Less Alcohol - January 2019 - One Day at a Time

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  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 3,814 Member
    @dawnbgethealthy said as I look at this I see that I keep including December 31st in the count.

    I totally get it since you have goal is 4-5 AF days per week. I too have a weekly goal as well as a monthly goal so including that Monday Dec 31 makes sense! It helps to understand when you met your weekly goal.

    You are doing well. Keep it up!
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @NovusDies - Wow, your story was just the inspiration I needed this a.m. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the amazing life changes you've made. 17 days dry for me and 14 to go in January. I like your plan of drinking very occasionally instead of planning to drink on X days of the week, which is what I did after last year's Dry Jan. I need to buckle down and do a Dry Jan and/or Dry Feb. on sugar. It's starting to be a problem, LOL. Yesterday I could not stop picking at gummi bears and Hershey's kisses.
  • HeatherT929
    HeatherT929 Posts: 23 Member
    Dumb question for you all. We know about the scale can have a “fake” and go down after drinking the night before due to dehydration. So wouldn’t drinking water help counter that? I’ve always been one to only have the drink and not the water. Why bother I kind of figured.... but tonight I’m going out with a GF. I’ve already planned I’ll allow myself two glasses of wine. Would I/should I want to drink water with the wine to counter the dehydration? ....And assuming that just seems so obviously right, does anyone know how much water is necessary?
  • VeggieGirlforLife
    VeggieGirlforLife Posts: 777 Member
    Dumb question for you all. We know about the scale can have a “fake” and go down after drinking the night before due to dehydration. So wouldn’t drinking water help counter that? I’ve always been one to only have the drink and not the water. Why bother I kind of figured.... but tonight I’m going out with a GF. I’ve already planned I’ll allow myself two glasses of wine. Would I/should I want to drink water with the wine to counter the dehydration? ....And assuming that just seems so obviously right, does anyone know how much water is necessary?

    @heathert929 Alcohol works like a diuretic that makes you lose more liquid than you consume, so it is important to drink water when you are drinking alcohol. My rule of thumb is to drink one glass of water for each glass of wine/beer. It does help keep you hydrated and relatively headache free the next morning. As far as numbers on a scale reflecting that, I have no idea.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    edited January 2019
    So the weekend is upon us again. I did just fine last weekend, but this past week has been rough. I wanted a drink when I came home last night and the idea stayed with me for a long time, but I did not cave. I've been waking up with a bad headache for two days and sinus pressure which I am sure is due to weather changes, however, it reminds me of how I feel when I wake up after drinking...and that evil little voice says, "if you're going to feel hungover anyway, might as well have a drink!" I'm frustrated that I don't feel all wonderful and amazing like some of you say you do when you stop drinking for awhile. And my skin is still dry and flaky thanks to winter. So, just having a rough go of it today, but planning to stay strong thru the weekend no matter how much I'd like a glass of wine.

    I get this,,,I've been trying to stay AF for years but I just don't feel "great" like other people say they do when they quit/cut back so I get irritated and drink cuz I feel crappy anyways,,at least then i get a small window to feel better haha but I think if i'd just stick with abstaining I'll eventually feel good(I hope) good for you not giving in and hope you enjoy your weekend <3
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,532 Member
    Oh those weekends can be a challange both mentally and actively for so many. They have always signified social fun party times, to eat, drink and be merry. Last year at this exact time I was struggling hard to not listen to my fun party brain, to break habits and realize my triggers for drinking to much. I had already had six drinking days in Jan 2018 by now with a count of 11 alcohol beverages.
    Last night we went out to a bar. Stayed for almost 5 hours. I know I was the only dry person there because the bartender commented jokingly that missmay could drive everyone home, so keep drinking. Her comment did not phase me, I had a great time anyhow, well who doesn't at karaoke?
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    kittybenn wrote: »
    @NovusDies - Wow, your story was just the inspiration I needed this a.m. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the amazing life changes you've made. 17 days dry for me and 14 to go in January. I like your plan of drinking very occasionally instead of planning to drink on X days of the week, which is what I did after last year's Dry Jan. I need to buckle down and do a Dry Jan and/or Dry Feb. on sugar. It's starting to be a problem, LOL. Yesterday I could not stop picking at gummi bears and Hershey's kisses.

    I am too prone to form habits when I do things in any type of pattern. If I said I was only going to drink on the 3rd Saturday of every month I would have a hard time breaking the cycle after I did it for a few months. I would feel compelled to drink on that day even when I didn't want to because it was ritual. That is not my definition of moderation because I am not totally free to choose. I am not suggesting this is true of you but it is of me.

    Congrats on the 17 now 18 I suppose. I hope sailing through the rest of this month is smooth for you and for anyone trying to do a dry January.

    I am one of those weird people in the world that doesn't like gummi bears. I don't like the texture and the flavor is kind of meh to me.
  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 3,814 Member
    January accountability ~18 day so far
    Me (no alcohol): 11 days
    Alcohol: 7 days (15 drinks)

    To view the weekly count toward 4 ... AF Mon Dec 31!
    Jan 1 - AF
    Jan 2 - Dinner out with hubby after challenging day at work transitioning my role. Looks like it will take weeks to ramp them up. Didn't leave chair for 9 hrs. (excuses) - limited myself to 1 glass of wine
    Jan 3 - Bunco - limit 1 glass wine. Slipped up and had 2-3 (I call it 12 oz 3 if light pour / 2 if heavy pour) What happen to my resolve to drink water after 1 glass?
    Jan 4 - Traveling with my mom & sister 7 hrs today for a funeral Saturday. Plans to limit to 1 glass of wine was blown. I lacked the willpower which I need to work on. 1 margarita at mexican restaurant, 1 glass of wine in hotel suite everyone gathered at after dinner.
    Jan 5 - AF Driving 7 hours return trip
    Jan 6 - AF
    *This past week Monday thru Sunday I hit my 4 days of AF by reigning it in Sat and Sun! No social challenges next week. It will be just me and my own willpower to bank AF days for the month to offset challenging weeks ahead.

    Jan 7 - AF
    Jan 8 - AF
    Jan 9 - AF
    Jan 10 - AF - Driving 6 hours this evening
    *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.
    Jan 11 - 4 glasses (2 red, 2 white) Opened 2 bottles of wine with DH should have limited myself to 1 glass from each; almost doubled my number of drinks for the month in one night sitting outside with neighbors looking out over the water and grilling steaks.
    Jan 12 - Used 3/4 cup of the 1 bottle of white for cooking the Risotto. 2 smaller glasses. Success in that everyone else had 1 drink before I started pouring wine for myself and DH with dinner.
    Jan 13 - AF - proud that I did not just join the crowd this evening

    Jan 14 - AF - ding ding ding DH & I had steak without red wine!
    Jan 15 - AF
    Jan 16 - Bookclub - intention was to limit 1 glass wine but after rough day at work had 2; splitting a bottle with my daughter
    Jan 17 - AF
    Jan 18 - 2 glasses of wine with dinner
    Jan 19 - Planning AF - offering to be designated driver; party is 50+ miles from home
    Jan 20 -

    Jan 21 - Bookclub - limit 1 glass wine
    Jan 22 - Dining out club - limit 1 glass wine
    Jan 23 -
    Jan 24 -
    Jan 25 -
    Jan 26 -
    Jan 27 -

    Jan 28 -
    Jan 29 -
    Jan 30 -
    Jan 31 - Retiring from company after 30 years - plan to celebrate but limit 2 glasses
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    @NovusDies - yes, habits are really weird and fascinating things. I think about them a lot. Yep, made it through yesterday, and today I'm on day 19. We went to a big pig roast our friends have every year. They brew their own beer for the event and my husband offered me a sip just to taste it because he thought it was great. I didn't cave. At this point, I've come too far! And, as people drank more and more, I was checking them out from a different perspective than usual, which means for me about four glasses of wine at that event. People seemed really louder and less coherent. It was fine, and not irritating at all, just kind of funny. Makes me wonder how I sounded in years past, LOL. Again, it was excellent driving home and not worrying for a single second about having to take a breathalyzer.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,514 Member
    My goal is 4-5 AF days per week.

    January 1st - AF
    January 2nd - AF
    January 3rd - AF
    January 4th - 3 drinks Friday night. I actually had 4, but then threw up lol. This is the reason that I never have more than 3 if I choose to have drinks. Good reminder. Yes, I can never be "drunk" because I can't have more than 3.
    January 5th - AF So curious that each and every day that I have drinks I am down 2 pounds the following day. I think that I read somewhere on this post that it dehydrates you. It comes back the next day of course : - )
    I don't log my AF or not AF until the following morning for the night before.
    January 6th - AF - 5 days out of 6. Very busy week, so more AF days to come.
    January 7th - AF - 6 days out of 7 for the month
    January 8th - AF - 7 days our of 8 for the month so far
    January 9th - AF - 8 days out of 9
    January 10th - 1 champagne, later on 3 drinks
    January 11th - 2 drinks - 8 out of 11 AF. I am pleased with that.
    January 12th - 3 drinks - 8 out of 12 AF. Going to rack up some more AF days.
    January 13th - AF - 8 days out of 13
    January 14th - AF - 9 days out of 14. Began logging at night before bed instead of waiting until the next morning. No danger of sleep drinking I don't think : - )
    January 15th - AF - 10 days out of 15.
    January 16th - AF - 11 days out of 16
    January 17th - AF - 12 days out of 17 - as I look at this I see that I keep including December 31st in the count.
    January 18th - 3 drinks - 12 AF days out of 18, definitely ahead of where I was in December.
    January 19th -
    January 20th -
    January 21st -
    January 22nd -
    January 23rd -
    January 24th -
    January 25th -
    January 26th -
    January 27th -
    January 28th -
    January 29th -
    January 30th -
    January 31st
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,532 Member
    edited January 2019
    Good day to be stuck inside and do nothing but cook healthy and bake healthy because of the Nor' Easter snow storm. In the past (my past) I would have already at 11:00 AM had been adding rumchata to my hot coffee because of the bad weather.
    Not these days.....
    Wishing everyone another successful day and upcoming week.
    GO PATS!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    MissMay wrote: »
    Good day to be stuck inside and do nothing but cook healthy and bake healthy because of the Nor' Easter snow storm. In the past (my past) I would have already at 11:00 AM had been adding rumchata to my hot coffee because of the bad weather.
    Not these days.....
    Wishing everyone another successful day and upcoming week.
    GO PATS!

    Ahem.
    GO CHIEFS!
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,388 Member
    I’m having a nice sober weekend. A little sore from my work out yesterday, not a bad thing. I wanted to get more cleaning done but I’m feeling kind of lazy, lol. Oh-well, at least I’m sticking to my calorie and AF goals! Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend asl well!