LESS Alcohol ~ DECEMBER 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

Still on my AF streak. I am almost afraid to have a drink and risk setting off a pre-holiday drinking spree. Plus, it's soooo nice to have days without no cravings. Yesterday I had none.

I'm working on "treating" myself by buying myself presents each successful week. It's my own mental game to keep me going and it's working. The past month relying on chocolates and ice cream and pricey faux tequila totally worked to keep me AF but isn't sustainable long-term. Presents are better!

Side note: motivation starts to strengthen when one feels a sense of accomplishment - tiny accomplishments matter, even if it means not drinking for a 24 hour period, or not drinking until 8pm, or drinking one less, making the first drink an AF drink, etc.

Hi everyone! I have 5 parties this week, which translates to two glasses of wine at each event, my upper threshold. However, were I home, I know I’d have one glass.

Here’s a small victory… this past Sunday we put all the indoor decorations up (except for the tree, we are probably getting it this weekend). It was festive and fun getting the decor up, and I really would have loved a mimosa. Instead, I had a Fever Tree Grapefruit in a champagne glass. All the fun without the alcohol! Of course I had a glass of wine later, but I’m taking the win!!!!

Damn. You guys who have your shopping done and decor up are putting me to shame.

Somber week. A long, long time friend died suddenly Friday. Her affairs are a bit of a mess. 20 years ago I accepted her request to be her executor, then 5 years ago I resigned. I really anguished about it back then, we talked, I wrote a resignation letter, returned all her stuff and we hugged it out. Come to find out she never updated her documents, and among the friend group I received huge pressure to serve. It's super uncomfortable for several reasons, not the least of which are pushy take-charge friends legally authorized to do nothing but still boss everyone else around (instructing others to legally trespass and the like). Sooooo many cooks in the kitchen. I feel guilty about it, but her successor executor is a distant cousin in another state, and handed legal responsibility off to him. Hopefully the intrusive friends will respect him more than they respect me. Here is one thing I've learned: you may think your estate documents clearly state who is authorized for what and hence will keep pushy friends from intruding on your business, but they wont. Grabbers gonna grab.

I may have mentioned in the thread before about a friend with no family for whom her friend group did an alcohol intervention. It was a terrible experience back then. She never really accepted responsibility for her choices, continued blaming others for everything amiss in her life, made up stories that made no sense, and died last week at age 71, 5 months after retiring. So many of the circumstances are profoundly sobering.

Stay well, my friends. Enjoy your celebrations, friends and family to the maximum extent possible.

@ahoy_m8, I am so sorry for your loss and the aftermath you are experiencing. Hugs for you.

You make realize how I need to let go of things I can't control and focus on things I can.

Here, still AF and haven't set any drinking goals for the holidays. My goal is to work on getting into the best shape of my life.