LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

globalhiker

Husband and I made it through the weekend AF.

Got my 3 hour hike in...so I got my dose of optimism today.

Sending you all strength and courage...hope you set an intention to be strong this week regardless of how you feel. Monday is coming and we all have the power in us to make it turn out how we want it to go. Personally, I am working on no longer blaming anyone for my behavior. I want to be the woman in charge of herself. That is the most important thing I want right now.

forestdweller1

Day #2. 1 AF & 1 A. My personal life is as slow and smooth as molasses. Catpuccino and I have a nice routine...I do what he wants, and everything is fine. Knead, knead, purr, purr....
As far as the wider world , plus my children and their spouses...everything is chaotic and weird and upsetting and unsolvable. And totally NOT my problem. So why do I feel a need to fix it all, or at least worry about it ?? I'm Ma`ma, who cheerfully listens to stories from Eldest Daughter about her stepsister who [with her husband # 3] has moved in with her & ED's husband. This person I have despised for years [for reasons that are valid but not explainable in polite company]. Sigh...biting tongue..
Middle Daughter & SIL #2 are struggling with drug companies refusal to supply meds for SIL#2's permanent and ultimately fatal condition. Their are no more meds left except this one to try to treat his illness, and the current supplier says that since he is not affiliated with a certain health care provider, they won't send the meds. When he was affiliated with an approved health care provider...they STILL did not supply the meds. Compassionate doctor has supplied meds thru a drug rep, but beaucoup costs will not allow this to continue . Life sucks.
I personally have no issues, but wonder why life goes so unevenly for others.

Knead, knead, purr, purr.

forestdweller1

@lmlmrn ..so excited for your cross country adventure. And how brave to not know where you will land. Leave everything behind you and embrace what presents itself.

Pokey4321

April to date 1AF, 1A. In Maryland the Weather is finally breaking for Spring so time to start cleaning up outside and mulch and get out some flowers. Made the plunge and bought a battery powered mower. My old mower was my last gas or gas mix garden tool after converting the trimmer/blower/limb saw/chain saw to batteries over the last few years. Gotta say, I love not having to mess around with oil or gas cans and not pulling any more cords. Two days of work in front of me and then a small vacation with wife stepdaughters and our 6 grandkids to Massanutten. The day they are doing the water park I got a kitchen pass to skip and go hiking for the day.

@lmlmrn off on your new chapter

@forestdweller1wishing your family well. I have been in a bad place family wise as well. Lots of stuff going on I feel very helpless about.

joans1976

Hello LA community! I am Amanda, I’m from Michigan and excited for Spring to get here! This thread is my favorite bunch of people! I have been practicing LA since June ‘22.

My April goals are to be 99-100% AF,
continue healing from my cancer diagnosis and all the baggage from that and to work on my weight.

4/1: A-1
I went out to dinner last night for my mom’s birthday and decided to order a drink. It was some sort of dragonfruit/lemonade/vodka thing. It tasted like Kool-Aid and wasn’t very good.
4/2: AF
I got a bunch of house stuff done yesterday but exhausted myself by 3. I want all my energy back NOW and it’s just not happening. I need to learn to be patient with myself, it’s just annoying.

joans1976

@forestdweller1 I am a “fixer” too. It’s hard for me to listen to someone’s problems without wanting to offer solutions and I know that is sometimes not what people need. I’m sorry to hear of your family members problems with getting their meds. The US healthcare system is so very broken.

MissMay

Remember to ENJOY LIFE

GaryM_25

This weekend, at dinner at a Mexican restaurant with wife, daughter, and son-in-law, they ordered a pitcher of margaritas. They politely poured everybody a glass. I didn't say anything then. They drank a first glass while I silently just let mine sit.

Then I went ahead and said something--that the 12-week challenge has a "free day" and I haven't decided if I'm going to drink on the free day. They commended me.

Maybe after another two weeks I decide what to do for the rest of the 12 weeks. I'm now one week without a drink.

dawnbgethealthy

@forestdweller1
You and catpuccino are in a good place in life. Sorry that your kids are going through stress, but I like your attitude that you have earned this lifestyle, and they will have to figure it out.

I always enjoy your posts.

dawnbgethealthy

I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.

My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 17AF days in March.

I do this diary style, I normally post the next morning.

Saturday April 1st - Drinks. Planned AF for Sunday. I will try to limit drinks to one weekday and weekends.
Sunday April 2nd - AF - Since I had resolved that it would be an AF day it was fairly easy. Just going to take it day by day this week on the A or AF front. If I could wait until the weekend for A that would be great.

Rolling total: 1AF days out of 2 days.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Congratulations to everyone who is working on the April challenge!

@GaryM_25 : Letting a full glass sit is Zenmaster's challenge. You passed!

It's my birth month, and I'm shooting for a low alcohol one! I'm liking the 4 x day limit per month and the 2 x drink limit per day. It makes me choose my nights carefully and it makes me look to other things for relaxation. (Exercise works best, IMHO.) I do enjoy having a beer or cocktail every one in a while. But, for me, less means more energy and fewer digestive problems. And, evenings out need be no less enjoyable!

RockinRobyn672

Hi All! Since joining this group Nov '22 I no longer drink on a daily basis. I'm drinking less for weight loss and overall health. Since I haven't lost weight, I'm changing my goal to 2 A-days weekly with a 2-drink-any-day limit. I usually post mornings.

Sun 4/2: AF (0) - We dined out at a local hole-in-the-wall that has delicious seafood. I started out with water only and thought I'd order a virgin Cape Cod (this joint only carries O'Doul's as the NA beer option), but the water was surprisingly satisfying so I stuck with that. Note to self: Just simply start with water when dining out.

Rolling Total: 1AF Day out of 2

itladyee

Ready for April
4/2/2023
Well.... the day was actually going well. I had a couple of breakfast sausage for breakfast (not the best choice but I haven't been shopping yet). For lunch, cobb salad and for dinner Chicken with a southwest salad. All meals accompanied by water! I made it until 8:30pm when my husband came home from work. He cracked open a beer and started recapping his negative day... so two glasses appeared .... bottle is almost empty🙂

The Month recap to stay accountable

4/1
My plan starts/restarts tomorrow.... Mayo Clinic "diet" . Today wasn't so bad. Had 6 ounce filet and asparagus and two glasses of wine for dinner. I have only one bottle of wine left in my house and I don't plan to buy any more this month.....

My 2023 Stats...

AF = 0
A = 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
AF = 53%
A = 47%
February
AF = 29%
A = 71%
March
AF = 0%
A = 100%
April
AF = 0%
A = 100%

@rockinrobyn672 ~ Congrats on your success. I'm tempted to stop tracking as I'm getting tired of it as well but I need to at least get in the Zone and I'm not there yet.

@joans1976 ~ Good Luck with the start of your anti-estrogen therapy. I hope those side effects do not come to fruition.

@MonkeyMel21 ~ I hear you! Sometimes I don't want to post that I had, yet another glass of wine but if I'm not being honest, then what's the point? The good news, at least for me, I am very mindful of my choices and have cut down significantly - so there's progress! When I did cut back earlier in the year, I didn't see the weight loss. I think If the scale starts to move, I would be encouraged.

@GaryM_25 ~ That's awesome that you have gone one week without a drink! What's the 12 week challenge? I tried a 30 day challenge earlier and it was going well until the "support" was focused on quitting and "moderation" was not an option. I didn't agree.

Michieb125

Had a really nice Sunday for my DH’s birthday. Spent the morning together then ducked out with DIL for a hike that offered some leaping over running creek beds, walking up muddy hill inclines, and convo about health and good habits! She is also doing LA and feels great. Spring has sprung here - photos to follow.

I logged 12k+ steps. Early evening I made a nice steak dinner for birthday boy and had 1 brüt champagne bottle followed by planned wine (1 1/2 glasses). The half more was not the plan but I chose to since I’ll be AF all week until the weekend. Skipped the cake which isn’t difficult for me.

April accountability: 20-22 days AF this month
AF - 1
A - 1
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day
Personal best - 1-2 glasses

Michieb125

This local State Park is a favorite to hike when the hills are green.

RockinRobyn672

@forestdweller1 Agree on both accounts! NA beer has "come a long way baby" and there is no good option for NA wine. Right now I'm mostly avoiding wine, but not totally. It's a bit of an Achilles heel for me.

RockinRobyn672

@Michieb125 WOW! Your photos are amazing and making me jealous! It looks so peaceful and serene there. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm still waiting for it to feel more like spring here in Virginia. It's supposed to warm up during the week (while I'm working) then get cold over the weekend (boo!). I know "actual" spring here is just around the corner though. Can't wait!

RockinRobyn672

Did anyone see the clip on the guy who lost 200 pounds hiking up Stone Mountain almost every day? https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/03/29/georgia-man-stone-mountain-hike-weight-loss-wxia-cprog-vpx.wxia#:~:text=Zach Cross hiked Georgia's Stone,he plans to do next

Anyway, it's very inspiring. @Michieb125's photos reminded me of that and that I need to get outside more, even if it's just a walk. This guy is tackling the Appalachian Trail next.

2timesacharmmfp

Noooot off to a great start this month - 2 A days (both planned) but more so on the too many drinks side. Stickling with AF the rest of this work week, and reallllly focused on no more than 3 on any given day.

tmbg1

4/1 - A
4/2- AF
4/3 - AF