Less Alcohol - FEBRUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

MissMay · February 2021

Lilylady3k wrote: »

2 glasses of wine which I planned. My sister joined us for dinner & movie. My sister and I shared a bottle of white which DH drank one glass before opening a red for himself. My sister and I decided to not open the 2nd white and stopped at 2 glasses each and watched the movie. DH later opened the 2nd white and had another glass after the red was gone. Challenging but I stuck with no more than 2 glasses for myself!

Super goal setting control @Lilylady3k. 😉

MissMay · February 2021

@Womona what a wonderful treat to have your husband cutting back also. It will be easier to get through situations with alcohol that may have been tricky in the past. Congrats to you both. And, I have not had a cosmo like FOREVER I remember them as looking very elegant.

My planned drink day is today. Late afternoon. First drink this month and or in a few weeks, so it has to be worth the taste.
SIP it, don't SLURP it. I really need this reminder on a t-shirt. I have always drank all beverages quickly, even hot black coffee. I must have been in some sort of wolf pack in an earlier life where I needed to guzzle water and gulp down food so no other pack members took it. (That is the story I am going with)

Happy successful weekend to all.

lisamestiza2021 · February 2021

-45 C here today and for the next few days. i'm so tempted to get my SO to pick something up *if the car starts* today. winter is brutal to get through... i will try to stick out this day. haven't had anything since Jan 21. cross fingers

lisamestiza2021 · February 2021

MissMay wrote: »

@Womona what a wonderful treat to have your husband cutting back also. It will be easier to get through situations with alcohol that may have been tricky in the past. Congrats to you both. And, I have not had a cosmo like FOREVER I remember them as looking very elegant.

My planned drink day is today. Late afternoon. First drink this month and or in a few weeks, so it has to be worth the taste.
SIP it, don't SLURP it. I really need this reminder on a t-shirt. I have always drank all beverages quickly, even hot black coffee. I must have been in some sort of wolf pack in an earlier life where I needed to guzzle water and gulp down food so no other pack members took it. (That is the story I am going with)

Happy successful weekend to all.

you and me both, wolf sister.

globalhiker · February 2021

OK, Day 5 AF done....no cravings! intermittent sleep but better than yesterday.
Did take 2 Olly stress gummies at 4pm then 2 Olly sleep gummies at 9pm. Next week I will stop the supplements.

The worst with physical discomfort is OVER!!

@lisamestiza2021 good idea about the flavored seltzers. I love Pellegrino for the mineral taste and will experiment with that and "Sodastream" drops sold in our US Target stores. This way I can design my own drinks. I have stevia and it's just OK, I don't love it, but I will try Agave drops instead.

Now I have to study how to mimic the flavors in a good italian Pinot Grigio

lisamestiza2021 · February 2021

globalhiker wrote: »

OK, Day 5 AF done....no cravings! intermittent sleep but better than yesterday.
Did take 2 Olly stress gummies at 4pm then 2 Olly sleep gummies at 9pm. Next week I will stop the supplements.

The worst with physical discomfort is OVER!!

@lisamestiza2021 good idea about the flavored seltzers. I love Pellegrino for the mineral taste and will experiment with that and "Sodastream" drops sold in our US Target stores. This way I can design my own drinks. I have stevia and it's just OK, I don't love it, but I will try Agave drops instead.

Now I have to study how to mimic the flavors in a good italian Pinot Grigio

if you're able to do that - please send me the science for pinot grigio *oh - and prosecco too*

mainelylisa · February 2021

1 out of 15 glasses goal for Feb. And boy did I feel it! And enjoy it!

Had a difficult convo w/ DH telling him my new goals, how I plan to mitigate, etc. I was smart enough to have this conversation completely sober. He got upset, brought up the past, what he's had to deal with, how I've tried to moderate unsuccessfully before, why is this different, telling me I should quit, why do I want to drink, etc. (I answered that question with Who are you? My therapist, lol.) It's a valid question. I reminded him he said we could drink together occasionally, but I don't want to have to discuss and plan it and do it according to when he says it's ok. I said I am not my past. I am learning and doing the work. THAT'S what's different. I must do this on MY terms--not his. Not my therapist's. MINE. And so that's what I'm doing. If I fail, I will evaluate and mitigate. Even if I stick to 15 drinks/month, but I'm spending too much time thinking about it, or I'm wanting more, or I feel like crap the next day, then it's interfering with life and I will adjust.

I've realized that perhaps many of the things I thought were just "my" problem aren't just mine. It's just surfacing, because before I would not allow my mind to go there. I would use alcohol to put problems in a box. (And occasionally too much alcohol would make me shake that box in his face in a really ugly way which I never remember.) But then I'd go back to using alcohol to help me be "nice" and not talk (and often not even allow myself to recognize) issues.

So very thankful for this group. Even though I haven't had much opportunity to post and comment recently, I catch up with reading while I can and am so inspired by the insight and determination by everyone to do better. In their own way.

Trish1c · February 2021

Now the hard part.

With Dry January being over, I went to the store & bought a case of wine. I need to prove to myself I can resist temptation.

DH & I drank last night, which was planned. I was tipsy after 1 glass in part because we were drinking on an empty stomach. I did over do it. I drank about 3/4 of the bottle but hey at least I didn't drink the whole bottle! That's something. Baby steps, right?

Now I'm paying for it. I woke up hung over. It's been a long time since that happened & it's a lesson. I don't want to feel like this. I'm exhausted & drained. Not good.

Oddly all day yesterday I knew I was going to drink & I was uneasy. I worried what it was going to be like, how bad it was going to be. Now I know & hopefully this bad feeling will keep me on track.

It was nice to sit & chat with DH like we used to. We have to figure out ways to connect like that without booze.

Given how lousy I feel this morning, I don't think I will be indulging tonight, especially since I plan to have something while watching the Super Bowl. Oddly, I'm usually the one who doesn't drink during the game because I'm the designated driver. But if I start applying my bar rules -- one drink, one bottle of water, alternating -- at home I may just be OK.

I want to get to a point where I control my drinking & it doesn't control me.

The empty wine calories did put me over my goal but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

@mainelylisa That sounds like it was a tough discussion but good for you for having it.

@globalhiker congrats on 5 days!

@MissMay sipping & moderation are good. I was impressed with myself last night at how slowly I did drink. It's not a race.

chocolate_owl · February 2021

AF last night. I had to get behind the wheel of a car for 3 errands yesterday, and the last time involved sitting in traffic. Driving has always been a great way to flare my back up, and I guess I’m still healing (or surgery didn’t really work

). Anyway, had to take a painkiller, so no drinks for me.

2/1 - AF
2/2 - AF
2/3 - 2 Drinks
2/4 - 1 Drink
2/5 - AF

Husband made a super indulgent breakfast this morning, so I think I’m gonna be lucky to have calories left for dinner tonight, much less drinks...

dawnbgethealthy · February 2021

Womona wrote: »

I learned from a nutritionist that because alcohol is a toxin, our bodies deal with getting rid of the toxin first. Meanwhile the food, carbs, fat etc we eat are just stored because our bodies are too busy dealing with the alcohol.

Yes, it is not so much the calories from drinks (although they count), it is that the fat burning furnace turns off completely as soon as alcohol is introduced.

Trish1c · February 2021

Whoa! @Womona & @dawnbgethealthy I did not know that. It explains a LOT. Thanks.

dawnbgethealthy · February 2021

Hi
I originally decided to drink less to lose weight.
I have been on this thread since Nov 28.18
Thank you to @MissMay for keeping us going.

I am going to post with my usual diary style to keep track of my AF days.
I will be keeping to my usual goal of 16-20 AF days per month. It is manageable for me and doesn't put too much pressure on me. So far I have been able to keep with it. One month I raised the goal and failed miserably, so I learned from that. I think this is my sweet spot.

Monday Feb 01 - AF - Had to at least start the month with an AF day to set the tone for myself.
Tuesday Feb 02 - Drinks. I used to always designate Tuesdays as my "drinks" day, because it is a very long work day paying very little. I worked to get away from that behaviour and was successful many times. My willpower didn't hold out tonight. I want to only have drinks NOT to relieve stress. I just stumbled a little.
Wednesday Feb 03 - AF - Planned AF
Thursday Feb 04 - AF - Because I needed 2 in a row. Planned drinks with my bubble friend tomorrow, but we'll see.
Friday Feb 04 - Drinks

Rolling total 3AF days out of 5 days

Fit_Happens_2021 · February 2021

February
2/1 - AF
2/2 - AF
2/3 - AF
2/4 - AF
2/5 - 3 wine

I would rather last night had only been 2 wines, but I'm glad it wasn't 4, I'll take it as a good week overall so far

globalhiker · February 2021

I found a decent de-alcoholized wine!!!!
Rondel Zero from Spain. It's a Cava and tastes quite like prosecco.
I picked it because it listed 2/3rd less sugar/carbs compared to the Fre brand I hated. It's got excellent effervescence and a pear flavor.
40 calories.
I'd say the sweetness is still a wee bit too much for me. I added a splash of Pellegrino to it for minerality and to reduce the sweetness a bit.

Found it at Total Wine in the U.S., about $10 but this will work for days like Superbowl, Valentine's, and the occasional weekend my grown kids come over and we have dinners.

lisamestiza2021 · February 2021

globalhiker wrote: »

I found a decent de-alcoholized wine!!!!
Rondel Zero from Spain. It's a Cava and tastes quite like prosecco.
I picked it because it listed 2/3rd less sugar/carbs compared to the Fre brand I hated. It's got excellent effervescence and a pear flavor.
40 calories.
I'd say the sweetness is still a wee bit too much for me. I added a splash of Pellegrino to it for minerality and to reduce the sweetness a bit.

Found it at Total Wine in the U.S., about $10 but this will work for days like Superbowl, Valentine's, and the occasional weekend my grown kids come over and we have dinners.

of course its in the states where i do not live!

globalhiker · February 2021

@Trish1c sounds like it's that wine devil that gave you the idea to buy a case of wine. I know his thinking all too well!! The important thing to have a plan for the day, of your choosing. No plan leaves us vulnerable to the wine devil.

You can do this and you are stronger than him too

Lilylady3k · February 2021

Didn’t realize there we so many different types of bitters. SPECS downtown Houston.

Trish1c · February 2021

I didn't know there were so many bitters either. Wow

lmlmrn · February 2021

dawnbgethealthy wrote: »

Womona wrote: »

I learned from a nutritionist that because alcohol is a toxin, our bodies deal with getting rid of the toxin first. Meanwhile the food, carbs, fat etc we eat are just stored because our bodies are too busy dealing with the alcohol.

Yes, it is not so much the calories from drinks (although they count), it is that the fat burning furnace turns off completely as soon as alcohol is introduced.

Those few sentences say volumes, your calorie intake may be under your plan but the alcohol just killed all the good you are doing

CryingBlue · February 2021

Still AF for this month. Trying to find a place to eat out tonight that is not outdoors. I really don't want to sit outside in my nice dress freezing my rear off.

Less Alcohol - FEBRUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

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