Less Alcohol- April 2018- One Day at a Time

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  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    donimfp wrote: »
    I'm having such a struggle, but I'm determined to get back to AF. It's just best for me. The trip to Italy followed by the job loss have done a number on me (or more accurately, given me an excuse to do a number on myself). I had the idea to go back and read some of our January thread. I have each month bookmarked so could get back to it easily. It was fun to see all of us back in January, just starting out. I didn't read far enough to get to your day 10, @JulieAL1969, but I could see that bracelet coming. I read my own posts and remembered how good January Me felt. Woke up early this morning and came to my computer to write myself a note, reminding myself of all the reasons I want to do this.

    Have a great day, friends.

    Good morning! How are the job prospects going? I should love to go back to our January thread. We were very determined. I wonderful how people keep up that determination. Must be a deliberate, daily attempt. I think I need to start putting little notes on my mirror (writing some mantras) to keep my brain focused on health and happiness. Your January Me is still in side you. You have the added temptations of all of your trips. Just keep going. You're doing better than you think! Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    kittybenn wrote: »
    A friend brought this to my attention today. Really good read. 'Binge drinking has become completely normalized': Has boozy mom culture gone too far?
    “Mommy’s wine has become a pop culture trend, a marketer’s dream and a hashtag,” said Dr. Crystal Tennille Clark, a psychiatrist and assistant professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine who specializes in women’s health. “I do think we’re losing sight of what a problem (drinking) could be. Many people, whether they’re men or women, don’t appreciate the risks of drinking.”

    Sitting at Friday night's happy hour was another reminder of how automatic the idea of happy hour is in our culture. The bar was jam packed; it was a Friday evening. People were drinking martinis and cocktails and chatting... I can see how that is a stress release in a way. I think I better stay away from happy hours. It felt kind of good to be there again and have that cosmo. I think when the weather breaks, I'll try to incorporate some exercise on Friday evenings. Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    gregariousdavid wrote: »
    Great to be here. No alcohol since 4/2014. Working on many other aspects and glad to be part of this tribe!

    Ahhh so happy you are here with us and for us. Xo
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @erikNJ - Wow, this business about capturing the "female drinker, the millenial drinker, the hispanic drinker etc etc etc.” is really pretty appalling. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. In so many ways, we let ourselves be led by marketing and a culture that's fixated on consumerism. They're not just selling us booze, but so many other things that wreck our finances and our peace of mind. Sorry, don't mean to be preachy, but getting finances in order is one of my obsessions, so I have strong opinions on it.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @JulieAL1969 - Who doesn't love happy hours, right? I don't think I'm strong enough yet to resist the booze myself. I guess if I could go to one with a really set plan and then stick to it I'd be good, but not sure I can. Boy, does the idea of a cosmo sound fabulous.

    Have made it through Fri and Sat without any wine. Not planning any tonight either. Really haven't missed it at all this weekend. I did find a use for that enormous 22 oz wine glass I keep mentioning -- last night I filled it up with a little bit of grapefruit juice and a lot of seltzer and we watched a movie. Was that a @WinoGelato idea? Can't remember, but I loved it. So thanks.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    @kittybenn That glass is legend in my mind. Giggle!
    I thought you were going to say you put a plant in it! Grapefruit juice and seltzer sounds refreshing. I just had lemon in my water. Xo Have a wonderful day!
  • erikNJ
    erikNJ Posts: 1,009 Member
    kittybenn wrote: »
    @erikNJ - Wow, this business about capturing the "female drinker, the millenial drinker, the hispanic drinker etc etc etc.” is really pretty appalling. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. In so many ways, we let ourselves be led by marketing and a culture that's fixated on consumerism. They're not just selling us booze, but so many other things that wreck our finances and our peace of mind. Sorry, don't mean to be preachy, but getting finances in order is one of my obsessions, so I have strong opinions on it.

    No apologies necesary. I am the same way with finances as well!
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    HI everyone! Let us know how your weekend went!
    Regarding tea, I recently found Tea Forte tea. It comes in a beautiful pyramid shape tea bag and a little wire leaf stem. It's a pleasure to use. It's sold on Amazon for $30 bucks! But I found the same exact box of tea for $15 at TJ Maxx. Hope your week is healthy and happy!


    For those who have a Monday morning hangover, here's some tough love from the Stop Drinking Expert.
    https://youtu.be/rU4bz_HnDRI
  • snoo61
    snoo61 Posts: 549 Member
    Had a busy weekend. Getting packed for my month at my daughter's! My SIL is going on his annual tour of duty and I go up to babysit since my daughter works 3rd shift. Hubby will come up for the last week, then we drive home.
  • kpsyche
    kpsyche Posts: 345 Member
    JulieAL1969 wrote: »
    kpsyche wrote: »
    Polo265 wrote: »
    Just checking in. Today is my 100th day alcohol free. I still haven't gotten control of my food situation. Where I used alcohol to help me sleep, I now eat sugar and carbs before bed. It isn't as though I'm even hungry. Last night I even got up after midnight to eat. So, now, I really have to buckle down and get a grip. Congratulations to everyone for all those awesome alcohol free days.

    You're not alone... I do the exact same thing since I stopped drinking. I'm not hungry either; it's almost as if I just have to do something to keep my hands and mouth busy :/

    And yeah, well done again everyone

    Awesome job kicking alcohol! One thing at a time. Now, you can work on your sugar cravings. I saw a cute quote recently, "Everything in moderation including moderation. "

    Thing is... I've given up added sugar as well :D BUT, in the few months after I first stopped drinking alcohol I drank so much sugar-filled drinks it wasn't funny (like 500-750g of sugar a day from them alone). I think I was substituting sugar for alcohol hehe. Now I'm going through a phase of wanting to constantly snack after dinner but it's not too bad because it helps me get close to my 1790 kcal daily goal; surprisingly I struggle to reach it most days but things are getting better now. At least my snacks now have some nutritional value rather than being just empty calories.
  • SunnyDays930
    SunnyDays930 Posts: 1,572 Member
    @islandbeez Thanks for the info. I started the Annie Grace alcohol experiment this morning. I just needed that extra boost.
    Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope you meet your personal goals this week.
  • bdbchick
    bdbchick Posts: 2,434 Member
    Well I went 24 days without before stress got to me. I drank 2 times last week. Neither were in moderation. Starting over and I'm on day 3 of being AF.
  • trishfit2014
    trishfit2014 Posts: 304 Member
    Ugh I am back in. I seem unable to moderate. I hope to give up alcohol until the end of June.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    trishfit2014 wrote: »
    Ugh I am back in. I seem unable to moderate. I hope to give up alcohol until the end of June.

    Don't worry. You're not alone. Many have problem moderating. In a way, it's just easier to cut out alcohol till the special occasion. Otherwise, it's more agonizing to set limits that are hard to reach.
    For motivation, highly recommend Stop Drinking Expert on your tube. Straight talk. No nonsense. Just may be what you need to abstain til June. Xo
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    rachelcalsbeek wrote: »
    Well, today is 3 weeks AF. It has mostly been easy, but Saturday was hard. I was working at my second job as a server, and one of my friends stopped in to drop off a late birthday gift. It was a very nice bottle of merlot. The rest of the night, I debated whether to drink the bottle after work, as I would have normally done in the past. I seriously could not decide for a few hours. The fact that it consumed my thoughts so much and caused me anxiety was eye-opening to me. Thinking about this thread helped. I imagined what my update post would be today if I drank the wine versus if I abstained. So thank you all for your support!

    I have a really busy week with 3 social events coming up that I would normally drink at. We have our vacation in about 3 weeks, so saving money is big right now. I'm hoping that will add an extra incentive not to drink.

    That's exactly how I feel - the fact that I have to think so much about it and have some internal debates about whether or not I should drink something, even in moderation - is eye opening for me as well.

    Still practicing the mindful moderation but definitely know that it is a slippery slope to mindless moderation and then quickly mindless excess. I was teetering between both of those pretty regularly toward the end of last year, and I feel good about the fact that I do think about every drink I take, every social event where alcohol will be prevalent, and I have mostly adhered to those plans ever since finding this thread earlier this year.

    Again, I know I talk a lot about the similarities I see between the successes I've found in losing weight and maintaining that loss - and what I'm trying to do with alcohol intake as well. In the maintaining forums, there are often threads like "Do you think you'll continue to log forever?" and I always say YES! It doesn't feel cumbersome or burdensome to me, and it has brought me such success with being aware of my food intake, my calorie expenditure, and the impact that has on my overall weight management. So I think I just need to get in the same mindset for alcohol too - if I want to be able to continue to imbibe in a safe and healthy way - then I need to focus and practice this mindful moderation forever. Always have a plan, always think about which days and how much I want to drink. No sliding into habitual every day consumption where the AF days are the rare exception.

    Just think, now you have that nice bottle of Merlot to share with a couple of friends on a special occasion - rather than drinking the whole bottle by yourself! And happy belated birthday!
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    @JulieAL1969, thanks for your encouragement. Like others, moderating just doesn't work well for me. @rachelcalsbeek, I'm with you on the thought-consumption aspect. That's my main motivator to abstain. I just don't like thinking about it the whole darn time (planning, portioning, deciding). It really is easier just to not drink. On the other hand, in the moment it feels much easier just to drink and forget it.

    @kittybenn, my mom recently returned from a cruise and showed me the fancy-schmancy printed schedule they got each morning. At the top was always "Friends of Bill W." My mom did not realize that was code for AA meetings. She thought Bill W. must be quite the party guy. Anyway, it was interesting to me to see that there is support for non-drinkers. I can imagine how hard the cruise atmosphere is for those really struggling with abstaining.

    I had an aperol spritz each day this weekend. I fell in love with them in Italy, but don't need to be drinking them at home. I'm planning to be AF through next weekend. That's all I'm planning at the moment. But at least there will be no decision-making required until next Monday.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @rachelcalsbeek - boy that is tough, and I totally get it. That bottle of merlot would be all I would think about, I'm afraid. We're going on vacation in three weeks and, like you, we need to watch expenses now, so that's kind of incentive for me to do two things: be AF til then and save money! Best of luck to you!
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @donimfp - OMG, that is hilarious about your mom thinking Bill W. is the biggest partier on the cruise. Just hilarious. But, yes, drinks are pushed big time on cruises, so gotta be tough for those who are trying to be AF.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    @Leeg5656 What a great weekend you had! I agree with you that I am past the sweet tasting drinks too. I would rather have none than a punch drink. Thanks for your motivating thought : Never let a bump in the road determine your destination. Beautiful!
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    @sdogg626 Sounds like a great weekend! How funny that you and your BF didnt drink at the party but for different reasons- all good reasons. You got a ton of steps! That's over 7 miles of effort. And then you really enjoyed the wine in peace and quiet. Such a perfect win-win situation. Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,348 Member
    donimfp wrote: »
    @JulieAL1969, thanks for your encouragement. Like others, moderating just doesn't work well for me. @rachelcalsbeek, I'm with you on the thought-consumption aspect. That's my main motivator to abstain. I just don't like thinking about it the whole darn time (planning, portioning, deciding). It really is easier just to not drink. On the other hand, in the moment it feels much easier just to drink and forget it.

    @kittybenn, my mom recently returned from a cruise and showed me the fancy-schmancy printed schedule they got each morning. At the top was always "Friends of Bill W." My mom did not realize that was code for AA meetings. She thought Bill W. must be quite the party guy. Anyway, it was interesting to me to see that there is support for non-drinkers. I can imagine how hard the cruise atmosphere is for those really struggling with abstaining.

    I had an aperol spritz each day this weekend. I fell in love with them in Italy, but don't need to be drinking them at home. I'm planning to be AF through next weekend. That's all I'm planning at the moment. But at least there will be no decision-making required until next Monday.

    I am impressed with the cruise line who recognizes that some people do not want to drink. Wow! I am amazed with their code "Friends of Bill W.".

    Yes it's easier to not drink and even easier to drink. Moderating is the tough thing. LOL I am struggling with that at this moment. I'll try the six minute rule.
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    @JulieAL1969, it’s my understanding that most cruises have Friends of Bill W. meetings available. My best friend who goes to AA has found them in a couple of cruises. That’s why I knew what the listings on my mom’s schedules meant. It’s good to know that resource is there.

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