LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

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itladyee
itladyee Posts: 7,331 Member

🌟 Do You Want to Drink LESS? 🌟

Less can mean a lot of different things. Maybe you want to:

  • Cut out that one glass of wine that always turns into two (or three—no judgment).
  • Save the cocktails just for weekends, special occasions, or when your in-laws visit.
  • Make “Dry January” (or July, or whenever) your new tradition.

Or maybe—just maybe—this is your moment to go all in and step into a fully alcohol-free lifestyle. Imagine how good it could feel to wake up clear-headed every single morning. (No more “who did I text last night?” panic!)

The beauty is, you get to define what LESS looks like for you:

  • One fewer drink a day, week, or month.
  • Taking mindful breaks from drinking.
  • Choosing total sobriety.

Whatever your version of “less” is, you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here—cheering you on, sharing stories, and learning together.

🎉 Join us in drinking LESS (however that looks in your life).

Because every step counts, and a little progress today can lead to big changes tomorrow.

Ready to start? Let’s do this—one mindful sip (or skip) at a time. 🍋✨

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Replies

  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 7,331 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 -
    • To follow this thread easily, bookmark it by clicking on the star or ribbon 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!

    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.
    • Reduction of high blood pressure
    • Lower resting heart rate
    • Retention of vital vitamins and minerals
    • Less Acid Re-flux and improved gut health
    • Significant financial savings
    • Better relationships with family and friends

    Life with Less Alcohol:

    • It can be helpful to educate yourself with books and web research.
    • 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 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.
    • 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.

    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.
    • Celebrate the smaller victories too. Less alcohol is still less alcohol even if your goal was zero at that moment.
    • Failure is not giving in and drinking. Failure is to stop trying to accomplish your goals.
  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 7,331 Member


    LINKS:
    ▪▪▪▪
    •General Information/Blog Sites:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fthesoberschool.com%2F  The Sober School
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fthisnakedmind.com%2Fblog%2F
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Falcoholmastery.com%2Fblog%2F

    •Sobriety Blog:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=http%3A%2F%2Fmummywasasecretdrinker.blogspot.com%2F

    •The Thirty Day Experiment:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alcoholexperiment.com%2F

    •Ten Things That Helped Me Quit Booze:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Funpickledblog.com%2F2017%2F01%2F04%2Freplacement-behaviours-ten-things-that-helped-me-kick-booze%2F%3Fwref%3Dtp

    •The Neuroscience Behind How We Make Decisions:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.psychologytoday.com%2Fus%2Fblog%2Fthe-athletes-way%2F201505%2Fthe-neuroscience-making-decision

    •Summary of Book on Addiction:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fdrgabormate.com%2Fbook%2Fin-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts%2F

    •Article on the Difference Between Being an Alcoholic and Really Liking to Drink:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.self.com%2Fstory%2Falcoholic-or-just-really-like-to-drink

    •To the Mom questioning her drinking habits:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scarymommy.com%2Fquestioning-drinking-habits%2F

    •Guided Meditations:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=http%3A%2F%2Fmarc.ucla.edu%2Fmindful-meditations

    ALTERNATIVE DRINKS:
    ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
    •Overnight Cold Brew Iced Tea:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.splendidtable.org%2Fstory%2Fyou-can-cold-brew-iced-tea-while-you-sleep

    •Mocktail Recipes:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.allrecipes.com%2Frecipes%2F1822%2Fdrinks%2Fmocktails%2F
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foodandwine.com%2Fcocktails-spirits%2Fmocktails
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/home/leaving?allowTrusted=1&target=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.townandcountrymag.com%2Fleisure%2Fdrinks%2Fhow-to%2Fg785%2Fbest-mocktail-recipes%2F

    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
    •Sober Time - Track your progress in the sobriety counter. Stop drinking with built-in motivation. Look at the sobriety clock when you need it most.

    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
    •Tired of Thinking About Drinking: Take My 100-Day Sober Challenge by Belle Robertson

    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~

  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 7,331 Member
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,994 Member

    Wow, what an incredible AF streak! Your lab results are amazing, and it’s all your hard work. As for craving chocolate, well, it really is delicious. However, if you were able to cut down alcohol, you can do it for chocolate too. Good news is that your fasting blood sugar went down-even with all the chocolate! You are an inspiration.

  • LittleSurferGirl7
    LittleSurferGirl7 Posts: 1,118 Member

    Thanks @itladyee Hmmm? Now I have to stay tuned 🤔

  • LittleSurferGirl7
    LittleSurferGirl7 Posts: 1,118 Member
    edited July 1

    @itladyee Very cool! Thumbs up for me!

    I don't usually use Google sheets. I have the MS Office Suite on my desktop. I would like to access the spreadsheet daily. I have Google sheets on my Chromebook. But It doesn't look like I have it on my Dell (desktop). I don't seem to have Google Drive on here either. I could have sworn that I did.

    Solved!

  • LittleSurferGirl7
    LittleSurferGirl7 Posts: 1,118 Member
    edited July 1

    @itladyee I'm running Chrome as my browser and on any page if I click on the checkerboard type thing in the upper right corner, it displays all the Google apps.

    It's funny! As soon as I accessed Sheets from Chrome, shortcuts magically appeared for Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides on my desktop. Amazing! 🎉

  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 7,331 Member

    @LittleSurferGirl7 ~ I have become a slight fan of Google sheets for the "cute" things you can do (checkboxes, drop downs) that require an act of congress in Excel. I've done Excel for years…when it was really Lotus 123… LOL…I'm not fluent in Google Sheets by any means but there are some fun tools and it's easy to share as well.

  • LittleSurferGirl7
    LittleSurferGirl7 Posts: 1,118 Member

    @itladyee Thanks! I'll have to check it out more. They may have some tutorials, or I imagine there's quite a bit of content on You Tube.

    Anyways, I still plan on posting my AF and A days in the thread. But I think the spreadsheet is kind of cool 😎

  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 7,331 Member

    @LittleSurferGirl7 ~ the spreadsheet is just an optional place to track, but yes, I too will continue to update here with editorial comments! 😎

  • LittleSurferGirl7
    LittleSurferGirl7 Posts: 1,118 Member
    edited July 2

    @NonnieDoiron I feel very sorry for your situation. It certainly doesn't sound very healthy. It almost sounds abusive. I really don't like to comment on things like this because I'm not a professional. In my home, things are very mellow. I can't imagine what you are going through. I don't recall your age, but if you're in the age group like a lot of us on here are, you shouldn't even have to be working. Maybe, there's a friend you can talk to or possibly even a therapist. You really need to bring the stress level down…but that type of advice is way above my paygrade.

    Get a good night's sleep and take care!

  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,404 Member

    July:

    AF=0
    A=1

  • LittleSurferGirl7
    LittleSurferGirl7 Posts: 1,118 Member
    edited July 2

    @SparkSpringtime69 I'm glad to hear you're going to be back participating with us all this month. We do notice when you're absent. It did feel good to get those 2 AF days. It's quite amazing how just a couple of day feels. July isn't starting out good for me. But, I will be back on board very soon. Then I'm not going to stop. You'd think that I would have learned that by now!

    Have a great day!