LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

NonnieDoiron · July 18

I can safely mark today SAFE FROM ALCOHOL since the “magic bottle” didn’t appear after the magician went grocery shopping. I may end up having some wine next weekend, but I’m not sure yet because plans are evolving.

Introduction… ok, let’s see… I’m a wine drinker, occasionally and Old Fashioned, Jack and Coke, or Dirty Martini when the mood strikes. The funny thing is I can have those ingredients in the house, and I won’t touch them. But, put a bottle of red wine on the counter, and it’s a goner!

I didn’t drink a whole lot as teen or even after I turned 21. I would go to the clubs to dance, not drink. And, I usually went by myself, so I had to stay sober to drive home. When I did go out with others, I was DD. No biggie.

When I married my husband, we would occasionally polish off a bottle of wine together with cheese and crackers. It became a weekend evening ritual for a while, but the wine he liked changed in taste and smell. We tried to find others he would like, but we couldn’t. He gave up. But, I didn’t. In our quest to find others, I found quite a few I liked. And, I kept enjoying a couple of glasses a night.

After my son, who was 7 at the time, went through cancer and beat it; my health went downhill. I stopped working out, gained back a bunch of weight, and just couldn’t get myself out of the post-cancer trauma funk! Drinking became a daily thing, and often ended up being a full bottle. I continue to drink more than I should when stress is high (which has been A LOT lately), and it definitely messes me up.

That was over 10 years ago now. I’ve been a part of this group for a little over a year now, I think. I didn’t want to quit, but definitely wanted to drink more occasionally instead of for ever and any occasion. I also wanted to be able to control how much on those occasions. My husband is being good about it, but he can see I’m not handling things well right now. I only have 3 A days so far this month, but each one was a full bottle.

Oh well… on we go, right?

tmbg1 · July 18

9 AF

3 LA

6 A

itladyee · July 18

Great idea @Michieb125 and glad your surgery went ok.

@NonnieDoiron ~ I hope you took that day off today!!

@nbruns83 ~ I too spent a lot of money on NA wines only to just give up. I'd rather have a glass of low calorie grape juice, it costs less too!!

@chicbuc ~ I am so happy and so proud of you!

Today was a mixed day… had planned a "me" day with the desire to get some stuff done and then relax and read. I get a message around 7:30am that Julian's school is having a lemonade stand from 9 to 11… well, I have to support my 5-year-old grandson, right? So I finish a few updates, see the clock is ticking …get dressed and head out.. Since this is advertised for friends and family, i was sure they would be outside. Nope, no lemonade to be found. I knocked on the door of the school and they advised that they moved it to Monday! Did I mention this is a 40 minute drive…..

I had a few errands to run, and I basically just killed time. Got back home and replanted a plant that didn't seem to be recovering well from being overwatered. Luckily I took it outside to replant (rather large plant). As I started, I noticed this ugly bug in the soil at first I was going to get "rid" of the bug…but brain goes…what if there's more and you're bringing that plant back in the house? Nope, nadda… found a carpenters garbage bag and dumped the entire thing! Now of course I'm looking side eye at every other plant in my home!

So i had a few AF days in a row, but tonight I'm going to enjoy a glass or two of red.

By way of introduction:

I officially joined this group in February 2023, after a solid month of lurking in January. That same month, I also did The Alcohol Experiment and finished January about 50% alcohol-free. February dipped to about 30%, and the rest of 2023 floated somewhere between 30% and 0%.

In 2024, I kicked things off with Dry January again — and let’s just say… same script, different year. 😬

Those two years came with a lot of emotional upheaval. Wine was my comfort blanket… my way to check out when life got too crazy or painful to bear.

I’m a wine drinker. I enjoy it — like, daily.
Weekends? My husband and I might have a cocktail or two, but I could easily pass on that. Wine though? If there’s a bottle of red open… well, let’s just say it doesn’t stay open for long. 🍷

Deep down, I’ve known that drinking daily — if only it were just one glass — probably isn’t doing me any favors. But it became a habit over the years. The only times I’ve taken real breaks were:

Once while pregnant (which was many moons ago) And once in 2022 when I started a weight loss program that had no room for alcohol.

So, yes — It's a habit, and like the article I posted a few days ago, it kind of transitions the day from work/productivity to “it’s time to wind down and relax”. But when stress piles up or life tosses another curveball, that habit turns into something more.

I turn 65 in just a few months, and since last August, I’ve cut my workload to part-time. I thought I was cruising into the calm waters of “semi-retirement bliss”… but nope. Life had other plans and tossed another challenge my way with managing my sister's diagnosis.

Now? I do want to reduce my drinking. I want to see a change on the scale as I know alcohol interferes with weight loss.

And every time I cut back, the scale starts to cooperate — until I try to beat the system (Spoiler: I haven’t won that game yet.)

Every time I’m ready to buckle down and get serious, life seems to throw a wrench in the works. But I also know I’ve got to stop using that as an excuse. I want to get stronger — to face life’s storms without running for the wine rack.

I’m here to keep showing up, not just for the wins, but for the accountability of the moment!

A=13
AF=5

dvmmcw7442 · July 19

Managed 2 six ounces glasses of red at dinner after another travel day. The highway was ridiculous and I think everyone on there must be on their way to doing life changing surgery on someone. Needless to say I couldn't wait to sit down, have a sip, and exhale.
Already looking forward to the solitude of the ranch when I get back on Sunday. If one person drives by a day it's been busy. I really can't do with the traffic and stressed out people.
Melanie

NonnieDoiron · July 19

@itladyee no time off yesterday. I probably could’ve taken it, but I got really deep into Excel and power pivot on a few of my auditing spreadsheets for work and lost track of time. I’m even starting to see how a couple of my spreadsheets can work in tandem, and I started getting giddy because it’ll save me so much time in the future!

I still managed to can the rest of the chicken broth I made, but I didn’t get to bed until 10:30. Then, I couldn’t fall asleep. Took forever. Then, at 5:45 this morning my husband closed the garage door while leaving to go work at the hunting lease which woke me up. So, now I’m awake, drinking coffee, and plotting my day.

Clean bathrooms
Go get new glasses for me and my daughter
Might have to make a grocery store run for a couple items the husband may have forgotten yesterday
Bake bread
Possibly make some cookies, been craving them.

Then, tonight for dinner we’re having Cubano sandwiches but made with brisket instead of pork. The brisket has been cooking low and slow all night and will continue until I’m ready to start pressing sandwiches.

Busy day, and I won’t be able to get my nails done until one day next week, so I’ll probably comp an afternoon to get them done.

By the way @dvmmcw7442, I’m so jealous you have a ranch! I would give anything to have a ton of land away from the rest of the world. We thought we kind of got that when we bought our current house, but we neglected to check out the development situation around us. Now, there’s a land-grab for all the old farmland around us to build developments. We hate it, but we love our house and know shy of building new we won’t get what we want if we move again. So here we are. Maybe one day we’ll find it. My husband would love nothing more than a compound for all the kids and grandkids to live on with us. Though we could see the grands whenever we wanted, I’m not sure the kids are interested in living that intimately with us. Lol, the husband is a lot to handle. 😉

Anyway, good morning everyone!

Michieb125 · July 19

It’s so nice to read the introductions from many of you today! Thank you for sharing your experience with drinking and where you are now. I find it helpful to get a better understand of the different perspective’s each of us have! Our upbringings, role models, jobs, life choices, motivation, habits, rituals and relationships all have their place in our decisions to imbibe or change it up.

What stands out is we are all here for right reasons. We are showing up to put in the work according to our individual goals.

I am reminded of the clarity, energy and sleep benefits again after several days of N.A. so much so, I am intending to keep this up. A special thanks to so many of you who are also inspiring me to do better - @Womona @globalhiker @chicbuc, @nbruns83, @NonnieDoiron, @dvmmcw7442 come to mind!

nbruns83 · July 19

July Stats

AF 14
LA 3
A 1

@Michieb125, thanks for suggesting the sharing of a brief background. That's a good idea since I'm pretty new here as well. I joined because I happened to see @itladyee was the facilitator of this thread and I'm on a fitness and diet team challenge with her, so I figured it was a safe place to share my indecision about going AF or limiting alcohol for my self.

I joke that my childhood wine was Mogen David, but that suggests dysfunctional parenting which was not the case. I had a safe, structured, and loving family. But I grew up with the faulty believe that since none of my blood relatives were problem drinkers that I was probably genetically "safe." My parents were first generation in this country, and my surviving grandmothers were immigrants. We lived in a very religious, ethnic community where church, work, and family were so valued, that I think no one had time to abuse alcohol which were an acceptable part of family dinners. Since my dad was a church elder, he bought the Mogen David for Holy Communion and kept a bottle for family use. We older kids were poured a tiny cordial glass along with the adults at holiday dinners, and I got to sit at the "adult table" instead of the "kid card tables." So that gave me the mindset that drinking alcohol responsibly was a good thing. My dad would open one steel can of Olympia beer on a scorching hot day after working on the farm and let us have a sip.

All that background is to say, I partied responsibly in college, and when I moved to Utah for a teaching career, the state liquor laws were truly draconian and made it burdensome to drink. As a public education teacher, I also knew that one misstep with alcohol and my teaching certificate would be revoked, and my career ruined. I loved teaching, and frankly had no time for partying after school or on the weekends. So my addiction was running and being a gym rat.

When did my relationship with alcohol change? Craft breweries opened in Utah, and were open for brunch after church on Sundays! WooHoo. Brunch with friends and a low-point beer were sudden possible. I developed a taste for quality IPAs and met my husband. We took school vacations to the Northwest which was a mecca for craft beers and the blossoming wine industry. One great tasting drink led to another.

My family's genetic metabolism helped me process both calories and alcohol successful until depression and menopause hit. Depression was triggered when I had to put my mom in a nursing home with dementia for six horrifying years. When she passed, the depression remained, but I coped with meds, work, and exercise. My dad died, two years later I took early retirement with burnout.

Ah retirement, no work stress, the depression would go, right? Wrong! DH and I were free to travel and we hit "the Ale Trail," went on wine-tasting trips and tours, joined wine clubs since were no longer living in Utah. Life seemed to be going well, but life changed in 2016, we were suddenly the odd folks out in our rural farm community, so that led to self-imposed social isolation, then the pandemic hit in 2020, and again we were the odd folks out wearing masks, and getting vaccinations. (I hope I'm not offending any of you with differing viewpoints, that's not my intent. I believe in tolerance; but my husband has lung disease and is in a high-risk group.) So I included beer, wine and trips to the liquor store in my trips out for supplies and groceries. And most of you know the story from here on…

If you read my story into alcohol abuse, I hope some of you can relate to it and find support in the shared struggle. I've since sought therapy for my depression, and that has been the single greatest help in my journey toward limiting alcohol and living a more balanced life. It's also had a positive effect on my husband's alcohol use. I want to give each of you a hug and a prayer on your very different struggles and journeys.

itladyee · July 19

@dvmmcw7442 ~ wishing you safe travels home and less traffic and stressed people.

@NonnieDoiron ~ Well, even though you didn’t take the time, it sounds like you were productive and that made you happy…so still a win!! We bought new grill last year and we want to try a brisket….yumm!

@nbruns83 ~ First, I’m glad that my presence here made it feel like a safe place for you, and I do believe it is a safe place. Thank you so much for sharing your story — it really resonated with me. More under the spoiler…

I had to chuckle when you mentioned Mogen David… that “wine” made frequent appearances in my childhood home too! My mom reserved her wine-drinking for New Year’s Eve — one part Mogen, six parts 7-Up. Meanwhile, my dad was more of a hidden-sips-of-Jim-Beam-in-the-pantry kind of guy. And the holiday celebrations? My little sister, niece, and nephew and I thought we were so grown up sipping our Mogen 7’s.

Your story brought me back to memories I hadn’t included in my introduction. Ah yes, college weekends — a lot of Everclear, with Kool-Aid, and very little common sense. I sometimes wonder what people thought of us!

In my twenties, when I lived in California near wine country, we would take a Friday afternoon and go wine tasting. Each of us would buy a bottle to bring to our next get-together, which featured ten + courses, each paired with wine. It was a blast — though by the tenth course, I'm not sure anyone remembered what we were eating or drinking.

The shift in drinking came with life’s harder turns.

In 1989, I had my son. Shortly afterwards, I suspected my husband at the time was having an affair with our “friend” across the street. It proved true, and armed with a 1-year-old, I moved on, but not without the stress! At this point, I always had wine in the house, I might have been drinking daily by now, but it was limited to a glass or two. On the weekends when it was just me…there was surely more. I "negotiated" with a friend with two children - one weekend, I would take her two, one weekend she would take my one!

Wine became more than a treat — it became a routine.

By 1997, I moved back to Chicago seeking help from my mom. 30 days after my arrival, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Instead of her help, I'm now helping her (with a new job to manage as well) and lost her to cancer two years later and gained more responsibility with my disabled sister.

By 2000, things snowballed

A 90-minute (one-way) commute, a nightmare boss, rising pressures at work, my sister, and my son! At this point, wine = coping!!

I moved closer to work (and it became even more stressful. I don’t know anyone in the area, and my boss tells me I have to travel, and I should just look in the newspaper and hire someone to take care of my child!!! The look I gave her said it all.

Work is now insane, my boss has lost her mind entirely…. I just managed (with wine) until about 2010. The boss took another job, and I was left in charge. Work was fun for a change, for about two years, then more BS, as we were planning to merge with another company. I was up against the CIO at the other company and it was going to be winner take all…. good news, I did “win” but again, not without stress. Old boss wiggled her way back in, and it was pure hell from there as we battled for position. She was let go at the end of 2012 and once again, we enjoyed work.

2014:

I got married (Feb) and got laid off (Aug) — in the same year. They assumed, we were DINKS but my husband did not make that much money.

I landed another job quickly (hooray!), but it came with another long commute !

My new husband was not financially contributing to our new home ~ he still had his townhouse... which was housing his daughter and eventually his ex-wife!!!

But there’s hope…. daughter is going to the Navy, the ex is gone and he sells the townhouse.

Short-lived - she gets “hurt” (I still question, but that’s another story) during boot camp and comes back home. Unfortunately, it was not discussed with me, and “home” was my house. I thought it was to be for a week or two but instead….it was almost 3 years!

You mentioned depression and this is where I was, severely depressed!!! …. After all that I had been through, this was the worst part of my life. I was not at peace living in my own home.

During this time, my older sister had a stroke that left her unable to walk and challenged to communicate, and a few years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. My BIL felt that the world (her children) owed him something. More HELL for me.

I finally offered the ultimatum that his daughter had to go….I didn’t care how or if that meant he left with her, but she had to go. I made this statement in February of 2020 - of course, she came down with COVID in April and spent 60 to 90 days in confinement (in my house). These were the early days, so we didn’t know….. AND My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. By July, she moved out. By Sept, he finished his treatments. My relationship with my husband almost didn’t survive…and frankly, we never really got the chance to build anything solid.

2023 - I lost my older sister and my dog of 14 years. We sold the house and downsized……and here we are looking for the pot of gold….

Thank you again for putting your story out there — it reminded me that I’m not alone,. Could it have been worse? Sure. Did drinking, some days more than others, help. I’d have to say yes. But now, still a few irons in the fire, but working not to use wine to self medicate and learn better, healthier choices when life keeps throwing very hard curve balls

A=13
AF=5

Walela617 · July 19

Hello everyone,

Here I am, hopping back on the road to total sobriety. I'm a binger (no "off" button) - so for me, that means 100% abstention. ["I'm one of the ones who can't have 'just one'; so I have decided that I shall have NONE!"]😊

I have a group that I formed, called, "SOBER CHALLENGE", but I would like reinforcement in a larger community as well. I stopped all alcohol consumption at 10pm last night; however, I'm using today to "dry out" and will reset my Sober Time app at midnight; so my official "Day 001" will be marked as Sunday, July 20th and I will report each completed day on the following day, which is how it's recorded in the Sober Time app.

Thanks so much for keeping this group going, @itladyee! I look forward to sharing this journey with all of you!

Have a great weekend,

💗Carole

NonnieDoiron · July 19

AF-16
A-3

To do list:

Clean bathrooms ✅
Go get new glasses for me and my daughter ✅
Might have to make a grocery store run for a couple items the husband may have forgotten yesterday✅ (didn’t go to the store, but did order via Instacart when I realized I needed more toilet bowl cleaner and was still in my pjs)
Bake bread ✅
Possibly make some cookies, been craving them.❌

Decided after the Cubano sandwiches, I wasn’t hungry anymore and the cookies can wait for another day.

@LittleSurferGirl7 I honestly don’t know where I get the energy to do all the crap I have to do. I just do it because no one else will.

My job is stressful, more stressful than I thought it was going to be. I would typically say stressing about it is stupid because it’s not like I’m out there saving lives or anything, but in this instance it is… kind of. It’s a large government contract that protects everyone with what they do.

There’s just not as much help in learning my role as I hoped there would be and was led to believe when I took the job. The person I was planning to lean on a little has distanced herself, so I’m stuck trying to figure it all out alone. Reading tons of government regulations, our contract, and doing the job is mind numbing and tedious… also overwhelming.

Oh well, I took the job… gotta do it now.

tmbg1 · July 20

10 AF

3 LA

6 A

Walela617 · July 20

"You can do this." - Sober Time's message for July 20, 2025.

Hello everyone,

07/20/25: My kickoff day to being 100% alcohol-FREE! (I had no alcohol yesterday but I wanted to pick July 20th as my future "Soberversary Date" and I wanted to give myself a full day to "dry out".)

My blood pressure and heart rate have already gone back to normal. My resting heart rate is usually in the low 60's at age (almost) 67. Why? I don't own a car and never did. (I walk my commute most days.)

I will report each completed day on the following day.

Enjoy your day,

💞Carole

SparkSpringtime69 · July 20

July:

AF=8
A=11

SparkSpringtime69 · July 20

Wow, there are some very interesting backgrounds here, thank you all for sharing them with the rest of us.

@NonnieDoiron honestly, I don't know how you get so much done in a day, especially with baking bread in the mix!

@Walela617 welcome back, and isn't it great when we see positive physical results (in your case BP/HR numbers) in such a short time away from the alcohol.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Sunday!

itladyee · July 20

@Walela617 ~ Carole, Looks like you are well on your way!! And seeing immediate results is awesome!!

@LittleSurferGirl7 ~ The Spoiler Warnings are a way to hide, usually a long post, so that others just scrolling don't have to read/view unless they are interested in the content. If interested, they click the "Spoiler Warning". You used to be able to put pictures there but the update changed that feature.

To put something under a spoiler, highlight the content then click the little thing that looks like a paragraph mark, and then the quotes, there is an option to put under a spoiler. It doesn't always work though…

@NonnieDoiron ~ hang in there my friend!

carlabisong · July 20

Hello everyone,

June 28 was my last drink. My biggest weakness is social gatherings. I’m happy to report that I went to a party and drank only Shirley Temples (sprite and cherry juice) in a wine glass.

I didn’t feel the need to get my usual Rose’
My plan is to stop drinking permanently.

Michieb125 · July 20

Welcome to @carlabisong and @Walela617 - it’s great to see you here! You probably can tell this is a very supportive group wherever you are on your journey to LESS ALCOHOL!

itladyee · July 20

@carlabisong Welcome to the group. You are doing well!!!

looneycatblue · July 20

Hi Everyone… so many of you are doing well on your journeys, and some are like me, struggling a bit.

I am claiming today as AF… got a plan in my head and am going to stick with it.

Sip on some herbal tea, while making dinner (this is when the devil starts getting in my ear). Continue sipping until any cravings disappear… might have to go through 10 cups!

Doing this will also curb my after dinner mindless snacking. I do so well during the day, and then blow it after dinner. Besides not being able to lose any weight, it also disrupts my sleep, and I end up hitting the snooze too many times, and end up not having enough time to get my morning walk in. I really need my morning walks, not only for the body benefits, but also for my mental health.

Here's (not Cheers) to my Day 1!

Michieb125 · July 20

I do love the details shared behind those spoiler alerts for extra long stories! I must try this myself. 😊

Finally able to write specific replies this morning: Honestly the new platform with the @doesn’t always work on the first try and it’s a little frustrating for me.

I love your hobbies and your learning interests @SparkSpringtime69 - staying active is important to me too.

Ranch life sounds great but I can appreciate all the hard work that goes into it @dvmmcw7442 - good job on moderating your red wine on your trip.

I found a really tasty Rose’ substitute @carlabisong. It’s at Trader Joe’s called Organic Sparking Rose’ Tea Beverage. A cross between a true light rose and a sparking rose’ wine.

Controlled blood pressure is so important to lifelong health @Walela617 - sounds like you have a good doctor monitoring you.

Many of us were fun loving teens back in the 70’s @LittleSurferGirl7 - I love those memories too but don’t often think about them much now. Nice pic of you!

Thanks for sharing your journey out of depression @nbruns83 - I dealt with some myself as a young married woman with my first baby at age 21. You are an overcomer too.

I’m always amazed at the amount of projects you can do at once @NonnieDoiron.

I think you hit the nail on the head @itladyee about daily wine being a ritual - definitely was for me for many years. Love the new suggestions you shared for replacement ideas.

itladyee · July 20

@Michieb125 ~ I have been struggling with this new platform since it arrived.... I'm trying to just deal with it.

But lately, I've been composing my post in notepad or another app and the copy and paste seems to work if you "paste in plain text" or "paste and match style" depending on your browser. The @username seems to come over ok now, it didn't work initially as that was how I always updated my posts.

I was spending tons of time typing and retyping trying to get the list to come up so the name would turn blue.

I preferred to draft in another tool because entire posts have disappeared mid sentence on MFP... and that makes me furious!!!

itladyee · July 20

@looneycatblue Welcome… I missed you earlier!

@LittleSurferGirl7 ~ I do plan to continue the spreadsheets and soon you will be stringing many check marks across the board!! I love your suggestion and will figure out how to do it. I'm a whiz in excel but a little slower in Google Sheets!

itladyee · July 20

@LittleSurferGirl7 ~ see if that helps….

nbruns83 · July 20

@carlabisong, @Walela617, and @looneycatblue, hi, I'm pretty new to this group, here for June and July. So if you're returning, it's great to meet you.

@Michieb125, @NonnieDoiron, @LittleSurferGirl7, @itladyee, and others, who have shown trust in this group to share your stories, thank you so much. I'm proud to be part of a group of courageous people who admit that alcohol isn't always or ever a positive in our lives.

July Stats

AF - 14
LA - 4
A - 1

I chose to add a limited alcohol day on Saturday. I suggested DH and I try out a new-to-us restaurant and bar in a nearby town in an old remodeled bank building. It's been very nicely preserved.🙂 So many small farming towns around here have dilapidated store fronts and abandoned homes as people moved to the cities, which is heart-breaking.😥 I splurged on a patty melt sandwich, freshly fried potato chips and a local craft IPA. My chaser was a big glass of ice water. Success for this stage in my journey.

globalhiker · July 20

Checking in - wow conversations have been flowing here. I'm in month 11 AF which means I choose to drink something else and eat a bit of chocolate instead. The quality of my life went from like a "3" to a "9.8".

We have the power to accomplish any realistic goal. Oh it's so hard they say. Really? Not so much. Hard is being pregnant and having babies and not sleeping and raising them while working full time and going to school and not sleeping much at all. Hard is not having enough money so the meals you eat look like snickers bar and an apple. Hard is growing up with not really having parents or not having good parents. Hard is going thru a divorce or a loss or a major health crisis or all at the same time. We've gone thru a lot of really hard times in our lives if you think about it.

In comparison, switching from drinking a carcinogenic beverage to something healthier (ice tea, coffee, hot cocoa, seltzer with juice, chocolate milk, smoothie, alcohol free beer, mineral water, pomegranate juice, etc.) is not that hard and we can all do it. Once I got over the "I can't do this, it's so hard" and learned to talk back to myself and say, I have the power and ability do this and I will do it in the easiest way possible, it worked.

Hunker down, stock the fridge with goodies and non-alcoholic drinks, anything off the shelf that can help with stress and sleep and presto after the fifth day or so the cravings start to weaken considerably and if they appear, they appear for seconds or minutes. When that happens, it a cue to go take a bath, go into another room, distract with a movie, go eat an apple, go call a friend you name it and that feeling then vanishes.

dvmmcw7442 · July 20

Hi everyone-

Liked all the back stories. Thank you for sharing.

We were out socially all day yesterday. Ended up at a pub where I was only going to have 1 draft beer. Then my husband had a second drink so I did as well. We were supposed to go elsewhere for supper but the rest of the group was hanging around so we ordered food and my husband got me another pint.

Today I am not doing so well. Can't get going. No drive to get anything done. Slept 3 hours in the afternoon. Just can't get my s**t together. Add a headache on top. I am so tired of asking myself why do I do this?

@LittleSurferGirl7 hormonal changes from menopause and a reduction in the liver's ability to break down alcohol with aging are why I can't handle it as well. I have definitely noticed a big change in how quickly alcohol affects me. And like we both said- it slows us down from getting things done. I got zilch done today.

@NonnieDoiron Our family set up can sometimes be challenging as we spend a good portion of our time together. Especially feeding 3 full meals a day, usually with all of us together and one or 2 hired people. I really like my kids and their spouses- they brighten my day and we laugh a lot. The hired people can be annoying to have around for extended periods but we have too much work to not have them.
I don't have anything social until next Saturday. Plan on being AF until then.

Have a good week everyone!

Melanie

tmbg1 · July 21

10 AF

3 LA

7 A

Michieb125 · July 21

Thanks for sharing your family life with us. By the way you have a great plan for no alcohol this week @dvmmcw7442 - I do the same when needed — it’s called a mindful reset!

chicbuc · July 21

Wow…bunch of chatterboxes! I love it. There's no way to respond to all the newcomers…or regulars for that matter…but WELCOME!! I'm glad you all jumped right in! The more the merrier and the more support! I love it!

carlabisong Just wanted to say I have the same quit date as you. I declared enough was enough after a couple of months of little trips and LOTS of wine and 15-20 extra extra pounds. I think I drank every day in May and June except for an AF day here or there. I set out on that day to have a sober July and am succeeding. I think I want to take into forever. @globalhiker is a constant source of reassurance and encouragement on that front! Let's do this

@LittleSurferGirl7 You know I'm your biggest online cheerleader!

I'll give the short version of my life story because I have to get to work.

I grew up with 2 loving parents who didn't have the greatest marriage but stuck it out anyway because they DID love each other. I love them for that. I have 2 brothers and a sister. We grew up close but drifted as adults for various reasons. My sister and I are still close. My dad is a recovering alcoholic that hasn't had a drink in over 30 years. He was always the fun drunk. We loved dad drunk because he always had a pocket full of cash and would share when he was drunk…lol.

I got pregnant young. Had a my first baby as a teenager and didn't get it together until she was about 2. My parents basically raised her until then. I got married and had 4 more after that. I LOVE being a mom. It's all I ever wanted to do. I fell into a life of happily raising babies. Still not a drinker at this point.

Stuff happened. We divorced when I was 30. Still not a drinker. I met my current SO shortly after that (I should say REmet as we'd known each other since we were 16 but lost touch). We've been together ever since and have a son together. Yes. I've birthed 6 children. His daughter also lived with us, but that's a story for another day.

Shortly after my youngest was born, I decided I wanted to be a "sophisticated lady" and sip red wine while I read novels. I bought a bottle of red something, poured a glass, spit it out and poured the rest down the drain. Too bad I didn't take the hint.

I could tolerate beer, so I'd have a few beers now and then and by the next time I tried wine, I liked it. The rest is history. I've been almost daily drinker of more than one bottle of wine per night for years and years.

More later maybe

Have a great Monday all!!

NonnieDoiron · July 21

Received a very clear message from God yesterday to live and work for love of Him instead of out of obligation making it burdensome. Today, I am going to pray for this. I guess this is the difference some of you talk about regarding being intentional or mindful about your drinking choices. I just need to do it for all things. So here we go…

LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

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