Less Alcohol - January 2019 - One Day at a Time
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Start of day 11 here 😊 This is also.the start of the weekend which could bring problems since it's going to be a crummy weekend weather wise and when that happens we usually Netflix and have a few. Luckily my kids have basketball today and tomorrow so I have at least have activity that doesn t involve drinking so maybe once the night hits I won't want it. Fingers crossed to surviving weekend #2! Best of luck to you all!
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January accountability ~10 day so far
Me (no alcohol): 7 days
Alcohol: 3 days
Last 3 nights I skipped the beer and bourbon & did not join DH in drinking. Patting myself on the back for the resolve to stick to 4 nights AF this week M-Th. Planning for wine with dinner Fri & Sat but I'm feeling so much more in control these days with this resolve.5 -
Morning all.
@springsweet that does not sound like a fun evening at all. Applause to you for your streangth in passing up the beer.
@kittybenn when I had excess of summer squash from my garden I would just leave them in friends cars or on their door step. You dispersing the wine bottles to friends reminded me of that. Lol.
@cupotea woot-woot on day 5 done. Love the tracking calander you put up. Hope Thurs and Friday are kind to you.
Welcome and thanks for posting @gridirongrrl. Glad to hear you are already seeing so many benefits from cutting back and that it is an easy ride so far.
@lilylady3k here is another "pat pat" on your back. Nice plan strategy for Friday night.
@cathipa and @MonkeyMel21 try not to think so much about the up coming bad weather or the work party. Some times the over worrying is the trigger that sets you up for the fall and disappointment. Stay strong.
😁😁 for @winodini and @anglilacs or your successes.
@Womona congrats on day 4 and for being a great cheer leader in here already in here.
A personal victory for me. I looked back to my Jan. 2018 health calender. This time last year I had already caved and had 6 drinks on three days. It is important for me to keep this sort of information available to read and know I am moving forward.
Wishing everyone a "less" successful day.
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Start of day 11 here 😊 This is also.the start of the weekend which could bring problems since it's going to be a crummy weekend weather wise and when that happens we usually Netflix and have a few. Luckily my kids have basketball today and tomorrow so I have at least have activity that doesn t involve drinking so maybe once the night hits I won't want it. Fingers crossed to surviving weekend #2! Best of luck to you all!
I have been been af since January, and have only had a few times when I wanted a glass of wine and didn’t have one. But... I am worried about this weekend, too! I live in Virginia, and snow is coming! I’m going to have to take it day by day for drinking AND snacking.
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Hey gang, just checking in!
I've gone 10 days AF, the longest I've gone since November 2017. I feel pretty good overall - sleeping much better, I'm in a much better mood generally and I'm not irritable or anxious. This week has been nuts at work and I think not drinking is what got me though it. That said, a nice drink (or three) would have been great after work today (one more long day to get through) but instead of using alcohol as a reward, I will have a different treat tonight (maybe some Crispy Minis) and think of waking up feeling fresh tomorrow as a reward as well.
Tomorrow night, hubby and I are going to dinner and a concert. I haven't been to a concert sober in...yikes, maybe ever? So I'm looking forward to that!
I continue to be super grateful for this new non-alcoholic beer I've discovered. I never thought AF drinks would help much but in this case it's getting me through. And proving that I really DO like the taste of craft beer, not just the buzz
Cheers to a happy, healthy, AF or alcohol-reduced weekend!10 -
I went all week without having a drink! Thursday nights had been tough for me lately because I guess I feel like I deserved a drink after a long week of not drinking (which would always turn into 5 or 6). But then I'd drink Friday nights and sometimes Saturday nights too, and I'd be lazy and not do anything all day on Saturday and Sunday.
It wasn't even difficult to not drink last night. I spent time with the kids, played my guitar and cleaned the house as usual. Hoping I can keep this up every week! Tonight I plan on having 3 or 4 beers. Hope I can stick to it but if I don't, I can't go too much over that because I don't have a lot of beer in the house anyway. 6 -
@cupotea, what app is that?1
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Day 11 AF! I am in the same boat as those of you mentioning bad weather this weekend. We're expecting snow tonight and normally for me that would mean a glass (or 3!) of wine in front of the fireplace. Sparkling water will have to do, although that won't keep my insides nice and warm. I wish I could tolerate warm teas like some of you do, but I just don't like them.1
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7/10 days AF. Today was pretty easy to say no. Nice to have those kind of days sprinkled in with the harder ones.
I am 7/10 as well and I definitely appreciate the easy days too. My husband was out on Wednesday and Thursday evening at a work function that his company does annually where they bring in the employees that work out of town. The second evening is always a drunk fest for them. Wednesday night was pretty easy for me but last night I wanted a glass of wine because I felt good from my evening run and I also knew he would be coming home pretty tipsy (no worries, he took an Uber). I was able to resist, drinking Earl Grey tea instead. It was decaffinated, but I was still awake most of the night.
I know that many people have claimed better sleep since going alcohol free, but does anyone else find that they actually sleep worse without it? One glass of wine before bed and I usually don't wake up during the night, but on nights that I don't drink, I am up off and on all night long.
@cupoftea I may have missed this, but is that an app you are using to track your alcohol intake? If so, which one? I like the idea of distinguishing between alcohol days and "heavy drinking". i want to limit my alcohol days but I want to completely eliminate any days that I would classify as "heavy drinking", or more than 3 drinks in one day.2 -
@lporter229 My biggest fear doing a Dry January was not being able to sleep. I definitely slept worse without drinking for the first week. It has slowly improved and last night I slept all night except for my dog getting me up one time. But I was the same, a glass of wine before bed and I slept like a baby all night long. I hear a lot of people who drink say they don't sleep well, they toss and turn all night, wake up at 2am, etc, but that was never the case for me.2
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I use the app Dry January, it tracks calories, money saved from not drinking and how many days dry. It is also can be used if you do plan to drink. Has a calendar of drinking/non drinking days.3
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I have that one (Dry January), but it seems to steer towards abstinence, not moderation, which is fine this month, but moving forwards I'd like to be able to track moderate days, etc. I've looked at other apps and they all seem the same-sobriety, not moderation.2
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lporter229 wrote: »@cupoftea I may have missed this, but is that an app you are using to track your alcohol intake? If so, which one? I like the idea of distinguishing between alcohol days and "heavy drinking". i want to limit my alcohol days but I want to completely eliminate any days that I would classify as "heavy drinking", or more than 3 drinks in one day.
Hey @lporter229 it is an app, it’s called Drink Less and much like this thread is more for monitoring/cutting back your alcohol intake than complete abstinence (although of course could work well for that too. I’m really liking it!
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OH and I have got our Friday night tipples sorted. Really lovely how supportive he is being, absolutely no question about whether to buy wine or not (as we usually would on a Friday) instead we headed to the gym and got our favourite soda on the way home!
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Good luck to everyone going into the weekend! I have around an hour left at work and the cravings for Friday night wine are in full force. Hoping those lessen as the evening goes on.4
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Some kind soul up-thread mentioned using bitters as a flavoring for drinks as a sub for booze. I used it many years ago just because I liked the taste, and think maybe this could work for me now, added to a clear diet soda. Instead of a glass of wine with dinner [before dinner, during dinner, after dinner] I can have as much of this as I like. Downside ?? The soda is gonna make me get up and pee all night long. Upside ?? Save the real wine for the menu that calls for it.
Shut up, sushi !!
So many new hopeful posters here this month. Very nice. Please stay the course...it's really worth it, in health, money, weight, relationships...
Am looking forward to the drop off at the gym in February so I can take advantage of my insurance "ancient person" free plan and join. No marathons for this COPD afflicted elder, but looking forward to snagging a trainer to show how to use those crazy machines.
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I am going to call Friday night a success already! We’re in the process of being snowed in here. So hubby purposely avoided the normal Friday night beer run and now the roads are too bad to go out. Finished dinner and had a cup of coffee instead and ready to settle in for the night!
Planning on not drinking tomorrow either and having Sunday be my one day a week since we’ll be going out to dinner.
Hope everyone’s weekend is starting out well and if you’re in the middle of the country getting any of this snow stay safe!8 -
Today’s cravings got really bad tonight. My son is sick and can’t go to his Pinewood Derby race so I’m home with him while my husband went to race his car. I’ve craved food all day and then alcohol all evening. I gave in to the food a little but I did NOT give in to the alcohol! I’m going to stay positive for tomorrow, maybe get out a puzzle or something to occupy myself, lol.11
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Good strong thoughts for those of you having that devil on your shoulder today/tonight. Your not alone.5
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It’s overtaken diet irn bru as my fave fizzy juice
I'm into the "Zero" beverage drinks that are available. Right now I am drinking the Zero Arizona half & half tea. Having it cold and heated up. Messing around this time last year trying to substitute mock tails for alcoholic drinks , only put the calories on me. So the Zero Orange will be a nice change, hope they have that around here.0 -
Date night with hubby last night - proud that I wasn’t craving it- even for a Friday night! I did order a glass to go with my steak and I was honestly “meh” about it. I wound up with the extra half glass because waitress screwed up and gave us a round on the house. Took a few sips and then I just couldn’t drink any more- found myself getting a little drunk. Came home, did some drunk eating and today I feel lousy. Didn’t sleep well at all. At least my weight wasn’t up from yesterday! Whew!
Plan for this weekend is nurse one glass of wine when out with friends tonight, and one when we watch the Eagles/Saints game with friends on Sunday. Not going for that 2nd glass in hopes it helps with the yuck feeling and bad sleep!
Good luck everyone this weekend- especially those snowbound!3 -
It’s overtaken diet irn bru as my fave fizzy juice
I'm into the "Zero" beverage drinks that are available. Right now I am drinking the Zero Arizona half & half tea. Having it cold and heated up. Messing around this time last year trying to substitute mock tails for alcoholic drinks , only put the calories on me. So the Zero Orange will be a nice change, hope they have that around here.
Ooh what’s the Zero Arizona? Is it available in the UK? I feel like I need to try it!0 -
Date night with hubby last night - proud that I wasn’t craving it- even for a Friday night! I did order a glass to go with my steak and I was honestly “meh” about it. I wound up with the extra half glass because waitress screwed up and gave us a round on the house. Took a few sips and then I just couldn’t drink any more- found myself getting a little drunk. Came home, did some drunk eating and today I feel lousy. Didn’t sleep well at all. At least my weight wasn’t up from yesterday! Whew!
Plan for this weekend is nurse one glass of wine when out with friends tonight, and one when we watch the Eagles/Saints game with friends on Sunday. Not going for that 2nd glass in hopes it helps with the yuck feeling and bad sleep!
Good luck everyone this weekend- especially those snowbound!
@Womona lots of hugs but draw a line under it and learn whatever you need to from it. Another tip is have a wine with soda water in it, that way you can have a couple of glasses but not a lot of actual wine!1 -
My personal goal is to drink less alcohol. Targeting 4 nights per week AF usually M-Th ~16 AF nights per month. DH & I are dropping the nightly bottle of wine with dinner. Listing my social challenges and plans to not go with the flow drinking 2-4 glasses of wine when out with friends!
January
January accountability ~11 day so far
Me (no alcohol): 7 days
Alcohol: 4 days (5 9 drinks)
To view the weekly count toward 4 ... AF Mon Dec 31!
Jan 1 - AF
Jan 2 - Dinner out with hubby after challenging day at work transitioning my role. Looks like it will take weeks to ramp them up. Didn't leave chair for 9 hrs. (excuses) - limited myself to 1 glass of wine
Jan 3 - Bunco - limit 1 glass wine. Slipped up and had 2-3 (I call it 12 oz 3 if light pour / 2 if heavy pour) What happen to my resolve to drink water after 1 glass?
Jan 4 - Traveling with my mom & sister 7 hrs today for a funeral Saturday. Plans to limit to 1 glass of wine was blown. I lacked the willpower which I need to work on. 1 margarita at mexican restaurant, 1 glass of wine in hotel suite everyone gathered at after dinner.
Jan 5 - AF Driving 7 hours return trip
Jan 6 - AF
*This past week Monday thru Sunday I hit my 4 days of AF by reigning it in Sat and Sun! No social challenges next week. It will be just me and my own willpower to bank AF days for the month to offset challenging weeks ahead.
Jan 7 - AF
Jan 8 - AF
Jan 9 - AF
Jan 10 - AF Driving 6 hours this evening
*Last 3 nights I skipped the beer and bourbon & did not join DH in drinking. Patting myself on the back for the resolve to stick to 4 nights AF this week M-Th. Planning for wine with dinner Fri & Sat but I'm feeling so much more in control these days with this resolve.
Jan 11 - 4 glasses (2 red, 2 white) Opened 2 bottles of wine with DH should have limited myself to 1 glass from each; almost doubled my number of drinks for the month in one night sitting outside with neighbors looking out over the water and grilling steaks.
Jan 12 - Plan to limit myself to 1 glass this evening PERIOD; I need to learn this skill
Jan 13 -
Jan 14 -
Jan 15 -
Jan 16 - Bookclub - limit 1 glass wine or beer
Jan 17 - Bingo fundraiser @ winery - limit 1 glass wine
Jan 18 -
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Jan 20 -
Jan 21 - Bookclub - limit 1 glass wine
Jan 22 - Dining out club - limit 1 glass wine
Jan 23 -
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Jan 25 -
Jan 26 -
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Jan 31 - Retiring from company after 30 years - plan to celebrate but limit 2 glasses4 -
Day 11 in the books.
What I find is: When walking between work and home I'll see a happy hour haunt and have a quick hankering (for wine? for socializing?). When I get home, instead of a glass of wine I'll pour a big glass of fresca. I discovered quickly that I am often *thirsty* which surprises me because I drink water all day. But I drink the big fresca and then go on with my evening. That's interesting. Glad hubs had bought some fresca. I don't normally drink sodas, but it's a good replacement for white wine this month.
Scale is cooperating, so I'm achieving my goals!4
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