Less alcohol- January 2018- one day at a time
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@AlistairBernardNormal Chalk it up to a good effort/self awareness.
Try that app Dry January; I like seeing the calendar marks of a successful day add up.
Ouch- when mom used to say she was disappointed that really stung.
Today's calendar quote on my desk at work says " and on the ninth day.... God created coffee and said... you're going to need this..." Coffee is my go to treat these days! I am also seeing my weight go down since I'm 9 days alcohol free. Great incentive to keep going.
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@JulieAL1969-I know what you mean about not wanting to break "the streak". Once you put the effort in to get past the first obstacle, you don't want to fail or the effort feel wasted.1
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1/1-NADA
1/2-NADA
1/3-NADA
1/4-NADA
1/5-12 oz wine
1/6-5 oz wine
1/7-12 oz wine
1/8 NADA
I am going back to the daily tracking because I feel like it helps with the accountability. I plan to have one glass of wine with my dinner tonight. I was thinking about my relationship with alcohol this morning, as I have mentioned a few times that I am not sure I want to give it up entirely. I was trying to determine what exactly it is that I do not want to give up. And I honestly think that it's just how much I enjoy having a drink (usually wine, but occasionally something else) with my meal. I enjoy cooking and eating good things and wine has always been a part of that. I think that recently I have allowed myself to drink more than I should, or more than I even want to, possibly out of boredom and just falling into a routine. My efforts have been mostly focused on moderation and I am going to keep moving forward with that as I have had a great deal of success. Those days that I do go overboard make me very angry with myself and my key goal is to eliminate them.8 -
So glad to see all the success in this thread! I haven't been here since last Friday, which coincidentally, was my first fully sober day.
Yesterday was as well. I feel like having stuff to do when I get home from work helps me not think about having wine! I haven't weighed myself in a few days so I don't know if that's been affected. I did start The Naked Mind... It's good so far. It's definitely not "light" reading, and I may need to read it twice. We'll see.
Hope everyone has a great day!4 -
Oh, and the thing I appreciate most about skipping wine for a day is the sleep I get - heavenly! And I wake up feeling great! I love that.4
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I am attempting the no drinking Sun-Thursday rule and keeping Friday and Saturday to 2 drinks. Sparkling water or Kombucha is a good substitute during the week, I even put it in a wine glass or martini glass sometimes.3
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A couple of you mentioned boredom and I think it’s so true. I drink out of sheer boredom when I get home from work.....Pour a glass of wine, sit on my butt and surf the computer or watch TV. I think I need to find tasks/activities to stay busy -at least for the 6 minute wave that the cravings last for!!. As the saying goes.....Idle minds do devil’s work!3
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A sad "bonus" today. This morning at 7 my daughter called. She lives a 4-hour drive away. Her best friend's husband is on life support and probably coming off in the next 2 days (30-year-old with kids 4 and 2--cancer). She asked if I could possibly come up this weekend to be with her kids while she goes through this with her friend. I was able to quickly reschedule a Dallas meeting for tomorrow (my daughter lives in Ft. Worth) so that I can be nearby and ready to pitch in Thursday through Sunday. While all of this is terribly sad, I was grateful that at 7 a.m. I was clear headed and able to go into "think through all the logistics" mode. And another thing is that I'm not thinking, "What will I do about drinking those 5 days I am away from home and in various hotels and homes? Should I pack wine? Vodka?" I realized that removing alcohol from the equation of my days and life is a real plus. I will definitely be checking this thread for support while traveling!15
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Had a chance today to listen to an hour conversation on NPR today about drinking and what is considered norm versus too much. Quite interesting.1
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Enjoying a little wine tonight. Only a little.2
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Man! I have a lot of posts to catch up on! I love how busy this thread is getting. I'm still going strong (day 89) and I just feel like I'm living life normally now.
I'm so proud of all of you! Whether your goal is to cut back or to abstain, it isn't always easy. Don't give up. If it is important to you just don't give up.9 -
I'm doing the no Alcohol for January and I'm thinking about stopping until I lose my last 17 lbs. Thanks for sharing your story. 3
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I think I started posting in here in the beginning and then accidentally joined another challenge thread because I didn't bookmark this one! Anyway, I'm on day 9 and am feeling like it's starting to pay off!! Last night i did sleep really, really well. I woke up feeling rested after 6.5 hours and am still going strong at 2:30 in the afternoon. No energy slump. I think I actually got a really good deep sleep! And my skin definitely looks fresher and cleaner.
Power on everyone! All of your posts are inspiring and motivating!
Here are a few articles that can renew your motivation if it's flagging.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4082714/We-proof-Dry-January-really-worth-doing-5-drinkers-gave-alcohol-month-reveal-astonishing-results.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3434488/How-giving-booze-just-one-month-banished-wine-critic-s-wrinkles.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3650820/What-REALLY-happens-body-stop-drinking-alcohol-ll-make-want-cancel-trip-bar.html5 -
I've been drinking but MUCH less. Somehow I've been managing to stick to 2 glasses of wine each night, mostly because my eating has been on track and I refuse to go over my calorie allotment! It's been an insanely stressful and upsetting week though, so I'm trying to be easy on myself and just be happy that I've managed not to binge-eat or binge-drink.10
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Hubs is cooking and drinking beer and feeling good and I’m tempted but I also just plain feel good right now and don’t even need anything else.7
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For sure trying to cut back on drinking. I'm trying to take away drinking on week days.
I use to drink a lot and everyday. Tired of poor decisions and being hungover at work
So far all last week I have kept drinking to the weekend and this week even though it is only Tuesday I don't see drinking in my future till Friday.7 -
My book came in the mail today!!!8 -
I’m in! So happy to see this challenge. It has been a huge issue for me. I love my glass of wine and have a hard time not indulging, especially on the weekends. I have gained some weight over the holidays and I know it’s mostly due to the booze. They slow down my metabolism and of course pack on calories to my day. I am aiming for wine only on fridays or Saturday’s. These posts will be helpful. So great reading you all. Makes me feel less alone.6
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I used to get real sleepy in the afternoons at work and at home over weekends. But not for a couple weeks now since I quit. I believe that this was being caused by a drop in testosterone....alcohol kills testosterone....now I have more energy and wanna bang all the hot chicks3
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Lol @ bang all the hot chicks.
Day 8 done!! And I got new running shoes and signed up for fitness blender! I’m loving 2018!4 -
Day 9 is almost done. It's getting easier, I must say. I have been keeping busy. Tonight, I worked out at 8:00 p.m. Because I was bored. I made some more tea. Can't wait to receive my Pukka tea soon. I just feel good overall. Feel like my face looks better, skin clearer, slept deeply for the first time last night. Been reading the Annie Grace book, as well as, Drinking: A Love Story.
I dont miss the headaches or nausea, but I sometimes miss the escape the wine gave me. Tonight, I'll make a list of all the ways I feel better today than I did on day 1. Love checking this thread. You inspire and motivate me. Wishing you success if it's your first, second or ninth day... One minute at a time:)14 -
*Sorry double post2
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My fear at work happened this morning - but i handled it better than i used to.
There were 8 beers to sample and its usually a 3-4oz pour. So almost 3 beers when i think about it.
I can’t say i was perfect - i had two 1oz pours - but im proud i didn’t have the usual 30+ ounces
Sometimes you have do what you have to do. But you made great choices at lunch:)3 -
An update on my day. I went to lunch with a bunch of guys at work, to a bar no less... and i had a water and a salad! And went to the gym as soon as i got home!11
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This is day 8 for me, and with no drinking, I have not eaten the snacks I used to have with wine. Nonetheless, I've had a cold and been quite inactive, and had a disappointing weigh-in. My husband says it is the week before that is reflected in the weigh in, so I'll keep on logging! Hope to incorporate more activity soon.
I am really thrilled to be looking at life a little differently now, with no wine. I require a lot less food. I guess I never really liked the feeling of being too under the influence and would always eat more, figuring it would stabilize me. Now that it's not necessary to do that, I hope to be more well-balanced.8 -
Tonight was a good night. Because I had sparkling cranberry juice in my glass instead of wine, I managed to stay awake for the first time to watch a full episode of This Is Us and loved every minute of it!8
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Day 8 in the books. I thought I was going to really feel deprived this month but instead I’m enjoying it. I think when the end of January comes it’s going to be somewhat of a struggle to decide whether to keep going. Either way, finding replacements I like for wine has been great. I like the Tumeric Ginger tea from Traders and I also bought a Pukka tea - Manuka honey, vanilla chamomile. It’s great!5
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I finished my granddaughter's sweater coat tonight. Didn't start drinking until then. Went to get another beer, knowing I'm about to go over...and it didn't put me over! Win!4
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Into day 9 here. A great result on the scales 4lb lost to 149lb. I didn’t set out to be totally dry, however, it’s giving such a benefit to my marathon training I will keep going. It’s changing my view on when/how I will drink in future. I’ve combined the training with being v good on calories, so the weight drop isn’t alcohol alone, but a combination.8
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