Less Alcohol - AUGUST 2020 - One Day at a Time

MissMay · August 2020

Hello everyone (waving left and right).
Wow. What energy everyone has. I am feeling it.

Phase one.
Husband went into the gas station to grab a paper. He comes out with a big brown bag.😬 i asked we
Hat else he picked up and he says "I picked up some of that coffee beer you like, they might not sell it where we are this weekend"
SEE 👀.......see👁what i have to deal with? I said that we can give it to the hosts of the gathering, they will enjoy trying it. Good save for me.

Nice work everyone. We are working and exercising our self control.
YAY US!

August 26th - 26 days/nights DRY
😎😎😎

forestdweller1 · August 2020

Soul searching here. Have I ever encouraged someone to do something that they had expressed a strong conviction to NOT do ?? Not to the point of trying to get a Jewish friend to share a BLT, or pushing a celibate roomy into joining a swinger's club.
Maybe shaming someone into touring the Andy Warhol Museum with me...and enduring their caustic comments and derision for several hours...including our luncheon later. But never anything that would harm their psyche or health or our friendship afterwards.
Expanding minds and encouraging new experiences is cool.

Referring back to previous "let's buy a Vegan a steak" posts...I remember leaving "friendly" gatherings and walking for hours in the rain to get home after it was not understood that "no thanks" really meant "*kitten* NO !!"
The last 30 years or so, it's been understood by all that when the beotch says "no", it means "no".

Is there a tiny pill to slip someone to make them see that "yes. I have my own mind and opinion, which, unfortunately is radically different from yours at this time." ?? Too often these "someones" are our nearest and dearest.

No coffee beer here this weekend, just Coors Edge @MissMay . Although, considering my passion for coffee, I am intrigued.
Maybe later.....much later....

Doxmum · August 2020

Wow! MissMay - way to avoid the ambush. Almost like you saw it coming. Good job! You've got this woman.

@forestdweller1 - Yea, what happened to "No thank you, I'm good." means JUST that. Sheesh.

Not that we haven't been here for 3.5 years. But this is truly becoming dystopian. CA is on fire and New Orleans is going to drown, again. But there is no climate change. At least nothing we can do about it per orange clown in the white house.

Stay fire & hurricane safe everyone - Doxmum out.

Samand303 · August 2020

Hi all! I fell off the radar for a week and just now catching up. Thanks to a few months hanging around here, when faced with family drama this past week, I kept the drinking to Less. I bought six bottles of wine on Sunday and only drank about half of one. A rose this time from Wolffer Estate in a pretty bottle. (Will try to post an upright picture😁) This is the beginning of a long road, though.

@MissMay good luck this weekend. I know I won’t be joining you, but I’m committed to keeping the LESS Alcohol part of my life going.

When the *kitten* hit the fan this weekend, I was one pound shy of my weight goal. I’ll be damned if I let a family member throw away all my hard work by going back to stress eating and drinking!

Heading to a PA Dutch farmers market today. Plan to buy lots of veggies and cheese!

Samand303 · August 2020

Hi all! I fell off the radar for a week and just now catching up. Thanks to a few months hanging around here, when faced with family drama this past week, I kept the drinking to Less. I bought six bottles of wine on Sunday and only drank about half of one. A rose this time from Wolffer Estate in a pretty bottle. (Will try to post an upright picture😁) This is the beginning of a long road, though.

@MissMay good luck this weekend. I know I won’t be joining you, but I’m committed to keeping the LESS Alcohol part of my life going.

When the *kitten* hit the fan this weekend, I was one pound shy of my weight goal. I’ll be damned if I let a family member throw away all my hard work by going back to stress eating and drinking!

Heading to a PA Dutch farmers market today. Plan to buy lots of veggies and cheese!

Samand303 · August 2020

Samand303 · August 2020

Samand303 · August 2020

Seeing if full sized image comes out upright?!

chocolate_owl · August 2020

Well, yesterday was a rough one. Had a stressful day at work where I realized I'd been working off of an outdated file, so a whole day's work was wasted. REALLY wanted a glass of red wine after that. Didn't have one, but also realized I have no alternatives for dealing with stress. A cup of tea? Nah, that's just normal hydration. A walk? I grit my teeth and bear it when I do my two miles in the evening, but it's super painful because of my back problems. A hot bath? Inconvenient, and sitting in the tub is uncomfortable. Sooo... I'm not sure what to do about this. I guess I'll be browsing the internet for some coping techniques today.

And then this morning I find out that Husband had a glass of bourbon after I went to bed to help him sleep. I have...feelings. I know I need to just do what's best for myself and let him sort out his own *unicorn,* but I'm awfully disappointed.

shorepine · August 2020

Hi all. @MissMay , I am so sorry about your husband constantly trying to sabotage you. Why do you think he does that? Does he just want a drinking buddy? You've got this under control. This weekend is going to be no problem for you. Coffee beer, shmoffee beer.

@Doxmum I hear you. It seems things are coming to a fever pitch. I tremble at the thought of four more years of this. I am going to have to come up with some coping techniques as the election gets closer. The memories of my despair in 2016 are still really poignant.

@Samand303 your caprese salad looks so good! And that rose, good for you for only enjoying half of one bottle. Ahhh, summer. My tomatoes are finally off the hook. I live in a challenging tomato growing climate (cool and coastal) but I put all I had in them this year and am being rewarded.

@chocolate_owl I am really sorry about the rough day. I hear you on the challenges of coping with stress. I have turned my tea drinking into stress coping. So, I only drink tea now when I need to de-stress. As a result, it has lost it's hydration focus and now is a de-stress focus. I also have a special chair in my living room with my journal nearby and whatever book I am reading. I brew a cup of tea, put my feet up on the ottoman, and just sit. Sometimes I write, sometimes I don't, but it does seem to help me avoid wine. I hope you find something good that works, and I hope today is better.

Once again last night I really wanted to enjoy a glass of that open bottle of rose I have lingering. I helped a friend out yesterday who was in a childcare pinch (because we are all in a childcare pinch right now), so I had 4 children between the ages of 3-7 at my house for 11 hours. Plus I had to work. I honestly ended up taking quite a few hours of leave time because there was just no way, but miraculously I did get about half a day of work in. My husband has been out of town, too.

Husband came home last night and brought fresh oysters from the cleanest bay in Oregon that has the best oysters hands down. He cooked dinner and barbecued the oysters. I ate them with butter and hot sauce. It was really sweet of him because he knows I LOVE oysters and he can't stand them, so I was really appreciative of the dinner. Plus, not having to cook was delightful. I REALLY wanted to drink my wine with those oysters, but I had it in the fridge in the garage and just never bothered to go out there. They were good with sparkling water, too.

Aug 1: 2 drinks
Aug 2: AF
Aug 3: AF
Aug 4: AF
Aug 5: AF
Aug 6: AF
Aug 7: 2 drinks
Aug 8: AF
Aug 9: 2 drinks
Aug 10: 3/4 of a bottle of wine
Aug 11: 3/4 of a bottle of wine
Aug 12: AF
Aug 13: AF
Aug 14: AF
Aug 15: 3 drinks
Aug 16: AF
Aug 17: AF
Aug 18: 2 drinks
Aug 19: 3 drinks
Aug 20: 5 drinks
Aug 21: 6 drinks
Aug 22: 1 drink
Aug 23: AF
Aug 24: AF
Aug 25: AF
Aug 26: AF

So far in Aug: 15/26 AF days

forestdweller1 · August 2020

All Eldest Daughter in Maine wants for her birthday today is a picture of their Louisiana home...still standing.
20 miles north of Lake Charles ?? And it's likely that the Westlake plant that is burning is the one her husband works at during the winter.
Finally, disasters that I can't blame on the Toddler-In-Chief !!

Not a drinking day.

dawnbgethealthy · August 2020

I am Dawn. 59 (for one more month), I live in SE BC
My goal has remained the same, one that I feel comfortable with: 16-20AF days each month.

Saturday August 01 - Drinks, fancy fruity ones that I concocted.
Sunday August 02 - AF - Didn't really want to be AF, but did.
Monday August 03 - AF - Too windy to go to a lake today (I float on a mat) so I did some stuff around the garden. It is still going to be 100 degrees for a couple of more days, I am going to try to only work in the mornings so that I can get to the lake while it is super hot and not windy. Motivation to not drink is how my belly swells up so big the day after having drinks. Planning on AF again tomorrow.
Tuesday August 04 - AF - Long stressful workday when I should have been at the lake, second to last really hot day. So badly wanted a few cocktails, but fought through it with my newfound "don't drink when you are stressed" tactic. Those cocktails won't be going anywhere, I will have a few on a happy day. Lake time Wednesday no matter what.
Wednesday August 05 - Drinks. Last hot day here, so went to the lake and had some yummy cocktails when I got home.
Thursday August 06 - AF - I will try to be AF tomorrow also to get 2 in a row.
Friday August 07 - AF - Might have drinks with a friend this weekend.
Saturday August 08 - Bunch of drinks with a girlfriend. I was making them, so put half of the alcohol in mine. We had a nice visit.
Sunday August 09 - AF - planning on racking up a few of those.
Monday August 10 - AF - This didn't post for some reason, probably human error : - )
Tuesday August 11 - AF - I really have myself convinced now to not numb myself with alcohol when stressed out. If I have a few drinks when I am happy I enjoy/savour them more. I will probably be making Mojitos again before the mint is finished. When it is almost done I make a giant vat of mint tea, strain it, then freeze it into containers to later put in the blender for a nice minty frozen iced tea drink (no alcohol).
Wednesday August 12 - AF - I have a long hard workday ahead tomorrow, so no drinks tonight.
Thursday August 13 - AF - Very long hard workday today, I really really wanted drinks, but hanging tough.
Friday August 14 - 2 wine and 1 cocktail, feeling woozy, out of the habit of the alcohol, but have a Mojito date with a gf for Sunday, one day to recuperate beforehand.
Saturday August 15 - AF - I didn't feel well all day today. A few weeks ago I had 3 ounces of wine and it was the same the next day. Wine just doesn't agree with me anymore. Even though I like the taste, it is definitely not worth basically missing the whole day after.
Sunday August 16 - AF - Following @MissMay 's sage words from page one and looking after my tomorrow feeling today. Postponed my Mojito get together for today with my friend, told her yesterday when I was feeling so yucky that I just couldn't.
Monday August 17 - AF - Another nice hot day here, a quick trip to a lake. I felt like having drinks, but was so thirsty I settled for another of those Club Sodas (otherwise i would have downed drinks too fast)
Tuesday August 18 - AF - Cucumber club soda in a fancy glass of course. It was great! I did manage to get away to a lake mid-day today for an hour and then went back to work. I have an awesome tan : - )
Wednesday August 19 - Drinks. Although I have resisted drinks on my stressed out days for around 2 months, today was just too much. So, I blew a drinks day alleviating stress. I stopped at a friend's place on the way home from work who offered me wine, I had water, since it is looking like wine makes me sick the next day. The first sip of alcohol when I got home really tasted good and relaxed me so much. I will try not to make a habit of it again. I should say that I won't make a habit of it again : - )
Thursday August 20 - AF - I almost opened the piccolo of Freixenet that has been in the fridge for months. One of these days I will. Time to shorten my post!
Friday August 21 - AF - Always happy to hit my 16 for the month.
Saturday August 22 - AF - Going to a different lake to float with a friend tomorrow, and want to feel good, so no drinks tonight. (I will get a photo) I am rearranging my schedule so that I can go to my usual 2 lakes on Monday and Tuesday (or maybe I will go somewhere else) when the wind will be low and the temperature nice. This could involve going to work super early, leaving at one point, and returning to work after the lake. Moving all of my jobs to clear those 2 days would also be an option. These nice lake days are running out now as we start to cool off a little. The rest of the week will be much cooler with high winds, not ideal for someone who floats along on the water. I want to feel good and experience these next few days without the possibility of not feeling well from drinking. Going to try not to have drinks before Tuesday night.
Sunday August 23 - Drinks after the lake. Excellent float. I didn't make it until waiting for Tuesday to have drinks.
Monday August 24 - AF - Went to a lake 25 minutes from my house. About halfway there I started to smell some smoke, but there was none at the lake that I went to. The water was very cold already, even though the sun was hot. Looked at the mini Prosecco in the fridge when I got home, but it can wait. I seriously put on 2 pounds the next day after drinks, so doing some damage control. I will look through today's photos and post some.
Tuesday August 25 - AF - planned drinks on Thursday. We aren't starting our solidarity with @MissMay challenge until Friday right?

Wednesday August 26 - Drinks. The last before our mini challenge in solidarity with @MissMay

Rolling total 19AF days out of 26 days

globalhiker · August 2020

@chocolate_owl - stress management is really tough these days....my go-to coping mechanism is not ideal: eating sweets and popcorn but I am working on it.

For me, morning exercise is "imperative" for establishing resilience the rest of the day. When I skip it, my stress goes up and my motivation is toast.

For a quick stress fix, I like putting on headphones and listening to music or watching a funny youtube video

Also, I do find I am calmer days I remember to take vit D plus Calcium & Magnesium supplements since I tend to be deficient.

MissMay · August 2020

@Samand303 YOU CAN MAKE THAT FOR ME ANYTIME. Seriously it is UPRIGHT beautiful and I know so super healthy. Good job not letting the relatives spoil your weight loss goal

@forestdweller1 sorry to hear your daughter has a home where the hurricane is. Hope all turns out well.

@chocolate_owl we all have different stress management needs. Mine is exercise (HIIT), then work, then *kitten*'n to a close friend about my stress LOL. Sorry to hear about your back issues, those are never fun. Hope you find your zen.

YAY @dawnbgethealthy 19 days AF for you girlfriend!!!!!

@shorepine that was a very sweet gesture your husband did bring home and preparing the oysters. Hope that made up for a crazy day. And yes it is because he wants/needs a drinking buddy. To him everything is better when your 3 sheets to the wind, correct? NOT!!!!!!!!

Yup getting ready to hit the road tomorrow. Got my ducks in a row. Oh by the way YOU GUYS are my ducks!!!!!

27 outta 27. Damn it I am gonna make DRY AUGUST!!!!!!!!

Doxmum · August 2020

@MissMay - Of course you're going to make it a DRY August. No problemo for you. You've trained for it, you're in competition shape, you have a game plan AND the Less Alcohol specialty team for back up. But you won't need us. I will, however, keep checking this message board just to cheer you on! What time do you leave tomorrow?

@forestdweller1 - Of course you can blame natural disasters on cheetoh-head. He's the climate science denier, remember? Then again, he denies all science, evidence-based medicine, and professional expertise. I wish I had the luxury to practice anesthesia without science. In fact, I carried malpractice in case I f'd up. Otherwise, I could have just said, "It's Obama's fault."

And here's praying your daughter's home is high and dry.

Agree with @globalhiker - for stress reduction: exercise, exercise, exercise. I walk the trails around here. Did I mention exercise? And get OUTSIDE. See Dawn and her lakes. It will clear you head, soothe you soul, and smell good too.

@shorepine - You're doing really well. Much better than I am. I'm looking forward to the mini-challenge this weekend so I have a reason not to drink. I've been pretty down this week because I'm forcing myself to watch most of the Republican Convention. Can't trash it if I didn't watch it. I cannot imagine what it is like to live in a world of fear and hate. That is what he and his party are marketing. I cried election night 2016 too. First time in my life. And called in sick the next day. I knew we had coverage, and the team knew my politics. I wasn't telling, and they weren't asking.

One more sleep till the Mini-Challenge begins!

dawnbgethealthy · August 2020

I am Dawn. 59 (for one more month), I live in SE BC
My goal has remained the same, one that I feel comfortable with: 16-20AF days each month.

Saturday August 01 - Drinks, fancy fruity ones that I concocted.
Sunday August 02 - AF - Didn't really want to be AF, but did.
Monday August 03 - AF - Too windy to go to a lake today (I float on a mat) so I did some stuff around the garden. It is still going to be 100 degrees for a couple of more days, I am going to try to only work in the mornings so that I can get to the lake while it is super hot and not windy. Motivation to not drink is how my belly swells up so big the day after having drinks. Planning on AF again tomorrow.
Tuesday August 04 - AF - Long stressful workday when I should have been at the lake, second to last really hot day. So badly wanted a few cocktails, but fought through it with my newfound "don't drink when you are stressed" tactic. Those cocktails won't be going anywhere, I will have a few on a happy day. Lake time Wednesday no matter what.
Wednesday August 05 - Drinks. Last hot day here, so went to the lake and had some yummy cocktails when I got home.
Thursday August 06 - AF - I will try to be AF tomorrow also to get 2 in a row.
Friday August 07 - AF - Might have drinks with a friend this weekend.
Saturday August 08 - Bunch of drinks with a girlfriend. I was making them, so put half of the alcohol in mine. We had a nice visit.
Sunday August 09 - AF - planning on racking up a few of those.
Monday August 10 - AF - This didn't post for some reason, probably human error : - )
Tuesday August 11 - AF - I really have myself convinced now to not numb myself with alcohol when stressed out. If I have a few drinks when I am happy I enjoy/savour them more. I will probably be making Mojitos again before the mint is finished. When it is almost done I make a giant vat of mint tea, strain it, then freeze it into containers to later put in the blender for a nice minty frozen iced tea drink (no alcohol).
Wednesday August 12 - AF - I have a long hard workday ahead tomorrow, so no drinks tonight.
Thursday August 13 - AF - Very long hard workday today, I really really wanted drinks, but hanging tough.
Friday August 14 - 2 wine and 1 cocktail, feeling woozy, out of the habit of the alcohol, but have a Mojito date with a gf for Sunday, one day to recuperate beforehand.
Saturday August 15 - AF - I didn't feel well all day today. A few weeks ago I had 3 ounces of wine and it was the same the next day. Wine just doesn't agree with me anymore. Even though I like the taste, it is definitely not worth basically missing the whole day after.
Sunday August 16 - AF - Following @MissMay 's sage words from page one and looking after my tomorrow feeling today. Postponed my Mojito get together for today with my friend, told her yesterday when I was feeling so yucky that I just couldn't.
Monday August 17 - AF - Another nice hot day here, a quick trip to a lake. I felt like having drinks, but was so thirsty I settled for another of those Club Sodas (otherwise i would have downed drinks too fast)
Tuesday August 18 - AF - Cucumber club soda in a fancy glass of course. It was great! I did manage to get away to a lake mid-day today for an hour and then went back to work. I have an awesome tan : - )
Wednesday August 19 - Drinks. Although I have resisted drinks on my stressed out days for around 2 months, today was just too much. So, I blew a drinks day alleviating stress. I stopped at a friend's place on the way home from work who offered me wine, I had water, since it is looking like wine makes me sick the next day. The first sip of alcohol when I got home really tasted good and relaxed me so much. I will try not to make a habit of it again. I should say that I won't make a habit of it again : - )
Thursday August 20 - AF - I almost opened the piccolo of Freixenet that has been in the fridge for months. One of these days I will. Time to shorten my post!
Friday August 21 - AF - Always happy to hit my 16 for the month.
Saturday August 22 - AF - Going to a different lake to float with a friend tomorrow, and want to feel good, so no drinks tonight. (I will get a photo) I am rearranging my schedule so that I can go to my usual 2 lakes on Monday and Tuesday (or maybe I will go somewhere else) when the wind will be low and the temperature nice. This could involve going to work super early, leaving at one point, and returning to work after the lake. Moving all of my jobs to clear those 2 days would also be an option. These nice lake days are running out now as we start to cool off a little. The rest of the week will be much cooler with high winds, not ideal for someone who floats along on the water. I want to feel good and experience these next few days without the possibility of not feeling well from drinking. Going to try not to have drinks before Tuesday night.
Sunday August 23 - Drinks after the lake. Excellent float. I didn't make it until waiting for Tuesday to have drinks.
Monday August 24 - AF - Went to a lake 25 minutes from my house. About halfway there I started to smell some smoke, but there was none at the lake that I went to. The water was very cold already, even though the sun was hot. Looked at the mini Prosecco in the fridge when I got home, but it can wait. I seriously put on 2 pounds the next day after drinks, so doing some damage control. I will look through today's photos and post some.
Tuesday August 25 - AF - planned drinks on Thursday. We aren't starting our solidarity with @MissMay challenge until Friday right?

Wednesday August 26 - Drinks. The last before our mini challenge in solidarity with @MissMay
Thursday August 27 - AF

Rolling total 20AF days out of 27 days

forestdweller1 · August 2020

shorepine · August 2020

Me again. I need the daily check in accountability to help keep me on task!

@Doxmum I can't believe you can watch it! I know I should stay tuned in to the horrors that are happening, but then I don't want to give him the ratings. But mostly, I just can't really stomach it.

@forestdweller1 those are some nice ducks!

I wish I was joining you all this weekend for the mini challenge, but I just can't. I LOVE sipping something by the campfire too much and I've abstained from alcohol all week even though I wanted to have some wine pretty much every night. I've pecked out my meager 16 days AF so far, but hey, it is more than half the time but well short of my goal. I knew I had 3 trips this month to contend with, and one was 4 nights. I hoped to avoid alcohol two of those nights, but I didn't. However, I maybe only overdid it one night (the last one). A friend who we were camped near busted out a really amazing and old bottle of bourbon around the campfire. It was good for sipping, but I had already had some hard seltzers during the day so I felt a little drunk.

Anyway, I've got a nice 5 day streak going and I'll enjoy some wine tonight at my fire. Ahhh. I love summer. It's going to be over too soon!

Aug 1: 2 drinks
Aug 2: AF
Aug 3: AF
Aug 4: AF
Aug 5: AF
Aug 6: AF
Aug 7: 2 drinks
Aug 8: AF
Aug 9: 2 drinks
Aug 10: 3/4 of a bottle of wine
Aug 11: 3/4 of a bottle of wine
Aug 12: AF
Aug 13: AF
Aug 14: AF
Aug 15: 3 drinks
Aug 16: AF
Aug 17: AF
Aug 18: 2 drinks
Aug 19: 3 drinks
Aug 20: 5 drinks
Aug 21: 6 drinks
Aug 22: 1 drink
Aug 23: AF
Aug 24: AF
Aug 25: AF
Aug 26: AF
Aug 27: AF

So far in Aug: 16/27 AF days

Samand303 · August 2020

@shorepine I also love oysters but I have never tried them BBQ/grilled. I’ll have to see if I can find them on Cape Cod when we go. I think it’s great that you can get away for camping. These moments are what we will look back on in winter, so Enjoy something around a campfire.

@chocolate_owl Finding stress relief tactics is hard. I am not into exercise but I do find if I can just step outside, peek at the sky, listen to the neighborhood (suburban mom here), it helps. I like the idea of a favorite chair. I have a couple types of tea that I only make when I’m stressed. Maybe that would be a compromise for you. Hang in there and check in here anytime!

@MissMay You’ve got this!

Samand303 · August 2020

A dry path forward...

Less Alcohol - AUGUST 2020 - One Day at a Time

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