The Sober Squad- Alcohol Free Living
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I'm on the move again!! For someone who really dislikes moving, I've moved twice in the past 2 years. Ugggh! THIS time I will be moving into a rent-geared-to-income apartment and my hope is to stay put. I had put my name on the list for a unit last year when I moved in here, but thought I'd likely be at my current place for at least 2 more years. The last two apartments have been very expensive so there's been more pressure financially, and I'm looking forward to having some of that pressure alleviated.
It will also be more doable when I retire (semi-retire) in 5 years...I don't have tons of savings so this move will help me manage on a limited budget...cause when my income goes down so will my rent. I'm also going to collect some of my government pension when I turn the big 6-0! So that will also enable me to give up a job or two and have more free time...YAY!!8 -
@SweatsOnSunday and here I was thinking I was the only one who had to talk myself through flashbacks of stupid, younger me 😅 I am going to try your motto next time!7
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Twooooo months AF for meeee today!!! There's been some DAMN close calls, but I've held my ground. This world is definitely testin' me!!! 😆 thanks everyone for helping me to keep on going!15
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Day 2... Have quit for years before, but decided I could moderate myself this time. Yeah, you know how that works out. Starts out fine, couple of beers on the weekend, ends up drinking bourbon on the drive home every day. Anyways, sick of all the weight I've gained, tired of the hangovers, and making STUPID choices while drunk.
Day 2...14 -
errydayimmusclin wrote: »Twooooo months AF for meeee today!!! There's been some DAMN close calls, but I've held my ground. This world is definitely testin' me!!! 😆 thanks everyone for helping me to keep on going!
Awesome!!’ 👍🥳🎉💜9 -
kevinrfletcher wrote: »Day 2... Have quit for years before, but decided I could moderate myself this time. Yeah, you know how that works out. Starts out fine, couple of beers on the weekend, ends up drinking bourbon on the drive home every day. Anyways, sick of all the weight I've gained, tired of the hangovers, and making STUPID choices while drunk.
Day 2...
Yes, I do... I was finally sick of myself as well and knew it was time!! As you know you are going to feel so much better in the long run!!
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In June of this year it will have been 7 years since I last touched a drink. Right before I quit drinking I was on a mission to get in shape as I was 215 lbs. I struggled until I made some healthier choices and giving up alcohol was one of them. I lost 75 lbs after that but of course with my love of food now it’s been hard to keep it off. I’m back up to 180 lbs but back on track and looking for some support and motivation. I find a lot of people I talk to sub food when they give up alcohol. It’s a tough journey sometimes. Looking for friends here to share wins and struggles with. Go ahead and add me as I’m terrible at adding people for some reason. Lol. Good luck all!11
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@kevinrfletcher
I was a big bourbon guy too. Going on 8 weeks AF now. Hang tough. You are in for a treat 👍👍9 -
Sober since Christmas for health focus. No calories to waste on booze and I want to stay as hydrated as possible. Add me to this challenge
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@Ed_Zilla Thanks man! Congrats on the 8 weeks! Good stuff right there!
@Fitness327wk Thanks! Already feeling better, well, at least in the mornings!
Day 3... It's awesome to see so many people with the same goal. I've left one drink worth sitting in the bottom of a 1.75L of Jim Beam sitting on the counter. It's the remains of the previous weekend fishing/camping trip. I talk to it when I go by, like the Dread Pirate Roberts... "Good night, Jim. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."8 -
@CdnChick I'm terrible at adding people too! Congrats on 7 years AF
seems like the less alcohol thread is busier this go around,that's great,anything to improve life quality and reach goals,one of my regular customers at work is a binge drinker like me,he was doing great on staying sober but on NYE he had one drink,think that one drink spurred him into a binge a few weeks later cuz his neighbor found him after a few days of not seeing him and he was in his apartment, out of it,ended up in the hospital with kidney failure! Luckily he's doing OK now,in rehab but his neighbor told me if she hasn't found him when she did they told her he'd have passed,sometimes drinking is just no joke,it does kill,I just hafta remember that when I get"the itch" anyhoo waves to all and wishes for a happy AF day 
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@whitpauly Thanks! Sorry to hear about your customer but yes I see it all the time. I work with people who are trying to stay AF but it's a struggle for a lot. It doesn't help that it's such a social thing either. I'm so fortunate because my close friends are so supportive in my journey. I calculated my calories I got from alcohol once and it was about 5000 per weekend alone! Yikes! Adds up fast and hated the way I felt about myself. I think I might be figuring out how to add people when I use my laptop now! I'm growing!! lol7
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@kevinrfletcher
I like your chat with the bottle! I'm 8 weeks AF today, but I still have a 1.75L of Skyy vodka in the spare bedroom closet. I think my bottle is a girl though. She's the "secret" bottle I used to top off the regular bottle that my husband could see. I don't miss all the work that involved. I think it's time I had a chat with it ("*kitten*...please..."), say goodbye and kick it out of the house!
Congratulations on Day 3! And congratulations to everyone for another AF day!
To all Sober Squad friends, feel free to add me. Just a heads up, I don't talk about this alcohol journey anywhere but here. 11 -
LOL...I didn't realize the B word would auto-correct to "kitten". Maybe I'll just stick to, "Bye Feclicia..."8
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kevinrfletcher wrote: »@Ed_Zilla Thanks man! Congrats on the 8 weeks! Good stuff right there!
@Fitness327wk Thanks! Already feeling better, well, at least in the mornings!
Day 3... It's awesome to see so many people with the same goal. I've left one drink worth sitting in the bottom of a 1.75L of Jim Beam sitting on the counter. It's the remains of the previous weekend fishing/camping trip. I talk to it when I go by, like the Dread Pirate Roberts... "Good night, Jim. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."
OH my Gosh!! You made me laugh out loud. “Dread Pirate Roberts....” I love that connection!3 -
@CdnChick I'm terrible at adding people too! Congrats on 7 years AF seems like the less alcohol thread is busier this go around,that's great,anything to improve life quality and reach goals,one of my regular customers at work is a binge drinker like me,he was doing great on staying sober but on NYE he had one drink,think that one drink spurred him into a binge a few weeks later cuz his neighbor found him after a few days of not seeing him and he was in his apartment, out of it,ended up in the hospital with kidney failure! Luckily he's doing OK now,in rehab but his neighbor told me if she hasn't found him when she did they told her he'd have passed,sometimes drinking is just no joke,it does kill,I just hafta remember that when I get"the itch" anyhoo waves to all and wishes for a happy AF day
Yes, alcohol can kill and it’s not joke to binge. I have known two people who have died in the last two years from alcohol. One person was a young woman age 27 who drank herself to death. The other a women in her 40s who after serious organ failure was released from hospital and drank again.
Usually the alcohol threads are quite busy the first few months of the year - people have good intentions. It is difficult to sustain ‘less alcohol” if you truly have a problem. Not all people do but 10 percent of drinkers cannot moderate. Hey, that’s me! 8 -
I never really thought I had an problem w. Alcohol. But I started recording how much I actually drink and it was startling. I'm a bengie drinker. I would go through 2-4 bottles of wine in 2 days, then nothing for the rest of the week. I got to the point if I opened a bottle. I would finish it that night. I gont eve feel the effects of alcohol, I just drink to drink.
My finance and I are running/walking a 10K in April and we've both decided to not drink untill then.
But I figure we are getting married March 2020 and I'm trying to lose 100lbs by then. I'm going to obstain from alcohol until the ceremony.
It's been about 4 weeks sober. I do miss it but I'm trying to replace the want it with something else.
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Day 4... Weekend's coming. Hang on tight, this is where it gets rough...6
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kevinrfletcher wrote: »Day 4... Weekend's coming. Hang on tight, this is where it gets rough...
8 weeks ago today was my last drink...Hang in there :-)
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One of the reasons I left the less alcohol thread was that I realized I was kidding myself. I CANNOT drink in moderation. And when I expressed my views that alcohol is poison, it was meant with hostility. Anyway, if there is a bottle, I will finish it. Someone once gave me one of those wine bottle stoppers so you can save what is left and I thought to myself, "Well I will never use THIS". I had a very disturbing dream last night about being drunk and waking up in a strange place and not remembering the details of the night before. Friends, it was so real. When I REALLY woke up, my heart was pounding and I cannot describe the relief I felt. I think this is a warning to me not to let my guard down, ever. I know it's St.Pat's weekend and there will be a lot of drinking so if you do indulge, please don't drive, take an Uber. And if you plan to stay sober, I wish you well. Regardless, the squad will be here for you come what may. Oh and I haven't said welcome to the new members yet; Welcome to our supportive thread!8
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@JenT304 I hate those dreams! So disturbing but then a relief,yes the plain fact is alcohol IS a poison and if I had that "turn off" switch I wouldn't even be here,I've been having romantic thoughts about drinking these past few days and really need to nip that! It's not even the taste I like,it's the drunk I like but omg if I gotta deal with puking,waking up all night,dry eyes,irritable bowel,etc forget it! That's my reality and I need to remember that, I hate commercials and shows that show drinkin as such a great time, I guess it was for me at one time but those days are looooong gone,waves to all and wishes for a great AF Friday 10
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@JenT304 I've said it before & I'll say it again ~Thank you for starting this thread~ I am thankful for stumbling on the less alcohol thread in my earlier days of being AF...it was a great resource, BUT I too felt the tension expressing the truth on that thread about alcohol being poison. The interesting thing to me is that some of the resources on the first page of that thread is Craig Beck, Alcohol Mastery, Annie Grace who ALL say alcohol IS poison..that is where I initially learned the truth about alcohol. Yet, I felt like I was walking on eggshells if I dared to mention the truth that I learned through the resources listed there. Hmmmm?
I have never felt ostracized on this thread for expressing my view and am so thankful to those here who are real and not deluding themselves into thinking alcohol has some kind of benefit. It doesn't mean the struggle is any easier when we deal in reality, because the hook is still there and that is one of the most insidious things about it...although we KNOW it is NOT good for us, we can still fall prey to it's lure & have to fight to stay free!
Denial is the chief tool to use if we want to continue to do what we do, especially if it is not good for us...denial keeps us stuck in behaviours that are harmful...period!! We cannot be honest AND be in denial...it's one or the other. Honesty is the only antidote to break through our denial to gain the courage we need to continue the fight. It absolutely takes courage to face the truth...like Dr. P. says, "you can't change what you don't acknowledge! "So to all my courageous friends on this thread...thank you to you too 7 -
Did you know that St Patricks day is one of the most busiest days for bars .....and DUI's
I didnt know that until I happened to listen to the news with the stats on DUI's and increase of numbers of people arrested for public drinking and driving drunk.........something to think about.
I have a friend who stopped drinking about 7 months ago...totally stopped......His sugar levels have decreased dramatically, from the high 7s, down to I think, 6.5.......he is diabetic and he's elated that his numbers are down
Whatpauly ,you are right . Alcohol kills.........I still keep up with my friend Beverly's 2 children. Both in their 20s. Both really great kids who are so missing their mom. She drank...........heavily, so heavily that her husband couldn't handle it, and left her..........She then moved into a small apartment, wasn't working but drank straight vodka for years..........She hit her head one night , alone , must have been so drunk, she couldn't walk or stay balanced and fell on the shower door.........The police think that after she did hit her head , she sat down in bed, or passed out........and died of a blood clot that killed her from a blow to the head....... We dated in high school, she was tall, about 5" 11 120 lbs, incredible figure, she had looks, she had it all..........when I saw her before she passed away ,I literally was shocked. I hadnt seen her in over 30 year.........she had aged terribly, she looked 80 and she just gave in, her brain performance was bad.........she got very paranoid, couldn't accept her husband leaving her and getting custody of the kids.....and when they did an autopsy, her liver was as hard as a rock and green.......really scary...............
I agree, if people continue to drink, it not only kills them, but totally, totally devastated their loved ones after they are gone.. Best wishes to everyone and be safe this weekend....
Best wishes, Lloyd11 -
MountainLaurel787 wrote: »@kevinrfletcher
I like your chat with the bottle! I'm 8 weeks AF today, but I still have a 1.75L of Skyy vodka in the spare bedroom closet. I think my bottle is a girl though. She's the "secret" bottle I used to top off the regular bottle that my husband could see. I don't miss all the work that involved. I think it's time I had a chat with it ("*kitten*...please..."), say goodbye and kick it out of the house!
Congrats on the 8 weeks! To quote Calvin & Hobbes, "WOOOOT! WOOOOT!!!"
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@JenT304 Same here. It's how I always got back to the heavy stuff... I figure I will control it this time, start out with a beer or two, sitting on the beach, no harm there... two months later, it's a fifth of bourbon every other day. I'm tires of it all. Killing myself with booze. For all those that can control it, good on ya! I've seen a few friends that thought they could though, and it took them down. Powerful stuff. I quit smoking easier than I quit booze...
Day 4 in the books. I let "Jim" survive another day. I'll most likely kill him in the morning...10 -
Did you know that St Patricks day is one of the most busiest days for bars .....and DUI's
I didnt know that until I happened to listen to the news with the stats on DUI's and increase of numbers of people arrested for public drinking and driving drunk.........something to think about.
I have a friend who stopped drinking about 7 months ago...totally stopped......His sugar levels have decreased dramatically, from the high 7s, down to I think, 6.5.......he is diabetic and he's elated that his numbers are down
Whatpauly ,you are right . Alcohol kills.........I still keep up with my friend Beverly's 2 children. Both in their 20s. Both really great kids who are so missing their mom. She drank...........heavily, so heavily that her husband couldn't handle it, and left her..........She then moved into a small apartment, wasn't working but drank straight vodka for years..........She hit her head one night , alone , must have been so drunk, she couldn't walk or stay balanced and fell on the shower door.........The police think that after she did hit her head , she sat down in bed, or passed out........and died of a blood clot that killed her from a blow to the head....... We dated in high school, she was tall, about 5" 11 120 lbs, incredible figure, she had looks, she had it all..........when I saw her before she passed away ,I literally was shocked. I hadnt seen her in over 30 year.........she had aged terribly, she looked 80 and she just gave in, her brain performance was bad.........she got very paranoid, couldn't accept her husband leaving her and getting custody of the kids.....and when they did an autopsy, her liver was as hard as a rock and green.......really scary...............
I agree, if people continue to drink, it not only kills them, but totally, totally devastated their loved ones after they are gone.. Best wishes to everyone and be safe this weekend....
Best wishes, Lloyd
Very heartbreaking to read that😢 sorry for the loss of your friend, my coworker's dad had a liver transplant a few years ago and his wife sent a pic of the old liver and yup it was a greenish color,hard looking and full of holes/pits looked so gross!2 -
My God @lloydrt . What a message. But that is the ugly truth. Alcohol kills. I just read this:
"According to a recent analysis from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, the number of alcohol-related deaths in the United States rose by 35% between 2007 and 2017. In comparison, the overall death rate in the United States rose by 24% over that time.
That rise in alcohol-related deaths was especially stark among women, at 67%, compared with a 29% increase among men. And while alcohol-related deaths among teenagers were decreased by about 16% from 2007 to 2017, alcohol-related deaths among people ages 45 to 64 rose by about 25%, O'Donnell writes."
Well I'd say a lot of us on this thread are in that age range.
I'm trying to think of my body as a car. This car has taken some abuse and it won't run forever but I'd like to keep it on the road as long as possible. So only put good fuel in it.8 -
kevinrfletcher wrote: »it's a fifth of bourbon every other day.
I got tired of making so many trips to the liquor store so I bought the huge bottles of Jim Beam. The scary thing (now) is everyone at the liquor store knew me. I can't tell you how many times I would work out at the gym, head to the liquor store, head home and get hammered.
Hang in there @kevinrfletcher !!!
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This app takes the wind out of my sails.. Just wrote a long heartfelt post and lost it when my phone reoriented to landscape.. Makes me not want to try to post this again because it pi**ed me off so much, but I felt it was too important not to.
I've decided to try to post here on Friday and Saturday nights. I've noticed, since joining the group, that we all seem to go AWOL on those evenings, at a time when many of us may need the most support. At times when I've struggled on weekend nights, I would look to this page for some inspiration to not cave to cravings, but there were usually no new posts. While any decision to allow myself to cave has been 100 percent on me, I thought that maybe starting to post those evenings may help people to feel supported and stay accountable.
I have found myself reluctant to re-engage after a slip up out of disappointment and embarrassment with myself. While I still continue to check in daily to read what others write, I'm less likely to share my own struggles.
But for those who are struggling, here goes: I made the decision to go AF on January 8th. I had one slip up in January, thus, 8 total days not AF, but.. 23 days AF. February, I had 5 screw up days, but 23 days AF. March, my biggest mess yet, 5 days not AF this month, despite making a commitment to the 90 day challenge. On March first, the night after my first overnight with my husband and without my kid in 11 months, my husband wanted to stop at a brewery on the way home. I think I allowed myself to indulge because on some level I wanted something to go back to how it was before baby. I then didn't fight urges hard enough when they came up the next weekend either.
Well, I am really committed again. Started my crazy diet again yesterday because I'm disgusted with myself and that diet leaves no room for anything bad, let alone alcohol. It's healthy, but strict as all get out and I need that quick loss to fuel me on at this point and keep me motivated.
So as pathetic as I feel that I said yes to a challenge and fell right off the wagon, I'm sharing this for anyone who feels the same. And thanks to this group, I have made a major change. I used to drink nightly. Not to excess (other than the fact that it was nightly) And I now no longer drink during the week and that's the new normal. So although it's not my ideal 100 percent AF, I've come a long way. Now to tackle the weekends. And that starts with posting Friday and Saturday nights both for myself and all of you..10 -
Yellowstone1983 wrote: »So as pathetic as I feel that I said yes to a challenge and fell right off the wagon, I'm sharing this for anyone who feels the same. And thanks to this group, I have made a major change. I used to drink nightly. Not to excess (other than the fact that it was nightly) And I now no longer drink during the week and that's the new normal. So although it's not my ideal 100 percent AF, I've come a long way. Now to tackle the weekends. And that starts with posting Friday and Saturday nights both for myself and all of you..
That right there is a victory! Sometimes it's the little steps that lead to big changes. None of us are perfect, and we give in to temptation at times, but we know what the end goal is and we'll get there eventually. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing!
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