Less Alcohol ~ DECEMBER 2022 ~ One Day At A Time
Replies
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Dec 1- 2- 3 A
Dec 4 - AF
Dec 5-6 -A
Dec 7- AF
Dec 8-9 -10 A
Dec 11- 12 - 13- AF4 -
I’m holding on to AF. On my third “cape cod” - club soda and slash of cranberry in a wine glass. Fake rosé. I would really love a real glass of wine right now, NGL. Talk about rituals!
@mfowler883 oh man that’s hard core. I cannot do coffee without milk. I’ll die on that hill!3 -
In my culture, chocolate is good. Dark chocolate, a little bit....and the kind with no chemicals added. Just the real deal. It has antioxidants. My ancestors lived past 100 and they ate chocolate often, if not every day.
(Separately, not my place to say @joans1976 but seriously do consider a second opinion. I declined Tamoxifen it was soooo unbearable. I also declined getting a hysterectomy and getting my ovaries removed. So barbaric. Hope your "stage" is O (there is such a thing) or close to it and they can do radiation and just watch you closely. Explore all your options, ask what the alternatives are, get super-educated reading legit medical sources while you wait, know you can do many healing things for your body and soul now. You are always in charge.)7 -
11 AF days of Christmas....getting close!!!5
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Hello all! I’m Amanda, I’m from Michigan. I am a crazy cat lady and work for a veterinarian. This will be my sixth month with this group and it has helped me cut back on my drinking so much! I am not ready to say I am 100% sober but last month I had 30 days alcohol free 😃
12/1-12/7: 7 out of 7 AF
12/8:AF
The pain is no joke today, yesterday was my first day back at home and I may have done too much. They only give a 2 day supply of narcotic pain meds, otherwise it’s Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I guess it’s Netflix and chill today for me!
12/9: AF
Pain is still here. I wonder if I did too much? I feel like all I did was sit around. I had a friend come visit me, we used to go to the bar together 3 nights a week and get hammered. We talked about all the stupid things we did under the influence and wonder how we made it out unscathed. Neither of us drink anymore. And we both realized last night we are fine with it!
12/10: AF
Healing, healing, healing. Yesterday was rough.
12/11: AF
12/12: AF
I’m getting impatient waiting for results. When I got diagnosed they should have also said “having cancer is also a big waiting game.” Whatever, I think I will go for a walk today even though it is 30 F and grey. I’m a little paranoid to go the stores right now with all the junk going around.
Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!
12/13: AF
Back to work today. Oh joy. I got the results of what was tested from surgery. In a nutshell: lymph nodes clear so no current spread of disease! 💪🏼Tumor was much larger than they thought, as in like 7 times larger than they thought so now everything is being reviewed and I wait until Monday. I have mixed emotions about this. I have to take this literally one hour at a time.7 -
@Womona and @mfowler883 You can pry my black coffee ☕️ out of my cold, dead hands. Drinking it now. Delicious.5
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Day 14 AF. Yesterday I had some cravings but just took a couple of deep breaths and rode it out. I do think about alcohol a lot and I am hoping that passes soon. We are going to my 4 year old granddaughter's Christmas concert this morning. I am sure to be bawling like an idiot. I just love to see children singing.7
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This group really helps me hold myself accountable, plus everyone is absolutely great. My monthly goal is 16-19 AF days (3A days max weekly) for weight loss and overall health. I post in the mornings about the previous day.
12/12: Drinks (2.5)
12/13: AF - Last night I stuck to the one Lagunitas NA IPA with dinner. I wanted two and I wanted snacks after dinner, but thinking about the extra calories and the upcoming anticipated Christmas food and fun helped me abstain. My weight was down yesterday. I counted calories but went over. It was the cardio workout that made the difference, which was a 50-minute Peloton bike workout. I also added 20 minutes of yoga to that. BTW, I found a new DELICIOUS snack with a good amount of protein and fiber by Bada Bean Bada Boom, made from broad beans. They are so yummy! I bought 100 calorie packs for stocking stuffers. It's good that they are in packs because it would be hard to stop eating them.
Rolling Total: 7 AF Days out of 13
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December accountability: 6 days AF
Alcohol: 7 days (15 drinks)
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month.
12/13 - AF; DH had bourbon and coke but I just wasn't feeling like alcohol. COVID wise we are both doing well. We didn't have any of the really bad symptoms and the rest of the family is recovering nicely.
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@SunnyDays930 - Good job making it through! I also think about it too. It's hard to break old habits. I read that it takes 66 days to incorporate a new one. We can do it!
Your comments about bawling at your granddaughter's concert made me smile because I can relate. I don't have any grandchildren (although I have two grown sons and I don't think either one is going to have children! .... sorry about the short rant there LOL), but I had to hold back tears at the fife and drums Christmas music at Williamsburg this past weekend. I know I would be doing the same for your granddaughter's concert too, if I were to attend.5 -
@joans1976 Thanks for the update. Great news about the lymph nodes. I can't imagine how hard it is to wait for results. Thinking of you and hoping the next update is also good.5
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How do you delete an accidental post? That's what this was.
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Living in crazy town the last couple days but can’t talk about it. I had a drink each night to help relax. Tonight I have a party and suspect there will be one more drink. Rather than beat myself up for not hitting one goal (only drink at events), I’ll celebrate hitting the other goal (only had one drink.) In the past, I would not have stuck to the one drink limit.
Hope you have a good day!8 -
@lmlmrn - I love the "not beating myself up over setbacks, and to keep looking forward" post. I 100% agree with that. Thanks for the reminder.
[/quote]
Thank you
So no beating myself this morning either. I need to rein in these past days (weeks). Maybe my will power has gone out the window with the sale of the building, the homeless out front of the building, closing the business, death of FIL....I am 100% overwhelmed.
@joans1976 I can't even imagine the stress you are in....prayers to you
I am thankful my weight is staying within 1 lb of my goal weight with the evening shot (sometimes 2). But I am on borrowed time if I keep this path up.
well going to scoot but will be back
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ANOTHER AF (as @whitpauly would say in the past)
@SunnyDays930 your last post, was so interesting.
I have always wondered are they cravings or just habits stored in our drinking brains.?
Tears are good, let them flow.
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RockinRobyn672 wrote: »@dawnbgethealthy - In a previous month you provided a tip that has been so helpful to me and your comments today reminded me. Instead of AF days, if I turn it around and say to myself that I can have 3A days a week, this works for me. That's the trick I picked up from you. Thanks for that!
Whatever trick it takes right?
That came over from food moderation in my journey to weight loss. Cutting portions of some things (1 tbsp of coffee cream per cup instead of 3) and spacing out the consumption of other things instead of never having them again. I used to have Ribs once per week as an example, then once per month, and now more like once per 3 months. Lol, I don't want to live my life thinking that I can never have Ribs again!
You have one hour to go back in and delete a post btw5 -
@joans1976
I can't believe that you are going back to work so soon! Please take care and go home if it is too much for you.3 -
I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
My primary motivation for drinking less is weight loss.
I throw up if I have more than 3 drinks, so moderation on drink days is rarely an issue for me lol.
My recurring goal is 16-20 AF days per month. I squeaked to 16 last month.
I like to do this diary style to keep track.
Friday December 09 - Drinks including a Rye Manhattan
Saturday December 10 - Drinks including a Stinger with Rye instead of Cognac (so technically a Prince). Busy week with late nights ahead starting Tuesday, may try to stay AF until the weekend.
Sunday December 11 - AF - I was really wanting a Stinger while I stood whisking a Roux from blonde to caramel to dark to put into my Jambalaya and Gumbo that I was making. Once I started stirring I couldn't stop to create a drink, otherwise I would have had a drink in one hand and whisk in the other. Busy week, maybe AF all week until the weekend.
Monday December 12 - AF - Setting my mind to being AF during this week. Saying to myself that I can have drinks come the weekend for some reason makes it easier for me to have AF days
Tuesday December 13 - AF - First night of 4 late nights. I was really craving a nice black russian, but knew that I have many long days to get through, so didn't.
Rolling total - 8AF day out of 13 days5 -
@dawnbgethealthy I always admire your ability to prioritize the future you when you resist temptation due to a future work schedule. Thanks for sharing that thought process.
@joans1976 Glad you're well enough to be back at work, but uggh. Hope you can take it easy and your boss just backs off. I hate how insurance/healthcare payment works in this country, and my heart just aches for you having that hassle on top of everything else. Such good advice from @womona. I'm going to remember that advice, too.
@Lilylady3k Well, so much for the BA.05 2-day incubation theory. I was taking that advice to the bank, but I think that is still the dominant variant circulating and if you were all exposed at the wedding (which is logical), it sounds like some of you had longer incubation. It's just so hard to know. Hope you can enjoy the forced down-time without symptoms that are too bad. It's a bummer.
@SunnyDays930 Your observations about numbing vs. overflowing with gratitude and joy are beautiful. Thank you for that uplift. I get you on the children's choirs, although my personal weakness are marching bands. Gets me every time. I'm a mess at parades.
Not doing great on the December accountability front. And not feeling that bad about it, either, so I'm not feeling too compelled to keep track of everything. My birthday was Sunday, 2 daughters home, and went out every meal. Had a drink at lunch and another one at dinner (and desserts, too) and then I think we opened a bottle when we got home. I've pretty much stuck to weekends only so far but have a birthday party tomorrow and another one the Wednesday following, and will probably feel like partaking (although I know no one but me really cares what I drink at parties). My weight is right in the middle of my mtce range again so I'm not going to expend a lot of energy worrying about the splurges but I am using a bit of restraint when it's easier to do so to try to balance things out. I've also kind of sucked at keeping up my strength training, and I have no excuse for that whatsoever. I do feel bad about letting myself down on that front, but the month is only half over so I can get my *kitten* back on track if I can scrounge up the will to do so.5 -
AF yesterday as expected. Today should be same, as I still have no alcohol here. Two NA Stellas in the fridge to go with dinner.
So my low was 179 and change before creeping back up to 180 and change and sticking there for close to a week. High carb weekend pushed me to 181 and change; yesterday was back to my usual foods, calorie deficit and a short but intense workout. Today I weighed in at 180.2 so maybe that was adequate to reboot my metabolism.
It's really weird, after years of boredom eating, stress eating, eating just because I like something, eating because I can, not needing to be hungry to eat, not stopping when I was full, I'm all of a sudden in this place where....I won't say I don't get hungry or want to eat, that's not exactly it. I get hungry and I want to eat, but I get hungry when it's meal time, when I haven't eaten enough or recently enough or whatever. I do still get the occasional hankering to stuff my face, but it doesn't take much to quell the urge. Instead of eating inappropriately, I can snack reasonably and be satisfied. If I don't inadvertently work through lunch, I'm not famished by dinner - although my body lets me know if I've skipped eating, I'll start to feel bad by 2:00 or so if I've forgotten to eat or just been too busy. Now that I have made portion control a routine, and made some very specific substitutions, it's actually DIFFICULT for me to even hit my calorie goal, much less overshoot it.
Found the most awesome pair of boots last night, some epic oxblood brogued wingtips from Allen Edmonds. They were more than I really wanted to spend, but I pulled the trigger anyway. They totally scream I AM OXBLOOD BROGUE as they grab you by the eyeballs, shake your mind like a ragdoll and throw you across the room. I hope I like them as much as I think I will - I went to their Houston store and tried on a pair in brown just to verify the fit, and looked at an oxblood belt to see what the color is like. They're a little stiff in the store, but then, that's par for the course with any new boot.
-m6 -
@SunnyDays930 I always wonder why some days the craving for alcohol is out in full force, other days it’s a “might be nice, but nah “ and yet other days we don’t even want it! Good for you getting through your cravings! Oh and enjoy the concert. Bring tissues and feel the feels!
@joans1976 good news it didn’t spread to lymph nodes! Woo hoo! Hmmm… 7 times bigger than they thought… can you get new boobs out of this at least🤪? Thinking of you as you continue your healing and the waiting game!
@RockinRobyn672 thanks for the snack suggestion! I’m going to check it out.
@lmlmrn do you have a date for the building closing? We are waiting with bated breath!!! No one could blame you for being a ball of stress.
@bover145 sorry you’ve got it all going on, but good for you for giving yourself grace. That’s so important. Plus, you were able to moderate which is huge! Not a lot of people can do that.
@mfowler883 you have GOT to show me a picture of your awesome new boots when they come in!!!!! On the food front, great job listening to your body instead of eating for the wrong reasons. Makes a huge difference!
AF again tonight. I definitely feel better and my weight is coming down. This past Monday was rough. Methinks I was hungover which made PMS symptoms way worse! I have to have to have to HAVE TO not have more than two drinks each day this weekend. It all falls apart for me when I do.4 -
I'm not gonna lie, I'm struggling tonight. I threw on some music, didn't really overthink it...a playlist of Martin Gore's Counterfeit and Counterfeit 2. When I got my copy of Counterfeit, Gary and I listened to it all the time...he would've loved the second one. I was in a pretty bad place, fighting my demons and mostly losing. G really kept me together, and losing him crushed me. We would drive around back roads for hours on end in the night, listening to music and talking and just enjoying each other's company. We went clubbing, went to parties, went to shows, talked about the things we'd been through and all the things we wanted to do in life, music always providing a backdrop, a perpetual soundtrack. He loved music as much as I do...the morning I got that call, as I tried to process the news, I remember the blackness closing in around me. For months afterward, I would catch myself looking out the window waiting for him to come rolling up, I just....couldn't accept that he was gone.
When I find myself going down these paths, all the memories piling up, I really just want to melt into the floor and disappear, want to stop feeling, want to drown myself in a bottle, want to wrap the warm fuzzy codeine blanket around my brain, anything to make it stop.
I don't have anything here anyway, I'm stuck with it, undiluted, full strength, wide screen and high definition. I know this means I won't get to sleep soon, I will lie awake in the dark while it washes over me until fatigue takes over, playing back every last moment in stark, crisp detail. In the morning I will be exhausted, but I'll get up regardless and do all the things. I'd hoped typing it all out would have some cathartic value, bring some small bit of solace. It didn't.
Nights like this are what make this whole not drinking thing hard for me.
So yeah, AF. 9 of 14 days.
-m9 -
December accountability: 6 days AF
Alcohol: 8 days (17 drinks)
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month.
12/14 - 2 wine; DH bought a few bottles of wine but not 6 to get the discount which is a positive sign
Everyone is recovering from COVID in the family which is wonderful because I was really concerned about the youngest one ... 5 months old. But she is fine. I think DH and I had it the lightest probably because we had Omicron in the spring earlier this year and we had the new booster in September. Everyone else that got it at the wedding in the family had never had COVID before and had not gotten the latest booster but did have boosters in the spring.
My sister though was not at the wedding but she is a teacher. She had Omicron in the spring too and had the booster in October; however she had the worse symptoms of all of us this round ... fever for days, really bad cough, fatigue, etc etc. More than likely because she is a stage 4 breast cancer survivor for the past dozen years and her lungs had been comprised. She had to take the entire week off.
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Hello all! I’m Amanda, I’m from Michigan. I am a crazy cat lady and work for a veterinarian. This will be my sixth month with this group and it has helped me cut back on my drinking so much! I am not ready to say I am 100% sober but last month I had 30 days alcohol free 😃
12/1-12/7: 7 out of 7 AF
12/8:AF
The pain is no joke today, yesterday was my first day back at home and I may have done too much. They only give a 2 day supply of narcotic pain meds, otherwise it’s Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I guess it’s Netflix and chill today for me!
12/9: AF
Pain is still here. I wonder if I did too much? I feel like all I did was sit around. I had a friend come visit me, we used to go to the bar together 3 nights a week and get hammered. We talked about all the stupid things we did under the influence and wonder how we made it out unscathed. Neither of us drink anymore. And we both realized last night we are fine with it!
12/10: AF
Healing, healing, healing. Yesterday was rough.
12/11: AF
12/12: AF
I’m getting impatient waiting for results. When I got diagnosed they should have also said “having cancer is also a big waiting game.” Whatever, I think I will go for a walk today even though it is 30 F and grey. I’m a little paranoid to go the stores right now with all the junk going around.
Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!
12/13: AF
Back to work today. Oh joy. I got the results of what was tested from surgery. In a nutshell: lymph nodes clear so no current spread of disease! 💪🏼Tumor was much larger than they thought, as in like 7 times larger than they thought so now everything is being reviewed and I wait until Monday. I have mixed emotions about this. I have to take this literally one hour at a time.
12/14: AF
Okay everyone, I work from home. I was not in the clinic wrestling German Shepherds and senile Chihuahuas. It was hard, yes, I am sore today, yes but overall am very lucky I work from home. I so appreciate everyone’s concern. ❤️I met with Psychoncology yesterday and have appointments for 3 therapy resources coming up. I am really looking forward to this as I feel like I need to take a step back and just forget about things for awhile.7 -
@SunnyDays930 How ya doin? How was the concert?
@Womona Seriously. New boobs being considered. Will know more Monday. Big decision!
@Lilylady3k Glad to hear people are recovering!
@ahoy_m8 please give yourself some grace. This time of year involves so much pressure and you had a rough 2022. I think we should all just do what makes us and our loved ones happy and be happy we are together. (I sound like a TV commercial, stop me!)
@mfowler883 I am sorry for your loss, this time of year can make these losses stand out. I assume you’re on Reddit?6 -
If you feel like time is going by too fast, try to go AF for an entire month lol. December seems to be dragging but we are half way through the month now. We've been invited to a NYE/Birthday party for one of my oldest friends so we will go and of course I will be the DD. I am not wild about driving country roads in the dark with drunks out there so we decided to get a hotel near where she lives.
The children's concert did not disappoint. One shy little boy faced the back of the room the entire time. He was not having any of this. I just love the innocence and excitement of these little ones. It was one of those priceless moments. Every person in that room had a huge smile on their face, watching them sing.
We had lunch at a bar after and I was watching the bartender make this beautiful martini with cranberries in it. I said,"oh that is so pretty!", and she took the rest out of the shaker and poured it into a glass and set it in front of me! Yikes. I took a sniff; I am not going to lie, it smelled amazing, but handed it to my DH who dispatched of it quickly and declared it delicious. He took one for the team.....not really, he was happy to try it. So that is another win. Came home and made some gingerbread loaves for gifts and threw an "$18.00" piece of paper in my jar as wine is 8.00 per glass at that bar and I never leave without at least 2. So I rounded to 18 to include tip. Drinking is expensive!
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Oh @mfowler883 my heart aches for you. Your friend Gary sounds like an amazing person. Plus a lot of fun to be around! You wrote such a beautiful tribute to him. Grief is a hell of a thing. You’re minding your own business, and then it hits you like a train and takes your breath away. It’s not a linear journey, at all. We never stop loving those that have gone. He is still with you. Hugs.7
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@SunnyDays930 you're right, drinking is expensive!!!! I’m very impressed that you didn’t even take a sip- that’s some hard core willpower right there. I probably would have caved. How cute with the little boy refusing to face the audience. I love that age, so innocent.5
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Stuck at 11 AF....UGH.....things I did wrong yesterday:
1-had a carb-only lunch (zero protein)
2-don't remember drinking water
3-didn't exercise because it was abnormally freezing cold here
4-had to get blood drawn and sat in the lab with a room full of coughers (I had my mask on)
I should have eaten protein to stabilize my blood-sugar (good blood sugar=good mood & good thinking
I should have drank water throughout the day-dehydration confuses the body and results in over-eating
I should have attempted to exercise indoors, even 15 min, to get myself warmed up
I should have sat in my warm car listening to music while waiting for the lab tech
I plan to not be stupid today like yesterday
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This group really helps me hold myself accountable, plus everyone is absolutely great. My monthly goal is 16-19 AF days (3A days max weekly) for weight loss and overall health. I post in the mornings about the previous day.
12/12: Drinks (2.5)
12/13: AF
12/14: Drinks (2.5) - This was a hungry day even though I ate a healthy breakfast and lunch with a snack in between. I make progress then I don't. I had my last NA Lagunatas with dinner. Later I lost my resolve and shared beers and snacks with hubby. I ask myself WHY I do this. Is it boredom or frustration or anxiety about the holiday? Is it because I wanted to try out new healthy snack packs that I purchased? Is it because I haven't finished Xmas shopping? Is it something else? I need to ponder more on this and determine a way to divert myself when it happens. I'm not going to beat myself up. Today is another day. Big picture? I'm doing great. I have one more A day remaining this week. I will do it!
Rolling Total: 7 AF Days out of 146
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