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

maman

I hope you have a lovely time SPS.


I'd find it hard not to drink on holiday but it depends what you want to achieve. For me it's moderation. So, for example, while previously I'd be guiding my friends to wine bars during the day now I'm happy with coffee shops. On sunshine holidays I might have a single glass at lunchtime, previously I'd not know where to stop and end up sleeping away the afternoon. I can stay in a hotel without having a bottle in my room. All these little achievements have taken me away from the problem drinker category. Sorry if it sounds preachy, not intended.


AF again today.


4 AFDs please Shaggy.

Honey_Bear

Dizzy_Imp wrote: »

I am worried now that I'm substituting chocolate biscuits for wine, which doesn't feel any healthier...

It is, though. You're just substituting the sugar in the chocci bix for the sugar you used to absorb from the wine and your body is used to injesting. It's very important that you keep doing so in the early stages so that you don't feel permanently exhausted. I had to spend two weeks in bed I was so wiped out when I stopped drinking because my weight had been getting me down and I stupidly thought I could do without the replacement sugar. Once I'd seen the light - scoff scoff scoff.

My suggestion would be not to try to do too much too quickly; giving up booze is a major change. It took a few years for the habit to develop and it'll take a few weeks or months to break the habit. Btw, you're not alone in not feeling fab after stopping boozing - all of the blogs I read reported disappointment about not feeling brilliant instantly!

Maman is the absolute expert on weightloss after stopping drinking, but I don't know how she tackled it.

Dizzy_Imp wrote: »

I can't claim my tiredness is due to any medical condition ...

I honestly thought my lethargy was caused by the booze and it had got to the point where I used to work out how much energy I needed to get up from my office chair and walk across the room, all of 2m. Every time, every day, everything I did. I cannot tell you how hard walking the new-to-me dog was four times a day and I can't say I enjoyed taking him out even once for months. I stopped drinking on 26 July 2014, and I got him on 29 April 2015. I finally gave up gluten in August, and it took about a week before I felt any benefit. After that there was very gradual improvement every day. I miss my own breadmaker bread terribly and I can't give up the weekly pizza just yet, but I do have enough energy to do most of the stuff I want to do and walk the dog. My energy levels aren't brilliant but it's worth it. If I'd carried on drinking I'd never have had the self-discipline after a few glasses of wine not to scoff whatever I felt like late at night, cheese buscuits, toast with recovery breakfast etc. I'm superconscious that my beloved Be**s B**e may be grainy to the point of being part of the problem but it's the lesser of several evils.

piggles1 wrote: »

yay two AFDs in a row! getting there.

Exellent progress! Good luck with the defleaing.

debjay wrote: »

That makes sense. No more to add today as it's my birthday so I've had one or two today.

Happy belated birthday, Debjay!

10/31 please, Shaggy.

maman

Honey_Bear wrote: »

My suggestion would be not to try to do too much too quickly; giving up booze is a major change.


Maman is the absolute expert on weightloss after stopping drinking, but I don't know how she tackled it.

Thanks for the kind words but perhaps expert is going a bit too far!;)


I started off cutting down hoping that I would miraculously lose weight! That didn't happen but I'm not sure it was because I was substituting anything for the booze. So I got the drinking down to manageable proportions (treat status) and then tackled the weightloss.


I've lost and maintained my healthy weight with Slimming World but the principle is a common sense one. Put briefly, you can eat as much as you like of lean protein, plainly cooked carbs and fresh fruit and veg in proportion and you can have some treats. The SW suggestion is at least a third of everything you eat needs to be healthy fruit and veg. I choose wine as my treat with a bit of chocolate and some creamy/oily sauces. Others prefer biscuits, cakes, puddings or cheese type treats. I think one of the reasons we have a weight problem in this country is that over the years what used to be treats have become every day foodstuffs.


I could bore for England on it.:o

CuppaTea

I'm so glad I came back to this thread, its so helpful and inspiring to read people's posts.

Happy belated birthday Dejay.

Maman, sounds like you have done amazingly well and no you don't sound preachy at all.

SPS - enjoy your hols, I know what you mean about not over doing it and reigning it in when you get back home. I haven't quite got back to where I want to be since Xmas. Even though I was extremely circumspect over the 3 days itself it was the build up and days off (I was on on holiday at home), and then its someone's birthday etc. Ironically I didn't drink on my birthday but went and drunk a bottle of wine at the weekend.

Having said what I did last night about sharing a bottle of wine with my mum tonight, she isn't feeling very well, so I said not to worry about the wine, just come for dinner and we can have squash. So there is an extra day that I need to help me on my way.

Am out tomorrow night for a meal and plan to have 2 glasses of wine. I haven't had any since last weekend (because I haven't bought any), so plan to be sensible.

I saw someone in the supermarket recently carrying a box of wine and I have a friend who keeps a box of wine in their fridge. I thought to myself with this supermarket stranger, I couldn't do that, having a box in the fridge would encourage me to drink more and its harder to moderate and oversee what I have consumed. My friend makes her box last 3 months and says its more economical.

I can't buy boxes of wine. Fatal! If its not in the house I can't drink it.

Honey_Bear

Part of the escalation of my drinking was probably the 10 litre boxes we used to bring back from our French day trips. Rather a lot of them, too, say about 20 a trip? The contents would have lasted three months once opened if we'd let them, but suffice to say we never did.

shaggydoo

debjay wrote: »

it's my birthday

shaggydoo

maman wrote: »

I could bore for England on it.:o

Ha ha you and me both!

shaggydoo

March:

= 7 Days AF

= 14 days AF

= 21 days AF
= 28 days AF

= 31 days AF

= target achieved


Alcohol Free Days

Arkers 5/15
Barny1979 7/26

CathyBird 6/15

CountingPenniesClaire 6/21

CuppaTea 4/19

DebJay 6/22
DizzyImp 9/31

Effyb4 /14
Ellsbel 9/31

ElusiveLucy 5/20
Gabriel 23/30

Gien 5/15
Honey Bear 10/31

Mackeroo 4/10

Maggie 1/13

Maman 4/10

Muser /22

NewMe 6/12

Piggles 4/10

Pricey 3/20
Satchmo 8/27

SandyPan 2/21

Shaggy 4/17

SmallHoldingSister 2/21
Smiley_77 7/31
StuPotStu 9/31

WBF 4/12

Yellowmonkey 4/10

Alcohol Low Days
CountingPennieClaire 7/25
Debjay 8/TF
Shaggy 7/22




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!

ElusiveLucy

My March tally is now 6 AFD and 3 AD, so 6/20 for me please

Arkers

Hello Everyone,


Had an op yesterday, and I am now in bits with the pain, not sure what I was expecting but a shock non the less! I have lost track of where I am, but I have not had a drink since Friday. 4 further AFD for me. I am not going to drink whilst on these meds, I'm away with the fairies as it is!
Arkers x