LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2025 ~ One Day at A Time
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I did not know that April was National Alcohol Awareness Month, did you?
NATIONAL ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH
April is National Alcohol Awareness Month in America and provides an opportunity to increase awareness of alcohol addiction in an intense 30-day focus. The observance aims to bring an understanding of alcohol’s causes and the effective treatments available. The observance is also an opportunity for people to share their experiences with alcoholism, recover, and offer support to others seeking recovery.
Additionally, the month-long campaign promotes an “Alcohol-Free Weekend,” held annually. In 2019, this event happens April 5-7 and encourages individuals and families to remain free of use for 72 hours while seeking help if desired.
HOW TO OBSERVE #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
- Practice limiting their consumption by keeping track of the quantity consumed.
- Become informed about how alcohol impacts the body in the short and long term.
- Encourage parents to discuss alcohol abuse with children, and talk to your own children too.
- Healthcare workers can make a concerted effort during the month of April to talk about options with their patients.
- Be sure to use the hashtag #AlcoholAwarenessMonth on social media while sharing and increasing awareness
NATIONAL ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH HISTORY
Alcohol Awareness Month was established in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. The idea was then and now to help communities reach out to the public and provide answers to end the stigma associated with alcohol abuse. For more information, please visit:
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Good to see you back @NonnieDoiron March was a rough month, I agree ~ I don't EVEN want to talk about the scale!
@SurferGirl1982 ~ Congrats on the new car!
@chicbuc ~ I like your approach for April. I'm definitely taking it one day at a time.
@globalhiker ~ I had to google "fruits with polyphenols" :) Booking another vacation sounds good!!
Fruits rich in polyphenols, beneficial antioxidants, include berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, as well as apples, cherries, grapes, and citrus fruits.
@Michieb125 ~ Great goals for April!
April Stats
A = 1
AF = 16 -
AF today. I have a bluetooth thermometer in the mushroom bin, noticed an unexplained bump in temp and humidity around midnight last night. GPT said that's probably an indicator that the spores have started to colonize the substrate with mycelium, so that's pretty cool.
2 AF
0 LA
0 A
-m7 -
2 AF days in…
I had $200 in freeplay yesterday at the casino, so I decided to run out and use it during the day (so as not to be tempted to go at night and drink) and try to turn in into real money. Long story short, no "real" money in, $280 out. Woot! It took about 15 minutes and then I got back to work.
I've been packing a cooler with my lunch and snacks to have in the car with me, so calories are on point and I'm back down about 3 pounds of pesky water weight.
I came home around 8:30 and went straight to bed.
Have a great day all!
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@NonnieDoiron and @chicbuc I feel like I was in a similar boat - too much wine and too many calories. I gained just a couple pounds, but since I'm supposed to losing a two pound gain was aggravating.
@tmbg1 congratulations on a successful March, I'm sure you'll continue on in April.
@mfowler883 I'm with you on the mushrooms - absolutely love them. Hope you have success with them, I've thought about growing them for myself too, but it seems like a lot of work!
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My drinking "thinking" spell vanished after I polished off a bag of chips and a little extra chocolate over a 2 day period. My blood sugar was off keel, doing a bit too much exercise in the outdoor heat.
@chicbuc I think your job is great even if it's temporary. I'd have fun seeing what foods people buy and all the walking will pay off in weight loss. Plus every hour kept busy is another hour one can't drink. I'll bet that will help the AF count.
I remember launching my "day drinking" behavior when I lost my job a few years back. It was the easy way to fill in the hours. Google AI says: when people are idle or have nothing to do, they are more likely to get in trouble or engage in negative activities. Yes I agree.
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@globalhiker Congratulations on the 7 months!!! That's very inspirational. Water/club soda with lemon actually sounds really good heading into spring/summer.
@Michieb125 I like the goals you've set for yourself, they're totally attainable.
@SurferGirl1982 congratulations on the new car. I had a bump up in weight also, it stinks.
@margim5 nice job sticking to your Lent goal!
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I've set some lofty goals for myself for spring:
- AF for the rest of April and all of May and June.
- Drop 7 pounds per month during these three months - that will put me at my goal weight.
- Only allow one meal per day to contain ultra-processed food (not counting condiments). All other meals and snacks have to be whole foods prepared by me.
- Some form of exercise every day - ideally 4 days of cardio and 2 ST will be part of it.
I know I have to break these down into smaller more defined goals, but wanted to post them just to light a fire under my currently lazy butt.
April:
AF=0
A=2
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Planned AF last night. Did an hour walk outdoors yesterday while listening to a podcast on the positives of cutting way back. I’m definitely reaping the benefits. Keeps me motivated as I continue on this journey! Working toward my 5 days this week.
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@mfowler883 ~ I think that black thumb might be shades of gray now! 😁
@chicbuc ~ nice return for 15 minutes!! 😊
@globalhiker ~ Idle hands are the devil’s workshop Proverbs 16:27 (I had to look it up). It's so true. I've always said, I don't idle well
@SparkSpringtime69 ~ Great goals for Spring. I've had 2 really good day in the gym since April started, so hopefully Spring has Sprung!
April Stats thru 4/2
A = 1
AF = 16 -
I'm still working on April. But I have been cutting back on the amount each day (LA). I don't know what my goals are for sure. I have labs coming up probably towards the first part of May. So I would like to be AF starting tomorrow and continuing at least until after my labs.
I was looking back at last years calendar. I keep a couple of past years calendars because sometimes I like to look back at various things. I was thinking that I only had one AF day before I had my lab draw last year. I looked back and it was true. It's pretty bad, not being able to stop for just a few days before my draw. Usually, if I can have three days up to a week or two before my labs, they come out pretty decent. I was a little surprised that my labs last year weren't that bad. Somewhat elevated liver enzymes, but my doctor wasn't concerned.
@SparkSpringtime69 I like your goal of being AF for the rest of April, May, and June. But my birthday is in June. So I may want to indulge or maybe not! I know that I will also lose weight during AF periods. And I need to get back to exercising. But I like to walk and go for hikes (not so much cardio). I find strength training helps me also. But I haven't been exercising, so I will have to ease back into all of it 😕
@itladyee How were you able to single space within your April stats? The only way I can do it is to use a bulleted list available through the paragraph symbol.
@mfowler883 I love mushrooms. But it does sound like a lot of work. I live in Oregon and when I lived in a valley a little south of here (higher elevation, if that means anything), Morels grew wild and people would go out Morel hunting. There were even buyers on the side of the road with scales to purchase your Morels. I never did it, but I guess you could make pretty good money. It seems it was a seasonal thing. We have some wine and whiskey barrels in the yard that we use as raised beds (bottoms removed) and every year mushrooms grow on them (I think they mainly grow on wood and trees). I think they may be Oyster mushrooms, but I'm not sure. So I'm not sure if they're edible.
April (thru 4/3):
- AF - 0 (working on it!)
- A - 3
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If you already have it somewhere, copy and paste using plain text.
Not sure if this copy option is available on a phone, but does work on a computerOr
Type and then hit shift enter or shift return
this works on iPhone too.Stats thru 4/2
A = 1
AF = 15 -
@itladyee Thanks! Yes, I use a desktop computer. My eyesight is not good enough and my thumbs are too big for a phone 🙂
I just tried it…yes, the shift enter works perfect!
AF - 0
A - 3Have a nice evening!
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@SurferGirl1982 ~ This update has been a PIA… I am doing my best to make it work and find solutions. However, I have stopped participating in some groups because I couldn't portray my data in the way that I wished and made sense to me!
It reminds me of when a company hires consultants to come in and make recommendations for change. The consultants know nothing and often "fix" things that aren't broken. The sad thing is that I don't see a feedback location for us to voice our issues. We vent in our groups, but I'm sure they are not seeing those posts.
Oh well.. I will try to add tips that I have found tha makes this a better place.
Stats thru 4/3
A = 2
AF = 16 -
@itladyee Thanks again for your tip. Like we used to say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" 🙃
I think there is a way to make suggestions…possibly under "Help". But when I've submitted a request in the past (normally for a problem), I get an email back wanting a whole bunch of info. But, you may want to look into it.
I still prefer MFP because some of the other sites are not that great in their functionality for logging foods (that's why I originally joined). And, some have stopped supported their website version. I'm sorry, I don't like using my phone for these things. I'm no longer 20 years old *LOL
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Take it easy, taper off gently. Ask me how I know. Stopping too abruptly will leave you feeling REALLY BAD at best, and can actually be bad for you. I know it's a *kitten* when you want to stop now, when you know you need to and you're in that place where you've been going too hard for too long to just kick. Last time for me, I found that I wasn't even ENJOYING what I was drinking to keep from feeling bad, I had to do stupid stuff like add a splash to my coffee or drink it with Coke, what a terrible waste of perfectly good whiskey, I know…
I love morels; I have some dried ones in the pantry, they make a wonderful sauce for steaks. It's pretty rare that I find them fresh or dried in stores here, and they're apparently not easy to grow, hence the wild mushroom market. Supposedly, oysters will grow in just about anything, and aren't too picky about temperature and humidity, but from what I read they tend to side pin, so they're usually fruited in a hanging bag or something. I still don't even know if I like them, I've been keeping an eye out since those do pop up in stores pretty regularly.
Decided since I went two days AF to allow myself a little something, so went next door for a Bota Mini RedVolution. I like the Bota Minis, you get less than a bottle or even a little four-pack so I can buy one, drink it and not have more sitting in front of me tempting me to continue. I'm gonna call it LA.
1 LA
2 AF
0 A
-m7 -
@mfowler883 Thanks for your advice. I know it's definitely best to taper off. I did it once back in 2021. I did it very systematically and scientific-like. It probably took about 10 days and no problems what so ever. I would buy a fifth of whiskey one morning at 9am (state-run liquor stores here). The next day, I would go to the store at 9:30, and brace yourself, I would pour 25ml down the drain. The next day, I would go at 10am and pour out 50ml. And, so on until I was starting at about 4pm with a pint. A few days later, I was able to quit with no unpleasant problems. It does work but it does take a little work and dedication. And, it's easiest if you have someone to help you (actually my husband was the one doing the liquor store runs).
I agree at some point drinking a little bit of the hair of the dog doesn't really make you feel any better. And, don't laugh, in the morning I mix my whiskey with unsweetened iced tea with fresh lemon. Then I switch to club soda later.
I'm not sure what you mean about the oysters side pinning. But, ours stick straight out sideways (that's probably what you mean). And they are kind of hard. So I don't mess with them. There may be wild Morels around here too. But, I'm not as young as I used to be, so I haven't gone out looking.
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You got this.
Yeah, that's what side pinning means - when the mycelium goes into fruiting conditions, it starts off with little "pins," they'll grow into mushrooms. With oysters I guess they come out the sides rather than on top like other varieties. I wouldn't even know where to look for wild morels, no idea if they grow in this part of the country. My Tidal Wave is still doing weird stuff to the temperature and humidity, but no visible threads yet. It's so hard to just leave it alone, I want to open the tub and look! LOL…
-m4 -
@mfowler883 Morels (I believe) tend to grow in forest type conditions. Where they were very rampant was in the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon. The elevation was 1200 to 1300 ft. I don't know much about growing mushrooms. But, it seems it was kind of a seasonal thing, most likely spring. So I guess the conditions that the Morels like are forest like that we have here. Lots of accumulation of fir and pine needles, etc and probably moist conditions.
I know it's hard. But, if you're not supposed to open the tub, then don't peek! 🙂
PS…now you have me thinking. I'm going to have to look up Morels. The next two days I'll be working in the yard. We've had a weird year…more rain and colder than usual. But it's supposed to be sunny and 70's for a couple of days…so got to take advantage of it!
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GOOD MORNING and happy Friday all
Accountability:
3 alcohol free days
3 aquatic workout days
3 days not eating dinner out
Win win win
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Hi everyone, and happy April! I love love love seeing the flowering trees in their glory, along with the pretty spring flowers. Makes me smile.
I went two weeks without even trying to be LA, back up to two daily drinks, etc. I’ve had a very busy week with work, which had me making a beeline for a glass of wine before I even put my purse down!
Exercise has also been inconsistent from one week to the next if I have appointments in the morning. I have a very limited time to fit that in, and with my work schedule changing due to covering shifts for vacationing workers, I’m all thrown off.
At any rate, back to being mindful, logging and tracking my food. Logging food really helps me to be LA or AF in a weird way!
I definitely notice fluctuating energy levels, sleep quality and hunger depending on where I am in my cycle. Being peri-menopausal and having Bipolar II also plays a huge part on these fluctuating energy levels and getting my head in the game! Fun times. Anyone else experiencing this?
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With the weekend coming on, I thought I’d share something I got from one of my colleagues at work-she is a nutritional consultant. Her motto is “win the weekend, win the week.”
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AF-3
A-1I planned a wine night tonight, so I will imbibe. I did walk, and I will be at calories due to fasting/abstaining today.
Baked bread today in my new Pullman loaf pans. I’m excited because now I can make a sandwich and not kill my calorie count with the large slices of bread when using regular loaf pans. I love a good sandwich!Interesting conversation on the mushroom front. I love mushrooms. I think my husband grew some for an elixir he was trying to make, but I have no idea what kind or how he did it.
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@Womona I like your colleague's insight. The "Three Ways Alcohol Affects Weight Loss" is a such good information and so true. The first two points I was a aware of, but I don't think I had ever heard of the third point. That's something I would consider framing and hanging on a wall. @MissMay You may want to include that into the intro…I find it motivating.
The 2 + 2 rule reminds me of an eating plan that was being talked about quite a while back. It wasn't really a diet, but more of an eating concept. With the plan, you would eat your preferred diet (whether it be Mediterranean, LCHF, Low calorie, etc) for 80% of your meals and you would eat off-plan for 20% of your meals. That would mean if you eat three meals a day, you could have approximately four cheat meals a week. Not crazy cheat meals! But something that's not normally on your diet.
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LA yesterday, one drink. Today will probably be AF, but I'll check back in later with confirmation. Been way off track with food….eh, maybe not WAY off, but I could be doing better. Ate out three days in a row, but at least yesterday was Govinda's, so pretty healthy. It's the vegetarian Indian restaurant attached to the ISKcon temple - the Hare Krishna folks. Really good food, and the inspiration behind some of my meal preps although I'm not vegetarian. It's kinda neat, though, I can eat there and not feel like my meal was lacking for the absence of meat. Have to watch some items, cream-based sauces, potatoes, buttery flatbreads and such can stack up pretty fast. So, a few days gaining but today I'm back down a little. Woke up with a migraine for the first time in four months.
2 AF
2 LA
0 A
-m7 -
Really great stats to kick on April @mfowler883. Always like hearing about your love of good food.
@Womona so good to see your post and share today! I do love your honesty and great attitude. For me, I think tracking all foods and drinks helps me stay mindful of good nutrition, then planning enough sleep and exercise are also key principles in terms of helping to balance energy levels.
Your new loaf pans sound marvelous @NonnieDoiron! Have fun baking.You are shining as we swing into April @MissMay. Very inspiring.
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2 AF
1 LA
1 A
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Checking in. I'm not responding to each individually, but know I'm reading and following along!
I'm headed out for the 3rd day of grandson and granddaughter's dance competition. Grandson got 7th place out 112 dancers on Friday night with his solo. I'm always so proud of both of them, but this kid's going far in the dance world, and I love it! One of the judge's commented at his last competition that she felt like she was watching a professional dancer (he's 14).
Still AF for April and enjoying not obsessing over when I'll be able to get home and get a glass…or bottle…of wine.
Happy Sunday!!
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@Womona Thanks for the info on the effects of alcohol, there are so many things it does to harm our bodies and minds.
@NonnieDoiron Homemade bread is always delicious, enjoy.
@mfowler883 Nice job with the LA days. Sorry to hear about the migraine, I hope it cleared up quickly.
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April:
AF=1
A=4Looks like I'm starting my lofty spring goals today, I imbibed pretty heavily the last two days 🙄.
Small, attainable goals for today:
AF day
plan whole day's menu in the morning and log it ahead of time.
One processed food (having that right now for breakfast)
take a walk around the neighborhood (gym is closed on Sundays)Hope everyone has a great week!
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