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

maman

Good to see you posting piggles.


I won't pretend to really understand your illness but what we all share on here is that we've all decided we were drinking too much for whatever reason and want to cut down or give up.


I think you've done really well to get so close to your target of 18AFDs and with 6 days left you should meet it easily.


As a cutter down I find it hard to understand why you're so hard on yourself when you've had a drink when you're not planning to give up. Now you've set a target for February, would it not work to tell yourself that you'll be delighted if you achieve that and any more will be a bonus? Or what about mapping out the AF days so you know which days you plan to have a drink so that, on those days, you'll be kinder to yourself. I am trying to understand, honest;).

Effyb4

I have to say well done to everyone. You are all doing so well. I, on the other hand, have not been doing quite so well.


My lovely boss gave me a bottle of my favourite wine yesterday and if it is in the house, I find it very difficult to not have any. I had half the bottle yesterday and will finish it off tonight. After tonight, I won't drink anything until the weekend.


I would like to set a target of 14 AFDs for February please. I hope to be able to stick to that.

yellowmonkey

Still going strong so 26/31 please Shaggy.

Tempted yesterday as DW has had a abnormal MRI scan and has to see a neurologist to discount MS :sad: but she needs my support not me getting drunk.

Have not really thought about Feb target to be honest as I have ben concentrating on Dry January so will go for 15 and aim to beat it

debjay

26/31 for tonight. I've done Dry January for past few years when DS bet me and OH that we couldn't do it. At that time we'd been drinking probably 5 nights per week. Since then, OH has cut down to Friday to Sunday drinking (but still too many units) and I've only drank Friday and Saturday probably 10 units in total.
I think it's widely documented that there's limited benefit to Dry Jan if Feb is wetter than ever. It definitely gave us an opportunity to reset our habits. OH has said he's planning on drinking less from Feb but I'll see how that pans out.

cathybird

Piggles, all I can say is well done you for getting through the funeral more or less intact - funerals can be such difficult occasions and you seem to have done incredibly well to me. All any of us can do anyway is one day at a time and the main thing seems to be to just keep putting in the effort, which you are doing, just by being here and trying.

Cravings are tricky things - I find when the urge to have a drink hits that it helps to just say "no, not tonight", and the thought of "perhaps tomorrow" is enough of a relief to make it go away. Only of course when tomorrow rolls round it in its turn becomes "not tonight". But maybe other people feel differently, or have other ways of dealing with them? They do pass but they can be incredibly hard to deal with, especially if you are tackling other emotionally draining things, which you are.

cathybird

26/31 for me please Shaggy.

New_Me

20/23 please Shaggy

For dealing with temptation I use a tip someone on here suggested, I just go make tea (decaf normally). It's now autopilot to stick the kettle on at times/occasions when I would normally reach for the wine, e.g. 7pm, after stressful phone calls etc.

Dizzy_Imp

26/31 for me please Shaggy x

Going for a high target of 25/29 for February. I really want to do well next month.

satchmo1

25/31 AFDs today.


A good day today, and DH did three "odd jobs" in my workplace, which were highly appreciated and gave him something worthwhile to do. He has agreed to do a fourth "odd job" on Thursday, too. He surprised me by agreeing to do them. He needs purpose without pressure.

AlexLK

+1, please.