LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
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AF last night, and I slept well. Weight is up again because I ate like crap yesterday. I signed up for my workout class this morning and absolutely DO NOT WANT TO GO! Yeah yeah, I know I should just go whether I want to or not. But still, I’d rather sleep in!4
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I'm Robyn and live 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.
2/5: AF - The weather was a little warmer in Virginia and is predicted to be in mid-50s this week. I am so ready for spring! I stuck to AF although I was tempted while watching the latest episode of "The Last of Us". My weight was down this morning making up for the weekend gain. I'm contemplating staying AF until I reach my goal weight.
Rolling Total: 2 AF Days out of 5
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Where’s our boys at? @Stockholm_Andy @mfowler883 ?!? (Sorry if I missed any other men, I just know that these 2 are in fact male and haven’t seen them in a few days)
@joans1976 Ditto!6 -
Hello everyone
Yesterday was lunch out with 2 beers, was tempted to have a 3rd but refrained. Then after my beer nap and later in the evening DH helped himself to a little Tito's. I did not...so yeah.
I downloaded all 4 of the sobriety apps, I had tried 3 of the 4 before but this time I had all of them to examine side by side so to speak. Now I have 2 of them still on my phone...I needed to find a new distraction/motivation. So far it is Dry Days and nomo.
I wish I could say I have a hard and fast goal for this month but I don't. I can only take this in baby steps since I feel January was not a great month alcohol and weight wise.
So DH and I are going to try really had to at least not go out this week M-F. That is as close to a goal as I can get this round.
back later
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Not off a solid start this month...4 A/1 AF this month so far.
When I'm in my routine I can usually stick to my goals, so new additional goal for this month is to work on sticking to it even when things pop up. Planning AH through Thursday so that should rightsize my numbers a bit and get me back on track mentally as well!4 -
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
Saturday Feb 04 - Drinks, one of them out. Having a nice Sunday so far. Plan is AF today, and to stay above 50% for the rest of the month. Planned drinks (and dinner) pre-ballet Wednesday (Cinderella).
Sunday Feb 05 - AF - Felt tempted watching the Grammy's, but didn't imbibe.
Rolling total: 3AF days out of 5 days. 50% AF won't cut it to reach my goal in 28 days4 -
@globalhiker I get what you meant about tracking every little thing, it get exhausting and sometimes I wonder why I bother. There have been times in the last few weeks that I thought if I was not consciously trying to cut back on alcohol, I wonder if I would even be thinking about it? But, I know it has helped me to track these last few weeks, to get a clear picture of my habits,
I also noticed we are missing @mfwoler833 & @Stockholm_Andy the last few days. I hope they come back!
I was AF last night and plan for that again today. At the beginning of the month, I pre-filled my calendar with 0 drinks for all Sundays & Mondays because starting out the week with a hangover is the worst. Plus this guarantees that I have 8 days AF planned right from the start.
I don't remember who it was but there were a couple of people who talked about the Lemonade flavored ICE drink. I couldn't find that flavor but got a few others and tried the mango-orange last night. So good! Definitely getting that again, so thanks for the reviews/recommendations!
I hope everyone is meeting their goals and if not, be gentle with yourself! It is still early in the month, you can get back on track right now!
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It was a good/bad weekend, depending on which side of the fence you're on! I own it all.
I had wine both Saturday and Sunday, currently on a 3 day run. Today, no wine is in sight. Tomorrow going out to dinner for wedding anniversary. My husband chose a winery. There will be wine. I should be good for the rest of the week until Saturday as we have another dinner planned for my husbands birthday celebration. And then there's that big game on Sunday!!
2/1 AF
2/2 AF
2/3 A
2/4 A
2/5 A
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February
AF = 40%
A = 60%
30 day experiment: Day 19, AF 15 (78%)
@lmlmrn ~February does appear to be challenging? Thanks for the book information. I will check it out.
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Hi all, I too found you guys mid January and jumped on your bandwagon. I am a wine lover and was drinking daily. So the plan is to keep up the AF during the week, allow wine (1 glass) on Sunday as we always have a family meal. But BFF dinner group on the 9th, going to wine country on the 14th, family trip end of month....so those are my ok to drink wine days. We will see how it goes.....6
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dawnbgethealthy wrote: »I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
My ongoing goal remains, 16-20 AF days per month.
Rolling total: 3AF days out of 5 days. 50% AF won't cut it to reach my goal in 28 days
@dawnbgethealthy - This statement is very insightful! Put in that perspective of % AF for the month.
My goal is normally 12-16 days AF. Well it turns out if I hit 12 AF then I have 16 A days in February interesting. Or the reverse 16 AF and 12 A days. What a fluke!
I am at 2 out of 6 days. 33% definitely doesn't cut it to get to my goal. I need to be closer to 43% to 57% to be on target.
Thanks for prompting me to think things through. I need to make it 3 out of 6 today. Planning AF tonight since I know that tomorrow night I'm having wine with DD at the cooking class we planned earlier.
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@itladyee although i am one who says you cant expect NA drinks to taste like the real thing, I have tried seedlip and I find it tastes more like mildly aromatic water than the other NA spirits I’ve tried. I think Lyre’s or the -ish (“gin-ish” rum-ish) brand does a better job. I also think gin and clear spirits are harder to mimic overall bc they have fewer components to play with (you can’t barrel age them for instance to mimic a “real” brown spirit). They often get overpowered by the mixer, but they don’t taste like much on their own. I prefer playing around with bitters and high quality tonics or ginger beer or other good mixers or just seltzer for mocktails or using various tea bases with them.3
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@Sinisterbarbie1 ~ Thank you3 -
No idea when I posted last. Maybe Friday???? Anyhow I am back. Lots of reading.
So the guys are MIA?? Maybe they got together to hang out? That would be cool.
I am still AF at 6 days counting here in February. Like I mentioned, most definitely AF through the 9th.
Feb 10 -15 I am in Las Vegas. CAN'T WAIT!!!! Four more sleeps until we take off.
This job is definitely peeving me off. I took it to "keep busy" and because it was walking distance (8 minutes) from my home. BUT there is so much more to the learning of the software on the computer than I had been told or imagined. AND everyday there is a new serino that takes place that no one clued me in on as to how to enter the dang stuff. Too many windows, upon windows and endless tabs and buttosn to click. Give me pen and paper.
To be continued I guess......
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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. My last A day was Christmas Eve and my last A day before that was 10/28/22.
The people here are kind and real and smart and fun! Welcome to all newcomers!
2/1: AF
I can’t even post here what has happened with work, for one it is too long and for another it’s too infuriating. I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
I downloaded one of the apps @missmay has in her recommendations at the beginning of the month. It’s called “Reframe.” So far it’s telling me about the psychology of alcohol but letting me put in my “why” and AF streak. There is a forum too. I tread lightly there as I have pretty high standards for my LA friends 🙃 I’m using a 7 day free trial now.
39 days AF
2/2: A 2
Ugh. Such bad decisions last night! I had 2 vodka drinks but they were pretty stiff and I feel like total garbage this morning. I am so, so, so disappointed in myself but I also know that this doesn’t mean I will start drinking daily again. This hangover is too atrocious. Yuck. I’m off to hydrate and find something for my rolling stomach.
2/3: AF
Feeling bad I will have to start my AF streak over but I can otherwise look at it as only having 3 A days in a 4 month period, which is pretty amazing if I do say so myself. And oh how I paid for that short lived little buzz yesterday! I got my Covid vaccine and went to the doctor with a very sick stomach and the sweats. No bueno. It was a balmy 9 degrees F here yesterday so errands were fun.
Hopefully a quiet weekend inside with some self care!
2/4: AF
It’s amazing to me how long it takes to feel better after drinking when you do it after not doing it for awhile. My weight was up, I felt bloated and just…No. Besides the psychological effects.
It’s a balmy 34 degrees F here today so I think I’ll go jump in the lake…
2/5: AF
Hello Monday, so we meet again.
2/6: AF6 -
February accountability: 2 days AF
Alcohol: 4 days (6 drinks)
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.
2/6 - 1 wine; gumbo & wine dinner with our daughter’s while her husband was out of town
Need more AF days but I am at least not going over my 2 glass per day limit which was the major focus this month.6 -
Hmmm, who was it that wanted to know how my LESS ALCOHOL beach retreat search was going? Here is what keeps me in check and grounded. Enjoy this sunset with my buddy Hank the blue heron.
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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
Saturday Feb 04 - Drinks, one of them out. Having a nice Sunday so far. Plan is AF today, and to stay above 50% for the rest of the month. Planned drinks (and dinner) pre-ballet Wednesday (Cinderella).
Sunday Feb 05 - AF - Felt tempted watching the Grammy's, but didn't imbibe.
Monday Feb 06 - AF - Had some work stress and definitely wanted to have drinks afterward, but didn't. Planned AF for Tuesday so as to be "fresh" to enjoy the ballet on Wednesday.
Rolling total: 4AF days out of 6 days. 50% AF won't cut it to reach my goal in 28 days (reminder to self)4 -
Hmmm, who was it that wanted to know how my LESS ALCOHOL beach retreat search was going? Here is what keeps me in check and grounded. Enjoy this sunset with my buddy Hank the blue heron.
oh my @MissMay I think I want to paint that picture when we land somewhere and I can find my art supplies!6 -
AF last night but the snack attacker came into my office and brought me an entire little bowl of mini chocolates and goldfish.....they should be fired!
But then I had trouble getting sleeping so did not get to bed until after 11pm (very late for me). Which made my waking time later...hate this cycle. It will pass. I know I go in cycles like this about 4-5 times a year.
I will post again later6 -
They have it at a local store and the bottles are so pretty lol I do want to try it but it's really expensive!5 -
2/1- 2/2- 2/3 -2/4 - A (2 glasses each and no craving or desire to go for a third!)
2/5 - AF
2/6 - AF
2/7 - AF5 -
@MissMay aaahhhh.... so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Sweet.
@itladyee I stumbled upon an entire AF shop in NYC West Village, and it opened my eyes to the huge market out there. Had no idea before that, and TBH, the vast array was a little overwhelming. Read bunches of reviews and tried a couple things. Generally speaking, it seems AF wines are generally not highly rated, although there are some rose sparkling or Reisling sparkling versions that have enough going on to taste like an interesting adult beverage although not convincingly like actual wine. I would love to learn otherwise, however, as I am mostly a wine drinker, too. I agree totally with @Sinisterbarbie1 that they are suggestive of spirits rather than an identical taste, and to be truthful, that can be super interesting and satisfying nonetheless. I really liked the things I tried, but they were expensive(!) and I did not rebuy after the taste test. They were:- Monday gin- great juniper taste but weak; easily overwhelmed by mixers unless using a lot
- Ritual tequila- my favorite of them all... so creative
- Lyres amaro and vermouth- required refrigeration after opening and recommended consumption in 6 weeks (I took longer); tasted great mixed with sparkling water for a spritz or combined for a mocktail.
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I agree with the other comments. In my experience the AF wines are --- don't waste your money. The spirits, pricey but will work.
I have found making my own mixers is really working at least for me. The ones I have made and mixed with club soda, tonic water or selzer water.
Example I am making some 'barley tea' then add some bitters to make it more like an 'old fashioned'. I am also going to try some tonic water, orange juice and cherry juice to make another version.
I have also made some Lemon/Lime Shrub (fresh squeezed juice with some apple cider vinegar), simple syrup added with club or tonic water and a few muddled blackberry/strawberry/berry blend of your choice.
All put in a "fancy" glass.
It's all about the glass.........LOL6 -
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.
2/6: AF - On the AF front, NA beers are really working for me. They don't beat out the actual A beers but they'll do. IMHO some are actually good and satisfying. On the activity front, I had my follow-up appointment. I am out of the boot, into a shoe, and have permission to spin inside on a stationary bike. Right now, only one pair of shoes will fit comfortably on that foot so I'm holding off on the spinning for a bit …. baby steps, but getting there ...
Rolling Total: 3 AF Days out of 6
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@MissMay What a beautiful and serene photo! How I miss Florida! Where was it taken?
@dawnbgethealthy Can't wait to hear about the ballet.
@lmlmrn Agree with you that it's all about the glass! heh, heh4 -
One of the mantras, suggestions, IDK what you would call it, from my sobriety meditations says, "I will have hot tea when I have a craving and breathe in the warm steam" or something like that. It sounds corny but it is working for me. Hubby is at choir and I am indulging in a nice caffeine free detox tea and "breathing in the warm steam".
I read an article on "holiday heart", which is A FIB brought on by binge drinking. I probably have should have gone to the ER when my heart was racing like that the other night. They give you beta blockers or something to bring it back down. Anyway, the more times I do that, the greater my risk of a heart attack or stroke and permanent damage to the heart. This is no joke. I need to stay sober. I appreciate the support here.8 -
@SunnyDays930 We need you here, please take care!9
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3 days AF
4 days A
Little personal updates:
My therapist quit! She texted today that she had a disagreement with her manager and quit. She was helping me with my alcohol free living goal. She did offer to be her friend, sponsor or anything I need. That was very sweet. I really benefitted from her advice and motivation.
I took Naltrexone for two days and it did not agree with me! The first evening I took it, I was severely nauseous and felt spacey. I had to go to bed early because of it. The second evening, I actually vomited a few hours after taking it.
*Note: Naltrexone is a drug used for many reasons, but it works to reduce alcohol cravings. A few years ago, I was on it for 9 months and had no real side effects except some muscle pain. And I was alcohol free for those 9 months. Sunnydays mentioned to me that our bodies may process drugs differently at different times, so maybe my menopausal body cannot handle that drug.
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