Less Alcohol - DECEMBER 2020 - One Day At A Time
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globalhiker wrote: »Take-aways from my online readings about dopamine:
1. drinkers crave drinks because they run low on dopamine
2. tyrosine, found in protein foods and seeds, makes dopamine in the body
3. diet rich in tyrosine resulted in higher dopamine levels in alcoholics and addicts
4. this diet helped stabilize their moods, reduce sugar cravings and have better self control
Food for thought!
Thank you very interesting4 -
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Late day check in for me.
@NovusDies it is good to have you back in here with us. Here is what I truely admire in your postings. You have what most would consider a phenomenal dry streak for the amount of months you have been at this AF streak. YET you have never to my account, claimed you were abstaining for life. One month, 6 months or one year of an AF streak should NOT EVER be considered a fail for anyone if you have not preached sober for the rest of your life.
You are a very great influence for the LESS ALCOHOL thread.
Total abstinence is not my goal nor does it need to be. I moderated my alcohol for years. Many years ago I moved from once a week drinking to mostly daily. I wasn't sure I could go back to moderating but I didn't see any reason to label myself until I gave it a try. I knew I needed to be prepared to give it up completely but no reason to start there (for me). It was not a smooth transition and my concern level began to grow when I kept failing to adhere to my initial cutback plan. It definitely had a grip on me but it was not THE grip. I think I did need my first long AF streak (3 or 4 months) to cut the cravings. After that first dry period I was able to drink on my terms with the ability to pick it up and then put it back down for 2 weeks, a month, or, as it turns out, several months.
Alcohol, like food, has a smaller place in my life now. A more appropriate place. However, this whole streak has gotten kind of out of hand. It started with my new normal plan of abstaining over the summer, then it ran into a surgery that required no drinking for almost another 4 months, and then it just snowballed.
I have every intention of drinking again. I am just not sure what that looks like at the moment. I do not have any rules for drinking other never 2 days in a row again and I think it best to avoid patterns. For instance if I started drinking every Friday night again, I might form a habit and then I might feel compelled to satisfy the habit instead of it being something I really want to do. I want make sure I stay in charge completely.
I do not pretend any of this will work or will be necessary for someone else. This is solo journey. It requires a person to define what is true for them, what works for them, and what doesn't work for them. A person is not likely to know everything they need to know when they start trying to drink less. They just have to be open to learning. I am still learning.7 -
And we are learning from you @NovusDies3
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New home for the thread, but the same goals for me, 16-20 AF days per month.
Friday December 11 - AF - Felt like having a brandy when I came in from skating on a lake, but I had drinks yesterday, so thought better of it.
Saturday December 12 - Drinks after skating.
Sunday December 13 - AF - Felt like having drinks after skating. I usually feel like having drinks actually, sometimes more than others. Planning AF tomorrow too.
Monday December 14 - AF - Kind of a low energy day for me today. Early morning and long day tomorrow, so best to be AF.
Tuesday December 15 - Drinks. My guitar player from Kimberley came into my town to skate a lake with me at 9am, which mitigated my work day : - ) Drank a bunch of water after my few drinks tonight. I will get 2 AF days in a row after this, as taught by @NovusDies
Rolling total: 11AF days out of 15 days4 -
I CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH OF THIS QUOTE
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Dinner at my sister's. She had wine. DH stopped and bought wine which we now have in our wine rack at home. We had plenty of wine. 3 glasses for me ... I could have had much more but stopped drank water and insisted on being the driver home afterwards (<5miles). DH had 1 bottle plus another glass (so 6 glasses) + 2 bourbon & cokes when we got home.
Dec accountability: 2/15 days AF6 -
8 more AF days to Christmas Eve countdown...you know what I miss about being a kid at Christmas?
Sledding...we used to have a basic sled and race other kids going down a steep hill in our neighborhood. Of course we often crashed into one another too. What fun it was.....
As adults, I think we just don't play enough. Leisure time is way, way too focused on restaurants and drinking to get one's "happy" going. We could benefit from more games and outdoor activities in our lives, in my opinion.8 -
@globalhiker - We used a very large upside down round metal coke sign as our sled ... nothing to hang on to but the rim and it could spin if you we're careful. We ran into stands of baby pine trees to slow down before stopping at the lake's edge (that was not frozen). My little brother once ran into a bigger tree riding by himself ... I still remember explaining to my mom and she was not happy ... he was spitting up blood.
Currently I live where there are no hills or snow ... Houston. Miss those fun activities too!
DH & I are both AF this evening. I had book club over Zoom and drank water in my festive Christmas wine glass.
Dec accountability: 3/16 days AF4 -
globalhiker wrote: »8 more AF days to Christmas Eve countdown...you know what I miss about being a kid at Christmas?
Sledding...we used to have a basic sled and race other kids going down a steep hill in our neighborhood. Of course we often crashed into one another too. What fun it was.....
As adults, I think we just don't play enough. Leisure time is way, way too focused on restaurants and drinking to get one's "happy" going. We could benefit from more games and outdoor activities in our lives, in my opinion.
Such an excellent point about how adults TRY to get their happy going👍👍👍4 -
I thought I was going to wake up to a foot of snow this morning. So far so good, only a flitter of a flake here and there. I hate having to dig my way OUT of the house after a mid night dump of snow.
Ok, now I am awake and ready for it.
Chritmas Eve in exactly one week. 🎄
No alcohol last night, temptation low with nothing around here open for gatherings or festivities. The only booze devil 😈 is my husband that keeps filling the frig with things I am supposed to like. In case I want them he says.😬6 -
New home for the thread, but the same goals for me, 16-20 AF days per month.
Wednesday December 16 - AF
Rolling total: 12AF days out of 16 days5 -
@globalhiker
I don't know which part of the country you are in. Do you get snow? Could you go sledding?
We have ice on the lakes here now, but no snow so far to try sledding on : - )
I got new (to me) x-country skis at the very end of the season last year, I had a broken ski prior to that so didn't get out at all to the trails. I imagine we will get some snow eventually, there are lots of great places to get to once we do.
Wholeheartedly agree on the benefits of outdoor activity.
Having said that, sometimes I am triggered to have wintry adult beverages after coming in from said activities.3 -
I'm in the Phoenix Metro area but live at only 1800 ft altitude, hence no snow at home! But we have 2 main ski resorts, both at altitudes over 10,000 feet, about 2-3 hrs drive. And we have Rim Country at 8000 ft only 1.5 hrs away where there is snow, a large ponderosa pine forest. I've never really skiied!
Well, except for the time I was at Garibaldi park in B.C. and went down 8 snowy steep hills with no apparatus, only tennis shoes. It was a blast.
I would love to see where there are places here to cross-country ski. Maybe one can just go anywhere with snow I guess, no need to go to formal costly ski park....
More playtime, less drinking.....7 more AF days to go.....!
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@globalhiker
You are doing so great with the AF.
More playtime is a good plan : - )
Speaking of which, I have been in Phoenix twice, for 2 weeks each time.
They have year round ice skating, which we don't even have in Canada for kitten's sake. Sort of just north of Scottsdale.
I skated there lots. I especially enjoyed the disco Friday nights which was mostly like 12 year olds giggling and getting very excited when a Justin Bieber song came on. Disco ball and everything!! Super fun : - )
I went to a bunch of NHL games, and Baseball training camp/exhibition play at Talking Stick.
I know that there is some sort of Holiday ice rink downtown too, but I have never been there at Christmas time.
Great city!
It is so fun that we are all spread out : - )3 -
New home for the thread, but the same goals for me, 16-20 AF days per month.
Wednesday December 16 - AF
Thursday December 17 - AF - Felt like drinks, but wanted to get my 2AF in a row.
Rolling total: 12AF days out of 17 days4 -
Well it ended up snowing a lot yesterday. Started right after I posted that there were only a few flakes fluttering around outside. So...snow day. I decided to do some holiday baking. Looking through my baking cabinet I found a brand new bag of almond flour that was given to me as a gift. I began Googling ground almond recipes. What a surprise I was hit with. I knew almonds were good for you BUT WOW.
* The amino acid called tryptophan present in almond can boost your mood. When paired with vitamin B6 (banana, oats), the tryptophan converts into serotonin in the body. Serotonin as we all know works as an energy booster, uplifting your mood and reducing anxiety. Add some almonds to your oatmeal or have them with a banana to make a healthy and easy snack.
*Almonds are packed with vitamin E. One serving (23) of almonds contains 48 per cent of your daily value of vitamin E, which makes almonds one of the richest vitamin E sources. Consumption of vitamin E also lowers the risk of Alzheimer's disease, cancers and cardiovascular problems.
*According to studies, a handful of almonds packs you with calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin K, protein, zinc and copper, all of which play an important role in boosting your bone health.
*Weight loss is on everyone's mind and which is another reason why you must have almonds. Almonds are packed with fibre, protein, which keeps you fuller for longer and stops you from binge eating, a major reason why many people gain weight.
A study found that having a little more than one serving of almond every day reduces hunger and promotes weight loss.
*To receive the maximum benefits from almonds, it is recommended to consume them in the morning. Consuming nuts along with your breakfast helps regulate blood sugar, keeps you satiated and boosts your metabolism.
Guess who is eating chewy almond coconut cookies for breakfast with a side of oatmeal?
Happy Friday to you all.
Seek out one alcohol free goal today and stick with it.6 -
@dawnbgethealthy - We have a year around ice skating double rink right down the street (less than 2 miles away). It was built for the Houston Aeros Hockey team (1994-2013) and they used it for their practices. My kids grew up ice skating there though I never ice skated myself (I grew up on roller skates LOL)
@MissMay - Almonds are a staple around here for snacking!
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6 days left....just bought myself a "smartscale" but didn't open it, instead I put it under the tree. If I weigh myself now and the numbers don't look good, for sure I'd run out to buy wine. Diets begin next year!
Agree almonds are good. You reminded me I need to make a fish almondine recipe, been meaning to do that.
@dawnbgethealthy I haven't been to Talking Stick or Ice Den. Endless things to do here for sure. Plus we can jump in the car early at be at so many places by lunchtime, San Diego, Utah, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, etc. Direct flights to Hawaii are nice too. I like it here but I can't wait to escape!!5
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