LESS Alcohol ~ DECEMBER 2023 ~ One Day at A Time

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.

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

December is the most challenging month to avoid the 🍸🍻🥂

Best resolve to everyone: we got this!

This months includes a 5-day conference and 11 days of vacation.

I want to keep the weekdays corked, including the conference. And, I want to drink only a few times during vacation while I get lots of outdoor exercise. 💪

Agree! Holiday events everywhere. I’ve leaned into mocktails … I started a thread in the recipes area of MFP..

Experimenting with different mocktail recipes have actually been kind of relaxing. Strangely.

Going to drive two hours each way today to attend a holiday gathering at my aging mother’s house (87). Sister will be there from out of state, along with my kids and grandkids and we will have a catered lunch. There is often drama and acting out between that sister and mom especially if wine is served. I haven’t decided whether I’ll participate or not with a glass or two. I know full well it’s one of the main reasons I still drink wine but it isn’t the answer. A crutch in these types of lifelong family situations.

I would rather reframe this day and think I’d like to stay AF in front of my kids and grandkids even if it’s a holiday lunch. Will continue to reflect this am.

Hello everyone!
Yesterday, 1 glass of red wine med day while playing domino's with DH LOL .....Anyway that was my big drink for the day even though it was only a 4 oz pour.

Neighbor brought over some beef & dumplings so I scraped the leftover veggies stir fry that was planned and we ate that...oh it was yummy. But she made her dumplings like egg noodle pasta. It as a bit to dense for me.

Today I am making some beeswax wraps to put my homemade artisan sourdough bread that I will be giving for Christmas gifts. So two gifts in one. One to eat now one to wrap foods in for the rest of the year.
Of course I had to go to second hand store to find a pan and bowl to make a double boiler ...not going to use my own cookware with wax/resin/oil needed to make the wraps

anyway love reading the posts and @MissMay is correct we all go through ebb and flows regarding A drinking. Being aware is 100% a game changer and how you use the knowledge is key.

miss you all and will be back later

You ALL inspire me. Everything you all write inspires me, especially the honesty. This is month 2 for me not drinking (shh...keep it a secret). The day before I started I drank 2 bottles of champagne by myself in a day and a half. That scared me since I had not done that before and I had to change.

My husband now sees how much he is drinking weekly and has decided to not drink Tuesdays and Thursdays, that's progress. He has to follow his own plan and has Bush NA beer in the fridge for today in case he needs it.

Me - I am drinking daily, just something better for me. Thinking about it this way tricks my brain into not feeling like I am missing out. Flavorwise, I love Ritual Tequila Alternative ( zero cal.) with a small splash of OJ. 2nd favorite is Reed's Extra Ginger Beer (zero cal.). Both provide that "burn" feeling in the mouth. Third favorite, just 2 oz pure cranberry with ice (when I need "sour") or Tejava black tea, just out of the bottle, if I want something tannin-like. I like strong bitter/sour/burny flavors. Fevertree cucumber looks great, it's cheaper than Reed's, just hard to find where I live.

I'm TRYING SO HARD to wean myself off the chocolate. My craving transitioned from wine to dark chocolate pretty quick. I just failed my cholesterol test at the doctor's and knew it was my daily afternoon chocolates. So today I am experimenting with chocolate-flavored pea protein shake and trying to thicken it up in the freezer. Maybe I can get my chocolate fix in a lowfat way and lose some weight and hit my protein targets. I hope!

The holidays: I think I will buy some more Ritual non-alcoholic tequila or ask my family to buy it as a present. I wasn't a fan of the rum and the whiskey got mixed reviews so I'm sticking with the faux tequila all the way. Here are their mocktail recipes anyway in case they give you any good ideas: https://www.ritualzeroproof.com/blogs/cocktails.