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

WantToBeSE

Honey_Bear wrote: »

What helps me is having something non-alcoholic to drink that I actually like. I worked my way through absolutely everything I could find stocked by the local supermarkets, looking for anything, anything at all that would satisfy me after 20 years of red wine or gin and tonic every night. I think there are some people who find that AF beer or wine is one temptation too far, so if you try it and it doesn't work for you, move on to something else. In the early days I also had a lot of tomato juice zazzed up with worcester sauce but I can only drink two highball glasses of that before the acidity catches up with me.

In the end the one that worked best for me was B£ck$ B1u£ (as posted here fairly frequently) and I have been known to drink four, which totals about 200 kcals and costs about £2, so absolutely nothing in comparison to what the booze did to me. Sainsbobs also sells a sparkling non-alcoholic white winey-type thing for high days and holidays but it's like most soft drinks, far too sugary for me to drink regularly but I can sank a bottle on my own on Christmas Day and my birthday.

Quite a lot of pubs now sell AF beer/wine, even some tiny independents. They charge roughly the same price as booze, but then their sugary soft drinks are hugely expensive, too, and they have to make their money somewhere so I'm not going to knock them - they cater for me, for which I am very, very grateful.

And you need treats - lots of treats. I treat myself to handmade chocolates, Twinks Hobnobs, boxes of raspberries, cape gooseberries - anything that works for you is what you need to help get you through the early stages of changing behaviour. I'm on a mission this week to make myself a coffee and walnut cake which is something I haven't done for at least 40 years. I treated myself to one in the C0=op the other day and it was far too sugary for my taste and not coffee-ey enough, so needs must, and the mixing bowl is about to get dusted off. (Don't think about trying to lose weight for the first few weeks of stopping boozing - that comes later, and I promise you it does - but we should only take on one challenge at a time.) Planning treats is a brilliant strategy and means you're not planning on relying on self-discipline which in my case used to be pretty unreliable.

The first few days are tough but each one is a massive victory. :T:T:T

Thanks HB Over the past year or so of trying to give up alcohol,i have always tried just not to drink any specifically AF drinks, as i wanted to escape the need to have something in my hand to drink.

But now i am thinking that i just want to get AF before i concentrate on that need. I still think that Becks Blue is too near the knuckle for me, so have found that Schloer works really well instead.

I have been thinking about making a Friday night at the beach a more regular thing. Either that or maybe have an early night and take your advice and do some recipe research

PriceySOS

13 please, Shaggy, thanks

Barny1979

25/31 AFDs today

Fruball

Hi all

1 more (up to 13) for me as I am calling early for tonight I hope everyone has had a good BHW

**purpleprincess**

I'm aware that we're near the end so lurking for now. I haven't had a drink for 32 days now. I'm finding that everyone else is waaaay more bothered than I am. This does make me question myself though.

debjay

15/20 for tonight please.

Startinglate

6/8 please Shaggy. I managed an AF day last Wednesday and, I can hardly believe I'm typing this, Saturday was AF!:eek:. A good friend and her partner (who I hadn't previously met) came to dinner and she confided in me that he was a recovering alcoholic who hadn't long given up drinking. She knows what my DH and I are like but she asked that, if at all possible and without making an issue of it we didn't drink. So we didn't, I put a large jug of water on the table and offered various cordials to drink during the meal and then afterwards we drank proper filter coffee. It was a lovely sociable evening.

WantToBeSE

Hi All

3/9 for me so far. Still on the Schloer.

Dizzy_Imp

Thanks to you both Honey Bear and Graemecarter. I'm honestly trying really hard but there are days when my willpower crumbles to dust. Went to a BBQ yesterday and offered to drive so I could avoid temptation, so only had a very weak Pimms. Needless to say DH had quite a few stronger ones, and unbeknownst to me SS was stashing them away too!

I found out just how much on the journey home when I had to pull over and wipe him down three times. He was also very ill at home. Watching/looking after him was a harsh reminder of how things used to be for me. Although I did clean his clothes and shoes and got the worst out of the car (DH showered him and sat with him), I did make him valet and wash the car this morning.

Hubby gone back to work and I can say 20/24 for me. I can still reach my target...

Chardonnay

19/24 please!