LESS Alcohol ~ October 2025 ~ One Day at a Time

globalhiker · October 22

@NonnieDoiron wow 15 lbs down, glorious and I celebrate your achievements! Curious how your sleep has been since HRT since mine has improved immensely. I am a firm believer in hormones and how they direct just about everything.

I need the "last" 10 lb. to really go…away for good. I've been on a plateau for 6+ weeks. Even backed off the 2-3 hours exercise a day and nope, I got a 1 lb. weight gain.

Off to bed to get up at ugh 3:45 am to drive out to spin class before the sun rises.

NonnieDoiron · October 22

@globalhiker I think my sleep has gotten better except when I have to pee at night.

A-0
AF-21

SparkSpringtime69 · October 22

Oct

AF=5

A=16

This is not the month I had planned!

xbowhunter · October 22

Hello, my LA friends.

AF = 16

A = 6

Cheers!

tmbg1 · October 22

15 AF

6 A

1 LA

Womona · October 22

AF tonight. Tomorrow is planned wine night at work. Friday is “spooky golf” at night with glow in the dark balls, so that should be fun. I’m only going to have one drink. Saturday we have my niece’s wedding. That’s going to be tough. I’m planning on two but those cocktail hour drinks go down really easily! I’m sure there’s going to be a ton of food at the wedding, so I really have to watch what I eat and drink so as not to derail all the progress I’ve made this week.

NonnieDoiron · October 23

Haven’t walked in 2 days which is not good. I was over calories yesterday.

The husband has pissed me off because he keeps scheduling home maintenance during my walking “lunch” time or my meetings, and then he leaves to go do something else. Tuesday he set up HVAC maintenance during my walking time, and went to train his powerlifting team. By the time the tech left, I was unable to break away from work to go walk.

Then, he scheduled another maintenance for our water system right during my weekly client meeting yesterday! I can’t leave that meeting EVER! I close my emails and turn off my phones for this meeting. When I take a Wednesday off, I’m still expected to attend this meeting. I don’t walk on Wednesdays because of this meeting. And, he was going to go train his team again during that time. I lost it! I told him I would not answer the door. That tech could stand there until he got back. He ended up rescheduling.

Finally, he planned a camping trip with his friend this weekend without consulting me. (He doesn’t have to ask permission, but he should coordinate these things with me.) The church’s trunk or treat and the youth group Halloween party on Saturday, and I am making the youth group Halloween lunch for Sunday. That’s cooking for 40-60 teens! I make 2 meals every year for them, Halloween and the girl child’s birthday/Valentine’s Day. He knows this! I’ve been doing it for 4 years now. Plus, Sunday morning the girl child has to be at the church at 9:00 for Confirmation class, Mass is at 10:30, and youth group starts at 11:45. It’s a 25 min drive to the church. I needed his help to get the girl child too and from the church for all events while I prepare and cook the lunch. He was just going to leave, and make me figure it out. I complained to his friend I didn’t know how in the hell I was going to make it happen, and all of a sudden the camping trip was cancelled. (The friend is normally my go-to for help because I truly believe the husband only hear’s Charlie Brown adult speak when I talk to him. He never listens!)

Anyway, this has been a crap week. I think it started messing with me. Yesterday, my left hand went numb, and my peripheral vision on my left side was gone. This lasted about an hour, and scared the be-jeez-us out of me! I’ve been fine since.

The highlights for the week so far: the girl child’s report card was A/B, oldest man child got a promotion to investigator, and I was informed I got a raise yesterday.

Thanks for “listening”. Wishing everyone a strong and happy rest of the week!

A-0
AF-22

xbowhunter · October 23

Hello, my LA friends.

AF = 16

A = 7

I'll be away in the woods for the next 4 days alcohol free of course. :)

Cheers!

chicbuc · October 23

Hugs to you, @NonnieDoiron That sounds so frustrating, but you deal with it like a champ! I have a non-communicative SO, too, that springs things on me last minute…mostly that he won't be home because he's going here or there, so have fun spending your night alone among other things…so I have a little understanding of the frustration of lack of communication.

I now have 7 days in a row AF with no plans to drink at least through Saturday. We're going on our last long trip beginning Sunday (a cruise with the drink package, of course). I need to game plan with Jesus, tbh. I don't want to spend the cruise dinky dow (as my BIL used to call it), but my lack of self control could play into a few days of not being intentional. We're going with 4 other friends. None of them are big drinkers but they do enjoy cocktails on vacation, so we'll see if that helps or hurts.

We have a fun group Halloween costume planned since we'll be on the ship for Halloween. We going to be a "car wash." We have 2 scrubbers, 2 soap spreaders (with bubble guns), a car, and a wacky wavy inflatable tube guy.

Anyway, happy Thursday! Pray for me beginning Sunday. I really do want to be intentional…mostly, by not day drinking more than one time (pool day, am I right?).

Michieb125 · October 23

2/4 days of no wine this week and feel the restful benefits of just skipping it. Note to self!

Heading to a Pilates class this morning and then will have our grandson here overnight. I’ll pick up some fun treats for him while I’m out today. Easy to have no wine tonight.

Good to see you here and happy you are feeling better @nbruns83

I’m trying to keep up on all the posts and it’s exciting to hear about all the progress many of you are enjoying.

Let’s make it a great LA day!

WestCoastGirl_1 · October 23

I'm trying to keep up with everyone's posts, but sometimes it's difficult.

@chicbuc Have a great vacation! I wouldn't put too much pressure on yourself to be good while on the cruise. Afterall, it is a vacation. Just do the best you can. I will be praying for you to have a good time while also being mindful. BTW…I added my name to the spreadsheet.

Have a great Thursday everybody!

tmbg1 · October 24

15 AF

7 A

1 LA

chicbuc · October 24

@WestCoastGirl_1 I see your name! Do your best! Praying for you!

@SparkSpringtime69 I resemble that remark, but you're still here, and still trying!

My SO has been gone here or there for the last 3 nights. I was just done working last night and picking up a few last minute items for our trip when he called and said he was going to the casino…again. So I slowed my pace and wandered the store a bit feeling sorry for myself. I had a bottle of wine in my cart because I was like, "Oh well, might as well go home and have a glass of wine…or two." I wandered a bit more and talked myself out of the wine. I put it back on the shelf and drove home and made a cup of tea. I dodged that bullet!

I did, however, get a bedside lamp. I made a decision to be more mindful of my nighttime doom scrolling and replace it with reading which needs to be done in bed because it makes me tired…lol.

Have a great Friday, all!

NonnieDoiron · October 24

@chicbuc, great work on talking down the wine! Funny, are we with the same SO??? Just randomly announcing they’re off doing other things or planning to do stuff without a discussion? I don’t get it, but then again I can honestly be glad I don’t think like him!

Took the day off to clean bathrooms and start youth group lunch prep. Just waiting on the MIL to leave for dialysis, so I can clean her bathroom without a freaking audience.🙄

A-0
AF-23

globalhiker · October 25

Checking in. AF most days this week except I bought a single-serve size of sparkling pinot grigio and a sake after work yesterday. I just was in the mood to try both and justified it with the "its Friday" excuse. Sake was really good. Today I want to be AF since I drank yesterday.

Ugh just remembered I have a blood test from one doctor in Nov and another in Dec. Now I have to behave myself.

Anyone subscribe to MFP premium and actually track their calories daily on the app? If yes, is it worth it?

WestCoastGirl_1 · October 25

@globalhiker You sound just like me…I can really straighten out my act before blood tests. Even just a couple of weeks AF makes a big difference. I would imagine you're numbers should be OK, since you went so long without drinking and haven't gone back to daily drinking.

I'm a premium member and I do track my calories, macros, and micros (except for when my drinking is really out of hand). I've always been a premium member, so it's hard for me to compare it with the free version. I don't use the app. I use the website version.

Anyways, I think it's worth it. When I first started out, I would log a meal and realize that it was way higher in calories or carbs than I had realized. Logging my foods made me more aware. Also, this is probably available in the free version, but I regularly eat a lot of the same meals. So I like to log the meal and then save it as a "meal". That way in just a couple of clicks, you can enter the meal again.

The premium version has five columns that you can use to track macros and micros. I track Carbs, Protein, Fat, Fiber, and Potassium. I track potassium because I take BP medication and potassium intake is important for BP. I don't eat much sugar myself, but I imagine most people track their sugar intake. But you can track any macro or micro you want…maybe you want to track your sodium, calcium, or monounsaturated fats. The only thing is a lot of the entries in the database are incorrect (old entries) or don't contain the potassium content (many countries don't even list potassium on the nutrition label). One thing that you have to watch out for is the potassium entry. It is listed at the bottom of the nutrition info and it is listed as a percentage and mg's. MFP asks for mg's not the percentage. I just double-check each entry against the nutrition info on the label or google the food to get the correct information. USDA is a good source. Lately, though, I've been finding a lot of entries are spot on.

I hope this helps!

tmbg1 · October 25

15 AF

8 A

1 LA

My mom died last night. I don't have many friends, and I needed to get that off my chest. She went quietly at a ripe old age after a great life, but I'm still sad.

WestCoastGirl_1 · October 25

@tmbg1 I'm so sorry to hear that. I lost my mom fifteen years ago but it seems like just a couple of years ago. She was very healthy and she suddenly was diagnosed with brain cancer. The only good thing about it was that I got to spend the last few months with her. We lived in adjoining states at the time and I went to her home to take care of her. My mom had a great life also, but it still is sad. Take care of yourself!

SparkSpringtime69 · October 25

@tmbg1 I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. It really doesn't matter how long they live, losing a loved one is always sad and painful. As @WestCoastGirl_1 said, please do take care of yourself. Hugs to you and your family.

mfowler883 · October 26

@tmbg1 that's one of my biggest remaining fears….condolences to you and yours.

AF all week, stripped my stacks back to nearly nothing to find my new baseline and sleeping better. Mezcal tonight.

I've lost count….wait, let me scroll and do some dirty math…

16 AF
9 A

-m

NonnieDoiron · October 26

@tmbg1, I’m with @mfowler883. Losing my parents is a big fear. I know it will happen, and I know they have already lived a good, long life. When they do pass, I will still be very sad. My condolences to you and your family. I’m sorry you don’t have any friend to talk to about it. Feel free to share your feelings here. I know I’ll read your posts. You are in my prayers.

@globalhiker I use MFP premium, and I have for several years. I like it a lot. I log all my meals. It’s connected to my Fitbit, and it automatically pulls in my exercise (pretty sure it does that without premium too).

Ended up doing absolutely nothing all day on Friday. I enjoyed actually taking a day off. However, it lead to a marathon day of cooking and cleaning. But, as of 11:30, I am done cleaning and the youth group Halloween lunch is prepped and ready for baking and delivering tomorrow morning.

A-0
AF- 25

SparkSpringtime69 · October 26

Oct

AF=7

A=18

So, some of you seem to have an SO that suddenly decides to go on a trip - mine did too (although his wasn't that sudden, he at least planned out in advance with me).

Anyway, his brother (who has dementia) is living with us now, which meant I had to be AF for the last two days/nights just in case something happened and I had to drive to emergency room or whatever.

I'm thinking maybe my SO should go away for a month or two LOL

NonnieDoiron · October 26

LOL @SparkSpringtime69! If I stayed sober when the husband went away, I would say the same thing.

itladyee · October 26

Very tired this morning and looking forward to a day of rest and possibly a few naps 😊

Had a few NA days in a row then Thursday night football apparently is a trigger. Had company over the weekend, my SIL and that visit requires a glass or two to keep my sanity!

I'm going to aim for a AF Football Sunday today.

@Michieb125 ~ Happy you enjoyed celebrating your birthday.

@BurnMode05 ~ Sorry you've had such a tough time as of late but happy to see you taking control and posting again!

@nbruns83 ~ Your stats are looking great for the month. Way to go!

@Womona ~ It's called Winter ARC. There's no specific plan, but whatever YOU decide you want to make it. You can think of it as a customized 75 hard…but you make it as hard or easy as you wish. I'm somewhere in the middle, and it will get more difficult as I continue, as I'm adding additional habits each week. Glad to hear the cabinets plans are good. How was the wedding?

@globalhiker ~ that's an early wake up time for your spin class!

@NonnieDoiron ~ If you find a cure for the nighly pee…let me know 😂. Sorry your DH has been so inconsiderate. Pay attention to your health. Stress is not good and it sounds like you have some internal stress going on. Congrats on the good stuff…(Grades, promotion, and raise!!)

@SparkSpringtime69 ~Hang in there! I'm with you with the SO going a way for a month 😂. He is a trigger for me in more ways than one.

@chicbuc ~ Have fun on your cruise. I wish I were going :). I bet Halloween on a cruise ship is a ton of fun! Nice bullet dodge by ditching the wine and enjoying the tea.

@tmbg1 ~ So sorry for the loss of your Mom… Even at a ripe old age and a great life, it's still very difficult to part with someone so close to you. I've lost both my parents at relatively early ages. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, and please share stories of her if you'd like, and it helps.

Enjoy your Sunday!

AF = 9
A = 17

chicbuc · October 26

I was just going to give this a quick read before we take off this morning, but I wanted to give my heartfelt condolences to @tmbg1. It doesn't matter if it was expected or after a long illness or a long life. Losing a parent is hard. Please know that we are all keeping you in our thoughts and prayers and we're here to listen.

Have a great week, everyone!

Michieb125 · October 26

Sending you a ton of heartfelt condolences for the loss of your mother @tmbg1 - thank you for sharing here. I hope you find comfort and peace in remembering the happier times. Big {{hug}} 💐

Michieb125 · October 26

Completing my week with 3 AF days and a total of 9 glasses of good wine - I’d like to have found my new sweet spot.
Each Sunday I set general targets for the new week and am going to plug in the same numbers for next….my overall goal is to skip days and be consistent with my LA choices, choosing wellness, energy and vitality instead.

This week I have various daily exercise goals and 3 social engagements with new friends. I will also be baking for a family in my church. I’m planning on lots of herbal tea and club soda this week!

As an old LA friend used to say….May you find your best resolve.

mfowler883 · October 26

Well, slept like garbage….so there's at least part of my answer. I mean….I already flipping KNEW…but then, isn't that how this goes? We think we're fine, we let alcohol back in, and over time everything goes to crap, and we pretend we don't get it even though deep down we know, we finally acknowledge the truth, we kick, things get better, we think we're fine, and so the cycle continues.

-m

WestCoastGirl_1 · October 26

@mfowler883 I hear ya! I do the same thing. I'll have a good AF streak going on, I'm feeling really good and then I think, "It won't hurt to have a couple, I'll get back on track tomorrow". That usually leads back to daily drinking and feeling like crap again. For me, it's very hard to get back on track once I start again.

I don't like announcing when my first AF day will be because I feel bad if I don't reach my goal. But I know it will be soon. I haven't been sleeping well either. I can't remember how long it takes for sleep to improve. But it seems for me that after just a few days AF sleep does start to improve.

Have a nice day everyone!

Walela617 · October 26

@SparkSpringtime69, thanks so much for your kind words and for guiding me to the current thread!💐 Here I go again!

LESS Alcohol ~ October 2025 ~ One Day at a Time

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