LESS Alcohol ~ MARCH 2025 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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Only one glass of wine tonight, but it was a tick over the 5oz. size. Let’s call it 6oz. None when I got home, so that’s good.
Early day tomorrow and Saturday, so off to bed for me!
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A woman in my community drove drunk into a tree on St. Patrick's night and is now dead and has left a family reeling. It is so sad. The sober us knows that we can't think clearly when we drink so we are over confident. Another life cut short by the poor decisions made under the influence and heartache forever for her loved ones.
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Still out of town and will head home tomorrow. I had 3/4 days of wine which is 1 day over planned (2 was plan). I know it was because I was extremely tired while trying to help my elderly mom (with some cognitive decline) make some big decisions. I allowed myself to have some wine to destress but know better that doesn’t help. I’m much better today after getting 10 hours of sleep last night. AF tonight to reset! Have my Recess and limes or Rose’ sparkling tea ready.
Looking forward to getting back to my regular routine tomorrow night.
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Hey, y'all…been a hot minute. I see some familiar names and some unfamiliar names. Hell, I'm not even sure when I last dropped in here….year and a half or so, I guess, looking at my profile.
Been some ups and downs. Bella cat is almost two now, still doing great and finally growing out of that ankle destroyer phase. My weight crept up for a while, topped out around 206 so while I didn't put it ALL back on, I put more than I wanted on. Son's long distance gf moved here last summer, and they got married in February. I officiated, that was pretty cool. Now, since I'm ordained, I'm thinking about doing weddings as a side gig. Anyway, to get back into my suit, I had to drop some of the weight so that was a big motivator to get back on track. I'm wobbling around the high 180s and low 190s right now.
Alcohol has been another thing entirely. I do this thing….if it's here, I will drink it. I've had to start really processing a lot, I now understand more clearly that a big part of it has been silencing all the noise in my head so that I can sleep instead of laying in the dark, staring into the void while the endless stream of chatter runs through my brain. As '24 wound down, I reached a point once again where I was putting away a fifth of Larceny a week, plus beer, plus wine, plus mezcal, plus whatever else…and one day it stopped working. I was getting about two hours of sleep a night despite my best efforts to drink myself into oblivion.
So it was time to hit the reset button again.
This time, I've got elaborate stacks for am and pm. The pm stack is MaryRuth's sleep gummies with melatonin, lemon balm and l-theanine, ashwagandha, kava kava, and magnesium glycinate. The am stack is cordyceps, chaga, hyaluronic acid, potassium, and Stamets stack - a microdosing stack that adds niacin and lion's mane. The am stack, the chaga, cordyceps and hyaluronic acid are for respiratory health as I'm recovering from long covid again and the rest helps with getting my head straight. The pm stack gets washed down with Yogi Bedtime and/or Celestial Sleepytime, and that whole combo has me sleeping better than I think I've ever slept in my life. It's weird, I lay down and just fall asleep. Is this what it's like for other people?
I learned a while back that things like microdosing are great tools, but YOU have to do the WORK. So I'm doing the work. It's not fun, but it is what it is. I've really made a lot of changes to the way I look at my past, and instead of letting it grind me into the soil's embrace, I'm learning to navigate it in a more accepting way.
I still drink, not even sure offhand when my last NA day was, but it's not like it has been…so there's that. This week has been pretty bad food-wise, the Ramadan iftar buffets are a great way to stuff your face if that's your thing LOL. Back to healthy food tonight, though.
Anyway, I'm feeling that tendency to drink more than I should again, so I wanted to pop back in here for a while, make a more intentional effort to drink less. I hope y'all are well, sorry I'm not likely to scroll back super far and get properly caught up.
-m9 -
15 AF
1 LA
5 A
(A means 3+; LA means 1-2; and AF means none)
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Today will be my first dry anniversary (unless I was pregnant that year) in 39 anniversaries. I am trying not to associate alcohol with celebrations. I am 3 weeks sober today. When I went on a "Sober for Lent" journey, I didn't really realize the time period would involve my husband's birthday and our anniversary, but actually, experiencing a situation where I would normally drink is a good test for me. At 21 days, sobriety is feeling normal, but I wish I could stop focusing on "What do I do after Easter?" and just take it day by day. My mind just races ahead. I just need to tell myself, "Today is all that matters."
Have a great weekend, Everyone!
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A big welcome back @mfowler883 - so good to see you again! “Make a more intentional effort to drink less.” I’d say you are in the right place.
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OMG that’s awful! That poor family. Terrifying.
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@mfowler883 so glad that you popped back in. Glad to hear you are sleeping so much better!
Two glasses last night and tonight. At least I started with a NA drink before pouring my wine.
Long day working and then running errands. On a Saturday. In the crowded parking lots. And standing in long lines to do a return. No fun!!! Tomorrow should be so much more relaxing. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
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Seems like a common thread, Womona - long day, work and errands and all…
Stopped by the store and restocked a few of my supplements. I made my own grow bag with coco coir, gypsum, vermiculite with a little added oats, coffee grounds and egg shells. Vacuum packed it and stuck it in the sous vide to pasteurize. Got spores coming Tuesday, this will be my first time growing anything like this. If it works, I might try my hand at oyster and lion's mane as well. Learning about mycology is neat!
Wrapping up my evening with a little Chartreuse - found some for the first time in several years, bought three bottles. It was a staple of my goth boy glory days in the mid 90s, so I've long had a soft spot for it. Poured myself a flask to enjoy for now and the rest is buried in the closet. Sipping on that tonight, have a beer reserved for tomorrow and going to try to get through next week without drinking.I could be wrong, but let's say 23 A days, 0 NA. How many of the As are LAs, not sure. I'll try to keep better track in April.
Thanks for the welcomes. I just found myself feeling like I needed to get back into an environment with some accountability and support without pressure or criticism - I get enough of that from myself LOL.
-m
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Happy 39th Anniversary to you and your sweetheart @SunnyDays930. I love what you said, “today is all that matters.”Isn’t this true? 💜 The precious presence….a great reminder.
Since January, I have been back to carefully logging all foods and drinks. Without going into too many details, my plans to allow 2/4 days of wine on my trip blew up - really turned into 6/6 days of wine this week. Boy did I start feeling awful by Friday-totally dragged out, sore throat, fog head, and irritable!
I have been skipping 3,4,5 days a week for two months now and loving it. But my anxiety was up and increasing as I was helping my elderly mother make some critical decisions…..and the wine at night is no longer the answer to cope with the grief of her mental and physical decline. I’m sure it wasn’t the amount of wine I had but the frequency (daily). I am personally on a much better path since cutting way back and this awareness is part of the process. Now I’m home in my own space and feel a big weight has been lifted off of me. Was AF last night to resume my healthier rythym again. New targets for this week ahead are 4-5 AF days.6 -
March Madness! Goal 50% AF (AF=16 A=15)
Monthly Stats - Target Missed
AF = 4
A = 18
Current Streak - AF = 0
Longest Streak - AF = 8Bad news ~ daily drinking
Good news ~ not drinking nearly as much. Even had a NA beer yesterday!When I realized I was still working on the same bottle of wine for two days +, that was progress :). But still room for improvement! In a crazy mind space and need to snap out of it. I have been diligently exercising at home as I build back the stamina after not being well. Tomorrow I plan to return to the gym for a decent workout and brain clearing session~
@mfowler883 ~ Welcome back and thanks catching us up and explaining the desire for alcohol (in my case wine) so well. ie: Silencing the noise. But, yes, there are other options to cope with life….just a little crazy at the moment.
@SunnyDays930 ~ Happy Anniversary!!
@Michieb125 ~ way to go getting back into the healthy rhythm. I think once I hit the gym tomorrow it will push me in that direction as well. Hope things are going better with your Mom.
Note to self: There's always going to be "something".
Happy Sunday everyone!!!
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@Michieb125 - you hit the nail on the head for where I've found myself - "no longer the answer to cope." It starts off with a drink to take the edge off, then it turns into several drinks to numb myself, then it turns into way too many drinks and dragging myself through all the things I'm trying to avoid before crashing out, and finally ends with all the drinks, still dragging myself through all the things I'm trying to avoid and never even getting the sweet relief of crashing, just endless churning followed by a few hours of really bad sleep, waking up hung over or worse, still drunk, trying to function, and repeating the cycle.
@itladyee - small progress is still progress. It's weird to me to hear other people acknowledge the noise. It isn't something people talk about…
I've begun to understand that another part of my problem is that I feel so isolated. My best friend was killed in a car crash at 21….thirty years ago this October. The only other person in my life that I connected with turned out to be a real piece of garbage. After he got drunk and roughed up his wife, the cracks started to show. By the end, we all realized he was never the person we thought he was. I learned just how much he had lied to me, stolen from me, thrown me under busses, and betrayed me. I've learned to live with the grief after losing G, and no longer feel constant rage and contempt for M, but it's left me with no real friends. How do you connect with people who can't relate to the chaos, insanity, life on the edge, danger and violence, the sex, drugs and rock & roll lifestyle, the endless nights of just utter madness? Those guys had been through it with me and there's no substitute for that. So I make acquaintances, sometimes they last, sometimes they fade with time…I no longer have those close bonds, somebody to relive the glory days or the nightmares with. I can tell the stories, but it's not the same, is it?
-m
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16 AF
1 LA
6 A
(A means 3+; LA means 1-2; and AF means none)
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I mentioned on another thread (there are a few of us here on both) that we just bought a walking pad/treadmill. Obviously you aren't going to get on that thing after drinking, or you shouldn't anyway. I walked 2 miles, 2 miles, and 1 mile on it today in 3 different sessions. It is fun and it is small enough to slide out of the couch when I want to put it away. I hope this helps me lose some weight because just giving up alcohol hasn't done anything.
March 1 A
March 2-23 AF
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@SunnyDays930 (weird that sometimes tagging users works, other times not so much) Increasing activity helps. Giving up alcohol helps more - alcohol plays havoc with your metabolism and is loaded with calories. At the end of the day, though, 95% of weight loss happens in the kitchen and 95% of dieting is calorie budgeting. It sucks, believe me I know - I love food, I don't have to be hungry to eat and I don't stop when I'm full. MFP is a great tool, though. Here's what I've learned: weigh in daily, first thing in the morning, and log EVERYTHING you consume. Over time, you will start to see the patterns emerging - if you are gaining, cut calories until you are no longer gaining. That's your baseline, your calorie budget. Now you know, if you consume more than that, you will gain, consume less and you'll lose.
Cutting calories can be hard, because they're EVERYWHERE. Some things are shocking when you realize how many calories there are. Substitutions are your most powerful tool. Keto Culture buns and Mission low carb tortillas, Sara Lee Delightfuls 45 calorie bread, EggBeaters, Kraft fat free shredded cheese, Kraft light mayo, almond milk…make those changes and you can instantly cut hundreds of calories out of a typical day's meals. Portion control is everything, even with the substitutions. WEIGH AND MEASURE. Three ounce portion of fries is 150 calories? Bust out the scale. The air fryer is your friend - that 150 doesn't account for frying in oil.
Activity levels and types of diets can manipulate your budget - keto, paleo, Mediterranean, carnivore, pick a diet, any diet….I found with keto I could eat more; I also found with intermittent fasting (18/6) I could eat more. But neither of those is easy to sustain or really particularly good for you. Watch for calorie bombs. Wife likes avocados, bUt ThEy HaVe GoOd FaTs yeah no, I'll get my good fats from salmon. Fish and veggies are your friend.-m
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Checking in. AF of course.
Weight is coming off by putting on my garmin watch soon as I wake up and by making sure I add at least 500 calories a day worth of exercise or walking to my normal sedentary daily calorie average. On weekends, I aim for 800 calories additional. Carbs after cardio and protein after weights.
My energy is great now. Sleep is way better now that I take collagen daily and the joint pain is gone. I feel half my age.
@SunnyDays930 the walking pad is a great idea. So easy to watch a movie or youtube and make an hour or two fly by. Adding a light backpack and doing upper body weight exercises periodically while walking can really increase the calorie burn to the level of running. That will be one of my main exercises over the hot summer to get ready for fall hiking season.
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Hi and happy Monday
Welcome back @Jthanmyfitnesspal & @mfowler883 I always look at people dropping off and then posting in here again as taking a break (I have taken them myself because life gets busy) You are always always welcome to come and go at your leisure. Glad to know you are both still being accountable.
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I have been taking a little break again posting but not from reading. I read everyday. I have always hated posting from my phone, and now with this ridiculous upgrade that MFP had in the last month posting on my phone is even more insane.
When I am able to get on my laptop as I am now, I can zip through typing without pulling out my hair and cussing a blue streak. 🤬
My accountability is still listed as I rarely drink. I have stopped listing dry streaks, drink days vs non drink days. I will see how that goes. My phone calendar was getting really filled up with all my different tallies and then when I went to delete them & it took me FOREVER. So I am good for now.
We have 1 more week left in March. Hopefully you have done well in your own eyes. No need to try and compete with anyone else on here as we walk our own path.
●If there is anything anyone would like to see or not see on our information page for next month PM me. Remember this is OUR thread and maybe the intro page needs a little makeover with your help.
Oh had to reroute my exercise routine this morning as the pool got closed because of lightning strikes. So, I had to drive back home to work out with free weights and stability ball instead. Walked outside yesterday in the nice warm sun.
Glad to be on laptop today to catch up.
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17 AF
1 LA
6 A
(A means 3+; LA means 1-2; and AF means none)
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Went to the gym this morning and did an excellent 1-hr. Pilates stretch class. Then, walked in the warm sun after lunch to get plenty of vitamin D. Back to 3 AF days in a row including today. It’s so much easier now that I’m at home.
I found your take on food and diet interesting @mfowler883. Thanks for sharing.
Let’s make it a great LA week!6 -
af 2
Strong start…Monday
Walking over 10
Meal logging all meals
Exercise 45
NEXT up try try to have a good night sleep so I’m able to repeat. I feel I do terrible when I’m tired.
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I’m still going strong and staying AF since Lent kicked off, and I’m feeling really great overall! One of the most surprising changes I’ve noticed is how well I’ve been sleeping. I used to think I was sleeping pretty well before, but now I realize that my “normal” wasn’t quite as good as I thought. I’m waking up feeling more refreshed and energized—definitely a huge win!
There were a few days last week where stress tried to get the best of me, but I’m proud to say I was able to push through without reaching for a drink. It feels amazing to have that extra level of control, especially during tough moments.
Also, I’ve been experimenting with some fun mocktails when I go out to eat. It's been great exploring new options and enjoying the social side of dining out without the alcohol. I’m still steering clear of AF beers, though, since they technically still have 0.5% alcohol in them.
AF = 19
A = 4
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Was doing okay yesterday, something tripped a switch and I caved. Call it LA. I picked up on my response and made a conscious choice not to continue drinking after that initial knee-jerk reaction.
-m
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FACT OF THE DAY:
Alcohol can be detected in your hair follicles (the sheath of cells and connective tissue which surrounds the root of a hair) for up to 90 days after consumption. No matter how much you spend on expensive hair products.😯
Points to ponder
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Between my treadmill and running after a 2 year old all day, I had 15,000 steps. That's 7.5 miles. Now enjoying a Heineken 00 with my feet up.
A 1
AF 24
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18 AF
1 LA
6 A
(A means 3+; LA means 1-2; and AF means none)
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@MissMay I think the Intro you have is pretty good. Suggestions from my point of view and your call totally how you wish to display it: perhaps just shift the positive benefits to the top section (anti-aging, shinier hair, better digestion, less bloating, more energy, more money, sharper thinking, increased happiness, more quality time, increased self esteem and self confidence, all that good stuff). Then followed by tips for how to boost motivation and manage cravings.
Great if MFP allowed background color and some designs to brighten up the page.
Thank you for continuing to lead, you are doing an amazing job !!
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@globalhiker tbh, I hadn't thought about background colors or designs, I just wish they had an option for dark mode…all websites should have dark mode…maybe even as the default setting. Yeah, that'd be fine by me.
-m4 -
@MissMay I totally agree with @globalhiker. The things that motivate me the most to quit or cut down on alcohol are the positive effects of not drinking and the negative effects that drinking does to our bodies.
I once posted my reasons for quitting alcohol before (I probably have changed or added a couple of items), For me personally, I know in my heart that I need to quit. I've been trying to moderate for 15 or 20 years. And it doesn't work for me. I've had great plans. But, I've just been fooling myself.
I thought I'd post it again because we do have some newcomers and some returning people also. My reasons for quitting alcohol are:
- Lose weight quickly and maintain a healthy weight
- Reduce and maintain normal liver enzyme levels
- Help liver to regenerate cells
- Reduce the risk of cancer
- Reduce inflammation
- Improve blood pressure
- Absorb and/or retain essential vitamins and minerals
- Have more energy and motivation
- Improve balance and coordination
- Become more physically fit
- Improve skin/complexion
- Improve vision
- Improve gut health and digestion
- Get a good night’s sleep and feel good in the morning
I know not everyone loses weight quickly. But, in the past, that's what happened to me.
Have a nice night everyone!
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