The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread! Part 3

pariskate

Good morning.

It's so lovely to come and read everyone's positive posts - thank you.

I had to laugh at your doctor Jo, wondering if you were in trouble with the law! He does sound very sympathetic though and I guess he will look at your case with fresh eyes and perhaps take a different angle?

I'm really impressed at the AFDs we are totting up this month, really great.


I didn't drink last night either so another one for me too.
Orchid, I know what you mean about feeling a bit boring at social events without a drink. I don't go out so much so when I do I tend to have a drink, then I have to be really careful to find the balance. A glass or too makes me a little bit more confident, funny etc but too much and I just get a bit to loud, embarrasing and lame. I find the balance is the difficult on as once you've had one, why not just continue until the bitter end.
Same actually if I have a drink at home, but this thread has really helped me to have a glass or two of wine and then put the cork back in (previously unheard of!).

And the best thing is I do feel better for it, Although Budgie, no I am not getting to bed earlier so I have failed o the 'make a better me' bit of our challenge.

Got a horribly busy day today so better go and get started,

fedupandskint

Wanna_Bee_Free wrote: »

Orchid, I haven't been taking supplements but was thinking about Berocca for no particular reason apart from I feel I ought to help my body redress the balance. Only it's expensive and I am eating healthy food at the mo so not sure I need it. I was told by the doctor to stop taking iron supplements only I wasn't taking any. And he acted like he didn't believe me either.

Fed up and skint, no job is worth your sanity. Good luck with the applications and keeping calm at work tomorrow. Hope things look better after a good night's sleep.

Thanks WBF

RE: Berroca style tablets are cheaper as the store own brand. Boots are cheaper for their own label brand esp if on 3 for 2. Cheapest I found was Mr Sainsbugs at about £1.60 (?) per pack of 15 tablets. Both had the same ingredients as Berroca. I'm taking th Boots ones at the mo' then move onto the Sainsbugs ones to see how they are and I'll stick to them in future at that price!

Lurkio

orchid-96 wrote: »

Sorry for another post, but just wondering, do any of you feel that when you aren't drinking at say a function/party etc. that you are a bit boring? I was at my neighbours barbecue at the weekend and i just felt like I was a bit quiet and that I looked a bit miserable! I tried not to be, but I am thinking maybe it's just because having a few drinks makes me feel more confident? (no brainer) but do you know what I mean? I also kept thinking 'is it time to go home yet'

It might be the reason why the host kept asking me if I wanted a glass of wine and in the end said 'I will put a bottle in the fridge just in case' :rolleyes: think I need to work on my social skills!

Hi orchid :wave:

It may take a bit of getting used to.... going out and not drinking. But you'll soon realise that you don't NEED to drink to enjoy yourself. It's just a confidence thing, don't worry Think about when was the last time you went out and didn't drink and enjoyed yourself (might be childhood for me ), so its not something that (certainly I) am used to.


One more for me please, Budgie looking to do tonight and Sunday to hit my target

Morning to everyone else :wave:

Wanna_Bee_Free

Thanks for the Berocca tip, FUAS, I will pick some up next time I visit Sainsbugs, as I feel I ought to take something! How hypochondriac is that?!

orchid-96 wrote: »

Sorry for another post, but just wondering, do any of you feel that when you aren't drinking at say a function/party etc. that you are a bit boring? I was at my neighbours barbecue at the weekend and i just felt like I was a bit quiet and that I looked a bit miserable! I tried not to be, but I am thinking maybe it's just because having a few drinks makes me feel more confident? (no brainer) but do you know what I mean? I also kept thinking 'is it time to go home yet'

Morning Orchid, I missed this post last night. First of all thanks for posting two interesting messages for the rest of us to reflect on and please post away however often the urge takes you!

Secondly, I have the same feeling when I am not drinking. On the plus side I'm not looking round the empty restaurant with my more hardcore drinking friends at the end of a group meal wondering where everyone went, including the waiters! On the minus side I find it less fun to socialise sober at the moment and have had my closest friend be disappointed that I didn't have wine with her on a girls night out together just the two of us. She didn't use the word boring but... I have always had this feeling of 'Is it time to go home yet?' on the odd occasions a party means taking the car. OH and I have in the past gone by train and then missed last train back as we were having fun whilst drinking just so neither one of us had to stay sober and drive. These days I have thought about driving to the pub, just to strengthen my resolve!!

I suppose the problem is we have all this drunk socialising experience, can kid ourselves we were intelligent, hilarious and interesting when the reality might be a tad different from what I see when I'm sober. Plus this sober socialising is a new set of skills so it's almost inevitable we will need to learn to feel comfortable in this new skin. I have found it getting easier to listen better to people when I'm out, if not to talk and laugh and be life and soul myself. If I'm sober I'm often on the edge making small talk with someone quiet I usually don't notice at the edges.

I intend to plan to drink sometimes, like Maman and others I am hoping to be a cutter downer rather than a stopper. I hope I can drink slightly less heavily when I do socialise and talk less rubbish at people drunk.

Phew, not even 9am and that's a bit long already so will dash off to the gym now.

40SM, don't worry, I will look after myself. The diet is only for two weeks and I do have reasonable fat reserves to see me through. Plus the amount of fruit and veg involved is great!

Wanna_Bee_Free

Suggest you all just read Lurky's one, same thing but much shorter!!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

115K

:hello:to the new people Orchid and Netttie.

Wanna_Bee_Free wrote: »

I suppose the problem is we have all this drunk socialising experience, can kid ourselves we were intelligent, hilarious and interesting when the reality might be a tad different from what I see when I'm sober.

The problem with me is that I can be much more confident and witty when I'm drunk and people tell me that I've been quiet or "acting funny" when I'm sober so it makes me self-conscious about socialising.:rolleyes: I will have to get over it though.

Jo - that doctor sounded good apart from that he sounded like he was about to strip you and do a cavity search for drugs!:eek::D

Thanks Bismarck - I see what you mean about the spiritual side of AA.

Hello to everyone else.:wave:

19th day for me today.:j

115K

orchid-96 wrote: »

115k think I might pinch your idea about putting some money away...I do tend to put my change into my christmas pot, but think I need to sort myself out a different one for something just for 'me' ...xx

I think I pinched the idea already from someone on here but it is a good one.:A I was watching a programme last night and someone mentioned a bottle of champagne and I had such a craving for it so I am definitely putting some money away in my music box today.:T

40somethingmum

eselt wrote: »

Hi all- just a quick one (as you can see from the time I can't sleep-again!). Fantastic news Jo and Fay, and Fedup- onwards and upwards and all that. 40 something- your little ones sound adorable, can't imagine what its like to have 3 little boys tumbling round the house- hope the 'bug' doesn't spread..............

Jo- sounds like you've found a compassionate GP, good luck with LFT etc.

Hello newbies, re: supplements, I take multivit, berrocca and kudzu- might sound like a lot but I used to take antabuse,campral, librium, diazepam, citalapram, atenenol and tramadol and I don't anymore-just took giving up alcohol and sorting myself out to get off all this junk and come alive again- I would recommend it to everyone, nothing like living in the real world to get you motivated and be human again.

Good luck everyone.

Thanks Eselt . My boys are adorable but VERY tiring.!! Speaking of tired I do hope that you managed to get some sleep.

Have a good day

40SM

40somethingmum

Wanna_Bee_Free wrote: »

Thanks for the Berocca tip, FUAS, I will pick some up next time I visit Sainsbugs, as I feel I ought to take something! How hypochondriac is that?!



Morning Orchid, I missed this post last night. First of all thanks for posting two interesting messages for the rest of us to reflect on and please post away however often the urge takes you!

Secondly, I have the same feeling when I am not drinking. On the plus side I'm not looking round the empty restaurant with my more hardcore drinking friends at the end of a group meal wondering where everyone went, including the waiters! On the minus side I find it less fun to socialise sober at the moment and have had my closest friend be disappointed that I didn't have wine with her on a girls night out together just the two of us. She didn't use the word boring but... I have always had this feeling of 'Is it time to go home yet?' on the odd occasions a party means taking the car. OH and I have in the past gone by train and then missed last train back as we were having fun whilst drinking just so neither one of us had to stay sober and drive. These days I have thought about driving to the pub, just to strengthen my resolve!!

I suppose the problem is we have all this drunk socialising experience, can kid ourselves we were intelligent, hilarious and interesting when the reality might be a tad different from what I see when I'm sober. Plus this sober socialising is a new set of skills so it's almost inevitable we will need to learn to feel comfortable in this new skin. I have found it getting easier to listen better to people when I'm out, if not to talk and laugh and be life and soul myself. If I'm sober I'm often on the edge making small talk with someone quiet I usually don't notice at the edges.

I intend to plan to drink sometimes, like Maman and others I am hoping to be a cutter downer rather than a stopper. I hope I can drink slightly less heavily when I do socialise and talk less rubbish at people drunk.

Phew, not even 9am and that's a bit long already so will dash off to the gym now.

40SM, don't worry, I will look after myself. The diet is only for two weeks and I do have reasonable fat reserves to see me through. Plus the amount of fruit and veg involved is great!

Good luck with the diet. Let me know if it works as I could do with losing a little (which is now rapidly becoming a lot :eek:) bit of weight.

40SM

40somethingmum

Dear BB

Please update my days to 16 please.

Hope you have a lovely day.

40SM