Less alcohol- February 2018- one day at a time

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  • islandbeez
    islandbeez Posts: 162 Member
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    @JulieAL1969 I cringe as well. Now 2 of the 3 are of age and I am so worried about them.

    @erikNJ your team played one helluva game! loved every second!
  • runtodayamyrun
    runtodayamyrun Posts: 59 Member
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    PhotogirlTX wrote: »
    My husband and I had a non-alcoholic victory last night. Since January, we have both been working on our weight and have been cooking at home all most every single day. Last night, we had a date night to go see Trombone Shorty and we made reservations at a really nice Italian restaurant. Usually, we would order a nice big glass of red wine or two.. but for the first time in my life, I ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water, with limes and ice. We shared the whole bottle.. and dressing it up with lime in a cute little glass made it feel special. We didn't miss the wine at all. We enjoyed ourselves at dinner and at the concert and danced.. but not like the drunk guy that was falling on everyone! :-) so victory for us and I am looking forward to my trip now, knowing, I can eat out, and NOT order the beer/wine/cocktail.

    Well done! And it was a nice reminder to see the drunk guy and be thankful it was you!
  • redredy9
    redredy9 Posts: 706 Member
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    PhotogirlTX wrote: »
    My husband and I had a non-alcoholic victory last night. Since January, we have both been working on our weight and have been cooking at home all most every single day. Last night, we had a date night to go see Trombone Shorty and we made reservations at a really nice Italian restaurant. Usually, we would order a nice big glass of red wine or two.. but for the first time in my life, I ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water, with limes and ice. We shared the whole bottle.. and dressing it up with lime in a cute little glass made it feel special. We didn't miss the wine at all. We enjoyed ourselves at dinner and at the concert and danced.. but not like the drunk guy that was falling on everyone! :-) so victory for us and I am looking forward to my trip now, knowing, I can eat out, and NOT order the beer/wine/cocktail.

    I LOVE Trombone Shorty! So good!
  • SanDiegofitmom
    SanDiegofitmom Posts: 303 Member
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    NormInv wrote: »
    You guys want some controversy? Look away now.....

    Why are there more women than men in here? Do women have more issues with alcohol, or are they more open to making a positive lifestyle change.

    < Takes cover>

    Hm, interesting post! A lot of the men I know don’t think their drinking is a problem - I feel like the health aspects of drinking are being more targeted toward women now (for example the breast cancer link) and it’s true that studies show alcohol more adversely effects women than men. And yes, I do think women are more apt to share their struggles. My husband keeps everything in and would Never post on a board like this. But I definitely don’t think it’s that more women struggle than men.
  • SanDiegofitmom
    SanDiegofitmom Posts: 303 Member
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    dbanks80 wrote: »

    Maybe try going without for the whole month and then try getting back in with one or two drinks then stop. I am trying to practice moderation so I am trying to go without and then ease back in. I know I will never stop drinking but I just need to have a turn off button when I get that buzz.

    I’m such a fan of the month off now!!! I haven’t been able to moderate (for years!) and after doing dry January - it’s so much easier to commit to nights off and and it’s been easy and I actually “enjoy” wine free nights - love it!
  • SanDiegofitmom
    SanDiegofitmom Posts: 303 Member
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    JulieAL1969 wrote: »
    islandbeez wrote: »
    NormInv wrote: »
    You guys want some controversy? Look away now.....

    Why are there more women than men in here? Do women have more issues with alcohol, or are they more open to making a positive lifestyle change.

    < Takes cover>


    Also, men were predominantly the heavy drinkers for decades and now women drinking has increased considerably, along with the elderly. It's scary, all these cute little wine sayings we laugh at and yet the effects of alcohol abuse hit women earlier. I just threw out my cute little wall hanging it said, "Wine a bit, you'll feel better". My mom gave it to me. She has never been a drinker and is very intolerant of drinkers....yet she got it for me? Messed up AF!

    I recently threw away two of those wooden little signs like "Wine is better with friends" or or something like that. I realized it was sending a negative message to my teenagers. I don't want them to think you can only have fun drinking. Makes me regret all the parties we've had where people were shouting happily and doing shots, and the kids would be there. Ugh. I cringe now at those memories.

    Yes! The example for my small kids is like my number one driver. When your kids ask you if you need wine at the store when there is none in your cart, I think theirs a problem. I don’t want them to remember me with a glass of wine in my hand every evening. Sure, occasionally is ok, but I want them to see me as a sparkling water and tea mom instead of a wine mom :) January was great for changing everything.
  • springsweet
    springsweet Posts: 184 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    springsweet wrote: »
    And thank you for letting me vent here. I don't feel like I have anyone to talk to about this who understands, so this place is very helpful.

    Vent away. I totally get where you are coming from. I have struggled with these same dilemmas myself, as I would guess many of us have. I have found that having a solid plan in advance and sticking to it has been working for me right now. In the past when I have tried to limit my drinking, it was always pretty arbitrary in terms of how much I was going to drink once I started. I would tell myself that I wasn't going to drink much, but without having that pre-defined limit etched in my brain, I would almost always blow it out of the water. I know that once I go past that second drink, it's over. So I decide in advance...one drink or two drinks. If it's going to be a long evening out and I can space them out well, then I will allow myself a third, as long as I know that I am still in control. I have managed to keep this up throughout January and so far this month and I feel really good about the progress I have made... and this thread has been a huge help. I am hoping I can continue on this path of moderation. It has been nice to not have any hangovers in over 5 weeks.

    I am not sure if this type of plan will work for you or not. I guess it is very individual what each of us hopes to get out of this "experiment", as you said. Wishing you the best however you decide to proceed. This group is always here for you to offer encouragement from all places along the spectrum. *hugs*

    I think that's exactly how I'm going to proceed. I mean, I don't have a wedding to attend every weekend thank god. So that was a special event. Moving forward in normal life, I'm pretty sure I can hold it together. But I agree with you, lporter, deciding how much I will have before even going out will help me in the future.
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,553 Member
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    WOW....this group is really growing and everyones input is very moving.

    Have to admit I do not like any wine so that is never a problem for me. Mimosas yes because the champagne is combined with orange juice in the glass. This morning as was Googling mocktails. An ad popped up on my page for an app you can get on your phone that lets you know about drinks to order with more "buzz" and less calories. REALLY?? That's just what we all don't' need.

    As far as the ratio of women to men. I have been on other threads for fitness workouts and there were always more women then men. Unless it was a thread started by a man. But for sure I don't believe one gender or the other is worse off by alcohol. There is a great song by Highway 101, "Whiskey, if you were a woman". There were many times with my first husband and his drinking I would get in my car and just drive for hours playing and singing that song in my car.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
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    PhotogirlTX wrote: »
    I ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water, with limes and ice. We shared the whole bottle.. and dressing it up with lime in a cute little glass made it feel special. We didn't miss the wine at all.

    Wow, that's impressive. I'm going to steal that idea - nice going!

  • robinacasey
    robinacasey Posts: 8 Member
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    springsweet wrote: »
    And thank you for letting me vent here. I don't feel like I have anyone to talk to about this who understands, so this place is very helpful.

    sounds like a tough weekend. I think you are asking the right questions and have good insights about yourself and your drinking. don't get discouraged. you'll get there. take care.
  • Alzzi76
    Alzzi76 Posts: 504 Member
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    SanDiegofitmom wrote: »
    NormInv wrote: »
    You guys want some controversy? Look away now.....

    Why are there more women than men in here? Do women have more issues with alcohol, or are they more open to making a positive lifestyle change.

    < Takes cover>

    Hm, interesting post! A lot of the men I know don’t think their drinking is a problem - I feel like the health aspects of drinking are being more targeted toward women now (for example the breast cancer link) and it’s true that studies show alcohol more adversely effects women than men. And yes, I do think women are more apt to share their struggles. My husband keeps everything in and would Never post on a board like this. But I definitely don’t think it’s that more women struggle than men.

  • Alzzi76
    Alzzi76 Posts: 504 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    NormInv wrote: »
    You guys want some controversy? Look away now.....

    Why are there more women than men in here? Do women have more issues with alcohol, or are they more open to making a positive lifestyle change.

    < Takes cover>
    I don't really know that it's either. I think that when they are facing a difficult task, women are more likely to seek the support of others who are struggling with the same issues, where as men are more likely to try and go at it alone or confide in somebody really close to them. In my experience, men are less likely to admit their vulnerabilities to strangers.
    :)

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