Less Alcohol - SEPTEMBER 2020 - One Day at a Time

I am Dawn. 59 (for 10 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
Wednesday September 09 - AF - Very early morning and long work day tomorrow, so no booze tonight.
Thursday September 10 - AF - Too tired tonight to even mix up a drink. Another early busy day tomorrow.
Friday September 11 - Drinks. Strawberry Daquiris to start, used only a half of a shot. Yup, still using up those strawberries that I got on a great deal, I eat them every morning for breakfast. I flirted with the idea of not drinking again until my birthday, 9 days, but then was like...nope. I do intend to drink every day on my holiday (like I did last year in Dallas, never to excess of course, don't want to puke), so part of the flirtation was to kind of "save up" my drinking days. No regrets on drinks tonight. I stopped by a friend's place when arriving back into town from a job in another town. I knew by the clock in my car that she would just be getting off of work. She drinks white wine and offered me some, amongst other options. I declined. Once I got home and realized that work was done for the week and that it was so beautiful out after working indoors all day, I was just like...yeah. Having cocktails. Still cognizant of wanting to squeak out 8 more AF days before the end of the month.

Rolling total 8AF days out of 11 days so far.

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: 5 drinks. The Rosé got the better of me last night. Felt terrible today as a result. Don't think I am drinking again this week but we'll see.

9/10: Alcohol Free, Came back home from the beach exhausted, not sure from what, maybe drinking 2 nights in a row? Lately (before mid August) I was drinking if not every night, most nights and I was always tired and wanting to nap. So maybe this was the cause yesterday too.

9/11: Alcohol Free, no drinks for either me or husband last night. Glad we were able to enjoy our vacay and come back and get right back into AF.

9/12:
9/13

Sept 1-7: 4 days AF, 3 drinks total
Sept 8: AF
Sept 9: AF
Sept 10: AF
Sept 11: 2 wine

Husband and I work together in different departments. I got assigned a project a while back that really should not have been tasked to me alone, so yesterday I enlisted husband's help. It's a high-pressure project - if it's not done right, it will be very costly long-term. Things got tense and argumentative at times. At the end of the day, I told him it was time to stop being mildly hostile coworkers and go back to being husband and wife, so we opened a bottle of wine and sat outside enjoying the weather. Split the whole bottle, got a little tipsy, enjoyed a nice evening together. Did not open a second bottle, did not have a nightcap, did not have hangovers, and did not start off this morning with mimosas, so I think we're doing ok.

@Lilylady3k We're making the drive from Texas! I know Texas is huge, but I'm wondering if we're unknowingly neighbors.

@dawnbgethealthy Our government is exhausting and enraging. I'm really worried about the health and safety of my family. Many are conservative and are following the president's lead, and I go back and forth between being really mad that they might be risking their health and the health of others vs. just not wanting anything bad to happen to people I (sometimes begrudgingly) love. I'm sorry you can't visit your friends right now, and I hope they're staying safe. And I'm with you on the drinking-on-vacation plan... The challenge will be to keep it moderate since we'll be mostly enjoying our oversized cabins instead of being out doing things.

@AR10at50 My friend lives in San Francisco, and she's been texting me a lot more than usual because of trapped-inside boredom and stress. Says it's hot, but they can't open the windows. Hope you guys are holding up ok where you are.

Would also like to know if @shorepine is safe!!

@globalhiker @Doxmum Welcome back from your MFP-induced exile! This site is something else sometimes.

@lilylady3k I'm from Houston! Grew up in Clear Lake and then moved back to West Houston when helping parents. I don't miss the traffic. Or the roaches, lol.

Well, this picture = my humor of the day.


Here's the order:

1. Coffee & pb toast
2. Glass of wine while w(h)ining w/ coworker
3. Swordfish for dinner w/ wine and then cocktail
4. Woke up (could alcohol be the cause???) at 1:30am, so had a big shot of vodka to get sleepy and just because
5. Got munchies and went to junkfoodtown in the kitchen

Made myself get through a HiiT this morning and was feeling those drinks big time. Then I gave blood--yay! Hope there wasn't vodka in it. Cocktail w/ lunch on a deck with glorious weather. Nothing since.

I don't think we've yet seen anything from @shorepine ? She's in my thoughts.

Hope y'all are safe and getting some relaxation in...

4/12 days AF

Good to be back! Although I have to say, yesterday was the 19th anniversary of 9/11. It is somewhat personal for me since I was working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. We could see the smoke from the Pentagon from our break room windows. Life as I knew it changed that day. 'Nuff said.

Now to catch up. Whew! @dawnbgethealthy - thank you for the clarification on my user name. Yes! It is all about Dachshunds, all the time. No, I'm not that person who ferrets out and then posts my perceived enemie's personal information ("doxing") on the internet. Not that I haven't been tempted....

@forestdweller1 - you had a NSTEMI? Even though it was not an S-T elevated Myocardial Infarction. You still had a heart attack, albeit small. I'm glad you were discharged after only 2 days. It speaks to how small the area of infarct was. Yep - stay away from the news. He only keeps getting worse.

@chocolate_owl - I lived in Colorado Springs while working at Ft. Carson. What are you doing in Woodland Park? Is there good hiking? I wasn't there long enough to find out. Of course, Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods. When are you going?

@Samand303 -

@mainelylisa - you never fail to crack me up! I love puns, and it took me a second read to get past the present to the future (I crack me up too). Where do you get Biden drinking glasses? And where do you live now? Since TX? I think it's much harder to make friends as we "mature." Lord knows the pandemic has NOT helped. For what it's worth, I grew up in the military, changing schools every 2-3 years. It got harder as I got older, especially High School. You mentioned X-country skiing. Are you in New England? Because there must be X-country ski clubs, hiking clubs, book clubs etc. How about the local Democratic party? Or is everything too far away? Where/what is Moosehead? Besides a Canadian beer.

My j
next batch of kombucha brewing in my sewing room!
I like sipping on it while making dinner.

I am Dawn. 59 (for 5 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. Soooo 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
Wednesday September 09 - AF - Very early morning and long work day tomorrow, so no booze tonight.
Thursday September 10 - AF - Too tired tonight to even mix up a drink. Another early busy day tomorrow.
Friday September 11 - Drinks. Strawberry Daquiris to start, used only a half of a shot in each. Yup, still using up those strawberries that I got on a great deal, I eat them every morning for breakfast. I flirted with the idea of not drinking again until my birthday, 9 days, but then was like...nope. I do intend to drink every day on my holiday (like I did last year in Dallas, never to excess of course, don't want to puke), so part of the flirtation was to kind of "save up" my drinking days. No regrets on drinks tonight. I stopped by a friend's place when arriving back into town from a job in another town. I knew by the clock in my car that she would just be getting off of work. She drinks white wine and offered me some, amongst other options. I declined. Once I got home and realized that work was done for the week and that it was so beautiful out after working indoors all day, I was just like...yeah. Having cocktails. Still cognizant of wanting to squeak out 8 more AF days before the end of the month.
Saturday September 12 - AF - A friend came by who I would normally have made a cocktail for and joined her, it was very tempting, but I had drinks yesterday, so abstained. Kind of saving up some days for my trip.
Sunday September 13 - AF - I have a busy couple of work days ahead prior to my trip. Going to stay AF until ... at least a couple/few days more.
Monday September 14 - AF - 2 more days left of the 100 day weight loss challenge, so going to tough it out AF.
Tuesday September 15 - AF - Really really wanted drinks now that all of my jobs are done for 2 weeks. Abstained for the last day of the 100 day weight loss challenge weigh-in tomorrow morning. Good to rack up a few AF days anyway, since I plan on having drinks on my vacay.

Rolling total 12AF days out of 15 days so far.

September Week 1 = 7 Days AF
September Week 2 = 5 Days AF

9/14: Alcohol Free, Really wanted a glass of wine but did not have any. We are social distancing with friends on Tuesday, so will not be AF then. Maybe will try to be AF 6 days this week, although 5 is probably more realistic.

9/15: Had 2.5 drinks last night as planned. The upside of having a few drinks: got a great night sleep. The downside of having a few drinks: woke up wanting to eat all the foods but I will resist that urge!
9/16
9/17
9/18
9/19
9/20