LESS Alcohol ~ JANUARY 2025 ~ One Day at A Time
Replies
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AF day 7 of 2024 done. I had a decaf coffee with cinnamon for my nightly "drink" just because it's freezing here and I wanted something warm.
@NonnieDoiron congrats on landing the job!
@surananc, wow congrats on 8 years AF!
@SurferGirl1982 I wish the US had a way better rail system (bullet trains, etc.) like Europe and seniors would get a heavy duty discount. Imagine being able to live car-free and be able to go to many places by just walking or taking a train. I grew up in NYC car-free for my first 32 years of life. I was also skinny then because of all the walking!! We carried our groceries in the snow and rain and did just fine. That environment is too busy, noisy and expensive for me now but it would be nice if we had more US communities that were truly, truly car-free yet be medium sized towns and not pricey crime-ridden metropolises.
Have a great AF (or drinking less) day!
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Hello LA friends - wow, the first week of January is already in the books. ✔️
The most important thing to me is to make lifestyle changes = cut back and increase my AF days!
So far a week of mindful choices, and umpteen empty calories saved. Met a goal of 4 AF days this past week - it’s been a long while!
Being more intentional this month and taking the time to think through my choices makes me feel less chaotic.
Had two glasses of planned wine last night (mini bottle) and was done. Did some stretching later before bed and slept all night!
The next two days are planned days off, then will have wine with a group on Friday and then 2 more AF days over the weekend.
Current:
AF days - 5
A days - 3
8 -
Setting up for success!!!
Goals for January - 85% Dry (AF = 26 A=5)
Monthly Stats - On Target
AF = 7 ~ 100 %
A = 0 ~ 0 %
Current Streak - AF = 7
Longest Streak - AF = 7
It has been an unbelievable 7 days. I feel good; I'm sleeping well. And... I've lost over 8lb. Granted, 7 of those pounds I gained during December but I'm still taking it as a win!
Today is my husband's birthday. We will go out for dinner so I will probably have a glass of wine with dinner. I will play it all by ear.
@NonnieDoiron ~ Congratulations!!! Enjoy the downtown and get ready to hit the ground running in April!!
Month Recap by Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tracker ✅️🍷🍸
1/1 ✅️
1/2 ✅️
1/3 ✅️
1/4 ✅️
1/5 ✅
1/6 ✅
1/7 ✅
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
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@globalhiker Yes, it would be nice to have better transportation options.
I didn't always have a problem with driving. In fact, most of the jobs I had involved driving. I was an electric meter reader in two states and six counties for a total of about ten years. I delivered medical supplies in So Cal (all over). Then when I first moved to the valley where I currently live, I got a job as a courier delivering mainly meds and picking up paperwork from banks (not the money). But, when we moved to where we currently live, that's about the time that things changed.
In 1996, shortly after I moved back to Oregon, I was driving to apply for a job in a city about 12 miles away. It was back when you looked in the newspaper for job listings. I was driving down this rural road and I had a panic attack (at the time I had no idea what was happening). There were only two businesses along the way, a tavern and a bit further a little ma and pa store. So, I pulled in to the tavern. The bartender gave me a glass of water. But, eventually, she called an ambulance (thinking I may be having a heart attack or something). In the ER, I was diagnosed with having a panic attack. And, ever since that, I just have this fear. There's times that I'll be walking towards the car and just freeze and turn around and go back inside.
What I really need to do is get back on the horse. That's what I intended to do...drive to town with someone sitting shotgun. That way they could take over if I got scared. But, shortly after Superbowl last year, I had a problem with my right eye. It turned out that I had had a hemorrhage in my eye. I still can drive and have not been told that I can't. I am under a retinal specialist's care. But, I'm not real comfortable driving (especially at night). So, I just drive locally. I see the eye doctor again next month. I was originally told by the optometrist and then the ophthalmologist that the blood would eventually be absorbed by my body and referred me to the specialist. I'm still hopeful it will get better.4 -
8 AF - hanging in there10
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I did good last night and only had 1 glass of wine then went to bed. I am debating on having another glass tonight.7
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Hey all, I've been lurking this week and enjoying all the comments and experiences on the thread, more power to everyone!
I've decided to tweak my game again this year after breaking out of habitual excess in years past, as of last year. It was a win for sure. Not too many months AF, but a handful. Also pared it down from celebrating in terms of days in a row. I have stretched that stuff out waaay to far in the past.
Nothing too juicy on the radar that I'm concerned about getting past.. until the Super bowl, Valentine's Day, AND my Birthday weekend comin up in Feb. Oh, and family is visiting on that week too. How's that for a perfect storm?
Keep up the good work!
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8 days in and doing well. Best to all who are here.9
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I want to send love and prayers to my fellow Americans in LA. The pictures coming out of there are terrifying. I hope these fires are out soon and they can begin to recover. People have lost not only their homes but their entire communities. I can't begin to imagine how disorienting this must be. As I lay my head on the pillow in my warm home last night, I actually felt a bit guilty for all the things I have that I take for granted. It was a humbling thought.
I wish you all a peaceful, healthy day.
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@SunnyDays930 9oh it’s just awful. I cannot even imagine what those people are going through. Prayers sent for them!
@SurferGirl1982 it’s a deal. Ah, we were so brilliant when we were 19…
On another note, I went through a period when I would also get panic attacks. Mine were limited to highway driving, so I could drive far as long as it was on a back road. But I would feel myself wanting the pass out. Oh yea sure, you can’t die of a panic attack, but it is terrifying to have one while driving. I really feel your pain. What cured it for me was going back on an SSRI (I had gone off mine for a very long six months. Poof! Cured it. With your eye issue, I can see why driving at night is becoming a problem. Hey, I know plenty of healthy people who don’t like to drive at night anymore!
So I decided that the NA Cabernet I bought is pretty terrible, I just could not choke it down last night, I had a glass of real wine, which while it tasted much better, I didn’t really enjoy either. Tonight is a planned one glass of wine. I do feel some success, though, because I’ve been able to rack up thrrr NA days this month so far. A huge win for me!5 -
8 days AF done. Glad to see several of you along with me. You may not know it, but you're really helping me. There is such a thing as strength in numbers.
@itladyee you are a winner! 8 lbs weight loss and AF streak. I love it! Going AF does give us an added weight loss bonus.
Today I am feeling very sad and nervous about the LA fire devastation. I know of 4 families in the area and need to check in on them again this morning. They probably didn't sleep. We need a good rain asap.
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Good job all you streakers @tmbg1 @globalhiker @Born2Run1958 @MissMay @itladyee and anyone else I may have missed! You are all inspiring the rest of us!
@SunnyDays930 Definitely humbling thinking. I can't imagine! It's devastating
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Setting up for success!!!
Goals for January - 85% Dry (AF = 26 A=5)
Monthly Stats - On Target
AF = 7 ~ 87 %
A = 1 ~ 13 %
Current Streak - AF = 0
Longest Streak - AF = 7
Great night out with friends for my husband's birthday.
I had 2 glasses of wine with dinner and didn't even finish the 2nd glass!!
We went to a martini bar after dinner and I had one martini.
Back to regularly scheduled programming
Welcome former lurker@longrun22 Glad you decided to join us on this journey!
@globalhiker ~ I'm thinking my "8" number is more like "5" which is still VERY good.
I've been dropping like crazy all week, granted, I did make some significant changes since 12/31. I expected to go up today with the birthday shenanigans, I did...but... When I first got on the scale, it was bouncing all around, so I got off and went to make coffee. I came back and it settled on 224, which makes sense based on the trend this week. Then I decided to shift the scale a bit on the floor and weigh again. That's when all *kitten* broke loose. I got a high of 232 and a low of 228, so I don't know what's going on. I'm going to wait and see what tomorrow brings. Assuming that it has been in error all week.... then yesterday was probably more like 226 or 227 which is more reasonable for a 7 day loss. I wish I had moved my scales earlier...just messes up my spreadsheet Tempted to change the batteries but I just bought this scale in November....
My heart goes out to those in LA suffering from the fires. And to still hear that it isn't even close to being contained is very scary. I hope for better news today.
Month Recap by Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tracker ✅️🍷🍸
1/1 - 1/7 ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
1/8 - 1/14 ❌
1/15 - 1/21
1/22 - 1/28
1/29 - 2/4
Exceptions for January
1/8 🍷🍷🍸 ~ Husband's birthday
2023 - 2024 Stats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2024~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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It’s really wonderful to read everyone’s posts and see where folks are. I’m reading EFFORT as a running theme here. We know this LA journey takes time with lots of personal reflection and trial and error.
AF day yesterday and meeting my weekly targets for the second week of January.
Counting AF tonight as I have an early morning dermatologist appointment tomorrow.
Current:
AF days - 6
A days - 3
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@itladyee - any weight loss is fantastic, wow.
@SunnyDays930 the fires in So Cal are devastating. I grew up not far from there and it is so frightening that this can happen along pacific coast highway on the ocean.
@Born2Run1958 great streak, keep running!
You all continue to inspire me, have a great day everyone.5 -
AF - 9
A- 0
Sleep is better, weird very real dreams but better. I wake up every day at 5:30 am. Refreshed and fitting in a workout before work. Hoping it stays this way.
Being on Zepbound has made not drinking much easier. Actually, it has made everything easier.
Haven't smoked a cigarette either.8 -
If only we could pour some of the ocean on those fires! It’s horrible to think what those affected are going through.
My weight, and calories, are starting to creep up even though my alcohol consumption is down significantly. I blame the delicious homemade bread and pasta my husband made! 🤣
One glass of LA wine today during wine night at work. Found another good one:
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Another two days AF then I caved in to my crave last night
So:
Jan
AF=4
A=59 -
Today is day 12 AF for me and Day 10 for my husband. I've lost 3 .8 lbs and he has lost 7. I can't even imagine how much money and calories we have saved, eating at home instead of bars. Last month the spending was completely out of control because of Christmas, a trip to NYC etc etc. We used to eat out at least 5 times a week. Now I am cooking....or not cooking...maybe a can of soup. He's doing the high protein thing, like a steak for dinner but no starch. I don't want to do that because of cholesterol but I can see it is working for him.
For those struggling to stop drinking or at least cut way back, it is much easier once you get a few in a row behind you. It is just hard to get that traction. Once I hit day 5 it got a bit easier. I also try to read something about the negative affects of alcohol every day. It helps reinforce my decision to quit.
Have a healthy day, Everyone!8 -
Happy AF or Less A Friday! Day 9 AF done. I had a sugary hot chocolate drink last night (oops still very addicted to that chocolate).
@SunnyDays930 totally agree with everything you said and once we're past those first few miserable AF days the daily reinforcement is key. It can be 5-10 min or less a day. I check in here to set my intention for the day and most nights I read sober and less alcohol posts online to reinforce benefits of staying in the game.
Weight topic: ideal to move the scale to where the floor is most level (or in my case wherever in the house the reading is the lowest!).10 -
I really like reading everyone's successes, and struggles. It has helped me through this week. For me, the habit of cracking a beer open after work is probably what I miss most, and the boredom. But with boredom came some productivity, got some stuff done around the house that I had been putting off forever.
December and prior I drank nearly every day, a lot of times to excess. Went Monday - Thursday AF this week, and am super proud of myself. Wednesday was the hardest. Yesterday was tough, but I am not going AF today as my goal is just currently Monday Thursday which helped.
January:
AF - 4
A - 511 -
Here's to the weekend...
This will be the second weekend without drinking. I'm saying that now, so I have no choice but to stick to my word. Both our boys are in skiing, we get up super early to make breakfast and get them there so it's a great reason to not stay up drinking. My only worry is we are taking my daughter and her boyfriend to the mall on Sunday and I hate super crowded places - usually a trigger to stop at a bar and grab a "relax" drink or nip.
I think I will have to buy myself something cute right before we leave the mall for making it through with no drinks. Earthbound Trading Co. here I come!
Also take my second shot of Zepbound tonight and it makes it hard to even smell alcohol with that stuff.
I have to make a special shout out to the freezing winds in upstate NY right now, we have no bottles at home, and I have no desire to get out of my car unless it's to run into my house. 😅
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I still have not put together a streak since I broke it last week. I hate the hold this crap has on me. Once I get through this weekend, I'm committing to completely stopping again. even if it's just for 2 weeks to break the cycle
I started this month so confident! I have to stop using excuses to have a glass of wine and find better ways of dealing with life. 9 -
SunnyDays930 wrote: »Today is day 12 AF for me and Day 10 for my husband. I've lost 3 .8 lbs and he has lost 7. I can't even imagine how much money and calories we have saved, eating at home instead of bars. Last month the spending was completely out of control because of Christmas, a trip to NYC etc etc. We used to eat out at least 5 times a week. Now I am cooking....or not cooking...maybe a can of soup. He's doing the high protein thing, like a steak for dinner but no starch. I don't want to do that because of cholesterol but I can see it is working for him.
For those struggling to stop drinking or at least cut way back, it is much easier once you get a few in a row behind you. It is just hard to get that traction. Once I hit day 5 it got a bit easier. I also try to read something about the negative affects of alcohol every day. It helps reinforce my decision to quit.
Have a healthy day, Everyone!
@SunnyDays930 Congrats on your success! Keep it up!
If you would like to go high protein without the cholesterol, fish is high in protein and doesn't contain all the saturated fat. That's if you like fish. I buy Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon at Costco (super high in protein and healthy fats). They are vacuum packed in individual fillets. I season them before cooking and then squeeze lemon juice on them after they're cooked. I like them and they're very easy to prepare. My husband doesn't like salmon. So, he'll have something else. We both like rockfish, cod, grilled jumbo shrimp, and occasionally scallops or lobster tail. Also, we sometimes grill center-cut pork loin chops. They seem to be pretty lean. We grill a lot. Our BBQ is under cover.
And if you want to go low-carb, I usually have steamed broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts, sauteed spinach, sometimes a salad. But, you can make any type of veggie that you like.
I don't worry about cholesterol. My levels are always really good. I've read that some experts believe that dietary cholesterol has nothing to do with your blood levels. But who knows if that's true. I think for some high cholesterol is an hereditary thing.
I still haven't got in an AF day. I'm hoping to get going next week. I agree...once you get a few AF days behind you, it does get much easier.
I too grew up nearby the CA wildfires. It is so sad. In the past, the only areas that were in danger were near the foothills. This is devastating!5 -
I still have not put together a streak since I broke it last week. I hate the hold this crap has on me. Once I get through this weekend, I'm committing to completely stopping again. even if it's just for 2 weeks to break the cycle I started this month so confident! I have to stop using excuses to have a glass of wine and find better ways of dealing with life.
@chicbuc You said it when you said, "I hate the hold this crap has on me." It's like that for me too. I hope to join you...after the weekend stopping completely. I'll have a day being miserable. But, after that, each day will get better!5 -
Setting up for success!!!
Goals for January - 85% Dry (AF = 26 A=5)
Monthly Stats - On Target
AF = 8 ~ 89 %
A = 1 ~ 11 %
Current Streak - AF = 1
Longest Streak - AF = 7
@mike_check ~ very nice progress!!
@chicbuc ~ immediately fill your glass with something else (NA of course!) to get started. I found habit to be a big factor! You will be just fine. The thing...you're thinking about it!!
Month Recap by Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tracker ✅️🍷🍸
1/1 - 1/7 ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
1/8 - 1/14 ❌✅
1/15 - 1/21
1/22 - 1/28
1/29 - 2/4
Exceptions for January
1/8 🍷🍷🍸 ~ Husband's birthday
2023 - 2024 Stats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2024~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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Came across this board and wanted to say that I certainly appreciate everyone openly sharing their triumphs and setbacks...and continuing to reset every day! Very inspiring....9
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globalhiker wrote: »Weight topic: ideal to move the scale to where the floor is most level (or in my case wherever in the house the reading is the lowest!).
@globalhiker HaHa! But it makes sense to me 😀
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@chicbuc I see you! It feels like we can’t make a different decision in the moment - everyone has been there! You can make that plan to restart anytime.
Funny story - on a past night when I had Prosecco (I found the Zonin minis from Costco), the next morning I found the mini bottle in the refrigerator only half gone.
I never went back to finish the rest - that has never happened. It wasn’t on my mind, I think the podcasts are helping!
Happy weekend everyone.
Take good care of yourselves!8
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