LESS Alcohol ~ August 2025 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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@RubyRed427 Possibly deleted. When I filter by author, no posts are found. I also get a 404 error if I go to the profile. The other account that I have seen doesn't appear to be deleted, but it has been inactive since May 2024.
LittleSurferGirl7 did seem quite upset. I hope that wherever she is, she's doing ok.4 -
Aug:
AF=8
A=10
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Hung out with my precious grandchildren last night (AF) while their mom and dad went to a Scout meeting. These times with them bring me so much happiness and joy.
I also want to take a minute to share my appreciation for each of you being here. It’s wonderful to see new and returning LA friends who share the same personal goals of aiming for LESS ALCOHOL. I read all the posts on most days and learn so much from your experiences.
The positivity, encouragement and support everyone has been sharing this month is like a cup of inspiration! Thank you.6 -
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Checking in - I hope LittleSurferGirl7 pops back in, think she will to say hi, soon as she gets success under her belt. I know being around people who can manage their drinking can really cause one to try to follow the pack and work on moderation but it backfires and I get it. I don't moderate. I'm all or nothing and just that way with a lot of things in my life. This is why I am so happy drinking something else that is better for me.
I have less than 2 weeks to hit the "one year mark". I drank on 2 occasions during the 12 month period and now I no longer look at this as a short term diet. Otherwise in September I am apt to let loose and go back to my ways.
I really, really hope that many of you consider going AF for a long while. 30 days didn't cut it for me, neither did 90 days. I think I really needed a whole year to get the brain re-set. I am sure some people need less. But I feel so good and take nothing. And relaxed most of the time. My stress levels never hit the roof like before. No cravings. No dependency. No thinking about it. I am in control of me. I wish you all could experience this great sense of well being.
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@globalhiker, @RubyRed427, @SparkSpringtime69, @NonnieDoiron This is LittleSurferGirl7. I deleted my posts and changed my username. Globalhiker is right…it is hard to read about everybody's moderating.
I'm fine and my husband is fine. But, we had to put our wonderful 17 year old cat, Tinker, down last Monday. She had kidney failure. When we woke up that day, we had no intentions of having to call the vet. She had been somewhat lethargic and was having trouble walking for a few days. We went out for no more than 30 minutes. When we got home, she wasn't in the bedroom where she was when we left. We started searching and I found her lying in her litter box. She probably had to pee, but didn't have the strength to stand up. Anyways, it turns out that the vet had a special, very peaceful room in the back. It was hard. We had her cremated. The vet sent me a handwritten sympathy card and Chewy actually sent flowers. I've been crying ever since.
I'm still drinking today. But, today will definitely be the last day forever!
BTW @NonnieDoiron you're really doing great! Keep it up! Weight loss can be a great motivator.
And, as Globalhiker mentioned, I also believe that 30 or 90 days isn't enough. I too want to experience the feeling of well-being.
Take care everyone!
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Also, another person that hasn't been posting is @chicbuc. Hey, chicbuc…this is LittleSurferGirl7. I'm hoping all is well with you my friend!
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@WestCoastGirl_7 I’m glad you’ve posted, and I’m very sorry to hear about Tinker.
You and @globalhiker are absolutely correct, most people probably do need more than 30 or 60 days to dry out and really see the true results of living AF. Due to my current weight loss goals, I may just end up being AF for a year just to make sure I can lose the 1 lb a week I need to lose to fit in my dress by my next anniversary. If I do accomplish it and I try to have a drink after all that time but it doesn’t sit, then so be it. I probably won’t drink again. But, I’m not going to set a goal of being AF for a year. I’m taking it one day at a time and talking myself off the ledge each night.
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@NonnieDoiron Thank you! I sure do miss my little girl!
You've been doing really good. And there's nothing wrong with taking it one day at a time. I have a feeling that after going without for a while, it probably won't taste that great. I'm personally just tired of it.
I have a sidebar. I believe it's Google desktop. It's a slideshow of all your pictures on your computer. As I'm typing this, every other picture is a picture of Tinker. I wish she was still here.
Have a nice day everyone!
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She will always live in your heart. ♥️
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Thank you everyone for such wonderful support and lovely thoughts. I'm happy to report that yesterday was AF, I slept well and I'm feeling good for it today.
@WestCoastGirl_7 I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my little girl Gracie only a couple of months ago, mere weeks after losing my husband, and it broke my heart. We do the best we can for them when we let them go, though.
I think that long term abstinence is necessary for a lot of people when it gets to a certain stage in drinking. I know that continually aiming for moderation and failing was a huge driver for my husband's poor mental health and I truly wished he could see and accept that his only viable way forward was going completely abstinent, and I was willing to go down that path with him. But he always believed he could go back to how it was before, when drinking was a fun enjoyable release and not something he needed to get through the day, and in reality, that was never going to happen.
I'm back to the rules I set myself at the beginning of the month, and I've started keeping a little journal.
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6 AF
6 LA
7 A
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@WestCoastGirl_7 I'm so sorry for your loss. That is is so terribly sad. I was very happy to see you post even though it is under sad circumstances. I love your new name. A fresh start.
@globalhiker Amazing!!! I was sober for the first 40 or so days that you were sober, and to think, I could have been celebrating one year AF. I really wish I was celebrating with you. But I am so proud of you!! No one ever regrets quitting, that's for sure.
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@LeelooX2014 I don't believe we've met. But you are right…she will always live in my heart ❤️
@Alatariel75 Thank you so much. And I'm sorry for both of your losses also. I can understand your husband's thinking though. When I was in my 20's, 30's, 40's and even beyond that, I was quite the party animal…it used to be something to be proud of. I associated drinking with good times. I've been trying to moderate for some time. But it just doesn't work for me. I'm going to work very hard on having an AF life.
Thank you @RubyRed427 It is incredibly sad. I still cannot stop crying. She would have been 18 in October…so many memories. I'll probably get back on the weight loss challenge soon. I haven't stepped on the scale for a while. Too scary!
Thank you everyone!
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@WestCoastGirl_7 ~ Glad you're ok. Sorry to hear about Tinker. 💔
I also want to take a minute to share my appreciation for each of you being here. It’s wonderful to see new and returning LA friends who share the same personal goals of aiming for LESS ALCOHOL. I read all the posts on most days and learn so much from your experiences.The positivity, encouragement and support everyone has been sharing this month is like a cup of inspiration! Thank you.
@Michieb125 Well said!!!
Welcome @LeelooX2014
AF=5
LA=5
A=9
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@WestCoastGirl_7 glad to see you back here. So sorry for the loss of your little Tinker. What an absolutely beautiful cat. I know you were so devoted to her and gave such good care.
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AF again yesterday, not even a sip of my husband’s drink! I really admire those who can have big long streaks of being AF, or being LA. It goes out the window for me on weekends.
I’ve gotten so much better about not drinking while sailing, but that after-sail relaxing overlooking the water is where it falls apart for me. I’m not even micro-sipping, I feel like I chug wine!!! Looking at my stats from my vacation was really eye opening. It’s up there with the holidays. Egads.
The good news is that I’m logging my food again, and it makes such a big difference. My weight is coming down from my highest after vacation. Not having alcohol, or limiting myself to one glass means I can eat more food and still be within my macro and calorie parameters. Win win!
I am intrigued by those who can’t moderate alcohol, and have that all or nothing mentality. I’m curious, does it only apply to alcohol, or does it spill over into other aspects of life? Do you eat an entire bag of potato chips and buy every craft supply? What do you think accounts for the all or nothing mentality? At least you know yourselves well enough to recognize the tendency. At any rate, I would love to hear about your experiences.4 -
@WestCoastGirl_7 I'm so sorry to hear about your sweet little Tinker. I'm glad that you jumped back in here, we're happy to see you again.
@Alatariel75 I'm sorry to hear about your losses also.
My heart goes out to both of you (and anyone else who's lost a pet or loved one recently) ❤️HUGS
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Thank you @Womona and @SparkSpringtime69. I do miss my little girl. It's hard to believe we can love a little critter like that so much!!!
@Womona I don't mind in participating in your "all or nothing" survey. For me, I believe, it's mainly alcohol. Although, the "nothing" part could be interesting. Hmmm? Maybe, I need to see somebody? I haven't drank a sweetened beverage in at least 30 years…no soda, no juice, no sugar in my tea or coffee, no lattes, etc. I do buy sugar. But that's for my little hummingbirds. The one in the front is named Big Bird and the one in the back is Buzz.
As far as potato chips, etc. If I lived alone I just wouldn't buy those types of things. When I go shopping by myself, I push the cart right past those areas and I don't even think about putting those things in the cart.
But, then enters hubby 😕 He usually pushes the cart and he tells me that he has to grip the cart handle very hard when he goes by the bakery section or chips section. He loves apple fritters, donuts, cookies, chips, pop tarts. He is the poster child of what not to eat! The other day, he went shopping and I asked him to pick up some sour cream. I like it on my Mexican food (burritos) and I even put on my omelets. Well, he came back with two containers of sour cream, onion dip mix and Lay's potato chips. As we all know, "You can't eat just one!" So I did partake.
And, I'm not obsessive about buying things. Except a bit with Tinker. I was always buying her things on Chewy or Amazon. If anyone is wondering why Chewy sent flowers…they always send a B-day card and Tinker's B-day would be coming up soon. Getting a card for her might have re-triggered my emotions. So I went to Chewy and "My pets" and there was an option to memorialize or remove a pet and I memorialized her. I was so shocked when a car pulled up delivering flowers. It was so nice.
It will be interesting to hear others answers 🤔
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Had an excellent workout at Barre yesterday and boy am I sore this morning! Am leaving for a walk this morning before taking our sweet dog to the vet for her annual checkup.
I would classify myself as someone who can moderate @Womona and I suppose that applies to most things in my life - exercise, spending, food, alcohol (wine). I also log/measure portions and serving sizes and plan calories around what I’ll be eating and drinking. I feel I have much more self-control when I do.
Had the rest of the Pinot Grigio wine last night after seeing my daughter’s family off for their vacation. We are taking care of our two grand pups for a whole week! Yikes now we will have 3 dogs here.I definitely can empathize with those who have lost pets recently. They are beloved family members and it’s so heartbreaking when we must say goodbye.
Today is a A day (2 glasses) allotted for tonight but may skip, not sure……need to get my day going now.6 -
Hi moderators and abstainers, I'm not sure which I should aspire to be. I've thought a lot about the idea of cross-addiction, whether it's eating ice cream and sweets or getting obsessive about exercise again.
I believe the science that says no amount of alcohol is healthful, but I'm still lingering in my fondness for the social/lifestyle aspects of drinking. I've gone back to seeing my therapist for my depression which has worsened this summer - I'm not dealing well with my family's health issues. I told my therapist that I was disappointed that giving up alcohol didn't make me feel substantially better. She said that since my drinking had not seriously interfered with job, family, etc. that it was common to only experience slightly better physical effects. She also told me that my reluctance/sadness to stop completely is grief. That drinkers often grieve those parts of the lifestyle that felt good and were also a coping mechanism.
@WestCoastGirl_7, I'm so glad to see you back here, and I'm so sorry that you and your husband lost your beautiful and precious pet. I think a new user name is a good idea, anything that helps you feel like you're making a fresh start.
@Womona, I'm not sure where I fall on the moderator/abstainer continuum. I've always been indecisive, and often wary of commitments because I have been a life-long perfectionist. That's a horrible trait for me, and one I've worked on with my therapist. If I can't do it perfectly, I'll just avoid trying so I don't fail. I think that's why I've developed fairly good moderator habits, but… I'm off to continue my obsessive exercise streak.🤪
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A-2
AF-18I typed a whole post, and my app reset. 🤦🏻♀️
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7 AF
6 LA
7 A
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@NonnieDoiron oh I hate when that happens!!
I love the responses so far! Thanks for the insights.
AF tonight again. I am tired and going to bed!
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@Womona I swing along a spectrum of moderating and abstaining, and it's pretty informed by my mental health. When I'm mentally healthy, I can moderate very well, and enjoy small amounts of things I love, including alcohol. When my mental health tanks, I will binge eat, and drink far more than I should though never to a point where it is affecting my life of falling outside socially acceptable parameters (ie day drinking, sneaking drinks to get by etc). My lack of control doesn't and never has slipped over into purchasing or gambling or anything like that, though my husband had significant impulse control issues when drinking in the last couple of years and spent soooo much money on so much carp he did not need and not only didn't make him happy, but actually made him feel worse.
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Aug:
AF=9
A=11
4 -
Long day and late night yesterday. It was an in the office work day for me and then I had an appointment for a pedicure and manicure. I didn’t get home until 7:30. I told my husband that I didn’t have anything planned for dinner. He stepped up and made shrimp scampi and had a glass of wine waiting for me. He actually joined me, which is rare. Today, back to AF, claiming it now.
@Womona ~very interesting feedback re moderation. The concept of moderation is one of the reasons I didn’t finish the Naked Mind 30-day experiment, as the takeaway I got is that you can’t moderate. Either you drink (lots) or you don’t. That bothered me.
Very similar to @Alatariel75 … it does depend on my mindset. If I’m in a good place, being kind to myself, watching what I eat, practicing self-care, then yes, I can either not have at all or only have a limited amount. Then there’s the middle ground…like being on vacation, where I choose to drink, sometimes less, sometimes more, it just depends on the situation. But if I’m depressed or things aren't going right or there’s stuff I don’t want to deal with…Then I get an “I don’t care attitude, and calories are high as well as alcohol (usually wine) consumption.
As far as other stuff. I don’t consider myself a binger. I do love chips and salty things and guilty of having more than I should but I don’t eat the entire bag or box of cookies etc. There are other things that I over buy….back in the day, it was purses… I don’t carry or change purses much these days so that’s gone. Always technology, but again, that was my field and now that i’m semi-retired and there’s less disposable income, i’ve reigned that in too!
@globalhiker ~ congrats on your continued progress. I will take your suggestion into consideration. The first step would be to complete 30 days.
@Michieb125 ~ enjoy those dogs~ Finally, after 2 years of losing my puggle, Yoda…I finally feel ready for another. After reviewing many breeds, I’m back to a puggle but a black one this time. If all goes well, I will pick her up in about 3 weeks.
@nbruns83 ~ I’m sorry that your depression worsened this summer. I find the feedback from your therapist very interesting….My biggest improvement when I don’t drink is my quality of sleep. Reluctance to stop completely is grief….very interesting and nothing that I’ve heard before.
@NonnieDoiron ~ When the update first occurred back in March, even the copy (from another platform) and paste didn’t work. It does seem to work now so I draft outside of MFP and then copy and paste. Nothing worse than having your post go “poof”.
Happy Thursday, everyone. I’m getting outside for a nice long walk and then back to clearing my garage!!!
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AF=6
LA=5
A=106 -
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August Stats:
AF 16J
LA 1
A 34 -
Thanks for sharing your experience with depression @nbruns83 - you are not alone! And I’ve read research shows how feelings can feel super heightened at the beginning of this LA journey and maybe it’s part of it.
I’m glad you have a therapist to support you through this. I would encourage you to explore things that have been on hold for you because of others’ health problems. Maybe a hobby, exercise, or reading as examples. Meditation and prayer has also helped me immensely in challenging times.Keep doing you! And wow, a big congrats on an extremely successful month here.
Went to a Les Mills strength and weight lifting class today and worked super hard! The other ladies were my age and seeing them toned like that is motivating for me. Age is just a number! I’ll be reserving my spot twice a week for the 9:30 am. class.
Each day is a new beginning wherever you are on your LA path.5
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