LESS Alcohol ~ OCTOBER 2024 ~ One Day at A Time

MissMay
MissMay Posts: 3,710 Member
in Motivation and Support
Do you want to drink LESS? Completely stop or just cut back?

Cutting back can mean ONE less drink a day, week or month. Or deciding to drink on only weekends or at special occasions.

On the flip side, maybe you could use this nudge to finally get to that completely sober point and be all in-alcohol free.

Join us in drinking LESS (whatever that means for you) as we continue to support and learn from each other.
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Replies

  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,710 Member
    ■ LESS ALCOHOL RESOURCE & GENERAL INFORMATION LIST ■

    USING THIS THREAD:
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •Join us at any time.
    •Set your own goal - this thread is about drinking less and you decide what that means to you.
    •There are no scheduled check-ins - post as often or as little as you want or need.
    •AF is an acronym for Alcohol Free. For others commonly used on this site see - https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1
    •To follow this thread easily, bookmark it by clicking on the star at the top right of this thread.
    •Remember that we are here for you and care about you. Check in with us when you have time and let us know what you need!

    TIPS & OBSERVATIONS FROM OUR USERS:
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •Getting Started or Starting Over.
    •Some people find it easier to set small attainable goals at the beginning to help boost confidence.
    •If you have been drinking daily the first days will be some of the hardest and drinking again will feel like a cure but it delays the relief that only time can provide.
    •There will always be a reason to delay the start/restart of your journey.
    •For those ready to commit to being alcohol-free permanently, the videos on YouTube by Craig Beck will help. He also has a program you can join.
    •You may experience mood swings and anxiety during your first two weeks. It is suggested you try and focus on the benefits of your goal.
    •Cravings are said to last only 6 minutes, so find something to distract you like arming yourself with alternatives: tea, mock-tails, activities, etc.
    •You may find that filling the time you drink with other activities like exercise or hobbies can be a helpful distraction.
    •If you find them tempting try and avoid events/outings that will have drinking for a time.
    •Don't let pride or shame keep you from asking for the help you need.
    •Sometimes talking it out or posting your thoughts/feelings/struggles may help you work things out for yourself.
    •It is okay that you don't always have all the answers.
    •Some days will be easier than others.
    •You may have initial/increased sugar cravings.
    •You should never take a day that you have lived up to your goals for granted.
    •Celebrate the smaller victories too. Less alcohol is still less alcohol even if your goal was zero at that moment.
    •Once you begin sticking to your goals for one day to many days you should believe you are capable of the same and more because you are.
    •Failure is not giving in and drinking. Failure is to stop trying to accomplish your goals.
    •Annie Grace (This Naked Mind author) has a free program on her website (https://www.alcoholexperiment.com/) called the 30 day experiment which can be joined anonymously.

    Life with Less Alcohol:
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •It can be helpful to educate yourself with books and web research (Some suggested books and links listed below).
    •There is no benefit to comparing yourself to others because this is a personal journey.
    •You may often feel conflicted. You will know that there are numerous real benefits to sticking to your goal while at the same time think that alcohol is an important part of stress relief, relaxation, celebration, etc.
    •You may feel punished by not drinking or drinking less but that feeling usually fades with time.
    •Sometimes drinking less or quitting will strain friendships that centered around alcohol.
    •Having a list of reasons to stick to your goals handy for yourself can be helpful. Some lists have included remembering how bad it feels to have a hangover, excess/unwanted calories, having a racing heart during the night, sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression.
    •It is a good idea to have a plan for how you might deal with various tempting scenarios before engaging in a social situation.
    •Self-Reflection is an important part of the journey. Once we figure out why we drink we can hopefully use that information to form new habits and make better and more mindful decisions.
    •Sometimes doing something nice for yourself like a little reward for a success makes the journey easier.
    •You will see many helpful suggestions and ideas that work for some people. However, finding what tactics work for you may involve some trial and error.
    •It is not uncommon for certain activities that were once combined with alcohol to trigger temptation. Many have said that outdoor activities in warmer weather made alcohol very tempting.
    •Many that have spent time with no alcohol after drinking again realized that it doesn't enhance experiences like they once believed it did. Some have said they no longer like the taste.
    •Don't forget how sticking to your goal has made your life better and remember it to motivate you again if you fall off your path.
    •If you begin drinking daily again whether planned like a vacation or unplanned you may once again face a struggle to get it under control.
    •For some people it is easier to not drink than it is to moderate drinking. Others have found moderating impossible.

    Reported Benefits of Less or No Drinking: (Results may be incremental, and/or they may vary)
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •Improved sleep after 2,4,7,10,& 60 days
    •Improved skin/complexion after 10 days
    •Improved ease in weight loss. Not only from the savings of alcohol calories but some report making poor food choices after drinking.
    •Increased energy after as few as 2 days
    •Increase in other fun activities. Some have found that daily drinking became their main recreational activity and their world was decreased in size.
    •Increased productivity
    •Reduction of high blood pressure
    •Lower resting heart rate
    •Less Acid Re-flux
    •Significant financial savings
    •More creativity
    •More productivity
    •Better relationships with family

    When Alcohol Is Used for Avoidance:
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •We drink to ease the stress of the working day, to avoid it.
    •We drink to avoid anxiety in social situations.
    •We drink to avoid making decisions about not drinking.
    •The Takeaway on Avoidance, our problems don't go away if we avoid them. We need to learn to face them.
    •Having a clear head makes our problems seem much smaller.
    •Having a clear head makes problems easier to solve.

    How to Be Kind to "Tomorrow You":
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •Instead of lumbering with guilt, headaches, and poor nutrition hangovers in the morning, Think of think how nice it would be not to feel that way tomorrow.
    •Worry about "me" and don't let "tomorrow Me" feel awful.
    •Instead of thinking alcohol is something nice to have *now*, think of *NOT drinking* as something nice we can do for the person we are when we awaken in the morning.
    •Do you bank calories for a festive occasion? (Handy tactic) We can bank a good mood for when we wake up.
    •We need to have sympathy for "Tomorrow You" and be kind to her/him.
    •Don't look at a day without alcohol as a punishment for being bad or having no willpower.
    •Not drinking is a lovely, sympathetic gesture towards the person we are now, and whom we will wake up as.
    •You’d be kind to a stranger. Be kind to "Tomorrow You".

    LINKS:
    ▪▪▪▪
    •General Information/Blog Sites:
    https://thesoberschool.com/
    https://thisnakedmind.com/blog/
    https://alcoholmastery.com/blog/

    •Sobriety Blog:
    http://mummywasasecretdrinker.blogspot.com/

    •The Thirty Day Experiment:
    https://www.alcoholexperiment.com/

    •Ten Things That Helped Me Quit Booze:
    https://unpickledblog.com/2017/01/04/replacement-behaviours-ten-things-that-helped-me-kick-booze/?wref=tp

    •The Neuroscience Behind How We Make Decisions:
    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201505/the-neuroscience-making-decision

    •Summary of Book on Addiction:
    https://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/

    •Article on the Difference Between Being an Alcoholic and Really Liking to Drink:
    https://www.self.com/story/alcoholic-or-just-really-like-to-drink

    •To the Mom questioning her drinking habits:
    http://www.scarymommy.com/questioning-drinking-habits/

    •Guided Meditations:
    http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations

    ALTERNATIVE DRINKS:
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •Overnight Cold Brew Iced Tea:
    https://www.splendidtable.org/story/you-can-cold-brew-iced-tea-while-you-sleep

    •Mocktail Recipes:
    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/1822/drinks/mocktails/
    https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/mocktails
    https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/how-to/g785/best-mocktail-recipes/

    APPS:
    ▪▪▪▪
    •Daybreak iOS link. A Deakin University study of hundreds of health apps found that Daybreak is one of only four that have proven effective and provide quality assistance.
    •Dry Days by AlcoChange iOS is for those who want to cut down or cut out the booze throughout the year, while seeing the impact it has on your health and wallet.
    •nomo - Sobriety Clocks iOS - In addition to an alcohol clock and monetary savings this app lets you check in and do a sobriety exercise if you're tempted and connect with accountability partners.
    •Sobriety Counter - Stop Drinking (Sobriety Counter - EasyQuit pro version) Android- Provides health stats, money saved, games to distract you, motivational tips, and several other features

    BOOKS:
    ▪▪▪▪
    •Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
    by Holly Whitaker
    •The Naked Mind by Annie Grace
    •Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck
    •Rational Recovery by Jack Trimpey
    •The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
    •The Liars Club, Cherry, and Lit by Mary Karr (3 different publications)
    •Kick the Drink...Easily by Jason Vale
    •Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
    •Being Sober: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting To, Getting Through, and Living in Recovery by Harry Haroutunian
    •The Easy, Illustrated Way to Quit Drinking by Alan Carr
    •Alcohol Explained by William Porter


    Credit and thanks to the MFP Less Alcohol One Day at a Time participants
    For their willingness to share their insights and resourcefulness in finding this information
    ~Established 2017~
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    Here we go again! I hope I have better success this month 😀
  • NonnieDoiron
    NonnieDoiron Posts: 299 Member
    I’m in for October. Thanks @MissMay for keeping the thread going.
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @Walela617 Welcome Carole!

    I'm also going for total abstention because I also have no "OFF" button ☹️ I haven't quit as of yet. But I had a 21 day AF streak last month. I've been struggling this month.

    I like your idea of choosing October 1st as your "Soberversary" date. It makes it much easier to remember!
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,308 Member
    edited September 28
    I'm in!
  • Walela617
    Walela617 Posts: 588 Member
    Hi SurferGirl1982.

    Wow, 21 days is a great stretch! I'm looking forward to that! You did it before; so you already know it's possible. My longest steak was 364 days, but I want to make it permanent.

    About comments/likes, etc. I'm not sure; this is the very first time I created a group, but I'm pretty sure you can bookmark the "Sober October"...and beyond!" (group name) and view/post to the discussion threads below it. The "Why try" thread is under that group as a discussion. I'm let you know if I can figure it out. Maybe see if I can post a link to the main group or something. I might have to recreate it as a challenge to make it work right...I'll go to the group and see what I can find out. Maybe I need to accept joining members (or something).

    Hope it helps!

    Glad you're here! 🌻

    Have a nice night
    Carole
  • Walela617
    Walela617 Posts: 588 Member
    edited September 29
    Oh! I found out why you were unable to post, SurferGirl1982! I posted the question on "Announcements", rather than "Discussion". I have now moved it to the right place. You should be able to post now! I need practice! 😁

    Have a nice night and a peaceful Sunday! 🕊️
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @Walela617 OK...thanks! I'll check it out soon.

  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,308 Member
    Walela617 wrote: »
    Oh! I found out why you were unable to post, SurferGirl1982! I posted the question on "Announcements", rather than "Discussion". I have now moved it to the right place. You should be able to post now! I need practice! 😁

    Have a nice night and a peaceful Sunday! 🕊️

    I pressed a button that said “join group”. And then I was able to post.
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @RubyRed427 I'm using the website version. So I didn't see a button that said "join group". But, over to the right, it said "Groups". I clicked on that and I found it and clicked "Join". It seems to be working now. Thanks!
  • Walela617
    Walela617 Posts: 588 Member
    edited September 29
    YAY! So glad you could join the Sober October group, @RubyRed427 and @SurferGirl1982!

    Yeah, I noticed some things on the app that are not available through the site and vice-versa.

    I wish they still had the weight loss ticker, but I think they discontinued it. I couldn't find it in the app or online.

    Enjoy your day! 🌻🍂

  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @Walela617 I'm not sure what the weight loss ticker is/was. But on the website version, you can go to "Reports" and see a graph of your recorded weights. You can set it to one week, 30 days, 90 days, 180 days or a year. I do have the app on my phone. I rarely use it because I have some vision problems and phones are too small for me ☹️ But I did enter my weight on it once, and it said, "Congratulations, you've lost 10 lbs" (or something to that extent). Then it had an option to "Share" it. Not quite sure how that works though.

    I'm actually quite knowledgeable about computers. Just not so much about the social aspect of it. I still get stumped on the acronyms. I learned LOL years ago. But now, there are so many more. Amazing 🙃
  • Walela617
    Walela617 Posts: 588 Member
    edited September 29
    Hi, @SurferGirl1982,

    Yes, I know about the graphs with My Fitness Pal, but the ticker was more fun because you could pick different designs and post them in your groups as a cute picture and make then more personalized. They did away with personal blogs as well. (If they needed to do that to keep the basic membership free though, I don't mind!

    I have difficulty viewing some things on the phone app as well. I'm okay with technology because it's a big part of my job (I still work full time), but I'm sure I don't even know half of what my own phone can do, and have had it for almost three years, LOL!

    I will try to check in on the boards at least once per day.

    Have a nice night,
    💗 Carole
  • forestdweller1
    forestdweller1 Posts: 411 Member
    Is this still "Less Alcohol October 2024 One Day At A Time " ??
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @Walela617 I guess the ticker thing was before my time on MFP. My vision problem isn't just age related. I guess I had a hemorrhage in the vitreous of my right eye several months ago. It's slowly getting better. But it's still hard to read screens or books. I'm sure it will get better soon!
  • Walela617
    Walela617 Posts: 588 Member
    edited September 29
    Yes. Some people also joined another group going for total abstention for at least the month of October, but this challenge is for less alcohol in October, going for "one day at a time".

    Best wishes!🌻
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    edited September 30
    forestdweller1 wrote: »
    Is this still "Less Alcohol October 2024 One Day At A Time " ??

    @forestdweller1 Yes this is still "Less Alcohol October 2024 One Day At A Time ". I guess we should still be posting on September.

    It may seem that everyone is going total AF. But that's not the case. There are many members that are doing exceptionally well with LA (including yourself).

    I'll post my September totals on the September thread...but they're not too impressive. I've had a bad month.
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    edited September 30
    Have a nice evening everyone. Take care!
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,197 Member
    I'm in, and shooting for a sober October.
    I haven't quite had a 50% AF month yet so a whole month AF will be a challenge for me, but I think I'm ready for that change in my life.
  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @globalhiker OK...enough with the bragging 🙂 You had 30 days AF and I had 2 days AF ☹️ Just kidding! I will be checking in with both groups also. Like you said, there are people in the LA group that would or should be AF and our comments may be able to help someone.

    I did horrible this month. But I know I can do October AF!

    Take care and see you tomorrow!

  • SurferGirl1982
    SurferGirl1982 Posts: 315 Member
    @SparkSpringtime69 I can definitely relate to your situation. Yours is quite like mine. I think we both need a change in our lives. I can tell in your posts that you want to. And, we can both do it. It's just 31 days. And after those 31 days we will both feel so much better. I've done it before and it is amazing. We can do it!
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,748 Member
    forestdweller1 wrote: »
    Is this still "Less Alcohol October 2024 One Day At A Time " ??

    It surely is!
  • globalhiker
    globalhiker Posts: 1,622 Member
    October is here! My favorite month of the year. I didn't drink yesterday and planning to drink nonalcoholic stuff today. I don't focus on what I will do without, but what I will have instead.

    Hitting the gym for 2 classes, one strength, one aerobics. I can always use more power and energy and the gym is my source.

    Gotta start the day strong, always :)
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,710 Member
    edited October 1
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU @forestdweller1
    I hope your LESS alcohol day is exceptional.
    XOXO

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