Less Alcohol ~ SEPTEMBER 2021 ~ One Day At A Time

@hunter041 - Check out the first page of "Less Alcohol ~ SEPTEMBER 2021 ~ One Day At A Time" this group. @MissMay has a number of links that are very helpful.

My personal suggestion is to set a goal and then check in daily or weekly for accountability. Your goal can be anything that you want to set ... couple of ideas:
- No drinking between 5-7pm or after 9pm
- Reduce your number of drinks per evening to 2
- Target M-Th as alcohol free
- Drink a full glass of water between each alcoholic drink

The first step is to make a decision and then start following through. GOOD LUCK!

I was getting an annual checkup at the local veteran hospital and the doctor asked if I drank. I said I was a light drinker. He looks up and says 'how light'? I said I buy a bottle of rum, quart or liter, or whatever it is (I did not know what a 5th was... Then he asked how long the bottle lasted. When I said 2 months - he wrote down "non-drinker". Doctors are confusing ha ha.

But... now that I am retired and living on the beach in Asia... I have had to cut back. I generally have one rum & coke for my afternoon snack. I was drinking 4 or 5 day. Spread out through the day/evening, so I never got drunk, but it was a lot (tourism is down so all bars are 2 for 1).

I see people saying do not drink at home alone? That makes no sense to me. At home alone I will have one. Out with friends I will have 8.

Now that I am trying to lose weight I have cut back. I am currently having maybe 4 drinks a week. I do not see me quitting. Long term... maybe one a day is more sustainable for me... 😎

I am continuing with my usual goals, 16-20 AF days per month.
I had 18 last month, I have had as much as 23 a few times.
Being here with y'all gives me the accountability that I need and want.
I was a daily drinker at one time, and gradually moved it to my current goal which I have been able to uphold for quite some time.
I have no intention of becoming an abstainer. I enjoy my drinks, just less often, kind of like I have done with certain fattening foods.
I do plan my drinks days for the most part, but usually it is my schedule that dictates that. Trying not to have drinks when I work the following day.
Diary style is how I like to keep track here.


Saturday September 25 - Drinks. I just found out 2 minutes ago that I am working a split tomorrow. I wouldn't have had drinks had I known, but I will be okay, I will have a big long workout in the morning to sweat it out and oxygenate myself : - ) Must say, that I really enjoyed the drinks and it was 28 degrees Celsius when I got off of work and went on a hike with a friend. Googling...82.4 Farenheit.
Sunday September 26 - AF - Next planned drinks day is Friday. Busy week ahead. Hit my 16 : - )
Monday September 27 - AF - Thinking that I will reach 20AF for this month even though I drank every day on my birthday trip.

Rolling Total - 17AF days out of 27 days.

We are not alone ... interesting insight into the wider lens. It is not just me, myself & I.
- Non-alcoholic beer is gaining traction in the US
- US market for no- and low-alcohol drinks grew by more than 30% in terms of volume last year
- A 2019 Nielsen survey found that 66% of millennials are trying to cut back on alcohol consumption, compared with 47% of all people of drinking age in the US.
- “Maybe you’re in a bar and...you want to remain in that social interaction with your friends, but you don’t want to drink more alcohol because you have to work tomorrow or whatever the reason,” Manso posited. “That’s where the volume is. It’s not in the committed non-drinkers; it’s in normalizing this as a moderation tool.”

https://www.morningbrew.com/marketing/stories/2021/09/27/brands-are-figuring-out-how-to-sell-non-alcoholic-beer-in-a-growing-market?utm_source=morning_brew

@dawnbgethealthy
Perfect present!

Hello, all! Just checking in. There were 100 new posts and I don't think I'll be able to catch up, so regrets for missing out. Back from a week in NYC helping daughter in new apt + a week in Santa Fe helping cousin in new house. Did not stick to any kind of plan -- drinking weekdays and at least one time too much. Leaving Saturday for our Stanley Tucci inspired eating/walking tour of Italy (fingers crossed), so no great expectation of sticking to any kind of plan in the next couple weeks either. I'll be looking for accountability to get back on plan after that!

Did see one thing in NY that made me think of you all. Came across this cool shop in West Village. https://boisson.nyc/ Many, many products I had never imagined or even conceived of. They ship everywhere! Wanted to try everything! Definitely creativity inspiring. And the Tesuque Four Seasons has a whole page of really interesting mocktails on their bar menu. It is the future. :drinker:


ETA: major congrats to @lilawolf and love the fair photos!

Hello to everyone, my marathon at the fair is over! Would I do it again??? I will see next year, right now I am really not sure.

I loved all the new names and faces that joined while I was 'busy' at the fair. I have almost caught up on all the posts. I am almost ready to get back to my AF days. During the fair I did come home and have 1.5 oz of spirits. I did limit it to just that one shot. So I feel very proud I could do that. I am trying to find some AF spirits near me that have a good rating. I really like the flavors of whisky and brandy but not much in the choices for AF mock flavors. I still have a 6pack of Heineken 00 so may have to bust it out LOL.

The upside of working the long hours at the fair is I dropped 6lbs. I did a lot of walking on my down time and refused to pay the food prices there (a caramel apple.....$10.00). So I had to get creative in packing my food to eat on a 12 hour day.

I will post more later, right now it is a trip to the store to replenish food supplies!

lmlmrn wrote: »

Hello to everyone, my marathon at the fair is over! Would I do it again??? I will see next year, right now I am really not sure.

I loved all the new names and faces that joined while I was 'busy' at the fair. I have almost caught up on all the posts. I am almost ready to get back to my AF days. During the fair I did come home and have 1.5 oz of spirits. I did limit it to just that one shot. So I feel very proud I could do that. I am trying to find some AF spirits near me that have a good rating. I really like the flavors of whisky and brandy but not much in the choices for AF mock flavors. I still have a 6pack of Heineken 00 so may have to bust it out LOL.

The upside of working the long hours at the fair is I dropped 6lbs. I did a lot of walking on my down time and refused to pay the food prices there (a caramel apple.....$10.00). So I had to get creative in packing my food to eat on a 12 hour day.

I will post more later, right now it is a trip to the store to replenish food supplies!

The fair looked really fun! But no doubt arduous as well. 6lbs is a lot in a few weeks. I hope the weight loss feels good. And good job sticking to 1 shot. I would love it if I could find a "new normal" of feeling satisfied with one drink. That would be a game changer.

For your mocktail creations, check out the AF shop https://boisson.nyc/ ! It had several AF whiskies and bourbons. I really don't remember about brandies, TBH. Many "aperitifs" and shrubs. NA beer & wine. A dizzying array. I have no idea if it is expensive or not compared to the alcoholic versions, but it at least shows what is out there. Educational (for me anyway).

My aunt has 3 adult children and 7 grandchildren. She posted this today on FB. And it made me think ... really think about the choices we make or have made in the past. And that what I'm doing ... coming here to be accountable now is a good choice.

Lilylady3k wrote: »

My aunt has 3 adult children and 7 grandchildren. She posted this today on FB. And it made me think ... really think about the choices we make or have made in the past. And that what I'm doing ... coming here to be accountable now is a good choice.

I understand that, and it probably should be a good reason to change... But it never worked for me. I was a single dad forever and 'for my kids' etc did have me change jobs and house, but was never enough to motivate me to lose weight. Until I found the motivation inside me, to do it for me, nothing changed.

But I may be a bit selfish. 😎