting the "Naked Mind" since it comes so highly recommended here.

    There is another book I read a few years back called "Lit" by Mary Karr. It is a memoir of her struggles with alcoholism and I remember thinking at the time "Well, I'm not THAT bad", but there were definitely some elements of her story that I could relate to. It's a very good read if anyone is interested.

    Again, @crazykatlady, thank you for sharing your experience here and for your continued, non-judgemental support!
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Am I the odd man out here in that I feel like alcohol helps me to sleep? I rarely wake up during the night when I have had a few glasses of wine, but I almost always do without it.
  • snoo61
    snoo61 Posts: 549 Member
    Successfully cut back 1 beer for the last 2 nights. My problem is that once I start drinking, I don't stop. Been working on this for awhile.
  • Propanegirl17
    Propanegirl17 Posts: 1 Member
    Im in, this has been on my list for awhile, just for overall good health.
  • Cleosweetie
    Cleosweetie Posts: 71 Member
    edited January 2018
    @MichelleRenee_76 -- oh man! That's tough-- having a partner who likes to drink would make it so much harder to cut back! Environment is so key. My husband very rarely drinks (like, once a year on our camping trip). Neither do his parents. (Who we spend holidays with.) So, as I mentioned before on here, I am "the drinker in the family" (very weird for me). The fact that I am often the only person drinking makes me acutely aware of every glass of wine I consume. I'm typically a 2 drink per night, several times a week, type of person, but if I was surrounded by lots of drinkers, I know it would be very easy to knock even more glasses back. And who knows, I'd very likely be drinking wine every single night without giving it a thought. (Like many people I know.)
  • katetipp
    katetipp Posts: 1 Member
    edited January 2018
    Awesome, I am in!!! I have also given up coffee, my sleep has been great!! Like a baby :)
  • springsweet
    springsweet Posts: 184 Member
    This is great! I'm so happy to join this group! I been looking for/ needing a group that's non judgemental and it sounds like this is it. :smile:
    I tried AA many years ago. But it didn't stick. I finally realized that while I do have an issue with alcohol, it's not that black and white and I don't consider myself an alcoholic. Yet, there aren't many support groups for people who just want to cut back or break unhealthy habits - it's all or nothing. But I digress...
    I, too, am looking to reduce my alcohol intake starting Jan 2018. I want to to this mainly for my health - and to lose weight. But also my brain health as well. When I don't drink, I can feel a very obvious shift in my mental clarity, sleep quality, skin quality, general inflammation, etc. However, I totally use alcohol to tame my anxiety - I'll be the first to admit it. Not good, I know, but it is what it is. So I have a constant cyclical battle going on that I'm trying to escape for good.
    Yesterday was Day 1 of the new Keto diet and alcohol abstinence, and I did great until I got home from work. That's when the anxiety hit. So I self-medicated. But only 1.5 glasses of wine. So maybe that's best for me? Just drink less? I don't know, still trying to figure it out. Also trying to figure out how I got into this cycle of drinking wine every night. :neutral: My husband hardly drinks at all.
    All I know is being aware of it every day is helpful and better than nothing at all!
  • Beka3695
    Beka3695 Posts: 4,126 Member
    lporter229 wrote: »
    Am I the odd man out here in that I feel like alcohol helps me to sleep? I rarely wake up during the night when I have had a few glasses of wine, but I almost always do without it.

    No, I agree!!! I sleep great after one or two. But more than that makes my heart race and I wake up constantly.
  • springsweet
    springsweet Posts: 184 Member
    lporter229 wrote: »
    Am I the odd man out here in that I feel like alcohol helps me to sleep? I rarely wake up during the night when I have had a few glasses of wine, but I almost always do without it.

    1-2 glasses of wine usually help me sleep too. But any more than that, and I'm ruined. Also, I'm a pretty good sleeper usually so I don't know if that's a factor too?

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