Sober Discussion (Ongoing)
Replies
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Hi @SunnyDays930, Happy New Year to you too! I have also started to notice skin improvement, as well as sleep quality. (I stopped on 12/28 at midnight, but my official "Day One" is today.)
I'll just think of all the calories (and money) I'll save by avoiding alcohol, and I know I can stay FREE!
Have a nice evening. I will check back in tomorrow.
💗Carole4 -
Hello everyone and Happy New Year!
Thank you for letting me join the group. I am a 66-year-old male from the UK and recently retired. I’m still trying to figure out the retirement thing but am taking the opportunity to reset things slowly. One of these is my relationship with the booze. The relationship with chocolate biscuits may have to wait though!
I do exercise regularly and eat fairly well with a lot of home-cooked food but it seems silly to offset that with the detrimental effects of alcohol.
So…my wife and I completed Day One yesterday. She has an “off” switch whereas I am more an all-or-nothing kind of bloke. I hope you don’t mind me posting here for accountability and of course I will cheer you along.5 -
Welcome @LowTechForever ! We are a very supportive group. I also have no "off " switch so I need to not have any.
I read this morning that instead of having a bunch of NYE resolutions, you will have more success if you just choose one and stick to it for 3 months before you introduce another one. I am choosing no alcohol because the other ones will just fall into place (losing weight, being more productive) if I eliminate alcohol. I am not adding "6 pack abs" or anything unrealistic for me at this point.
Day 4 AF.4 -
@LowTechForever Welcome to our group!! The more, the merrier!2
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Happy Holidays everyone!
I had a few glasses of wine over the holidays. Not many but I was able to moderate and that is a good thing. Truth be told I didn't really enjoy it, and I see that as a good thing.
I am now doing dry January to lose the extra 2lbs I put on over the holidays. lol
Back to reality today and I will eat clean and drink no booze in January to get back on track.
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New Years Day AF done. I'm now in month 5 AF. I went to my gym class and in the afternoon my husband asked if I wanted to join him for a hike and we ended up hiking 3.5 hours. It was hard but good for me. I slept 8 hours straight (for once!).
I'm staying AF this month just because it's effortless now and I don't want to go back to the daily struggle. Plus I feel so relaxed naturally.4 -
RubyRed427 wrote: »@LowTechForever Welcome to our group!! The more, the merrier!
Thank you very much for the warm welcome!2 -
SunnyDays930 wrote: »Welcome @LowTechForever ! We are a very supportive group. I also have no "off " switch so I need to not have any.
I read this morning that instead of having a bunch of NYE resolutions, you will have more success if you just choose one and stick to it for 3 months before you introduce another one. I am choosing no alcohol because the other ones will just fall into place (losing weight, being more productive) if I eliminate alcohol. I am not adding "6 pack abs" or anything unrealistic for me at this point.
Day 4 AF.
Agreed @SunnyDays930 ! I don’t think I’ll be giving up the biscuits just yet. My wife and I went for a six mile walk today because the sun finally made an appearance. When we got back, we had a lovely cup of tea, accompanied by Scottish shortbread fingers still left over from Christmas along with other goodies. I think they must have wiped out most if not all of the calories burned on the walk. Oh well.
Day 2 almost complete here and no plans to drink alcohol.
Best wishes
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Hi everyone!
I've been AF since midnight, December 28th but started my official, "Sober Time" app count on January 1st; so here's my count earned so far:
01/01/25: 001 Day AF (completed)
Congratulations to @globalhiker on entering month 5 AF!🎉
Hi @xbowhunter: You had GREAT success in moderating over the holidays, kudos! I ended up gaining 0.8 lb. between 12/01/24 and 01/01/25. I started a "COUNTDOWN to S*P*R*I*N*G, 2025!" challenge that goes from 01/01/25 through 03/19/25 (The last day of Winter, less than 11 weeks from today!). I hope to lose at least ten pounds by the first day of Spring, 2025.
Hi @LowTechForever: It's so great that your wife is joining you in this challenge, so you have support at home. As you know, I likewise don't have an "OFF" switch (As in, "I don't have a drinking problem - I have a STOPPING problem!") We all will have a LOT more in our budgets if we don't purchase alcohol! I also like it because I will have a bigger "food budget" as well!
Hi @sunnydays930: I agree that it's wiser to stick with one resolution at a time, rather than creating so many. My main one is no alcohol, but I also resolve to lose at least ten pounds by Spring through moderation of food intake and increasing activity. I have LOTS of other improvements I can make, but I'm going to focus on these objectives primarily. I also need to declutter and to become a better housekeeper. (Also to go to bed on time, minimize media consumption, etc., etc., but like you say, I need to narrow it down in order to maximize my chance of success.)
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Day 2 AF done for Jan. I think it's good to have many complimentary mini-goals if they are easy and do-able and give one a better overall schedule that supports not drinking. For example, my past drinking was often related to increased stress on Saturdays. I'd burn myself out and come Saturday the house was a disaster and I could not relax so I'd drink while I unhappily cleaned the house.
Why not have multiple mini-goals to do something that results in reducing that stress?
examples:
1-do laundry Fri mornings so there's no laundry to do on Sat
2-book an extended Fri lunch hour to meet friends
3-plan weekly house vacuuming for Tues. morning
4-plan Saturday outtings w/significant others for mid-day to mid-afternoon (hikes, walks, visits, etc.) during the time you used to start drinking3 -
I posted this on the less alcohol thread too. It bears repeating.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/alcohol-cancer-risk-warning-surgeon-general-report-rcna186095
Day 5 AF. I'm plugging along.3 -
@SunnyDays930 congrats to you for making to day 5. That's when things get much easier! Success is all in your hands and you can take full control.
My sense of relaxation, true natural relaxation, is so precious that it keeps me from drinking and I can't wait to experience what month 6 AF will feel like.3 -
Hi everyone!
Today I'm going to Rockland, MA on "the BIG bus" at 1:25pm to meet my future cat! I will try to get some pictures of her:
01/02/25: 002 Days AF (completed)
01/03/25: 003 Days AF (completed)
@globalhiker, I like the idea of complimentary mini-goals and activities to replace former drinking habits. I also like the concept of "true, natural relaxation"! I'll be looking forward to that!
Have a great weekend!
💗 Carole3 -
It doesn't matter who you used to be, what matters is who you've become. - Sober Time's message for January 4, 2025.2
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Surgeon General Calls for Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol
Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, and alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label as packs of cigarettes do, the U.S. surgeon general said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/health/alcohol-surgeon-general-warning.html?smid=url-share
Just another good reason to QUIT!1 -
Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., the advisory says, and drinking it increases a person's risk for seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat and larynx. When it comes to breast cancer, Murthy notes that more than 16 percent of cases in the U.S. are attributable to alcohol consumption.
“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States — greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. — yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said in a news release. In the advisory, he outlines recommendations to increase awareness of the health risks, including a call for warning labels on beverages that contain alcohol.0 -
I visited my future "meow" today! She was a bit shy because she doesn't know me yet, not I'll fix that. I will probably get her on Dr. MLK Jr. weekend so I can add a couple of days to the long holiday weekend for more bonding time.
She's really petite! When her mom has her, she was the only kitten. Doors over 3 years old, but she still looks like a kitten.
Have a great weekend!
💗 Carole
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