LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

Michieb125

Welcome to @carlabisong and @Walela617 - it’s great to see you here! You probably can tell this is a very supportive group wherever you are on your journey to LESS ALCOHOL!

LittleSurferGirl7

Thanks @itladyee There's so much to learn!

itladyee

@carlabisong Welcome to the group. You are doing well!!!

looneycatblue

Hi Everyone… so many of you are doing well on your journeys, and some are like me, struggling a bit.

I am claiming today as AF… got a plan in my head and am going to stick with it.

Sip on some herbal tea, while making dinner (this is when the devil starts getting in my ear). Continue sipping until any cravings disappear… might have to go through 10 cups!

Doing this will also curb my after dinner mindless snacking. I do so well during the day, and then blow it after dinner. Besides not being able to lose any weight, it also disrupts my sleep, and I end up hitting the snooze too many times, and end up not having enough time to get my morning walk in. I really need my morning walks, not only for the body benefits, but also for my mental health.

Here's (not Cheers) to my Day 1!

Michieb125

I do love the details shared behind those spoiler alerts for extra long stories! I must try this myself. 😊

Finally able to write specific replies this morning: Honestly the new platform with the @doesn’t always work on the first try and it’s a little frustrating for me.

I love your hobbies and your learning interests @SparkSpringtime69 - staying active is important to me too.

Ranch life sounds great but I can appreciate all the hard work that goes into it @dvmmcw7442 - good job on moderating your red wine on your trip.

I found a really tasty Rose’ substitute @carlabisong. It’s at Trader Joe’s called Organic Sparking Rose’ Tea Beverage. A cross between a true light rose and a sparking rose’ wine.

Controlled blood pressure is so important to lifelong health @Walela617 - sounds like you have a good doctor monitoring you.

Many of us were fun loving teens back in the 70’s @LittleSurferGirl7 - I love those memories too but don’t often think about them much now. Nice pic of you!

Thanks for sharing your journey out of depression @nbruns83 - I dealt with some myself as a young married woman with my first baby at age 21. You are an overcomer too.

I’m always amazed at the amount of projects you can do at once @NonnieDoiron.

I think you hit the nail on the head @itladyee about daily wine being a ritual - definitely was for me for many years. Love the new suggestions you shared for replacement ideas.

itladyee

@Michieb125 ~ I have been struggling with this new platform since it arrived.... I'm trying to just deal with it.

But lately, I've been composing my post in notepad or another app and the copy and paste seems to work if you "paste in plain text" or "paste and match style" depending on your browser. The @username seems to come over ok now, it didn't work initially as that was how I always updated my posts.

I was spending tons of time typing and retyping trying to get the list to come up so the name would turn blue.

I preferred to draft in another tool because entire posts have disappeared mid sentence on MFP... and that makes me furious!!!

LittleSurferGirl7

@itladyee I have a suggestion for the spreadsheet. I'm hoping you'll continue producing them. I'm not sure why, I only have one checkmark ☹️

My suggestion is for better readability, it would be nice if every other row of each user's data could be filled with a light pastel color or even light gray. That way it would be easier to follow each user's checkmarks.

Just a suggestion!

LittleSurferGirl7

I just wanted to mention that everyone sounds so positive and encouraging the last few days.

I've been struggling this month. But I plan on tomorrow being AF. I just have to do it! After a few days, it gets really easy.

My main problem is going to be when I go across the street to my little gambling establishment. They don't serve liquor or wine there. But, they do serve beer. I used to drink beer a lot when I was in my 20's, 30's, 40's. But, I've since lost my taste for it. For some reason though, I can drink Amber Bock and I like to drink beer while I'm playing the machines. I played yesterday and came home $600 up and earlier in the week I came home $900 ahead. If I wasn't already retired, I'd say I could quit my "Day Job" 😀 They have soda pop, but I don't care for that. I guess I'll just have to drink water. Years ago, they had unsweetened iced tea, but they don't anymore. And, you can't bring in your own drinks. What are they afraid someone will bring in club soda with whiskey? 🤔

PS…there are other bars that have the machines in town that have complete bars. But, this one is really close. I could probably throw a baseball and break the front window.

itladyee

@looneycatblue Welcome… I missed you earlier!

@LittleSurferGirl7 ~ I do plan to continue the spreadsheets and soon you will be stringing many check marks across the board!! I love your suggestion and will figure out how to do it. I'm a whiz in excel but a little slower in Google Sheets!

itladyee

@LittleSurferGirl7 ~ see if that helps….

LittleSurferGirl7

@itladyee Before I logged on here, I noticed that you saw my suggestion. Yes that helps!

nbruns83

@carlabisong, @Walela617, and @looneycatblue, hi, I'm pretty new to this group, here for June and July. So if you're returning, it's great to meet you.

@Michieb125, @NonnieDoiron, @LittleSurferGirl7, @itladyee, and others, who have shown trust in this group to share your stories, thank you so much. I'm proud to be part of a group of courageous people who admit that alcohol isn't always or ever a positive in our lives.

July Stats

AF - 14
LA - 4
A - 1

I chose to add a limited alcohol day on Saturday. I suggested DH and I try out a new-to-us restaurant and bar in a nearby town in an old remodeled bank building. It's been very nicely preserved.🙂 So many small farming towns around here have dilapidated store fronts and abandoned homes as people moved to the cities, which is heart-breaking.😥 I splurged on a patty melt sandwich, freshly fried potato chips and a local craft IPA. My chaser was a big glass of ice water. Success for this stage in my journey.

globalhiker

Checking in - wow conversations have been flowing here. I'm in month 11 AF which means I choose to drink something else and eat a bit of chocolate instead. The quality of my life went from like a "3" to a "9.8".

We have the power to accomplish any realistic goal. Oh it's so hard they say. Really? Not so much. Hard is being pregnant and having babies and not sleeping and raising them while working full time and going to school and not sleeping much at all. Hard is not having enough money so the meals you eat look like snickers bar and an apple. Hard is growing up with not really having parents or not having good parents. Hard is going thru a divorce or a loss or a major health crisis or all at the same time. We've gone thru a lot of really hard times in our lives if you think about it.

In comparison, switching from drinking a carcinogenic beverage to something healthier (ice tea, coffee, hot cocoa, seltzer with juice, chocolate milk, smoothie, alcohol free beer, mineral water, pomegranate juice, etc.) is not that hard and we can all do it. Once I got over the "I can't do this, it's so hard" and learned to talk back to myself and say, I have the power and ability do this and I will do it in the easiest way possible, it worked.

Hunker down, stock the fridge with goodies and non-alcoholic drinks, anything off the shelf that can help with stress and sleep and presto after the fifth day or so the cravings start to weaken considerably and if they appear, they appear for seconds or minutes. When that happens, it a cue to go take a bath, go into another room, distract with a movie, go eat an apple, go call a friend you name it and that feeling then vanishes.

LittleSurferGirl7

@nbruns83 ~ I love patty melts. No matter what time of day it is…that's what I almost always order. Some of the places we go to have really good onion rings, so that's what I usually have as a side. A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to go to a local diner for Thanksgiving dinner. We don't have any family nearby and were getting tired of cooking for ourselves. The diner had traditional Thanksgiving dinner selections. But, guess what I ordered? A patty melt!

We also have a town about three miles away that is really old. The current hardware store was established in 1887. There was a restaurant across the street that at one time was a hardware store. The food and atmosphere was wonderful. Sitting at your table, there were furniture grade drawers where they had the screws and other hardware items many years ago. The quality was much better than you would see today. It was real craftsmanship! Unfortunately, they closed down a couple of years ago.

Also, my Mom came to visit and we were showing her around. There's a lot of antique stores in the town. We went upstairs in one of the buildings and my husband said he sensed a ghost. He says he's always been able to feel it. And, I believe it!

LittleSurferGirl7

@globalhiker ~ Your post is very encouraging. I know this sounds weird. But within the last hour, I was thinking that I wished I had someone to help me quit drinking. It almost feels that your post was directed at me.

I've been going through a thing where in the afternoon, I look at how much whiskey I have (knowing that it won't be enough to last the night). Or, I'm afraid of waking up without anything in the house. I'm not at the stage where I shake or have to pace back and forth (withdrawals). But, waking up at 4 am and not being able to sleep sucks. It helps to have a couple of drinks. Of course, once we stop drinking, our sleep returns to normal. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Honestly, having just a few drinks in the morning takes the edge off. I really don't need anymore. But, then I decide that I would like another pint. And, the cycle continues.

Saying that your quality of life went from like a "3" to a "9.8" is something that helps. Sometimes, I forget how it feels to be sober for a while. Right now, I have trouble getting things accomplished. I try to do my best. But, I do want to feel normal again.

Also, what most of us forget is alcohol is a carcinogenic.

Have a nice afternoon and thanks for contributing!

dvmmcw7442

Hi everyone-

Liked all the back stories. Thank you for sharing.

We were out socially all day yesterday. Ended up at a pub where I was only going to have 1 draft beer. Then my husband had a second drink so I did as well. We were supposed to go elsewhere for supper but the rest of the group was hanging around so we ordered food and my husband got me another pint.

Today I am not doing so well. Can't get going. No drive to get anything done. Slept 3 hours in the afternoon. Just can't get my s**t together. Add a headache on top. I am so tired of asking myself why do I do this?

@LittleSurferGirl7 hormonal changes from menopause and a reduction in the liver's ability to break down alcohol with aging are why I can't handle it as well. I have definitely noticed a big change in how quickly alcohol affects me. And like we both said- it slows us down from getting things done. I got zilch done today.

@NonnieDoiron Our family set up can sometimes be challenging as we spend a good portion of our time together. Especially feeding 3 full meals a day, usually with all of us together and one or 2 hired people. I really like my kids and their spouses- they brighten my day and we laugh a lot. The hired people can be annoying to have around for extended periods but we have too much work to not have them.
I don't have anything social until next Saturday. Plan on being AF until then.

Have a good week everyone!

Melanie

tmbg1

10 AF

3 LA

7 A

Michieb125

Thanks for sharing your family life with us. By the way you have a great plan for no alcohol this week @dvmmcw7442 - I do the same when needed — it’s called a mindful reset!

chicbuc

Wow…bunch of chatterboxes! I love it. There's no way to respond to all the newcomers…or regulars for that matter…but WELCOME!! I'm glad you all jumped right in! The more the merrier and the more support! I love it!

carlabisong Just wanted to say I have the same quit date as you. I declared enough was enough after a couple of months of little trips and LOTS of wine and 15-20 extra extra pounds. I think I drank every day in May and June except for an AF day here or there. I set out on that day to have a sober July and am succeeding. I think I want to take into forever. @globalhiker is a constant source of reassurance and encouragement on that front! Let's do this

@LittleSurferGirl7 You know I'm your biggest online cheerleader!

I'll give the short version of my life story because I have to get to work.

I grew up with 2 loving parents who didn't have the greatest marriage but stuck it out anyway because they DID love each other. I love them for that. I have 2 brothers and a sister. We grew up close but drifted as adults for various reasons. My sister and I are still close. My dad is a recovering alcoholic that hasn't had a drink in over 30 years. He was always the fun drunk. We loved dad drunk because he always had a pocket full of cash and would share when he was drunk…lol.

I got pregnant young. Had a my first baby as a teenager and didn't get it together until she was about 2. My parents basically raised her until then. I got married and had 4 more after that. I LOVE being a mom. It's all I ever wanted to do. I fell into a life of happily raising babies. Still not a drinker at this point.

Stuff happened. We divorced when I was 30. Still not a drinker. I met my current SO shortly after that (I should say REmet as we'd known each other since we were 16 but lost touch). We've been together ever since and have a son together. Yes. I've birthed 6 children. His daughter also lived with us, but that's a story for another day.

Shortly after my youngest was born, I decided I wanted to be a "sophisticated lady" and sip red wine while I read novels. I bought a bottle of red something, poured a glass, spit it out and poured the rest down the drain. Too bad I didn't take the hint.

I could tolerate beer, so I'd have a few beers now and then and by the next time I tried wine, I liked it. The rest is history. I've been almost daily drinker of more than one bottle of wine per night for years and years.

More later maybe

Have a great Monday all!!

NonnieDoiron

Received a very clear message from God yesterday to live and work for love of Him instead of out of obligation making it burdensome. Today, I am going to pray for this. I guess this is the difference some of you talk about regarding being intentional or mindful about your drinking choices. I just need to do it for all things. So here we go…

chicbuc

@NonnieDoiron That's where I am in my life, too. God is good and will take your burden. I fell away for a LONG time and have recently come back and it is so freeing to give it to Him and let him work.

itladyee

I absolutely love this strong, dedicated, determined group! You all ROCK!!!

Coming up on a few days to be AF (Mon, Tue, Wed). Thursday, having friends over to see the house/patio. Will cook dinner and probably have wine with dinner. Friday, going to a baseball game… TBD. Saturday, having DS, DIL and DGS X 2 over…AF as well.

Looking at a good week!

Michieb125

Good morning LA friends!
Love your beautiful story of becoming a mom @chicbuc and your faith in God. I am grateful to God who takes on my burdens (when I willingly give them up)! Life feels more peaceful when I do. You are doing awesome by the way!!

You have a super plan in place for the week ahead @itladyee! Thanks also for the tip on how to speed up the comments with this new platform.

As always @globalhiker you such are an inspiration and always contribute great ideas for success! 11 months AF is truly incredible, a heartfelt congratulations.

Michieb125

Each Sunday I set my weekly LA targets for the upcoming week. For accountability— Last week I accomplished 3 N.A. days and had 10 glasses of wine over 4 days. This week I plan on upping that to 4 days with a max of 7 glasses of wine over 3 days - Still on track to get my 12 AF days this month.

I’m also pretty bummed about the 7 lb. weight gain since last Fall. I thought my scale was broken this morning! Haha. Not so.
But I’m not giving up! I have only today to make new choices.

Going on a long walk now and have two reservations at the gym for this week. Thank you all for the kind and supportive conversations on this thread.
Take good care of yourself today! 

nbruns83

@globalhiker, Wow, you are incredibly strong, and spot on about so many things in life being harder than quitting a bad habit. For me it is a really bad habit, but if it's a physical addiction, it may take more, I don't know.

I tried for over twenty years to "treat" my depression with prayer, yoga, meditation, exercise, and medication, but it I couldn't do it alone. I knew finally that I needed outside help and it took eight months of weekly therapy before I felt ready to put all that practice and hard work into trying it on my own. That's what made me realize I had to go alcohol free because I was undermining all my treatment if I started self-medicating with alcohol. Like @chicbuc I still see a glass of wine as part of "gracious living" and I know that's a bunch of "advertising manipulation" and "comparison" thinking. That's why I so appreciate whatever support the folks on this thread offer.

Thanks for all your efforts, stories, and motivation. You are all courageous!👏

July Stats:
AF 15
LA 4
A 1

Womona

I just read 4 days worth of posts.
1) hello and welcome to all the newcomers!
2) thank you for sharing your stories. This is one resilient, brave and resourceful group of people. I find such inspiration and sense of community and support here. I hope you all do too, especially the newbies.

Super quick backstory: my parents were not really drinkers, only very occasionally had a drink. My great grandfather on Dad’s side was, quote, “a nasty drunk” so I think that put fear into my dad’s heart.

I did the normal partying in high school and college, nothing too crazy. Pretty much all that was available was beer, and I never really liked it, even though I drank my share.

Met my husband 31 years ago, and he introduced me to wine. OMG it is just delicious. So early into our marriage I was a daily drinker with him for the most part. Never really gave it much thought. I will say that I am apparently extremely lucky that I can moderate. I definitely have an off switch. But like most people, it’s an automatic activity when I transition from the end of a long day (even as a SAHM) into relaxing mode, using alcohol to numb out, or that it goes really well with dinner.

I started looking into drinking less when I had to get professional headshots taken in 2018. I was told by the photographer to not drink for 3 days before the shoot so I’d photograph better. Boy did that work. Thank God I listened to her because I didn’t realize that drinking made my skin look dry and a little haggard. However, those three days were TOUGH! That’s when I stumbled upon this group.

My goal is always 3 days AF during the week, only two each weekend night, but that’s been out the window for well over a year. A good day for me lately is only one glass of wine.

Here’s where it gets tricky… we have a boat that we stay on for a long weekend, and there is something about being on vacation every weekend that makes me have 3, sometimes 4 drinks per day which is way, way too much for me. Going away for vacation is the same problem.

I’m coming off one such weekend. I stepped on the scale today… and it was not good. I’m in the throes of perimenopause and my metabolism has slowed down considerably. The nutritionist at work said “how’s your nutrition going when you’re in the boat?” Ugh, not good between the alcohol and dinners out and salty snacks on the boat, I’m way over my calories every day, then get pissed at myself when I step on the scale on Monday.

Here’s one win. Today is the first AF say in recent memory, I met my protein macro and am under my calorie goal! Took a walk with my son this morning. I still think I’m a little hung over from Saturday so I’m going to bed soon.

Much love to everyone! Laurel

tmbg1

11 AF

3 LA

7 A

NonnieDoiron

AF-18
A-3

Tried to not think of work as an obligation today. Boy, that was a true struggle, and I definitely did not succeed. How many times is too many times in a day to look at your retirement account app praying for a miracle? Asking for a friend…

LittleSurferGirl7

@chicbuc I know you're my biggest online cheerleader. But I think we may have to call in the whole squad LOL!

You're doing amazing! Keep on keeping on!

Have a nice night everyone!

Walela617

HI everyone,

12:00am, 07/22/25: 002 days AF

I love how everyone is so active in sharing here! Eventually, I will read ALL of your posts! I achieved my first, Sober Time AF milestone as of 12am on July 21st:

Have a great day! 💗Carole