Sober March Challenge #marchingtosobriety

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  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    Today I asked the husband how often he'd thought about drinking since the day we started. He said a couple times is all, so that's good. Then he asked me how long we'd gone so far and was really surprised when I said 12 days!

    Stay strong my thirsty friends!
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    Day 13. Woo hoo! Well, yesterday was Sunday, and at least according to Episcopalians, Sunday is a "feast day" on which you are not required to maintain the Lenten discipline. Although the first Sunday I ignored that, yesterday I decided (consciously and not in response to a craving) to have a drink. I had one screwdriver (lots of orange juice and a little vodka). I have to say I didn't care for it. I also didn't sleep very well. It really was a very tiny amt. of alcohol vs. my usual intake when I am drinking, but it just bummed me out. I'm not down on myself, but I'm not going to take advantage of this "loophole" again. The one drink didn't taste any better than Perrier or coffee or tea or just plain orange juice, so why dose myself with what is, after all, a depressant? I'm sort of glad I did that experiment. I said to my husband this morning, "You know what I don't like? Drinking." Have a great week everyone! I'm going to do free weights today for the first time ever. So excited!!

    RaeBeeBaby, your husband is like mine. I can't even imagine not being aware of how many days (almost how many hours) it's been!! Again, that tells me I am potentially in a danger zone when I drink.
  • AlisalGal
    AlisalGal Posts: 88 Member
    Well my grand plan of being able to have "just a sip" whenever I darn well please completely flopped last night. No more of that. It was a stupid thing anyway, I know full well I am an "all or nothing" person. I'm pretty disappointed in myself but am dusting myself off and starting anew.
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    AlisalGal, it seems this is a great learning experience for all of us. That's the most important thing, right? Be as kind to yourself as you would be to any of us who posted the same thing.
  • AlisalGal
    AlisalGal Posts: 88 Member
    That's a wonderful point of view, donimfp. Be as kind to myself as I would be to others. I asked myself today, why did I drink when I've committed to a 30 day challenge? Because I wanted a buzz. There's no other reason. That's really something to think about.
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    Happy Pi day, everyone. It's almost mid-month, and I have to say I'm not seeing a real decrease (personally) in an urge to have a drink around 5:30. I can't wait until those pass or at least subside. However, not drinking is paying off on the scale, so that's offsetting it somewhat. Guiltily enjoying a beautiful day while watching news of blizzards in the northeast. Hope everyone is safe and cozy.
  • serenity1097
    serenity1097 Posts: 135 Member
    Checking in from the blizzardy Northeast, haha!! Still sober, handling it pretty well I'm happy to say!! Maybe not so well when I'm digging out of my driveway tomorrow morning but that's another day, right?? LOL :wink:
  • cprbrat17
    cprbrat17 Posts: 20 Member
    I'm game for this Challenge.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    Day 14 and still dry as the Sahara! B)

    Although, it sure seems like I am being tempted at every turn. Tonight two of my friends wanted to go out for happy hour. It's something we do about once a month or so. Yummy appetizers and wine is the usual fare. I reluctantly agreed, but was thinking all day that I would cancel if I didn't feel up for it. Why put myself in harm's way? Then one of my friends texted me asking for a ride because her car was acting up. Ok, well then I was pretty much locked in.

    I did really well. They each had several glasses of wine and I had 4 glasses of lemon water. I'll probably be up all night, but pretty proud that I resisted.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    What is this Pi Day? I must be living under a rock because I've seen that posted a couple times today and I've never heard of it before.
  • MissMaggieMuffin
    MissMaggieMuffin Posts: 444 Member
    RaeBeeBaby wrote: »
    Day 14 and still dry as the Sahara! B)

    Although, it sure seems like I am being tempted at every turn. Tonight two of my friends wanted to go out for happy hour. It's something we do about once a month or so. Yummy appetizers and wine is the usual fare. I reluctantly agreed, but was thinking all day that I would cancel if I didn't feel up for it. Why put myself in harm's way? Then one of my friends texted me asking for a ride because her car was acting up. Ok, well then I was pretty much locked in.

    I did really well. They each had several glasses of wine and I had 4 glasses of lemon water. I'll probably be up all night, but pretty proud that I resisted.

    @RaeBeeBaby, congratulations on resisting temptation but still being able to enjoy your friends - I know it isn't easy, so well done!
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    Yay for you, RaeBeeBaby! That is really impressive. Still going strong on the 15th (The Ides of March, the day Julius Caesar was warned about! Gotta be careful). Pi Day is March 14 because Pi is 3.14. It's nerdy, but it's an excuse to eat pie. I resisted. Have a great day everyone. If you see Brutus and a bunch of other Romans approaching, run!!!
  • AlisalGal
    AlisalGal Posts: 88 Member
    edited March 2017
    Great job, @RaeBeeBaby! I'm going to see Mama Mia with a group next Wednesday and am planning in advance what to eat/drink to avoid the inevitable bottles of wine at the pre-show dinner. Everyone at work was talking about Pi Day (always March 14- 3.14, mathematical formula for pi) and I thought about pie all day - lemon meringue, pizza pie, chicken pot pie!
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    Wow, I've really been out of the loop as I've never heard of Pi day before!

    There's a thread on MFP about a low-calorie high protein cheesecake that I bookmarked. It's made with light cream cheese and protein powder. Some people add blueberries or other fruit. I'm going to try that sometime this week. I've also found a recipe for a low-cal crustless pumpkin pie that I want to try. I made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving that had almond milk and egg whites and it was pretty darn good. Nobody knew it was low-cal except me!
  • KombuchaKat
    KombuchaKat Posts: 134 Member
    yeah so, I was so totally in but then my birthday happened last week and this past weekend was a doozy...like I'm still a wee bit hung over today from Saturday doozy. I'm getting tired of this, so today is my new day 4. I keep debating on whether or not to give up the sauce for good. I know I'm not so bad that every day is a struggle but once I start that's it. there is no 1 or 2 for me. It's no drinking or all out craziness. I've read some of your other stories and feel less alone. I know I'm not the only one. And I know it's the sauce that's keeping me fat, tired and gross. It makes me depressed. Then I stop drinking for a couple weeks, binge again and the cycle starts over. I keep thinking next time I can control things and then whoops, nope that didn't happen. This stops now!
  • KombuchaKat
    KombuchaKat Posts: 134 Member
    donimfp wrote: »
    Becky_45, I can SO relate to your struggle. I have no idea why this time I'm making it (so far). Day 8. It's a psychological struggle for sure but getting a teensy bit easier day by day. I started reading "Drinking, A Love Story" by C. Knapp (courtesy of my best friend who orders the delicious non-alc. drinks). Knapp was a cray cray alcoholic, and I can't relate at all to the EXTENT of her drinking, but some of her insights about WHY she drank and why it was so hard not to I'm finding really helpful. I'm also finding it helpful to treat myself like a diva, which is absolutely not me. Propped up in bed with magazines, drinking Perrier by night, working out by day. And I'm determined to really treat myself on day 10. My husband better hide the checkbook.

    I read that book and loved it. Like you I can't relate to the day in and day out aspect of her addiction but I see a lot of the excuse and rule making. Rules I always break and have excuses for. To be honest I feel like I could just let it go if there was not such a stigma in doing so. I mean, I love the way it makes me feel, I won't lie about that. But there are times I get so anxious about going out and drinking it would just be easier to not do it. But then whenever I go out and just drink fizzy water everyone asks me why I'm not drinking and it turns into a huge production...maybe that says something about the company I keep.
  • KombuchaKat
    KombuchaKat Posts: 134 Member
    RaeBeeBaby wrote: »
    I love the idea of treating yourself with something special! Kind of like rewarding yourself for weight-loss with something other than food.

    Here's a few things that are helping me, so maybe will help some of you, as well.
    1. For me this is a Lenten challenge - not just March but until Easter Sunday. Lent is a period of personal reflection. Lenten abstinence is about self-sacrifice and strength of will. It's not SUPPOSED to be easy!
    2. Positive self-talk. I tell myself that I'm strong enough to do this. Alcohol doesn't rule my life.
    3. Weight-loss. I know by the end of this self-imposed abstinence I will like the number on the scale!
    4. It's good for me physically. My body (especially my liver) will appreciate the break.
    5. My husband and mother are both doing it. I won't be the one to give in first! (Too competitive!)
    6. I'm finally using up all the fancy teas hanging out in the cupboard and drinking the La Croix sparkling water that's been in the pantry for a year.
    7. I'm trying some new drinks and resurrecting some old ones that I haven't had in awhile. A friend told me about Golden Milk. It's coconut milk with turmeric, ginger, honey and some other spices. Supposed to be very detoxifying. I'm also making two batches of homemade Kombucha - something that I used to do but haven't in a long while.

    Love Golden Milk and I brew my own Kombucha! Some bars in my city have Kombucha on tap...it's a nice way to have a "drink" without having a drink. Wish more of them did it...
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    RaeBeeBaby wrote: »
    I love the idea of treating yourself with something special! Kind of like rewarding yourself for weight-loss with something other than food.

    Here's a few things that are helping me, so maybe will help some of you, as well.
    1. For me this is a Lenten challenge - not just March but until Easter Sunday. Lent is a period of personal reflection. Lenten abstinence is about self-sacrifice and strength of will. It's not SUPPOSED to be easy!
    2. Positive self-talk. I tell myself that I'm strong enough to do this. Alcohol doesn't rule my life.
    3. Weight-loss. I know by the end of this self-imposed abstinence I will like the number on the scale!
    4. It's good for me physically. My body (especially my liver) will appreciate the break.
    5. My husband and mother are both doing it. I won't be the one to give in first! (Too competitive!)
    6. I'm finally using up all the fancy teas hanging out in the cupboard and drinking the La Croix sparkling water that's been in the pantry for a year.
    7. I'm trying some new drinks and resurrecting some old ones that I haven't had in awhile. A friend told me about Golden Milk. It's coconut milk with turmeric, ginger, honey and some other spices. Supposed to be very detoxifying. I'm also making two batches of homemade Kombucha - something that I used to do but haven't in a long while.

    Love Golden Milk and I brew my own Kombucha! Some bars in my city have Kombucha on tap...it's a nice way to have a "drink" without having a drink. Wish more of them did it...

    I live in a small town so no Kombucha on tap here, but I know several places in the bigger cities nearby that do that. So many yummy flavors, too!

    The Golden Milk (Dr. Weil recipe) was a little "earthy" for me with the fresh turmeric. I tried it again with the powdered and liked it better. However, I did make a turmeric/ginger/elderberry tea that I've been sipping on for a couple days. The husband has a bad cold and I DO NOT want to get it. His 3rd time of being sick since Christmas and I've managed to mostly avoid catching anything besides a little swollen glands and minor sniffles. Herbal medicine works! (IMHO)

    So for the Kombucha, I didn't have a scoby so decided to grow my own. I know it can take weeks (up to a month even) for the magic to happen. I was checking it daily and after a week I lost patience. One of my friends (the one I picked up for happy hour) gave me a scoby baby last night when I dropped her off so now I'm off to the races! Funny looking scoby as she used roobios tea for her last batch and the baby is pretty reddish. We laughed about it because we both agreed it looks like a placenta. (Sorry if that's TMI!)
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    AlisalGal wrote: »
    Great job, @RaeBeeBaby! I'm going to see Mama Mia with a group next Wednesday and am planning in advance what to eat/drink to avoid the inevitable bottles of wine at the pre-show dinner. Everyone at work was talking about Pi Day (always March 14- 3.14, mathematical formula for pi) and I thought about pie all day - lemon meringue, pizza pie, chicken pot pie!

    If the pre-function dinner is at a restaurant with a full bar you can ask the bartender to make you an amazing non-alcoholic drink. The place I was at last night has a whole list of non-alcoholic beverages and specializes in various flavors of mojitos. I drank lemon water because I'm on a budget right now and didn't want to spend the extra $5.00, but I definitely want to try one the next time.
  • donimfp
    donimfp Posts: 795 Member
    So I am a Kombucha virgin. Never had one. Kind of scared of it. What does it taste like, and is it a good sub. for alcohol? (I'm drowning in Perrier)! I'm with RaeBeeBaby about the pre-Mamma Mia drink. Get something delicious. My daughter and I saw Mamma Mia a couple of years ago and it was so amazing. You'll love it. I love the movie and didn't think the stage production could measure up (no shots of Greece), but it was even better. My 10-day-in reward was to buy tix to Beautiful on the 26th. By then it will be a 10- and 20- day reward.

    KombchaKat, I think you probably speak for many of us (certainly me). Simple moderation with no thought to it would be so nice, but somehow I am just not wired that way. I look forward to the day when alcohol doesn't even cross my mind. That day is a long way off, I'm afraid, but the rewards meantime are adding up, so that's good. I don't know if I could have done this, even though I intended to be alcohol-free for Lent earlier, without the wonderful group in this thread.