Less Alcohol - MARCH 2021

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  • globalhiker
    globalhiker Posts: 1,674 Member
    @chocolate_owl isn't Texas known for no state taxes on pension and income? That's huge.
    Companies are moving there in droves and Texas does have good food and friendly people.
    I don't know other places but hear there are hills up north. It's the tornadoes that panic me but I may consider Texas in the future, especially if AZ continues to absorb the rest of California. It's getting unbearably congested and housing prices are nuts here.

    @Womona wow almost at goal! Any secrets or tips?

    @lmlmrn I know the feeling you describe about the family trip thing. I have to do the same every year and it turns into a drinking event. Here is my plan:

    1.No drinking at airport or on plane, period. Try to fly out early morning so there's no urge anyways.
    2.After landing hit the local stores and buy non-alcoholic drinks to bring over their house. Agree to start with those and have at least 2 non-alcoholic before starting on the booze. Get a variety of stuff in case others start drinking your stash.
    3.Agree in advance with my spouse over when we'd drink. We discussed no drinking until dinner because if we "start" at lunch then we keep going through the afternoon until dinner. Yep it happens.
    4.Staying for 3 or more days? Aim for no drinking on day 1 because chances are by day 3, the stress level will be really, really high and I'd need those drinks then for sure. Good luck!
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,883 Member
    Hello. Newbie here. I have been drinking since I was 18 and aside from pregnancies, I have never been able to quit for more than a month or 2. I am for now starting with a small goal of stopping at 7pm. Hopefully it will give me better sleep and help to lose weight. I do low carb so I have gotten used to no beer or sweet drinks. I have to do this. Seriously. Hopefully make bigger steps soon.

    Good plan. Welcome to the thread : - )
  • globalhiker
    globalhiker Posts: 1,674 Member
    Hi @Auroralaura and welcome...two months of no drinking is pretty good. I'm curious to hear what triggered re-starting for you. You see, I am approaching my first 2 month abstinence and thinking about how to manage triggers like vacations and holidays for example.

    @Trish1c welcome back, I thought you went on a Florida vacation which sounded lovely. Glad you're back. How did it go?
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,883 Member
    Happy March!

    I am continuing with my goals that I have mostly been following for a year:

    16-20 AF days per month
    Don't drink 2 days in a row
    Try to keep 2 AF days in between drinks days

    I choose the diary style so that I check in every day, keep myself accountable, and can see at a glance where I am at.


    Thursday March 18 - AF - Of course. Job interview tomorrow, plus was not feeling great all day today at work after throwing up and then not sleeping well last night.
    Friday March 19 - Drinks. I had a fantabulous job interview today, weird to bump elbows instead of hand-shaking and everyone in a mask. Ack, I took my hearing aid out for a shower and forgot to put it back in. I didn't notice until we had started talking - no reading lips with masks. I am sure that I missed a couple of things, but overall it was pretty great. Loved them and their business, thoroughly enjoyed talking with them. I don't know how many people that they are interviewing, but I felt really good about it. I had a Teensy bottle of Freixenet (200ml) then a mixed drink, and a few sips of a second mixed drink and then put it in the freezer. Yup, I am 50 pounds lighter than I was when I could have 3 drinks without effect. Thanks for the reminder not to have 3 @chocolate_owl
    No regrets on Champagne with some Brie and a cracker. I have no intention of giving up alcohol, I have just cut way back and am trying to keep it for happy only occasions. Ice skating at 11am tomorrow, so want to feel good. I have had some water since putting my drink in the freezer an hour ago. I will have another glass of water before bed which will be soon since I was up at 5am prepping for the interview, working out, then gussying up.

    Rolling total: 12AF days out of 19 days.
  • globalhiker
    globalhiker Posts: 1,674 Member
    @dawnbgethealthy good news on the interview front....and your ability to celebrate elegantly in a moderate way :)
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,770 Member
    edited March 2021
    Hi all! Drank pretty much according to plan since Thursday- only one glass of wine per night with dinner. Only exception was Friday night when I had Sambuca after dinner, which while nice, gave me a headache yesterday.

    Golfed for the first time all season yesterday, and boy was I rusty! DH knows I’m cutting back on drinking, so didn’t order me our usual golf cart alcohol. I took a few sips of his, but nothing major.

    People are asking how I lost the weight. Very boring answer: I logged my food, cut out alcohol during the week and way back on weekends, increased my daily activity rate, drank enough water, and avoided the calorie bomb meals/desserts except for very rare occasions.

    I do notice my weight creeps up on weekends when I drink and go out to restaurants , but it resets during the work week, so I don’t panic.