Less Alcohol- April 2018- One Day at a Time

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  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
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    JulieAL1969 wrote: »
    Hi Friends, I am enjoying peace and solitude this weekend. For the first time in years (or ever) i have the house to myself for two days. The kids and husband are gone. So, Last night I went to a happy hour and had a cosmo. It was pretty good, but not too satisfying. My cheeks flushed a little bit and after I drank it, I knew not to have another one. I was feeling relaxed. Had no ill effects but a slight headache this morning.

    Today, I went to a fair and shopped with my girlfriend and had a glass of wine. And then at dinner another wine. All normal and planned and short pours. I havent fallen off the wagon entirely although it may appear so. I decided this weekend, I would give myself a pass and if the inclination hits, I'd have a little alcohol. But I told myself not to open anything at home. Just be happy with the wine I had out to dinner.

    What has changed is that the desire to keep having more alcohol. I mean after the one cosmo, the old me would have, of course, ordered one more. And maybe a third. But I felt fine with just one.
    Today, the two short pours probably equaled a regular glass of wine. Again, no buzz but still enjoyed it.

    I still plan on continuing being AF overall but for these two days, I indulged. I'm eating sour bread toasted with butter and delicious jam for dinner! More indulgences!

    I will be mindful of the slide. I know that it can start this way by having alcohol two days in a row. And then maybe a third day. And then all that hard work will be wiped away. I wont let that happen.

    I also dont know why I am feeling that it's ok to let myself have alcohol today and yesterday. I better analyze that tomorrow. LOL
    Happy to see that many of you are doing very well AF.

    It all sounds mindful to me. Glad you are having fun. I like your new picture. ENJOY the solitude and lack of responsibility. :)
  • salleewins
    salleewins Posts: 2,308 Member
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    JenT304 wrote: »
    Hey everyone! At my daughter's baby shower today, Granny (me) had a couple of weak mimosas but that was it. The former, less mindful me, would immediately think to buy more wine/spirits on the way home after the party. I didn't even want any so that is a big win for me. I know I will sleep soundly tonight and wake up happy tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

    Sounds good! You look way young to be a "Granny". Glad it was all fun. :smile:
  • erikNJ
    erikNJ Posts: 1,009 Member
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    kittybenn wrote: »
    A friend brought this to my attention today. Really good read. 'Binge drinking has become completely normalized': Has boozy mom culture gone too far?
    “Mommy’s wine has become a pop culture trend, a marketer’s dream and a hashtag,” said Dr. Crystal Tennille Clark, a psychiatrist and assistant professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine who specializes in women’s health. “I do think we’re losing sight of what a problem (drinking) could be. Many people, whether they’re men or women, don’t appreciate the risks of drinking.”

    Very interesting. I think of this a lot. Whenever I’m on social media I always notice the normalizing or romanticizing of heavy drinking.

    And working for a beer wholesaler I get to see all the marketing firsthand. It’s basically like sexism, racism, classism and ageism are accepted in this business. We have meetings almost weekly with our brewery partners where they pitch products as “we want to capture the female drinker, the millenial drinker, the hispanic drinker etc etc etc.”
    Really a thinker
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
    edited April 2018
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    Good morning all! There is this strange, rarely seen, bright , yellow thing in the sky here in Ohio! I think today will be a great day to get lots of exercise and go out to lunch. Hope your weekend has been moderate and active.
    @erikNJ Great points! In advertising, there definitely has to be marketing oriented to specific niches. You see the behind the scenes in your business. Thanks for sharing.
    @salleewins Thanks for your support always. Hope your weekend is happy.
    @JenT304 What a beautiful day to share with the ones you love! A new precious baby on the way for you. Life is good. Xo
    @Orphia Congrats on 82 days AF. YEs, it's funny how the mind thinks about when will be the moment I drink again or maybe you wont. I looked at my dry January app today, and saw this gradual progress of alcohol seeping back into my world. January and February - 0 days ; March. 2 days; April. 4 days. So, when or if you decide to drink, I'm sure that it will be manageable because you have proven you can abstain for several months.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    @sdogg626 You are doing very well! Such an improvement over the past. How did the workouts go? I was thinking of you! Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    islandbeez wrote: »
    JenT304 wrote: »
    I know it was already addressed in here somewhere over the past few months but could someone explain what Annie Graces' 30 day challenge is? Do you pay for it? Is it something available on line? Thank you - Jen

    https://www.alcoholexperiment.com/

    Have you seen that Annie Grace had a few live sessions going on last week? I love reading her emails. I will look into the challenge!
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    @WinoGelato I can't drink unstructured but I recognize that debate. I was having it about this weekend but my wife settled it. We have a nice day planned and it will end with drinks outside. It is my allowance day so the drinking brain kicks in pretty early with all the excuses if I consider skipping. This time it was unnecessary. She doesn't drink very often and she never overdoes it. I am glad because I am not sure how strong I would be in @JulieAL1969 's and @sdogg626 's situation.

    Was it just shear force of will that helps you moderate when you drink? I haven't mastered that part yet. Last time I told myself I was cutting back and was shocked to see that by rote I drank the same amount. The drinking brain and the OCD brain conspired against me and the OCD part is a sneaky devil.

    One of the things, I found with myself was that after abstaining for a big chunk of time (I did for 2.5 months) , you get empowered because you put in the painful work of getting through cravings. Maybe try a 21 day detox and see if that will help you master moderation. Wishing you success always. Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    sarahbums wrote: »
    i've made it through the whole week alcohol-free! It wasn't even on purpose really, I just didn't feel like drinking at all. Not even my once weekly bottle of wine.

    i'm starting to realize that a good amount of my drinking these days has just been out of pure habit, rather than genuine desire or cravings. I've just been automatically grabbing that wine every week without stopping to consider whether or not i actually want it...

    Great week, Sarah!
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    kpsyche wrote: »
    Polo265 wrote: »
    Just checking in. Today is my 100th day alcohol free. I still haven't gotten control of my food situation. Where I used alcohol to help me sleep, I now eat sugar and carbs before bed. It isn't as though I'm even hungry. Last night I even got up after midnight to eat. So, now, I really have to buckle down and get a grip. Congratulations to everyone for all those awesome alcohol free days.

    You're not alone... I do the exact same thing since I stopped drinking. I'm not hungry either; it's almost as if I just have to do something to keep my hands and mouth busy :/

    And yeah, well done again everyone

    Awesome job kicking alcohol! One thing at a time. Now, you can work on your sugar cravings. I saw a cute quote recently, "Everything in moderation including moderation. "
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    donimfp wrote: »
    I'm having such a struggle, but I'm determined to get back to AF. It's just best for me. The trip to Italy followed by the job loss have done a number on me (or more accurately, given me an excuse to do a number on myself). I had the idea to go back and read some of our January thread. I have each month bookmarked so could get back to it easily. It was fun to see all of us back in January, just starting out. I didn't read far enough to get to your day 10, @JulieAL1969, but I could see that bracelet coming. I read my own posts and remembered how good January Me felt. Woke up early this morning and came to my computer to write myself a note, reminding myself of all the reasons I want to do this.

    Have a great day, friends.

    Good morning! How are the job prospects going? I should love to go back to our January thread. We were very determined. I wonderful how people keep up that determination. Must be a deliberate, daily attempt. I think I need to start putting little notes on my mirror (writing some mantras) to keep my brain focused on health and happiness. Your January Me is still in side you. You have the added temptations of all of your trips. Just keep going. You're doing better than you think! Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    kittybenn wrote: »
    A friend brought this to my attention today. Really good read. 'Binge drinking has become completely normalized': Has boozy mom culture gone too far?
    “Mommy’s wine has become a pop culture trend, a marketer’s dream and a hashtag,” said Dr. Crystal Tennille Clark, a psychiatrist and assistant professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine who specializes in women’s health. “I do think we’re losing sight of what a problem (drinking) could be. Many people, whether they’re men or women, don’t appreciate the risks of drinking.”

    Sitting at Friday night's happy hour was another reminder of how automatic the idea of happy hour is in our culture. The bar was jam packed; it was a Friday evening. People were drinking martinis and cocktails and chatting... I can see how that is a stress release in a way. I think I better stay away from happy hours. It felt kind of good to be there again and have that cosmo. I think when the weather breaks, I'll try to incorporate some exercise on Friday evenings. Xo
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    gregariousdavid wrote: »
    Great to be here. No alcohol since 4/2014. Working on many other aspects and glad to be part of this tribe!

    Ahhh so happy you are here with us and for us. Xo
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
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    @erikNJ - Wow, this business about capturing the "female drinker, the millenial drinker, the hispanic drinker etc etc etc.” is really pretty appalling. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. In so many ways, we let ourselves be led by marketing and a culture that's fixated on consumerism. They're not just selling us booze, but so many other things that wreck our finances and our peace of mind. Sorry, don't mean to be preachy, but getting finances in order is one of my obsessions, so I have strong opinions on it.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
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    @JulieAL1969 - Who doesn't love happy hours, right? I don't think I'm strong enough yet to resist the booze myself. I guess if I could go to one with a really set plan and then stick to it I'd be good, but not sure I can. Boy, does the idea of a cosmo sound fabulous.

    Have made it through Fri and Sat without any wine. Not planning any tonight either. Really haven't missed it at all this weekend. I did find a use for that enormous 22 oz wine glass I keep mentioning -- last night I filled it up with a little bit of grapefruit juice and a lot of seltzer and we watched a movie. Was that a @WinoGelato idea? Can't remember, but I loved it. So thanks.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    @kittybenn That glass is legend in my mind. Giggle!
    I thought you were going to say you put a plant in it! Grapefruit juice and seltzer sounds refreshing. I just had lemon in my water. Xo Have a wonderful day!
  • erikNJ
    erikNJ Posts: 1,009 Member
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    kittybenn wrote: »
    @erikNJ - Wow, this business about capturing the "female drinker, the millenial drinker, the hispanic drinker etc etc etc.” is really pretty appalling. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. In so many ways, we let ourselves be led by marketing and a culture that's fixated on consumerism. They're not just selling us booze, but so many other things that wreck our finances and our peace of mind. Sorry, don't mean to be preachy, but getting finances in order is one of my obsessions, so I have strong opinions on it.

    No apologies necesary. I am the same way with finances as well!
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,170 Member
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    HI everyone! Let us know how your weekend went!
    Regarding tea, I recently found Tea Forte tea. It comes in a beautiful pyramid shape tea bag and a little wire leaf stem. It's a pleasure to use. It's sold on Amazon for $30 bucks! But I found the same exact box of tea for $15 at TJ Maxx. Hope your week is healthy and happy!


    For those who have a Monday morning hangover, here's some tough love from the Stop Drinking Expert.
    https://youtu.be/rU4bz_HnDRI

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