Less Alcohol ~ OCTOBER 2021 ~ One Day At A Time 🍁

Hello all! I’m still here. I’m on day 8 AF and so far, I really haven’t missed it. Had one evening where I craved it, but not since. Surely it isn’t as easy as it feels at the moment and if so, how could I have waited this long to commit to drinking less? Initial goal was to not drink for 10 days. Going to try for 30 and re-evaluate.

Dabbling in the Alcohol Experiment and the Naked Mind book. I need to give it more of a shot. I prefer to read, not watch videos. I’m also a little skeptical of a couple messages. I do truly like the taste of wine, can absolutely tell the difference between an expensive and cheap bottle, but it’s more like desert for me, after the first couple tastes it’s not as satisfying.

In the book, she spoke of her back pain and how the source was bottled up anger. As someone who had a very successful back surgery 16 years ago, the message made me defensive. I was fortunate enough to have very concrete findings on MRI that showed my ruptured disc, but often that’s not the case. It wasn’t anger that caused my pain, it was nerve impingement and sometimes doctors can be dismissive of women in particular. So, that in the introduction has turned me off. I need to get past that because that’s obviously not even the point of the book.

On another upside, my DH drinks too much also and has had several doctors advise him to limit alcohol. He’s been through a really rough couple of years so I get it, but really wish he would join me. He didn’t drink for 2 days then had something one evening when I went out. He said he didn’t like the taste that night and hasn’t had anything since. I think we’ve been contributing to each others delinquency. I really hope we can keep with this change. I feel better.

SavageMrsMoose wrote: »

Hello all! I’m still here. I’m on day 8 AF and so far, I really haven’t missed it. Had one evening where I craved it, but not since. Surely it isn’t as easy as it feels at the moment and if so, how could I have waited this long to commit to drinking less? Initial goal was to not drink for 10 days. Going to try for 30 and re-evaluate.

Dabbling in the Alcohol Experiment and the Naked Mind book. I need to give it more of a shot. I prefer to read, not watch videos. I’m also a little skeptical of a couple messages. I do truly like the taste of wine, can absolutely tell the difference between an expensive and cheap bottle, but it’s more like desert for me, after the first couple tastes it’s not as satisfying.

In the book, she spoke of her back pain and how the source was bottled up anger. As someone who had a very successful back surgery 16 years ago, the message made me defensive. I was fortunate enough to have very concrete findings on MRI that showed my ruptured disc, but often that’s not the case. It wasn’t anger that caused my pain, it was nerve impingement and sometimes doctors can be dismissive of women in particular. So, that in the introduction has turned me off. I need to get past that because that’s obviously not even the point of the book.

On another upside, my DH drinks too much also and has had several doctors advise him to limit alcohol. He’s been through a really rough couple of years so I get it, but really wish he would join me. He didn’t drink for 2 days then had something one evening when I went out. He said he didn’t like the taste that night and hasn’t had anything since. I think we’ve been contributing to each others delinquency. I really hope we can keep with this change. I feel better.

I too had to take and leave some of Annie Grace's points, but a lot of her content is quite good, and what really matters is doing the daily exercises of the 30 Day Experiment.

As for the taste of wine, I was an avid wine lover and could definitely taste the difference in wine qualities. However, once I quit for a few months, I completely lost my taste for wine.

It objectively smells like gasoline to me now. All I can smell is the ethanol, so it all smells like gas station.

You have to attune your brain over time to tune out the overwhelming gasoline smell, which is what wine connoisseurs can do. But most people haven't refined their wine palate, which is why most people really can't tell the difference between discount swill and a $100 bottle.

Nearly 2 years later and I would never be able to tell the difference between good and crap wine, because it would all smell and taste the same to me now, and I wouldn't be able to choke it back.

I've actually tried, and it's unbearably disgusting.

Got my a.m. dopamine high running today. Last night, my husband and I agreed on a game plan for this week before we cut it out completely again next week. It will be a good transition from our post-vacation backslide.

We're limiting the drinking hour to 5-6pm. It's not "last call" at 5:59.....it's club soda after 6.

This worked for us before and we kept it to 1.5 -2 each.

Eating is time-based too - our eating window is 10-6pm. No food after 6.
Exercise is daily in the morning with 1 allowed day off a week.

Gotta have "house rules" to break the bad "house habits".....!

@MissMay that is the most heartwarming story I have read to DATE

can I just say that is giving me inspiration, determination, and some extra oomph to push me forward. Thank you for your words of wisdom

Well, the 21 day sugar/ alcohol challenge is over, but I can’t say I finished strong. Saturday night went to the club for comedy night, and they served heavy hors d’oerves. I made a beeline for all the delicious carby stuff, plus had a glass of wine (planned). So of course my weight is up. Honestly it’s all the bread I eat that’s working against me. So I have to back that way down and continue to get carbs from veggies. I felt great and dropped a lot of weight on this challenge. Last night I had no desire to drink alcohol. I really feel that I’ve reset and can avoid mindless , habitual alcohol at home during the week.