Less Alcohol - AUGUST 2019 - One Day at a Time
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11/22 days AF. That’s 50% of the month with less than 10 days to go... woot! Probably won’t finish at 50% since there’s a holiday weekend in there and I have book club next week but still. Haven’t seen that balance probably since my early days of really focusing on cutting back.4
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I am going to strive for the same as usual, 4-5 AF days per week. I will post daily to keep me accountable.
I was pleased with my 20 AF days for July.
August 01 - AF - I didn't want to be, but have to start the month off right. Many things planned for the weekend and there will be drinks involved. I will have to be strategic so that I don't have drinks 2 days in a row.
August 02 - AF - Again, didn't want to be. It is a long weekend with lots going on here in British Columbia. I want to not look terrible tomorrow, so no booze for me tonight.
August 03 - 3 drinks.
August 04 - AF
August 05 - AF - Going away Wednesday or Thursday for 5 or 6 days to a riverfront bluesfest in Montana, where the drinks are so much cheaper than Canada and I will have no responsibilities. I may have drinks, but will try to not have them 2 days in a row. Planning AF for tomorrow.
August 06 - 2 1/2 drinks. Kind of different that I couldn't finish my 3rd drink, I put it in the freezer. Tuesdays are the days that I sort of have scheduled to have a few drinks if I want them. Not sure what I was thinking when I said that I planned AF for a Tuesday. All good.
August 07 - AF
August 08 - 2 drinks (8oz red wine). It was lovely after a fantastic active day.
August 09 - 1 beer, 1 wine at the festival
August 10 - 2 wine
August 11 - 3 drinks - so much for not doing 2 days in a row. I will get back on track.
August 12 - AF - Back home and of course 3 pounds heavier. For sure I danced and walked lots, so it could have been 6 pounds. Getting on track.
August 13 - AF - Tuesday, my sort of planned day to have a few drinks, but seeing as I had drinks 4 days in a row on my holiday I needed to rack up another AF day. In fact I will need to be AF tomorrow too if I want to see 4AF days per week at this juncture.
August 14 - AF - Just squeaked to my 4AF days per week. Of course 5 would have been better, but the 4 days in a row of drinks put me behind. I don't think that I have had 4 days in a row of drinks since October. Playing catch up now.
August 15 - AF - I didn't want to be AF today, but I had to make up for the holiday drinks still.
August 16 - 3 drinks. Not planned. 4 AF days in a row prior, but I was feeling some anxiety, missed my Tuesday opportunity to have drinks because I was trying to make up for my holiday. I actually wanted to be fresh and un-bloated for tomorrow's multi-cultural festival in the park. Drank a bunch of water after, hoping to lessen the tomorrow effects of having drinks tonight. I don't think that it was self-sabotage. 4AF days in a row...might be too many for me still. Working on it...
August 17 - AF - planned wine with a gf tomorrow.
August 18 - 3 drinks - running out of time to rack up a bunch of AF days - aiming for at least 7 more.
August 19 - AF
August 20 - 3 drinks
August 21 - AF
August 22 - AF - Today was a tough one to be AF. I kept having to come up with reasons not to have drinks. I came on to this thread a few times for inspiration. Thank you @MissMay for coming up with something almost every day to get us engaged. You are a peach!!
13AF days out of 22 days so far.4 -
It is WAY more than just about calories.
Thanks for the link to that information. Yes there are so many different problems that arise from too much alcohol. Things we could never imagine when taking that first sip. My deceased husband died of alcohol ciroshis of the liver. If, 10 months prior to his death(before he was diagnosed) I had not made a remark to a doctor friend of mine that he seemed to be getting very thin through out his arms and upper body( called muscle wasting) we probably would not have found out he had liver failure.
So yes,I know it is not all about the calories. But on here we are at different stages and levels and reasons for drinking less. So the more information we can all throw out there to cover everyones needs the better. And it is not a bad thing to read and learn information that could be helpful, one day, down the road.
Keep those links coming and hope you are doing well with your goals.🙂8 -
@Womona and @WinoGelato good to see you both as we approach the end of August and to know you are positive and doing well.
@dawnbgethealthy thanks 🍑, we have to keep our minds active and busy sometimes with these little points to ponder. I hope yesterday was not to rough to get through. Glad you kept popping in for added strength. And had an AF count yesterday despite it all! WIN WIN2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »11/22 days AF. That’s 50% of the month with less than 10 days to go... woot! Probably won’t finish at 50% since there’s a holiday weekend in there and I have book club next week but still. Haven’t seen that balance probably since my early days of really focusing on cutting back.
That’s amazing! Congratulations!
Thanks for all your encouragement.2 -
I know the drill.
Here is something I found out kind of scary and can help serve as inspiration.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/074183298590120XAlthough musculoskeletal symptoms are common in alcoholics, little is known of the prevalence of muscle pathology in this group. Quadriceps muscle biopsies were performed in 151 alcoholics (105 men). Ninety patients showed type 2 fibre atrophy predominantly affecting the type 2b anaerobic glycolytic fibres.
'Alcoholics' might probably be replaced by highly-functional drinkers, of whatever definition that fits your agenda.
Point is that excess subproducts of alcohol can eat your muscles and nerves. Scientists suspect acetyldehyde /acetate, which is in the same family as acetone, a popular product in labs as cleaners and nail polish remover. You couldn't believe what it can dissolve. You don't want that regularly in your body.
It is WAY more than just about calories.
And I swear it does something to the fluid around joints,seems like everyone in my body hurts after drinking2 -
I decided to start my posts with my own positive intention. And before I go to bed at night, repeat these phrases below. Some years ago when I became certified in hypnotherapy, I did it for fun and out of curiosity. I discovered it did work for me for weight loss but the problem is that the practice needed to be done daily (like exercise) at night time when the brain is close to falling asleep. Anyway, given this can't hurt at all and I see clearly my problem is that I am blocking myself from my own success, having a personalized positive intention can only set the stage for me to have a successful day (change your thoughts, change your behavior), so here goes:
______________
I allow myself to be successful and I deserve to succeed. Nobody is more important in my life than me. I choose to stop/reduce drinking because alcohol is a carcinogen and I don't want carcinogens in my body. I am at high risk for cancer and choose to do everything I can to make myself as healthy as possible. I look forward to AF days being as enjoyable as possible.
Thurs 8/23- enjoyed AF day with Halo ice cream treat!
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Not doing great.
8/1 AF
8/2 AF
8/3 drank 19oz of liquor
8/4 AF
8/5 AF
8/6 AF
8/7 Drank 1 pint of whiskey
8/8 AF
8/9 Drank 18 oz of liquor
8/10 Drank 1 pint of whiskey
8/11 AF
8/12 AF
8/13 AF
8/14 AF
8/15 1 pint of whiskey
8/16 AF
8/17 18oz of whiskey
8/18 AF
8/19 Too much alcohol
8/20 AF
8/21 Whiskey
8/22 Whiskey
So I'm at 13/22 days. Since I was an every day drinker, I guess that's not terrible as it is more than half AF, but still not even close to where I want to be.4 -
So this thought came to me: All of us deserve to be successful. That said, we owe it to ourselves to do all we can to make it happen. It can mean outside support groups, even consulting a doctor or counselor to seek out solutions to get us over the rough patches. We have nothing to lose and all to gain.2
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globalhiker wrote: »I decided to start my posts with my own positive intention. And before I go to bed at night, repeat these phrases below. Some years ago when I became certified in hypnotherapy, I did it for fun and out of curiosity. I discovered it did work for me for weight loss but the problem is that the practice needed to be done daily (like exercise) at night time when the brain is close to falling asleep. Anyway, given this can't hurt at all and I see clearly my problem is that I am blocking myself from my own success, having a personalized positive intention can only set the stage for me to have a successful day (change your thoughts, change your behavior), so here goes:
______________
I allow myself to be successful and I deserve to succeed. Nobody is more important in my life than me. I choose to stop/reduce drinking because alcohol is a carcinogen and I don't want carcinogens in my body. I am at high risk for cancer and choose to do everything I can to make myself as healthy as possible. I look forward to AF days being as enjoyable as possible.
Thurs 8/23- enjoyed AF day with Halo ice cream treat!
I love this idea. I have never thought to do this, but may come up with my own positive intention to recite each night. Thank you for posting this and sharing your thoughts.1 -
And I swear it does something to the fluid around joints,seems like everyone in my body hurts after drinking
I think I know what you are talking about. It is worse than you think as it is not an intruder that will go away, it is your own tissues being not under inflammation, but washed, under attack and DAMAGED.2 -
@whitpauly wrote: And I swear it does something to the fluid around joints,seems like everyone in my body hurts after drinking
Oh yea......extreme inflammation of the joints. My fingers killed me when I over drank.2 -
yotetrapper wrote: »Not doing great
So I'm at 13/22 days. Since I was an every day drinker, I guess that's not terrible as it is more than half AF, but still not even close to where I want to be.
@yotetrapper I am not sure if your top comment "not doing great" is new as of today or not. I think your doing FANTASTIC with scoring AF days.
2 weeks out of 3 weeks is beter than 50% better. YAY YOU!
Be patient (yea easy for me to say huh?) You will chip away at all the goals which may include:
* gaining AF days
* cutting back on the amount you consume.
* changing from high power % alcohol to lower power % alcohol.
Don't feel defeated.
2 -
globalhiker wrote: »I decided to start my posts with my own positive intention. And before I go to bed at night, repeat these phrases below. Some years ago when I became certified in hypnotherapy, I did it for fun and out of curiosity. I discovered it did work for me for weight loss but the problem is that the practice needed to be done daily (like exercise) at night time when the brain is close to falling asleep. Anyway, given this can't hurt at all and I see clearly my problem is that I am blocking myself from my own success, having a personalized positive intention can only set the stage for me to have a successful day (change your thoughts, change your behavior), so here goes:
______________
I allow myself to be successful and I deserve to succeed. Nobody is more important in my life than me. I choose to stop/reduce drinking because alcohol is a carcinogen and I don't want carcinogens in my body. I am at high risk for cancer and choose to do everything I can to make myself as healthy as possible. I look forward to AF days being as enjoyable as possible.
Thurs 8/23- enjoyed AF day with Halo ice cream treat!globalhiker wrote: »So this thought came to me: All of us deserve to be successful. That said, we owe it to ourselves to do all we can to make it happen. It can mean outside support groups, even consulting a doctor or counselor to seek out solutions to get us over the rough patches. We have nothing to lose and all to gain.
These are wonderful thoughts for all of us.
Thank you for reminding us to take special care of the person who matters most.🌻3 -
@yotetrapper I am not sure if your top comment "not doing great" is new as of today or not. I think your doing FANTASTIC with scoring AF days.
2 weeks out of 3 weeks is beter than 50% better. YAY YOU!
Be patient (yea easy for me to say huh?) You will chip away at all the goals which may include:
* gaining AF days
* cutting back on the amount you consume.
* changing from high power % alcohol to lower power % alcohol.
Don't feel defeated.
Well, 14/23 now. Today is Saturday though and I have an irrational fear about Saturdays, lol. Where I live, you cannot buy alcohol on Sundays, and so I always feel compelled to buy whiskey on Saturday "just in case", which makes NO sense since I always drink what I buy on Saturday and still don't have any left for Sunday anyways.
4 -
yotetrapper wrote: »Not doing great.
8/1 AF
8/2 AF
8/3 drank 19oz of liquor
8/4 AF
8/5 AF
8/6 AF
8/7 Drank 1 pint of whiskey
8/8 AF
8/9 Drank 18 oz of liquor
8/10 Drank 1 pint of whiskey
8/11 AF
8/12 AF
8/13 AF
8/14 AF
8/15 1 pint of whiskey
8/16 AF
8/17 18oz of whiskey
8/18 AF
8/19 Too much alcohol
8/20 AF
8/21 Whiskey
8/22 Whiskey
So I'm at 13/22 days. Since I was an every day drinker, I guess that's not terrible as it is more than half AF, but still not even close to where I want to be.
It doesn’t happen overnight, so please don’t beat yourself up! The fact that you have more AF days than not is huge! On the days you drink, try to reduce the amount by just one. That becomes easy. Then reduce by two.
If you haven’t tried Annie Grace’s Alcohol Experiment, I recommend it. I did not go 30 days without a drink, but I sure learned a lot. Plus it helped with the transition to being a daily drinker to only a couple of times per week.3 -
globalhiker wrote: »So this thought came to me: All of us deserve to be successful. That said, we owe it to ourselves to do all we can to make it happen. It can mean outside support groups, even consulting a doctor or counselor to seek out solutions to get us over the rough patches. We have nothing to lose and all to gain.
I love this (and your nightly intention)!!!!2 -
Positive Daily Intention: I allow myself to be successful and I deserve to succeed. Nobody is more important in my life than me. I choose to stop/reduce drinking because alcohol is a carcinogen and I don't want carcinogens in my body. I am at high risk for cancer and choose to do everything I can to make myself as healthy as possible. I look forward to AF days being as enjoyable as possible.
Thurs 8/23- enjoyed AF day with Halo ice cream treat!
Friday 8/24- enjoyed AF day, popcorn and travel shows at home
So far positive mantra is working...! And I set up monthly visits with an integrative counselor/dietitian to help me troubleshoot overconsumption issues (food and drink). I suspect root cause began in childhood, not having solid emotional support and using food during stressful times as a child; sometimes dealing with abusive parents. This stuff carries over into adulthood and affects our programming and it does affect our coping mechanisms, whether it's food or drink.5 -
I am going to strive for the same as usual, 4-5 AF days per week. I will post daily to keep me accountable.
I was pleased with my 20 AF days for July.
August 01 - AF - I didn't want to be, but have to start the month off right. Many things planned for the weekend and there will be drinks involved. I will have to be strategic so that I don't have drinks 2 days in a row.
August 02 - AF - Again, didn't want to be. It is a long weekend with lots going on here in British Columbia. I want to not look terrible tomorrow, so no booze for me tonight.
August 03 - 3 drinks.
August 04 - AF
August 05 - AF - Going away Wednesday or Thursday for 5 or 6 days to a riverfront bluesfest in Montana, where the drinks are so much cheaper than Canada and I will have no responsibilities. I may have drinks, but will try to not have them 2 days in a row. Planning AF for tomorrow.
August 06 - 2 1/2 drinks. Kind of different that I couldn't finish my 3rd drink, I put it in the freezer. Tuesdays are the days that I sort of have scheduled to have a few drinks if I want them. Not sure what I was thinking when I said that I planned AF for a Tuesday. All good.
August 07 - AF
August 08 - 2 drinks (8oz red wine). It was lovely after a fantastic active day.
August 09 - 1 beer, 1 wine at the festival
August 10 - 2 wine
August 11 - 3 drinks - so much for not doing 2 days in a row. I will get back on track.
August 12 - AF - Back home and of course 3 pounds heavier. For sure I danced and walked lots, so it could have been 6 pounds. Getting on track.
August 13 - AF - Tuesday, my sort of planned day to have a few drinks, but seeing as I had drinks 4 days in a row on my holiday I needed to rack up another AF day. In fact I will need to be AF tomorrow too if I want to see 4AF days per week at this juncture.
August 14 - AF - Just squeaked to my 4AF days per week. Of course 5 would have been better, but the 4 days in a row of drinks put me behind. I don't think that I have had 4 days in a row of drinks since October. Playing catch up now.
August 15 - AF - I didn't want to be AF today, but I had to make up for the holiday drinks still.
August 16 - 3 drinks. Not planned. 4 AF days in a row prior, but I was feeling some anxiety, missed my Tuesday opportunity to have drinks because I was trying to make up for my holiday. I actually wanted to be fresh and un-bloated for tomorrow's multi-cultural festival in the park. Drank a bunch of water after, hoping to lessen the tomorrow effects of having drinks tonight. I don't think that it was self-sabotage. 4AF days in a row...might be too many for me still. Working on it...
August 17 - AF - planned wine with a gf tomorrow.
August 18 - 3 drinks - running out of time to rack up a bunch of AF days - aiming for at least 7 more.
August 19 - AF
August 20 - 3 drinks
August 21 - AF
August 22 - AF - Today was a tough one to be AF. I kept having to come up with reasons not to have drinks. I came on to this thread a few times for inspiration. Thank you @MissMay for coming up with something almost every day to get us engaged. You are a peach!!
August 23 - 3 drinks
13AF days out of 23 days so far.1 -
It doesn’t happen overnight, so please don’t beat yourself up! The fact that you have more AF days than not is huge! On the days you drink, try to reduce the amount by just one. That becomes easy. Then reduce by two.
If you haven’t tried Annie Grace’s Alcohol Experiment, I recommend it. I did not go 30 days without a drink, but I sure learned a lot. Plus it helped with the transition to being a daily drinker to only a couple of times per week.
Where do I find Annie Grave's experiment? Reducing the amount I drink by one, I don't think is possible for me. Once I drink one, I drink every last drop of alcohol in the house....
1
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