Less Alcohol ~ JULY 2021 ~ One Day At A Time

Hey all, I'm back. It's been a few months, a few months of - well you know, I felt all my good intentions slip through my fingers, and I ended up drinking daily again. I don't even know why.
Main thing is, I am back and trying.
I am so glad this thread is here and I appreciate all of you.

Sunflowers are all flowering now : - )
The sky was less smoky up above at 6am, but smoky at the sides all around.
I walked up to the mall where my dead car is to try it again (45 minute walk), then a friend picked me up and drove me home.
The sunflowers started my day off happy.



I have a bunch of black hollyhocks planted down the side where the sunflowers are, they take a few years to actually flower, but one of them is beginning to do it this year. Yellow and black are going to be beautiful together in years to come, and the Hollyhocks will get taller also. I will post again when all of the buds on it open, but quite excited to see these few.

@Fit_Happens_2021 You definitely do not want to go to the western part of the state the last week of July or the first three weeks of August (unless you are a big fan of Harleys). The west side of the state is more moderate temperature wise and not nearly as humid as the east side so you could certainly visit well into the fall. I would say April - October would be the best months to visit the state. I haven't been out west in years (other than driving through to Seattle.) It's probably about time I visit again.

31 days AF. Hit my goal, with 2 pounds lost to boot! (Though the amount of peanut butter consumed this morning has somewhat negated that.)

I'm researching intermittent fasting and low carbing (w/ veggies). So interesting how the science of nutrition is sooo all over the place. Medical studies supporting low carb. Medical studies supporting the Starch diet. Studies supporting fasting, though I'm hearing here and other places it doesn't work so well for women. The only thing that truly makes sense is that we're all different and process food differently.

On to August! Thanks, @MissMay for starting it for us!

Welcome returners and so comforting to see familiar faces here.

lmlmrn wrote: »

Holly Molly That view is beautiful @Lilylady3k

Well am struggling these past few days with alcohol. My head is now going to focus on August/Monday. I may stay AF on Saturday, but Sunday was already planned. We are taking my adult (now) long time foster child to dinner and celebrate her 29th birthday. She graced our family from the time she was in grade school (my youngest daughters best friend) to when she 'aged out' at 18 but continued in our home for another year while she attended college. Then once on her own she moved to Portland but just recently relocated back to WA. So this is the first time we will be together since the pandemic. I am truly excited.

So looking forward to a new Month, new 'Do Over' and try to strive for just one day more AF than last month.

It sounds like a truly lovely Sunday you have planned, lmlmrn. So much there to enjoy! Happy birthday to your foster child : flowerforyou:

@Lilylady3k Is that the fishing camp? It's a LOT more refined that what "camp" conjures. Lovely placid view!

We're headed to our lake house today, too. With DD#3 who is home for a week. I've got 2 emotions going on. One is disappointment. She had initially planned to host 3 friends at the lake this weekend and I had really been looking forward to it. Maybe more than I should have? Turns out it's a bad weekend for college kids around here. Everyone is moving out of last years apartment into next years. Also she was giving me some flack about everyone getting covid tested before showing up. Our place is ~850sf with ONE tiny bathroom. Her lack of concern for our health was another disappointment, candidly. DD#1 was the first in our family to be vaccinated (Pfizer in Feb), yet she got a breakthrough infection last weekend (and has felt positively awful for 6 days), so the whole breakthrough infection prospect became a lot more real for us. The infection numbers in our area are pretty concerning. So I guess it is just as well that it's just the 3 of us vs. a house party.

The second emotion is reluctance. Is that an emotion? DD#3 last night started in on the refrain about when she can host parties at the lake without us. I have conflicting emotions about that. One the one hand I want them to use it and enjoy it and have happy memories. On the other, I fear they won't respect the place or the rules and it will end up being expense and effort for me to clean up. Plus I don't want anyone to get hurt while I'm not there (or get sued). For reference, DD#1 has hosted at both our houses and both have involved more cleanup work for me. Maybe part of the bad feelings is getting the message that she rather we not be around. I was excited to do the extra work when included, but resent the extra work when excluded. Maybe I need to work through that a little better.

None of this has anything to do with drinking less except I lean towards emotional eating/drinking and when it comes to uncomfortable emotions I'm striving to process more and consume less.

My usual goal, 16-20 AF for the month. This is sustainable long term for me.

Still planning on hitting my 16 - even though I have mostly been 21-23AF each month this year so far.
Sunday July 25 - AF - Next planned drinks day is Wednesday.
Monday July 26 - AF - Finally finishing watching the Olympics' opening ceremony. Great! AF beer. I like it so much that I even bought real beer for drinks days, and had one last week. Who knew? I never liked beer before.
Tuesday July 27 - AF - Felt like having a couple, but I have plans to have a few tomorrow night, so skipped tonight.
Wednesday July 28 - Drinks. Car is dead up at the other end of town. No plans for drinks again until Sunday eve.
Thursday July 29 - AF - Hit my 16, going to hit 18 this month. Car is still dead in a retail parking lot. I bought a new car today, it ate up my entire day off, but I am mobile again. Going to evening shifts for the next week or more, so trying to stay up a little later tonight, watching the Olympics : - ) AF beer each night that I am on a planned AF night.
Friday July 30 - AF - Planning to hit 18 for this month

Rolling total - 17 AF days out of 30 days

AF today to end the month with 16 AF and 15 drinks days.

So proud of myself for keeping the commitment I made on July 10th to have more AF days then drinks days after having drinks 8 of the first 9 days in July.

Onward to August and my new goal of at least 2 AF days for every drinks day.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your triumphs and struggles with your own goals. It is nice not to be in this alone.