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

maman

:kisses3: Happy Birthday Lurkio, hope it's a really good one.

Welcome Cattybags, I was yet another on (at least) a bottle a night of high-octane red. I'm now a cutter down and suffer no (physical) effects on AF days.

I'm still on the Kudzu, psychological or not it helps me get my mind in gear for AF nights.

A big thank you to 40SM for scoring June.:T:A

AvaNother

"I'm still on the Kudzu, psychological or not it helps me get my mind in gear for AF nights."
Thanks Maman - do you take it only when the wine bells toll, or is it a regular, say, after breakfast type of pill, like one might a vitamin?

fluffyb

Welcome cattybags

AvaNother - I think it was me who started off the kudzu thing when I found it mentioned elsewhere. I have found it to be amazing. I used to drink every single night - 1 bottle of wine + and having just 1 AFD was so hard - I would be pacing the floor and climbing the walls. Last year I can count on one hand the number of AFDs I had. I joined in here in March and started taking the kudzu. I am not even trying to give up - I am a cutter downer. My aim was to drink only at weekends and keep well within the recommended units of alcohol. I am doing this easily without a second thought now. I am AF Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs and don't even give it a second thought. It is nice being alert in the evenings and I much prefer a hot chocolate now . I now drink moderately at weekends only and only in the week if I am away on holiday. I don't even want to drink during the week any more at home and I know it is the kudzu working for me :T My AFD total for June was 18 and my total for the 4 months I have been doing the challenge is 60 AFD's :j I have cut my actual drinking days down by half on average [this includes going away during those 4 months, so was drinking during the week then] and my alcohol units intake each week I have slashed by at least three quarters :T
I take mine around 5 - 5.30 pm before the wine bells get a chance to toll and i take it every day even on drinking days as it helps you cut down too

We are not allowed to recommend meds. here, but I suggest you Google it and read up about it yourself before giving it a try if you decide to

AvaNother

Thanks flyffyb - that's really useful - I'll Google it. And well done on your cutting down - very impressive - if I can get to the same stage as you I'll be absolutely delighted.

fluffyb

AvaNother wrote: »

Thanks flyffyb - that's really useful - I'll Google it. And well done on your cutting down - very impressive - if I can get to the same stage as you I'll be absolutely delighted.

Honestly, if I can do it, I am sure you can too

Good luck xx

115K

I noticed that I did well in January, March and May and badly in February, April and June. On-off-on-off by month.:rolleyes::D That probably is why I feel I will do well this month because I did badly last month. I still feel glad that I have quite a few AF days this year so far, it's fairly close to half. I worked it out it's 46% of the year AF (I think!)

AvaNother wrote: »

The one thing I've found a problem is the sugar craving. I hadn't realised that it was lack of wine that was causing it - but I was eating up to 5 packs of fruit pastilles a day - I just thought I was treating myself 'cos I wasn't drinking. .

That is something I struggle with too. When I have given up drinking for a few weeks or maybe a month the sugar cravings subside but I do struggle with my AF days because I crave chocolate, fizzy drink, sweets etc. Just to be serious for a second I actually know some people who have come off heroin successfully but they gained a lot of weight and were constantly eating sugary things to compensate and the same with smokers.

AvaNother

Thanks fluffyb: "We are not allowed to recommend meds. here, but I suggest you Google it and read up about it yourself before giving it a try if you decide to"

I've just spent an hour googling it and it sounds quite amazing and I really want to get some. However I'm a bit confused about the different brands and contents, some have roots only, some roots and flowers. Some are 300mg some 750mg etc. Some suggest taking 6 pills a day, some 4!! And the prices vary enormously.

I know you're not allowed recommend meds here, but any guidance within the guidelines would be very helpful.

I'm tempted towards the Planetary Formulas Full Spectrum Kudzu - but not sure yet.

cattybags

Thank you Lotus Eater and everyone for the lovely welcome.
I am determined to try to be mostly alcohol free, and will probably start next week because DH is away for two weeks, so I can break some patterns while he is away.
Until then, I am cutting down. So, tonight I will have half of that bottle of 9% wine. Not a huge leap I know, but something down from the bottle+ a night of 13% two weeks ago.
I hadn't realised that I was craving so much sugar. Thank you Ave Another! It starts for me around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, when I go and get a biscuit. As it nears 6, I do get that vague, wandery around feeling that Wanna Bee Free mentions. I also get the waking up at 3 or four in the morning. I think that too is linked to sugar craving. ie that's when the dip comes, as I've noticed if I have something to eat then I can sleep again.

I also understand the fear thing that graemecarter described. I am walking around with a knot in my stomach for no reason at all. I'm really happy in my life just now. Practically the only thing wrong is my debts and I'm a bit down about the amount of alchol I'm drinking. Weird.
Mollypolly... Oh, I get the horrid dreams too. It's so reassuring to know what I get is pretty much what everyone else seems to get!
It just seems so stupid for me to be survey stashing, onepolling, selling my old books on Amazon, etc etc etc, then with the other hand spending 6.50- 7 a day on wine, and I'm in debt anyway, so I have to sort myself out.

fluffyb

Good luck catty bags

AveAnother - it is very very confusing isn't it? Personally, I have just gone with Holland & Barretts £7.99 a bottle tabs. They are not the strongest you can get, but they do work for me

Miss_Piggy_2

Afternoon everyone

I said I'd be back for July and here I am, reporting for duty!:D

I've had a wierd couple of weeks. Feeling very down and falling out with OH a lot. It all just sort of ganged up on me until I came to a few conclusions.

1) I've got to lighten up a bit
2) I try to organise my life far too much
3) I've got to stop approaching EVERYTHING with such a full on attitude!
4) When I ease up on myself other things ease up too...such as my "obsession" with alcohol
5) Lifes too short to be miserable!

Since I went awol I have had lots of AF days. Think overall I've had 4 non-af days. And the days I've had a drink I've actually stopped before going overboard. AND I went for a meal out with friends and didn't drink. Amazing to go for a meal, remember what I've eaten and not drop it all down myself!:rotfl:

So my head is sort of sorted out. My poor OH is so supportive of me and I don't know how he puts up with my obsessiveness sometimes! So, onwards and upwards.

Jo - my target for July is 20

Hope everyone is ok....will try and catch up shortly (may take a while...man you people can TALK!!)

Missed you all and glad to be back

Miss P (and Piglet!)
xx