Less Alcohol- May 2018- One Day at a Time
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I had a glass of wine yesterday on what was supposed to be Day 14 AF. We were at Book of Mormon. That’s my only excuse. Wine was good BUT. I was miserable last night wanting more. Seriously? When will I convince myself that moderation doesn’t work for me? I’m off to a job interview in 30 minutes. Thankful I didn’t indulge past that one glass. Day 1 today.
PS. “Woo” is bad? I never knew what it was.
No worries! I 'm happy you had just one. After 14 days of none. Great success!
I feel like you. I'm starting fresh today and thought it's going to be a long month without alcohol. I did enjoy it this weekend, but today woke up after a great night sleep so fresh. It is worth the battle to abstain the mornings are so much better. Good luck at your interview!4 -
Starting fresh today. Weather has been sooo good and hubby perfected a margarita using fresh juice from grapefruits we picked off our friends trees, soooo back to dry Monday
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Thanks for the good wishes. It seems the job is mine if I want it, and I do. About 4 crazy “coincidences” were involved in my learning about and then getting this position. I’ll be teaching in a prison, and that is something I’m very excited about. I won’t start till August so will have a relaxing June and July.
@Alzzi76, I like your attitude toward “woo-ers.” Just assume they mean it as a compliment. I once heard that the best response to an insult is “Oh, thank you!” Not many insulters would be brazen enough to try to clarify their nasty intent after that.5 -
Weekend was a mixed bag. Saturday was great. Had the two cocktails I planned to have. Yesterday . . . did not go as planned. Spent some time today trying to figure out what went wrong and what I can do differently to avoid a repeat. I guess my insights fall into relatively surface-level stuff (I seem to really struggle to moderate when I mix fruit juice and liquor) and more profoundish stuff (I drink when I do things I really enjoy because I fall into this "magical thinking" trap that I can somehow capture or prolong the experience with alcohol and that is why Sunday afternoons and evenings can be so tricky for me and it's something that I'm going to have to figure out an approach for now that it's approaching summer, my favorite season).
Just not feeling the greatest today. Physically, of course, I feel pretty awful (I didn't just exceed my two drink limit, I pretty blew up the entire concept). And just like, ugh, this isn't something that should be hard.5 -
I had a hard time this weekend, but toughed it out!! Such beautiful weather, I felt like being outdoors, BBQing and having a few, it was SO hard!!! I stayed active, pushed the limits with the calorie intake, but all in all it was an OK weekend. I miss my booze!
My challenge is to hang in there at least until May 16th (I've only had 1 evening of drinks since April 2nd)...and about to embark on back to back business trips where it's almost expected that I drink.
Does anyone else feel EXHAUSTED? I can't stay awake, last night I was nodding off at 7PM?!?!
Whatever you've committed to, hang in there! No judgement - I'm proud of you all for being here!
Hugs
Rosie
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So nothing this weekend went the way I wanted it to and I don't think talking about it yet is good. I have to learn to treat it the way I treat food and not be angry.6
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So nothing this weekend went the way I wanted it to and I don't think talking about it yet is good. I have to learn to treat it the way I treat food and not be angry.
Oh, I hear this. I had this same thought this morning. I don't get angry or resentful when I make certain food choices to hit a calorie goal. I don't eat a piece of pie and then polish off the rest telling myself "Well, I already blew my calorie goal . . . . I might as well." Alcohol (for me) involves all these faulty rationales and messy emotions that I no longer have with food.3 -
I had one more drink than I was suppose to on my AF days and one less drink on my moderating days, so I guess the week was a pretty good one.
However I had some self realization on Friday. I brought home some wings and fries for dinner. My husband and I stood in the kitchen and devoured the fries with our cocktail. While doing so I literally sucked down my glass of wine like it was water. I couldn't believe it! I was not thirsty as I had already drank 7 glasses of water for the day. So not only am I a wine sucker but a french fry muncher as well!! I will have to remember that the two shall not mix. I wanted to immediately pour another one, but I filled my wine glass with ice water instead and drank it first. I did pour another, but I was able to sip that one and then have dinner. (There were no fried to go with our wings. oops)
I guess I'm just happy that I was able to control it with one. Whenever I think about breaking, I think about you all, and it helps to keep me on track.
(In the beginning I use to get upset with a woo, but now I don't give them a care. I'm me and that's all I can be. If you woohoo me in a positive way then I will woohoo you right back, because I'm that kind of a girl! :-) I believe most people are good.)
Happy Monday!5 -
@Auntieodie, Yes to exhaustion! I’ve been reading that it’s common for up to a month or so but eventually goes away. I’m waiting for that.2
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janejellyroll wrote: »So nothing this weekend went the way I wanted it to and I don't think talking about it yet is good. I have to learn to treat it the way I treat food and not be angry.
Oh, I hear this. I had this same thought this morning. I don't get angry or resentful when I make certain food choices to hit a calorie goal. I don't eat a piece of pie and then polish off the rest telling myself "Well, I already blew my calorie goal . . . . I might as well." Alcohol (for me) involves all these faulty rationales and messy emotions that I no longer have with food.
So much this! I've been in this group since January, and after about the first week or two something clicked for me and I just started treating my plans to moderate and restrict my alcohol intake the same way I do my food intake. Track it, accept that sometimes bad days are going to happen, and move on.
Ever since I started looking at it the same way I look at food, the mindful moderation thing has really worked out well for me. I'm the kind of person who really thrives on a plan, but can accept that sometimes plans don't fall into place, and understanding how to mitigate damage really helps keep things under control.6 -
Maybe take B vitamins--that helped me to finally not feel exhausted after a few months. I also had to take some iron. Since alcohol messes especially with B12 and Folic Acid and you need the B12 for iron processing, that is what I did.
Plus you will sleep better once your body feels better after not drinking.
Who knows how long it takes to repair organ damage......and I am sure it is done during sleep probably.
Hang in there. The rewards are worth it.
If you are having to eat sugar at times to compensate, that will affect your energy, too.
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I think i told this story before but i thought about it today. I told my chiropractor a few months ago that I quit drinking. He said when he first got married, his wife liked to drink wine. He said he made a family rule with her that they will have no alcohol in their house, but if she wanted some wine he would take her out to have a drink. He said over the years, she actually didn't drink even when they went out.
The old me before January would have thought, he's a killjoy and she has a right to have wine in their house.
The new me thought that he was wise. If someone has the propensity to drink, just having it in the house makes it way too easy. You drink a little more each day , each week, and then each year , we know drinking typical escalates as we grow older.
It's like having your favorite snack food in your cupboard. If it's there, you're just so tempted to eat it.
Same with alcohol for me. I haven't bought any wine or vodka for the home since January 1st. Saved a lot of money.5 -
JulieAL1969 wrote: »I think i told this story before but i thought about it today. I told my chiropractor a few months ago that I quit drinking. He said when he first got married, his wife liked to drink wine. He said he made a family rule with her that they will have no alcohol in their house, but if she wanted some wine he would take her out to have a drink. He said over the years, she actually didn't drink even when they went out.
The old me before January would have thought, he's a killjoy and she has a right to have wine in their house.
The new me thought that he was wise. If someone has the propensity to drink, just having it in the house makes it way too easy. You drink a little more each day , each week, and then each year , we know drinking typical escalates as we grow older.
It's like having your favorite snack food in your cupboard. If it's there, you're just so tempted to eat it.
Same with alcohol for me. I haven't bought any wine or vodka for the home since January 1st. Saved a lot of money.
Yep!!.. i really like that!!.. if i was 'boss'
i rekcon id change it to be like that.. anything unhealthy to not have it on hand but have it only on outing / specisl occasions. I say that's a jolly good idea. 
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Today being day 2 AF .. it is 12.10 pm and again.. not even a sniff.. 'chalk it up!'.. lol
It does get tricky at the end of the day.. so.. ill hold my breath..
Thanks for your support.. bbf's
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JulieAL1969 wrote: »Same with alcohol for me. I haven't bought any wine or vodka for the home since January 1st. Saved a lot of money.
This is so true - if I have wine in the house that is under a 15$ bottle I’ll drink it. I have some more expensive wine that I’m not as tempted to drink. I was going to Trader Joe’s yesterday and almost picked up some canned wine for the beach, but then thought about how it would be in the house this week when I’m trying to be alcohol free and I would probably come up w an excuse to drink it.
My husband is out of town and today was a long day, work, volunteering in the classroom, cleaning the house ended by a three hour baseball game for my son. I so wanted that “reward” of the glass of wine after the kids were in bed but I’m doing ok with water and happy I stuck it out!
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End of AF day2.. still not a sniff.. lol3
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Day 13 of alcohol experiment hit too close to home. Talks about drinking to deal with parenting. I am listening to it at work and feel like crying. Needed to hear it though.7
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trishfit2014 wrote: »I am day 11 AF. I have been dealing with boredom. TV seems boring without drinking and honestly, I do not know what to do with myself. This week my kids will be with their dad so I will have plenty of time to get bored. Trying to come up with things to do so I do not get too bored. Alcohol Experiment talked about willpower and boredom. I am doing okay on the willpower just bored. I am avoiding going out with friends as that always seems to involve alcohol. Will try working out post work.
I have the same issue with boredom. I knit or crochet while I watch tv, it slows my drinking way down. Of course, I can't drink when I'm working on a complicated project, so I start drinking later.3 -
trishfit2014 wrote: »Day 13 of alcohol experiment hit too close to home. Talks about drinking to deal with parenting. I am listening to it at work and feel like crying. Needed to hear it though.
I haven’t heard what she has to say but the whole “wine mom” and “wine o clock” memes and bloggers and ads etc are so much about how We need and deserve wine to handle parenting. But I find it has the opposite effect. I’m less engaged, less likely to read or play a game, even if I just have one glass. Plus, there are so many healthier ways to “reward” ourselves!!5 -
Hi guys and gals! I’m back and in for May! Just a tad late to the party! I did go two weeks in April AF and then bit the dust. Aiming for the rest of May AF minus this weekend. Happy Tuesday!4
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Pretty miserable day and my wife came home and jokingly said “wanna just drink instead of going to the gym”. I don’t think she knew what kind of day I had and how that was tempting. But I didn’t get triggered. Aside from vacation I think I haven’t drank on a weekday since February. So we hit the gym and came home to a healthy dinner.7
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Question on the “Woo” topic? I never knew that was negative. Isn’t the whole point of the MFP message boards to be a source of inspiration and support? Why would they even include a negative button for someone to hit?5
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I always thought woo meant "that's funny".
Nothing new here; Day 2 AF. It seems like Day 10 is a long time away.
I must say now that the weather is so nice here. All my old habits from last spring were triggered. Like coming home and making a margarita or pouring white wine and sitting on the deck to unwind. I think for awhile, each season will bring new triggers and yearnings. Until we make it a full year with this new AF/moderation thing, it may be tougher on certain days to break previous habits.
Still, I made a hot cup of tea, went for a long walk and voted in the primary elections.
I made an appointment to go to a therapist next week; she specialized in addiction. I think one of the best things about this thread is we all have somewhere safe to share our thoughts. Thanks to everyone for being so honest. Xo
@SanDiegofitmom You're spot on with the wine. I also have expensive bottles downstairs but never feel tempted to break those open. Weird mind games, huh?
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I woo'd you Erik, because I too thought it was positive like"woo hoo!" 6
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Yeah I just realized the face is like .....blank. What the heck? Anyway I always say "woo hoo!" to my kids when something is good so I definitely do not understand this nonsense here.5
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Just want to tell u guys.. day 3 AF.. and i am NOT going to have a spiked coffee!!... and NO changing my mind.. (*struggling*) but going to b strong now!! 6
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