Less Alcohol ~ MAY 2022 ~ One Day At A Time

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  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    I am Dawn.

    I am drinking less to lose weight. Diet and exercise were not budging the scale for me until November 2018 when I began to drink less. Drinking derails weight loss.

    I hit 19AF days for April.
    Sticking with my goal of 16-20 AF days per month for May
    Diary style.


    Friday May 13 - AF - I hadn't realized that it was Friday the 13th until now lol. I was exhausted, and felt like chilling out with a couple of drinks, but didn't because of the extra day of drinks this week. I might have drinks on Saturday. Going away next weekend for 3 days to the Blossom Festival in another town (Creston BC) but do not plan to have any drinks while there.
    Saturday May 14 - 2 drinks - I was tired all day, catching up from too much work for 2 weeks. Going to a comedy show on Monday night, may have drinks before or after. Planning AF for Sunday.
    Sunday May 15 - AF - Going to a comedy show on Monday, not sure if I will have drinks or not yet.

    Rolling total: 9AF out of 15 days.
  • tmbg1
    tmbg1 Posts: 1,458 Member
    1st week of May - 3AF and 4A
    2nd week of May- 3AF and 4A
    3rd week so far 1AF and 1A (stopped at 1 glass)
  • joallana
    joallana Posts: 33 Member
    5/11: AF
    5/12: AF
    5/13: AF
    5/14: 3
    5/15: AF
    5/16: AF

    Well the weekend brewery tour plan was successful! I ended up drinking a little less than 3 standard drinks across 7 breweries. There’s only one I’ll ever go back to (I love wild fermentation!) but it was a fun time and having the punch card definitely took the mental pressure off wrt the “well I spent money on this, I have to drink it.”

    Tonight I was feeling grumpy and wanting wine, but then I remembered I bought a bunch of Proxies based on a rec from April’s thread and popped open the Sauvage instead. I am … pretty upset about how good it was, haha. It did not taste like white wine (which I don’t usually enjoy) but it was the perfect thing to sip on at the end of a long day. I was looking forward to saving money by drinking less and now I can just feel I’m going to end up paying for a subscription to these!
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    @mainelylisa here is our May thread.
  • Breathe57103
    Breathe57103 Posts: 112 Member
    Posting for accountability.

    At this point my goal is to just drink less than the daily drinking I have been doing for the last 2 months.

    5/13 AF
    5/14 AF
    5/15 3 drinks
    5/16 3 drinks

    Being alone is really hard. I need to find something to motivate me to resume taking better care of myself.
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    Breathe57103 wrote: »
    Posting for accountability.

    At this point my goal is to just drink less than the daily drinking I have been doing for the last 2 months.

    5/13 AF
    5/14 AF
    5/15 3 drinks
    5/16 3 drinks

    Being alone is really hard. I need to find something to motivate me to resume taking better care of myself.

    Agreed @Breathe57103 , boredom, loneliness and isolation are fuel to the fire for filling a void with alcohol (or food).
    I know it has ben a very short time since your husband pasted.
    I keep putting myself into your time frame and shoes as to where I was after my 1st husband (of 24 years marriage) died of cirrhosis of the liver.
    I had to tell myself everyday "Get out of bed". Luckily I had two active young dogs that needed lots of exercise and attention. They kept me sane.

    Maybe you can try volunteering at a shelter, daycare or church. To get you out and around people. I am sure you have some much needed strengths that would be helpful to others and in return you would get socialization from being near others.

    Plus knowing you will be around those people you can concentrate on LESS alcohol. Because you will need a clear head.

    💕
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    I had a planned drinks night last night, I actually scheduled it for the exact middle of the month ( before I knew it was a full moon, LOL.

    Also combined with the thought I'd be home and not needing to drive anywhere. So two cans of coffee/beer and darn it kept me awake past my bedtime.

    This stuff has WAY to much caffeine kick for me these days and I am not enjoying the racing heart and wide eyes past 10:00PM. It has got to GO. I so thrive for my good sleep every night. I know just the person to give this too 😈

    May accountability:
    2-A (three standard drinks)
    14 - AF

  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    I am Dawn.

    I am drinking less to lose weight. Diet and exercise were not budging the scale for me until November 2018 when I began to drink less. Drinking derails weight loss.

    I hit 19AF days for April.
    Sticking with my goal of 16-20 AF days per month for May
    Diary style.


    Friday May 13 - AF - I hadn't realized that it was Friday the 13th until now lol. I was exhausted, and felt like chilling out with a couple of drinks, but didn't because of the extra day of drinks this week. I might have drinks on Saturday. Going away next weekend for 3 days to the Blossom Festival in another town (Creston BC) but do not plan to have any drinks while there.
    Saturday May 14 - 2 drinks - I was tired all day, catching up from too much work for 2 weeks. Going to a comedy show on Monday night, may have drinks before or after. Planning AF for Sunday.
    Sunday May 15 - AF - Going to a comedy show on Monday, not sure if I will have drinks or not yet.
    Monday May 16 - 2 drinks. The comedy show was really good, and good for me.

    Rolling total: 9AF out of 16 days.
  • lmlmrn
    lmlmrn Posts: 788 Member
    Hello everyone
    I had a cabinet person come out yesterday and measure....yeah. He will have numbers for me today. If we go with them they will be back out for the final measure then off to the local factory for assembly. I even went inside the local place to make sure. I am picky that way.
    Then it is ordering counter tops and appliances. Costco keeps saying out of stock for the suites I want. Grr.
    BUT I have stayed AF Sun + Mon. I seem to be falling into a pattern of 5AF days and 2A on the weekend. But only the two beers when out so OK. Next phase will be maybe 1 day a week. Its a process.

    @MissMay I have been reorganizing my art room. Yikes. I purchased another 3 drawer bin. This is going to take awhile when I really want to just paint and create. I am still waiting for our weather to stay warm above 55 before I blow up the pool.
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    lmlmrn wrote: »
    Hello everyone
    I had a cabinet person come out yesterday and measure....yeah. He will have numbers for me today. If we go with them they will be back out for the final measure then off to the local factory for assembly. I even went inside the local place to make sure. I am picky that way.
    Then it is ordering counter tops and appliances. Costco keeps saying out of stock for the suites I want. Grr.
    BUT I have stayed AF Sun + Mon. I seem to be falling into a pattern of 5AF days and 2A on the weekend. But only the two beers when out so OK. Next phase will be maybe 1 day a week. Its a process.

    @MissMay I have been reorganizing my art room. Yikes. I purchased another 3 drawer bin. This is going to take awhile when I really want to just paint and create. I am still waiting for our weather to stay warm above 55 before I blow up the pool.

    WOW great work staying AF Sun and Mon👍👍👍

    LOL... you may need to clarify that last sentence about your "pool" to others reading. Blame me, I am the one who suggested it to you.🎨🎨🎨
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    @dawnbgethealthy who was the comedy show? That sounds FUN.
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    Lilylady3k wrote: »
    May accountability: 2 days AF
    Alcohol: 13 days (25 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.

    5/1 - AF
    5/2 - 2 wine
    5/3 - 1 wine
    5/4 - AF
    5/5 - 2 wine
    5/6 - 1.5 wine
    5/7 - 2 wine
    5/8 - 1 wine
    5/9 - 1.5 wine
    5/10 - 2 wine
    5/11 - 2 wine
    5/12 - 2 wine
    5/13 - 2 wine
    5/14 - 2 wine
    5/15 - 4 drinks 2 wine + 2 bourbon & Diet Coke

    Not a stellar month then blew up last night and tossed in my hat and reverted back to the old days. Tonight book club away from DH, the kids, etc. I can AF at the restaurant easier than home even though I'll be the only one drinking water.

    Miss your frequent food and party creations. Know your busy with home remodeling. 😁
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,820 Member
    mimikatr wrote: »
    I would like to join the group. I am trying to cut back to one or two drinks a day on weekdays for now. Hoping to get to one to two a week at some point.

    Welcome! You and me both!
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,820 Member
    @Breathe57103 I’m so terribly sorry for your loss. You must be devastated beyond imagination. I pray that you find the strength, support and courage you need as you move forward with your life after this trauma. As your former moniker suggests, give YOURSELF grace. Don’t beat yourself up thinking you didn’t do enough, or weren’t worth enough. Your husband got sucked into the undertow far more powerful than anyone can combat. We’re here for you!
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,820 Member
    ajanet1007 wrote: »
    Hello everyone. I'm a newbie. Trying to get some weight off and sabotaging myself with alcohol. This looks like a helpful group. Hope to get to know some of you as we go along.

    Welcome! Oh I hear ya!!!!!
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,820 Member
    Well, the good news is I started exercising regularly again this week, and I do feel better for it. I needed to be more consistent with strength training, so I’m just doing it. Oh, and the peer pressure from all the trainers I work with has a lot to do with it too! Haha! Bought myself a good pair of new sneakers and some shorts, I’m good to go.

    What hasn’t improved is my drinking. I’m back up to 1.5-2 per night again. Amazing how it creeps up. Keep in mind my goal is AF Mon-Wed, and then only one drink the rest of the time. I’ve been way way off track with that, and my weight shows it.

    Had two drinks last night and slept terribly. Between that and the full moon, I didn’t get much sleep. I have a tennis match this morning, and hope my game doesn’t suffer for it, but hope is not a strategy!
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    MissMay wrote: »
    @dawnbgethealthy who was the comedy show? That sounds FUN.

    The comedy show. It is a radio show on CBC (Canada public radio) called The Debaters.
    Basically the moderator gives a silly topic and challenges 2 comedians to take opposite sides.

    When it began the moderator said that this show would not be recorded. People groaned, but then he assured us that it would be better, because there are things that you can't say on public radio.

    It was blue in spots for sure! They all 3 did sets, plus debates.
    Very fun : - )
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    edited May 2022
    I am Dawn.

    I am drinking less to lose weight. Diet and exercise were not budging the scale for me until November 2018 when I began to drink less. Drinking derails weight loss.

    I hit 19AF days for April.
    Sticking with my goal of 16-20 AF days per month for May
    Diary style.


    Sunday May 15 - AF - Going to a comedy show on Monday, not sure if I will have drinks or not yet.
    Monday May 16 - 2 drinks. The comedy show was really good, and good for me.
    Tuesday May 17 - 2 drinks. After work I went hard in the garden until almost dark. Dug out everything to change the soil in my Blueberry bed, plus added a couple more very big pots and planted 3 (out of 4) new blueberry bushes altogether. The heat dome last year was not good for them, trying to save them with new soil mixtures. Planned AF Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for my trip. Not sure about Wednesday yet.

    Rolling total: 9AF out of 17 days.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Greetings, all. I've been away a while and when I popped back into the thread, it was on pg5 so I had catching up to do but I think I caught up.

    First, @Breathe57103 what a devastating and unexpected turn of events. Love the insight above to lean into your former username to give yourself grace. Very, very sadly, this was totally about his brain chemicals and not about what you did or didn't do at all. It sounds just tragic and I imagine you (and others) miss him a lot. I think I first started drinking as a teenager to escape my reality (myself, really), and while alcohol is good at that while your brain is fuzzy, I think at the end of the day the after effects feel worse (esp anxiety) than the momentary escape feels good. I heard someone say it always takes more than it gives. Feels true. Take care of yourself. You deserve and need all the sources of well being within reach.

    In other posts, @dawnbgethealthy thank you for the gorgeous glacial lake photos. Just spellbinding. And I concur you are a great role model when you write about wanting a drink but resisting. It encourages me, too. Also someone, I think @joallana (welcome!) wrote about coral honeysuckle -- it's my favorite vine. I hope it thrives in the place you put it. Hugs to everyone laboring with back pain (from sleep?!!), hand pain and kitchen appliance leaks. The struggle is real.

    I'll try to be a more regular participant. Lots of travel in the family at the moment, everyone going different places. I just returned from visiting DD#2 in NYC and it was a super fun and relaxing visit. Ate a lot more than normal, but also walked a lot more than normal so here's hoping it balanced out. It's a whirlwind this week for various reasons. The upshot: I'm out of my routine and I wish I cared more about that. I can see how easily I could slip into daily drinking again. DH opened a bottle last night, and honestly, if I had not already brushed my teeth I would have had a glass. But I saw it vacuvin-ed in the refrigerator so of course I want it now. Maybe instead I should just breathe....
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,791 Member
    Wondeful to hear from you both @womona and @ahoy_m8. It is getting to that crazy time of year when we are crawling out of our toasty shelters to be out of doors and more active again( at least where I live in the U.S.A.)

    @dawnbgethealthy your night of comedy sounds devine. I attend a comedy night back in March. It was a much needed laugh attack!

    Woke up this morning looking like I went several rounds in a boxing match. WTH?
    I did NOT have any alcohol last night, went to bed on time and slept very well.

    OHhhhhhh then it hit me! Those darn lilacs in a vase at my friends house yesterday. I kept backing away, then moved to another chair. I was not sneezing or having breathing difficulties. The scent was just too strong for me. Wel I guess during the night the pollen from them affected my eyes or something. I've got some serious raccoon dark circles going on. UGH!!!!!!!

    Good news AF
  • lmlmrn
    lmlmrn Posts: 788 Member
    Hello everyone!
    Yesterday DH and I had an opportunity to go to our favorite hangout in the middle of the week and day! It was nice, I drank 2 beers ate fairly healthy then we came home. I took a little nap then back to our regular routine today. I felt in control when we went out and that felt really good.

    I finally was able to get out in our yard between rain squalls and mow. I also cut back some nasty invasive native plant.
    I also went window shopping for appliances and cabinet drawer pulls and knobs. I am so glad this is a process. I sent a copy of the kitchen plans to our install guy.

    Tomorrow I am going to concentrate on some much needed paint time.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,820 Member
    Great to see your post on here @ahoy_m8 your travels sound wonderful!

    @MissMay ugh nothing like a bad night’s sleep, especially triggered by something so pretty!

    Well, my goal of “less alcohol” was achieved these last two days. I am still a daily drinker, BUT I stopped at one, even though I was sorely tempted to pour that extra half glass. Amazing how much I really wanted it.

    Progress!

    Now off to the gym! More progress!
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,937 Member
    I am Dawn.

    I am drinking less to lose weight. Diet and exercise were not budging the scale for me until November 2018 when I began to drink less. Drinking derails weight loss.

    I hit 19AF days for April.
    Sticking with my goal of 16-20 AF days per month for May
    Diary style.

    Wednesday May 18 - 2 drinks - 3rd night in a row
    Thursday May 19 - AF - leaving to go away straight from work Friday. Not sure if I will get on the forums, but plan AF until Sunday eve.

    Rolling total: 10AF out of 19 days.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    @lmlmrn I am amazed at how fast your decision making is on the kitchen redo. It takes me forever to decide. And I agonize over paint colors. Do you think being a painter and routinely working with color helps? Like, does your mental dexterity with the canvas translate to rooms?
  • lmlmrn
    lmlmrn Posts: 788 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    @lmlmrn I am amazed at how fast your decision making is on the kitchen redo. It takes me forever to decide. And I agonize over paint colors. Do you think being a painter and routinely working with color helps? Like, does your mental dexterity with the canvas translate to rooms?

    I wish I could say yes, but DH has been in the wood restore business for 40+ years so he will not have painted cabinets. So I knew the color palette we have used throughout the home so it was an easy decision when it came to the cabinets. Now the handles and pulls will be a different story.
  • lmlmrn
    lmlmrn Posts: 788 Member
    globalhiker wrote: »
    @lmlmrn, I am appliance shopping too! Still can't get myself to pay almost $4k for a refrigerator. EEK....Prices are so through the roof!

    /quote]

    I know the prices are outrages PLUS we need to find a side by side in order for you to be able to pull out the bins all the way..grrr

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