LESS Alcohol ~ JANUARY 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

Final stats for my dryish January:

AF - 17 (including tonight)
A - 10
LA - 4 (low abv%)

AF last night…..sound sleep for 8 hrs with no disruption. Up early again….which is a noticeable positive change.
Heading to a weight circuit training class at 10:30 this a.m.

globalhiker wrote: »

Last day of Jan and it shall be AF. @SurferGirl1982 yes there were times in my life where I was a daily drinker especially when I took jobs that involved a ton of stressful hours and travel away from home. I was blessed with the ability to really drink a lot and was good at pacing. I could manage bourbon, tequila and wine pretty well. I would not appear drunk or do anything stupid or get in trouble or anything like that. Alcohol never interfered with my day, my family, work, or my social life. I drank like "everybody else" but they too were addicted and drank daily. It was the thing to do. But it did interfere with my health and insidiously damaged my insides. And I got old, so I can't be drinking like that anymore.

@SurferGirl1982 so many times on here I would re-read my posts and try to figure myself out. It became clear to me that my thinking was disrupted and damaged by the alcohol and that was why I was delaying and making excuses and convincing myself that I wanted something else and I'd be going against what I really wanted to do. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow comes and I'd say tomorrow again, and then you know, seven years goes by and they are gone and I look back and really, really regret not having jumped out of that fire sooner.

@globalhiker For many years, I also had the ability to drink a lot, pace myself and never appear drunk or do stupid things. Alcohol didn't interfere with my work, family, and friends. Like you said, "It was the thing to do".

But after retiring early, I guess I had too much time on my hands. And with getting older, for me, drinking started to cause problems with my health and physical activity.

I know what you mean about tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. The same thing goes with someday because someday never comes. If you look at a calendar, none of the days say, "Tomorrow" or "Someday".

I had a five day AF streak earlier this month. Then I decided to drink. I bought a pint but dumped out half of it. All I could drink was a half pint. Then I had AF days mixed in with A days. The last two days, I drank nearly the whole pint. Most of us know that's what happens to those of us that can't moderate. Daily drinking returns very quickly!

I've decided not to announce my plans for now. Because it just makes me feel disappointed if I fail. But I do hope for today to be AF. I hope to be able to post an AF day tonight after 7pm.

PS...Congrats on 5 months!

Goals for January - 85% Dry (AF = 26 A=5)
Monthly Stats - On Target If When I finish strong, the best I can do is 81% I will take 50/50 ~ Still a win!
AF = 16 ~ 52 %
A = 15 ~ 48 % (two days only 1 glass)
Current Streak - AF = 1
Longest Streak - AF = 7
1/31/25 included....

I did get my walk in....more like 2 miles than 3 but it was good and refreshing.

I had great intentions but it was very stressful last night. Throwing husband under bus... he has a habit of repeating himself and making a 5 minute story take 50 minutes along with the repetition. Some days I just can't.... and yesterday was one of them. He took a relative to the doctor, all good, but for whatever reason - white coat syndrome, maybe...her blood pressure was super high. The doctors would not let them leave until they got the blood pressure down. So he spent 3 hours at the appointment. Then once he got home, his sister texted to say their Mom has COVID. She's had her vaccines, and it's a mild case, so all is well, but of course, we will keep a close eye on her (she is 95). He hasn't seen her since a week ago Friday, now he thinks he has COVID..no rhyme, no reason....

It's like that Calgon commercial (ok, dating myself) but my version is Cabernet, take me away!! I've got to get better at dealing with stress. Luckily, the stress doesn't surface often.

Picking up my grandson in a bit. We have movie tickets for Mufasa tomorrow. Not sure who will be more excited!!

Generally speaking, I'm content with January. I think I would have fared better if there weren't so many parties and social obligations. But compared to Dec at 13% AF, I'm good. Off to prepare for a successful February.

@chicbuc ~ You are my idol! Way to go....

@Michieb125 ~ I do know what you mean about savoring an "expensive" wine. Good for you! Thank you re my tracking system. I like the details so I can reflect back and see my progress!!

@globalhiker ~ powerful words! FIVE, 5, Big 5 Months! Way to go!!!


Month Recap by Day
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2023 - 2024 Stats
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20 AF
7 LA (LA means 1-2 drinks)
4 A (A means 3+ drinks)