6 weeks later and suddenly having cravings again?
Change_Agent
Posts: 98 Member
Hey all -
What has it been? Something like six weeks or two months even since starting this reduced-wine life? Everything was going along great guns there for me - had lost the TASTE for it even! - and now, out of nowhere it seems, the cravings have come back. I have to work not to stop on the way home and get a bottle. So far I am winning but it bugs me to have to fight the same fight with myself. I have had a glass here and there in the last two weeks - though never more than 1.5 in a night (a previously unattained goal). I swear though it makes me crave it DAYS later. Is anyone else going through same thing? (On another topic, I am also eating tons last week and working not to this scarcely-begun week. What gives?)
Martha
What has it been? Something like six weeks or two months even since starting this reduced-wine life? Everything was going along great guns there for me - had lost the TASTE for it even! - and now, out of nowhere it seems, the cravings have come back. I have to work not to stop on the way home and get a bottle. So far I am winning but it bugs me to have to fight the same fight with myself. I have had a glass here and there in the last two weeks - though never more than 1.5 in a night (a previously unattained goal). I swear though it makes me crave it DAYS later. Is anyone else going through same thing? (On another topic, I am also eating tons last week and working not to this scarcely-begun week. What gives?)
Martha
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Replies
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Hi Martha
That's really tough! I'm coming up to 6 weeks as well and dreading the time when I feel the desire again. Hasn't hit yet, but I have no doubt it will. And I agree that even just having one or two drinks seems to trigger the craving again - at least it always has for me in the past. That's why I'm just not having anything at all. I really admire you for not giving in to the craving - you should be proud of yourself for that! I think I've chosen the easy way out, but I know I can't do it any other way. I wish I had some advice, but I don't, I'm afraid.
I also think that it's inevitable that we'll hit a wall occasionally. The test is how we deal with it, and you've managed to do it successfully!
Maybe posting here helps?
Christine0 -
Hi Martha - Are you overly stressed about anything right now? Or are you more tired than normal? Maybe even bored? I know those seem to be my triggers. And I can't seem to open a bottle of wine without finishing it - so I'm trying not to buy that at all.
I'm sorry you're having to fight this again. It really sucks...
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Thank you both for the support. I thought about it and realized I am a little stressed and definitely more tired. Got a couple of solid night's sleep and voila - craving back to gone. It is amazing to me how holistic a thing good health really is on such a daily basis - too little sleep and your body starts to crave things, give in to cravings and your energy goes down, etc etc. Going to bed early tonight!0
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So glad the craving's past for you! It's amazing what sleep can do for you (and what lack of sleep can do!).
I'm in an interesting situation today. I'm having dinner at a close friend's house. This is a fairly frequent occurrence and we always have a lovely relaxed evening with lots of laughs. The thing is that I'd told her a while ago that I'd given up drinking for the year, so when she rang to ask me over she wanted to know if I was OK about going and seeing her drinking her usual couple of glasses of wine (she's far more restrained than I am when it comes to how much wine she actually drinks.....). Of course I told her it doesn't bother me (and it genuinely doesn't), and said I'd bring my own sparkling water with me. Well, we've had a couple of email exchanges about what I can bring for the meal and it turns out that she's really anxious about me coming and not drinking. She says she'll feel like a 'lush' (and I quote), having me watch her drink. I certainly don't want her to feel that way and I don't want her to not drink on my account, but I can't seem to convince her.
I'm hoping that by the end of the evening she'll be able to see that it's fine for us each just to do what's right for us without the other judging. Fingers crossed.0 -
Fingers crossed indeed! It sounds like maybe she wants to have a conversation with you? Maybe she drinks more than she appears to - or, more to the point, more than she is comfortable with? Could be an interesting night. Good luck trying to help her over her anxieties. I'll be curious to hear how it goes. I am meeting a bunch of old friends tonight too - a group of women I go out with every month or so - and many of them really value the wine-and-socializing part. I don't know if people will say something or not if I choose not to drink. There is one other teetotaler in the group so I won't be the only one but I know some of them will be surprised if I don't drink.0
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Hello!
I just joined this group today.. I do cardio workouts about 6 days a week and strength train 3 x week... My downfall... is .. I love wine! I will drink a bottle in an evening and the wine just gives me permission to eat cookies or whatever in excess. I go for about a week with no wine in the house and then... I buy a bottle or have company and away I go.. It adds so many calories to all the good healthy food I do eat. Any ideas on how I can get strong enough to stop these binges??0 -
Hi goodadvice - nice to have you on board! I was exactly the same as you - a bottle a night pretty much (always accompanied by a large bag of chips) - hardly a healthy dinner! The absolutely only way I can deal with it is to make the decision to cut out the wine completely, and I've gone public to as many people as possible that I'm not going to drink for at least 365 days (or until I get to goal, whichever is longer). On the other hand I know that there are people on here who are successfully just cutting right back to having one or two drinks on social occasions. I WISH I could be like them, but I know I can't. I'm just an all or nothing person and I've learnt to live with that fact. The odd thing is that when I do stop like this (and I've done it before) I really, genuinely don't miss it - then I have one drink again and remember what it is I like about it!
I do agree that the having company thing is a difficult one. I haven't done that yet and I'm not sure how that will go, but I'm just determined not to go backwards, so I'll find a way round it.
So ideas on stopping? Not really, I'm afraid. It just seems to be a question of finding what works for you. For me, there just finally comes a point when all the stars seem to be in alignment, a switch clicks, and I stop dead. But I have no idea what clicks the switch.
Hang in there - I'm sure you'll find your own switch, and in the meantime this is a good place to share and get some support. We've all been there, done that and are resisisting doing it again.....
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Fingers crossed indeed! It sounds like maybe she wants to have a conversation with you? Maybe she drinks more than she appears to - or, more to the point, more than she is comfortable with? Could be an interesting night. Good luck trying to help her over her anxieties. I'll be curious to hear how it goes. I am meeting a bunch of old friends tonight too - a group of women I go out with every month or so - and many of them really value the wine-and-socializing part. I don't know if people will say something or not if I choose not to drink. There is one other teetotaler in the group so I won't be the only one but I know some of them will be surprised if I don't drink.
The evening went really well. I drank my fizzy water and she drank her wine and we had a good evening. I think that the issue is largely that she doesn't want to make me feel uncomfortable rather than anything else. She isn't a heavy drinker at all and is very uncomfortable with people who are - so maybe it was to do with me being upfront about how much I had been drinking. Anyway, I don't think it'll be an issue in future, thank goodness. I hope your evening went OK as well. Would love to hear.0 -
OH!! I am so happy to have found this GROUP! I've been telling my trainer I need a support group............THANKS0
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Hi there,
Good to have you on board! I have found this group amazingly effective for helping with my cravings/indulgences - which sound a lot like yours. I found that just by quitting altogether for awhile (2 weeks?), it helped kill many of the daily cravings. At that time, I was also not eating any sugar (just by coincidence really) and eating LOTS of healthy veges. It felt especially good. In general, I think that letting myself relax more without wine - take a nap or read a book or whatever for 20 minutes no matter what time of day it is - helps. Sometimes, I am just tense and want to tune things out for awhile. I think I used to have a glass of wine to do that. Other times I seem to really crave it is when I am run down physically and tired... like now! At the moment I am at work so no issue but will have to make myself not buy a bottle tonight on way home so as not to indulge. That said, my main technique there is just taking it minute by minute -- and reminding myself that no one prescribes a bottle of pinot noir for a sore throat and a headache (tho maybe they should).0 -
Hi Opal-
Glad to hear your night out went well! Yes, it is weird how many issues not drinking brings up for people - even the people not not drinking. I'm glad it was a fun evening. Sounds like next time won't be as tough. Hang in there!
Martha0 -
I did well this week. No wine at all not even on Valentine's Day! Now if i can only get through the weekend I will be straight!!! LOL!0
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Brilliant - well done! And honestly, it only gets easier. The 'big' days tend to be hard, because we're so used to celebrating them by drinking, so discovering that we can get through them quite happily without alcohol and still have fun is a huge step forward. Keep up the good work!
Christine0 -
Opal
I really like your idea of 365 days with no wine....and letting everyone know! I blew it bad last night... when I get too angry I self destruct.... wine, cookies chips, etc.... didn't hurt the offender one little bit!! I am going to commit to not having any alcohol until the party I'm putting on Feb.29 .... I don't think I have gone more th. an 5 days in a long long time... think good thoughts..lets see what I can do. Thank you for being there0 -
dbanks - way to go! That IS hard - to skip it on holidays, etc.
and
good advice - if it's any help to know, 5 days seemed almost impossible to me a couple of months ago and then, after a few days, it just quit being so hard. I think in my case very intense exercise really helped. I think it just made me more relaxed overall and so less tempted. Good luck!!0 -
It's such a social thing to do and we all probably tended to use it as a supplement to our coping mechanisms. (ie: when we're tired, sad, frustrated, angry, to celebrate...)
I am on day 82 now of no cigs or alcohol (WooHoo!!!) and I can't say that I don't sometimes want a drink. Then I realize that my relationship to alcohol and cigs are the same that I have to food. I have to as WHY and I wanting one? Is it craving or addiction in some way? Am I just falling back on an old routine? How will it benefit me? Will it make me healthier?0
