I love Cider, but I wish it was weaker

anonlass

lewt wrote: »

as far as i know it isnt someone who drinks every day all day bit someone who has little to no control over what they drink once they begin. and/or cannot stop should they want to.

Hi Lad

I agree, which makes me think, I am not quite belonging to the AA grp, and I want to try really, really try under my own will power to get it under control, without needing their excellent help.

Perhaps its also the case, do i want to accept the label of being an "A".

My bills are all paid, I am on the MF threads, so its not affecting me financially. There is always the poss of how is it affecting my relationship with my fianance, the chances of it affecting a child.

For example, I have a folic acid prescription, but at the moment, I darnt take it to the chemist, as I am not (breathe) reduce my drinking to only 3 days a week for example. Becoz ofc when the implant in my arm is taken out, I really dont want to hurt my unborn little-un. I am one of those thave been recommended to have 3 mths of FA in my system before attempting getting preggers.

So many things to consider. I had thought I would be able to use this folic acid period to reduce the drinking, but its hard. RL is bloody interfearring, and yes thats prob an excuse.

K, I had better logg of now, or is this the time to really stay on???

AL

anonlass

Oh PS, its really rare that I have hangovers. I do get them - esp if we go for a party night on the town - which is to be expected. But when drinking SB at home. NO. Its one my own "U DRANK TOO MANY LAST NIGHT" limits. So the last time I had a hangover was 3 1/2 wks ago.

anonlass

Doozergirl wrote: »

haha cant repeat yr website recommendation

Thanks Lass

This is a good starter web page.

I know, dont buy it, buy a set amount a week etc.

But cold turkey.....

But its the other tricks i dont know. R/Ps was a good one, find a fizy apple and mix... What other ones are out there?

AL

Raggs_2

Whilst I enjoy cider a lot, I always went with the stuff that you couldn't see through, and bubbles were frowned upon. Stronger than what you're drinking.

Now I live in a different country, so really couldn't help any further, just wanting to suggest something that sprang to mind.

kindofagilr

There is a cider I have been drinking while pregnant which is gorgeous (I had it at Christmas), it has less than 1% alcohol in it, the bottle states a whole bottle has 0.5 units

Its from Sainsburys I will see if I can get youa link

I cant find a pic or link at the min, but I have empties out in the yard (which I am not going to at 4am lol) so I can take a piccie in the morning and you can keep an eye out?

They cost 99p a bottle?

ailuro2

If you can't do the following then go to your GP who can give you assistance to help stop your body craving drink (you might find when you try to cut back that you can't do it, you need to think this might be a possibility)


Don't stop cold turkey, if you've been drinking a bit more than you should stopping suddenly might not be so good. Try having one cider then one lemonade or water before you have another cider. Do this one drinking night a week, then two, then start cutting down the amount of drinks you have from 6 to 5 to 4, do it all gradually, set a goal of drinking slightly less each week till you're down to a healthier level.

Have avoidance tactics ready too - If anyone questions you about it, tell them you're trying to cut back a bit as you are thinking you might have an ulcer/wanting to diet/
trying to save for the holidays.....;)

If you say you're cutting back drinking because you think it's a bit excessive they will poo-poo the idea as they don't want to count up how much they drink themselves and will likely give you a pretty standard 'flippin' nanny state, never did my Uncle Norman any harm, he lived till he was 90 and drank 40 pints a night! (note here that they don't stop to think about his wife who put up with his terrible moods,sitting in alone every night, going without things because of him spending all the money on drink, and the kids who were scared of him when he came home drunk)


As another reason to stay away from cider, the fizz and acidity will erode the enamel on your teeth, just like drinking other fizzy drinks will, so unless you want false teeth you have another reason to cut back. The calories too - cider is high calorie with no nutrition, long term switch to something a bit less calorific too.


Good Luck

Lotus-eater

Can you clarify a few points?

You say you love cider, but wish it was weaker?

Do you drink until you get to that point of feeling happy/sedated, or until your stomach is full?
How much strongbow do you drink a night?

Just try the weak cider as advised, I think you will find that it doesn't do it for you.

changing_ways

Here's the link to the thread on cutting down/stopping alcohol on debt free diaries. They're a friendly lot with lots of chat.

Also this website (Brighteye) is very good for motivating, and also hard fact about effects of alcohol.

And well done you for thinking about all this in advance of becoming pregnant.

Primrose

The important thing here is that you have now acknowledged the problem and if you are genuinely concerned about the level of alcohol you are drinking, you have already won half the battle.
I guess everybody who has a drink problem will find their own best way of dealing with it, but if you feel you will fail if you go 'cold turkey' perhaps resolve not to drink on four days of the week and on the other days, mix your cider with either fizzy water or some non-alcoholic drink like Apple Juice, or Elderflower cordial mixed with tonic water. Try and work out whether it's the alcohol which gives you the kick, or the taste. This might help you find another less damaging (and expensive) alternative.

And to help you reduce your habit, put the money you save from your 'no alcohol days' into a sealed money box which is not to be opened for six months. Having some extra cash may be an incentive which helps you on your journey.

princeofpounds

GO TALK TO YOUR GP.

It's great that you've taken this step, especially as you seem to have the foresight to have done it before it got really out of hand. You obviously were motivated by the NHS advert to think about it, and the NHS is there to help with things like this. They can also do more than give a pep talk and a web link, which is what we can do here. And they won't compel you to go to AA.

The way you talk about drink it's very clear that you have the psychology to develop a serious problem, even if it hasn't quite gone to a level that affects your functionality.

My personal advice would be to completely give it up. A poster above suggested that this might not be a good idea if your body is addicted but unless you are underplaying your drinking habits then it is unlikely to have become dependent on the alcohol yet (you have to get quite serious for that) and giving up should be fine. Again, your GP can tell you what stage you are at.

I'm really not convinced that you will find it easy to manage the problem. You already sound like you are in love with the drink and although you think it's the cider you like, it's probably just association of the taste of cider with alcohol - your reward centres in your brain firing with booze is a real warning sign. Still, a couple of weeks on the alcohol-free stuff will tell you what it is you liked about it right away.

You MUST be stone-cold honest with yourself about your situation, and with your medical advisors too. The one behaviour that seems to trap addicts is they are very good at being dishonest with themselves (i'll give up slowly, one more can't hurt, the last one didn't count etc.).