No alcohol in 2012 - I did it!

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vacherin
vacherin Posts: 192
in Success Stories
Hi everyone

Hurrah! I did it! Unless you count the liqueur chocolates I had in Sept but, as a friend said, if they sell it to kids then it doesn't count as proper alcohol!

High point: Well, none of it was especially enjoyable, but not having hangovers was a gift from heaven.
Low point: Lots to choose from, but probably the dinner guest who asked me to drive over and collect her "seeing as I wasn't drinking", because she wanted to get drunk at my place and didn't want to pay for a taxi here AND back. Haven't invited her to dinner since, or even called her, come to think of it ...

Now I'm hitting the beers big-style. Nah, just kidding - I had 3 glasses of champagne on NYE (and was happy to stop at 3), then 2 vodka and sodas yesterday. Might have a vodka and soda tonight, but after that I won't be having anything for at least a week. The point of the exercise was to reach a point where I could choose to have a small amount of alcohol and enjoy it, and I think/hope I've cracked that. 2 years ago those 3 glasses of champagne would easily have been 2 bottles ...

Thank you to everyone on MFP who has posted to support me in the past, and to my MFP friends who have kept be motivated. Good luck to anyone else who is embarking on a similar quest this year - YOU CAN DO IT!

xxx

Replies

  • Rosplosion
    Rosplosion Posts: 739 Member
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    Congratulations on a year of being dry. That is truly an accomplishment.

    I would love to hear how your controlled drinking goes. Good luck.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    You have my condolences.
  • tat2dzombiegirl
    tat2dzombiegirl Posts: 54 Member
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    Congrats! That is so amazing. I am thinking about going dry for a while myself. Right now I just workout like crazy before going out and stick to vodka with club soda. Maybe twice a month but that is so great! No extra sugars!!
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,049 Member
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    I am trying to embark on this type of change for this year................Yesterday I had 1/2 a bottle of Merlot. A week ago that would have been 2-3 bottles!!!!:devil:

    I will be having the other half bottle tonight during dinner and after the gym. I just need to lower the volume on my drinking!
    BUT BRAVO to you! it must have been hard!!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    Congratulations, very well done. I haven't had any since February so almost a year :)

    Can I ask how often you were drinking and if you were thought you were addicted or you just did it for weight loss/health? Feel free to PM me this if you prefer.
  • vacherin
    vacherin Posts: 192
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    A bit of both, really, Mockchoc. I needed to lose weight (although didn't lose masses because I took in sugar to compensate for the alcohol), I wanted to set myself a challenge for which I was wholly responsible (none of this "I will lose Xlbs in X weeks" stuff), and I was starting to feel that I was reaching for alcohol out of habit rather than choosing it for enjoyment.
  • sarahlou8891
    sarahlou8891 Posts: 8 Member
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    Congratulations! I'm hoping to do do dry January, 3 days and counting haha not sure I could last a whole year.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    That's really great. I had a few drinks Christmas Eve and hated how I felt once it hit my head. I stopped and haven't had a drink since. Before that, I stopped in June 2012.

    I honestly feel now that I can have a beer on occasion without it being a problem, but I prefer not to drink.

    Congrats on your success, a whole year is an amazing feat.
  • lrkercher
    lrkercher Posts: 1
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    That is impressive!!!! Great job!!!
  • vacherin
    vacherin Posts: 192
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    You have my condolences.

    Hahaha! By the way, I love your cute kitties!
  • jtslim42
    jtslim42 Posts: 240
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    Very nice!
  • vacherin
    vacherin Posts: 192
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    Thanks for the replies, everyone! It was a strange year. There was never a point where I thought, "This is easy" - in fact, the so-called easy bits were really bits where I forgot I was abstaining because I was busy with other stuff. But - at the risk of sounding like a massive cliche - if I can do it, then I truly believe anyone can. I had SUCH an alcohol habit before, and I live with someone who is a massive drinker as well. It's not easy, and you may decide it's a year you never want to repeat, but you will be glad you did it.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Being a King I have a true appreciation for wine but in moderation


    Congrats on your year of soberity.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    A bit of both, really, Mockchoc. I needed to lose weight (although didn't lose masses because I took in sugar to compensate for the alcohol), I wanted to set myself a challenge for which I was wholly responsible (none of this "I will lose Xlbs in X weeks" stuff), and I was starting to feel that I was reaching for alcohol out of habit rather than choosing it for enjoyment.

    Yes I did the same thing with sugar for a couple of months. Always eating sweets for a while.
  • ursus_maritimus
    ursus_maritimus Posts: 19
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    Good for you. As I started this journey this week, one of the things I decided to do was to cut way back on the booze consumption. I recognized how many calories I was drinking and figured it would be far better spent on real food. :) I am sure there are other health benefits too; very rarely do I drink to the point of being even tipsy, but a drink before dinner and another later in the evening has been the norm for me. Based on just 2 drinks (rum and diet coke) it's about 300 calories a day!
  • Hollisss
    Hollisss Posts: 88 Member
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    That's really amazing, congrats on a job well done!
  • BombolinaM
    BombolinaM Posts: 561 Member
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    Congratulations!! That's a big deal! That is my goal this year..I've had an issue with alcohol and stopping at 2 glasses of any type of alcohol for me would be a major accomplishment! I too was good on NYE but I drank so much the whole year..lol Thank you for posting!!
  • opal24
    opal24 Posts: 205 Member
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    Yay Vacherin!! It's been great having you as company on this "interesting" experience!! If anyone else is thinking of doing the same, then I highly recommend seeing if you can friend someone doing the same thing. It was great being able to PM each other and swap feelings as the year went on. And huge congratulations on achieving the goal :drinker:
  • lirr10185
    lirr10185 Posts: 37 Member
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    Good job!! I am a drinker myself and alcohol has been the one thing holding me back on my ultimate goals. I have been good lately and only letting myself drink once a week on my cheat days. Sometimes it bites me because I get so excited that I end up drinking too much and have a hangover the next day. Moderation is a good thing, I just cant seem to stick with it.
  • UrnAsh
    UrnAsh Posts: 207 Member
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    Congrats!!

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