LESS Alcohol ~ NOVEMBER 2024 ~ One Day at A Time

So glad to see such positivity in these discussions. And, to those of you who have wonderful streaks or accumulations of AF days, CONGRATULATIONS!!

We had my daughters’ family dinner party for 8 adults and 3 kids last night. Her best GF and husband joined us. I made all the homemade Mexican food and chocolate cake, put up super cute decorations and balloons everywhere- Rose gold and pink and silver. It was really nice. Popped a pink Mumm champagne to toast her.

I opened a Chardonnay for dinner and no one drank it but me. In hindsight, I wish I had the mocktails I put out for others (which I bought for this occasion)!

Accountability post…..two glasses between 5-9:00 p.m. Then a BIG glass after family left and while I cleaned up the kitchen. Super fog head today.
I went into the party very tired which isn’t the way to set myself up for success.

Planning for an AF day to reset.

November stats:
AF - 5
A - 17

Sending a big hug to you @Womona! So good to read your post and hear what’s going on. You know we’re here encourage you. About feeling anxiety over the “3 days without alcohol?” Super normal for me anyway. That’s a huge chunk of future planning during both a hectic and wonderful time. I did the exact same thing yesterday! Once I gave myself that mini goal I felt super anxious like I’m not sure I can do this. It’s a cycle we get into and something our brains tell ourselves which I believe we can counter and reframe. But, it’s much harder when we are stressed and tired! You have a good idea to excuse yourself in the later hours on Thursday. It is always a long day and your guests haven’t done all the shopping, cleaning, and cooking. I hope you will honor your needs and say goodnight when it’s appropriate for you.

@globalhiker your tree and decorations will be wonderful! In 15 bags no less! Your approach to getting the house ready is smart. I do the same these days…a little at a time, otherwise it can be backbreaking for me lol. Our 3 trees are up in the attic too! It was a Jenga puzzle but we organized it pretty well two years back. We gave the huge pre-lit tree to youngest DD but we are still storing it here (they live in same town and SIL can take that one down). I will put up the nice smaller one in the formal living room with dining room connected, and one whimsical tree in the family room by the TV and fireplace. My grandkids always help decorate the whimsy tree.
Great plan to tidy one room at a time too - pace yourself instead of overdo!

After my food and wine festival over this past week/weekend I took my own advice yesterday, “just for today”….”I will skip the wine.” So, I did it, AF last night and I definitely woke up earlier and feeling more rested. So much so, I’m going to skip the wine again, “just for today.” I think I have some FOMO around staying AF but that’s another myth my brain tells me.

I am listening to Dr. Andrew Huberman again. What a smart human! He is a neurobiologist Stanford grad with superb YouTube podcasts on sleep, effects of alcohol and umpteen very interesting science based subjects. Learning about how alcohol effects every function in our bodies again….planning ahead to crush December goals (power of positive thinking).

I’m going to Costco this AM to get that errand done, and then hit the gym with a friend this afternoon.

Congrats on all the super AF and LA success stories too! For those who are really struggling to get that one AF/LA day, you are not alone. 🤗

@SurferGirl1982 no offense taken at all! It definitely crosses my mind, believe me. Normally I can moderate well, but lately my F-it gene has kicked in!!

I read a quote the other week. “Choose the pain of discipline, or the pain of regret.” Will power alone doesn’t get anyone far. I guess the discipline comes from the routine, and clearly having a “why” spelled out and at the forefront of our minds keeps us on track. I need to choose the pain of discipline . Because I sure as hell regret the extra lines on my face or the fact that my pants are getting snug!

Weight is coming down! Yay!

@Michieb125 isnt it a great feeling? You’re hot chocolate sounds amazing.

Hope you all have a great day.

@NonnieDoiron My heart goes out to you. It all sounds incredibly overwhelming, but especially sad reading how each of your birthday milestones has essentially been put on the back burner and shoved under a rug.

NonnieDoiron wrote: »

<Snip> I know it sounds like the most selfish BS ever, <Snip>

No, actually. It's you that sounds like you're surrounded by selfish people.

I'm just a lurker that used to post in here for help (very grateful for this thread) and still read from time to time. Your post moved me to pop in and wish you well with everything that you're going through and seriously hope that you can catch a break soon, YOU deserve it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! One of the things I’m thankful for is the wonderful people in this group. Thank you for all your kind words and support over the years, especially lately.

Oh @NonnieDoiron , I feel for you, so much. You’re really in the thick of it. I hope your dad starts to feel better. Is he hospitalized? Also hope your MIL’s procedure goes well, even to just give her some relief for the breathing and swallowing. But, I just wonder, will she be strong enough to she bounce back? Or is it time to consider palliative care? Either way, I can see why you’re a ball of stress dealing with your own and everyone else’s stress!!! Big giant hug.

As for your birthday, it totally sucks that milestones are overshadowed by other
issues. A 50th birthday is really something special, and you deserve to celebrate it however you want. A big blow-out party would probably be a nice distraction and inject a shot of joy in your family’s lives. But I gotta say, a getaway to someplace fun with your bestie sounds even more compelling to me! More big hugs.