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

smiley_77

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Stopping altogether is a toughie to begin with but with the right support and tweaks to life, perfectly possible for most of us, gets easier as time goes on, and finally an absolute liberation. I could slip up at any time and I'd be right back where I started, but I honestly don't want to go back to that life. I've always known that the easiest way for me to do that would be to have 'just one' because 'one wouldn't hurt.' It wouldn't, but I wouldn't stop at one because I never did. It's knowing that that keeps me stopped.

I used to dread evenings out with friends because they always ended up with me drinking too much and feeling $*it for at least a couple of days afterwards although that didn't stop me drinking at home on those days. One of the couples is getting married this weekend and I'll be the only sober one amongst us, and all I can feel is relief.

18/31 please, Shaggy.

Thanks for the support Honey Bear it is good to hear from people in the same boat. Would you mind sharing what has worked for you? What tweaks for life were successful? I know it isnt the same for everyone.

cathybird

Morning all, 16/21 for me please.

sukeyboo

Declaring early for today on 11/12 please Shaggy

maman

Another AF day planned. I'm going out for tea and I mean tea!


8 AFDs please Shaggy.

Barny1979

9/20 AFDs today!

CuppaTea

12/17 for me please

CuppaTea

In fact please can I raise my target 18 I need to make up for last month so I'm on track for my yearly target.

Honey_Bear

maman wrote: »

I forget who it was but we had a poster some time ago who didn't want to give up but beat herself up every time she had a drink. That wouldn't work for me. I enjoy my planned drinking days as much as I feel good about about being AF.

It's such a shame if people drink but don't enjoy it and / or drink and then feel guilty.

Smiley 77, it would be really difficult to list them all because at different times different things worked. At the very beginning, changing my routine was the most important thing of all, and by that I mean whenever a glass of red wine would have been the norm (or a G&T, I was a bit partial to G&T) I would avoid the situation if possible without offending anyone.

At home, instead of staying up and watching TV after dinner I'd go to bed and read (mostly books or blogs by women who'd given up booze for the first month or so) or play games on the computer - anything other than watching TV with OH because that was when I used to drink.

However, but if I'd known then about Bec*s Bl*e, the most important would have been drinking that instead of red wine. I tried as many AF wines as I could get my hands on and they were all revolting, frankly, but Sainsbury's AF sparkling (although very sweet) was pretty useful the first Christmas and as a subsitute champers.

I was never a beer drinker so AF lager doesn't remind me of anything and I don't feel cheated because it lacks that certain something. Beware in Sainsburys if you buy your AF beer from them - they muddle up low alcohol and AF beers, so you need to read the labels really carefully. I wish wish wish I had discovered AF beer while I was still drinking because it would have been a perfect way to cut down, but there you go, I didn't and that's that.

If you really want to know how I did it, I've posted almost every single day for the past three years and started here. To be honest, when I reread those early posts I realised I'd forgotten a lot of the details. The last time I did, I realised the extraordinary lack of energy was one of the most shocking things - I'd been basically eating fairly healthily but had totally underestimated how much sugar I was getting from booze. I took up eating chocolate I seem to remember, which did the trick and I don't think I put a huge amount of weight on, either.

Anyway, three year anniversary coming up on 26 July and I think I'm going to celebrate by eating a HUGE slice (if not two) of the richest chocolate cake I can buy from here. I don't even mind if I feel a teensy bit sick from all that sugar afterwards because that's the closest I'll have come to making myself sick in three years, and goodness knows I used to do that often enough. And I used to call that a good night out!

PM me if you have any questions that you don't want to put on the thread and if you do decide to go AF post post post every day. It makes a huge difference.

19/31 please, Shaggy.

ElusiveLucy

Now up to 10/13 for last night. Please can I have my 7day emoji Shaggy?

Poor_Single_lady

Up to 15 AF days

Went for lunch with friend who is very supportive. Not sure why everyone I know can't be like this.

It's not that I don't enjoy my drinking days, it's more that I find it hard to be in the drinking culture at work. It's harder right now when there is a lot of events and things going on so the drinking is (effectively) decided for you without there being much room for control.

Obviously nobody is actually force fed drink but the culture is very pressurised and when you are trying to move on in your career it is tough. I would much prefer to have sober work environment and have more freedom to choose what goes in my mouth and unfortunately I do 100% think that people who drink lots and can handle it and not get into a mess are seen as being more social and therefore better at their jobs than I am.

I'm also studying loads right now and find all the alcohol really interferes with this so would really like to limit drinking to either social or small amounts at home.

Massive thank you to everyone for posting their thoughts and tips and help. It is massively helpful.