Less Alcohol ~ ☘MARCH 2022 ~ One Day At A Time

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  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 3,814 Member
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    I too am addicted to black coffee in the mornings. Not the best routine since I believe at one time I heard productive people don't drink coffee in the mornings ... instead they exercise. Could be one of my weight issues but right now just tackling a few bad habits at a time ... and leaving my coffee addition alone.

    March 2022
    February accountability: 2 days AF
    Alcohol: 1 days (3 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.
    DH gave up alcohol for Lent and asked I support him. 6 weeks! He is skeptical that he can do it but I'm all in with him ... and said I would make the same commitment.

    3/1 - 3 wine
    3/2 - AF
    3/3 - AF
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
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    Hi, everyone. It's been some time since I joined this thread but I am happy to be back.

    Like so many of us, I've had an awful two+ years. On top of the pandemic, I have dealt with grief, depression and anxiety, all of which have been made harder/worse by alcohol. And, no surprises here, but I've gained about 15 lbs.

    My last drink was on March 1. I am going to start therapy, go back to my Recovery Elevator podcast, maybe reread This Naked Mind and check out some other books. I haven't committed to forever, but I know it was out of control so abstinence is the route I am sticking with for now.

    Thanks for keeping this going, @MissMay - I'm happy to see this thread still exists as it has helped me in the past.
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,553 Member
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    HAPPY FRIDAY!

    So awesome to see and read everyones commitment to March so far.

    GREAT to have you checking in again @Will_Run_for_Food.
    It has been a rough two years, no doubt. Sorry for your loss and emotional strains.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,605 Member
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    @lmlmrn oh what a precious picture of your granddaughters!

    @MissMay thanks for keeping us going another month. Your efforts are truly appreciated!

    I am not starting out March so well. PMSing badly (sorry gents!) means scarfing down a lot of food, being super fatigued, being inconsistent with exercise and having more drinks than normal. I know it’s temporary but I undid all the work and results I achieved the previous week.

    I know what to do to get back on track of course, but it’s a little disheartening to have my body hijacked by hormones. Everyone my age that I know has been long done with this, and I have the menstrual cycle of a 30 year old! My mom didn’t stop until she was 57 so I have another four years of this ride!

    I’ve managed to stick to one drink per day for the past few weeks, with the exception of last night. Two glasses of wine and some tequila drink that’s a specialty of my son’s restaurant among the staff. It was delicious! Good news is I feel fine today. Now to drink a ton of water to counter the effects of yesterday’s Pastrami Reuben and all that alcohol!!!!!
  • MissMay
    MissMay Posts: 3,553 Member
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    March for me is one of those months I need to keep super busy to make it fly by

    The weather here teases us so. 60's one day, snowing and teens the next day. It can cause me to want to have a melt down.

    Like last March 2021. I began my giant purge of material items in anticipation of selling my house and property to move. It kept me very busy and cleansed my mind.( still working on down sizing)

    Beginning of 2022 I started up another 90 day workout ( going good), read daily in here and try to post.

    Four days ago I added another 31 day routine to help quicken through March. A daily mini art painting challenge with a group of like minded folks.

    Totally not my go to type of painting, but I wanted to switch it up a bit in my life and try something new. You know, get out of that square box I am always in and jump into triangle.

    Long story short. Crammed 1,2,3rd days art all into a 2 hour session yesterday to catch up. Not bad...not great. Time will tell how I will improve by end if day 31.

    AF last night.

    Tonight is a planned cocktail evening AFTER all my other duties are done. Planning on one glass of prosseco.

    Here's to trying new things.

  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    @MissMay so interested in and impressed with your strategies. So smart. I've repeated a Lenten undertaking for the past 3 years (because I haven't completed it) and it is kind of similar-- documenting household contents (for insurance) and lightening the load. It's all in the spirit of tying up loose ends in preparation for your own death. My estate docs & letters to survivors are all in good shape but this one is so hard for me. Some of us have mentioned on the thread before that it's not so much our own stuff but the stuff dumped on entrusted to us for posterity that poses hard questions. What to do with something was important to someone else and totally unimportant to me. I guess I need to rethink boundaries about how other peoples feelings are influencing my decisions under my own roof. Maybe I should revisit Marie Kondo.

    I feel for you, @womona. I definitely follow that pattern -- good weeks then bad weeks. It was worse before menopause, and I promise it does get better. My motto to myself during both is "It all averages out." It keeps my head down on good weeks and stops me from kicking myself on bad weeks. And the scale says it is true. It's the average that matters.

    Hoping for smoother sailing ahead, @Will_Run_for_Food. Love that username!
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Last night not my best. The nuclear plant fire ignited my anxiety. Reached out to my step father to talk me down and he totally amplified my fear instead. It's a little situational, as one daughter is flying to Europe today and another plans to spend the summer in eastern Europe. Thought of all my friends with kids overseas and wondered if they were freaking out, too. I have a little guilt for the luxury of being able to "take a news break." Well, it's a new day. Fire is out. Nuclear catastrophe averted. For now.

    I'll be frank, I wanted to reach for a drink every night this week. If I lived in a state where gummies were legal I definitely would have had one (some). I've never had gummies, but many people I know in places where it is legal have them on the reg. I've had an edible once, and it was not at all what I expected. It was NOT an energetic high. Rather, it was a deep mellow calm. I felt more clear eyed and accepting of reality. I would have appreciated that last night. Tonight is a "drinks night" but I know it won't give me that calm I seek.
  • lmlmrn
    lmlmrn Posts: 785 Member
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    Hello everyone
    @ahoy_m8 I do live in a state where gummies are legal and yes I have had some, even make my own along with a tincture. Yes the feeling you get is more of a relaxing acceptance, that was a great description. You wake up the next day refreshed and no side effects that I have noticed. The downside, it's expensive. Usually $10-$15 per dose (1-2 gummies). I don't smoke, inhale the product, only eat or drink.

    Yesterday we did go out for dinner and I had 1 beer. Now the interesting thing was, I could have left it and been fine. However they had two on tap I had never tried so I tasted one. I actually picked the lighter of the two. Then I stopped at 1 beer. Instead of us ordering a pitcher we order A beer. Nothing more and lived to tell about it. For me that was a revelation. What only ONE beer and you walked away...yes I did and did not look back. High five me.
    March 2 out of 3 AF then
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Yeah, high 5 you @lmrnrn! I have intellectual assent to the idea that one drink is peak enjoyment. In practice, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Re: the expensive stuff, a glass of wine at a bar or restaurant is typically $15-20. I'm not sure that is a suitable benchmark. My brand new AF spirits were $30-40 per 750ml bottle. Is that expensive? Compared to a soft drink, yes! Compared to hooch, not really. Not sure how to think about it all.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,566 Member
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    Thanks for keeping us going @MissMay

    I am Dawn. My ongoing goal is 16-20 AF days per month. I was a daily drinker when I began on this thread in November of 2018.

    Diary style is how I keep track.

    Tuesday March 01 - AF - Day 2 of a 7 day cleanse heavy on brown rice, almonds, and allums, so no alcohol or anything fermented amongst other things like fungus, sugar, wheat, grapes etc.
    Wednesday March 02 - AF - Easier to be off of alcohol than the cream in my coffee in the mornings :neutral:
    Thursday March 03 - AF - My 5th AF day in a row, so not my usual, but the cleanse.

    Rolling total: 3 AF days out of 3 days
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,566 Member
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    I am Dawn. My ongoing goal is 16-20 AF days per month. I was a daily drinker when I began on this thread in November of 2018.

    Diary style is how I keep track.

    Tuesday March 01 - AF - Day 2 of a 7 day cleanse heavy on brown rice, almonds, and allums, so no alcohol or anything fermented amongst other things like fungus, sugar, wheat, grapes etc.
    Wednesday March 02 - AF - Easier to be off of alcohol than the cream in my coffee in the mornings :neutral:
    Thursday March 03 - AF - My 5th AF day in a row, so not my usual, but the cleanse.
    Friday March 04 - AF - My usual day this year so far (because of my newest schedule) of kicking back and having a couple of drinks. A Grand Marnier sounded like a nice idea. It can wait. My mouth was salty and dry this evening, although I haven't had any salt or anything with salt in it for 5 days. Perhaps the cleanse is getting rid of stuff?

    Rolling total: 4 AF days out of 4 days
  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 3,814 Member
    edited March 2022
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    March accountability: 3 days AF
    Alcohol: 1 days (3 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.
    DH gave up alcohol for Lent and asked I support him. 6 weeks! He is skeptical that he can do it but I'm all in with him ... and said I would make the same commitment.

    3/1 - 3 wine Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday
    3/2 - AF Beginning of Lent
    3/3 - AF
    3/4 - AF

    Thursday night we smoked a chicken and as we sat down for dinner DH was thinking out loud that a nice Chablis would have been great with our meal. But he did not run out to buy wine. Just said this is going to be hard.

    We were at our church's very popular Lent Friday fish fry last night. Normal habit would be to buy cheap wine and/or beer as we stood in the long line with others and while eating. When the wife of the couple behind us came back with a glass of each for them DH said "That looks like a good idea". But we did not act on it :) Ice tea for both of us.

    Tonight will be another challenging situation ... LSU vs Texas baseball game in Minute Maid Park. It is a Shriners benefit game weekend so our tickets are actually good for all 3 games today. LSU is at 7pm. But here unlike at the church the alcohol is VERY expensive as are water and coke. We'll see how we hold out. I'm not missing the alcohol and enjoying this break. So far so good.

    Oh BTW I did not post most of February but I did track ... so not completely give up!
    2022 Summary
    Jan - AF 11/31 days (42 drinks)
    Feb - AF 8/28 days (38 drinks)
  • globalhiker
    globalhiker Posts: 1,519 Member
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    All good here. Keeping my head above water with work but I did have one of my husband's beers last night since there was no wine at home. The news did start it. I feel very touched by all the kindness people are showing to refugees by inviting them into their homes. It makes me cry.

    About the coffee topic - I drink organic and I feel WAY better having 2- 2.5 cups a day. @Womona, I felt similar to you. I'm 56. I have my energy back, my mind is clear and sharp, and fatigue and naps are a thing of the past. It reduces my appetite. And, I read it's good for anti-aging in this link:

    https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-reasons-why-the-right-amount-of-coffee-is-good-for-you

    @dawnbgethealthy I could do your fast but I love balsamic vinegar and I have it daily in my salad dressing. I just can't part with it.

    Off I go to start my good morning with a run outside. It's my therapy.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,566 Member
    edited March 2022
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    Lilylady3k wrote: »
    I too am addicted to black coffee in the mornings. Not the best routine since I believe at one time I heard productive people don't drink coffee in the mornings ... instead they exercise. Could be one of my weight issues but right now just tackling a few bad habits at a time ... and leaving my coffee addition alone.


    100% agreed. A couple small things at a time bring greater ease and satisfaction.
    I do exercise in the morning, but always have coffee first! That is what gets me out of bed lol, thinking about wonderful coffee : - )
    I am sure that I will be going back to adding cream to my coffee after this cleanse, even if it does bloat my belly. I love it. Not the same drink/taste without it.

    @globalhiker
    I don't like the taste of vinegar at all. I have it in things of course when not on this cleanse, like yummy Vindaloo, bbq sauce, mayonnaise?. But I can't taste it in that stuff : - )
  • Lilylady3k
    Lilylady3k Posts: 3,814 Member
    edited March 2022
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    1 wine with dinner before the baseball game. Water at the baseball park. The spell is broken. But we did limit it to 1 glass! And we were out and not at home opening 1-2 bottles. Now to see how the rest of the week plays out.

    March accountability: 3 days AF
    Alcohol: 2 days (4 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.
  • tmbg1
    tmbg1 Posts: 1,282 Member
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    March 1-2 AF
    March 3- wine 3 glasses (almost went for a 4th but switched to water and very glad I did because I feel good this morning)
    March 4 - wine 3 glasses
    March 5 - overdid it and threw up 🤢
    March 6- AF
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
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    Lilylady3k wrote: »
    I too am addicted to black coffee in the mornings. Not the best routine since I believe at one time I heard productive people don't drink coffee in the mornings ... instead they exercise. Could be one of my weight issues but right now just tackling a few bad habits at a time ... and leaving my coffee addition alone.

    March 2022
    February accountability: 2 days AF
    Alcohol: 1 days (3 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.
    DH gave up alcohol for Lent and asked I support him. 6 weeks! He is skeptical that he can do it but I'm all in with him ... and said I would make the same commitment.

    3/1 - 3 wine
    3/2 - AF
    3/3 - AF

    I suspect the coffee thing is more of a correlation.

    Highly successful people tend to have a lot of balance in their life and are probably getting more rest and quality sleep as part of that balance, so they don't need coffee.

    I used to run on coffee when I was overburdened, but now I don't need it, and I'm HIGHLY effective and efficient because I now don't take on tasks that don't allow me to maintain my balance.

    Being overburdened drove a lot of my drinking as well, so the booze and coffee went hand in hand because alcohol destroys sleep quality.

    So you can't just rip coffee out of your life and replace it with exercise, it has to be a big picture strategy where you engineer a life that doesn't need coffee so that when you remove it, you aren't removing one of the support beams of your life.
  • dawnbgethealthy
    dawnbgethealthy Posts: 7,566 Member
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    I am Dawn. My ongoing goal is 16-20 AF days per month. I was a daily drinker when I began on this thread in November of 2018.

    Diary style is how I keep track.

    Tuesday March 01 - AF - Day 2 of a 7 day cleanse heavy on brown rice, almonds, and allums, so no alcohol or anything fermented amongst other things like fungus, sugar, wheat, grapes etc.
    Wednesday March 02 - AF - Easier to be off of alcohol than the cream in my coffee in the mornings :neutral:
    Thursday March 03 - AF - My 5th AF day in a row, so not my usual, but the cleanse.
    Friday March 04 - AF - My usual day this year so far (because of my newest schedule) of kicking back and having a couple of drinks. A Grand Marnier sounded like a nice idea. It can wait. My mouth was salty and dry this evening, although I haven't had any salt or anything with salt in it for 5 days. Perhaps the cleanse is getting rid of stuff?
    Saturday March 05 - AF - I usually post in the mornings when I post my weight and stuff into other forums. Weekends are different. Got up for an hour walk around Jimsmith Lake today. Finally had some time. It was joyous and glorious. Photos to come

    Rolling total: 4 AF days out of 4 days
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Would love photos!

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