The Giving Up/ Cutting Down alcohol support thread - number 13

Honey_Bear

anita55 wrote: »

Wanted to ask has anyone else felt utterly exhausted when given up drinking, I feel drained thought I feel better, I'm eating better too as am on Slimming W.

Sorry I didn't reply to this sooner, because it's a point that almost everyone who stops drinking suddenly asks. You will be drained of energy and absolutely exhausted for at least a fortnight, and possibly for a lot longer because there is a shedload of sugar in alcohol and your body is craving it because it is used to having it as energy-fuel. It's not difficult to replace the sugar - fruit, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, doughnuts - basically anything that will replace the sugar is fine. Do not, under any circumstances, try to diet at the same time as stopping drinking. You'd have to be superhuman to achieve both at the same time, and on this thread we know we are all mere mortals.

Once you've been alcohol free for six months you can safely start cutting back on the sugar and you'll shed the weight relatively easily, certainly more easily than trying to diet while knocking back the booze. (It took me about a month to lose a stone once I'd been AF six months, and just short of 18 months later I started putting it back on, so since then half of it is back but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'll deal with it when I'm good and ready; right now I'm still so busy I haven't got time to think about it.)

I have no idea how I ever had the time to cope with hangovers, but I'm jolly glad I don't have to now. I've just calculated the days since I stopped drinking and discovered that next weekend on my two year anniversary, I'm going to be with exactly the same people as I was the last night I drank. I can guarantee they will all get !!!!!! and I won't. I don't even think about having one any more, other than when I'm pouring one for other people. I made some guests Pimms the other night and much as I used to love the stuff, wasn't even remotely tempted. That, on a day when I walked into a pub with another friend and only wanted a coffee, couldn't even remember that I like B***s Bl**, didn't even think about it. Such a relief.

16/31 please, Shaggy.

Arkers

Good evening everyone,


1 AFD for last night please Shaggy.


Arkers x

Arkers

Good morning everyone,


I think I feel more in control of things today. Pretty much a week of drinking felt to me that there might be an element of habit forming. For me it's not so much the fact that I drank everyday, but the amount when I do. I guess like a lot of us one of the reasons why we're on this thread is that we don't have a stop button. If we could open a bottle, and have a small glass and then leave it there then there would be less of an issue. If I open a bottle then chances are then I'll drink it all and possibly more.


1 AFD for last night please Shaggy.


Arkers x

Honey_Bear

Absolutely true, Arkers. If could stop at one or two I'd still be drinking, but now that I've stopped I don't know why I kept on swilling it as long as I did. I prefer this.

maman wrote: »

Thanks cuppa. Can't pretend the fact I can't shift this cough isn't helping but I'll take the benefit. It makes up for my poor score last month due to holidays. I'm determined to try not to have a drink until I really fancy one not just because I can.

Maman, if this cough persists for more than three weeks, could you check with your GP that there's nothing more than a cough going on? I'se worries about you, to quote a meerkat.

ManPants wrote: »

Hello Everyone,

T'is a glorious day to be clear headed & then it suddenly struck me that 8/9 months ago I was waking up hungover EVERY single day and not getting up until noon then hurriedly adding in the gym, checking on some business, doing some admin then starting drinking again. All done under the guise of being sociable and civic minded. Achieved 2 hours at the gym this morning too including a cheeky Spin Class.

Hurrah! It's when you realise that you've started to turn your life around without having to think about it that you know how big an effect alcohol had. We're so busy focussing on the fact that we're not drinking that we forget what we are doing. If you're anything like me, it's easy to lose sight of that on the journey, but I for one am rather enjoying it. Hope you are too.

Elusive Lucy, I was listening to something on alternative ways of dealing with unwanted behaviours, and it seems that our 'Unwanted behaviour, recognition, punishment' is pretty unproductive. However, 'Unwanted behaviour, recognition, education' is more likely to result in changing behaviours. Would it be helpful if you could see a day without booze as being 'a day off' as opposed to a day when you're denied something? I recognise the link is a bit tenuous, but if the idea makes sense, would it help?

CuppaTea

+1 please shaggy.

I went to a festival yesterday for the first time and enjoyed it, despite being in a crowd of extrovert and loud people. I am more reserved and shy but managed to feel like I fitted in and wasn't totally boring.

I didn't drink either. Some of the group were on the train up, they started at 9.45am. I just couldn't and wouldn't want to drink at that time. Don't know how they did it. Then once we got there people carried on but I just didn't fancy it. I drank water, tea and diet coke. At one point I thought I'd go to the bar and get a glass of something, but came back with a diet coke. I still managed to enjoy myself. I think one of the reasons why I didn't get started was because it was so very hot and I didn't want to dehydrate and we were constantly in the sun all day. I also didn't want to write off sunday and I knew it would be a long day too, didn't get home till 1.30am.

Anyway I didn't want it, need it or feel I missed out by having it, even though I was going to.

So an unexpected AFD for me.

Hope you are all having a nice weekend in the summery (at last) weather.

maman

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Maman, if this cough persists for more than three weeks, could you check with your GP that there's nothing more than a cough going on? I'se worries about you, to quote a meerkat.

Thanks for your concern HB.


To give latest medical bulletin (ignore if you're only here for the beer!;)). I've been to GP twice. Taken an antibiotic although they didn't think there was much/if any infection. Latest visit they've suggested decongestants to clear sinuses which then results in tiresome cough especially at night. Sinus problem may/may not be an allergy. The cough I could live with but I have no energy at all. Maybe it's because I'm not drinking!:D


17 AFDs please Shaggy.

ManPants

Hello Everyone,

In a tearing hurry but realised I hadn't posted. Drank at a BBQ yesterday but stopped before it got messy. Good luck better than good judgement.
In fact have drank several times since last weekends wedding. Usual abstain then binge pattern. Despite this have clocked up 9 hours in the gym in a week. Definitely not drinking tonight but will post my new total tomorrow.

10/29 AF still.

Hugs everyone.

M.P X

shaggydoo

Afternoon :hello:

2 more AFDs for Wednesday & Thursday.



Shaggyx

shaggydoo

July

= 7 Days AF

= 14 days AF

= 21 days AF
= 28 days AF

= 31 days AF

= target achieved


Alcohol Free Days

Anita 10/TF
Arkers 7/TF
Barny1979 11/24
CathyBird 7/15
CuppaTea 7/15

Dansmam 3/20
DebJay 9/20
DizzyImp 7/20

ElusiveLucy 4/16

Evo /25
Honey Bear 16/31
LotsToGain 7/21
Macceroo 7/12
Maman 17/10
Manpants 10/29

NewMe 5/10
Pricey 11/20

Sandy /10
Shaggy 7/17

Shy /15

StopLurking 4/16

WBF 1/11


Everyone Welcome! It's never too late to join....

Please highlight your AFDs in Red

Don't hesitate to let me know if I've made a mistake!

Barny1979

12/17 AFDs today