The Sober Squad- Alcohol Free Living
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Thought I would share a bit about how my weight was affected by stopping the booze.
From July 22 (day 1 booze-free) to Oct 17 my weight went from 226 lbs to 205 lbs. Averages out to about 1.5 pounds per week. I focused on not drinking primarily. I forewarned my family I might be a tad witchy and asked for them to be assertive with me if I was becoming terrible to live with.
I did not track calories during this time, instead I focused on not drinking, portion control, mindfulness, and less junk and restaurant/fast foods. I can’t recall how many times feeling stressed or emotional made me want to turn to food and or booze for comfort – but there were a lot.
Eventually, my mind stopped requesting booze on the regular – a huge win! And I was able to better identify if my mind wanted food because it was feeling stressed, or if my body was actually hungry – another huge win! I still have a knee-jerk reaction to comfort myself with food but being more aware of it really helps me to not listen to it.
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I have noticed (as has my husband) that I argue far less with him when I maintain sobriety. How many times have I fought with him and not remembered a thing and wondered why he was cold to me in the morning? More times than I care to admit. Honestly, I am just finding more and more reasons I want to be sober. Plus I am 56 yrs old and my body really cannot handle it anymore. It was literally poisoning me. I admit I want to be sober for vanity reasons as well. You just LOOK so much better when you haven't been drinking. Also I am finally losing a little weight so that is encouraging.6
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@JenT304 congrats on the weight loss! Funny how we can find so many more reasons to abstain than to drink, eh? I agree that we look so much better when we've not been drinking; less puffy, less red, less dry. I also find I'm less bloated too.5
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I just wanted to put this out there, that there will be a day when alcohol doesn't even register in your mind. I quit about 18 months ago, really didn't have a huge problem, just noticed red flags about drinking........for me. It wasn't years of drinking, just here and there and getting worse every year.
again, were all different, but I noticed as I started drinking wine, I would think about drinking about 12 or 1 in the afternoon. Then about 5 think that I should be drinking....it went from 3 days a week to 5.......also, I never drank a lot, only about 2 - 3 glasses of wine........and wine only ,I cant do hard alcohol, ie, gin , bourbon, vodka.....only wine
I never think about it, matter of fact, when I log in daily, I look to see how things are over here........again, there will come a day.........
I stopped because of the warning signs I had began to feel. I lost a lot of weight and it was slowly creeping back up.....thanks to wine.........I didn't really get shattered or loaded, only made extremely bad decisions about eating ...that is when the weight came back on
I had a tendency to become angry at small things.....not a good sign for a relationship . Also, I had an abusive father who drank and beat us kids when we were small.........I cant forget his beatings and no way would I ever put myself to do the same, although I have no kids, just don't want to be that messed up to do it to anyone....
best wishes, its gets better..........it gets better, just stay focused..............11 -
Good Morn...Day OFF today
A couple of weeks ago I ran across a 2 page article I've saved from years ago. It is an article By Byron Katie entitled, "Loving What Is" and is in the August/September 2009 issue of Healthy Directions magazine (Canadian issue) Someone copied it for me and I do not remember who it was lol...but obviously, someone who cares about me...so I want to relate some of the article over the next few days in my comments...so here's the first two paragraphs:
"The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. when the mind is perfectly clear, what is, is what we want. If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try to teach a cat to bark. You can try and try, and in the end the cat will look up at you and say, "Meow." Wanting reality to be different than it is is hopeless.
And yet, if you pay attention, you'll notice that you thnk thoughts like this dozens of times a day. "People should be kinder." "Children should be well-behaved." "My husband (or wife) should agree with me." "I should be prettier, (or thinner or more successful)." These thoughts are ways of wanting reality to be different than it is. If you think this sounds depressing, you are right. All the stress that we feel is caused by arguing with what is?"
Food for thought!!
Part 2 tomorrow.....
Hoping a contented, AF day for all
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This coming weekend I’m going to a stag and doe for a friend, and I’m so nervous about being at a drinking party. Years ago I started to drink to cope with social anxiety. The nervousness I’m feeling about going is definitely coming from attending a social event without my booze shield.
And in about a months time, we are attending the destination wedding at an all-inclusive. This will be my first sober vacation. Last night I was thinking about it, and a nasty thought popped into my head. It said it would be ok to drink when we go away.
This WILL get easier.6 -
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Good Morn
@lloydrt Thank you for your honesty about your past and it has obviously motivated you to become a better person and not repeat the abusive pattern. You are a success story!!
It is great to be liberated from the enslavement to alcohol and I appreciate your confidence that alcohol doesn't even register in your mind. For me I have the same confidence with a limit. I never say never only because I remember very clearly when I came very close in the recent past to wanting to blot it all out one more time and the craving coming out of, seemingly, nowhere but actually from alot of grief.
At the same time, like you, I rarely think about it...very rarely and mostly when I have a function to attend. I try to have a game plan which involves leaving early if I get uncomfortable. Tonight I have an event with alcohol included and my game plan in mind. I don't "expect" to feel tempted, but have an out if I do.
Happy AF day to all...snowy day for some of us (already)!!!! I need to get an outdoor snow hobby....
stubbornloser wrote: »
This WILL get easier.
My 3 favorite words, "you are right!!" it does get easier.
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We were surprised to find fresh hibiscus roselles in our CSA box a couple of weeks ago. I brewed a couple of pitchers of hibiscus tea (iced) and it was gone in no time. Our grocery store sells dried hibiscus flowers so I’ve been keeping us in tea. I have no sweet tooth so have struggled to find a NA drink I really like and don’t just settle for. This is it! Plus it’s beautiful and supposedly lowers blood pressure and blood sugar and helps with depression and is good for the liver. I’ve drunk enough San Pellegrino to keep them in business. But now I finally have something with flavor. Some folks add sweetener but I think it’s delicious straight. No calories either. I know this sounds weird but I miss the “bite” of vodka. This has the bite that makes my palate happy.5
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thanks Lorraine.........I pray each day for all of us, that we find the way .......
best wishes, Lloyd4 -
Looking back at my life from when I started drinking at age 13 to when I quit cold turkey last April at age 54, I am so amazed that I survived this long?! I realize now, I was just a functioning alcoholic. Albeit, depressed and poor health, but functioning. In my mind, this was only supposed be temporary sobriety while I got this 100 lbs off of me. At 82 lbs into my weight loss, I now don't EVER want to go back to alcohol. I haven't been sober more than 2 days at a time through most of my life and I thought I didn't have a problem?! It's such a good feeling to be living life sober!13
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@nighthawk584, your posts about your progress are always inspiring. With that much of a history of constant drinking, can you pinpoint what made this time "stick"? Was it just the determination to lose weight, or did something else help things fall into place? I don't mean to pry, and don't feel obligated to answer. I'm just curious because you've had such a dramatic and (it seems to me from reading your posts) sudden turnaround. Again, inspiring!5
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@nighthawk584, your posts about your progress are always inspiring. With that much of a history of constant drinking, can you pinpoint what made this time "stick"? Was it just the determination to lose weight, or did something else help things fall into place? I don't mean to pry, and don't feel obligated to answer. I'm just curious because you've had such a dramatic and (it seems to me from reading your posts) sudden turnaround. Again, inspiring!
thank you.. being diagnosed as prediabetic was the moment for me to change my life. My Dad had T2 diabetes for 25 years, which eventually took both his legs and his life in 2018. I am happy to report I am no longer prediabetic, or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and severe acid reflux disease. I don't think I would have been able to do any of this without quitting alcohol at the same time as starting my weight loss journey. I'm not saying I don't have tempting days, because I do! Alcohol had such a hold on my life, I even told myself it was a temporary thing while I lose weight. This is really the first time in my life that I admit I am an alcoholic and I'm not ashamed of saying it either.6 -
Thanks, @nighthawk584. Wow, I'm sure seeing your dad go through that was a tremendous motivation. As I wrote about my step-sister-in-law on dialysis last week, those wake-up calls are very frightening. Your post is motivating me to keep going. Our bodies are pretty forgiving in our twenties and thirties. For me, it's about making my mind realize that although I'm young at heart, I'm not young in body any more. Can't behave as if I'm a few decades younger. I appreciate your answer, and GREAT JOB on the weight loss and especially the health improvement!5
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Hello I am only on day 7. I've tried to stop drinking a few times over the years and failed. This last time scared me and I don't even want to see another drop of alcohol. I've come to the conclusion that alcohol will be the death of me if I don't stop now. I'm only 26 and feel as if it has progressed further than it ever should have ... I'm done.9
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Good morning friends! I saw a good message on tiredofdrinking email. This is what the sober tips recommended:
Here are my top three tools for overwhelm: exercise, tub, bed. And I’d have to say that I probably use exercise four or five times a week, specifically to help with mood. I’m in the tub anytime I’m feeling antsy. I have been known to go to bed at 7:30 p.m. in early sobriety, just because I had no other way of dealing with life. I knew I didn’t want to drink, I had no idea what else to do except ‘hide’.
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queenofdarknezz wrote: »Hello I am only on day 7. I've tried to stop drinking a few times over the years and failed. This last time scared me and I don't even want to see another drop of alcohol. I've come to the conclusion that alcohol will be the death of me if I don't stop now. I'm only 26 and feel as if it has progressed further than it ever should have ... I'm done.
Happy to read your post! Day 7 bravo!! One day at a time.... I would immerse myself in books about alcohol and blogs.... stay educated and focused. Best wishes!3 -
It's been some time since I posted, no particlar reason...just didn't feel that I had a whole lot to add. Glad to see new friends who, for whatever reason, came accross the Sober Squad on a fitness website. Drunk and in shape...who knew? That was me. Of all the things I've done in 59 years trying to live my best life, who knew ditching the booze would be the most poignant. My app tells me it's been 237 days and 95,000 calories saved, which probably explains the 40lb drop, and I'm thankful for that, but I'm even more thankful for getting my mind & spirit back. I've tried moderation (several, several times) but always ended up back at the same place.... plus some. I think about it sometimes, and I have to admit, my mouth occasionally still waters at the sight of someone else's frosty IPA, but I also know after that first sip, there's no off switch. All that said, I'm not naive enough to know that I have to mindfully protect my sobrierty. Sometimes it takes work, but the best things in life usually do. Stay strong everyone, I wish everyone the very best sobreity has to offer.10
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queenofdarknezz wrote: »Hello I am only on day 7. I've tried to stop drinking a few times over the years and failed. This last time scared me and I don't even want to see another drop of alcohol. I've come to the conclusion that alcohol will be the death of me if I don't stop now. I'm only 26 and feel as if it has progressed further than it ever should have ... I'm done.
Congratulations on day 7! That first week is brutal depending on how much you were drinking but you've made it💐5 -
queenofdarknezz wrote: »Hello I am only on day 7. I've tried to stop drinking a few times over the years and failed. This last time scared me and I don't even want to see another drop of alcohol. I've come to the conclusion that alcohol will be the death of me if I don't stop now. I'm only 26 and feel as if it has progressed further than it ever should have ... I'm done.
Something that helped me in the first few weeks were Podcasts.... Recovery Elevator, Recovery Happy Hour, This Naked Mind. I listened to them on my way home from work...right before the time I usually swung into the liquor store. Wishing you the very best.4 -
Hello...Checking in
Hoping everyone is happy & healthy 3 -
Hi, everyone. We're having one of our quiet spells. Yesterday I drove to the wonderful small town of Wimberley, TX to go to an amazing specialty kitchen shop called Kiss the Cook. They have everything a cook could ever dream of, or not dream of. Banana slicer?: Seriously, how lazy would I have to be??? Anyway, they had literally dozens of different cards, napkins, dish towels, aprons with "clever" sayings celebrating overdrinking: "Why limit Happy to an Hour?" "Book? I'm just here to drink" "Wine: How classy people get kitten-faced."
These are the kinds of things my best friend and I used to give each other. And we were both heavy drinkers. Which led me to reflect that those kinds of things wouldn't really be funny to occasional drinkers. You have to be a heavy drinker to really get the joke. Which led me to conclude that there are a lot of heavy drinkers out there, lest this shop would not bother to stock so many such items. Which led me to understand that 1. We who are struggling with alcohol over-use are not alone and 2. Our society does not make it easy but celebrates over-drinking.
So we should pat ourselves on the back for even tackling this journey in such an environment. Yay us!!9 -
Hi, everyone. We're having one of our quiet spells. Yesterday I drove to the wonderful small town of Wimberley, TX to go to an amazing specialty kitchen shop called Kiss the Cook. They have everything a cook could ever dream of, or not dream of. Banana slicer?: Seriously, how lazy would I have to be??? Anyway, they had literally dozens of different cards, napkins, dish towels, aprons with "clever" sayings celebrating overdrinking: "Why limit Happy to an Hour?" "Book? I'm just here to drink" "Wine: How classy people get kitten-faced."
These are the kinds of things my best friend and I used to give each other. And we were both heavy drinkers. Which led me to reflect that those kinds of things wouldn't really be funny to occasional drinkers. You have to be a heavy drinker to really get the joke. Which led me to conclude that there are a lot of heavy drinkers out there, lest this shop would not bother to stock so many such items. Which led me to understand that 1. We who are struggling with alcohol over-use are not alone and 2. Our society does not make it easy but celebrates over-drinking.
So we should pat ourselves on the back for even tackling this journey in such an environment. Yay us!!
I just want to say, that if you go to Amazon & type in "Banana Slicer", you will NOT be disappointed with the reviews.. good stuff! 😂4 -
stephanne13 wrote: »
I just want to say, that if you go to Amazon & type in "Banana Slicer", you will NOT be disappointed with the reviews.. good stuff! 😂
I’m laughing so hard I am crying. I love the comment that you can also slice hot dogs with this hard-to-clean space taker-upper. I guess I know what I’ll be buying my worst enemies for Christmas. Almost makes me wish I had worst enemies and enough money to buy them presents if I did.3 -
@donimfp I never thought of the wine accessories with all the "clever sayings" as being tailored to heavy drinkers when I was a heavy drinker. You make an interesting & valid point that only heavy drinkers really get the humor. I also think that it is one more tool to make it all seem ok...that somehow laughing about our drinking takes away the seriousness of it. One of the things I did when I stopped drinking was give away all my wine accessories because not only did I not have a use for them, but I didn't think it was "funny" any longer.2
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I cannot stand those "funny" sayings and they are everywhere in all stores. "Winey Christmas!" was one I saw yesterday. What does that even mean? "thankful for wine"...another hilarious one, right? One of the most offensive I've seen was "whats a nice girl like me doing without a glass of wine?" What does that teach our daughters? Or sons?
I have decided the only way to treat alcohol is like cigarettes. For me, there was no moderation. I am only hoping that like cigarettes, the pull eventually goes away. Have a happy, sober weekend, Everyone.7 -
I cannot stand those "funny" sayings and they are everywhere in all stores. "Winey Christmas!" was one I saw yesterday. What does that even mean? "thankful for wine"...another hilarious one, right? One of the most offensive I've seen was "whats a nice girl like me doing without a glass of wine?" What does that teach our daughters? Or sons?
I have decided the only way to treat alcohol is like cigarettes. For me, there was no moderation. I am only hoping that like cigarettes, the pull eventually goes away. Have a happy, sober weekend, Everyone.
I bought a framed sign a while back for a house I'm remodeling that says "I love you to the liquor store & back". The store is at least 40 min away, so I thought it was funny at the time. Ever since I received it, it's been shoved in the back of my closet. It's the only alcohol related cutesy saying thing I've ever bought, but I was embarrassed by the time I got it. I went to a boutique mall yesterday & they had an entire room of the wine novelty items. I thought about hearing others say they don't like the glorification either. I really think that because it's wine, people don't take it as seriously as they would someone glorifying downing an entire bottle of Wild Turkey 101, or 88% proof gin..
By the way, I am not AF free yet.. still doing moderation, but I stay on this page, & read everything for insight, tips, motivation, etc..6 -
I would LOVE to be a part of this group if you are still accepting new folks!? Silly question, how do I join a 'CHALLENGE' group on MFP? (I never have) I too have issues with my wine...no such thing as 1 glass in my world. I try everyday to be better. Today is day 1 for me again... Thanks all! ~ Shelly6
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SFergie1974 wrote: »I would LOVE to be a part of this group if you are still accepting new folks!? Silly question, how do I join a 'CHALLENGE' group on MFP? (I never have) I too have issues with my wine...no such thing as 1 glass in my world. I try everyday to be better. Today is day 1 for me again... Thanks all! ~ Shelly
Hi There! Welcome! I had to smile about no such thing as one glass.... yes, that is the problem for me. Just participate and comment when you feel like it. Looking forward to your reflections, Shelly! 3 -
stephanne13 wrote: »I cannot stand those "funny" sayings and they are everywhere in all stores. "Winey Christmas!" was one I saw yesterday. What does that even mean? "thankful for wine"...another hilarious one, right? One of the most offensive I've seen was "whats a nice girl like me doing without a glass of wine?" What does that teach our daughters? Or sons?
I have decided the only way to treat alcohol is like cigarettes. For me, there was no moderation. I am only hoping that like cigarettes, the pull eventually goes away. Have a happy, sober weekend, Everyone.
I bought a framed sign a while back for a house I'm remodeling that says "I love you to the liquor store & back". The store is at least 40 min away, so I thought it was funny at the time. Ever since I received it, it's been shoved in the back of my closet. It's the only alcohol related cutesy saying thing I've ever bought, but I was embarrassed by the time I got it. I went to a boutique mall yesterday & they had an entire room of the wine novelty items. I thought about hearing others say they don't like the glorification either. I really think that because it's wine, people don't take it as seriously as they would someone glorifying downing an entire bottle of Wild Turkey 101, or 88% proof gin..
By the way, I am not AF free yet.. still doing moderation, but I stay on this page, & read everything for insight, tips, motivation, etc..
I remember one year getting lots of birthday cards from my friends, and most referenced alcohol or wine in them. Clearly my friends can see I have a problem.2
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