LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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11 days AF and I have truly noticed it on the scales. 4 lbs in the past ten days. I will take that loss. Reading all the posts has inspired me and I appreciate everyone that takes the time to log in and post. The fact that there has been no negativity is a real gift.6
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14 days AF, 4 days planned A, 1 day A because I was mad about something that I don’t even remember.
Body fat % is down, hydration levels are up, and sleeping better when the dogs allow it.5 -
Long day. Nothing specifically going on, just long. Lots of errands and tasks and stuff. You know, the things that make us say "I'm ready to get back to work so I can relax a little bit..."
Grabbed a fresh pair of black 501s and black on black Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22 running shoes. I noticed I was rolling my feet on the treadmill, so been wanting something that offers a little more support. Probably doesn't matter much if I'm not getting in the gym, huh...
Had a bottle of Chimay Grande Reserve waiting in the fridge for DarkWave. Gonna shoot for AF tomorrow.
-m6 -
@joans1976 I really regret having stayed in a very toxic work environment for several years and firmly believe it's stress landed me in the O.R. You already know your emotional well-being is a big part of your physical healing. If one's heart and soul is telling them to leave and one doesn't, what happens next is that the body starts to complain and this is the psychology of stress that is very scientifically proven and manifests into physical illness. It does that to me. Even if you transition to another role in a similar occupation (maybe a heathcare role in a hospital?) even if short term with health care benefits from day one, this could help your healing on all levels. I transitioned from workplace environments that made me physically ill. Yes I know, taking a risk is hard and scary. Very best thing I ever did (my world is 100x better in all aspects). Takes courage and energy and you have this already. Your way out is in your hands.
Speaking of reset...I need to get back to tracking! AF today since I got 3 hours of sunshine and sweat and I saw some people out on the trails that were way older than me with amazing legs in spandex shorts mountain biking so I am motivated now
.....
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@globalhiker reminds me of the hike out from the Dry Fork trailhead when we encountered old geezers in far better shape than we were in. We never even reached the slot canyons.
-m5 -
Well sadly my new medication (buspirone) was a spectacular failure. For two days I didn't have any serious side effects, just some slight dizziness. Then yesterday all hell broke loose. I got more dizzy and nauseous over the course of the day and ended up throwing up the whole evening. I didn't know what "projectile vomiting" really entailed until last night. There wasn't any warning either which has never happened to me before, it would go from normal to vomiting in a couple of seconds, so I threw up on the carpet and my purse while trying to get to the garbage can which was really upsetting to me. Today I ate mostly crackers and Gatorade and I had more sugar today than I think I've ever had in one day in my life, because that was the only thing I wouldn't throw up. Of course it goes without saying I didn't drink all week and won't be anytime soon. I don't know what I'm going to do medication wise. My psychiatrist didn't even get back to me when I messaged her and honestly I don't want to see her anymore or take any more poisons that might be offered.
It really pisses me off. Every time I try to improve my health something happens to set me back. Last time I tried to improve my health by working out regularly I ended up getting flu, bronchitis, and COVID one after the other. Now I succeeded in eating relatively clean and healthy for six days and then today I had to eat stuff that is likely to aggravate my PCOS in order to be able to eat anything at all. And also unlike everyone else with mental health issues apparently I'm the one person who gets all the bad side effects from the drugs that are even supposed to be mild and safe. I couldn't even find another case report online of someone getting severe vomiting from buspirone -- in fact, it's used to stop vomiting for people with gastroparesis! IDK, do you guys ever have this where every time you try to improve yourself something happens to tear you down? What do you do in those cases, just stop trying or what? At this point I think I am losing hope of things ever getting better.10 -
Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »@joans1976 thinking more about your situation… just don’t sign anything or agree to anything. I am not sure what a lawyer is going to do for you at this point if you are not protected by FMLA or ADA. Why would Narcissa have to agree to do anything? I don’t know how old you are but if you are over 40 and she fired you you would have a doubly-good claim of discrimination (over 40 for age) plus the cancer diagnoses. I would wait until then to find a lawyer, threaten to sue and settle for something tangible - money damages and then move on with my life a bit richer for the lousy experience. What would your damages be now? What would you get from her that you want now? I know it sounds terrible but unless these 5k lawyers have told you their plan I would be skeptical they can solve anything for you without a law to rely on.
I don’t know what the job market is where you live, but if it was so great and she felt like she was in the right and in a true position of power she would just go ahead and fire you instead of tormenting you. That she isn’t means that she knows that she has a terrible situation facing her if she does. Plus you would be better off being fired because you could collect unenmployment and access health insurance while looking for a new job. Do what you need to do for your health, try to ignore her - be passive aggressive if you need to — don’t worry about work. Let her stew and be her usual lovely self and ignore it. If she fires you may the wrath of the gods come back to bite her through a rabies infected pet. You’ll then find a lawyer and have a claim for discrimination due to cancer (and maybe age). Document everything she does. Keep emails. Log your time etc,
This is of course a hell of a lot to do when you are battling cancer so if you can afford to walk away by all means do so, but if you can’t rather than waste 5K on a lawyer now when all they can do for you is buy you more time with Narcissa and make her potentially behave worse to you because you have brought in outside forces, I would turn my anger at the world into action in documenting everything so I have what I need in case I ever need to use it and try to ignore her and ride it out until my treatments are done. Then look for a job (or a lawyer if you’ve been fired).
I realize this is easier said from a distance, so please don’t think i am discounting how difficult your situation is. I am trying to project how I personally could use my FU feelings and project all the anger and pain I feel at the world into productive action rather than action that could be expensive (and likely equally stressful) and doesn’t have a real achievement at the end unless getting her to say she will let you have a few hours off for 20 day of treatment is all you want. (It may even take you that long to accomplish getting the concession from her, and I wouldn’t believe her if she agreed to it without a law that you can rely on to enforce the agreement with if she renegs. You’d just have a breach of contract claim in court, which again would cost money to enforce, and you’d have to prove damages.)
@Sinisterbarbie1 Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am 46. I meant I needed 5K to get by through April without a job (if needed) and a lawyer to help me identify if what she is doing is illegal. Honestly, I don’t want any of her money. I want to be paid for the hours I work in a non-toxic environment while I concentrate on getting treatment for cancer. I would ideally like to walk away with a good recommendation from this place, I’ve been there for 5 years. It’s so funny you say she gets bitten from a rabies infected animal. She has an irrational fear of getting rabies. I could go on and on about this woman’s phobias. It’s not fair to make fun of mental illness but she is “above” all of that. The problem never lies with her (even though shes the one afraid to touch a door knob) it is the whole world around her that has a problem.
I spent a good portion of my weekend worrying about this situation. No more. She gets no more time in my head.
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Hey everyone, I’m Amanda. I live in Michigan and it is freezing and gray here but at least it’s staying light out past 5 pm now. ☀️
I joined this lovely thread in the summer of 2022 and it has made a huge difference in my life! I’ve gone from being 25% AF to 98% AF.
The people here are kind and real and smart and fun! Welcome to all newcomers!
2/1-2/7: 6 out of 7 AF
2/8-2/14: 7 out of 7 AF
2/14: AF
My weight is up 2 pounds from lack of logging but I’m really enjoying the mental break of not logging. Like many of you said, I know what I need to eat, I was eating the same few foods just in a rotation while losing. I’m still eating those foods and getting my 5 a day in but…chocolate.
Hugs all around, everyone is doing great things!
2/15: AF
Geez oh man, work is a real albatross this week! I’m trying to just plow through and get it done. And to remain AF while I do it. Yes. Must remain AF. While working and otherwise.
2/15 & 2/17 AF
Well, Narcissa strikes again. I’m behind on my work because no one covers for me while I’m out with doctors appointments, surgery, just getting cancer treatment in general. Keep in mind Narcissa doesn’t get back to clients for months whose pets have lymphoma, pancreatitis, kidney failure. I turned in my work excuse letter saying I needed and abbreviated work schedule due to getting radiation and she had one of her yes men come back and insult my intelligence, my work ethic and my financial situation. They are giving me 3 days to get all of my work done after it comes in which will be impossible to do while getting radiation.
She’s finally beat me. She knows she has set me up to fail. I haven’t signed anything or agreed to anything. I started radiation Friday and I screwed it all up because of my anxiety, I couldn’t do the breathing right. This is infuriating because this time should be about me and taking care of me. Instead I’m worried about health insurance and if I’ll have a full paycheck again.
I’m sorry for the rant about something non alcohol related. I had to get it out. I’m going to look for a new job today but it’s hard because I’m not sure of my reliability due to radiation. I’m stuck. I need a lawyer and like 5k to get me by.
14 days AF
2/18: AF
I am too upset to even think about drinking right now. I am relying heavily on my friend the orange pill. I plan to do some legal research this morning and some self care in the afternoon.
2/19: AF
All of you are right, this is a great bunch of people and you can always come here and share your victories big or small. I would not be where I am right now with alcohol if it wasn’t for this group. Which I lurked for 2 months before joining lol
16 days AF5 -
@globalhiker I know this place is bad for me. Pretty much all vet clinics are these days. It’s like an industry wide crisis. Covid, staying at home,everyone got a puppy, back to work, puppies get separation anxiety, owner seeks help from vet, there are no longer vets there because they all quit during Covid, prices are up due to inflation, owner of puppy is mad and frustrated, yells at vet personnel, vet personnel quit and work at Taco Bell, no vet to see Covid puppies. Viscous cycle.
I was going to leave in January after I used my PTO to go to Bali. Then came the cancer and I got scared stiff thinking I better stay put so I have health insurance.
My ideal job (if I couldn’t relocate) would be to work in a library part time afternoons re-shelving books. I did that in high school and it was lovely.
I know what I need to do. I do. You always have such wise words.4 -
@siberiantarragon ugh projectile vomiting sounds just miserable. I’m sorry to hear you are having such wonky reactions to medicines. Those reactions are no joke! I hope you can get the right combination that works and makes you feel good. Then you’ll be doing Snoopy’s happy dance!!
@joans1976 heck, Starbucks offers benefits now! You can have a lower stress job for a season and then get back into your field. I imagine being a barista is way less stressful. Well, actually maybe not…. People are pretty passionate out how their extra foamy lattes are prepared! Oh and the fun you could have if Narcissa comes in to order a mochachino….4 -
So much for my AF Sunday. After church we got bagels and lox, and I had a mimosa at home. After running errands with my son , we all met up at our favorite restaurant where I had a delicious old fashioned and some appetizers. The nap of life and love ensued. I had half a glass of wie with dinner, which I didn’t need at all. I was up half the night. That third drink is the kiss of death for me.
AF starts NOW! Off to the gym!5 -
Hugs and healing thoughts to all of you dealing with &$#% right now.
Feeling slightly better about my new job. I have to keep reminding my self that after being self employed for 35 years in my own business, any new job is going to be a challenge.
1)There are silver linings to this job, I literally spend no money on travel. I either walk to work, or it is a 1 MINUTE DRIVE THERE.
2)My lead supervisor is super nice and cares about scheduling. They knew about my definite get-a-ways for 2023 at my interview. So that time off is already in the books.
Here is what bothers me. At my acceptance to their hiring offer, I received a "Welcome To The Family" email from the woman(head of operations) that is going to train me.
A week after my training with her, I was being trained by my lead. This lead tells me she was called to the head of operations office one day. And is told she can NOT do any thing after hours/off business grounds with any coworkers UNDER her supervision.
WTH? See, this is where my inner soul comes out full force when I hear crap like that. What about the email WELCOME TO THE FAMILY?? Can you imagine a Mother telling a child not to play with a sibling or to get to close to them?
Venting over now. It is day off and I am going for a walk on the beach.
HAPPY MONDAY
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Logging for accountability- finding myself slipping more and more so need to refocus on my goals - particularly when out of my routine
For this month, 12 A/7 AF
Big ole bear hugs going out to everyone struggling with health (yours and fur babies!) and work issues!7 -
2/1- 2/2- 2/3 -2/4 - A
2/5 - AF
2/6 - AF
2/7 - AF
2/8 - AF
2/9 - A - 2/10 - 2/11 -A
2/12 - AF
2/13 - A
2/14 - AF
2/15 - 2/16- 2/17- 2/18- A -- more A days this month so far but logging anyway to keep accountability going. Love this judgement-free space!
2/19 - AF
2/20 - AF4 -
I am in.
I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
My ongoing goal remains, 16-20 AF days per month.
I had 17AF days for January (a long month)
I do this diary style to keep track, and I post the next morning
Sunday Feb 19 - AF - I may have a couple of drinks after my pedicure on Tuesday eve.
Rolling total: 11AF days out of 19 days. 50% AF won't cut it to reach my goal in 28 days (reminder to self)3 -
Whoop whoop...12 days AF. In addition to this tread I just completed the ten day challenge. 4# loss. Great motivation to see the scales being friendlier. Mexico and swimsuit in November is my goal time. 188 this morning and 157 is my goal. I CAN DO THIS!9
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Happy Monday everyone.
Just got out of a 6 hour meeting (love them but they only happen once a month! Time to catch up.
My 30 day experiment ended on 2/17. I am happy that I was able to go a significant amount of days alcohol free. What disillusioned me was the "either you are AF or you must drink to excess and feel miserable the rest of your life" mantra that begin to creep in. In all fairness, after hearing this a time or too, I got away from the daily videos and begin to enjoy my wine for most days. I will go back and finish the rest of the video. Maybe I just reacted prematurely.
At any rate, my goal was to reduce and I succeed with the 30 days. My February needs some work!
@sinisterbarbie1~ your trip sounds fabulous! I LOVE New York. It's been while since I've visited though.
@joans1976 ~ I am so sorry that you are going through all of this crap at work with no empathy at all. You should be able to focus on your treatment and healing and not this other crap. They apparently don't understand. I sure hope it gets better. Continued good luck with your radiation. Sinisterbarbie1 has some great advice for you!
@Missmay ~ IT snowed in Vegas!! I thought it was odd when it rained!! Good Luck with the new job. Yes, it will be difficult working for someone after being self employed for so long. Hopefully you get the right mix of people that helps. Although - the no fraternizing doesn't sound encouraging. In a prior job I was told to be "careful" as some people didn't think one could be friends with an employee and still manage/discipline them if needed. I succeeded at both!🙂
2/1 AF
2/2 AF
2/3 A
2/4 A
2/5 A
2/6 A
2/7 A
2/8 AF
2/9 A
2/10 A
2/11 A
2/12 A
2/13 A
2/14 A
2/15 A
2/17 A
2/18 A
2/19 A
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February
AF = 15%
A = 84%
30 day experiment - My 30 days ended on 2/17
AF = 16 days or 53%
A = 14 days or 47%5 -
Hi - Robyn here in SE Virginia. My goal is 16+ AF days per month. I had 18 AF days last month. I'm drinking less for health and weight loss. I post the next morning.
2/17: Drinks (1)
2/18: Drinks (3)
2/19: Drinks (2) - We're just getting home from our weekend trip. We had a great time! Last night (Sunday) I had an IPA at a brewery and a glass of wine later at a wine bar. We had dinner at a great restaurant that actually had a few mocktail choices and I had one of those. I had a few more A days than originally planned but didn't overdo it so I'm happy with that. The kitten has grown, is nothing but a ball of energy and is so adorable. I'll post pictures.
Rolling Total: 9 AF Days out of 195 -
Her name is Kudzu. She was hanging out with DH for a minute or two before she was back in action.8 -
good day to everyone
I am inspired by the success, want to cry for the frustrations, and give major hugs to all that will accept one....
Saturday's family dinner was wonderful. But wine did show up so a few glasses over the course of 7 hours. We tend to eat and then have marathon game playing.
Sunday, had lunch out so a beer. Today AF.....so will be 12 AF and 8 A days this month.
Today I have spent the morning doing some organizing, packing and taking care of medical stuff (appointments etc.) Both DH and I take medication for blood pressure and I for psoriasis and arthritis. Our small challenge is...we refill at Costco.....heading east not many states have many costco's to choose from to refill. Plus we don't know when we will be in any one state. So I am requesting with the new appointments 90 supplies so at least we can plan better when needing a refill.
I am off for now
btw @MissMay as someone with some knowledge of human resources The supervisor who said your supervisor under no circumstances can they socialize outside of work with co-workers..... does not have any legal stance to enforce. I would like to see them try. But the rub is I bet there is nothing in writing stating this, this is just the one supervisor on a major power trip.6 -
Thank you everyone for the inspiring updates, and sharing your challenges. Also appreciate the answers to my questions regarding how to determine days A / AF. Very helpful. I will set that goal for March!
Quick post tonight since I was painting my greenhouse and had a busy day.
Last night was Sunday, a planned AF day since I did enjoy 2 planned glasses of wine on Saturday.
February accountability:
AF: 12
A: 7
Goals: No more than two glasses total
6 -
February accountability: 9 days AF
Alcohol: 11 days (19 drinks)
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.
2/17 - AF; long 5 hr drive at night to my mom’s
2/18 - 2 Gin & Tonic; poured 11 bottles of old bad wine down the drain and ditched the bottles without 1 glass of wine.
2/19 - 3 drinks ; 2 Gin & Tonic + 1 wine
2/20 - AF @ 📚
Made it through the long weekend with some progress toward more AF days. But broke my 2 glass limit ... darn it. However, it was the first time this month which in my experience is progress!8 -
Up early and hit the ground running. Another long day today. Lots of little things at the office, stuff like getting the smart bulbs and plugs on the new network and swapping ugly old beige outlets for nice new white ones. It's a small detail but it makes a surprising difference.
Dealing with Bentley is tiring.
Threw away two beautiful dry aged prime ny strip steaks because they sat in the fridge too long. Stupid.
I did wind up drinking, but not much. I cut a Commissar stout with a Gruvi stout, the flavor profiles are similar enough that it worked nicely.
Had I mentioned I'm tired?
-m8 -
Will wonders never cease I'm still around 2/3rd of the way through a second month
AF 10 A10
It's taken me a long time to get 50-50 this month after slipping up while in the UK the other week.
Anyway my wife is in Pittsburgh all week on business so no excuse to drink by myself. Hopefully I'll stay of the sauce all week and get some more AF scores on the doors.
Happy Tuesday.11 -
Hey everyone, I’m Amanda. I live in Michigan and it is freezing and gray here but at least it’s staying light out past 5 pm now. ☀️
I joined this lovely thread in the summer of 2022 and it has made a huge difference in my life! I’ve gone from being 25% AF to 98% AF.
The people here are kind and real and smart and fun! Welcome to all newcomers!
2/1-2/7: 6 out of 7 AF
2/8-2/14: 7 out of 7 AF
2/14: AF
My weight is up 2 pounds from lack of logging but I’m really enjoying the mental break of not logging. Like many of you said, I know what I need to eat, I was eating the same few foods just in a rotation while losing. I’m still eating those foods and getting my 5 a day in but…chocolate.
Hugs all around, everyone is doing great things!
2/15: AF
Geez oh man, work is a real albatross this week! I’m trying to just plow through and get it done. And to remain AF while I do it. Yes. Must remain AF. While working and otherwise.
2/15 & 2/17 AF
Well, Narcissa strikes again. I’m behind on my work because no one covers for me while I’m out with doctors appointments, surgery, just getting cancer treatment in general. Keep in mind Narcissa doesn’t get back to clients for months whose pets have lymphoma, pancreatitis, kidney failure. I turned in my work excuse letter saying I needed and abbreviated work schedule due to getting radiation and she had one of her yes men come back and insult my intelligence, my work ethic and my financial situation. They are giving me 3 days to get all of my work done after it comes in which will be impossible to do while getting radiation.
She’s finally beat me. She knows she has set me up to fail. I haven’t signed anything or agreed to anything. I started radiation Friday and I screwed it all up because of my anxiety, I couldn’t do the breathing right. This is infuriating because this time should be about me and taking care of me. Instead I’m worried about health insurance and if I’ll have a full paycheck again.
I’m sorry for the rant about something non alcohol related. I had to get it out. I’m going to look for a new job today but it’s hard because I’m not sure of my reliability due to radiation. I’m stuck. I need a lawyer and like 5k to get me by.
14 days AF
2/18: AF
I am too upset to even think about drinking right now. I am relying heavily on my friend the orange pill. I plan to do some legal research this morning and some self care in the afternoon.
2/19: AF
All of you are right, this is a great bunch of people and you can always come here and share your victories big or small. I would not be where I am right now with alcohol if it wasn’t for this group. Which I lurked for 2 months before joining lol
16 days AF
2/20: AF
Well. I’m really screwing up the radiation. I have to breathe a certain way and I breathe fine the other 23 hours and 40 minutes of the day but as soon as someone tells me how to breathe, I get performance anxiety and mess it up. When the tech took me out of the machine yesterday she had this look on her face like “WTF?” Sorry. Just trying my best here! 🫠8 -
@RockinRobyn672 OMG Kudzu Kudzu Kudzu!!!! So adorable. Makes me feel cuteness aggression. Glad you enjoyed your trip too!
@Stockholm_Andy Youve got this in you, I know it!
@mfowler883 I feel you on the tired. I feel like I’ve been telling myself “well next week things will slow down…” and they never do. So I guess this is being an adult?!? Like next levels of exhaustion.
@MissMay The “family” thing at jobs….I’ve been looking at job postings lately and a lot of them say “we’re like a family.” I’m starting to wonder if that’s a red flag? I have a lot of contradictions at my job, I spent the last 45 minutes of my day text arguing with my office manager. At the end she wrote “have a good night” with a kissy face emoji. Wha?!? I don’t know what to think and I’m not sure what to tell you to think. I’m glad your vacation days are secure!
@itladyee Congrats on your 30 day success! It must feel awesome!8 -
RockinRobyn672 wrote: »
Her name is Kudzu. She was hanging out with DH for a minute or two before she was back in action.
I CANNOT handle the cuteness!!!!!! Precious.4 -
@MissMay that seems very weird, especially after the whole “family” thing. @joans1976 I’ve been sending my son some links to jobs (graduating college in April) and many of them talk about being a family. You bring up an excellent point. Is it a dysfunctional family?????? Haha! Oh also, clearly “radiation breathing” is not a skill set most of us have, so don’t be too hard on yourself!
@mfowler883 dealing with little Bentley sounds like having a newborn in the house!
Made a beeline to a glass of wine last night after work. I dealt very with a challenging new patient that literally had to not only have me fill out her paperwork on her behalf, but act as her GPS for 20 minutes giving her turn by turn directions to the office as she drove in her car. I got tons of praise from everyone in the office for dealing with her so patiently, but still. Celebrate or unwind? Still deciding my motivation, but definitely threw AF out the
window. Today is a new day.5 -
@Michieb125
Painting your greenhouse? You have piqued my interest.
I am a gardener (without a greenhouse and no plan to put one in) and want to know everything about when you start, what you put in it, and where you are geographically.
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I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
My ongoing goal remains, 16-20 AF days per month.
I had 17AF days for January (a long month)
I do this diary style to keep track, and I post the next morning
Sunday Feb 19 - AF - I may have a couple of drinks after my pedicure on Tuesday eve.
Monday Feb 20 - AF - Having drinks crossed my mind, but I knew that I could wait.
Rolling total: 12AF days out of 20 days. 50% AF won't cut it to reach my goal in 28 days (reminder to self)3
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