kittybenn Member

@donimfp - That is SO great to hear and thanks for sharing it. I think I may have heard about one of these in the UK, with all kinds of AF beers especially (?). I seriously think this is a fabulous business opportunity. I think you're right that this may be a movement that is right on the verge of being cool. Imagine the…

Just had a weepy discussion with my son. It concerned a high school friend of his, a gorgeous, talented artist with two teenage kids about my son's kids' age. He'd fallen out of touch with her, but about a month ago noticed a post by her on Facebook. She'd always been a beautiful woman but he was shocked at how awful she…

Of poss interest to the group -- Philip Galanes in the NYT has a question and answer about what to tell your friends when they question why you're AF: The Drink That Stands Between Recovery and Relapse

@JenT304 - great video on the sober celebrities. Appreciate your sharing it. Was inspired by seeing so many successful people who are AF.

@JulieAL1969 - Fantastic job! Congrats! WTG! Isn't it a great feeling as you realize the night is winding down and you've stayed strong and true to your goals? It's like you can breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Whew, I made it." Another victory for you!

@MissMay - you are killing it! Congrats on your success. I love your comment about getting back to the person you'd been.

Last night I went out with our (adult) son, whose girlfriend was out of town, and my husband to a place we like to go to to play pool. And drink, of course. I may be giving myself too much credit, but when the server came by to take our drink order I asked for a Diet Coke and lime (I'm not drinking Mon-Thurs). My son…

@erikNJ - you continue to inspire me. This whole group inspires me. Thanks again, @JulieAL1969 for keeping this going. I'm the person clicking "Inspiring" on all your posts, LOL! My plan for March, like Feb., is to continue to be moderate -- I'll be AF Mon-Thurs and limit my weekend drinking to 14 "units." For me, that…

@JulieAL1969 and everybody - I think your #3 was the most important in Feb. for me. I started drinking wine again, but am thrilled and amazed that I'm able to moderate. It's only been a few weeks, to be sure, but this past weekend was good. I stuck to the number of glasses I'd planned. But the more I exercise that…

Thanks so much, @JulieAL1969 - here's the March link.

Wanted to share this: On ‘Falling Off the Wagon’ - from Trent Hamm, a financial blogger I follow. He's mostly discussing falling off the financial wagon, but everything he says is relevant to the work we all are doing here to manage our alcohol intake. I really liked this part: Falling off the wagon of any self-discipline…

I have never had a desire for a Manhattan, and this is probably not a great time to cultivate one. My parents used to drink them religiously when my dad got home from work. This was in the 1950s-early '60s. I once sneaked a sip and it was so vial I nearly vomited. Lucky for me that (unpleasant) memory stuck with me.…

@ehseeker - Hilarious and inspiring! Congrats on how FAR you've come!

So far, so good this weekend. Two glasses of wine with friend Friday, one glass last night. Planning on another tonight and then back to Mon-Thurs AF. I'm starting to get used to the routine, and finding I don't obsess as much about "getting" to drink wine on weekends. I actually had a headache Saturday morning from the…

@donimfp - Love this. "Catastrophizing" is a great word. I know a lot of people have fallen off the dieting AND AF wagon by doing this instead of thinking of how much better off they've been because of all their efforts. I have major tendencies that way but am trying to get over them. This group has been such a huge help…

Wow, @JulieAL1969 - so thrilled for your success in losing weight (isn't it great to get rewarded for all your hard work?) and in making it through the teacher happy hour. My husband was a teacher, so I get it. Anyway, congrats!

@FattieBabs - this is brilliant and creative. What a great way to break a habit! I find that there are only certain hours of the day when I'm tempted/inclined to overeat/snack/drink/overdrink. Usually it's around 4-7, when I'm getting close to dinner and right after dinner (usually we eat at 6). If I can fill that period…

@NormInv - I love your posts. This was particularly hilarious. Thanks for being here! You always give me something to think about or a laugh.

@saralynnmiller - I'm beginning to think that this is very individual. Some people here have decided to go alcohol free, other people seem to be reducing the amount they drink. For me, I was dry in January, then went back to "allowing" myself to drink Fri-Sun. I believe that an extended period of no alcohol allowed me to…

@ehseeker Great suggestion on the seltzer. Much appreciated!

@JulieAL1969 -- One other thing I forgot to mention about the all or nothing mentality. I was a vegetarian for five years about 15 years ago. I started getting so stressed out by telling myself I couldn't have chicken or pork or whatever that I eventually smelled some BBQ ribs at a state fair, marched right over to the…

Fun read in the NYT: German Olympians Drink a Lot of (Nonalcoholic) Beer, and Win a Lot of Gold Medals

@JulieAL1969 - I love your sister's philosophy. I tend to be an all or nothing person, and that's caused problems with my losing weight in the past. I think you're so right about taking pressure off. You haven't failed if you have a drink once in awhile, at least that's my point of view. The idea that you "can't" have one…

How's everybody's weekend going? Yesterday, I had one glass of wine with my husband for happy hour at our favorite neighborhood place. I enjoyed it but was done for the night and felt good about it. Before Jan. 1 I would've come home and had three more glasses, along with lots of evil snacky things, in front of the tv.…

You didn't say whether or not you like breakfasts, but I try to keep my calories around 1200-1400 and I've found that I just didn't care enough about breakfast to eat much of anything then. Call it intermittent fasting if you like, but it did leave me with more calories for lunch and dinner, meals I do care about. Usually…

I think it helps to settle into a routine and give better habits a pretty long time to sink in. Your cravings for junk are not going to disappear in a month. It's crazy, but after nearly two years at this, I crave salads, smoothies and decent food. Very rarely I try fast food again because I think I'm missing something…

@NormInv I love the idea of being "addicted" to not drinking. Nice phrase and it made me think. What a great way to look at it. I never thought I would say I love tea, but I'm getting to that point. Tea and diet ginger ale have made a huge difference in leaving my daily wine habit behind. Had two glasses of wine last…

@islandbeez - don't obsess and just move on. I say this as a person who spends way too much time beating herself upl You should be wearing out your arm patting yourself on the back for all your success, including that phenomenal weight loss. WTG!

Thanks so much, @erikNJ, @JulieAL1969 and @machchic - you guys all made me feel better. @erikNJ, do you have any idea how inspired I was reading your story about your work event? If you can get through that, I can manage a stressful day at work for sure. I did a little work out, made my tea and am watching my 600 lb life.…

Arrggh. Really struggling today. My plan was to drink only Fri-Sun. Made it through V Day with a delightful beach picnic and some fake chardonnay from Trader Joe's (pretty hideous). But today just had a stressful, 12-hour+ day at work and absolutely chugged a glass of chardonnay just now. It's not that I drank that much…