Less Alcohol - APRIL 2021 - One Day At A Time
Replies
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2 glasses wine with steak dinner, cards and movie with DH.
@chocolate_owl - about 10 years ago when I turned 50 I finally threw out a pair of short shorts from college. I would never have worn them even if I had lost the weight LOL Still digging in my closet to toss. Oh and the t-shirt drawer is getting a cleanup too!
@dawnbgethealthy - Relax and enjoy your PJ day! DH and I pulled up more dead bushes from the freeze today so now to start planting new bushes. Things around here were not made for hard freezes. I still have 2 pots where I lost plants that I need to replace ... and a couple of other areas in the yard that had tropicals that bit the dust. I've not planted potatoes in years. My kids loved the red potatoes in straw ... in was like hunting easter eggs.
My veggie garden right now is focused on tomatoes, peppers and herbs for spaghetti sauce and fresh herbs for guacamole. 4 -
Hi all, and welcome newcomers! Congratulations on the consulting gig @globalhiker!!!!!!! That’s fantastic!
Three days in a row AF this week, and I slept great. Had only one glass of wine with dinner yesterday , and woke up in the middle of the night. Grrr! But at least I only kept it to one. Tonight I have a work cocktail party then book club, so I’ll have to split the difference between the two and just have half a glass at each.
Weekend is upon us, may we all stick to our goals!
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Happy Friday! We arrived at our cabin rental in the woods and settling in. we already spotted a grey wolf.I had 1.5 glasses of wine with lunch, then 2 shots cognac after dinner. My wine devil excuse for the cognac was to warm up (it's close to freezing) and to remedy altitude lightheadedness (it worked). I did chug 3 bottles of Pellegrino which helped. No hangover, but exceeded my intended limits. Still, say better compared to my old normal "vacation drinking". Today we are planning to stick to 1 with dinner or none. We'll stay occupied exploring the area and getting in a good hike.
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My book club was kind of my "gateway" to realizing I can actually be ambivalent about whether I drink AF or A at some social events. Back in pre-pandemic times, we met Monday nights after dinner and wine was always served. Some gals gave themselves really generous pours and several of them. Others totally abstained (a couple for health reasons). I had already given up weeknight alcohol years prior to joining the group. When I partook, it never really seemed "worth it." So one time (it was probably because I was deficit eating) I just decided I'd take a pass, and I had a really good time. I mean, I take a pass on the appetizer food (because I had JUST eaten dinner), so why not the alcohol? Why is it any different? I realized after that no one notices or cares what's in my glass at most social events. Especially among good friends who have REAL conversations, it doesn't matter a whole lot to me whether I drink.
Contrast that to several years (maybe decades) ago. I vividly remember on a couple of occasions being kind of anxious if drinks took too long. What was my rush? I never, ever, could have imagined a take-it-or-leave it attitude back then. I wish I had a take-it-or-leave-it attitude all the time, but I will rack it up in the "W" column that I sporadically feel that way. Baby steps.6 -
April 1-4, ....3 AF day 1 A,- 3 spirits
April 5-11... 7 days AF
April 12-18 ..5 days AF, 2 days A- 3 wine, 4 spirits
April 19-25
...April 19 AF
...April 20 AF
...April 21 AF
...April 22 AF
...April 23--2 wine, 2 spirit
...April 24
...April 25
April 26-30
It's been a good day, sad news is my sinus stuff seems to be back but I am hoping it is just pollen/allergies6 -
Hi : - )
I joined this thread November 2018. I was a daily drinker at that point.
I am drinking less chiefly to lose weight.
My goals now are the same as they have been since January 2020, kind of my sweet spot.
16-20 AF days per month
NO drinking 2 days in a row
Keep 2 AF days in between drinks days.
3 is my max or I throw up.
Here goes my diary style:
Wednesday April 21 - AF - I have been going at a breakneck pace this week, trying very hard to get all of my jobs done so that I can have 2 days off in a row minus Friday morning dedicated to paperwork. Planned drinks tomorrow (if I get it all done) and probably Friday too with my friend out on her deck. I also hope to get my potato garden planted during my day and a half off - it snowed, so when it melted it was too wet to till. Got to 5AF days in a row and my 16AF days : - )
Thursday April 22 - 2 1/2 drinks. So lovely, feeling more relaxed than I have been all week. I am still not used to my new schedule. Other than 4 hours of (paid) paperwork tomorrow morning, I will be on days off until Sunday morning. Planning on drinks tomorrow evening with a friend. My goal/rule for myself is changing since my new extra job. Very crappy weather here, the idea that I would have a day and a half off to get my potato garden tilled for planting is out the window...rain turned to snow today. I will take the opportunity tomorrow to blast some classical music throughout my house, grind myself some delicious coffee and putter around. Any excuse to be outside I normally take, but this is not the weather for me. I don't plan on getting dressed at all tomorrow, pj's it shall be : - )
Friday April 23 - Planning on a couple of drinks. I was up ultra early and finished all of my work by 10:30. I got 2 rows out of 10 of the potato garden dug up and planted. It is supposed to rain the next couple of days, but I couldn't do any more today. Going to have a nice scented bath tonight, pull the TV up to the tub and watch HGTV : - )
Rolling total: 16 AF days out of 23 days5 -
@globalhiker
Where is the cabin?
@Lilylady3k
I watched an HGTV show on Padre Island and thought of you and your vacation property because you said that it was near there : - )
So lovely!5 -
This week has been really good. Not much temptation to drink even though I was around a lot of drinking. It was my day off today and I did have a beer today at lunch with my friends. But didnt order the second when everyone else did. It feels good to have control over the drinking rather than the drinking controlling me. Anyway I will abstain for the rest of the weekend. I appreciate this group and the motivation that everyone's transparency gives me. I will also try to document my struggles and wins on a weekly basis. So far this week has been a win. Small steps and keep focused! Have a great weekend everyone!8
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My sister was headed over for dinner so I dropped by our local SPECS liquor store on my way home this evening. Matt our wine guy there helped me make more of a selection than I probably needed ... I went in for 2 whites and came out with 8 bottles. Always good to see him and DH has been going lately and we've not gotten to chat in a while. Anyway I enjoyed looking at the bottles, searching for favorites and stocking up on what I like. But I have to remember I don't need to drink it all at once.
DH & my sister opened 3 bottles ... I had 3 glasses.
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Day 2 of weekend getaway I had 2 shots of whiskey. I had exceeded my planned 1 drink but it was hard.Strangely we had sleet
so our plans got derailed.Today is looking sunny so we'll hit some trails. I'm near the Sunrise Ski resort and our day plans are to be in Greer today. The area is called White Mountains.
I passed on free wine tasting event here last night!6 -
@globalhiker -thank you for sharing the path that worked for you; it is very helpful.
@MissMay - yes, I make my own kombucha. It is easy and my favorite way to flavor it, is with pink grapefruit juice. I also use unsweetened pomegranate juice some times. I originally started with a SCOBY I ordered off the Internet and it produces a new one each time. I use the new one in the next batch.
Total: AF-14 out of 23 days6 -
@AR10at50 I have made my own vinegar in the past but never tried my hand at kombucha. Now I am going to have to give that a go! I did not realize just how easy it was to do. I am more interested in the probiotic properties
Well I had a few planned drinks last night and may do so again tonight.
This will make a rolling 20 out of 24 days AF for the month of April. I am good with that when I look back to my daily drinking for decades.5 -
Hi : - )
I joined this thread November 2018. I was a daily drinker at that point.
I am drinking less chiefly to lose weight.
My goals now are the same as they have been since January 2020, kind of my sweet spot.
16-20 AF days per month
NO drinking 2 days in a row
Keep 2 AF days in between drinks days.
3 is my max or I throw up.
Here goes my diary style:
Friday April 23 - Planning on a couple of drinks. I was up ultra early and finished all of my work by 10:30. I got 2 rows out of 10 of the potato garden dug up and planted. It is supposed to rain the next couple of days, but I couldn't do any more today. Going to have a nice scented bath tonight, pull the TV up to the tub and watch HGTV with a couple of drinks.
Saturday April 24 - AF - Rainy day today. A drink would have been nice, but I didn't, I work tomorrow. Planned AF now until Thursday or Friday.
Rolling total: 17 AF days out of 24 days5 -
@globalhiker
i googled the area, it looks beautiful! Enjoy.2 -
"Good morning" I say that in the most sincere way.
I have been off air and home bound after my 2nd covid vaccine knocked me on my butt Thursday afternoon. "Oh, you'll do fine" everyone told me, "Your healthly and strong". UGH. Should have prepared for the worst, not the least. I know when I do not want to drink coffee in the morning it is bad. But hey, back up and running with the pack again.
Looks like we are headed into our last 6 days of the month. That flew by fast
From catching up on posts everyone sounds like they are doing well. Let's make this last week of April positive.
Probably on Friday I will create our new thread link for May and post it here.
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Fun time last night! One of my social alumni groups sponsored a virtual cooking class with Underbelly Hospitality. Everyone picked up the box of ingredients (enough for 2) from their pantry and then tuned in over Zoom. We made a cocktail and mac & cheese. I've found a new way to make mac & cheese that I love ... but oh boy the scale was not kind this morning.
https://underbellyhospitality.com
Cocktail: Little Sunday
1 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Liquid Alchemist Strawberry
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Armeno (?) ... blend of 2 liquors I believe and his name was made up for combo
Shake with ice
Strain into 4-6 oz Vinny New York Bubbly Wine
Mac & Cheese:
Heavy Cream bring to a boil and reduce in a large skillet
Add al dente elbow macaroni
Add chopped Chris Shepherd's Pork & Smoked Bacon Sausage
Add favorite cheeses (they provided grated gruyère, grated pepper jack & american slices)
Add extras (they provided chopped red onion, jalapeño, green onions)
Stir and then pour into a baking dish
Toppings (they provided frytini which is saltine crackers fried and crumbled, panko w/ parmesan & fried pork skins w/panko)
Bake 5 min at 350 degrees
PLUS 1 glass wine5 -
@MissMay - Hope that you are as right as rain soon! The 2nd vaccine shot knocked me for a loop as well but it was short lived. I can take anything for less than 24 hrs compared to getting COVID and being ill for 3 weeks like my brother!
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April accountability: 6/23 days AF
Alcohol: 18 days (37 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month. Aim to drink no more than 2 nights in a row.
4/1 - AF
4/2 - 3 wine
4/3 - 2 wine
4/4 - AF
4/5 - 2 wine
4/6 - 2 wine
4/7 - AF
4/8 - AF
4/9 - 1 wine
4/10 - 1 beer
4/11 -AF
4/12 - AF
4/13 - 2 wine
4/14 - 3 wine
4/15 - 1 wine
4/16 - 3 wine Rehearsal Dinner
4/17 - 4 wine DD’s 1 year anniversary celebration
4/18 - 2 wine
4/19 - 1 wine
4/20 - 1 wine
4/21 - 1 wine
4/22 - 2 wine
4/23 - 3 wine
4/24 - 3 … 1 Little Sunday Cocktail + remaining 1/2 can Vinny New York Bubbly Wine, 1 glass wine.
TOO MUCH RED THIS MONTH!4 -
Day 3 of weekend getaway I managed to have 2 drinks with lunch out and in the evening 2 drinks with dinner. Yep that's 4. They are up too quickly! We had lunch out at an amazing BBQ place in Springerville called Avery's, this was after a morning hike in 9000 ft elevation, so at lunchtime I was altitude loopy and hungry and thirsty and they had wine by the glass. So good with pulled chicken and brisket with Carolina style BBQ sauce and pecan coleslaw. The place looked like an authentic Wild West place. On our way to an afternoon hike on the South Fork Trail and we saw pronghorn antelope looking creatures for the first time, a large herd. Next we logged about 8 miles alongside bubbly creeks which made for a pleasant afternoon in a Ponderosa pine forest. Since it was our last night here, we broke our rules and brought beer and wine to the cabin along with takeout. I am glad I at least stopped at 2 and will be leaving the rest of the bottle for the cleaning lady. Today we'll hike Salt River Canyon on the way home. It's back to AF mode tonight. I'll post some pics later.6
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Sorry for the typos, my Amazon fire device likes to change or omit words sometimes.3
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Just a quick check in for me today
April 1-4, ....3 AF day 1 A,- 3 spirits
April 5-11... 7 days AF
April 12-18 ...5 days AF, 2 days A- 3 wine, 4 spirits
April 19-25
...April 19 AF
...April 20 AF
...April 21 AF
...April 22 AF
...April 23-..2 wine, 2 spirits
...April 24...2 wine, 2 spirits
...April 25...AF
April 26-306 -
This morning I was reviewing our "expense reflection excel spreadsheet" and data dump from tracking in mint.com which I've been tracking since 2018 in order to determine how much we need annually for retirement. I went over it with DH giving our average alcohol bill and what we've spent in 2021. And that we are now over budget for April. He said that he thinks the alcohol was messing with his sleep last night and asked if we could skip this evening. We'll see how the rest of the month wraps up!
So we are both AF tonight.6 -
So...I managed two AF days last week although I think I made up for it on Friday night at dinner with friends. It's like we all get excited & the drinks seem to go down quicker. Saturday was a waste of a day recovering on the lounge watching Netflix.
Family roast dinner last night and I had half a bottle of wine. Today is an AF day. I feel embarrassed & guilty adding my alcohol consumption to my diary so I haven't been logging. I decided to log yesterday's intake & it was confronting.
Does anyone else feel like this?6 -
@Margie_11 - I agree about logging the intake and it being confronting whether it is good or bad. It has helped me reduce over time the number of drinks and begin counting them instead of completely ignoring the elephant in the room. Now I rarely go over 4 drinks which is huge for me. BUT also I can now say I usually can stop at 1 or 2. I'm trying to reduce the amount I drink ... not give it up completely.
April accountability: 7/25 days AF
Alcohol: 18 days (37 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month. Aim to drink no more than 2 nights in a row.
4/1 - AF
4/2 - 3 wine
4/3 - 2 wine
4/4 - AF
4/5 - 2 wine
4/6 - 2 wine
4/7 - AF
4/8 - AF
4/9 - 1 wine
4/10 - 1 beer
4/11 -AF
4/12 - AF
4/13 - 2 wine
4/14 - 3 wine
4/15 - 1 wine
4/16 - 3 wine Rehearsal Dinner
4/17 - 4 wine DD’s 1 year anniversary celebration
4/18 - 2 wine
4/19 - 1 wine
4/20 - 1 wine
4/21 - 1 wine
4/22 - 2 wine
4/23 - 3 wine
4/24 - 3 … 1 Little Sunday Cocktail + remaining 1/2 can Vinny New York Bubbly Wine, 1 glass wine.
4/25 - AF
That was quite a bad streak I broke last night!
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I was hung over yesterday because I was over my limits Saturday night. One vodka drink, and a glass of wine with dinner. Then we went back to our friends house and I had another glass and a half. Smartest move of the day was sleeping over.
For other people, 3 drinks is probably no big deal, but for me it’s a lot! Glad I had a big meal for dinner, that made a huge difference and I didn’t feel drunk. But I was a light weight compared to everyone I was with!!!!! They drank their faces off. I honestly don’t know how they were still standing.7 -
Happy Monday! Last week of the month and the perfect time to get in that AF streak!
@Margie_11 I know what you mean. After awhile, I started to focus on the AF days and just build from there.
@Lilylady3k great to hear your husband took the night "off" the wine. This could be the beginning of great things to come!
Me, I don't regret drinking on my days off this weekend, nor do I feel guilty or ill, but looking back, it was just MEH. It really didn't deliver a huge boost in happiness I thought it would. I do hope in some future vacation I'll be able to do a better job of sticking to 1 drink max. Always room for improvement.....5 -
Some photos from our weekend hikes in AZ6 -
This is where the wine drinking started....!
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If you look super-close, you will see the wolf running by.6 -
Reaching the point where drinking has no point.9
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