LESS Alcohol ~ JULY 2023 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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Bonjourno!!! I'm ba-a-a-a-ack!!! lol I see some familiar names here. I haven't read anything yet. Interestingly, I was a part of this group as I embarked on my 4 year no alcohol journey pre-covid...so appr 6 years ago, then joined the Sober Squad and THEN...I left the religious cult that I had been a member of for 27 years and it is like the wheels fell off the cart for appr. 18 months while I spun trying to find some direction...as I enjoyed being "free" to choose how to think, to feel etc etc etc ... at the same time, it was extremely overwhelming...I began to drink again, smoke weed to stave off the anxiety and over the past couple of years it has morphed into an nearly daily drinking habit....only a few...a few times way more than a few and I am now at the point where I'm needing to get control again...*kitten* HAPPENS and that's ok...
I absolutely have an addictive personality and have used many substances, including food to quell my anxiety and on & on...I've thought of different ones that I befriended over the years in the Sober Squad group in particular and wondered how their journeys have gone...I read a couple of comments from 2 years ago on an older thread and realize that I am not the only one who has had some struggles...AND THEN THERE WAS COVID...how dare I forget and that was a journey of it's own as we all know...SO having said ALL that, I am needing to get my *kitten* back together...and that's why I opened the MFP app to make some better choices...I had no intention of looking for the 'sober' group...which was renamed & I've gapped on the name but someone formerly named "FooFoo" started it and @RubyRed427 had started the Sober Squad and then Jen took it over ? not sure if I have that right lol...I'm thinking out loud here
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@lorrainequiche59
My, what an interesting story you have!
You will get it back together.
Accountability on MFP means that you are still "free" to think, feel, and speak as you like. Nice to have a place to keep us on track with our goals.
Good choice to come back to MFP IMHO
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I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 18AF days in May.
I do this diary style:
Monday July 10 - AF - Felt like having drinks, but needed to get to at least 50% A to AF days, so didn't.
Tuesday July 11 - AF - Day one of 13 orientation/training shifts at the newest job. Quite overwhelming. I am being cross trained as a Dietary Aide, but I applied for dinner server at the independent side of a long term care home (benefits include Dental). OMG, different codes for every door, I absolutely had no idea where I was at any time. Good thing that I wasn't left alone or I would still be there somewhere stuck between 2 doors! Happy to see my 6th AF day of course. Planning to get my 10th on Sunday (my first day off in 11), planning drinks for Saturday after work. Whew. 3 jobs now for the next 2 months and then down to 2. No summer for me this year apparently, lake days are just a dream. I will try to squeeze one in somewhere somehow : - )
Rolling total: 6AF days out of 11 days.6 -
Read up on the new posts on this sunny Wednesday morning. Welcome back to @lorrainequiche59!
Need to get running today so just a quick check in for now.
Had unplanned wine last night while watching Hillbilly Elegy (2nd time). Both Glen Close snd Amy Adams played phenomenal roles…. that family system was bound in addiction and love. I found it very compelling.
AF until Sunday now to stay within my AF day goals.
July goal: 21-22 AF days
AF - 7
A - 45 -
@globalhiker you have a great plan in place with your mini chocolate treats! I feel the same, gotta have some chocolate on hand.
@zensome careful of your knee. You will be in a better place if you rest it. As for the alcohol, it’s a new day!
@dawnbgethealthy you are roc-kin the AF days this month! The new job sounds like it’s going to be challenging! I love that it’s in a LTC facility. They obviously see you can handle more than server. Best wishes!
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I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 18AF days in May.
I do this diary style:
Wednesday July 12 - AF - I have taken off a bit more than I can chew this week with 3 jobs. Just 2 jobs today, server on the Independent side of the retirement home for my first training shift for that (what I applied for but have to be trained in everything else for some reason) after work today at the restaurant. Tomorrow early appointment, then restaurant and then my Brand Ambassador job. Early morning Saturday runner training at the LTC facility, and then 15 minutes to get to my Brand Ambassador job. Whew. Clothing changes will need to be considered and ready to go as well as portable foods. Really no choice but to be AF, too much going on. I haven't had a full day off in....I have lost count. Soldiering on for the next couple of months and then I will be down to 2 jobs only.
Rolling total: 7AF days out of 12 days.7 -
Checking in for accountability before heading to the gym this a.m. Wanted to imbibe when family drama hit the other day (extended family) but made the better decision to draw boundaries and not let that persuade my decisions for my LA goals this week. My tomorrow self thanked me this time.
Sending encouragement to those who need it today.
July goal: 21-22 AF days
AF - 8
A - 45 -
I get sick very easily from alcohol and particularly from wine. I’ve nearly given up all wine, but I went to a party last Saturday where wines were featured with each course.
Whelp, I had too much and my stomach is only returning to normal 5 days later! 💀
OK, I really need to avoid wine. I need to keep striving for less alcohol in general. And, when I drink, I need to adhere to strict limits. It’s not easy with everyone offering it to me all the time!
Best of luck to everyone else.7 -
6 A and 7 AF so far7
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@lorrainequiche59 welcome back! You’ve had quite a journey and no one could blame you for backsliding. But, you’re taking control now , and it’s a new, wonderful day!
@Jthanmyfitnesspal I hear ya! I could have written your post, except substitute “tequila “ for “wine”!
@dawnbgethealthy I’m exhausted looking at your schedule! Congrats on the new job, you will crush it. Way to stay AF!
@Michieb125 good for you choosing to stay AF during a stressful time. Sorry to hear you are stuck in the vortex of family drama!
Today (and tomorrow) my tennis team plays Districts, should be very competitive. I’m really excited and proud of my teammates. I play today but will be there every day to cheer them on. Hope we make it to Finals on Sunday!
I’ve been more mindful of my food, have done a better job tracking, and lo and behold, my weight is coming down! I feel much better about having one drink most nights now that I see I have the room for it calorie-wise. I feel a lot better about myself this week, even though the alcohol hasn’t changed much. Hmmm….. so, only 2 AF days this month, but now it’s not bothering me! I’m not sure how to feel about all of this!
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Love and hugs to those who need it!4 -
@lorrainequiche59 Welcome back! Yours is a stunning story and I do remember when you spoke of leaving the cult. I'm really happy for you to have left.
Wishing you the best on your new journey to be healthier and happier!6 -
Friday check in....
WELCOME BACK @lorrainequiche59 of course we remember you. Your ability to bounce through the trenches is amazing. I would like to be in line for your book signing if you choose to write one about your life.
@dawnbgethealthy I have a vision of you starting out with bulky attire. Then as you leave each job, peeling off that layer of clothing to expose your next outfit for the next job. (But without the superman telephone booth to change in) LOL. Needing to stay AF appears in mysterious ways and is sometime unexpected. Best of luck at your new job.
Speaking of new jobs, a new one has fallen into my lap that I will be starting in the next 7 days. I put in 6 months at the one I have now. I have called this my stupid job, one to get me out of the house and slip extra dollars into my wallet so I dont dip into my savings.
Anyhow (rolling my eyes) enough of this place. Even though I can walk to work in 8 minutes or drive there in less than one minute there is one day a week I am scheduled to work 11.25 hours ALONE. Which means you open up at 7:45AM, and can not leave until you lock up at 7:05PM. I had told my manager in January MAYBE once a month I would do it. Well...it has been almost 4 months of once a week 11.25 hour days at no overtime. I call BS on this.
Luckily the heavens heard me and I was offered an immediate position at a brand new hotel that just opened. No chance of the air conditioning going out and not being repaired for three days like at my present job that happened when it was 92° outside.
Recap, hmmmm I was moving 1600 miles to take it easy and do nothing??LOL not in my personality I guess. I found now having my townhouse I get my housework done in 15 minutes and my yard work in 10 minutes. My art painting happens more when the humidity is low. So I will see how this new position works out. I must say though, it is nice to feel needed and I will now be part of a team, no more working alone for hours on end without someone checking to see if your still upright.
Tacked on 5 more AF since my last drinks on Saturday. Have an awesome Friday gang.7 -
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I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 18AF days in May.
I do this diary style:
Thursday July 13 - AF - I seem to have a new friend at the LTC/Retirement place job. She says that she has a teaspoon of vodka in a large glass with ice, tonic water, and lime juice each night. I think that even that amount would affect my energy levels which are dicey at the moment. I will be AF again on Friday. Planning drinks for Saturday after 2 jobs are complete. Whew. Not taking ANY shifts for Sunday, my garden really needs me. Thankfully we had a downpour of rain yesterday so at least it is watered. Absolutely no time for it this past week. I also really need a midweek lake day (weekends are too crowded), so am going to figure that out for the coming week while it is still really hot, and still summer.
Rolling total: 8AF days out of 13 days.2 -
@MissMay good for you to realize it’s time to leave that job. The hotel is lucky to have you!
@Womona glad you’re feeling better this week and sounds like you will have a great time with tennis. Yes, the vortex of family drama is real. I have learned to put myself first and detach when appropriate, finally……
@dawnbgethealthy the vodka story is kind of cute. But she doesn’t have your work shifts! I personally take more supplements when I have a packed schedule. - maybe more Vitamin C and electrolytes would give you the extra plug right now.
July goal: 21-22 AF days
AF - 9
A - 43 -
Hey Quiche long time, no see! Glad to see you are back! I haven't been on so much. I have been having a hectic summer but keeping alcohol at the minimum. As many people know here, I've been on Wegovy since April 1. I've lost 20 lbs but it also curbs addiction so it is not hard for me to stop at one drink. I am a bit concerned about what will happen when I stop taking it but I don't want to take it forever. We will see.7
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6 A and 8 AF3
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Hello friends, summer is always a challenging time for me because I don't do well with heat and I love the outdoors and when I can't go out I am just really grouchy and want to drink away to cool down. On the AF front, I have done some 3-4 days AF with husband this month although we've been grouchy and managing with chocolate and movies.
I hope you all spend the weekend to just slow down and re-center and figure out your goals for the week. I don't know about you, but I am no good at just spending the weekend at "slowing down". I've not mastered that and now think this is what is creating my work-life imbalance, so this weekend my goal is to just slow-down and re-calibrate. Wish me luck
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SunnyDays930 wrote: »Hey Quiche long time, no see! Glad to see you are back! I haven't been on so much. I have been having a hectic summer but keeping alcohol at the minimum. As many people know here, I've been on Wegovy since April 1. I've lost 20 lbs but it also curbs addiction so it is not hard for me to stop at one drink. I am a bit concerned about what will happen when I stop taking it but I don't want to take it forever. We will see.
Is this who was normally known to me as Foo Foo way long ago...?? OR is this Jen lol3 -
@globalhiker
I know that when you get down time you want to get out and do things. I get that making use of your time outdoors brings more of a feeling of being alive.
I anticipate getting a day off for doing laundry, cleaning etc.
It is hard to slow down for sure! Weeding in my garden is kind of zen, but it just needs weeding again soon after. I suppose that I will at least be eating it all : - )
Let us know how you do with that.
Having Covid early this year kind of showed me that even though all I could do was pretty much lay in bed and listen to the radio - the world didn't stop because I wasn't going at breakneck speed. It gave me pause. Still haven't been able to recreate that again, but a day to do absolutely nothing sounds like a personal goal.5 -
I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 18AF days in May.
I do this diary style:
Friday July 14 - AF - Planning drinks after my 2 jobs back to back on Saturday. Sunday completely off! I will get out and give my garden some love very early in the morning before it is 37c
Rolling total: 9AF days out of 14 days.3 -
I must go on a walk in a few minutes to grab some fresh morning air and sunshine. It is going to hit 100 degrees here around 2 p.m. Did gardening yesterday morning and watered everything real well in anticipation of the heat today. I am seeing tons of green tomatoes everywhere and they are looking forward to more sun, lol. But, I feel spoiled in a way as I know there are others who deal with much higher temps.
We went to a dinner party at a good friends house yesterday. Her husband loves to cook and they are very hospitable. I decided to have wine with all the culinary treats. I had over three glasses in a period of 6 hours so that means I will skip my Sunday A tomorrow. Something I also did was drink quite a bit of water and iced tea in between.
July goal: 21-22 AF days
AF - 9
A - 55 -
@globalhiker thinking of you this weekend as you seek to re-center and good job on the AF with DH. Sundays are my typical day I consciously focus on goals for the week. It does help!
@dawnbgethealthy enjoy your upcoming and well deserved day off. Your garden is awaiting some love on Sunday! I agree, weeding is pure work, but harvesting and eating your own crop will be such an accomplishment.
Have a good weekend all - sending positive thoughts your way.3 -
6 A and 9 AF- and it's hot as heck where I am- hope everyone is surviving the heat!4
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Appreciate your guys' uplifting comments for real. I just wanted to just relax today. But my husband decided to re-adjust the A/C in the attic on a day it was 110 degrees and needless to say half the house was full of attic insulation material and the way thru the attic was in the master closet so most of that insulation crap landed on our clothes, on the bed and everywhere else. My asthma was not happy. Of course the air was not balanced because after all, he is not an A/C technician. And it is hot in here because the laundry has been running all day. So I spend the afternoon doing laundry and vacuuming with a mask on.
It's 7 hours later and husband put himself in "time out" outside. I think I will check into a spa for a weekend and they must be cheap here this time of year. Seriously, sometimes when I just don't have peace at home, I think I need to just run away. My head is saying I should go for a wine run but trying not to....!9 -
@globalhiker. So much for relaxing and re- centering! Ugh what a mess with the insulation stuff. I hope you get a chance to do so today! It is hard when you’re an active person. I wonder if something like knitting would be considered “active test”- something to focus on so you don’t feel bored staring at the four walls trying in vain to “relax”.
@MissMay I am so happy to hear you got scooped up for the hotel job! Sounds like it will be a MUCH better fit. What will you do there? Is it part or full time?
For the big tennis tournament, I am happy with how I played, but we lost our match. Our team did not advance to the finals today, but given the strength of the other teams, that’s fine, and makes perfect sense. It was such a good experience for us all, but holy cow was it HOT! Gotta love tennis in
July.
Now I need to catch up on cleaning the house and getting back to my workout routine. Everything was put on hold this week in an effort to prevent injury and coordinate what I needed to for the tourney. Back to reality! Especially with eating and drinking. Lots of celebratory extra wine this weekend!
Hope everyone has a happy Sunday and a great start to the week.4 -
@globalhiker the insulation situation sounds completely awful and frustrating. I hope you were able to sleep and can find a way to recenter today. Maybe an early walk or drive to a park, or visit your fav craft store. You might just need to get out of the house for awhile to look up. Then, verbalize to people around you what you need, I.e., “I am feeling really spent and need some time alone for the next 4 hours.”
@Womona sounds like you had a great time at your tournament! I like your positive attitude that it’s not always about the win but how you play. Isn’t that true in life too?
Super hot yesterday but got a walk in early before spending some time with DIL and her side of the family. We went to an open house up on a hill with 3 acres of horse property, then over to our local nursery to look for fall veggie packs before visiting a little longer here. Had iced cold water after getting in from the heat and chatted it up. My old self would have opened a bottle of wine and then you know what happens next. Lol.
Will hit the grocery store soon and pick up some cold beverages for this week - Stella NA 0.0, club soda, cherry or Pom juice, low cal lemonade. Trying to figure out simple dinners during this heat wave too. AF today.
July goal: 21-22 AF days
AF - 10
A - 5
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I am Dawn, I live in South Eastern British Columbia.
I joined this thread in November of 2018, a daily drinker at the time
My primary goal with drinking less is weight loss.
My usual goal is 16-20 AF days for the month,
I had 18AF days in May.
I do this diary style:
Friday July 14 - AF - Planning drinks after my 2 jobs back to back on Saturday. Sunday completely off! I will get out and give my garden some love very early in the morning before it is 37c
Saturday July 15 - 2 drinks. I quite enjoyed knowing that I didn't have any jobs for Sunday. I just relaxed and watched HGTV. Very hot here, about 99f in the afternoons. I'm sure that all of the lakes are packed it being a weekend. Not sure what I will get up to. Planning AF for Sunday and Monday, planning prosecco after my bank appointment Tuesday after work to sign papers for my consolidation which is going to take all sorts of pressure off of me.
Rolling total: 9AF days out of 15 days.4 -
6 A and 10 AF3
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Hi peeps! Thanks for such an inspiring thread for those of us who are aspiring to be AF or LA. I don’t drink more than once a week typically and it’s socially. I even go weeks without alcohol sometimes, even though there is a lot of addiction in my family. My reason for eating to be LA is that even 3 drinks once a week is destroying my calorie goal of 1300 per day and I don’t feel great the next day after drinking.
What are some possible ways to drink without calories. Vodka bothers my stomach the least bit I don’t like tonic. I tend to have wine, cocktails or vodka in sprite. If it’s a BBQ then I can make my own vodka with Sprite Zero but if I am out it’s hard. Vodka soda isn’t that palatable to me. I need some drink ideas that don’t have that many calorie for the social occasions where I want to have some drinks.
My goal is to stick to one drink a week for now- two tops. Any suggestions on how to make it less damaging to my diet?3
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