LESS Alcohol ~ OCTOBER 2024 ~ One Day at A Time

MissMay · October 23

chicbuc wrote: »

AF = 22
A = 0

YOU too......what an impressive AF streak!!!!

MissMay · October 23

looneycatblue wrote: »

Unfortunately I wasn't AF yesterday as planned, old habits are hard to let go of. But on the positive side, I had half of my usual.
Just by cutting back, I can feel the effects, easier waking and getting out of bed this morning.
Today will be AF

Still a win to those of us that know any amount of LESS is success. Nice save on the half of your usual.

MissMay · October 23

Eight days left in October. WE are all doing this.

Whether your abstaining completely or having LESS by a different means, it all matters and counts as awareness to your drinking habits.

Keep track, give accountability and reach grab those personal goals!

SurferGirl1982 · October 23

Thanks @MissMay!

NonnieDoiron · October 24

AF - 17
A - 6

@chicbuc MIL won’t let me talk to her doctors which is fine. She’s not my mom. But, she gets ambulance transports to all her appointments, so my husband never has the opportunity to take her to the appointments to try to help guide the conversation in the right direction.

@Womona she is on oxygen as needed, but I think she needs it more. But, like I said, not my mom. If she were to suffocate tomorrow, it wouldn’t be because I didn’t tell her and her son they needed to talk to her doctors.

@MissMay the noises are horrendous! OMG… so disgusting! We have a very long ranch-style house. Our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from her room. I can still hear her especially when she’s doing her coughing and choking noises. The coughing noise just sounds like straight dry heaving! I hate being in my own home right now. Not only is it gross, but I’m also terrified I won’t respond to one of those noises and it’ll be the real thing and she’ll need help.

My stress level always seems to be at a 10 right now. Between her noises and my husband’s super sensitivity to anything I say, I’m just straight up DONE! And, I can tell because I’m at 6 A days, and that’s drinking 2 glasses of wine 2 days in a row. If I went shopping, I would probably be drinking every day right now. I’m doing my best not to get in my car and head to the store.

SurferGirl1982 · October 24

AF today. I had a good day! I had a lot to do and everything went smoothly. I'm really feeling much better already. It makes me wonder why I drank for so long? I enjoy being able to function and get things done!

October:
AF - 5
A - 18
AF Streak - 4 Days 🙂

xbowhunter · October 24

Good morning and happy Thursday my LA friends!

AF = 39
A = 0

Today is your day make it great again!

chicbuc · October 24

Good morning

AF = 23
A = 0

SunnyDays930 · October 24

@globalhiker I know what you mean. We (me anyway) have used alcohol to blunt feelings for years, but when we do, we blunt the good feelings too. And it IS hard to all of a sudden feel all the feels when we aren't drinking. It is a new sensation to me. But I just let them wash over me, maybe do a little deep breathing, and them thank them for showing me I am alive.
Dr appt today and I have to fast until I get there. Please send good thoughts that my liver values have returned to normal.
Day 31 AF. Thank you all for the support.

MissMay · October 24

@SunnyDays930 fingers, toes and eyes crossed for you to get a good medical report today.
Luv ya!

RubyRed427 · October 24

Day 32 AF
Some realizations:
This is now who I am. I am a non-drinker. (I keep repeating this in my mind.)
I went to our fav bar last evening. And the bartender said "Club soda, right?"

I cannot let myself think there is any positives to drinking. The negatives are just far too great for a few hours of relief.
Yesterday was a very rough day for me (personal and work issues and problems).
I felt calm and did not panic. The old me would have went home and drank a bottle of wine. Easy. I was able to relax in the evening instead of ruminate about my day. A small amount of ice cream helped!

Sound like we are all meeting some or all of our goals. And if you are not, please continue to post. We are in this together. No one needs to feel like they are alone on an island.

globalhiker · October 24

Today which is day 54 AF. 100% confidence I will be AF today. I want to do this, need to do this, and will continue not drinking in order to continue improving in happiness & health.

@looneycatblue Happy Belated Birthday!

Good luck to you all who have medical appointments this fall & for those of you going through a tough or stressful time, hope you follow a solution, even a small simple one, to have a less stressful day. Sing at a karaoke bar, lock yourself up in the bathroom and have a long bath with headphones on, plan an escape day at a spa, spend an afternoon in a quiet museum, go to a kickboxing class, or watch funny comedians on youtube before bed. You know what I mean. Planning a different type of "escape" instead of alcohol is what I mean. Good escapes like these are important to keep the stress level below the danger zone. I am working on adding to my escape list.

BTW - my BP yesterday was the lowest it's been this year: 107/80! Woo-hoo - it was 169-ish before. Was it no alcohol or the relaxing effect of the chocolates??? Likely both?

SurferGirl1982 · October 24

@globalhiker I always like hearing your encouraging words. That's great about your BP! I think it's mainly the alcohol. I'm only on day 5. But I was thinking about checking my BP yesterday. But never got around to it.

SurferGirl1982 · October 24

@SunnyDays930 I'm definitely sending good thoughts to you

NonnieDoiron · October 24

AF - 18
A - 6

WAY too much to do this weekend and kinda starting today. So, no drinking which is perfectly fine.

Tired today after my bestie’s husband landed in the ER and subsequently admitted around 1:30 this morning which is when she text me to tell me. I know she was scared and needed me to hear her this morning, so I dragged myself out of bed to text with her while we waited to find out what was happening. He’s still in the hospital, and most likely will be for a couple of days it seems.

Just learned my oldest and his wife are going on a cruise in a couple weeks. She text to see if they could come to dinner Sunday. I think she may ask us to watch the kids while they’re on the cruise. I don’t mind, but it’ll definitely be different around here to have 4 teens and a baby! 😳

Anyway, have a good evening! Depending on how busy I get, I may not check back in until Sunday evening.

SunnyDays930 · October 25

I had my last Dr.s visit yesterday with my dear Dr that will be moving on to something new. For 9 years she has been hearing me lament about my drinking habits. I was so proud to tell her yesterday I was 31 days AF. I told her about my liver pain and she said we will see what the blood work shows on my enzymes, then get a sonogram on it if it is high, but she did not seem too concerned. She said it was probably swollen from too much alcohol but has most likely gone down with complete abstinence. I'll post results when I get them. Day 32 AF today. Thank you all for your good wishes

chicbuc · October 25

I'll bet she was so proud of you, @SunnyDays930! That's awesome and can't wait to hear your liver numbers!

Headed out for the weekend. I'm not strong enough yet. I can already feel it. It's why I cancelled a couple other weekend trips I had booked before the new year. I did not plan this one, but I will do my best.

Hope everyone has a great Friday and enjoys their weekend!

AF = 24 (25 day streak)
A = 0

annliz23 · October 25

I have only just found d this so late into the challenge but God knows I need this as I am at my witts end.

You all sound so inspiring.

Womona · October 25

globalhiker wrote: »

I choose to be AF again today.

I am learning to deal with occasional irritability. Before the glasses of wine took care of that feeling but now I am left to experience it and I can't just can't keep eating it away. Although last night it happened and while dinner was slow to get ready, I "chipped out" on tortilla chips. Maybe 300 calories worth I didn't need. Since I already "messed up" the dinner calories, I proceeded to have a frozen yogurt (ice cream in disguise) for dessert. I wasn't hungry, just following my bad programming to EAT MORE when I am not hungry and "just because" I already "messed up" earlier. The worst part is that I am reinforcing a habit (feeding feelings away I think is just like drinking feelings away, and so trying to change that response pattern so I just get used to observing my feelings and trying to get the undesirable ones to just lessen and go away (without relying on consuming anything).

Mentioning this stuff in case you run into it. In the past, I've talked myself back into drinking a few glasses just to reduce the snack and dessert calories. That plan FAILED a few times since it resulted in a bit of weight loss but increased number of drinks over time. Please don't follow my past stupid moves.

It is human and normal to occasionally feel stressed, anxious, hungry, mad, down, restless, in pain, irritable, etc. and I am working on getting used to experiencing feelings like a normal human. My brain instantly asks for sugar or crunchy food when I experience any of these emotions since the wine is not an option and I am working on correcting this.

Being an emotional eater (and drinker) is sooooo common. I know so many people who do this- I would say I’m more of a drinker than an eater. But the stressful, sad, etc. feelings are the same, as is the need for comfort. Somehow we got the message that food/alcohol is the big comfy blanket of when we need to make it all go away in the moment.

One of the biggest takeaways I got from my therapist is “learning to sit with the discomfort”. Applies to so many situations. It’s like exercising. I have been building that “sit with discomfort” muscle, but sometimes I slip up. Give Grace, and try again. The discomfort winds up being not nearly as bad as I think it will be.

At any rate, hugs to you, and our future LA and slender selves! Haha!

Womona · October 25

Wine night at work - I literally said “I need a glass of alcohol” after a super busy shift. So much for sitting with discomfort!! 😠 And then I had more when I got home, so that’s two glasses when I only planned for one.

That’s ok because I am going to dinner after my nephew‘s confirmation tonight. Will have only one glass of wine with dinner, so that should start to even things out. I find that if I have a cocktail before dinner, I always follow up with wine. So, no cocktail for me.

This weekend will be a challenge -brunch tomorrow after work, followed by the confirmation party. Mimosas and wine . Then we sail on Sunday morning. A little too cold and early to drink a cold High Noon, but we will chill on the boat afterwards and that very well could include a glass of wine. So, I need to temper my drinking, and switch to water!

Godspeed as we head into the weekend. Let’s all keep striving towards our goals.

Oh, by the way, my liver enzymes we totally normal, which is a relief. However, triglycerides and LDL were slightly higher than they should be. Why, I asked. The answer? It’s because I drink. Great.

globalhiker · October 25

@Annliz23 welcome to our wonderful group! We're all at different stages of reaching our goals at our own pace and in our own ways, but we are doing it!

Day 55 AF is here and I won't drink today for sure.

@Womona regarding managing feelings that drive comfort eating & drinking, thanks for your comments, I'll try to "sit with the discomfort" for awhile instead of automatically and mindlessly feeding it or drinking an NA beer in response.

@SunnyDays930 appreciate your strategy for managing challenging feelings and will try what you said: "But I just let them wash over me, maybe do a little deep breathing, and them thank them for showing me I am alive."

Happy Friday!

Michieb125 · October 25

Happy Friday all! I love your words @globalhiker - we are all in different stages of reaching our personal and individual goals. Truly, each one of you here inspire me daily as I travel on my LA journey.

I am still out of town, but checking in while glamping. DH and I have been walking each morning and evening down to the lake with our dear sweet Labrador and the weather couldn’t be better for a couple of grill nights. Shorts by day and a sweatshirt at night.

Update: I brought a couple zero proof Recess mocktails and a couple of Stella NA’s with me. Also ended up buying a Kendall Jackson 8% A content for 85 calories at a light Italian Pinot Grigio while picking up supplies at Walmart. I wasn’t going to, but my happy drinking self surfaced just like this “life is good, I’m on vacation, I’m in my happy place, and it’s a beautiful day.”

The zero proofs and bottle of low alcohol KJ lasted 3 days which is LA for me while camping. Then, yesterday I had unplanned good Chardonnay with charcuterie on my mother’s patio at sunset. I cooked a nice dinner for the three of us and probably had 3-4 glasses over 5 hrs.

I comment here honestly with a realization that my best laid plans changed. Thinking I would refrain from wine during what I love to do (campfires, lazy morning coffee and stargazing at lakes, beaches, mountains) in our comfy 24’ travel trailer was a little unrealistic. My goal continues to be less and not abstinence so I am okay with my choices. I did skip the apple pie though!

Looking forward to getting home tomorrow to start a new day, so I can focus and wrap up LA Oct. with more AF and LA days.

🍁🎃🍁

Current wine stats:
AF days - 11
A days - 10 (limit 12 oz.)
Less alcohol - 3

SunnyDays930 · October 25

Im my lab results for my liver, the ALT number, was 37. If you look on line, this is high normal. It was 37 in April as well, but 57 in August. This is confusing because the 57 number was from a different lab and I have learned that different labs can have different ways to measure. Anyway, it may be lower or it may not have changed but it hasn't gone up.
I was hoping it was less. I'll get another blood draw in 3 months. Maybe this is good. It will keep me sober, trying to bring it down.

Day 32 AF.

SurferGirl1982 · October 26

AF - 6
A - 19

globalhiker · October 26

AF day 56 today. Got thru a very challenging AF Friday late afternoon. Came back from the allergist (who kept me waiting an hour) after they did a patch test with over 70 different chemicals on my back. Of course ten came back positive so I had crazy intense itching. I had a 30 mile drive back home from that office at 5:30 time (yes Friday happy hour time whereby half the drivers in that area are either tipsy or rushing to get tipsy along with the hungry rushing to line up at restaurants) and of course I ran into 2 separate road accidents, with streets closed off and I had to get re-routed for miles. And every street light was RED. And I have yet to bring dinner home to the hungry husband texting me and I am running late and my back is on FIRE due to the allergy testing. I could've easily rolled down the window and screamed.

Instead, I told myself "the universe is telling me to slow down". I managed by picking up Panda Express (the emergency dinner) and I went to CVS to pick up a bottle of fake tequila (Ritual non alcoholic). Great choice? No, I spent $28 on fake tequila just to address my mental chaos which I mixed with OJ and I liked it but soda or plain juice or just getting home would've made me feel better. I was just irritated to the max and thirsty and hungry. At least I had no alcohol and I didn't think of chocolate. So I am ok with the occasional $$$$ AF splurge to get me through crazy situations.

Note to Self: never again make an appt. for 4pm on a Friday. Consider carrying flavored water in the car, drink that if stuck in the car.

Michieb125 · October 26

@SunnyDays930 - you are doing fantastic and thanks for sharing your lab score. I truly know nothing about liver ALT tests, but know that most prescribed OTC medications must pass through the liver to metabolize in our bodies. Just a thought if you are exploring underlying reasons.

I have read how digestive enzymes and probiotics have been proven to support healthy organs and I do take these supplements.
Now I’m wondering what my ALT score might be.

Michieb125 · October 26

@globalhiker —- sounds like an awful night but you got through! WTG - and no more appointments on a Friday night! PS Panda is always an emergency dinner for me too, lol.

annliz23 · October 26

i plan to start by cutting down and having some AF days then I can increase as i go as it will be hard particulary as i have a husband sitting next to me who will not cut back.

Day 1 only 1 glass of wine (refused another one)

Michieb125 · October 26

Out of curiosity, I just looked at my recent blood work from Jan. 2024 and then back each year to 2012. I found results for ALT in the comprehensive metabolic panel. I think my numbers have been fairly normal - between 10-15 year over year for twelve years. Feeling thankful.

Michieb125 · October 26

@annliz23 Welcome! Great plan to make small changes over time! You have the personal desire which will get you there even when the other person can’t or won’t.

LESS Alcohol ~ OCTOBER 2024 ~ One Day at A Time

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