LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

MissMay · February 2023

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

Hi All,

Well, I feel a little stupid recommending the bitters to this group. I didn't suspect that they had alcohol in them, since Amazon will just send them to you. But they do!

Although you only use a few drops, this could be a trigger to some people.

Please let me know if you find other flavors you like.

Dont feel bad about the bitters. I use them all the time and do not count them as alcohol. Mouth washs and vanilla extract are some examples of everyday items we don't realize have alcohol, but they do.

I enjoy my coffee bitters and chocolate bitters. Oh and there is always orange. Yum

ahoy_m8 · February 2023

Another thumbs up for bitters. My favorites are Angostura and rhubarb. I also like peach bitters, but it's pretty weak. I've tried making my own ginger bitters and did something wrong -- waaaay to much alcohol. Instructions say everclear, but don't! It's terrible! And it dominates everything. Vodka is at least color and odor free. But ultimately I gave up at that. A splash of bitters can punch up an AF drink and make it interesting without really contributing significant alcohol to the equation.

Long week indoors, friends. DH left early to escape before the ice storm so it's been me and the interns huddled in the house 4 days going a little mad with cabin fever. Slipped in some miles Monday and Tuesday but no such luck the past 2 days as the precip has not relented at all. Now it's warming to 0C so streets and tree ice is starting to melt. The good is that it makes streets safer so we'll get out tomorrow afternoon, but the bad is huge clods of ice are falling from the trees and I don't want one to hit me while I'm out for exercise. Feeling cooped up and not enough alone time. On the positive side, I've been sleeping like a teenager since DH gone. I wish I had decent sleep when DH was around.

AF so far this week.

SunnyDays930 · February 2023

I'm having my herbal tea and sitting in front of my "fire". It's actually a youtube of a crackling fire with some lovely music playing but it feels like the real thing anyway

As usual I was tempted around 5 pm but I surfed the urge. Another AF day done and dusted.

Lilylady3k · February 2023

February accountability: 2 days AF
Alcohol: 0 days ( 0 drinks)
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.

2/2 - AF; DH too

Our DIL and granddaughter came over for the day and stayed for dinner. We were not even tempted to drink alcohol especially since she had a hour drive in this wet messy weather back across Houston to get home. Thought about inviting my sister to join us but knew that would derail me.

lmlmrn · February 2023

Well as always, late to the party

Thank you @MissMay as always for starting this groups month with a bang. Welcome all the new posters I love reading everyone's story. In so many ways other than our consumption of alcohol we are similar in our why we want to drink less.
AND when I found this thread I did not think that there were so many others just like me! besides this group is so non judgemental, witty, funny, sometimes sad but most of the time uplifting.
So to everyone Thank you

ps I will so try harder to post daily LOL

Stockholm_Andy · February 2023

dawnbgethealthy wrote: »

Wednesday Feb 01 - AF - I felt like having drinks, but then decided that I needed to start the month off right. Having this thread has helped me very much with accountability.

I completely agree with this Dawn

Knowing that I'll have to post on here that I've slipped up or missed my (own) target often makes me think twice about it.

For me the flip side is that when I do fall of the wagon I then slink off and stop posting. One of my goals this year is to stay here through thick and thin as I know the slips will be shorter and shallower LOL.

Stockholm_Andy · February 2023

2 out of 2 AF so far for February.

SunnyDays930 · February 2023

My sleep is improving every dry day I have in a row. Also, no more crazy, erratic heartbeat. I know today won't be tempting. Tonight we are babysitting our 3 grandchildren, one being a 1 year old and into everything. We both have to be on our game and focused. And like Andy said, knowing I will report everything here helps me to stay the course. This thread is sort of my conscience, which is a good thing for me.

Happy, healthy Friday to all!

MissMay · February 2023

So living in the South now and still eating my way through new restaurants. We hit Red Lobster and signed up for their points loyalty program.

This picture was in my email box yesterday morning. They make this beautiful decorated drink called a lobsterita .

Why can't I walk away from a gorgeous glass? It is like looking at a new pair of lovely shoes, calling my name. LOL

PLUS only $5 a giant glass. I ordered mine non alcoholic and frozen. Then preceded to give myself a major brain freeze from drinking it to fast through the straw.

Acting like a little kid with a slurpie.

joans1976 · February 2023

Hey everyone, I’m Amanda. I live in Michigan and it is freezing and gray here but at least it’s staying light out past 5 pm now. ☀️
I joined this lovely thread in the summer of 2022 and it has made a huge difference in my life! I’ve gone from being 25% AF to 98% AF. My last A day was Christmas Eve and my last A day before that was 10/28/22.

The people here are kind and real and smart and fun! Welcome to all newcomers!

2/1: AF
I can’t even post here what has happened with work, for one it is too long and for another it’s too infuriating. I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I downloaded one of the apps @missmay has in her recommendations at the beginning of the month. It’s called “Reframe.” So far it’s telling me about the psychology of alcohol but letting me put in my “why” and AF streak. There is a forum too. I tread lightly there as I have pretty high standards for my LA friends 🙃 I’m using a 7 day free trial now.
39 days AF

2/2: A 2
Ugh. Such bad decisions last night! I had 2 vodka drinks but they were pretty stiff and I feel like total garbage this morning. I am so, so, so disappointed in myself but I also know that this doesn’t mean I will start drinking daily again. This hangover is too atrocious. Yuck. I’m off to hydrate and find something for my rolling stomach.

joans1976 · February 2023

@MissMay I had so many images in my head of what a “Lobsterita” was as I was reading and then I scrolled down to see your pics-100% not what I was imagining 🤣 yours looked much better than what I had in my mind!

2timesacharmmfp · February 2023

1 A/1 AF this month so far- Wednesday was an intentional slip due to a neighborhood party but kept to 2 drinks overall - glass of prosecco at the party and a small Jameson as a nightcap with my husband.

The interesting thing to me was that having a drink on Wednesday when I have been very intent on cutting back during the week made for a pretty intense craving last night - not 100% sure they're related but seems plausible...I surfed the urge with a NA beer and a Peak mocktail.

itladyee · February 2023

Good Morning Everyone.

2/2 AF
Yesterday was tempting. I came home from work and within a few minutes, I heard the drink shaker. DH decided to make some pomegranate sours. At first, it smelled of alcohol - I guess I'm a little sensitive now that there's less in my system and then it smelled good. But I didn't. I poured a glass of my 5 calorie juice and held strong.

The weekend, I will take one day at a time. We have nothing really planned so that leads to idleness....

@joans1976 - I downloaded the Reframe App as well. let me know what you think. And, re the vodka, today is another day.

@zenzone - lets us know how it goes at the Volksfest.

@MamaJammy - Good Luck. I dropped the wine almost two weeks ago and 5lbs vanished. Then my body seemed to adjust. I'm sure over time it will start to lose again. It's amazing the amount of empty calories the wine provides.

Wishing everyone a terrific Weekend!

Month Stats

2/1 AF
30 day experiment: Day 16, AF 15

lmlmrn · February 2023

Hello and good day/morning/evening

AF last night, been experimenting with mocktails again. The book I have has great ideas and I just keep expanding them. Last night I brewed about 4 cups of honey/ginger tea then chilled, added to that some fresh lemon juice, some tonic water and poof some kind of mocktail in a wonderful tulip glass. x3 could not help myself

My poor judgements last month led to a 5lb gain so this month I must be more aware! I have already packed all my "fat" jeans and I don't want to start a cross country forever home search in a pair of too tight traveling jeans

Cheers! (in a tulip glass complete with some fresh berries)

dawnbgethealthy · February 2023

I don't understand how the lobsterita is 240 calories if on the rocks or 500 calories if blended. Maybe they use stuff from a slushy machine that has sugar in it for those to make it frozen. 260 calories is a lot extra!

I love to blend drinks in the summer. Slim 10 is so great blended with ice is a fancy glass and comes in so many flavours.
If I do occasionally add alcohol to those, an ounce of white rum or vodka is an additional 65 calories.

dawnbgethealthy · February 2023

I am in.

I am Dawn, I live in SE BC Canada
My ongoing goal remains, 16-20 AF days per month.
February being a short month makes it a little harder for me. I had 17AF days for January (a long month)

I do this diary style to keep track, and I post the next morning

Wednesday Feb 01 - AF - I felt like having drinks, but then decided that I needed to start the month off right. Having this thread has helped me very much with accountability.
Thursday Feb 02 - AF - Picked up an extra shift yesterday, so really felt like having a couple of drinks after getting home, but I have a busy day on Friday so resisted. I have been "allowing" myself to have treats and drinks on the weekends, that also helps me refrain on other days, I can have those things another day.

Rolling total: 2AF days out of 2 days.

ahoy_m8 · February 2023

Always value seeing your thought process, @dawnbgethealthy , so thanks for sharing. I aspire to be more like you with respect to my present tense self respecting my future self. And ice skating.

Awesome job holding strong, @itladyee . That's some willpower, there. It is those situations, exactly, when I find it so helpful to have an AF substitute I enjoy. Good on ya.

I'm stumped, too, on the 240 calorie vs. 500 cal lobsterita. I'm guessing it has to do with size. Maybe served in a larger glass, plus the rocks version may have lots o ice, not so much hootch.

Happy Friday, all. My day started super cranky, mostly from hacking up ice on my entry and front walk early this morning (don't have suitable tools for that, but I will note that hacking solid ice is different from shoveling snow) but also simmering unrest from being cooped indoors all week and other irritants I have wanted to vent but just kept a lid on instead. The vent is all "don't sweat the small stuff" stuff like my things being used and put away dirty and in one case broken (scraping ice). It wouldn't bother me, I'm sure, if I were better at sharing in general.

And then my day took a dramatic turn for the better when I had a massage - a Christmas gift from a friend. Can you believe how kind? I'm on the table (a heated table), and thinking, "omg... how could this have ever been a bad day!?!" It was glorious.

AF M-Th. DH returns within the hour. Will probably have a glass of wine together then make hatch chile stew for dinner. I'm looking forward to both! Cheers, everyone!

RockinRobyn672 · February 2023

I'm Robyn and live in SE Virginia. My goal is 16+ AF days per month. I had 18 AF days last month. I post the next day.

2/1: Drinks (4) - I had a couple beers at the brewery we went to for a professional event. They had a food truck with delicious pulled pork and jerk chicken sliders. Once home, we stayed up late and broke into a bottle of wine. I did, however, avoid the temptation to get into late night snacking.
2/2: Drinks (4) - We went out for dinner where there was an amazing jazz band. I had two drinks there, and then we did the same thing as Wednesday night which was to share a bottle of chardonnay once back at home. My goal is no more than two drinks on A days.

Rolling Total: 0 AF Days out of 2

Lilylady3k · February 2023

February accountability: 2 days AF
Alcohol: 1 days ( 2 drinks)
Goal: Limit 2 glasses per day; 12-16 AF days this month.

2/3 - 2 drinks; bourbon & Diet Coke

Think I might have caught a cold from caring for my granddaughters while they were sick. Felt terrible today and ended up skating on dinner with a pizza and drinks.

MamaJammy · February 2023

Day 2 out of 28 days this month no wine. I did have one measure of fireball to relax after work tonight. Usually I would have that and a small bottle of wine to myself in a night so that is a success to me.

I had a rage dream night before last and a dream of hiding in old houses and then behind trees in a beautiful park from "bad guys" last night...WOoo! My cat has also been a gleep these last two nights sleeping cuddled up to me..unusual.

LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

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