No More Chardonnay for me! My booze-free Diary

MarylandCookie_2

Thank you both for your kind, thoughtful and generous replies, much appreciated.

Chardonnay, hope you're feeling better, 50 plus days AF is such an achievement and I'm truly so happy for you. I guess with any challenge there are ups and downs, and what is the saying, if things were easy everyone would do it. And well done on your Park Run, you're smashing it every week.

Les Mills is an Australian guy who (I think) came up with the 'body' concepts, body pump is a weighted work out using a barbell and various weight for squats, triceps, shoulders etc, body combat is martial arts and boxing moves, body step is step aerobics. All the classes are to music and the routines stay the same for 3 months or so til the new release. I love group exercise and am much more motivated in a class rather than on my own.

HB sounds like an interesting weekend, I love hearing about your social life its so much more exciting than mine!

Happy Monday everyone, have a good week x

Chardonnay

Hello! HB you are right about the PMT and it's definitely something I need to be aware of and prepared for.

Your treats sounds lovely - treats are so important I agree. I treated myself to some new running gear the other day. I spent more than I intended but if I'm not drinking I'm saving money that way and I do love my running (in case you hadn't noticed! )

Gosh, I bet that was a bit of a wake up call with the red wine substitute! Well done for realising that it was making things difficult for you and ditching it! Like you, I was a wine drinker and Becks Blue doesn't affect me in the same way as a wine substitute may. I guess it's a little too close to the real thing! At least you got through the night unscathed and know to avoid that in future.

Pleased you had a great time on Saturday (I think you posted about it on the cutting down thread). What a lovely way to celebrate a birthday and so refreshing not to be centred around alcohol!

Thanks MC! Yes it certainly is a challenge but very true what you say about everyone doing it if it was easy. Most of the time I do find it easy, there are still just certain situations that seem to trigger that craving. But as ever, they are all situations in the future. I went to a running club last night. I really didn't feel like it - am always so tired on a Monday. But I really enjoyed it. It really pushed me, which is what I need and I felt great after! A few of us went to the pub after. I just had two Lattes which was a bit of a mistake late at night and I had a terrible night's sleep last night! I think I might give the pub a miss next week but the club itself was great and I think it'll be really beneficial!

Ah, thanks for the explanation. I've heard of Body Pump before and I know a lot of people love it. It's great that you get so much out of it. I'm not so keen on aerobic type exercises myself, but that's the key isn't it - finding an exercise that we enjoy. I know they are very effective and when I've been before, real hard work! I bet you feel great after!

Have a good day all

Honey_Bear

MC, I lived on my own for years and years and loved it, not seeing anyone for the whole weekend, thoroughly enjoying playing with the cats and doing cross-stitch in front of the telly or listening to the radio. And then I realised that I was a bit young to be living like that, that I needed a social life and so I re-invented my life. That was about 22 years ago. There were times when I thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew and it hasn't been all plain sailing but it's been 100% worthwhile. The booze may have been something I thought I needed to ease me through socially, I don't know, but the drinking habit started about the same time, maybe a year or two in to my new life.

MarylandCookie_2

I used to hate my own company, I'd do anything not to be by myself. It's only in the last 2-3years that I've felt more settled and happy to be by myself, and haven't felt the need to be surrounded by other people. I'm not sure if it's an age thing for me too.

Chardonnay

Just updated my signature. Didn't manage to pay as much off as I had intended this month due to the change of holiday plans. We have had to pay more up front with going to Cornwall. Still, it will all work out in the end and I estimate will cost us around £700 less, so that's quite a big saving! Still managed to pay off nearly £500 so that's not bad and should hopefully be able to make a good payment next month. I'm also gradually building the savings up again by saving £100 a month.

I'm looking at ways to make bits and bobs of extra money - it all helps! I've got some old ink cartridges to send off to be recycled and they should bring in nearly £20. I've also listed a top on Ebay - my first selling experience! No bids yet but this one is a bit of a learning curve. I've found some dresses to sell and think I could get quite addicted to ebay!

Hope everyone is well. I'm just off out to attempt to run 9k - making the most of the early morning sunshine as I don't think it's going to last!

Honey_Bear

Good luck with the Ebaying, Chardonnay. I found the threads about how to sell on Ebay and Amazon amazingly helpful when I did it a few years ago. Very cathartic, getting rid of stuff. Totally co-incidentally, I sorted seven boxes of carp from my attic yesterday - my nemisis. *fling*

MarylandCookie_2

There must be something in the air I'm doing a car boot this weekend to make some extra pennies! I've not tried eBay, but have sold a few bits on Gumtree, but hoping to get most of our cr&p shifted at the cat boot. Anything left over will be sent to the Charity Shop! HB have you seen the kondoing thread on the old style board? I've picked up loads of hints and tips from there.

How did your 9k go Chardonnany? I've done another double gym session, I think I need to remember I'm 43 and not 23!! Crashed and burnt on the sofa for the rest of the night!

It's almost Friday hurray! X

Chardonnay

Thanks HB, I need to look at those threads I think! I am definitely on a learning curve at the moment. No bids yet but two watchers, so will see if I get anything when it closes.

Ah, I bet that was really therapeutic, sorting all that stuff!

The 9k run went well thanks MC! I took it very slow so that I didn't overdo it and injure myself - so far so good thankfully! A double gym session - wow, that sounds hard! I know what you mean about age but I think I'm fitter now than I've ever been. I was slimmer when I was younger but I'm definitely a lot more toned now.

This weekend is going to be interesting. I have the afternoon off and we're off to Bristol for the weekend. Just a takeaway planned for tonight, then going out for a run in the morning and going to see my lovely MIL. The really interesting part will be tomorrow night when we go to the Cider Festival! :eek: I'm not too worried about it as cider was never really my drink (unless you count the paint stripper white cider I used to pour down my neck in my early twenties, with the sole purpose of getting hammered! ) No, it would be a lot more tricky if it was a wine festival, or a Prosecco festival or a G&T festival! There's music too so that will be a distraction but can't say I'm looking forward to it that much - not because I'll be tempted to drink, because I won't, but more because it's an event centred around drink and looking at videos of past events, there'll be lots of drunk people there, which isn't my idea of fun now (although it would have been in the past). Luckily, I don't think I'll be the only one in my group not drinking. Let's hope it's better than I'm fearing!

Hope you all have a fab weekend and we get some long awaited sunshine!

Honey_Bear

Chardonnay wrote: »

Ah, I bet that was really therapeutic, sorting all that stuff!

It always is! Despite it taking me years to let stuff go, when I do I always feel fabulous. I have never missed a single thing I've *flung* which just goes to show how daft it was to hang on to it all and have to keep shifting it about to get to what I actually want to [STRIKE]use[/STRIKE] find. Usually by the time I've found it, whatever it was, the moment has gone. The last time I needed sash cord I ended up going out and buying another lot, despite the fact I knew I'd got two lots in the attic. Found them on Wednesday, too. 20 years they've been up there, unused.

Chardonnay wrote: »

The really interesting part will be tomorrow night when we go to the Cider Festival! :eek: I'm not too worried about it as cider was never really my drink (unless you count the paint stripper white cider I used to pour down my neck in my early twenties, with the sole purpose of getting hammered! ) No, it would be a lot more tricky if it was a wine festival, or a Prosecco festival or a G&T festival! There's music too so that will be a distraction but can't say I'm looking forward to it that much - not because I'll be tempted to drink, because I won't, but more because it's an event centred around drink and looking at videos of past events, there'll be lots of drunk people there, which isn't my idea of fun now (although it would have been in the past). Luckily, I don't think I'll be the only one in my group not drinking. Let's hope it's better than I'm fearing!

That will be a very interesting experience, then, and helpful in developing strategies for dealing with what you'll probably find is an increasingly frequent occurence - being around boozed up people and not feeling that enamoured of it. It will help, enormously, that you're not the only one not drinking - I wish some of our friends didn't! It's fine, truthfully, but after a while it gets boring so I leave because we're usually within very easy walking distance of home, and now, after a year, I'm aware that being around a couple who drink three bottles of wine in an evening or four on an extended Saturday afternoon that morphs into an evening is just ... dull. I was that person for years so I don't feel even slightly holier than thou, I just want to do something a bit more engaging with my time. (I do worry about their health but that's my problem, not theirs. They're both adults.) OH now does the pub quiz without me having to tag along and I get to stay at home and read, play with the dog and have a lovely time on my own. It's (a lot) cheaper, too!

Chardonnay wrote: »

Hope you all have a fab weekend and we get some long awaited sunshine!

And I hope you do too. Enjoy it, whatever way you can staying sober.

Honey_Bear

MarylandCookie wrote: »

There must be something in the air I'm doing a car boot this weekend to make some extra pennies! I've not tried eBay, but have sold a few bits on Gumtree, but hoping to get most of our cr&p shifted at the cat boot. Anything left over will be sent to the Charity Shop! HB have you seen the kondoing thread on the old style board? I've picked up loads of hints and tips from there.

Good luck with the carboot, MC and thanks for the tip about the kondo thread. I'm a Flylady so I see the Kondo thread every time I log in and have a quick shufti fairly frequently which has been very helpful. Several Flyladies use both. (I'm an Old Style Board addict.)