Less Alcohol ~ JULY 2021 ~ One Day At A Time
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I was AF yesterday so re-starting the count. The mild hangover from Sunday is still lingering (energy zapped).
When I stopped for a couple of months, I started thinking it was OK to have non-AF "days". Only a couple a month. Over time I thought maybe it was OK to introduce a "regular" drinking pattern, ie: weekends only. What happened is that gradually and insidiously, the quantity crept up, then midweek there would be a "stress" event that would trigger a drinking night. There is a fine line....and I've crossed the line and now need to reign myself back. May need to go back to zero drinking in the house.8 -
11 AF for July and counting.
@dethstar77 @Womona I'm no where near taking a 3 month break from drinking but I have noticed that just going from heavy drinking every night to a couple of drinks once or twice a week has made a big difference to how much I feel a drink when I have one or two.
I used to think that my ability to hold my liquor was a "super power" now I know it was a side effect of my years of over indulgence.6 -
3 AF nights in a row and feels great, especially in the morning. Not quitting altogether but cutting back was definitely necessary for my health and wallet.7
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My usual goal, 16-20 AF for the month. This is sustainable long term for me.
Sunday July 18 - AF - Planned cocktails with 3 different sets of people tomorrow. I will keep the first 2 to 1/2 ounce each because they are both in Kimberley where I have a small job first. The last stop is walking distance in Cranbrook, but I won't go hog wild.
Monday July 19 - Drinks - I didn't have any with my first two sets of friends, they had like one, and didn't bat an eye when I said that I would have water. My third stop (back in town) are heavier drinkers, I had a few, but made them myself so made them weak
Rolling total - 9 AF days out of 19 days6 -
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@mainelylisa
I hope so as well. I have also been diligent about exercising as well during this period and started running. Did my first 10K in June and planning a half marathon in October - so these goals keep me focused and away from thinking of the mess that is my personal life. Otherwise I would be drinking heavily like I was last year...
@Womona @Stockholm_Andy
I know right.. That buzz and being able to keep my mouth shut is all I need
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My black lilies in the back and in the front are beginning to flower, although they are looking more like a deep burgundy.
The front one has grown so tall (less sun) so I have had to bolster it not to fall over. The one in the back (full sun) is bushing out over the years.10 -
@mainelylisa so funny about how one drink looks for the next and the next looks for one more and so we go down the slippery slope. It’s only the person the next day who is mad because she got thunked in the head at the bottom of that ride. Being AF most days definitely helps my brain to not melt into that mess6
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Love the lily pics! Thanks for sharing, @dawnbgethealthy.
@Womona Does Ancestrale have a swing keel? It's so trailer-able for being such a comfortable size! Fantastic pic of the two of you.
I'm really appreciating the thoughts on retirement. I am calling it "peri-retirement," like perimenopause. I can't count how many lake friends on the 4th of July were trying to give vision to what life after retirement would look like. They're not quite there, but they are feeling changes and know it is coming and are not sure exactly what's happening next. Not entirely unlike perimenopause, no? Anyhoo, I'm sorry you and DH are on different pages, @Lilylady3k. My husband wants to move, too, and it really stresses me out as well. We have so much crap in this house. Crazy thing is, the stuff I really don't know what to do with is stuff that was never mine in the first place. It's stuff my parents "entrusted" to me for "safe keeping." It ranges from furnishings they didn't want to more sets of china than I can count to old family portraits of people I'm ashamed to say I cannot identify. Oh, and guns in the gun safe that I'm not even sure are safe to fire. I feel like my own stuff has a pretty compact footprint, but I'm going to need a Marie Kondo intervention to handle the other stuff. It does not spark joy, I can tell you that. But I love where we live for a bunch of reasons (NOT storing other people's stuff ) so I try to enjoy it every day. If we find someplace more beautiful and uplifting, I would be happy to move. I thought we'd never get my mother out of her house, but she found another place she loves and never looked back.
I went overboard with more wine than planned Sunday night. It was the equivalent of emotional eating-- happy, sad, excited, worried.... just a tangle of feelings and loose ends. Worse, I was drinking alone because DH is AF (or mostly so) post-vacation. We were AF Friday, we each had a drink with lunch Saturday, I had one glass of wine after dinner Saturday night and I thought all was on an even keel. I guess it was until it wasn't. Just trying to get my bearings, here. (I'll ease off the nautical expressions.
) 6 -
@ahoy_m8 - I totally understand the collection of other peoples stuff handed down to you or stored at your home. I too have boxes of old family portraits of people I'm ashamed to say I cannot identify! Mostly from DH's side of the family since when his mom died his dad & siblings gave us all the pictures. I also have a ton of pictures that I don't necessarily want to put on the wall either (like 3 large pictures of my grandmother as a teenager ... beautiful but I don't need them). And as I get rid of stuff my mom wants to take some of it ... so that I can clean out her home of the things (like decor) I got rid of again one day! Then my brother in law that never married no kids ... handed me 20 years ago his old stuff so I have his Boy Scout stuff (he is 6 yrs older than DH) and old newspapers (space launches) that he collected. I don't need or want them ... I'm thinking I'll hand them back LOL. Then my sister who is not married no children has a house full as well and she collects tons of old family stuff. I'll have to clean that home out as well if she (younger but in much poorer health than me) passes away first. I have my kids old toys they wanted to keep (American Dolls, Legos, GI Joe, original Starwars, etc. Their homes don't have the storage I have with the huge walk in attic and 3 guest bedroom closets so they are storing it all here. I've tried to hand a little over to them at a time. To me though it is overwhelming.
I'm okay with the idea of moving out of our house if I can figure out what to do with all this stuff and part with it. What I don't want to do is move far far away from the kids ... really would like to be within 3-5 hr driving if possible.
Going to book club last night I realized I'm also going to miss all my friends ... it is hitting me hard.
That said ...DH was headed to the wine store tonight and asked if there was anything special I wanted. I said no. I'm not drinking tonight.
AF evening ahead!
@dawnbgethealthy - Love your lilies. Beautiful color no matter what they call them. Great idea to hold up the really tall one up front! Most of my lilies tend to be either yellow or sunset colors. I do have one dark red.6 -
Finally a warm day! Which begged for a refreshing beverage. Blood Orange, Carrot & Ginger Kombucha with a splash of Cranberry Kombucha. Because there's never too much Kombucha! Right, @MissMay ?
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Thanks for the reminder about other types of good drinks. Coffee in AM For evening, I have a kale green “gusher” at home that really packs some joy as well as flavorful seltzer’s and herbal teas.6
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This is "the flight" I put together tonight. Cut a bunch of my flower blossoms so that more could grow. Great way to use a drink flight board when the stems are so short.
Lovely flowers @dawnbgethealthy. Tallest lily I ever saw
AF tonight
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mainelylisa wrote: »Finally a warm day! Which begged for a refreshing beverage. Blood Orange, Carrot & Ginger Kombucha with a splash of Cranberry Kombucha. Because there's never too much Kombucha! Right, @MissMay ?
Oh geeze I missed this earlier 🤭. YES Lisa there is never ever too much kombucha.
That looks delish. Is that a fresh cherry as a garnish? I just finished off my giant bottle tonight. It lasted 10 days and Shaws was having a sale of $2.00 off on the Synergy brand. I also like the turmeric with that kick.6 -
@missmay that flight is stunningly gorgeous and creative!6
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One of my alcohol triggers is my moody teen. She was in a funk crying all day but I remained AF but it was hard. Popped a cbd gummy instead.8
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I swear I posted last night, so forgive me if this is a double post. Golfed with gals Monday and Tuesday. Really enjoyed myself.. Had drinks both nights.
If I am honest I really don't like how I feel after having any drinks. 2 12 oz Michelob Ultra Monday and 1 12 oz Michelob Ultra and 2 glasses of cabarnet (estimate 5-6 oz pours) on Tuesday.
My goal is to end the month with more AF days than drinking days. We have a party Friday night and a couple over for dinner on Saturday. I would really like to experience these both AF.
AF - 9
Drinks - 11 (started month with 8 out of 9 as drinking days)
Plan to get back to even on Thursday and we will see from there. I like my chances of more AF days than drinking days in July.6 -
12 Days AF for July.
I strained my calf again yesterday morning and had to cut my run short. It looks like I'll have to rehab for a while. As a 48 year old I do appreciate the creativity of my body as it throws an endless array of new injuries my way
Oh well, as always, onwards and upwards. There's still plenty of options for me that won't impact my calves too much.6 -
@dawnbgethealthy You're garden is looking marvellous! When we lived in the UK we had a garden and I loved pottering about in it but now we live in an apartment in central Stockholm so no garden.
@mainelylisa That drink looks wonderful. I tried kombucha last year when I was on here last time and really didn't like the taste at all. However, I think maybe I just tried a bad one and I should perhaps revisit it as you all rave about it so much. It's all over the shops here so it can't be as bad as I remember.
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GiveHerGrace wrote: »I swear I posted last night, so forgive me if this is a double post. Golfed with gals Monday and Tuesday. Really enjoyed myself.. Had drinks both nights.
If I am honest I really don't like how I feel after having any drinks. 2 12 oz Michelob Ultra Monday and 1 12 oz Michelob Ultra and 2 glasses of cabarnet (estimate 5-6 oz pours) on Tuesday.
My goal is to end the month with more AF days than drinking days. We have a party Friday night and a couple over for dinner on Saturday. I would really like to experience these both AF.
AF - 9
Drinks - 11 (started month with 8 out of 9 as drinking days)
Plan to get back to even on Thursday and we will see from there. I like my chances of more AF days than drinking days in July.
I have "lost" posts too somehow throughout the years in here. Sorry that happened to you.
One of the biggest parts of cutting down with alcohol is being in touch with how you feel afterwards. If you don't like it, try to remember that feeling the next time you reach for or go to order a drink.
We appreciate your in put.😊5 -
Take care of that calf injury @Stockholm_Andy. Yes you really shoukd give kombucha another try. There are some I would rather spit out than swallow. Go for a flavor that you enjoy. You can also dilute it with a fruit juice or sparkling flavored water. Lisa and I may open up our own food/beverage truck featuring kombucha(she just doesn't know it yet 🤣)5
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July accountability: 7/31 days AF
Alcohol: 13 days (31 drinks)
Goal: Limit 1-2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days per month. Aim to drink no more than 2 nights in a row.
7/1 - 4 wine @ fishing camp 🎣
7/2 - 2 wine @ fishing camp 🎣
7/3 - 3 wine @ fishing camp 🎣
7/4 - 1 wine + 1 Heineken 0.0 @ fishing camp 🎣
7/5 - 2 wine
7/6 - AF
7/7 - 2 wine
7/8 - AF
7/9 - 2 wine
7/10 - 2 wine
7/11 - AF
7/12 - 1 wine
7/13 - AF
7/14 - 1 Torchy’s Tini
7/15 - AF
7/16 - 3 wine
7/17 - 4 wine
7/18 - 4 wine
7/19 - AF
7/20 - AF VERY rough night but I endured and stayed AF7 -
Love the lily pics! Thanks for sharing, @dawnbgethealthy.
@Womona Does Ancestrale have a swing keel? It's so trailer-able for being such a comfortable size! Fantastic pic of the two of you.
I'm really appreciating the thoughts on retirement. I am calling it "peri-retirement," like perimenopause. I can't count how many lake friends on the 4th of July were trying to give vision to what life after retirement would look like. They're not quite there, but they are feeling changes and know it is coming and are not sure exactly what's happening next. Not entirely unlike perimenopause, no? Anyhoo, I'm sorry you and DH are on different pages, @Lilylady3k. My husband wants to move, too, and it really stresses me out as well. We have so much crap in this house. Crazy thing is, the stuff I really don't know what to do with is stuff that was never mine in the first place. It's stuff my parents "entrusted" to me for "safe keeping." It ranges from furnishings they didn't want to more sets of china than I can count to old family portraits of people I'm ashamed to say I cannot identify. Oh, and guns in the gun safe that I'm not even sure are safe to fire. I feel like my own stuff has a pretty compact footprint, but I'm going to need a Marie Kondo intervention to handle the other stuff. It does not spark joy, I can tell you that. But I love where we live for a bunch of reasons (NOT storing other people's stuff ) so I try to enjoy it every day. If we find someplace more beautiful and uplifting, I would be happy to move. I thought we'd never get my mother out of her house, but she found another place she loves and never looked back.
I went overboard with more wine than planned Sunday night. It was the equivalent of emotional eating-- happy, sad, excited, worried.... just a tangle of feelings and loose ends. Worse, I was drinking alone because DH is AF (or mostly so) post-vacation. We were AF Friday, we each had a drink with lunch Saturday, I had one glass of wine after dinner Saturday night and I thought all was on an even keel. I guess it was until it wasn't. Just trying to get my bearings, here. (I'll ease off the nautical expressions. )
Yes it does, which is nice because I can put her on a trailer, and get into some really shallow water. With the keel up it’s only a 12” draft.
Oh I hear you loud and clear on having to store and save the family “treasures”. Are your parents still alive? Will they ever want this stuff back? Usually people will hand over their “treasures” to a family member because they don’t want that crap either but don’t have the gumption to get rid of it for good. I say lose it, either by donating or getting a junk hauler to cart off the furniture. The first axiom of selling or donating is: “nobody wants your old crap”. The antiques market is dead, I can’t tell you how many full sets of fine China I see in the thrift store selling for pennies on the dollar. Pix of people you don’t know? Unless you’re into genealogy, toss them.3 -
One gin and tonic last night- went out after being on the boat. Plan to be AF until the weekend.5
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Anyone else here use cbd gummies to help on AF days? I find it helps. So does roobios tea. 4 AF in a row - woot!5
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Love all the colorful pictures.....brings a smile to my morning...y'all convinced me to try out kombucha this weekend. Let me know which flavors are most similar to a lemonade or on the sour side and not sweet.
2 AF days in a row...got in a soaking 35 min run..fridge stocked with small apples and organic grapes (my new snack-attack replacement), it's working so far.
Facing a new day with the goal to make it a really good one....:)7 -
@MissMay
What a great idea for use of the flight board!
And what kind of flowers are those?
Gorgeous!3 -
My usual goal, 16-20 AF for the month. This is sustainable long term for me.
Sunday July 18 - AF - Planned cocktails with 3 different sets of people tomorrow. I will keep the first 2 to 1/2 ounce each because they are both in Kimberley where I have a small job first. The last stop is walking distance in Cranbrook, but I won't go hog wild.
Monday July 19 - Drinks - I didn't have any with my first two sets of friends, they had like one, and didn't bat an eye when I said that I would have water. My third stop (back in town) are heavier drinkers, I had a few, but made them myself so made them weak
Tuesday July 20 - AF - Thursday will be my day off, that usually signals drinks for me the night before, but I am kind of behind this month on AF days, so will try to resist.
Rolling total - 10 AF days out of 20 days3
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