Less Alcohol - January 2019 - One Day at a Time
Replies
-
Patting my own back, day 3AF!
I will most likely have a drink tomorrow, bowling night, just 1.7 -
I've lurked around these threads for a while without really consistently doing anything about reducing my drinking while at the say time also worrying I drink too much (I do). I've been drinking daily and far too much.
Anyway I'm now onto 3AF. I want to say AF for the rest of this month at least with the aim of breaking the habit of drinking at home. I want to transition to a couple of times per month maximum.
I have a couple of social gathering this weekend where the expectation is you'll drink. I'll be encouraged to "go on just have one". I'm not good at just having one which is why I'm using the cover of dry January.
Anyway just making myself accountable by posting here.11 -
January day three~
Me: 3*
Alcohol: 0
Good morning all. I have very limited time to post this morning so I will need to make it a group congrats to everyone meeting their own goals.
If you don't want to say your having dry January, that is not a problem. Think of it as "damp" January. As long as we do not begin to drown in the month, it is all good!
Lots of new faces....welcome. come in, relax and feel free to just listen or to voice your struggles or progress.
BTW who mentioned hot chocolate earlir? Now that is all I can think of. Going to have to buy some today. Lol
Have a successful day/night.
5 -
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 accountability ~3 day so far
Me:(no alcohol) 1 days
Alcohol: 2 days
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 tomorrow. Not really sure what the social situation will be since we’ll be seeing my mothers siblings I’ve not seen in 30 years and many of my cousins. Plan to limit to 1 glass of wine.
Jan 5 - Driving 7 hours return trip … AF
Jan 6 -
Jan 7 -
Jan 8 -
Jan 9 -
Jan 10 -
Jan 11 -
Jan 12 -
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 -
Jan 19 -
Jan 20 -
Jan 21 - Bookclub - limit 1 glass wine
Jan 22 - Dining out club - limit 1 glass wine
Jan 23 -
Jan 24 -
Jan 25 -
Jan 26 -
Jan 27 -
Jan 28 -
Jan 29 -
Jan 30 -
Jan 31 - Retiring from company after 30 years - plan to celebrate but limit 2 glasses2 -
My aim is regulation. I am not doing "dry January", but good for all of you that are!
Having this thread keeps me accountable.
I'm not really into deprivation, just trying to be more moderate with food and alcohol.
My primary reason for AF days is weight loss. Once alcohol is in our bodies our liver concentrates on only that and not on metabolising fat or anything else. Also, being puffy is not ideal : - )
My goal is 4 - 5 AF days per week.
I was 16 day AF out of 30 for December, not counting the 31st. Up until October 27th.18 I was having drinks every single day. I have cut back for sure.
I do plan to have champagne NYE.
December 31st - 1 pumpkin spice cream liqueur, 2 mixed drinks. I did not get to the champagne.
January 1st - AF
January 2nd - AF
January 3rd - AF
January 4th -
January 5th -
January 6th -
January 7th -
January 8th -
January 9th -
January 10th -
January 11th -
January 12th -
January 13th -
January 14th -
January 15th -
January 16th -
January 17th -
January 18th -
January 19th -
January 20th -
January 21st -
January 22nd -
January 23rd -
January 24th -
January 25th -
January 26th -
January 27th -
January 28th -
January 29th -
January 30th -
January 31st -1 -
On to day 4. If I get through today (which I fully intend to), this will be the longest I've gone without alcohol since November 2017. Yikes.
Question for ya'll. I legitimately enjoy the taste of craft beer. I know Annie Grace says this just isn't true - it's not the taste we like, but the buzz that comes with it - but last night I tried an "alcohol-free" (0.3%) craft beer, and it was actually quite good! So much so that I think I'll go out and get more when I get a craving. My question is, is this cheating, since there is technically a tiny bit of alcohol in it, even though it's not nearly enough to intoxicate me? Same goes for kombucha. If I am doing a true dry January, have I already spoiled it by having an AF beer with .3% alcohol?
I'm sure it's one of those "to each their own" situations, but I am curious to hear your thoughts. To me, if it helps me from grabbing a real craft beer with 6 or 7% alcohol content, I think it's way better.3 -
Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »On to day 4. If I get through today (which I fully intend to), this will be the longest I've gone without alcohol since November 2017. Yikes.
Question for ya'll. I legitimately enjoy the taste of craft beer. I know Annie Grace says this just isn't true - it's not the taste we like, but the buzz that comes with it - but last night I tried an "alcohol-free" (0.3%) craft beer, and it was actually quite good! So much so that I think I'll go out and get more when I get a craving. My question is, is this cheating, since there is technically a tiny bit of alcohol in it, even though it's not nearly enough to intoxicate me? Same goes for kombucha. If I am doing a true dry January, have I already spoiled it by having an AF beer with .3% alcohol?
I'm sure it's one of those "to each their own" situations, but I am curious to hear your thoughts. To me, if it helps me from grabbing a real craft beer with 6 or 7% alcohol content, I think it's way better.
Doesn't sound like cheating to me, sounds like a great plan to help you to stay on track!2 -
After only 3 AF days, I am already feeling some of the benefits, and none of the pain! More energy, flatter stomach, avoiding mindless snacking... feels great to get back on track! Tough at 7pm, after a stressful day, when the bottle is calling my name, but I have to keep reminding myself how good I will feel in the morning. Happy Friday everyone!2
-
I'm in
Been AF for 2 days and will be tonight also.
3 -
Just a little laugh. But seriously, Day 4 and the temptation is great. Probably doesn’t help that it’s Friday evening- I’m used to unwinding with a glass of wine- and my kids are hyper.16 -
@Sub4_2018 Thanks! We've learned a lot from the participants that pop in, and keep popping in.
Love your username and goals! I'm nearly an hour over a sub-4 marathon (did my first in Aug 2017 aged 50, have done a 50 km and another 42.2km this year), but happy with my efforts.
I look forward to hearing about your progress! Have you got a race lined up for an attempt?
@Orphia Thank you so much! My sub-4 attempt was September 2018 and I came in at 3:52! All the happy tears that day. I'm currently training for the Vancouver marathon in May. I love that your first marathon was at 50 and you've since done a 50k - that's amazing! which marathon are you doing this year?0 -
meggers123 wrote: »
Just a little laugh. But seriously, Day 4 and the temptation is great. Probably doesn’t help that it’s Friday evening- I’m used to unwinding with a glass of wine- and my kids are hyper.
@meggers123 Lol! I have been loving all the Bird Box memes lately. I feel you, Friday is always hard for me. My time to unwind and relax. I'm having mocktails tonight - sparkling water, bitters and lime. It's not my wine, but it'll do!1 -
Thank you for the laugh! Here is to day four!2
-
I'm excited to see how this weekend goes. So far I don't have any plans to be social so hopefully I'll just be chilling without temptation1
-
I have a lot of things coming up this month that have been associated with alcohol consumption in the past - shooting photos at live concerts and business team meetings over a four-day period. It’s going to be interesting to see how being AF changes my photography and sociability.
Decided to make an accountability thread, so here goes:
Jan 1 - AF
Jan 2 - AF
Jan 3 - AF
Jan 4 -
Jan 5 -
Jan 6 -
Jan 7 -
Jan 8 -
Jan 9 -
Jan 10 -
Jan 11 -
Jan 12 -
Jan 13 -
Jan 14 -
Jan 15 -
Jan 16 -
Jan 17 -
Jan 18 -
Jan 19 -
Jan 20 -
Jan 21 -
Jan 22 -
Jan 23 -
Jan 24 -
Jan 25 -
Jan 26 -
Jan 27 -
Jan 28 -
Jan 29 -
Jan 30 -
Jan 31 -3 -
I am in for a "less alcohol" January. All in all, I did cut back in 2018, but November and December could have been a lot better. Too much going on. I still have not yet decided that a completely alcohol-free life is right for me, but I must admit that I do worry that I drink more than I should. I will take 2019 one day at a time as I did last year, with plans of having more alcohol free days than not. So far I have not had any drinks in 2019, but today is Friday, which usually means a few drinks. Plans for tonight are for dinner at home with my husband and taking down my Christmas tree (yeah, I'm a wild one). I have not yet decided if this will include wine or a night cap. I will play it by ear, but I will be meeting my running group at 8 AM for a run, so I know that will keep me from going overboard.
January alcohol-free days-3/32 -
Day 4, definite energy spike, lol. The weekends are always the hardest for me but I have a positive attitude...for now.1
-
lporter229 wrote: »I am in for a "less alcohol" January. All in all, I did cut back in 2018, but November and December could have been a lot better. Too much going on. I still have not yet decided that a completely alcohol-free life is right for me, but I must admit that I do worry that I drink more than I should. I will take 2019 one day at a time as I did last year, with plans of having more alcohol free days than not. So far I have not had any drinks in 2019, but today is Friday, which usually means a few drinks. Plans for tonight are for dinner at home with my husband and taking down my Christmas tree (yeah, I'm a wild one). I have not yet decided if this will include wine or a night cap. I will play it by ear, but I will be meeting my running group at 8 AM for a run, so I know that will keep me from going overboard.
January alcohol-free days-3/3
@lporter229 - I feel like I could have written this post! I constantly analyze my relationship with alcohol, worry that I drink more than I should, but know that (at this point) I don't want to have a completely AF life. For now my goal is just as you said - to have more AF days in 2019 than not (I could probably count on one hand the number of AF days I had in 2018). Enjoy your run tomorrow! I find I always want a few beers after my Saturday long run, and know that will definitely be a challenge tomorrow.2 -
lporter229 wrote: »I am in for a "less alcohol" January. All in all, I did cut back in 2018, but November and December could have been a lot better. Too much going on. I still have not yet decided that a completely alcohol-free life is right for me, but I must admit that I do worry that I drink more than I should. I will take 2019 one day at a time as I did last year, with plans of having more alcohol free days than not. So far I have not had any drinks in 2019, but today is Friday, which usually means a few drinks. Plans for tonight are for dinner at home with my husband and taking down my Christmas tree (yeah, I'm a wild one). I have not yet decided if this will include wine or a night cap. I will play it by ear, but I will be meeting my running group at 8 AM for a run, so I know that will keep me from going overboard.
January alcohol-free days-3/3
@lporter229 - I feel like I could have written this post! I constantly analyze my relationship with alcohol, worry that I drink more than I should, but know that (at this point) I don't want to have a completely AF life. For now my goal is just as you said - to have more AF days in 2019 than not (I could probably count on one hand the number of AF days I had in 2018). Enjoy your run tomorrow! I find I always want a few beers after my Saturday long run, and know that will definitely be a challenge tomorrow.
Yep, running does that to me too. The old " I earned it" attitude. Doesn't help that most of the runners I know are drinkers!0 -
Just got back from happy hour at a very nice reastraunt. We were there probably 1.5 hours and sat front and center at the beautiful bar with the pouring and mixing area right in front of me.
NADA....felt no wants for an alcoholic beverage. Sat, talked and laughed out loud with my iced tea. Could have used a little flavor or sweetness, but never the less.
Good luck with the Friday and weekend devils out here.5 -
psst...ahem...
Is the confessional open ??
This is just between us, right ??
The revised intention to be AF for 7 months ended at 200 days last night.
The offered bottle of Chianti made it's way to my house, and joined my Panettone before a toasty fire.
I changed up my late husband's "Italian wine glass" from a 5 ounce juice to a 3 ounce juice.
That means that 3 glasses are less than 2, right ??
Same formula was followed with my seared venison over green salad tonight.
One CAN follow a high protein 1200 calorie diet including wine...just takes some planning to include all the nutrients.
And, yes, the first sip was like a homecoming....
This way there be dragons...
8 -
@forestdweller1 we are always here to listen. What I read here is 200 days of a determined person that said, ok, now I think I will partake in some alcohol.
Not the end of the world. We still 💝 you! Remember we are the "less alcohol" thread and you have more than proved that 200 days AF is less, and more than a lot of us have managed.
Big hug to you.7 -
Hi all, after many years on and off grog, I am trying to regulate with many more dry days. Have done periods of a month to three months off, but slowly it builds up due to stress and “fun” to regular drinking. Regular drinking then leads to mindless snacking, hangover hunger and cloudy thinking. I found this thread a few days ago and have been lurking, so time to commit. I want to plan drinks ahead so I don’t fall into it out of habit. Already two days off, I feel more energy and clear headed.
January 4th - AF
January 5th - AF
January 6th -
January 7th -
January 8th -
January 9th -
January 10th -
January 11th -
January 12th -
January 13th -
January 14th -
January 15th -
January 16th -
January 17th -
January 18th -
January 19th -
January 20th -
January 21st -
January 22nd -
January 23rd -
January 24th -
January 25th -
January 26th -
January 27th -
January 28th -
January 29th -
January 30th -
January 31st -8 -
I’m starting deliberately late, been on holidays. I did dry January last year and really benefited from better running and better sleep. Having been injured for last 5 months, I am now getting back to fitness and using this as a good boost & kick start to losing the weight I put on not exercising. I’m looking forward to a lighter 2019!2
-
Last night I went to my sister's house for our usual Friday night of food, beer, TV. We went out to eat and I usually get two beers at the restaurant but this time I only got one. I set a limit of 5 beers over the course of the night and had 4 1/2. Usually I will have 6 (or sometimes 7!). I would like to get down to only 3 drinks per week. Baby steps!
The tough part is Saturday night. I usually boredom drink on Saturday nights because husband spends all night (all weekend, really) playing video games and the kids drive me nuts with their fighting. So I'm planning on doing an activity with the kids and maybe saving yoga for later tonight (I'm doing a 30 day yoga program for January). Hopefully I can distract myself because I still have several beers in the fridge calling to me!
So glad I rediscovered this thread. You guys are all great and I'm glad there's other people out there like me having the same struggles and successes.5 -
My aim is regulation. I am not doing "dry January", but good for all of you that are!
Having this thread keeps me accountable.
I'm not really into deprivation, just trying to be more moderate with food and alcohol.
My primary reason for AF days is weight loss. Once alcohol is in our bodies our liver concentrates on only that and not on metabolising fat or anything else. Also, being puffy is not ideal : - )
My goal is 4 - 5 AF days per week.
I was 16 day AF out of 30 for December, not counting the 31st. Up until October 27th.18 I was having drinks every single day. I have cut back for sure.
I do plan to have champagne NYE.
December 31st - 1 pumpkin spice cream liqueur, 2 mixed drinks. I did not get to the champagne.
January 1st - AF
January 2nd - AF
January 3rd - AF
January 4th - 3 drinks Friday night. I actually had 4, but then threw up lol. This is the reason that I never have more than 3 if I choose to have drinks. Good reminder. Yes, I can never be "drunk" because I can't have more than 3.
January 5th -
January 6th -
January 7th -
January 8th -
January 9th -
January 10th -
January 11th -
January 12th -
January 13th -
January 14th -
January 15th -
January 16th -
January 17th -
January 18th -
January 19th -
January 20th -
January 21st -
January 22nd -
January 23rd -
January 24th -
January 25th -
January 26th -
January 27th -
January 28th -
January 29th -
January 30th -
January 31st -2 -
I am finding that my taste and smell senses are becoming stronger since cutting back on the alcohol. Has anyone else noticed the same?
I stuck with my 1 drink last night, 1 shot of TQ... feeling good this morning, even with only 5 hours sleep.
Tonight might be more of a challenge...1 -
ugh...tried to post an image on here and only a link of it showed.0
-
Last night I went to my sister's house for our usual Friday night of food, beer, TV. We went out to eat and I usually get two beers at the restaurant but this time I only got one. I set a limit of 5 beers over the course of the night and had 4 1/2. Usually I will have 6 (or sometimes 7!). I would like to get down to only 3 drinks per week. Baby steps!
The tough part is Saturday night. I usually boredom drink on Saturday nights because husband spends all night (all weekend, really) playing video games and the kids drive me nuts with their fighting. So I'm planning on doing an activity with the kids and maybe saving yoga for later tonight (I'm doing a 30 day yoga program for January). Hopefully I can distract myself because I still have several beers in the fridge calling to me!
So glad I rediscovered this thread. You guys are all great and I'm glad there's other people out there like me having the same struggles and successes.
Progress!! I am making necessary changes as well and planning ahead of certain situations. I enjoy cooking while enjoying my vino daily. Instead I bought a glass teapot with flowering tea pods. I feel like it’s a treat! I am feeling more energetic, few nights not sleeping through the entire night. However, last night was great, sleep so soundly with no booze. Thumbs up!
4 -
Have had my last alcohol tonight til 8 Feb at least, having done before am excited, aware of the weekend temptation, but equally know the benefits from 5/6/7 weeks off...3
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions