Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

MissMay · January 2021

@lmlmrn and @CryingBlue these are all little steps for us all. Having a day/evening of alcohol is not the end of a GREAT JANUARY for you. Look how many AF days you both had before the other night. I applaude you both.
You both are giving nessacery accountability. Being honest with yourselves and us. 👍👏

MissMay · January 2021

CONGRATULATIONS @Womona on your AF night. Goodness what did your Son do, tear a ligament or something
Glad to have you back keeping yourself and us in check.

MissMay · January 2021

inspired by @mainelylisa

TheSunAndTheRainfall · January 2021

Went a full 7 days AF, went to the cupboard for a drink afterwards and realised that I didn't have anything in, so it became 8 days by accident...! Broke it last night, though strangely I didn't *feel* like a binge or anything, I just fixed myself a martini and called it a night

I wonder if anyone else has noticed the effect going AF has on the appetite? I haven't been as ravenous the day after as I used to be, and I'm thinking it's the absence of alcohol. It's been great for my calorie goals

DancingMoosie · January 2021

I tried 2 new teas yesterday to stay away from coffee and alcohol. Afternoon: chocolate rooibos with soymilk and a dash of chipotle powder
Evening: Ginger +probiotic

mainelylisa · January 2021

It's a new week! I slept through the night for the first time in a while. Unfortunately, in addition to drinking dreams where I at some point realize I'm supposed to be taking a break, I'm now having unmasked dreams. I'm in some crowded public place and realize I'm not wearing a mask. Nor is anyone else. Where am I, what am I doing here, where's my mask? I guess it's too much to sleep through the night AND have glorious dreams.

@Lilylady3k Oh wow! What a story! Still think it's book-worthy. I work for a cybersecurity company and sure would like to retire/figure out how to work part-time. It's on my list. Even working from home, I'm not getting time to exercise and running to the kitchen for pretzels for lunch while on non-stop calls is not Zen for sure.

@MissMay I certainly did fall. Twice. I'm searching for a tailbone pad on amazon, but think it's gonna be Depends next time!

@dawnbgethealthy I shared my excitement of skating on Nextdoor.com, and several people were so grateful as they didn't know about the pond skating so close. One woman said her homebound mom watches all afternoon from her window overlooking the pond and asked people to wave to her.

Congrats! @Womona!

@lmlmrn Great strategy--out of house out of mind.

I'm gonna do something BOLD today.

11/11 days AF

Lilylady3k · January 2021

@mainelylisa - I totally understand working from home stress! DH worked from home since 1996 and myself since 2000 (but I did have a local office 45 miles away) ... but between the traveling and time zone challenge calls with Europe, India, Asia, Australia and across the US I sat in my chair way too much and did not get the exercise. My suggestion is ... get up and move at least once per hour and try to focus on something beside the screen during that time. Toward the end of my work career I finally started standing during calls or lift hand weights if I could. It helped but whew I was happy when DH and I agreed that I really didn't need to work any more.

Retire if you can answer YES to these 3 questions:
- Have you had enough?
- Do you have enough?
- Do you have something else to do?

Sweet_Pandora · January 2021

Hello Everyone,

I'm Karen in Ontario Canada

I've been on and off MFP for many years and received lots of inspiration and met my goals so when I wanted to get back on track and take care of myself this is where I came.

My alcohol consumption like many has increased during COVID. I was drinking daily 1 to 2 glasses of wine which I didn't think was alot until I realized in the morning I was waking up and trying to remember the night before and going to bed. Not a good feeling.

One glass of wine and then one more then a splash and then I was blacking out, still talking, function and interacting with my husband but no recollection the next morning. Until I mentioned it to him, he had no idea!

Today is day 4 of being AF. I'm proud of myself.

Proud, I noticed my problem and proud that I am taking action to take care of myself and my health.

I'm so glad that I found this thread for support and inspiration.

lilann1961 · January 2021

Yearly Goals:
1) Make my bed everyday. - EVERYDAY!! Woohoo!
2) Walk at the minimum once a day. - Every day but one day due to timing/errands of when I normally walk, but I made up for it the next day by walking twice as long.
3) Dry January - 8/10 days AF
4) Stay close to calorie goals. - So far so good! I am tracking everything, the good, the bad and the ugly.
5) Read/Finish one book a week (52 book goal for year) - I somehow left this one off the list initially. I am an avid reader and love this goal! Finished Book #1 yesterday and started Book #2!!

I have a foster dog that needs put down due to a myriad of reasons, but I feel horrible making the call. I am usually the one that fixes them up. I haven't been able to fix her, and her issues are both mental and physical. Her behaviors have actually retriggered my anxiety. It has been a looooooong month, including the fact that my son has lingering side effects from Covid (he is only 10, so he should have "bounced back" technically) and I had to test my daughter (age 11). I think that is why these goals are so important to me.

I drank on Saturday, and it wasn't horrible. But still due to giving into stress. I'll still take 8/10 days and on to 11!

Tesha231 · January 2021

I've not checked in for several days and missed some interesting topics! My AF streak has reached 28 days as of yesterday. I remember the movie 28 days with Sandra Bullock. I don't recall the significance of the number is but am happy to get this far just the same lol. What I do know it means is that for me, even one drink will kick me back into old habits so it leads me to a question for @DancingMoosie. I wonder about the tea you drink: chocolate rooibos with soy milk/dash of chipotle. Sound yummy! Pretty sure that is more than a tea bag--which is the extent of "tea time" creations today. Can you share how you make that tea and share any other "tea tip secrets" you have? For whatever reason, caffeine-free tea a couple times a day helps me not think of alcohol treats.
@TheSunAndTheRainfall Drinking alcohol absolutely increased my hunger the next morning and pointed me to less than nutritious food as well. Could have been my "punishment" since I don't get the usual hangover symptoms most experience. (Blessing and a curse when trying to quit/cutback.)
@lilylady3k Love your retirement questions. #2 is always the tough one since we do not have a crystal ball, but my fav is #3 and I think that is the least thought about for pre-retirees. After watching the hubs "be bored" since he retired 6 years ago (as well as other friends), I will certainly give that more thought over the next couple of years on my way to my deemed "safe" retirement age of 62.
You all inspire me. Our struggles are real but so is the support here.

brittgreenlikethecolor88 · January 2021

1 Day AF- Yay! Starting the week off right!! Had a couple cravings yesterday evening but made it through by sipping on a diet soda

1 AF day / 1 Day.

Goal- 5 AF Days/ 7 days. (AF Sun-Thurs)

aimeetu · January 2021

I'm starting week two of my first ever Dry January. Got through my first weekend. It wasn't too bad - I am known for my "Cocktail of the Week" pictures and haven't heard from anyone that they were missed so...I am waiting for the better sleep/weight loss benefits to kick in but either way the feeling good about accomplishing my goal is in itself a reward.

lih2 · January 2021

Reading all your threads has been inspiring. I have a goal of AF from January 10 to February 13. Then be AF Sunday to Thursday. I know this will be hard for me but it is something I need to do. Baby steps.... as well as tracking food and exercise

CryingBlue · January 2021

@Womona several years ago I had a night like that. Felt no urge to drink in the least (not like me) we were also camping at the beach, so party drinking atmosphere. Anyways that evening I got a call from a local sheriff that my mom had fallen and I needed to go meet her at the hospital. I was so thankful that I was totally sober to make that 2 hour drive at the last minute.

9 out of 11 days AF

lmlmrn · January 2021

Well I am resetting my counter which is fine. I had two days with a few drinks each night, now the alcohol is no longer in the house so we will begin our count again. For the first time this does not terrify me as it has in the past. Is it because I went a full week AF and didn't die? was able to sleep? did not gain any more weight?
These questions LOL

I love that everyone here is so honest about drinking or being AF
Thank you

globalhiker · January 2021

2 AF/10 days still over here. Would like to get over 12 AF days this month.

@lilann1961 I feel for you having to deal with a difficult decision about your dog. Wish you strength and resilience.

On the topic of retirement, well I have been in "temporary" retirement mode now for over a year and will soon be back in the workforce. I am not a homebody.

BUT I don't want to travel for work anymore, sleep in hotels, fly in bad weather, and start work at 5am to accomodate other time zones. This is what brought on my problems. Unhappiness. Yet I feel like it's wise to take another "full time" job with the full benefits package, deal with it, and put in another 5 years at least.

One side of my brain says: just deal with it and go back full time, everyone else puts up with it

The other says: you need to follow your heart because life is short, happiness more important than money. Take the part time job, make a whole lot less, and adjust your lifestyle.

At a crossroads.....and the wine is not giving me any answers

saggynaggy65 · January 2021

Thank you to the original poster and all the others for sharing! I can relate and I am so happy that I'm not alone in this journey! I am 55 years old and have weekend binge drank for almost forty years. I had a year break when I was pregnant but quickly fell back to my 20 beer weekend habit.

The older I become the worse I feel when I am drinking and many days afterwards. The hangovers are HELL and lately I notice that it is doing me no justice in the aging department. There is really no benefits to keep doing this to myself over and over again. I realize now that I am not a "moderation" type girl. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Back in January of 2019 I decided enough was enough and I joined Annie Grace's 30 day alcohol experiment. I managed to make it to 13 months of sobriety but unfortunately I blew it in February of 2020. I don't know why, I think it was just me wanting to numb out and forget about everything in the world. At the same time I was battling menopause, (hot flashes, severe mood swings) and my seasonal bout of depression. Unfortunately I talked myself into having just one, then it was two and now it is like I never stopped at all. I regret that I gave into the drug so easily, I would have had over 2 years of sobriety by now. In the 13 months that I quit alcohol I felt absolutely amazing! I effortlessly lost 20 pounds, and my checkup at the doctor's after 8 months of abstinence was better than it ever was in my adult life! I even went of my antidepressant I had been on for 14 years! I can't imagine where I would be right now if I didn't succumb to the evil voice in my head telling me I could just moderate.

So here I am back at it. January 2nd, 2021 was/is my quit date, just like it was in 2019. My short term goal is 100 days AF. My long term goal is to kick alcohol to the curb forever. There are no benefits, only wasted days and wasted nights. Anyways, that is my story. Wishing you all an amazing recovery! Take Care! xo

MissMay · January 2021

Lyre's non alcoholic beverages ~ check them out.
They look so delicious.

Lyres.com

dawnbgethealthy · January 2021

New month, new year.
I am Dawn, I live in SE BC

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.

Friday Jan 08 - Drinks. No regrets on that, they weren't stress induced.
Saturday Jan 09 - AF - One of the city outdoor rinks still has ice, the other lots of bare ground. I went for a little skate today once I found that out.
Sunday Jan 10 - AF - Great day outdoors for a big chunk, skating, hiking and stuff. Really really wanted drinks when I got in, but I just had drinks on Friday, so I didn't. I had some really good club soda flavoured with blackberry/tangerine in a wine glass. 0 calories. I had a giant steak and prawns instead of the calories from booze.
Monday Jan 11 - AF - No brainer to stay AF tonight, early long day tomorrow as Tuesdays are for me.

Rolling total 10AF day out of 11 days

DancingMoosie · January 2021

I didn't even have black tea today! One cup of half-caf, plain water all day, one herbal tea tonight. But I ended the day with a headache🤕

Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

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