Less Alcohol - FEBRUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

chocolate_owl

2 AF days down (and a 3 day streak going). There was some temptation last night because I got bored. I've done so much lying in bed lately, and I'm running out of ways to keep myself occupied. Last night after dinner I finished my book, did the daily crossword, did a 300 piece puzzle, scrolled here, scrolled Reddit, played another game... and it was only 9pm. I ended up grabbing one of husband's books on a subject that holds zero interest for me. Maybe I'll discover I'm actually super into mountain climbing stories by the end of the week

brittgreenlikethecolor88

Failed lastnight & had 4 drinks. Tonight I will do better!!

1 AF / 2 Day.

Feb Goal: 19 AF / 28 days

JohnBarth

brittgreenlikethecolor88 wrote: »

Failed lastnight & had 4 drinks. Tonight I will do better!!

1 AF / 2 Day.

Feb Goal: 19 AF / 28 days

A couple of things: You didn't fail, you gave yourself an opportunity to try again:
"How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

and

Muhammad Ali: “There's nothing wrong with getting knocked down, as long as you get right back up.”

lmlmrn

AF last night but sleep was a problem. I read the comments on sleep aids and I can not take the benadryl types I am allergic. So I ordered a tea kettle and will be trying some alternatives this evening.

Bit discouraged though with these AF days I had in Jan (18) and now to have gained weight! my calories are still below 1300-1350 every day and a lot of times on AF days below 1,000. I am wondering if I am missing logging or incorrect calculating. I am pretty good at portion control and weigh out my portions. Tis a bit frustrating to be up 4lbs.

But I have made the commitment to the gym and I am off now to workout. M-F formal workouts Sat and Sun come what may

Tesha231

Out of the blue, urge to imbibe while cooking last night after 45+days AF. If it wasn't for @CryingBlue and @globalhiker starting Dry February, I may have poured myself something stronger than black cherry seltzer in my favorite wine glass. The next time it hits, I will resort back to raspberry balsamic vinegar with water. Even though the flavored seltzer is calorie free, I still find it too sweet to satisfy certain cravings. Who else is trying for Dry Feb--I need to make a list!

globalhiker

Today is day 3 AF. Intermittent sleep, some nightmares waking me up. Wild dreams but no monsters

Today's action plan involves Diet Ginger Ale and Fresca (I know it's unhealthy but just this one week) and loading up on tryptophan which is most protein foods and is what makes us relaxed and sleepy.

Staying out of the kitchen and letting DH grill me some steaks.

fergusonlaceyloo

Hey everyone I am happy to start this journey with you all.
I have been drinking since I was 14.
Started of just a sip here sip their, than every weekend turned into almost every day. It has ruined so many things in my life.
I am at a point wear i can drink a 24 in 1 night to myself. I am ready to stop that.
I am almost 30 now & no wear in life like I wanted to be, its time. My goal is to start of only drinking 2 days out of the week.
Thanks for listing.

Fit_Happens_2021

@fergusonlaceyloo Welcome!
@JohnBarth Very inspiring quotes.
@globalhiker Nightmares here too, caved and took a dose of NyQuil last night - I was desperate to get some sleep (Olly Gummies should arrive today)
@lmlmrn What types of tea are you going to try? I was thinking of trying some chamomile
@brittgreenlikethecolor88 Hugs, today is a new day
@Tesha231 Good job on the willpower last night!!
@chocolate_owl Boredom is my nemesis too, your evening sounds very similar to many of mine.

I've been AF Sun, Mon, Tues this week.
2/1 - AF
2/2 - AF
Goal = 20 AF days out of 28 for February.

Trish1c

Hi all!

I'm pretty happy today. After drinking on Saturday I skipped the scale for my weekly weigh in as part of the Lose 10 lbs for Valentine's Day challenge but all that snow helped: forced exercise. I'm down over 5 pounds, almost 6. I probably won't be able to drop the last 4 by Valentine's Day but I will get close. I gotta get under 159 to have my BMI no longer be obese. OMG that label is making me nuts.

@CMB44512 I know what you mean about the problems that arise when you buy in bulk for the savings. For the past year we have purchased wine by the case but it was barely lasting a week. I was embarrassed to go to the liquor store more than once per week so that kept things down a bit. It was really bad this summer when we were also going through handles of vodka, gin or rum. I stopped buying hard liquor. I have to make it inconvenient until I can learn that a portion is not a bottle of wine.

@CryingBlue don't even get me started on how horrid FreWine is. I would rather drink plain water. It does make me a bit jealous because my DH is getting his "fix" through the non-alcoholic beers but there isn't a tolerable equivalent for us winos. Then again even the AF free beer as about 70 calories per bottle so that isn't compatible with my weight loss goals.

@mainelylisa thanks for the photo. I didn't really think about how miserable the deer are. We adopted a dog this summer so the dear don't come around as much. This one bush that separates my property from the closest neighbor is bent over under the heavy weight of the snow. My deck stops it from hitting the ground so it forms sort of a cave / shelter / tunnel. In years past when we didn't have dog, deer would bunk there after the storms.

@Stockholm_Andy that's why it's one day at a time. Good for you for getting back on the AF wagon. 1-2 days off doesn't mean you can't start again. Every day of not drinking or drinking less is better than what we were doing before.

CMB44512

I should probably stop surfing the internet about drinking less.
This is messing with my mind.
That statistic above is referring to PER WEEK.
At first I thought it was per day.
Dam(n)

Fit_Happens_2021

@Trish1c and @CMB44512 I am totally with you on the issues with buying in bulk. If it is in the house I will drink it. My husband wanted to have a cute wine rack installed in our dining room to hold nice bottles of wine he buys when we travel, but we can't even keep our little counter rack filled as I just drink it. I feel bad I ruined his wine rack plans, he tells me it doesn't matter, but I hope one day we could have one filled with nice wines from our travels that are for special occasions.

Trish1c

Those max drinks per week always get me too because I have consumed that many per day too.

@Fit_Happens_2021 we can't have one of those special bottle cellars / racks either. They get consumed. The people who successfully have them never run out of "drinkable" cheaper wine. That is not drinking less but drinking lesser vintages. I also end up getting royally p!$$ed at DH when he drinks the good after I go to sleep. I come from a family of wine snobs it makes me crazy that he drinks the good stuff after his half in the bag from the cheap stuff; plus I don't get any when he does that because I'm asleep. If he wants the good I keep trying to impress upon him that you drink that 1st when you can savor the taste.

chocolate_owl

CMB44512 wrote: »

I should probably stop surfing the internet about drinking less.
This is messing with my mind.
That statistic above is referring to PER WEEK.
At first I thought it was per day.
Dam(n)

Fun fact! This year the health recommendations have changed to no more than one drink a day for women AND men!

It can be really hard when you're used to drinking a certain amount to know what "moderation" actually is. It can be even harder when everyone in your peer group drinks just as much (or more!) than you. I'm in the entertainment industry, and omg, people DRINK. In my early days with my company, I got myself into a couple of ugly situations trying to keep up with them. I met my husband through work, and he free-pours vodka every night from 7 to 11. My friends outside of work are like me, they tend to have 2-4 drinks 5 or 6 days a week. It feels normal! But outside my bubble, it's not normal, and it does take a toll on your health over time.

I'll admit through, graphics like that make me a little crazy. 8 drinks per week for me would be 2 glasses of wine 4 nights a week, which seems pretty darn moderate. That's not enough to make me tipsy, make me sleep poorly, make me sluggish or hung over the next day, blow out my calories, etc. 15 drinks per week is a bit over 2 per day every day, which means a daily drinker could hit that amount without ever binge drinking. My personal take on it is I'm not out for perfection - I'm reducing my drinking to look after my health, but if I have 8-10 drinks a week that's not a big deal to me. But I'm also trying to get away from using alcohol as a crutch or mindlessly going through a whole bottle of wine in one night. It's a lot more enjoyable when you savor it, and when you know you're not doing yourself (as much) harm.

Fit_Happens_2021

I find it really confusing when they say 'drinks' because it varies so much depending on the % of alcohol and the size of the drink.
Some of the best info I have found is on the British NHS site for understanding what a unit of alcohol is, but they have it measured in ml, and I 'think' in fluid oz so I have to convert it.

The type of wine I drink and the amount I pour in my glass comes to about 2.5 units per glass for me, so two glasses a night = 5 units. I am aiming for no more than twice a week so that should be = 10 Units - which means I could have a third night of drinking but I would have to pour less or change to a lower alcohol % wine to stay within my 14 units for the week, but I am working on sticking to only 2 drinking nights per week.

This is down from drinking nearly every night at about 3 glasses (7.5 units) per night before I started on this thread in January. I was really shocked to find that I was drinking an average of 45 units per week, and yet the recommendation is to stay under 14 units per week. I didn't think of myself as a 'heavy drinker' but I guess I was according to the current guidelines

These pics help me to remember what a unit is and to keep it under 14 units per week:

CryingBlue

@Tesha231 great job staying AF! It's hard. I don't particularly like it yet, but I will keep going. My family and health are worth it.

I took 2 drinks out of a beer, does this count? I was making chili and there was enough left for 2 swallows. I probably should have dumped it, just those 2 drinks were enough to light up that part of my brain. I won't be having anymore.

Tesha231

@CryingBlue Sounds like a dry night to me Funny you mention that "part of your brain". The struggle is real!
Keep up the good work!

Lilylady3k

AF this evening even though DH had a bottle of wine.

Jan accountability: 3/3 days AF
Alcohol: 0 days (0 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month
This first week striving for no alcohol M-Th to get me in the right direction at the beginning of the month.

2/1 - AF
2/2 - AF
2/3 - AF

Trish1c

Being good. Drinking tea but there's no booze in the house

lmlmrn

mainelylisa wrote: »

Good morning! I'm in. Goal: max 15 drinks for the month (not all at once), and to hopefully not even want that many, because I'm diving into old and new hobbies. Like snowshoeing and photography. We saw no shadows yesterday, but did see this in our yard. What does a deer call her husband on MFP? DDH?

It so beautiful there! Thank you for sharing

lmlmrn

@Fit_Happens_2021 I tend to drink decaf vanilla chi it has some sweetness that I crave. Also after missmay suggested I try bitters in my sparkling water that is working well for me too.

AF February 3 out of 3, off to a good start