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

Honey_Bear

satchmo1 wrote: »

You're doing well Piggles, you really are. How many AFDs did you have last February? I'll bet it wasn't 12.

How true! We completely forget or under-estimate how much we should give ourselves a :T.

CountingPenniesClaire wrote: »

Had two small g&ts last night - most enjoyable, and pleased that I didn't indulge further. Fresh as a daisy this morning. Today will be AFD so 16/23 please shaggy. Have a good Saturday everyone. And remember, whether you hit target this month or not, what really matters is the choice you make today. Xxx

Well done and well said, CPC.

20/29 please, Shaggy.

cathybird

piggles1 wrote: »

I think, if I'm honest, I do still have a problem with alcohol and might fight it for a long time. But at least I'm fighting it and not giving in, even if at the moment I'm not doing as well as I wanted to with it.

Piggles1, think the fact that you are fighting it is most of the battle. Change with these things does take time - I'm not where I want to be with it yet either but doing much better than I was a few years ago where I was paying no attention to how much I was drinking at all. It's the effort that makes the difference over time.

As well as realising I still have a problem, I've also learnt that if I have only one day AF it's not enough to bring my tolerance down and get out of the habit. It has to be at least two days AF in a row.

I did find taking three months off at a time last year and the year before made a massive difference to my tolerance levels and in fact seemed to bring about a permanent change - though I did find afterwards that my drinking levels tended to creep up over time, at the same time I just haven't gone back to the way I was drinking before. I made a commitment to the three months on Hello Sunday Morning - maybe worth checking out? ... I hope not something that would be seen as in conflict with here? They let you do a mini-blog there to record how you are doing and it is similar to this thread in that there are lots of people doing the same thing and offering encouragement. Anyway, it helped me: www.hellosundaymorning.org/

I also hate drinking. It's great the first glass or two, but after that it becomes a waste of time and ruins the next day and I'm less energetic. So if I could get to the point where I have the two enjoyable ones and then stop, that would be good.

There was an article in the Guardian recently that included a comment from an alcoholic (now teetotal) that he had always spent the whole evening drinking in the hope of getting the buzz he got from the first drink - which in the end always proved futile, because you only get that buzz once. So think you are right, Pigges1 - the first one is great, the second one is great, and after that you are drunk and a bit out of control and feel crap the next day - so the ideal (I think) is no more than two drinks at any one given time.

Too much to do still, I'm at the stage where I thought I only had a few bits to do, but discovered a massive load more stuff to pack. So many little ticking off lists all over the place!! I'm organised, really I am

Hope you're all doing ok, and better than ok

And you too Piggles - it's always the way with packing though, always more stuff - how do we acquire so much blimming stuff :rotfl: I hope things let up for you soon though and let you take a bit more rest. x

cathybird

Not an AFD for me but going to keep it fairly low-key tonight. Hope everyone else is having a fab weekend and thinking of you all, on an AFD or not

Barny1979

18/24 AFDs for me today, was going to have a few and decided against it.

Sandypan

Morning all, another AF for me last night was very tempted by a chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio that OH opened with dinner but declined and he got me a 0% Radley instead which was lovely. Been catching up with lots of friends this week for dinner, with it being half term and have had a drink but kept it to maximum 2 glasses and agree with other posters that after this point it isn't enjoyable and you suffer the following day. In the past I have lost so many next days that I am determined it's not going to happen again! Thanks to everybody on this thread for their comments and for Shaggy for keeping score it really does help to stay focused.

Declaring for last night 16/21 AF days, just 5 more to do to reach my target for the first time, I'm on to it!!!

shaggydoo

Morning :hello:

2 more ALDs for Thursday and Friday.



Shaggyx

shaggydoo

February:

= 7 Days AF

= 14 days AF

= 21 days AF
= 28 days AF

= 29 days AF

= target achieved


Alcohol Free Days
Alex 15/25

Arkers 5/TF
Barny1979 18/24
CathyBird 11/15
CountingPenniesClaire 16/23
DansMam 8 /25
DebJay 19/29
DizzyImp 12/25

Effyb4 6/14

ElusiveLucy 6/?

Gabriel 2/TF
Gien 9/21
Honey Bear 20/29

Mackeroo 4/12
Maggie 7/15
Maman 11/10
NewMe 7/20
Piggles 12/18

Poppety /17
Pricey 11/22
Satchmo 19/29
SandyPan 16/21
Shaggy 10/17
SmallHoldingSister 16/24
Smiley_77 17/29
StuPotStu 7/29
WBF 9/14
Yellowmonkey 13/15

Alcohol Low Days

Shaggy 16/21




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!

gabriel1980

5/30 Monday to Friday alcohol free. Dreaded Saturday night lies ahead, but decided to go to the cinema.

piggles1

satchmo1 wrote: »

You're doing well Piggles, you really are. How many AFDs did you have last February? I'll bet it wasn't 12. Great that you are getting a bit of help with your packing, you'll get twice as much done in half the time.

Thank you satchmo Last February I was in a horrible flat and drinking a bottle of wine a night thinking I'd done quite well not opening the next any more

My friend didn't help with the packing. He got a bit cross and defensive with the conversation about me trying not to drink and he just wanted to go to the pub because he'd already had a stretch without drinking.

Also, I asked him to double check something for me so I knew it was off before we left. I'd already checked it myself but it's nice to have someone else check it too. I trusted him that he'd done that so I didn't look again. Later on when I was checking things before bed I found he'd turned it on, but left it off at the wall. I'm furious :mad: I wouldn't have left it on I'm 99.9999% sure. The way to help with OCD is not to test a person with it by moving things to be on to prove OCD is a bit illogical and stupid and cause huge anxiety for the person. I was staring at it for half an hour before bed and becoming really panicky, so I'll never trust him to check anything again

I think there's an agenda going on and my needs and wants are in the way of it. He's a nice helpful chap in other ways, but my answer to the alcohol thing is to not go to the pub with him until I'm much further ahead with it and having longer AFD stretches.

We are all, as people, effectively on our own dealing with alcohol and no one else can see it like the individual can, especially when the alcohol relationship is difficult.

piggles1

cathybird wrote: »

Piggles1, think the fact that you are fighting it is most of the battle. Change with these things does take time - I'm not where I want to be with it yet either but doing much better than I was a few years ago where I was paying no attention to how much I was drinking at all. It's the effort that makes the difference over time.



I did find taking three months off at a time last year and the year before made a massive difference to my tolerance levels and in fact seemed to bring about a permanent change - though I did find afterwards that my drinking levels tended to creep up over time, at the same time I just haven't gone back to the way I was drinking before. I made a commitment to the three months on Hello Sunday Morning - maybe worth checking out? ... I hope not something that would be seen as in conflict with here? They let you do a mini-blog there to record how you are doing and it is similar to this thread in that there are lots of people doing the same thing and offering encouragement. Anyway, it helped me: www.hellosundaymorning.org/



There was an article in the Guardian recently that included a comment from an alcoholic (now teetotal) that he had always spent the whole evening drinking in the hope of getting the buzz he got from the first drink - which in the end always proved futile, because you only get that buzz once. So think you are right, Pigges1 - the first one is great, the second one is great, and after that you are drunk and a bit out of control and feel crap the next day - so the ideal (I think) is no more than two drinks at any one given time.



And you too Piggles - it's always the way with packing though, always more stuff - how do we acquire so much blimming stuff :rotfl: I hope things let up for you soon though and let you take a bit more rest. x

Thanks cathybird, and well done to you too I think it's true that the effort does build up over time. It gradually changes the pattern of how we drink, and even slipping backwards, the next forwards gets further than before.

I had a look at my calendar and at the beginning of the month when I did drink of an evening it was 5 units, then went to 6. Last night was over 7 and I feel rubbish today, but as I put above, I can see clearly today the things that aren't helping me. So some resolve I think.

I also used to sit in the evening trying all night to get the feeling back that I had with the first couple of drinks. It never did come back, and it's useful to see that in black and white, thanks! It makes total sense to stop at two drinks.

Big apologies for rambling when I have no more AFDs to report With the move and high stress levels at the moment, all I can do is try by myself to keep control of my consumption and report here with my achievements to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I had a look at the sundaymorning site before I think and took their test and I was at hazardous levels. I still am when I do drink so got some work to do.

I do know one thing now though, it's easier to do than you think