Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

Jan accountability: 1/3 days AF
Jan goal: at least 12 days AF

Jan 1: 2 cognac
Jan 2: 3 beers along with load of popcorn. Bingefest. Disappointed in myself even though I still made it under my calorie goal. All took place in the kitchen.
Jan 3: AF. About time I treated myself with respect.

1 hour Bodypump and increased the barbell weight. Got in 80 gr protein finally. Had Branzino fish for the first time, sauteed 5 min in a bit of unfiltered olive oil and it was amazingly good with just a squeeze of lemon. No spices, no herbs. Incredible flavor for a frozen fish from Turkey purchased at Trader Joes. 110 calories for 1 decent size filet. Paired with steamed french green beans and half a sweet potato seasoned with smoked paprika and red pepper.

3 Days AF here too. This morning I felt noticibly well rested, like I'd slept better, so I took advantage of the melted snow and went for a walk through the nearby woods to blow the cobwebs out from between my ears. I've spent the day feeling very light and fresh, which is something I could definitely get used to! I may have a drink in a few days but I'm going to see if I can stretch it out to a week. A solid 7 days AF will be a good thing for me to acknowledge, mentally.

As we gather, new and old on this post, I could relate to a lot of the previous posts above. Some of those things that have proven to keep me AF (for now anyway) is that
1) hot tea helped change my habit from multiple after work vodka&waters to a flavored tea as I cooked dinner.
2) additional "Sleepytime" (detox or extra strength) hot tea before bedtime, helped me fall asleep as opposed to passing out /then waking up all through the nights. Last night was the first time in 3 weeks I didn't need the tea (or alcohol) to fall asleep--and I slept without waking.
3) Twice now, I provided a shot of Evan Wms Cherry in my hubs ginger beer (at his request) instead of using his single "taste treat" as a reason for me to have my usual drinks--because he wouldn't "know."
4) I am reading again. I used to read a novel every 1-2 weeks. Mid-2020, my visiting daughter asked me why I didn't read anymore. I lied by saying I didn't have time instead of saying by the time I drank through cooking & kitchen chores, my eyes were too tired. I will be finished reading the first book in, forever, yet this week.
5) I'm the opposite of not buying it so I don't drink it. I always used to stash a back-up handle. I purposefully left 1-1/2" in my last handle so I wouldn't run out. That's my back-up now.
6) "Hard to be a Rock Star when it comes to recovery times" - truth! Sadly, my tolerance protected me from knowing that I felt bad even without a headache or other traditional hangover symptoms. I found other things to blame being tired & stressed on--which meant I needed a drink! What I am focused on recovering at the moment is my ability to remember conversations, goals, etc from one day to the next--and finding joy in little things I would have previously overlooked or not attended. Once upon a thread, (likely this one) someone said they had very low tolerance, like they felt horrible if they had two or more drinks. Recently learned from a 30 y.o. that this was her situation too and her ability to recover from a few drinks kept getting worse. That is how she learned she was sensitive to gluten--so maybe others here also have celiac disease which has long term health impacts.
So we are all rock stars in our own ways... I love that we are getting in touch with ourselves in truth on this thread. Thanks @MissMay and all of you for sharing your strengths.

I am failing miserably!

@Tesha231 I totally relate with #5 I have a high tolerance and always have had a high one. I like to blame my scottish genes, but who knows. I can totally drink my husband under the table and he is a tall guy. Oddly I find that endearing about him

Today went well. Got up early and got in a whole hour of book study/reading time before starting school at 8. Things got done today and I was running on time for everything, I really like being punctual. Went to the grocery store and the alcohol did not really look appealing to me, wine a little and oddly beer looked really good. I must be craving carbs as I started back on keto after Christmas. Anyways I walked away with no booze

4 days af. Been a while since I hit 4 days in a row. I'm rethinking my goals, to only 30 days af. Husband and I get a weekend away early February and it would be nice for some wining and dinning with him.

My sister joined us for dinner. 1 bottle of wine for the 3 of us. One glass for me.

Jan accountability: 1/4 days AF
Alcohol: 3 days (4 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month

New month, new year.

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 01 - 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.
January 02 - AF - Kind of felt like continuing the holiday drinks for a couple more days, had to use willpower lol.
January 03 - AF - Planning on AF tomorrow too. I am trying to get rid of a couple of holiday pounds, and not having drinks makes a big difference for me in that regard.
January 04 - AF - Too busy and long of a workday tomorrow to be having drinks tonight. Thankfully one of my jobs is in Kimberley BC, so I will be able to grab a quick skate while up that mountain : - )

Rolling total 4AF day out of 4 days