LESS Alcohol ~ JANUARY 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

MissMay · January 1

MissMay · January 1

Good morning and good fresh new start for so many of us on this first day of 2025.

I am so very thrilled to already see so many of our return thread contributors setting goals, sharing experiences and offering advice. This is truly a special group of lovely souls we have in here.

For now I will say my goal for having LESS in my life goes beyond the LESS alcohol. I want LESS unnessarry aggravation. That is not asking too much, I don't think.

By working on myself I hope it rubs off on those I encounter in my daily life, starting with my family.

Grateful for all of you here.

Womona · January 1

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

I've been reading some reviews of the NA wines. I'm thinking I'll just stick to my four-pack of Sutter Home Chardonnay for cooking. I only use it in a couple of dishes. I'll just keep it in the back of my pantry...out of sight, out of mind.

Well, the good news is that you’re not a wine drinker!

Womona · January 1

Happy New Year everyone!

I am so proud of myself! Went to a late lunch with hubby to celebrate New Year’s because we planned to stay in last night. I really wanted to order an Old fashioned, but did not because I knew I was going to order wine with our meal afterwards, and that I was going to have two glasses of champagne later. So, I micro-sipped my wine and it lasted beyond the meal.

Last night, had my two (ok, 2.5!) glasses of champagne. Then hubby made a Manhattan, which was delicious, and I thought of making a drink for myself, but I Did Not! So I achieved my less alcohol goals by saying no to not one, but two drinks!

More micro-sipping wine for when we go to a friend’s later, and then adding NA days. Will finally try the dealcoholized wine I bought a few weeks ago. At least I have two bottles of the LA wine for when I do drink at home. Wish me luck!

tmbg1 · January 1

Jan 1 - AF

globalhiker · January 1

Happy New Year friends! What new fun activities will you be adding to your life transformation to replace drinking?

2024 Goals to continue in 2025:
AF for the month
Continue gym weight and kickboxing classes

New January goals:
1-Add at least 4 spin classes
2-Track sleep hours
3-Track the calories (I've been in calorie denial and need to face it)
4-Add running 2 more days a week to make it 3x weekly
5-Cut my grocery bill (including restaurant takeout) by 40% (this will be interesting)

@MissMay BIG thank you for keeping the thread and the team going strong

@SurferGirl1982 I completed 4 months and starting month 5 AF today. Counting months is working for me but I did benefit from counting days the first two months. There's a bit of psychology behind it. A hundred plus days sounds like a big accomplishment and it was tempting me to stop because I got to a goal line. With months, 4 months sounds so small (well 4 is a low number) so I feel compelled to continue and have a stretch goal of a year.

its_cleo · January 1

Hey all, my goal is to reduce drinking and other legal substance use for Jan. Right now my goal is:

-no drinking/use for 3 weeks (until after I have a medical procedure on Jan 17).
- only 2 days after that where I can drink, less than 3 drinks each day.
- max drinks for the month 6

Other goals
-stick to my calorie goals on another challenge.

looneycatblue · January 1

I'm in for 2025! So glad 2024 is over... so much turmoil, and unfortunately more to deal with. (too much to get into here, at least for now)
I know that I will want to drown out the noise by reaching for the bottle, but I will be better at dealing with *kitten* if I stay sober. I'm not saying that I am quitting forever, or even for a week, but I will not drink today. As the saying goes, taking one-day-at-a-time!
Although I haven't been posting, I have been lurking from time to time, and I appreciate all of you and your insights.
Happy 2025 Everyone!

Michieb125 · January 1

Happy New Year 2025!

Rang in the new year with DH and had our annual crab feast. Had planned good champagne and a glass and a half of a Sauvignon Blanc. Bed at 11:00!

January goal is going to be a personal challenge at 68% less this month - here we go!

AF days - 21
A days - 10
Limits: 2 glasses (units)

Actual:
AF days - 1
A days - 0

itladyee · January 1

Happy New Year!!

Here we go... I am excited.

Last night, all things intentional. I finished the bottle of wine and opened a small bottle of prosecco to toast the new year with my husband. I didn't even finish my prosecco!!

SurferGirl1982 · January 1

@globalhiker I once quit for one day short of four months. That year I quit on November 28th in 2021.
That was the day that I was hospitalized (shortly after midnight). So, I hadn't had anything to drink on the 28th. I counted days up to 90 days. Then I used the 28th to count months. Unfortunately, I thought that I had it under control and decided to have a drink. I guess that's not the way it works. I went back to daily drinking shortly after. I do learn though. I know that I can't moderate and be a normal drinker. I do know people that can, but I'm not one of them.

You're doing great and an inspiration to us all. I think you're a bit younger than me. I've had total knee replacement, so running and kickboxing are out of the question for me. I have some really good floor exercises, mainly targeting the core. And, I have a complete set of hex dumbbells (5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25 lbs). I do use them. I also have a decent set of FitCords (the ones with the covering, so you won't get hurt if they break). Other items too.

The reason I was thinking about joining our local gym...is for one, my hubby joined last month, but only went once or twice and I thought if I joined he would be more motivated to go. And, since it rains a lot where I live during the winter months, the gym has those stair climbers. You know the machine...where you keep walking up the stairs and never get anywhere *LOL*. And, I like the leg press machine and a couple of the other machines. And, of course, the free weights.

SurferGirl1982 · January 1

@looneycatblue Glad to see you back. I grew up about 35 miles from where you live...West Covina. So, I felt we were somewhat neighbors 🙂

Since you've been lurking, you might have noticed that I didn't do well in December. I'm in the process of changing things.

Most of us think we have a drink to relax. In reality, alcohol increases anxiety. Your right, when things are rough, reaching for the bottle just makes things more stressful.

Glad your back and just take it one day at a time!

SurferGirl1982 · January 1

@Womona Sounds like you're doing pretty good with your plans. Now that the holidays are over, it should be easier for everyone.

It's kind of weird that I'm not a wine drinker. In my 20's, we drank beer and shooters (tequila, schnaps, flavored brandies). I started drinking hard liquor when I had this little apartment. I lived by myself and worked full-time. I'm not a great cook. I do have some dishes that I make that are excellent (if I do say so myself). But, my thing was on Saturdays, I would buy a bottle of vodka and cook. I was a chemistry major, so I liked experimenting with recipes...changing things up every week. I got on a kick of trying to make the best potato salad. I'm not really crazy about potato salad. But, I had friends that liked it. I would save those plastic deli containers. Well, I had fun and my neighbors never ran out of potato salad.

SparkSpringtime69 · January 2

Holy cow, two page of comments already and it's only the first day

As always thank you @MissMay for starting this new thread!
My back is sooo stiff from sitting on this computer all day today, so I'll be back tomorrow to catch up with everyone.
Today=AF

itladyee · January 2

Setting up for success!!!
Goals for January - 85% Dry (AF = 26 A=5)
Monthly Stats - On Target
AF = 1 ~ 100 %
AF = 0 ~ 0 %
Current Streak - AF = 1
Longest Streak - AF = 1

Today was a good day. I stayed up last night past midnight but I was up by 6:30am this morning. I didn't do anything too strenuous since it's a "Holiday". Did a bit of digital organizing....
Made dinner and poured a glass of Ariel Dealcoholized Wine. I tolerated it since I purchased it. Would I buy it again, probably not. I have one more that I purchased to try but I probably will just skill all together or just drink the low calorie juice in a wine glass, of course.

Month Recap by Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tracker ✅️🍷🍸

1/1 ✅️
1/2
1/3
1/4
1/5
1/6

2023 - 2024 Stats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January AF =87% A=13%
February AF =58% A=42%
March AF = 0% A = 100%
April AF = 0% A = 100%
May
June AF =58% A=42%
July
August
September
October
November
December AF = 13% =87%
Best AF Month = January

2023 St AF =12% A=88%
Best AF Month = January

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SunnyDays930 · January 2

Happy New Year! Day 3 AF for me. I will do at LEAST all of January AF and I hope to keep it going but I am not going to think past 1/31. I need to lose 15 lbs and I am going to aim for 8 by the end of this month. Obviously empty calories(wine) that make me want more calories (wings, fries, sliders etc) have to go.

Good luck to all!

SurferGirl1982 · January 2

It's after 7 pm here (PST). So, most of you are all in bed. I'll be going to bed in a couple of hours. I'm going to pour any whiskey that is left down the drain before I go to bed.

I'm tired of basically being drunk ALL DAY long. When you drink quite a bit daily, you really don't feel drunk. But, if you have your BAC (like I've had mine checked in the ER, it will be high) even if you don't feel drunk.

I'm so done with alcohol. I live in the PNW and it's been raining like crazy for about two months. Starting this coming Monday, it looks like we're going to have some dry days. And I have some outdoor projects to get done.

I hope to be AF tomorrow!

forestdweller1 · January 2

@Michieb125 Now you put my favorite fun Christmas song in my head all day !! All I want is crabs for Christmas....

"You know I'm from Maryland and them crabs is what I'm itching for
Don't you know Santa Dear, with steamed crabs and a beer
It would be like a trip back to old Baltimore" Crabs For Christmas / David DeBoy

SunnyDays930 · January 2

I read this today. Try to make only one resolution at at time for success.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/business/money-report/use-this-3-month-rule-to-actually-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-you-can-really-only-change-a-couple-things-at-a-time-author-says/3802982/

SparkSpringtime69 · January 2

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

Someone suggested months ago that I make a list of the benefits of cutting back or quitting drinking. I think I know who it was, but I'm not positive. I thought I'd share my list:

• Reduce and maintain normal liver enzyme levels
• Help liver to regenerate cells
• Reduce the risk of cancer
• Lose weight and maintain a healthy weight
• Improve blood pressure
• Absorb and/or retain essential vitamins and minerals
• Have more energy and motivation
• Improve balance and coordination
• Become more physically fit
• Improve skin/complexion
• Improve vision
• Improve gut health and digestion
• Get a good night’s sleep and feel good in the morning

I'm going to make my list today, I'm sure some of these will be on my list also - reduce cancer risk, balance and energy for sure.

SparkSpringtime69 · January 2

@forestdweller1 Thank you for the gorgeous sunrise picture yesterday (my sunrise yesterday was kind of blah here is SC so it was great to see such a fantastic one).

@its_cleo welcome to the group!

@looneycatblue nice to see you back!

@globalhiker thank you for the Mionetto suggestion. I picked up a bottle of the alcohol-removed Premium Sparkling Wine and it was pretty good - not too sweet and had a nice champagne like fizz to it. I found it at Total Wine which is pretty far from me so I probably won't be getting it too often. Good thing since it's 16 bucks a bottle.
Isn't it funny (or sad?) how I'm willing to spend $16 on a bottle of stuff with alcohol in it, but not willing to spend the same on a bottle of stuff that has no alcohol and way less calories, hmmmm.

chicbuc · January 2

@SurferGirl1982 We're all rooting for you. I know EXACTLY what you mean about being drunk without feeling it. You've got this!

I had a pretty good night last night. SO went to the casino again. I did not. I did a work out when I got home...lifted some weights, cooked some nice NY strips with roasted brussels for dinner, took a shower, and laid in bed on TikTok for a few minutes before my eyes slammed shut. Then I got up early this morning and got in a treadmill walk in before my coffee. I'll consider that a good start to the New Year and hope to keep it up!

Have a wonderful day all!

xbowhunter · January 2

Happy new year everyone.

Had some wine over the holidays and was able to moderate pretty well and found it to be not so pleasant like it used to be.

Dry January is what I'm doing to get back on track.

AF = 1
A = 0

cheers!

chicbuc · January 2

Welcome back @xbowhunter I was wondering where you've been. Good job moderating.

Pokey4321 · January 2

Back after a break. My wife is a New Years baby, so we always throw her a party on January 1 and we all eat bad, so really January 2 is when we really start New Year. Nov and Dec were mixed. Drank more than I would have preferred but less than earlier months in 2024. Also drank less in 2024 than 2023. Still not there. My last drink was Christmas day and have been AF since. I did one month AF in 2024 and want to surpass that this year. Welcome to Dry January and day later Happy New Year.

tmbg1 · January 2

2 days AF

@globalhiker i feel you on the calorie denial! I need to accurately track my calorie intake this year.

globalhiker · January 2

SunnyDays930 wrote: »

I read this today. Try to make only one resolution at at time for success.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/business/money-report/use-this-3-month-rule-to-actually-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-you-can-really-only-change-a-couple-things-at-a-time-author-says/3802982/

good article here - and so true - replacing one bad habit with one good one is key

eahrenee · January 2

count me in!

I'm working on a better me, being kinder to my body, getting more rest, more exercise and eating better.
So far, I have been battling a bad cold all week, and am looking forward to recovering so I can really start a new work out plan with enough energy to actually finish.

I find that I get stressed or feel anxious and crave a drink from time to time. I can usually curb that craving with a hike or short jog. If I drink a lot, I noticed that can affect me for about a week.

I feel better when I am able to refrain from alcohol, so I am going to see what I can do this month.

Good luck everyone!

Stepawayfromthetable · January 2

Hello!
My mind, body and soul are in need of this challenge. My husband and I went from having very few drinks a month to finishing off quite a few bottles of whiskey in a rather short time frame. We used stress and holidays as an excuse to go all out. I feel worse now than I have in a long long time. Gained an incredible amount of weight in that drinking time frame and feel like absolute trash. I ended up going to the doctor because I was having such bad pains, turns out bad heart burn from our bad ways. Talk about a wakeup call.

Last drink was Sunday the 29th. Yes, that’s right…first New Year’s Eve without alcohol in about 8 years. Woke up New Years Day with so much energy, even did a workout. I’m hoping this time will be easier to get back into the swing of things since my husband is joining me.

Goals of January:
• Allow myself two days this month to have one or two drinks.
• Workout at least once a day.
• Eat healthier.
• Start a new hobby.
• Enjoy the little things without alcohol.
• Start and stick with a journal.

AF – 2
A – 0

globalhiker · January 2

New Years Day 1 AF done! I can't believe I am turning 60 this year. I don't want to!!

Day 2 AF is here and up for grabs for anyone who wants it!

@SurferGirl1982 I do think my knees are falling apart. Sometimes the top of one of my knees swells up and sometimes I have pain on the sides of my knees. One of my big motivators for weight loss is to save my knees and avoid the surgery. I am even scared of getting an Xray.

LESS Alcohol ~ JANUARY 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

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