Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

brittgreenlikethecolor88 · December 2020

I'm back! The holidays/my birthday threw me off a bit over the last couple weeks. Looking forward to cutting back and feeling better in 2021!!

MissMay · December 2020

brittgreenlikethecolor88 wrote: »

I'm back! The holidays/my birthday threw me off a bit over the last couple weeks. Looking forward to cutting back and feeling better in 2021!!

Hey welcome back @brittgreenlikethecolor88. There was a lot going on in your life. Happy belated birthday. Yippee.

MissMay · December 2020

MissMay · January 2021

Boring non-alcoholic drinks MOVE OVER.
Check out this video on Amazon. Lyre's Spirits

https://amazon.com/stores/page/0E08B12C-49C8-48B5-8606-0A7E17D6F975?ingress=0&visitId=fe751e13-303d-4504-962c-563551ff664e

Lilylady3k · January 2021

Family Tradition ... New Year's Day Soup is on the stove!

MissMay · January 2021

HAPPY first morning of 2021.

I hope your evening was enjoyable yet safe like mine.

Where to begin? New day, new year, NEW YOU with a new outlook?

Let's see how many want to start by drinking less.

Possibly a DRY JANUARY to help jump start all the healthy intentions you resolved to last night?

Your choice,but the more the merrier I say.

Here is to 👍ACCOUNTABILITY for what you drink for the next 31 days.

YOUR TURN

>

annliz23 · January 2021

Today is my day 1 🤞🤞

MissMay · January 2021

annliz23 wrote: »

Today is my day 1 🤞🤞

👏 you get a big applause. Taking it day by day is easier than a full year at a time. Welcome

mainelylisa · January 2021

Happy New Year! Welcome @imustbefree ,@SkinnyGirlCarrie & @amg394 & @TheSunAndTheRainfall and welcome back, @Womona !

Thank you, @MissMay (and I did cheers to our second lunchaversary yesterday!) As you said so eloquently, this does get easier. Habits take time to build up. And things take time to figure out. So no matter what, don't anyone beat themselves up while you're figuring out how to drink less.

In for Jan, and plan for it to be a Dry one for me. I scheduled a Dry Jan for my Meetup (w/ over 600 members), and only have one taker so far. After a break since TGiving, I had 3 glasses of bubbly last night (over 4 hours and enjoyed it very much). However, as I suspected I would, woke up feeling like crap. Cheetos for breakfast.

Very different from yesterday where I woke up, ate healthy, ran, lifted weights and felt healthy and happy. I'll take that please.

globalhiker · January 2021

Day 1 of the year started with me setting up a very simple spreadsheet on my desktop, to use for tracking the daily number of drinks. Tracking will be something I will do every night before bed. I'm too lazy to mess with downloading yet another app.

If I mess up one day, I have agreed with myself that I will still be honest with myself, record the daily number and keep track, no matter what. This is better than running away and ignoring or denying the truth.

For me, success all starts with self honesty and self agreement to follow my game plan.

TheSunAndTheRainfall · January 2021

Checking in, Happy New Year everyone! 😊
Rather like @mainelylisa I only had a few glasses of champagne last night and I've spent the day feeling sluggish, I'm looking forward to waking up with a little more energy tomorrow and over the next few days. I think these things have a cumulative effect; less alcohol leads to more energy, which tends to result in better mood and self-discipline, and so better eating habits (for me, anyway)

NalaBellyFIT · January 2021

Hi, everyone! My sister and I decided to take on a dry January this year and I had been dreading it for the past few days. I'm usually a daily wine drinker and look forward to dinnertime so I can enjoy a few glasses. I have to say, I've felt such freedom today not watching the clock for wine-time, since I know that it's not on the agenda today (we'll see how long that lasts, though!). So glad I found this thread and look forward to drinking less in 2021 with all of you!

MissMay · January 2021

What a day
I love ❤love❤ love all the holidays with their seperate decorating. It seems as if I had been decorating heavy from September - December FALL, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The house would flow from one theme to anpther without a blink of an eye.
This morning, bright and early(ok not so early for me, it was a late start at 7:30am) I began disassembling the house of the holidays. It had been 5 weeks since all the Christmas stuff went up including the tree.
Now, here I sit in my house that is totally put away. Not even an evergreen needle to be found on the rug.

Fresh look for a fresh year. Uncluttered with a clean slate.

MissMay · January 2021

In case you indulged a bit to much New Years Eve. This may explain why you have HANGXIETY

Why Does Alcohol Cause “Hangover Anxiety?”
The brain’s effort to rebalance itself chemically post-drinking is a major factor in hangxiety. Like many substances, alcohol disrupts neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. Initially, this can cause a short-lived rush of euphoria. But as these “feel-good” chemicals recede, you may remember all the problems you temporarily forgot about, causing you to feel depressed or anxious.

Alcohol also stimulates the production of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter that slows and calms the brain. Often, medication prescribed to reduce anxiety or improve sleep is designed to increase this brain chemical. If you’ve ever felt more relaxed and cheerful after a few drinks, it’s probably the result of GABA.

After a couple more drinks, your brain also begins to block an excitatory neurotransmitter called glutamate, which studies have linked to anxiety. This generally makes you feel even more relaxed, especially if you already struggle with general anxiety or social anxiety. It can feel as though the chatter in your brain has finally quieted. And for a while, this feels wonderful.

But then, your well-meaning brain embarks on a mission to rebalance these chemicals. It begins to block GABA and produce higher levels of glutamate. Sometimes, this prompts a rapid swing from blissful calm to anxiety and dread.

Making matters worse, you may begin to recall embarrassing or unpleasant moments from the night before. Alternatively, you may recall nothing at all, which can also be alarming. The resulting fear or guilt can multiply the anxiety you’re already feeling.

fitand50inSD · January 2021

Started off the year with drinks. Met a couple on the golf course and stayed for the 19th hole. Drinks weren't planned but are in line with my desire not to drink alone. Plan to go the next 5 or 6 days AF.

1/1 2 drinks

Lilylady3k · January 2021

3oz champagne toast with DH, my mom & her friends that joined us for a late lunch. I did not join in the bourbon & cokes or the beers. Felt good.

dawnbgethealthy · January 2021

New month, new year.
I amassed 19 AF days for December, I am happy with that.

I will post with my usual diary style to keep track of my AF days.
Keeping to my usual goal of 16-20 AF days per month, which is manageable for me and doesn't put too much pressure on me.

January 1 - AF - Had champagne last night, a bit fuzzy this morning but then went for a skate and felt better. Couldn't start off the new month with a drinks day.

Rolling total 1AF day out of 1 day

Lilylady3k · January 2021

globalhiker wrote: »

Lilylady3k wrote: »

Thank you @MissMay for the opportunity to be accountable!

My personal plan for 2021

Note to self --- Remember how hard it used to be? It's easier today than it was a year ago, and it will be a lot easier a year from today as long as I keep practicing my skills and don't give up.

* Primary goal in 2021: Do not drink to excess when drinking. This is most important to me personally … don’t go over 2 drinks in a night.
* Secondary goal this year: Strive for 12-16 AF days per month.
* Monitoring:
* Aim for drinking no more than 3 nights in a row.
* Make sure drinks fit into available calories.
* Don’t let drinking lead to snacking.

I really like your plan and would like to follow it also for January. Maybe I will designate set days to always be AF days, like Tues, Thurs, Sunday so it becomes a new household routine for us. Also including my dear husband.

Now, sticking to 1 or 2 drinks is impossible for me unless I only buy the amount I will consume that day. So I will be limited to those little mini bottles. And maybe that is OK.

@globalhiker - I like your idea of designated set days to always be AF. Previously I would target Mon-Thurs as my AF days and then strive for Fri-Sat as the days I let myself indulge. Sunday was a toggle depending on if I consumed alcohol on a week day I would use Sunday as the make up for an earlier slip. This worked great except DH likes wine most nights and would not keep to my AF free Mon-Thurs evenings with me. This might have been just too strict for him to support. I'll try out your Tues, Thurs, Sunday target and see if that works.

Last year I really worked on the 1-2 drinks very very hard. Once that 3-4 drinks were in hand there is no telling how many I consumed after the 3rd. It was just too easy to continue. That is my primary focus this year ... no more than 2 when I indulge. DH will never be able to support this from his front but I continue to try ... the less I drink the more there is in the bottle of wine for him and I'm trying really hard for the 2nd or 3rd bottle of wine not be uncorked. When my sister is involved it is usually 3-4 bottles of wine for the 3 of us. If the hard liquor is in the house we usually consume it as well. She makes these awesome orange cosmos and keeps them in her fridge which I avoided Aug-Dec last year ... not sure how I accomplished that feat!

So YEP ... out of sight out of mind really does work. Good luck!

MissMay · January 2021

Welcome @NalaBellyFIT what a great idea you and your Sister teaming up to cut back. IF a complete dry January seems overwhelming don't be discouraged. You can still keep going with less drinks recorded then you would normally consume.

My very first attempt at dry January three years ago was better than the past, but not completely dry. Small steps grasshopper.

globalhiker · January 2021

Jan 1: Friday had 2 shots (leftover Hennessey) while cooking dinner. Didn't care for more after. Consumed 1 large bottle of Pellegrino after.

What I did right:

1.did not buy white wine, my usual go-to. I would've convinced myself that it's a "holiday" so OK to slip in one more indulgence.

2. New house rule is moving into the living room after dinner and no eating/drinking allowed after dinner. Except water.

3. Record calories and drinks into tracker at "kitchen close" time - 6:30pm

4. Telling myself that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting better results". Reminds me that if I repeat behaviors from 2020, that is what I get. Behavior change is where it's at.

Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

Replies

Categories