The Giving Up/ Cutting Down alcohol support thread - number 11

maman

Morning all. Well done those of you who got off to an excellent start yesterday:T I'll be joining you today!

I read this article in my newspaper this morning:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16354472

The way I understood is wasn't that it was bad for you to not drink in January but that it was most beneficial for the liver to have AF days throughout the year! The fame of this thread is far and wide!!!:D

cleggie

Morning everyone! Well done to everyone who managed to remain AF last night!
I didnt drink last night either, although i really fancied some red wine. I havent been able to find it cheaper anywhere, then went shopping in Lidl and saw it there, £2 cheaper than anywhere else, and was SO tempted....but i didnt cave in, i walked right past it, and am pleased with myself today!!

Carzymum-you are doing so well, well done! You are showing your daughter that drink isnt necessary, and thats a GREAT thing!

Can i ask, what is a SNC?

365days

Happy New Year All.

It's great to see so many people joining. I don't pop in very often nowadays, but it is thanks to this thread that i stopped drinking. I'll tell you my story in the hope that it will help one of you. Some of you will of heard it before....

I realised that I was drinking too much, at least a bottle of wine a night, sometimes two. If I went out it was with the intention of getting slaughtered. The idea of one or two drinks was alien to me...what was the point in that? My friends of choice for a night out were heavy drinkers too, so getting obliterated and carying on until pass out or puke weren't really an issue. It was just what was done. A night out equalled drinking. What other way was there to spend a night out?
Mostly I drank at home alone, as a single mum I excused the fact that I drank alone, if I had a partner I wouldn't be drinking alone would I? (My partner to be in my head of course would also be an every day drinker who wouldn't baulk at the fact that I drank a bottle of wine or more a night) I mainly kept away from spirits at home. I knew how dangerous they could be. One christmas I bought a bottle of brandy to make a christmas cake and feed it. I think I probably ended up buying 5 bottles to replace the one's I had drunk. Occassionally I'd buy vodka but it would scare me just how quick I could get through a bottle. There was a nagging doubt in my head that i had a problem with alcohol, probably the same nagging doubt many of you here will have. So I stumbled here....set myself targets, and found that I couldn't keep them. Sometimes I could but even with a target of 15 AF I was failing. This for me was the key deceider. I was not in control of my drinking, I was powerlesss over a powerful drig that is alcohol. I let that fact sink in slowly, over about 6 months. Still coming on here, reading people's posts. posts by people who had stopped drinking and were happy.....not drinking and happy how could that be??? I read a fantastic book John Coates-No big Deal which i recommend to anyone thinking of quitting completely. Then something bad happened. My usual response would been to get plastered, block it all out. But I was aware of how temporary that would be and that was the day that I decided that I was going to tackle my life sober. Life still throws crap at you sober or not, but dealing with it without relying on alcohol works for me. On my two year anniversary I went to my first AA meeting. Soooo nervous, it was ok, no pressure to talk, worth a go if anyone was wondering. I will probably go to more if i feel the need. If i get a wobble (rare these days) i come on here and read this thread and thank my lucky stars that i'm free of the merrygo round of heavy drinking. I feel i owe this thread a heap, so I hope this post helps at least one person see a way through.

Good luck to all..x

cleggie

365 days- well done to you! Your story strikes a chord with me as i too am a single mum and am worried about the level of drinking i am in at the moment, hence my decision to stay AF.
Can i ask you, in the early days of quitting, did you have other things to distract you from drinking at weekends (such as at home pamper evenings to treat yourself instead of drinking)? Did you change your routine? Sorry for all the Q's!

365days

Question away...

At the beginning, that makes me smile as it was so long ago, I used to drink shloer from a wine glass. Looked like wine, felt like wine in the hand, bottle in the fridge all that was the same. When I first stopped drinking, and i guess it's the same for a lot of people, you have a LOT of stuff to deal with. Stuff that has been blotted out for years by drinking, that may be emotional 'stuff' physical 'stuff' just stuff......I spent the money i would of been spending on alcohol on counselling......boy can that rake up a lot of 'stuff' !! My routine has changed beyond recognition. I have lost a lot of friends, friends who maybe weren't friends just drinking buddies. I have completely overhauled my life. For me the choice was a simple one, carry on as you are or change. Simple but scary. If you aren't going to be what you were, what are you going to be instead? That is the hard bit, working that bit out. Once you've got that bit sussed you just go ahead and work towards it. Buy the book...I can't recommend it enough.

cleggie

Thanks 365, i really appreciate you taking the time to answer my Q's.
I aready have counselling, so i shouldnt even be able to afford to stil buy alcohol

I will have a look at the book and await payday so i can buy it. Thanks for letting us know about it.

bearacus

Welcome all the new people to the thread:wave:good luck on your journeys and know that there is alot of support if you need it x

Hope evryone had a lovely new year / hogmonny (mackeroo) xx

Thankyou Shaggy for your scoring it really keeps me in check:A

365- fantastic posts and well done:T
Legs- Big hugs to you xxx
Fakeplastictwee- Nice to see you back
maman- Thankou for your lovely post

1 for Jan please Shaggy xx

bearacus x

bearacus

To all that dont know Im bearacus and I run the weekly challenge called the School night challenge or for short the SNC. I took over this challenge from the lovely Pen as it helped me so much.
The SNC runs every Monday to Thursday and is to help people and motivate and is just a friendly challenge.
You dont have to join it s entirely up to you You can pledge a full monty (all 4 nights) down to a 1 night special. No one fails on this challenge EVER ... as there is always another monday to jump back on it. Just come on each day or at the end of the week and let me know your total and I will update the list x

You will see lots of bold colours when people pledge days Usually pinks and purples . This is because Im a Girl and I love pink and purple :rotfl:but it also helps me see who wants to be part of the challenge.

If anyone has any questions just let me know

bearacus x

bearacus

Roll UP Roll UP .... MON-THURS School Night Challenge

Everyone one is welcome to join and so far we have the lovely :-



Bearacus
Beckseven
Chloris
Crazymum
Fakeplastictwee
Flateric (3)
Maman
Nettttie
Wannabefree

cleggie

Good luck to everyone doing the SNC!!
I wont be joining you as i am going the whole month (at least) AF, so will be AF on weekends as well as school nights, but i just wanted to wish you all good luck!