LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

SurferGirl1982 · February 8

@chicbuc I really want to get back on board. I don't like to announce being AF ahead of time. But I don't plan on drinking today. You're doing really well this month and your personal motivation is a very good reason not to drink. We shouldn't poison our bodies...they were a gift!

@globalhiker I do believe that watching the You Tube videos will help me. You mentioned "Sober Again" on You Tube. I found "Getting Sober...Again". I believe that's the series? I haven't watched them yet.

In the past, I was motivated by researching what alcohol does to our bodies. I'm a bit scientific in nature. If you Google what depletes potassium (K), magnesium(Mg), calcium (Ca), B vitamins and the list goes on...one thing they all have in common is alcoholism or alcohol-use disorder.

I started researching because I started experiencing leg cramps, weird cramp-type things with my thumbs, neuropathy in my toes, among other things. K, Mg, and Ca regulate many things including muscle contractions. And since our hearts are a muscle they regulate how our hearts beat. That's why many people who drink experience high blood pressure or irregular heartbeat. By reading what alcohol does to our bodies, it reinforces my desire to be AF. I believe the You Tube videos might help motivate me too.

My husband's B-Day is next Thursday and we are going out to a nice restaurant. So I'm not going to stress about A or AF that day.

Have a great day everyone!

MissMay · February 8

THIS

NOT THIS

margim5 · February 8

I made it through my first work week of February with my goal of zero alcohol during the workweek (Monday to Thursday)– feeling proud! Had a glass of wine at dinner last night, and I might end up wine tasting today with my mom today (but just one glass). Planning to stay alcohol-free tomorrow for Super Bowl! Here's to keeping the momentum going

February:
AF - 4
A - 3

SurferGirl1982 · February 8

@SparkSpringtime69 We have the same February stats:

AF - 3
A - 4

But I started out the month good with a 3 day AF streak. Then I drank four days in a row. Just the opposite of you 🙃

tmbg1 · February 9

3 A
5 AF
(A means 3+; LA means 1-2; and AF means none)

NonnieDoiron · February 9

AF - 8
A - 0

Son took gold again and broke 3 state records at today’s competition. Very proud of him and his teammates. They all did great!

I got the cupcakes made after a catastrophe of a start. But, they are ready to go for tomorrow. Didn’t make the chicken stock because I like to let it simmer overnight in my electric roasting pan, but I remembered I need that for the Youth Group lunch. So, I’ll probably just set it up to run all day Monday.

Before I went to get my nails done this morning, I took about 30 minutes and cleared out and reorganized 2 cabinets and 6 drawers in my butler’s pantry. I still have some work to do in there because I have to move the crockpot from its current location because the cabinet door doesn’t close all the way. There are two larger cabinets I need to clear out and rearrange before I can move it.

As I said, I finally got my nails done after a year of not having a mani/pedi. I love how they turned out!

I know my whole post has nothing to do with drinking other than my tally, but it seems my mind is occupied elsewhere lately.

SurferGirl1982 · February 9

I managed to be AF today 🙂 It was a little tough. I kept thinking about going to the store before dinner and just before 7pm when the liquor store closes. I feel fine now, but I was kind of white-knuckling it for a while there.

February (thru 2/8):
AF - 4
A - 4

NonnieDoiron · February 9

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

I managed to be AF today 🙂 It was a little tough. I kept thinking about going to the store before dinner and just before 7pm when the liquor store closes. I feel fine now, but I was kind of white-knuckling it for a while there.

February (thru 2/8):
AF - 4
A - 4

Glad you held out. Keep ticking the AF days!

chicbuc · February 9

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

I managed to be AF today 🙂 It was a little tough. I kept thinking about going to the store before dinner and just before 7pm when the liquor store closes. I feel fine now, but I was kind of white-knuckling it for a while there.

February (thru 2/8):
AF - 4
A - 4

Sometimes a little white knuckling is what you need! Well done!

Congrats to your son, @NonnieDoiron! That's awesome!

AF = 6
A = 2

Womona · February 9

@SurferGirl1982, I’m blushing!!!
Also, good for you for getting through the urge to run to the liquor store. Sometimes we need to white knuckle through, even as we try to distract ourselves!

@NonnieDoiron I love the fact that your teenagers are doing the heavy lifting! You’re 7/8th of the way there with the fact that you’ve delegated most of the chores. And if the counters are cleaned off by the time you go to bed, well, I’d take that as a win. You’re super busy too, so I get it. You could break down the bathrooms into even smaller chunks. Have five minutes? Sinks and toilets for one bathroom. I use Lysol wipes- too much of a soapy PIA to use Soft Scrub on the sinks, plus they get just as clean. Have 5-10? Bang out one shower. But do what works best for you, and know that none of us want to do any of this!!

Also, big hearty congratulations to your son! Three state records broken, wow!!!! He is on fire! You must be so proud.

@itlaydee more like 😜💕🥰😈😛😍.
Haha!

Two glasses of wine last night. Tonight will be a challenge with Super Bowl party starting early. I’ll probably still do two glasses, but I need to space them out.

globalhiker · February 9

5 mo. 8 days AF. It's all one day at a time. Yesterday went downtown for a drinking afternoon with a group of visiting friends. They all had 4 XL size drinks over the span of an afternoon, me 3 XL diet sodas. It's funny to be with tipsy people. I actually didn't think of wine whatsoever and it was all in my face the whole time, but because it was a warm sunny day, I did think a few times about how good a margarita would be.

Today I will be just fine. Might break out the blender and make virgin margaritas since I have the lime juice and agave syrup. That XL margarita @MissMay showed looks quite delicious.

Going out for a run. 10 hours to go till game starts. That's a lot of time to go burn some fat before the feasting begins.

SurferGirl1982 · February 9

@NonnieDoiron Thanks! And congrats to your son! Your nails look cute, too.

@chicbuc At least I got Day 1 again. You know Day 1 is always the hardest for me. I have no idea why? I hope to keep going. Although I may have a couple of drinks on my hubby's B-day on Thursday. But, neither of us have decided if we want anything or not. I guess we'll decide when we get there.

@Womona Yet some more good cleaning tips! I'm going to buy some Lysol wipes (lemon & lime scent) for the bathroom sinks, counters, and toilets. I agree Soft Scrub is too soapy. It takes forever to rinse. My mom always used baking soda for the kitchen sink. So that's what I've been using lately. They have refillable shaker canisters that fit nicely under the sink. It works really well.

@globalhiker You are doing unbelievably well! I know, though, that margarita that @MissMay posted sure looked good. Many years ago, a Mexican restaurant in SoCal that my brother and friends used to go to regularly, had fresh peach margaritas. So good!

I have "clean master bathroom" on my list for today *LOL* My husband does the other one. But I slept until 8:30 this morning (I seem to sleep in late when I first stop drinking), so I may change it until tomorrow. I'm trying to get a schedule going.

I will probably watch the game. But, my hubby isn't into football. And, we're grilling skirt steak tonight. So, I'm going to record it and watch the recorded version (at my leisure). But, if I don't watch it all tonight, I will find out who won pretty quickly. I have no favorites in the game. My Seattle SeaChickens rarely make it to the Super Bowl or the playoffs.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

tmbg1 · February 9

3 A
6 AF
(A means 3+; LA means 1-2; and AF means none)

Born2Run1958 · February 9

Day 40 AF. Hope everyone has a good week.

chicbuc · February 9

I started coming down with something yesterday right after church so I’ve spent the day fighting it off. The bad part is I hugged all my elderly aunts and uncles that are visiting from Michigan. I sure hope I didn’t spread it.

I made chicken bone broth as soon as I woke up and turned it into soup after a few hours. I ate a pint of strawberries for breakfast…vitamin C…and I’ve been sipping herbal tea all day. Now I’ve moved on to club soda with fresh orange (I’m squeezing the juice into my drink then eating the pulp). I will swear until my dying day on Zicam nose swabs every 3 hours!! Last night I was achy and certain I was coming down with the flu. Tonight I feel much better!

Needless to say, no drinking for this Super Bowl

SurferGirl1982 · February 9

@chicbuc Hope you get feeling better real soon!

NonnieDoiron · February 10

AF - 9
A - 0

@chicbuc glad you’re feeling better, and I hope it stays that way.

@Womona I don’t know. I’m not a fan of Clorox wipes. I have tried them, and I feel like they leave a film. I only use them now to disinfect my kitchen counter after working with raw meats, but after it sits and dries I’ll use a damp paper towel to wipe the film. I use a scrubbing bubbles bathroom spray which is not as soapy as soft scrub. But, I’m also a smidge OCD when I clean bathrooms. They have to be done a certain way. It normally only takes me 20-30 minutes to clean a bathroom, but it’s finding the energy to do it more often than not.

I finished my butler’s pantry, and the crockpot is now in a cabinet where the door closes all the way. 🙂 I even went through our pantry removing a bunch of expired stuff. I’ll probably start hitting my kitchen cabinets one cabinet at a time. Purging and wiping each one down and then reorganizing.

Hubby and I chaperoned my son and his girlfriend’s 2-year anniversary date tonight (both are special needs). We went to a Mexican restaurant. Though I said I would allow myself a wine when out to eat, I didn’t even look at the wines. I ordered my water and that was that.

SurferGirl1982 · February 10

I intended to be AF tonight. But that changed. I was watching the football game and my husband was watching with me (up until halftime). A beer commercial came on and I glanced down at the digital clock we have on a shelf below the TV. It read 4:32pm. I guess, I panicked. I said, "Oh, no! It's 4:30 and the liquor store closes at 5pm" The liquor store closes at 5pm on Sundays. I said, "I wasn't planning on drinking. But, maybe I should go the the store?". He said, "You probably should." So I did. Talk about the power of suggestion! Anyways, I'm not upset. I'm still close to 50/50 in February and I will make up for it!

February (thru 2/9):
AF - 4
A - 5

@NonnieDoiron Congrats on your zero A February!

Michieb125 · February 10

Yesterday started my AF streak for the next several days. I’m so busy with the needs of grandkids I’m not even thinking about wine or even have the time to sit down.

Today I tried a NA Michelob Ultra light for game day and it was great - 29 calories and very much like the original!

Skipped wine 5 out of 9 days in Feb. and counting.
Have a good week!

SparkSpringtime69 · February 10

My Feb:
AF=4
A=5

Womona · February 10

@chicbuc I hope you feel better!

@NonnieDoiron wow, you’re crushing it with the decluttering and reorganization! Woo hoo! I also love that your son has someone special in his life. PS. Cute nails!

@SurferGirl1982 today is a new day. You got within a half hour of your liquor store cutoff, I’m sure you can push through today!

For all of you with those great AF streaks… wow! Very inspiring. It can totally be done.

I am re-starting my AF streak today. Yesterday after church hubby and I went to brunch, where I had a mimosa. Then at the Super Bowl party I had one old fashioned. We left after halftime, and I poured myself a glass of wine when I came home . I drank maybe a third of it and just didn’t want the
rest. Word to the wise… don’t weigh yourself the day after a big party!😳😬

chicbuc · February 10

Thanks everyone. I woke up this morning feeling ALMOST normal. I'm not trying to brag, but my immune system kicks butt! Ok...maybe I'm bragging

I'm going to skip my workout this morning, but if I'm feeling OK, I might get it in this evening. I was really hoping to get in 3 weight sessions before I fly out to Arizona to see my son and his family on Saturday, but I guess 2 would be ok...lol. That's the part of LA that I LOVE! I have the option of doing it at night because I'm not coming straight home and pouring a glass of wine.

@NonnieDoiron Great job on the water at dinner! And, once again, way to go for your son! I know you're so proud!
@Born2Run1958 That's one heck of a streak you have going! Amazing!
@tmbg1Awesome as usual! Keep it up!
@globalhiker Still inspiring us...one day at a time! I love reading your NA stories
@Michieb125 Enjoy your grandbabies and weariness they bring, too!
@SparkSpringtime69 You're almost even! Good to "see" you!
@itladyee I'm curious to know you liked the Stella and now I want to try the NA Mich Ultra!
@Womona I was unable to get my cleaning done yesterday as planned to begin your schedule due to my illness, and next weekend I'll be gone seeing my babies in Arizona, but I'll get there eventually. I've got to some cleaning fit in this week before I leave. Great LA day yesterday!
@SurferGirl1982 Today's a new day

AF = 7
A = 2

SparkSpringtime69 · February 10

@margim5 great job getting through the workweek AF - you should feel very proud.
@NonnieDoiron congratulations to your son! What a great accomplishment. And your manicure is very pretty.
@surfergirl I've white-knuckled a few days in Feb already, LOL. We have lots of February left, lets keep working on those AF days!
@Born2Run1958 Congrats on the 40-day milestone, that's very inspirational.
@chicbuc glad to hear you're on the mend; your vitamin C dosing and super-powered immune system sure did their jobs

For the record - I'm a big Stella NA fan too (that and the NA Corona).

tobinross · February 10

Mini-vacay in Naples, FL was delightful! Now back to it!!

February
AF - 6
A - 3

Exercise:
Classes - 3 of 16
Meters rowed - 26,615 of 100,000

itladyee · February 10

New Goals for February ~ AF=15 A=14 ~ off to a rough start.

50% Dry
Planned February Events that might include Alcohol
2/7 ~ Anniversary
2/9 ~ Superbowl
2/12 ~ Bookclub
2/14 ~ Valentine's Day

Monthly Stats - On Target
AF = 2
A = 7
Current Streak - AF = 0
Longest Streak - AF = 7
(through 2/9)

Weekend was fun. Dinner on Friday with wine and dessert!
I was very happy with my Superbowl alcohol consumption - food - not so much!
I made breakfast and had a mimosa for breakfast.

About midday (3ish), my husband popped open a beer, so I thought It's a great time to try the Stella NA. The jury is still out. If I liked beer, I would be a great replacement but I think it still might work to feel like you're having something decadent. The AF wines are so blah, in my opinion, the Stella still packs a little fizz.

I didn't have a drink until the Superbowl started, and I sipped it until halftime, then had two glasses of wine to finish the game. I'm up and in the office today. A little tired due to lack of sleep, but I successfully moderated the alcohol and it feels so good to not be hungover and dragging!

Congrats to all the Eagles fans. I didn't care either way but was hoping for a more competitive game.

@tobinross ~ beach in Naples sounds heavenly!

@michieb125 ~ did you try the NA Michelob? Nevermnd, I see your response. I think these NA beers are going to be great for summer when it's really hot out. I struggle with wine in the summer anyway as I like reds and reds are not normally served cold.

@Womona @SurferGirl1982 @chicbuc ~ Thank you for the Anniversary Well wishes!

@NonnieDoiron ~ that's great that your DH remember to not make magic

I would have been secretly hoping as well

But look at that streak you have! Congrats to you and your son! And nails look great!

@chicbuc ~ Happy Birthday to your SO! Enjoy the celebration. You are doing very well this month!! Oh no, hope you recover quickly from that bug.... you've got some celebrating to do

and...It looks like you do have a kick butt immune system~ Glad you're feeling better!

@globalhiker ~ So awesome....keep on going! Those wings sound really good~ You are so right about the motivation not arriving in one day. If I look back, my effort waned after 2 months last year. This time around, I feel more dedicated to the cause, so I know I will do better. Being mindful and deliberate vs habitual is my goal, and I feel I am getting there.

@missmay ~ thanks for the visual!

@margim5 ~ you are doing quite well. Great work!

@Sparkspringtime69 ~ Hang in there, you got this. Plenty of month left

@surfergirl1982 ~ Another AF day! Kudos to you!!

@Born2run1958 ~ very nice streak you have going on!!

@tmbg1 ~ your numbers are looking good!

@Womona ~ too late, I weighed... I knew it would be bad. I snacked all day long. I found a recipe for this great (light) chicken dip. Next time I will eat it with celery vs the bagel chips...but it was sooooo good.

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

Tracker ✅️🍷🍸
2/1 - 2/7 ✅️❌❌✅️❌❌❌
2/8 - 2/14 ❌❌
2/15 - 2/21
2/16 - 2/28

2/1AF ✅️
2/2 A 🍸🍷🍷
2/3 A 🍷🍷🍷
2/4 AF ✅️
2/5 🍷🍷
2/6 🍷🍷
2/7 🍷🍷🍷
2/8🍷🍷
2/9 🥂🍸🍷🍷

January

Tracker ✅️🍷🍸
🔴 = 1 glass
1/1 - 1/7 ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
1/8 - 1/14 ❌✅✅❌❌✅✅
1/15 - 1/21 ❌❌❌✅❌❌❌
1/22 - 1/28 ✅❌🔴✅✅🔴❌
1/29 - 1/31❌❌✅
Summary - Started off like gang busters, then the parties started, then all or none mentality kicked in.

2023 - 2025 Stats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2025
January AF =52% A=48%
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 Total Year AF =12% A=88%
Best AF Month = January
January AF =53% A=47%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

margim5 · February 10

Ended up having a drink yesterday during super bowl game; back on track and keeping focused this workweek!
A = 5
AF = 4

looneycatblue · February 10

A = 5
AF = 4

Happy Monday Everyone! I had a relaxing day yesterday with hubby, he worked the BBQ and I did the sides, kept most of it calorie friendly. Watched the game, got kinda boring and I vegged out for a while. For dessert, I skipped the Girl Scout cookies and sipped on a 40 cal hot chocolate, satisfied my sugar craving. AF and feeling good today! Got a "91" sleep score on my FitBit, I think this is the highest ever! I feel like I am starting to get back on track.

MissMay · February 10

One question - Who gets to decide on the Superbowl half time shows?? That should sum up how I felt about that.

Game day was great. Had 2 H00 all night and also took my large container of spring water to drink. Ate good to, which even surprised me LOL. Salad, half a mushroom spinach cheese quesadilla and some unsalted homemade fries.

Last week I got in 7 days of exercise which makes me feel so proud. 4 aquatic classes and 3 days 30 minutes (3mph) power walking.

An instructor once told the class I was taking. It takes 12 weeks to get into shape and only 2 weeks to fall out of shape. HOLY MOLY not fair on that. So I have pledged to be in pretty decent shape come my devoted 12th week, which will be around April 22.

And for the scale watchers. Remember muscle weighs more than fat and the more muscle you have in your body the more fat it burns. So don't fret with the scale number. Rely on how your clothes are fitting.

AF strong streak still hanging in there.

So wonderful to see so many in here and to read all your inspiring posts.

I believe we have just become the LESS Alcohol and LESS Weight group!

NonnieDoiron · February 11

AF - 10
A - 0

I started the chicken stock today. So, that’s been simmering all day, and I’ll keep it on warm tonight to just let everything steep a little longer letting all those yummy flavors marry even more. It smells heavenly.

Didn’t do any organizing/purging today. But, I think if I have some time tomorrow, I know which cabinet I’m going to tackle.

I got on the scale the other day and almost had a panic attack. I haven’t been eating right, and I need to get back on track. Walking this week may be off the table due to the storms coming through. We’ll see what happens. Today, I was just too busy… definitely a Monday.

chicbuc · February 11

Good morning!

We went to dinner for SO's birthday last night. He insisted we had to go ON his birthday. The server brought a wine tasting over with his intro. So, I drank wine...not just the tasting. I had my tasting, SO's tasting, and 2 more glasses. It was very good, but I slept not so great, so back on it tonight. We decided to cancel our plans tonight and go the state fair tomorrow instead. There will be a little bad food, but no drinking.

@MissMay thank you for the reminder about the muscle. I was consistent with exercise the whole month of January and the scale was not moving...in fact it went up...but I tightened a notch on my belt loop and my clothes fit looser.

AF = 7
A = 3

LESS Alcohol ~ FEBRUARY 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

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