Less Alcohol - January 2019 - One Day at a Time
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Congrats to everyone! Day 8 AF here. I almost caved last night though... Found myself in the kitchen, trying to make dinner, the dog was losing his mind, I started boiling some pasta but noticed what I think were little black bugs in it (two open boxes of fettuccine, I guess it's possible) so I threw it in the sink which (temporarily) broke the disposal, husband was being pissy, had no other ideas for dinner... All I could think of was opening a beer (because there is no wine in the house ) but instead, I took a deep breath and just soldiered on. GLad I did.13
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@BuffMom84 - that cravings business comes from Alcohol Change UK. I use their app and get a daily email from them. Here's a link if you want to read more. And, yep, I get the buying alcohol in bulk business. I love Total Wine and always get a big discount when I buy X number of bottles. Alcohol Change (again!) recommends getting it all out of the house. I've got a few bottles sitting around still, but keep taking them to friends' houses whenever I can!2
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Thanks, Miss May, for the "Stumble post". Not only did I stumble, but figuratively landed face first in the gravel.
After returning to alcohol after 200 days AF, I was doing pretty well, sticking to 2 or 3 three ounce glasses daily. Then I listened to the sushi...it was only 400 calories, leaving plenty of room in my diet plan for an extra bit of white wine. The "extra bit" left me looking at a missing 3/4 of a 1.5 liter bottle. Must have been me that consumed it, since Cat hates the smell of wine...
Sigh, get up, dust off, and shamble on....
Bravo to all those who continue to pursue their goals despite enablers, in-laws, job issues, and also the *kitten* sushi.
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Day 5 done and done here. Thursday can be a bit tricky here due to the nearly-the-weekend vibes but he’s being very supportive! Tomorrow will be the real test though
Also had a killer headache all day yesterday and after seeing an earlier post from someone about whether anyone had noticed it as a symptom i wonder if it was related to being AF for a few days... I hadn’t connected it but makes sense.
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forestdweller1 wrote: »Thanks, Miss May, for the "Stumble post". Not only did I stumble, but figuratively landed face first in the gravel.
After returning to alcohol after 200 days AF, I was doing pretty well, sticking to 2 or 3 three ounce glasses daily. Then I listened to the sushi...it was only 400 calories, leaving plenty of room in my diet plan for an extra bit of white wine. The "extra bit" left me looking at a missing 3/4 of a 1.5 liter bottle. Must have been me that consumed it, since Cat hates the smell of wine...
Sigh, get up, dust off, and shamble on....
Bravo to all those who continue to pursue their goals despite enablers, in-laws, job issues, and also the *kitten* sushi.
👍 You got this!
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Day 10 AF! I had some iced tea while making dinner instead of my normal alcoholic beverage(s). I was craving a drink for a bit but it went away! I haven’t had and events or anything to tempt me yet but we’re having a work party next week and the boss usually pays for food and as many drinks as we want and that’s going to be tough. I commited myself to no alcohol till I get to my goal weight but I can’t stop thinking “it’s just one night”. I don’t want to cave, I’m just going to stay positive about it!6
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For those who may be frustrated, know that the craving of alcohol actually ends! I can’t believe it’s day 4 and I am finally not craving my nightly glass or two of wine! Oh, and my weight keeps dropping. Double happy dance!
So proud of everyone on this thread, not only for recognizing patterns of stress or habit drinking , but for encouraging others, letting them vent, and not being indignant that they had a drink.5 -
7/10 days AF. Today was pretty easy to say no. Nice to have those kind of days sprinkled in with the harder ones.9
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I’ve been reading this and not posting so wanted to say hi!
My goal is to have a drink only once every 7 days. So far I am AF 9/10 days for January so right on track!
I have noticed that food tracking is helping me. When I only have 150 calories to spare for a day I’d way rather eat something than just drink something!
Also 10 days in I have noticed a huge change in the quality of my sleep. I never had a problem falling asleep but I am waking up way more rested. I get up at 5am on work days and am not bone tired at night like normal which has been amazing!10 -
Finding I have much more motivation now that I’m not planning a Sri k after stressful work days!4
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Start of day 11 here 😊 This is also.the start of the weekend which could bring problems since it's going to be a crummy weekend weather wise and when that happens we usually Netflix and have a few. Luckily my kids have basketball today and tomorrow so I have at least have activity that doesn t involve drinking so maybe once the night hits I won't want it. Fingers crossed to surviving weekend #2! Best of luck to you all!
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January accountability ~10 day so far
Me (no alcohol): 7 days
Alcohol: 3 days
Last 3 nights I skipped the beer and bourbon & did not join DH in drinking. Patting myself on the back for the resolve to stick to 4 nights AF this week M-Th. Planning for wine with dinner Fri & Sat but I'm feeling so much more in control these days with this resolve.5 -
Morning all.
@springsweet that does not sound like a fun evening at all. Applause to you for your streangth in passing up the beer.
@kittybenn when I had excess of summer squash from my garden I would just leave them in friends cars or on their door step. You dispersing the wine bottles to friends reminded me of that. Lol.
@cupotea woot-woot on day 5 done. Love the tracking calander you put up. Hope Thurs and Friday are kind to you.
Welcome and thanks for posting @gridirongrrl. Glad to hear you are already seeing so many benefits from cutting back and that it is an easy ride so far.
@lilylady3k here is another "pat pat" on your back. Nice plan strategy for Friday night.
@cathipa and @MonkeyMel21 try not to think so much about the up coming bad weather or the work party. Some times the over worrying is the trigger that sets you up for the fall and disappointment. Stay strong.
😁😁 for @winodini and @anglilacs or your successes.
@Womona congrats on day 4 and for being a great cheer leader in here already in here.
A personal victory for me. I looked back to my Jan. 2018 health calender. This time last year I had already caved and had 6 drinks on three days. It is important for me to keep this sort of information available to read and know I am moving forward.
Wishing everyone a "less" successful day.
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Start of day 11 here 😊 This is also.the start of the weekend which could bring problems since it's going to be a crummy weekend weather wise and when that happens we usually Netflix and have a few. Luckily my kids have basketball today and tomorrow so I have at least have activity that doesn t involve drinking so maybe once the night hits I won't want it. Fingers crossed to surviving weekend #2! Best of luck to you all!
I have been been af since January, and have only had a few times when I wanted a glass of wine and didn’t have one. But... I am worried about this weekend, too! I live in Virginia, and snow is coming! I’m going to have to take it day by day for drinking AND snacking.
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Hey gang, just checking in!
I've gone 10 days AF, the longest I've gone since November 2017. I feel pretty good overall - sleeping much better, I'm in a much better mood generally and I'm not irritable or anxious. This week has been nuts at work and I think not drinking is what got me though it. That said, a nice drink (or three) would have been great after work today (one more long day to get through) but instead of using alcohol as a reward, I will have a different treat tonight (maybe some Crispy Minis) and think of waking up feeling fresh tomorrow as a reward as well.
Tomorrow night, hubby and I are going to dinner and a concert. I haven't been to a concert sober in...yikes, maybe ever? So I'm looking forward to that!
I continue to be super grateful for this new non-alcoholic beer I've discovered. I never thought AF drinks would help much but in this case it's getting me through. And proving that I really DO like the taste of craft beer, not just the buzz
Cheers to a happy, healthy, AF or alcohol-reduced weekend!10 -
I went all week without having a drink! Thursday nights had been tough for me lately because I guess I feel like I deserved a drink after a long week of not drinking (which would always turn into 5 or 6). But then I'd drink Friday nights and sometimes Saturday nights too, and I'd be lazy and not do anything all day on Saturday and Sunday.
It wasn't even difficult to not drink last night. I spent time with the kids, played my guitar and cleaned the house as usual. Hoping I can keep this up every week! Tonight I plan on having 3 or 4 beers. Hope I can stick to it but if I don't, I can't go too much over that because I don't have a lot of beer in the house anyway.6 -
@cupotea, what app is that?1
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Day 11 AF! I am in the same boat as those of you mentioning bad weather this weekend. We're expecting snow tonight and normally for me that would mean a glass (or 3!) of wine in front of the fireplace. Sparkling water will have to do, although that won't keep my insides nice and warm. I wish I could tolerate warm teas like some of you do, but I just don't like them.1
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7/10 days AF. Today was pretty easy to say no. Nice to have those kind of days sprinkled in with the harder ones.
I am 7/10 as well and I definitely appreciate the easy days too. My husband was out on Wednesday and Thursday evening at a work function that his company does annually where they bring in the employees that work out of town. The second evening is always a drunk fest for them. Wednesday night was pretty easy for me but last night I wanted a glass of wine because I felt good from my evening run and I also knew he would be coming home pretty tipsy (no worries, he took an Uber). I was able to resist, drinking Earl Grey tea instead. It was decaffinated, but I was still awake most of the night.
I know that many people have claimed better sleep since going alcohol free, but does anyone else find that they actually sleep worse without it? One glass of wine before bed and I usually don't wake up during the night, but on nights that I don't drink, I am up off and on all night long.
@cupoftea I may have missed this, but is that an app you are using to track your alcohol intake? If so, which one? I like the idea of distinguishing between alcohol days and "heavy drinking". i want to limit my alcohol days but I want to completely eliminate any days that I would classify as "heavy drinking", or more than 3 drinks in one day.2 -
@lporter229 My biggest fear doing a Dry January was not being able to sleep. I definitely slept worse without drinking for the first week. It has slowly improved and last night I slept all night except for my dog getting me up one time. But I was the same, a glass of wine before bed and I slept like a baby all night long. I hear a lot of people who drink say they don't sleep well, they toss and turn all night, wake up at 2am, etc, but that was never the case for me.2
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