LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

SurferGirl1982 · April 17

@NonnieDoiron Glad your daughter is home. And, obviously, your son is happy you're home. I couldn't help but giggle about the leftovers 🙂

Womona · April 17

@SurferGirl1982 it’s a vicious cycle when you nap all day and stay up all night. I hope the baby steps you take to mitigate drinking help you get back to a normal pattern. Meanwhile, I feel your pain about certain foods not being good compared to where you’ve had the real thing. When I lived near Seattle, we couldn’t get a decent bagel, and the pizza was terrible. Forget trying to get a good Pork Roll, egg and chewy on a Kaiser roll!

@NonnieDoiron so glad to hear that your daughter got sprung from the hospital! Wow, that infusion worked fast. Also glad you got to sleep in your own comfy bed. Makes a huge difference!

Only one glass of wine last night. Goal achieved! I did seriously consider pouring another glass but it was easier to resist than I thought it would be.

We are going out to dinner this weekend. Most restaurants don’t do a 5 oz standard pour of wine, it’s usually at least six. Which I have to count as more than one drink even if I don’t get another one! 😠. Of course, I could always not finish it, but I’m too cheap to do that! Haha! Another favorite restaurant gives a double pour of a mixed drink such as an old fashioned or a martini. Just a general rant, this is up there with so many more calories in a restaurant meal than cooking the same thing at home. But I do, going out to eat is one of my very favorite things to do!

Anyway, bless us all as we head into the weekend, may we all stay on our courses. Have a great day, all!

chicbuc · April 17

@SurferGirl1982 and @itladyee I am also quite fond of both of you!

@SurferGirl1982 it wasn't liver enzymes, although you can order any tests you want with Ulta and then have the blood drawn at a participating lab (I use Quest). I don't believe they take insurance, but it's deeply discounted which is how I found out about them to begin with. I do my annual bloodwork with Ulta and what would cost almost $800 cash pay is only about $150. PS. Keep on keeping on! You will get there!

@NonnieDoiron So glad you got to go home! I love your son's literal language. My 33 year old son has Asperger's and is very literal. His main concern growing up was "what's for dinner?" Used to drive my SO NUTS because he didn't get that my son wasn't demanding I cook for him. He just needed to know what was for dinner and that there would BE dinner.

@Womona You are so good at not reaching for that second glass!

I've been watching what I eat very carefully (living off protein shakes, cottage cheese, fruit, and yogurt for a few days) and I feel fine. I did go to dinner with a friend last night and had some red wine and I was perfectly fine last night, so I don't know. Like I said, if it happens again, I'll get my doctor involved.

My SO was so very kind and paid off my credit card debt yesterday with the profits from the sale of his business which takes a HUGE load of stress off of me. Maybe it was stress contributing as well?

I'm going to take the day off today and get some things in order in my home. I need to put my desk together so I have a space to work for SO's other company and I haven't had time because I was working delivering groceries so much.

Have a happy Thursday, everyone!

AF = 13/A = 3

SurferGirl1982 · April 17

@Womona It is horrible when you get out of your normal sleep cycle. But, I'm working on it. Since you lived in Washington state, you may be familiar with Abby's Legendary pizza. I believe they have stores in Washington too. It's edible, but not that great (and way overpriced). Here we have the choice of Abby's or Dominos. Not good!

@chicbuc I'm glad you're feeling better. I don't know much about the gallbladder or pancreatitis. It does sounds like you're eating right though.

It's a shame that you don't have medical insurance. Don't tell anybody, but I recently went on Medicare. My husband is a veteran, so I also have ChampVA, which is the civilian insurance through the VA for dependents. So, I rarely pay anything. Medicare has a deductible. I think about $240 a year and ChampVA has a $50 yearly deductible. Anyways, if you do start experiencing problems again, go see a doctor. I've mentioned my idiotic moves about neglecting medical issues. It's definitely not worth it.

Take care of yourselves and have a great day everyone!

SurferGirl1982 · April 17

Hi everyone,

After my morning nap, I turned on the TV and I did hear about the shooting in Florida. When I was 20, walking around the college campus, I was thinking about what my friends and I were going to do on the weekend or honing my billiard skills at the campus bar (yes, we had a beer bar on campus). It's all so sad.

Anyways, I've been thinking a lot and this is a good place to air out my thoughts. I've gotten myself into that bad position once again. I'm having problems quitting drinking. I've used the taper method before and it does work. But the problem is that I've been napping during the day and waking up at 2 am or 4 am. Our liquor store doesn't open until 9 am. So, if I wake up a 2 am, I look at the clock and think…OK, I just have to wait 7 more hours to get a drink. So, I haven't been dumping it out at night. That's the only way the taper method will work.

I'm fairly dysfunctional right now. My husband has been running circles around me. I'm very proud of him. He's been doing a lot. And, frankly, doing the chores that I should be doing.

Like the information that @globalhiker had posted. Quitting drinking is much more than just willpower. Alcohol changes our brain chemistry.

But, I will get through this! I have another plan. I will let you know how that works out.

The main thing I would like to say is if anyone out there feels like your drinking is getting out of hand. Definitely…try quitting! Unfortunately, sometimes by the time you realize that it's gotten out of hand, it's too late!

I may not be able to give others inspiration by my success. But I may be able to help someone with my failures. Most of the people that post in this group seem to be doing pretty well (definitely better than me). But, there may be some lurkers out there that I can help.

I hope everyone is doing well…I will be OK!

Womona · April 18

@SurferGirl1982 I’m unfamiliar with Abby’s pizza, I guess they didn’t have any near Bellingham. There is nothing like a New York or New Jersey pizza!

On another note, sorry to hear you are struggling. Please let us know why we can do to support you. Hope you can get out of the multi-pronged vicious cycle.

Today only one glass, but it was a big pour. I need to run into the kitchen at work before my colleague pours the wine. That way I can control how much wine goes into the glass. At least I didn’t have any more once I got home.

Have a good night!

SurferGirl1982 · April 18

Thanks @Womona I'll see how I feel tomorrow. Yes, I need to get out of this. Anyways, I appreciate your concern. I'll check back in tomorrow. Take care!

mfowler883 · April 18

Ugh the numbers don't work anymore….not sure where I'm at now. I haven't been drinking MUCH, but I've been drinking I think something every night, lost track.

I THINK I'm at:
10 LA
4 AF
3 A

I'm so brain fried right now, crunching numbers, revising plans, going over formulae, researching hardware, talking to property management, trying to figure out how to make this all happen and it's terrifying and I know I have to move on it because it's the first clean exit strategy I've been able to come up with in four and a half years and now all I do is sit at my desk and pound keys, going over every detail of every aspect of how to get this thing up and running without losing it all in the process, scrambling for any way to make the money end work and beating my head on the desk because it all seems so mind numbingly futile sometimes but I KNOW it has to work.

(deep breath…..)

Son passed his finals, I am so glad to be done driving him to and from class. It was nuts, I was burning a quarter tank of gas a day doing it, it was taking me off the phones which inevitably means lost business. I have a 99% conversion rate if not better, AS LONG AS I CAN ANSWER THE PHONE. If I miss a call, it's a crap shoot as to whether I'll get another chance to talk to that potential client again. It also made a train wreck of meal planning, so we've been dining out way more than we should, bad for personal goals and bad for saving money to…yeah, back to ramping up the new phase. Anyway, all that is over now, we're super proud of him. I had to stay up all night Tuesday helping him with a resume - I told him months ago to start working on it and spelled out exactly how to do it; never happened. I managed to get him situated with a pretty decent resume that touched on several key positions he's held and the relevant skills he's acquired in those roles. He had a preliminary interview that went well, and he has a follow up interview scheduled.

That means I have two weeks to phase him out of the family business and figure out how to cover all the things he was helping us with.

(gonna lose my mind at this rate…)

@SurferGirl1982, I didn't know Mexican food had heat….I'm used to Thai, Indian, Jamaican, etc. 🔥🔥🔥

-m

globalhiker · April 18

Oops where was I this week, just woke up and it's Friday. Been working on several projects at the same time and under pressure and when I am not working, my brain is still at work.

Didn't think about drinking this week, still in NA mode. Burning more calories than consumed.

@mfowler883 Congrats to your son and hopefully this turning point turns out better than expected.

NonnieDoiron · April 18

AF - 14
A - 3

Thank you everyone for the well wishes for my daughter. She is slowly recovering from this flair, but we are preparing for the long haul of future hospital visits since I’m being told that UC flairs happen suddenly and probably more frequently than I want to imagine. So, I’m prepping a hospital bag for us. I did the same when my son had cancer. Even if we never use the bag, it’s just better that it’s there and ready to go.

I finished the 2 glasses left in the bottle the other night, so last night was AF. I’m going to go on a walk today, and the amount of trash I see on the road is horrible. So, I’ll be out there for a while. It’s Good Friday, so salmon is on the menu (or as we call it “water chicken”). So today should be a decent calorie day.

Praying everyone as a good day!

SurferGirl1982 · April 18

@mfowler883 I've never tried starting my own business. I can just imagine how difficult it would be. So good to hear that your son passed his finals. I sure do remember those days of making resumes and applying for jobs. For me, it was not fun.

About the Mexican food. Well, it can be as hot or mild as you like. I saw on your profile that you are from Texas, so most likely the Mexican food that is served there is Tex-Mex. No offense, but it's not the same as Baja style.

There's a women on the Food Network. Her name is Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Women). She actually lives in Oklahoma. And, she's just as sweet as can be. But, her Mexican dishes aren't' real authentic. For instance, you don't use flour tortillas for enchiladas. Tacos and enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, burritos are made with flour, and fajitas are generally served with flour. But, I guess it's a matter of choice. Also, I do know that Thai food is hot. But, where I live we don't have a large variety of restaurants.

I had a hobby for a while trying to perfect my salsa Roja. It's made with dried chiles (Arbol and Guajillo) among other ingredients. I never could perfect it. But, I asked at a Mexican restaurant about their salsa Roja (which I like). She said that they use a little tomato paste. All the recipes online never mention tomato paste. That's what makes it the consistency I was looking for. Well, back to the drawing board.

@NonnieDoiron I too have a hospital bag in my closet. After being hospitalize twice in 2021, I set it up. It's a very good idea. Kind of like having a first aid kit in the house. I mentioned that my husband had some sort of infusions more than 10 years ago. I believe he only had about three of them. And, he's only had one incident since (about a year ago). It was colitis. I hope those treatments work as well for your daughter as they have for my husband.

@Womona I'm still hanging in there. But, I do have to do something.

Have a nice day everyone!

SurferGirl1982 · April 18

Speaking of cooking. I really don't enjoy it much. I know that some people love cooking. And I know that @NonnieDoiron loves to bake. But I get flustered when there are too many irons in the fire. If it's something I can prepare in advance (like a casserole), I'm fine. I think the main thing that I don't care for is chopping everything and timing when to put things on.

Quite a few years ago, my husband and I would watch the Food Network. That was when the programming was mostly chefs with half-hour shows basically showing you how to cook a dish or two. We actually learned a lot. Now it's more challenge shows (unless you get up real early in the morning 🙂)

But that being said, we don't go out for meals much. Possibly because we don't have all the options here that most of you do. Unfortunately, we do get all the commercials on TV. I've been wanting to try Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and a few others.

And, I do prefer to eat home cooked as much as possible. We do grill a lot and I mainly just roast or steam some veggies. One thing that is super easy…is we buy this extra jumbo shrimp that is frozen and peeled, deveined with tails on (Waterfront Bistro). I used to put them on skewers. But we bought a nice Weber flat grill pan. So I just defrost, rinse, toss with some oil, Kosher salt and red pepper flakes. Actually, that's what's for dinner tonight. I just wished that I enjoyed cooking more. My husband used to be pretty good. But he recently has really destroyed a couple of dishes. He probably did it on purpose, so I won't let him cook anymore 🤔

BTW @chicbuc I'm still working on Keep on Keeping On! I'll get there sometime!

NonnieDoiron · April 18

@SurferGirl1982 I love to cook and bake, but I never feel like I have time. I tend to make huge meals on the weekend, then we eat leftovers most of the week. (The only reason my family survived while my daughter and I spent a week in the hospital!🤣)

I do more grilling in the spring and summer. We’ll have a lot of steaks, pork chops, and burgers during that time of year. Sides will usually consist of some kind of potato or rice dish or Mac & cheese. Veggies are typically something from a can or roasted. I’m pretty lazy when it comes to sides, but the protein is always the star. Next week, I’m going to work on cooking smaller meals, so my fridge doesn’t get crowded and we don’t waste food.

mfowler883 · April 19

@SurferGirl1982 we have plenty of Tex-Mex, but we also have a wide variety of authentic Mexican - pick a region, and we probably have it. I've been liking Oaxacan lately. A lot of the Mexican places here do a green salsa that is apparently unique to Houston, for all intents and purposes it's just jalapenos roasted and pureed with a little oil. A lot of people think it's too hot, but I put it away on chips like it's going out of style. TBH, I've never found a Mexican dish or sauce that came close to a proper jerk chicken, pad kee mao or vindaloo.

Years ago, back in NOLA, we were at a little get together with friends…..jeez, I guess it might have been the last time I saw Steve alive. He was my friend, mentor, bandmate, he showed me the ropes and taught me a lot, never hesitated to call me out for stupid stuff or praise me for doing well. I miss him a lot. Anyway, it was my family, another close friend's family, Steve, and maybe a few other friends from that circle, and we'd ordered an assortment of dishes from Nirvana, an excellent Indian restaurant down on Magazine. I just remember Steve taking a bite of something, and saying "Hooooooo! Boy, if a Cajun cooked food that hot, he'd get his @$$ kicked!" We all just about died laughing.

Steve had his demons, same as the rest of us….the music scene was brutal. For too many years, anytime I heard from anybody, it was "hey, you heard about Chris? Yeah he ODed…." "hey, you heard about EJ? He had a stroke…." "you heard about James? His liver gave out…" "you heard about so and so, wrapped his car around a pole on St. Charles…." "heard about so and so, kidney failure" I don't know anybody from the scene anymore. The stuff we did…you couldn't keep up that pace without something to keep you going, it was everywhere, we all did it in amounts that would kill an elephant…mix that with the booze, it was madness. One night, I guess the band was off that night, I was down at Molly's At The Market, Laura was tending bar and I was halfway through my second fifth of the night with no sign of slowing down. She walked by, looked at me, shook her head and said, "You're not human, are you?"

AF tonight, on that note...

10 LA
5 AF
3 A

-m

SurferGirl1982 · April 19

@mfowler883 and @NonnieDoiron I just got home. It's close to 11 pm here. So I'm sure you're both sound asleep. I went gambling for a while. I actually won tonight. I read your posts and I intended to reply to both of you.

But something happened that scared me. I'm still scared. My husband is asleep. But, I don't want to wake him because of a bloody nose.

What I haven't mentioned to any of you, is that I do have some liver disease. I haven't been checked out for a while (I had a falling out with my gastroenterologist office). And, I would have to travel 60 miles each way to see another. Our livers produce blood clotting proteins. And, if your liver isn't functioning properly, your blood won't clot. So after I got home, I felt like I had a runny nose. But, I knew what it was. My nose was bleeding. I happens quite a bit. And that's why I've been so afraid of my drinking. The bleeding usually stops. But, if not, I may have to go to the hospital.

-m If I'm still alive tomorrow I have a recipe for a tomatillo sauce that is pretty good. It's not real hot. But, you can always fix that.

Obviously, moderating my alcohol intake really isn't an option for me.

I'll try to catch up with everyone tomorrow!

SurferGirl1982 · April 19

Well…I have some good news. I'm still alive. But I really have to work on quitting not just cutting back. Also, when I'm drinking, I don't eat properly or have normal sleep habits.

My husband is actually still asleep and doesn't know about the nosebleed. I probably won't mention it. But, it was scary. I packed my nostril with a bit of Kleenex last night and was slightly afraid to remove it this morning.

-m If I find that tomatillo sauce recipe, I'll post it. It's tasty. But I have a feeling you will want to spice it up. My husband loves extra spicy. I'm more of the medium spicy type.

Anyways, I'm going to go for now. Have a nice day everyone!

tmbg1 · April 19

10 AF

5 LA

3 A

Hope everyone is having a good Easter weekend (to those who celebrate) and a good weekend (to those who don't).

SparkSpringtime69 · April 19

April:

AF=7
A=11

SurferGirl1982 · April 19

I imagine some of you that read my post from last night are thinking that I over-reacted (panicked) about a bloody nose. But I was never one to have bloody noses. It really did scare me. My husband was asleep. The hospital is 13 miles away. I do have medical insurance and extra insurance that covers ground and air ambulance service costs that my insurance doesn't pay. But, everything is OK today.

I still plan on becoming AF for an extended period. It's not really an option. I want to protect my health and I want to start feeling good again. And I have so many projects planned. Summer is right around the corner.

Earlier, I was thinking that tomorrow is Sunday, so I should buy something for tomorrow since the liquor store doesn't open until 11 am. Then I remembered that tomorrow is Easter and the store will be closed. So I'll have to go down there later. I don't want to regret being without. These holidays really mess me up (and I imagine others also). But after that is gone, I will get serious. It's early enough that I could still get some AF days in before the end of the month.

Take care all!

RubyRed427 · April 19

@SurferGirl1982 I follow this thread often. It is incredibly hard to be sober. I can go a few days AF and then something happens, I get triggered and drink. I'm happy you are never giving up though. You are still fighting and setting goals. I also wanted to say that you did not overreact. Your feelings are real. You were seriously worried and that is valid. Just saying I'm rooting for you and all of us. I've been trying to be sober for the last 8 years. It is a battle every day. People who come to this thread share in the same goal: to be AF or have LESS alcohol, get healthier and support each other on this journey.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. It's a fresh start in a way.

SurferGirl1982 · April 20

@RubyRed427 Thank you so much! I haven't seen you post in quite some time.

You are correct that it is extremely hard to stay sober. Although, when I do have a good streak going on, I must admit…I do feel much better. I wish that I could be like many others and just drink from time to time. But, it doesn't seem to work for me that way.

Happy Easter to you also! We don't have any family in the area, so we won't be exactly celebrating. And, I just realized that we have nothing planned for a meal tomorrow. I'll see what I can figure out. We do have a grocery store right across the street. It makes it hard when there's just two of you.

Thanks again…it really means a lot! And, have a wonderful rest of your holiday weekend!

tmbg1 · April 20

11 AF

5 LA

4 A

SparkSpringtime69 · April 20

April:

AF=7
A=12

NonnieDoiron · April 21

AF - 16
A - 4

If I had wine in the house tonight, it would be gone. Went to my parents’ for Easter dinner and both my brothers were there and my sister-in-law. But, that wasn’t what made me want a drink. It was my mother-in-law.

We have to take 2 vehicles whenever she wants to go somewhere with us because we can’t all fit in one vehicle and take her walker. I have to lay the seat down in my car so it will fit. So, it’s usually me, her, and my daughter traveling together. I’d much rather be able to be the passenger princess.
She tries so hard to be funny, and she just isn’t. It’s really irritating most of the time. She can’t hear, so often her jokes fall flat because they just don’t make sense based on the conversation. I think she just interjects, so she can have some attention.
Her loud eating and breathing are getting worse. My brother kept looking at her, and without anyone seeing me except him I mouthed from across the table, “I’m sorry.” He laughed because he didn’t realize I saw him, but he has the same issue I do with people making noises when they eat. He handled it well though. But her little portable oxygen machine is crazy loud too! You can’t have a conversation when it’s going. In the car, I had the radio volume twice the level I normally do to hear the music, and I still couldn’t hear some of the songs when they came on.

I know it’s mean, but I just want her to stay home. I need a break from her, and she just ruined one of my chances.

Anyway, @SurferGirl1982 I’m sorry your bloody nose scared you. I’m very glad you are still with us. @RubyRed427 is absolutely right. Keep trying, you’ll get there.

SurferGirl1982 · April 21

@NonnieDoiron Thanks! Yes, I'm still here — LOL! You're doing really well with your AF days this month.

I'm sorry your day wasn't that great. I honestly try to avoid all the holidays. But, they're hard to avoid. Since my Mom passed away nearly 15 years ago, things haven't been the same. It seems that our family fell apart. I knew that would happen though. She was what held us together. I had cousins that lived nearby and we were always really close. But, we eventually stopped calling, etc. There weren't any problems or anything. We just stopped keeping in touch. And, my brother, for some reason, keeps moving all over the country? I'm not sure what he's looking for? We're still close. But, I don't see him much.

My day was pretty uneventful. Last night, when I realized that we hadn't planned anything for Easter, I got out a corned beef we had in the freezer (I know…not a traditional Easter meal). My husband had actually prepped it today. We have a recipe for a baked glazed corned beef. And, I have some fresh Brussels sprouts in the fridge.

But, I woke up a 5 am, mixed a drink, and of course, I eventually had to take a nap. I woke up at 3 pm. So, for me, I have had nothing. The good news is that before I took my nap, I cooked my cat a Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon fillet (cooked to perfection 🙂). Something seems wrong with that picture. But, she's 17 and she's worth it. We will be having corned beef tomorrow 🙃

tmbg1 · April 21

12 AF

5 LA

4 A

chicbuc · April 21

@RubyRed427 and @SurferGirl1982 it IS hard to be sober, but we still try every day because that's all we can do! Hugs to both of you and keep on keeping to try form new habits and do what you can do!

@NonnieDoiron I'm sorry your holiday was not as pleasant as you deserve. I hope you get a peaceful day to yourself to make up for it!

We didn't do much yesterday. The kids and grands came over Saturday for tacos. I had a tongue in the freezer from the last time we got 1/2 a cow and wanted to make some Lengua tacos, so we had a taco night. Yesterday, I rode with SO to drop off some equipment that he needed on site to start a job today. Then we had lunch and rode up and looked at a piece of property he just had surveyed. Then we rode the casino for a bit, so I did drink yesterday. We also went to the casino on Friday, so I drank then, too. AF on Saturday with the kids and grands, though, so there's that. I also have not had any more episodes. So there's that, too.

Have a good week, everyone!

A=5/AF=15

SparkSpringtime69 · April 21

April:

AF=7
A=13

globalhiker · April 21

For me, transitioning to sobriety required daily work and commitment for the first couple of months and then it was effortless. You have to put in the work, plan well, and accept discomfort at times. It's work since it feels like 100 cravings hit out of the blue during those first few months and each one is a battle that needs to be fought, its annoying and tiring but for each one not fed alcohol, the more improved my thinking became and the stronger I got. This is healing. At some point I needed to starve the wine devil of his juice and weaken him to the point he can no longer be a pest in my head.

Drumming up the confidence and strength to push through took 7 years and many attempts to do a short term break. I could have done it sooner but didn't believe I could therefore never made it a goal.

It was all thanks to a saint on MFP who challenged my false belief and said I was capable. That and I got sick and tired of failing.

I had a lovely Easter holiday with great food and company and I felt happier than when I used to have my bubbly rose buzz on.

SurferGirl1982 · April 21

@globalhiker You have no idea how time appropriate your post was…although, I think you do. You may be my saint!

I had stocked up on the whiskey due to the liquor store being closed on Easter. It will be gone today. I hope I can also drum up the confidence and strength to push through. I do know that there will be some discomfort. Fortunately, for me, that part only lasts for a few days.

Thank you for the inspiration! I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired. I really admire how well you've done.

Keep it up and take care!

LESS Alcohol ~ APRIL 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

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