Less alcohol- January 2018- one day at a time
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I went to a TOPS meeting--Take off Pounds Sensibly. It will be a great support group. I am hoping that will be great accountability. We play a lose lottery, too. If you get the most weight off for the week, you win everyone's buck that got put in. So yesterday I want on a cheat day. It wasn't worth it really for all the extra calories, but I got it out of my system. I will try to get my calories in range next time for the cheat day, which will be after I weigh-in next week. I know I will never stay in range if I have alcohol, so I am hoping this can work to lose weight and not drink.
I, too, don't want to think of alcohol every day for the rest of my life by going to AA, so I hope this works. I need to do whatever it takes, however.
I also get anxious about snow storms and my driving and my daughter's. She has to drive a lot. The cold has me depressed some with cabin fever and I am finding it hard to get the house projects done that I need to do to sell!! The house is cold. All of this makes me want to have wine or liquor around.
My boss on one of my few hours a week jobs is driving me nuts,too. Texting outside work hours for this or that lately again. I would like to tell her some how to only do so if an extreme emergency. I feel like I don't have much down time. Makes me want to drink.
I will try and hang in there like you guys are as I want this weight off.3 -
So I made some soup yesterday and today I will buy a flavored nonfat greek yogurt for my dessert. That will help to have something to look forward to being done and waiting for me for later. I am also washing all the linens today.
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I failed already.
Day 1 - finished the open wine from NYE
Day 2 - No alcohol and felt really good about it
Day 3 - Stressful day - went out to dinner, had 2 drinks with hubby, came home and drank wine. UGH!
Day 4 - Mad at myself and disappointed. Going to try to start fresh again today. I joined a BC starting the week of the 15th and I know I will do great during that time.
I am inspired by so many people writing their feelings down in this thread.4 -
I want in on this! I have some goals for 2018, and I don't normally make goals because I don't like to set myself up for failure. But 2017 was the worst year ever for my family, for only a few reasons that are now better, and I am ready to make 2018 back up to par with what I actually want out of my life (that seems really convoluted but it's really not that complex, lol). I turned to alcohol too often and for too long and if my daily life hasn't really been too affected by it, my health probably has. Anyway, I plan on not drinking in January, getting back on track with my fitness (just got my first ever home gym set up and QUIT my gym for the first time ever, scary but exciting), hopefully picking up my clarinet again because I really need a hobby, an lastly but definitely not least, focusing on better relationships with my husband and 8 year old son.
That was long, but I'm in and I will need help on the long weekends when the boredom sets in and maybe someone to talk to about some things.4 -
Definitely consider reading that naked mind book. I read it yesterday and I’m surprised how different I feel about drinks today. Not at all sure what has changed but I think this will truly assist drinking less (or nothing!) as time goes on. I’m almost interested to see how I feel tomorrow about Friday/Saturday where I’d normally have a few glasses of wine.3
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I can so relate to substituting wine for tea! I really thought I didn't like tea, but when it's cold outside and you're looking for something else to drink at night it's not bad. I've found some great Celestial Seasonings varieties and Bigelow has an assorted herbal box that I'm working through. One of them, Pomegranate Pizazz, was delish. Day four here we come. I've read that you have to do something X number of days for it to become a habit, and I've changed a lot of them over the past two years. I believe just doing it kinda rewires your brain so it becomes the new normal. It gets easier.1
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Today will be my 3rd day with no alcohol. I drank NYE, of course, then hubs and I went to the bar to watch the Rose Bowl on the 1st and I had a few of my favorite beers there. I'm feeling really good and really energetic today.
One of the problems I have when I completely abstain from alcohol is that I get a little TOO energetic. I'll work out at 5 am and by the time I get to work at 7 I am just buzzing with energy and often have nothing to do for around an hour. I sometimes find myself trolling FB and getting myself in to trouble. I laugh about that but it really is an annoying issue. I just don't know how to better handle all the energy while at work. If I'm at home I can always find something to do. At work, I find myself getting a little embarrassed about particular interactions with co-workers because I get overly excited and carried away with a topic that otherwise I wouldn't even converse about.
Does anyone else have trouble with "too much" energy when abstaining from alcohol?1 -
I have not yet read the Naked Mind, although I intend to. But the idea that has been shared from it of focusing on what you are gaining instead of what you are giving up has been surprisingly helpful. Three days down with no alcohol and I honestly did not feel like I wanted to drink, but I do have to say that the days feel to be moving really slowly. Usually I am looking at the clock thinking "How did it get to be 11 o'clock already?" Instead, I am looking at the clock thinking, "Wait, it's only 9 o'clock?"
@kittybenn- I have been looking forward to my nightly cup of tea instead of my nightly glass(es) of wine!2 -
Just joined the app. I did dry January successfully in 2016...not so successfully in 2017...this year going to do dry January + and try to go as long as possible without drinking. I like to drink...a lot...but also find it has become a little numbing and distracting. I have rejoined the gym, do clean-keto eating and try to get healthy.
So far very inspired by everyone’s posts! Good luck all; I look forward to reading all of your progress and hoping to hang in there with you.4 -
eddie_fields wrote: »Just joined the app. I did dry January successfully in 2016...not so successfully in 2017...this year going to do dry January + and try to go as long as possible without drinking. I like to drink...a lot...but also find it has become a little numbing and distracting. I have rejoined the gym, do clean-keto eating and try to get healthy.
So far very inspired by everyone’s posts! Good luck all; I look forward to reading all of your progress and hoping to hang in there with you.
Welcome Eddie! I like to drink too. I love the taste, the glass, the numbing qualities, etc. I think we will need to rewire our brain. I'm in it for the 30 days and I hope beyond. Happy to hear from you. Good luck!3 -
1/2 = none
1/3 = none
For those that tend to have a drink not too long before bed - not to the point of buzzed or drunk - perhaps one or two.. Do you notice a much clearer mind when you wake up? Talking about a clearer mind. Again, not referring to a hangover - that's totally different.
I think one of the chief motivators for me is no hangover. But clear mind YES. I feel it too. Last time , I quit drinking for 21 days, I truly thought I saw colors more brighter and pictures clearer. It even affected my vision besides my mind. Good points you make.2 -
springsweet wrote: »Just curious, does anyone here have any experience with AA?
No experience with AA. The few people on this board who posted have said it has a strong religious overtone. That could be good or bad for you. No opinion here. I did look into meetings and they seem plentiful. Their website has lots of information. I may consider it in a month after dry January. Let us know if you do try.0 -
A previous poster on this board mentioned the app Dry January. I loaded it. It looks really good and it's free. Thanks for the person who mentioned it. I can't find her post.
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kimberlybruzzese wrote: »I failed already.
Day 1 - finished the open wine from NYE
Day 2 - No alcohol and felt really good about it
Day 3 - Stressful day - went out to dinner, had 2 drinks with hubby, came home and drank wine. UGH!
Day 4 - Mad at myself and disappointed. Going to try to start fresh again today. I joined a BC starting the week of the 15th and I know I will do great during that time.
I’ve done this so many times! It’s ok - you can start today fresh and use it to keep going4 -
JulieAL1969 wrote: »springsweet wrote: »Just curious, does anyone here have any experience with AA?
No experience with AA. The few people on this board who posted have said it has a strong religious overtone. That could be good or bad for you. No opinion here. I did look into meetings and they seem plentiful. Their website has lots of information. I may consider it in a month after dry January. Let us know if you do try.
Hi Julie- I did try it back in 2011. I was sober for 8 months. Then I decided it wasn't right for me. The religious aspect had a lot to do with the decision to leave. I also decided I wasn't a true alcoholic - whatever the f that means. I based that on the fact that I was repeatedly hearing people in the program say, "I can't have 1 drink because that one drink will kill me". Meaning one drink leads to another, then another, then more... til you're dead. And while I've had many nights when this is the case, sometimes I can have one or two drinks and stop. No problem. Anyway, I just decided I wanted to monitor my drinking instead of abstain completely. It works for many people though, and that's great for them!1 -
I did not succeed last night unfortunately. I made the conscious decision to buy a bottle of pinot on the way home from work. I was feeling super anxious and wanted to self-medicate.
BUT I've ordered that book nobody is talking about
it should be here Friday. I can't wait to read it. I read a bunch of the preview yesterday online, and the part that convinced me to buy it was where she mentions the cumulative pattern of your drinking over time. And I've thought about that before - in that I didn't have to have wine every night after work in my 20s... so why do I now? BAM. Answered that question.
Oh, and I also had 3 glasses last night, one more than I should have because I woke up with a headache. I hate that.
I think a hot tea is a good suggestion, and I'm going to stock up on these.4 -
MonkeyMel21 wrote: »Today will be my 3rd day with no alcohol. I drank NYE, of course, then hubs and I went to the bar to watch the Rose Bowl on the 1st and I had a few of my favorite beers there. I'm feeling really good and really energetic today.
One of the problems I have when I completely abstain from alcohol is that I get a little TOO energetic. I'll work out at 5 am and by the time I get to work at 7 I am just buzzing with energy and often have nothing to do for around an hour. I sometimes find myself trolling FB and getting myself in to trouble. I laugh about that but it really is an annoying issue. I just don't know how to better handle all the energy while at work. If I'm at home I can always find something to do. At work, I find myself getting a little embarrassed about particular interactions with co-workers because I get overly excited and carried away with a topic that otherwise I wouldn't even converse about.
Does anyone else have trouble with "too much" energy when abstaining from alcohol?
Yes, I'd been using wine in the evening to relax me, and it was an excuse also for avoiding activity. Whenever I leave it alone, it is hard to get to bed I get doing so many things --- but I want to stay lazy! I had a lightbulb moment yesterday, after first night of abstinence, that I had not felt like a nap earlier, and could just keep going. Then it hit me, that I had needed the naps (I am semi-retired) because I did not sleep well enough in the night without alcohol.
I think this will adjust to some sort of normalcy over time, but it may take a few weeks.3 -
What/where is the "Dry January" app?1
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I just stumbled into this thread and super glad that I did. A couple weeks before Christmas I decided that I really needed to cut back on the alcohol and eat actual food for calories. (Wow, that sounds really bad, doesn't it?) I love wine, and am also a huge vodka-tonic fan. I found that I would come home after a hard day at work, have a drink, then another, and before I knew it? Wham! Now I am limiting myself to one glass of wine after dinner on weeknights, and a mixed drink or two on the weekends.
What I am finding is that since getting back into the weight room 3-4 times a week and ensuring I have my cardio/steps in on the other days, I come home from work, go straight for the workout clothes, instead of the booze. When I am done, I am hungry and am no longer skimping on supper. After dinner I am already pretty relaxed, so that glass of wine is the icing on the cake, especially if enjoyed in a hot bubble bath. This is working for me. Right now.
I love that there is no judgment on this thread, and am slowly reading through all of the posts.
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