The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread Part 8!

Welcome all :wave:, to a brand new sparkly giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread! (if you wait for Lurky to do anything, you'd wait a life time )

In Search Of Me started this thread back in February 2008 (please see her opening post below) and since then it has become one of the fastest growing threads on MSE, hence us now being on number 8!

I am sure there are many many lurkers out there, as Part 7 has around 4700 posts but well over 90,000 views!!

So please, lurkers, AWOL posters and oldies alike, please join us in Part 8, it's the 1st August 2010, a whole brand new shiney month!

We have regular challenges, a monthly AF (alcohol free) challenge where you can pick a target of how many days AF you would like to be, we sometimes have 24 hour AF challenges.

December Baby (DB) has kindly offered to take the gauntlet for August, so if you would like to join (even if we are halfway through the month), please let her know how many days you would like to achieve.

It's not just about giving up alcohol completely (unless that's what you want to do and there are lots of people to support you here), it's also about cutting down to save money and get healthier.

Oh come on, let's be honest, it's not about the booze, it's all about what we're having for dinner, hairy feet and goats in showers

Here are the previous threads:

The previous thread (part 7) is HERE

Part 6 is HERE

Part 5 is HERE

Part 4 is HERE

Part 3 is HERE

Part 2 is HERE

and the original starting thread is HERE

Here is ISOM's opening post in Part 1:

"There are a few of us who want to give up/cut down & I thought it would be good to widen the net to support each other along the way!
For me alch & feeling good for the time I'm drinking & then rubbish after go hand in hand. A bit like drinking & smoking & drinking & getting the munchies! Last year I gave up alch & fags for 10 months & then "slipped" towards Christmas until by Jan I was doing both with alarming regularity. I dread to think how much both cost me financially and I know physically that I've felt rubbish. My lungs hurt, have put on weight & literally none of my clothes fit so I will have to buy more - which means a dent in my budget that I can ill afford. My skin is also yukky & much nicer when I dont drink/smoke!
I had my last ciggies the night before last & last wine on Tues. I know I will feel 100% better when I crack it but also know it will be hard. One disadvantage here is that all too often DFW "parties" tend to involve alcohol so I'm also hoping that this can possibly be a safe haven for those of us who want, or need, to abstain, for now at least!
Anway - I hope that this can be a place of real support for people who are sturggling. I do wonder whether there is a link between debt & drinking as from the Jan thread it was obvious that so many struggle to give up! Plus I know for me that I feel much hapier and in control when I dont drink (or drink in moderation) - which of course begs the question "why do I do it?"! Anyway, I do but will now try not t ad hope some of you wil join in. Some days I know I wil fail, just as I do with my debt free journey and I am more than happy to be given a swift (but nice!) kicking when I do! Hugs all and dare I say...:beer: but this time with water!!

PS have amended this slightly as I have decided that I will try for the moderation way! That means for me not drinking over the recc limits (bottle & a half of wine for me!) but I know at times this will be a struggle plus I'm aware that others want to do the same."

A NEW MONTH, A NEW THREAD.......C'MMMMMMON GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR