The giving up/cutting down alcohol thread part VI

40somethingmum

Morning all:wave:

WBF can I join the challenge this month . Please put me down for 25/30. Thanks.

Mollypolly... you will have been AF for 2 years tomorrow:j:j:j;)

Miss_Piggy_2

MP you really are an inspiration to the rest of us. Congratulations!!:T:T

mookiepook

Morning everyone! The sun is shining and I'm raring to go - announcing my AF total of 5 please WBF - and thanks again to Sparkles for the new 96 hr challenge. Huge congratulations MP - wow 2 years that's fab, you must feel great. It's reminded me that I gave up smoking over 8 years ago - and never ever thought I could - anything is possible if you want it badly enough. Off to tackle my list of jobs for today. Have a lovely day everyone xx

DecemberBaby_2

Good morning everyone.

MollyP 2 years is fantastic :j Well done you!

Fay glad you made it back safely and had a good time. Peedies will be back soon so keep busy and the time will fly.

Miss P well done for not giving into those bells at the weekend.

SSA and YM. Making me think I'd better get my walking boots out. I forget how much I like walking.

Could I join the last 3 days of your challenge Sparkles please.
It would help me to keep motivated as I seem to be sliding backwards in the last couple of days.

Have a lovely day everyone. I have the day off!

DB x

Bubble1379

Morning all

5 AFD for me please WBF.

That's 22 consecutive days now, but.....

Miss_Piggy wrote: »

Been a hard weekend with regards to bells ringing. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be people drinking, drink on special offer, adverts for drink.

At one point I felt really p***ed that everyone else could drink and I couldn't. A friend put on facebook on Sunday that her and OH were having a lovely roast lamb dinner with a bottle of wine. I was SO jealous!!! But then I thought about it. They would share the bottle of wine and that would be that. They may even put part of it back in the fridge. They would then enjoy their Sunday afternoons, pootling about in garden etc. MY version would be....drink half of bottle before we start dinner, start worring that its nearly all gone, send OH up shop and be completely blotto by 4pm! So THATS why I can't drink, why MY drinking is different to other peoples. Any common sense I have disappears out of the window after that 1st glass.
xx

...this rang very true for me, Miss P!!

I felt a bit resentful and hard done by over the weekend, too. Hopefully it will wear off over time?!

Also I feel very sloth-like compared with some of you who seem to be so dynamic and energetic!! Must try and give myself a kick up the backside today!

Hope everyone has a good day.

yellowmonkey

Just popping in to say "Good Morning " to you all :hello:

Day off today so entertaing children

Hope you all have a good one

graemecarter

Miss_Piggy wrote: »

Been a hard weekend with regards to bells ringing. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be people drinking, drink on special offer, adverts for drink.

At one point I felt really p***ed that everyone else could drink and I couldn't. A friend put on facebook on Sunday that her and OH were having a lovely roast lamb dinner with a bottle of wine. I was SO jealous!!! But then I thought about it. They would share the bottle of wine and that would be that. They may even put part of it back in the fridge. They would then enjoy their Sunday afternoons, pootling about in garden etc. MY version would be....drink half of bottle before we start dinner, start worring that its nearly all gone, send OH up shop and be completely blotto by 4pm! So THATS why I can't drink, why MY drinking is different to other peoples. Any common sense I have disappears out of the window after that 1st glass.

I know what you mean about alcohol being everywhere. I find life is always in a state of flux - moving between great day, good days, ok days, and bad days. When life is more challenging, I used to notice the alcohol more. That's because I wanted to drink it, and escape myself and my problems temporarily.
It took me a while to get over the "Why me? Why can't I drink normally?" , but I have got over it for today (not always, it occasionally comes back).
I cannot drink safely or normally as I am alcoholic. I just am. It is what it is. I can either moan about it wrapped up in self pity, or get on and live my life to the full. I make that choice. Today I choose the latter option.
When I tried to quit drinking by myself, I was more prone to self pity.
"Poor me poor me" quickly turned into "pour me a drink".
I don't think a drink EVER made a situation better, even though I thought it would.
I know exactly what you mean about common sense disappearing out of the window after that 1st glass.
One drink and I would want more - it would often be subconscious, but I could never be happy at stopping at one drink. The first drink was the one that got me drunk

I was also jealous of the fact they were having what I call a "proper" meat dinner which I think I can never afford. Thats a whole other story which I won't bore you with!:rotfl:(I DID do something about that particular jealousy and got myself pork for dinner yesterday!)

Great awareness and honesty.

Have to say "living Sober" is really making me think about things...about how jealous and angry I get about things, and about how much alcohol has controlled my life (and OH's and Piglets by default) and my thinking. Its quite enlightening.

Agreed - it is a fantastic and thought-provoking book. Eventually I worked out that action was needed for me. I knew what to do, but didn't actually DO it.
It was the 'doing' that started to get the results


I love your posts Miss P - especially the recent ones. A lot of awareness and honesty. It is humbling and inspiring to read.

graemecarter

fayjmck wrote: »

Morning chaps - Miss P - loved your post



Yawning - back to work today - nice to wake up fuggy-headed from sleep - no regrets no nothing - didn't drink last night - always find the first night after drinking hard.

Anwyay - I also got to thinking when away - why ruin a completely good evening by an hour or so's drinking? Seems bonkers.

More coffee me thinks *yawns* - oh anyone looked at the birthday reminders in FB?

It does seem crazy.
I know (for me) that so much of my drinking was crazy. So much in life was going smoothly, but alcohol was so different. It was the mad bit. The bit I didn't have control over.
That's my alcoholism - I am powerless over alcohol. It made my life unmanageable.

graemecarter

mollypolly wrote: »

Good morning everyone.

Miss Piggy.....this is me exactly and even now the thought flits through my mind...'.maybe just a glass with Sunday lunch'...but I know now that this just can't happen.
But this is really such a small thing to deny myself to protect my life and my marriage.
The anger has past now but I do get a little sad about the fact that I can never be a 'Normal' drinker.......but hey ho....life holds so much more than a bottle of wine.:)

Have a nice day....I too am off to avoid the ironing....must do some desk work.:(

Love Mollypollyxxxx

Amazing how the thought of drinking still returns after years of not picking up.
That the power of alcohol. And why we can never be complacent.

graemecarter

So_Sad_Angel wrote: »

I too did`nt realise how controlled I was by it until I stopped & could see how many of my emotions were being driven by the need for that glass of wine in front of me.

Alcohol is so powerful and cunning (for me at least) - it was only after a period of not drinking how I could see the wood for the trees.
Drink, or the desire to drink, (be it conscious or subconscious) was instrumental in shaping my life. I am glad it is not like that for today