Less Alcohol - SEPTEMBER 2020 - One Day at a Time

New to this challenge for September!

Last week was AF for 4 out of 7 days, would like to improve that to 5 out of 7 days this week. All about the moderation!

Week 1 September Goals: At least 4 days/nights AF. When drinking, drink in moderation, measure drinks & make sure they fit in calories with a deficit. Try not to drink 2 days/nights in a row.

Monday 8/31: Alcohol Free. My husband, who is trying to lower his drinking also, really wanted a drink last night. I think he was looking for me to cave, so he could have something but I was not at all interested. I reminded him, we just drank wine the night before and he relented. I have a much easier time not drinking then he does and we have different reasons for wanting to limit our drinking. It would be easier to do this without him joining in, but it is better for us in the long run to keep each other accountable.

9/1: Alcohol Free and not a word out of my husband about it! I plan to be AF today as well, he is social distancing with a friend outside on the deck this evening, so will likely have a few beers. But I'm not tempted to join, helps I don't particularly like this friend (just kidding, kind of)!

9/2: Alcohol Free. it turned into a rainy day/night here, so husband's outdoor plans got canceled, so he joined me in being AF. Was super proud of him for that, after mentally he had already been planning on a social drink. My main goal in being AF is too assist with my weight loss and overall feeling my best on a daily basis. My husband is leaning more towards he has issues with his drinking and needs to get it under control. If I am committed to being AF for the day, I don't even think about drinking. However when I do drink, moderation goes out the window, which is a major hurdle I need to overcome. But mainly food is my issue. I told him yesterday, I am currently in a good place with controlling my urges to overeat but I think about binging on junk food everyday, he said he feels the same but with alcohol.

9/3: Alcohol Free. Husband had 2 drinks after work (his 1st this week!), which he had planned, but I stayed AF. Current thought is not to have anything to drink until we go to the beach next week. I plan to drink on vacation but want to work really hard to do so in moderation. I'm in a good place with my weight loss right now and do not want to back track with that with drinking too much. Think maybe a different planned fun (but lower calorie) cocktail for each beach night and limit those to 2 servings. If I drink wine, it is so easy for me to over drink.

9/4: Alcohol Free. Super busy and long day at work trying to get everything in order before leaving town and I was so ready for a drink when I was done. A couple of glasses of wine fit into my calories but the thought that I had already posted here my plan to stay AF until the beach kept me accountable and I resisted the urge. Husband had 2 bourbons when he got home from work after a hard 12+ hour day.

9/5: Alcohol Free. Another on the go day and not at all interested in drinking. Husband had a 15 hour day + a bourbon tasting at work (he's a chef) and then had 1 drink when he got home late night. He is always going to be the guy who wants a drink to unwind at the end of a long hard workday. I'm okay with that. But I do think me not drinking along with him keeps him to just the "unwinding" drink instead of excessive drinking. Just trying to get us both to a moderate happy balance.

9/6:


This week's successes:
This week's challenges:

September 1st - 6th alcohol free and I'm racking up the running miles. I don't drink 6 days in and I run and I run and I run, which is why I'm feeling so much better this month. Reset was needed and I'm not having cravings, which is a huge blessing. I'm done obsessing over the stuff that gets me nowhere.

Made it! Thanks for making me accountable by being here.

DH had a beer + 2 rum & diet cokes (the rum bottle is now empty). I sipped a Fresca. So I made my 4 AF days for this week. Now on to the challenges of next week!

Welcome @jessgetsatit !

jessgetsatit wrote: »

So far in Sept (it's really bad, I used the holiday as an excuse to give up on myself):

But you haven't given up on yourself! You're here! Treating yourself with a little compassion for being a human who struggles sometimes can go a long way

I am Dawn. 59 (for 12 more days), I live in SE BC
My goal has remained the same, one that I feel comfortable with: 16-20AF days each month.

September might prove challenging, since I will be going away and having some sort of self-indulgent holiday for part of the 2 weeks that I have booked off from all of my jobs. So looking forward to a break from work, got kind of spoiled during the lockdown. I was living my best life - lack of stress allowed me to lose weight, I drank less, worked out more, got the garden tilled and planted etc.

Tuesday September 01 - AF - I felt like having drinks, but can't be starting a new month out that way!
Wednesday September 02 - AF
Thursday September 03 - AF - I might have drinks after work tomorrow, we'll see.
Friday September 04 - Drinks. I ended up buying 4 packs of strawberries since they were on sale, 2 pounds for 97c each. I made Strawberry Daquiris with fresh lemons and Stevia. I really enjoyed them.
Saturday September 05 - AF - I satisfied myself yesterday with my fruity cocktails.
Sunday September 06 - AF - Felt like having drinks, didn't.
Monday September 07 - AF - Getting tested/fitted for hearing aids in the morning, so thought that I had better not have drinks tonight.
Tuesday September 08 - Drinks. Kind of a mash-up between happy to end my ridiculous work day (stress) and relaxing. I had kind of vowed not to drink to relieve stress, I partially failed on that account, but it worked (as it does). Oh, I got hearing aids this morning! Argh, I can now hear my thighs rubbing together!! Ack

Rolling total 6AF days out of 8 days so far.

And on this note: by @dawnbgethealthy
"Oh, I got hearing aids this morning! Argh, I can now hear my thighs rubbing together!! Ack"

THANKS I totally spit my glug of morning coffee across the room when I read this.

Almost did the same thing!! Love these morning chuckles.

@chocolate_owl we promise to keep socially distant with a place that big!

For me, DH and I are heading to Cape Cod on Saturday for a week. Last year, this was our “empty nest kick-off”. Of course that lasted 6 months and son is now studying from home! I don’t think we were quite ready to be left on our own yet, so that’s my pandemic silver lining.

Anyhow, my DH is a heavy drinker and sometimes there’s tension that I’m not drinking like I used to (2-3 wine or beer a night). Vacation may be a struggle for me to keep on the LESS side of things. I’m planning to take with me my AF beer, low-cal IPA, and diet ginger beer. These will give me easy options to be social/drinking. I’m sure I’ll pick up a bottle of wine for the week too, just don’t want 3-4 bottles of wine like last year! Wish me luck and share any advice!!
~ Samand

@mainelylisa & @MissMay I am dying over here! I NEVER realized there were a couple ways my handle could be pronounced! Oh my gosh....I am a little embarassed and also find this waay too hilarious to change.

It is supposed to be jess gets at it. I am on a mission! What a perv I would be if I went with jess gets a tit! bahahaha!

Anyhoo....haha


My DH and I are taking our 3 year old camping this weekend. We are going with two couples that we normally get together to drink with. I haven't decided if I am drinking or not. I really feel like I need to cut the booze for a long while. I am just shot from drinking too much. I am also having trouble with my teenage daughter right now (she is 15, soon to be 16), and I cannot be the best I can be when I'm on the bottle.

According to her, I don't care about her and she thinks it's easier for everyone if she just lives with her dad (we have been divorced 10 years and I am remarried)! I am heartbroken and have no idea how to handle this. Her dad plays a huge role here and he just hasn't been respectful of my wishes for our daughter, ever really, but in the last two years it's gotten disrespectful. There is so much to this, but the bottom line is I don't have a clue how to fix it.

So I don't know where I go from here. I don't even feel like working today I just want to lay in bed and cry. I am not looking forward to camping this weekend, or being around anyone.

9/01: Drank
9/02: Drank
9/03: Drank
9/04: Drank
9/05: Drank
9/06: Drank
9/07: AF
9/08: AF
9/09:

Week 1 of September was AF for 7 out of 7 days

Week 2 September Goals: At least 4 days/nights AF. When drinking, drink in moderation, measure drinks & make sure they fit in calories with a deficit. Try not to drink 2 days/nights in a row.

9/7: Alcohol Free. What!?!? I didn't have my planned wine last night. I'm super surprised! There will be Margaritas tonight though. I really can't see me making these and not having one. I've got 2 pre-logged into today's calories in MFP already.

9/8: 2 Drinks. I made Margaritas last night, a new recipe, and so delicious! Today, I woke up with the worst puffy eyes from them. We are making cocktails again tonight, will keep that to 2 drinks again and then be AF for the rest of the week.

9/9:
9/10:
9/11:
9/12:
9/13:

Sounds like almost everyone had a good holiday weekend. Nice !!
I spent a couple days away from home myself, in the local hospital ICM unit recovering from a "stress related NSTEMI & acute bronchospasm" . Me, stress ?? Another issue to blame on the Toddler In Chief.
Now on a no-news diet [trying to not cheat]. Gained a shelf full of meds that the Dr. says are just temporary, and lost 7 pounds since Friday night. Good news on both counts, no ??
Despite loving kittysitting by Middle Daughter, Catpuccino has attached himself to my ankle, and sleeps on top of me every night. Abandonment issues ??
Still plan to be AF until November, even though Dr. says some alcohol is OK.

I came sooooo close to saying..."kitten it!" and opening a bottle tonight. OK I don't have any bottles, but a partial and maybe full can. Followed by a swig of hard whatever.

I've always struggled with meeting friends--maybe a combo of small to no family, introvertish, moving around a lot, and attaching myself to guys who don't have or want much of a social life. But I've worked hard to start a Meetup, reach out to neighbors, and connect where I can online and in person. I'm about to lose it. Even though y'all are great and it really does help me feel less lonely, it's not the same as being there. (Except @MissMay cuz she *was* there ) Work pretty much consists of my interacting with systems. I haven't seen my kids since Dec. Finally had coffee with my neighbor friend after trying for 3 weeks (she has lots of friends/family). Other than DH, I rarely see anyone or get together these days because people are busy or holing up (but mostly busy with family/friends). Of 3 friends I've made here, one moved to Utah, one moved in w/ bf an hour away, and the other is spending lots of time at camp with her DH and all their camp friends. I tried to talk to DH tonight (no wine), and he doesn't get it--says I'm having a day (meaning he's my expert hormonologist). I said when we're at Moosehead, I've got to try to find a way to meet and connect with people and hopefully meet some people to do activities with. Even if it means while he's fishing, walking down to the lodge and reading/writing, or playing poker with myself while people watching and possibly even a striking up a little people chit chat. Is that so crazy? Otherwise, I'm isolated in a cabin working, cooking, reading, or outside on a x-country trail alone. All winter.

3/9 AF days. I should get triple credit for AF today, which would put me at my goal. Jeez, didn't mean to write a book. Well, I do mean to write a book, but didn't mean for this to be it!

MissMay wrote: »

Ok, feeling like chopped liver over here. @mainelylisa ........darlin, I am getting together with YOU on TUESDAY. Hold on Hun.

I know and I'm <3<3--that's why I mentioned you @MissMay ! I wish I could clone you so we can get together more than once a year!