No More Chardonnay for me! My booze-free Diary

Carviscocker

Hi! Sorry I've been Q work has been manic! Well I went out for my works do and I did drink.. Not huge amounts but a bit. I decided I wanted to rather than feeling like I was missing out.. Silly I know!

I haven drank since and I've not missed it so we'll see! I've been using the library a lot and reading loads on money saving/being frugal

I hope you're all well! Xx

Chardonnay

Hellooooo! Sorry I haven't been on for a while - had a busy week! Oh HB, that must have been awful having your one cat beating up the other more vulnerable cats - very upsetting! Cats can be a bit like that I think can't they, they like to rule the roost! Good that he's more wary of the dog, but guess you need to keep an eye on them both!

Definitely HB, that is the key. Sounds awful actually but in the past drinking was my hobby I think Now running is my hobby and drinking is a treat but only if it fits in!

Hi Carvis, lovely to hear from you! :wave: I can understand you drinking at your works do. Not drinking at all can be really rewarding but it is hard too and I think you really have to want it in order for it to be successful. It sounds like you've done brilliantly since anyway so well done! :T

For me, I've been doing well. I didn't drink at all for over a week - not even last weekend. Running came first. But then went to the pub on Tuesday for tea as had the day from hell and stupidly had three glasses of wine. I really paid for it the next day - felt tired and below par. I'm annoyed with myself for doing that but I can only learn from it and make sure it doesn't happen too often. I haven't had a drink since - parkrun tomorrow so won't be drinking tonight but am planning on having my half bottle of Prosecco that I've had for ages tomorrow night, as no running on Sunday.

Running is going well - will have run 4 times this week

Have a good weekend all!

Honey_Bear

It sounds as though you've turned a corner, Chardonnay. Once you've found something that you enjoy more than the instant gratification of the third glass of wine, you're on the way to getting drinking under control. Result!

Chardonnay

Thanks HB! Was happy with my alcohol intake at the weekend. On Saturday night I had my half bottle of Prosecco and on Sunday one large glass of wine as we went out for a family lunch. Haven't had a drink apart from that.

I got another PB at parkrun so was very happy with that

Have family coming to stay at the weekend. We are doing parkrun on Saturday and am doing a 10k race on Sunday, so a real running weekend! Therefore there won't be much alcohol consumed, although we are having a big birthday meal out for my daughter on Saturday, early evening so I am limiting myself to two glasses of Prosecco. I have found that Prosecco is lighter than wine for me and doesn't give me the same sort of heavy, hungover feeling the next day - although only downside it is more expensive But need to be at my best on Sunday!

Hope you're ok and enjoying all of your new classes!

Chardonnay

Hello, just an update from me Hope you're all ok. Had a busy weekend with family to stay. They weren't arriving until late Friday night so OH, DD and I went to the pub for tea. Had two small glasses of wine, so all ok there. Then had a cup of tea when we got home.

On Saturday we all got up early to go to parkrun (OH's daughters were coming to watch and son in law was participating with us ) I ran it with OH and my dad - OH's pace is a lot slower than mine at the mo, although he is improving all the time and will probably overtake me - so it wasn't too taxing. Then in the evening we all headed over to a restaurant to celebrate DD's birthday. I didn't stick to what I'd said but had a G&T and shared a bottle of wine with my S-I-L so not too extreme.

However, I had to get up really early on Sunday morning to do a 10k race and really felt it. I felt tired and dehydrated. I really wanted to go back to bed but did do the race and managed to get a PB so pleased with that. But I do think the drink the night before affected me - I had to stop to drink a whole cup of water at the water station as felt so thirsty. I will really try to avoid drinking the night before a race again but it was difficult this weekend with everything going on.

We had to take the kittens to the vets on Friday for their second vaccinations and to be neutered. It was interesting because the vet weighed them and the runt (I hate that word!) now weighs slightly more than her sister We thought she had put on weight, she is a different kitten to the one we adopted - not that she wasn't looked after well but she seems to have prospered, thankfully. Unfortunately her sister didn't seem to cope with the aftermath of the op so well and pulled her stitches out so we had to take her to the vets again on Saturday. Luckily we can now go to one within walking distance - she hates travelling and we thought it wouldn't be such an ordeal for her but she still got herself into a bit of a state and had an accident in the carrier bless her

New vet said they were a little too young to be neutered really and also that she had diarrhoea so gave her an injection to help the pain and her dodgy tummy and she seemed a lot lot better after thankfully. We have to take them both back on Saturday so that she can give them a good look over but they seem back to their playful selves so hoping all ok now. I think the first vet probably decide to get the neutering done with as we had to travel a long way to see them (we had to go to the local vet of the person we adopted them from).

So all busy here, hope you're all ok and had a nice weekend!

Honey_Bear

Interesting that even that volume of alcohol had such a noticeable affect on your general well-being, Chardonnay. I seem to remember just feeling grotty all the time towards the end of the boozey period of my life, and I don't miss that at all!

The kittens sound like a bundle of joy; *healing vibes* for poorly small furries that are under the weather and I hope the neutering goes smoothly.

Chardonnay

Hi HB! Sorry for taking so long to reply, life seems to have been very busy lately! Yes you are right, it is very interesting that it doesn't take much alcohol at all to affect me now. I have noticed it more and more recently and that's really what prompted me to stop altogether before. I guess we all have our own reasons for deciding to stop drinking and that was definitely mine. I bet you don't miss the booze, you still continue to be such an inspiration!

The kittens are a lot better thanks. Funnily enough the baby (I'll call her that instead of "runt" as I hate that word!) seems to have dealt with it all better and seems to be very strong! It's our other kitten that seems to have struggled a bit. She's just had an eye infection so we've had to get some antibiotic drops from the vet. Thankfully it looks to be better now so we're hoping that they'll both be ok for a bit now!

I've only drank one night this week - Saturday night when I had two glasses of Prosecco at home. Even that affected me and I lay in bed longer than I have for a long time on Sunday morning and felt a little tired all day.

I got another PB at parkrun on Saturday so was delighted with that! I've also started CBT now and have my third session tomorrow I have found it very helpful so far and she's going to sort out some mindfulness groups for me so hopefully that will be really positive.

Hope all is going well with you HB

MarylandCookie_2

Hi Chardonnany, sorry I've been MIA for a while. Things have been so busy at work and home I don't seem to have a minute.

Great news about the fur babies, they sound like they are on the road to recovery. Pets make a house a home don't they? And brill news on the PB at park run, you must be super happy with that. I'm still traing hard, my weights have really increased and I've really progressed, I'm so happy with how it's going.

Interesting how you mentioned about how a little alcohol affects you. I've been caught out twice now over a short period of time when I've been out with the intention to moderate, and even though I've not drunk as much as I would have previously it has really affected me. So much so after last time I decided I was never drinking again. I'd done so well moderating, and then I failed, again. I was so low and down about it. Realistically most times I do moderate and enjoy having a drink, and don't want to stop drinking altogether, but then when I don't moderate I hate it, and want to stop. I'm going round in circles with it. I'm going to order the Allen Carr and Jason Vale books to see if they might help.

Glad to hear the CBT is helping, the mindfulness group sounds brilliant, I keep trying to meditate, but a group sound just what I need.

Take care and have a great week xx

Honey_Bear

MarylandCookie wrote: »

... and don't want to stop drinking altogether, but then when I don't moderate I hate it, and want to stop. I'm going round in circles with it.

I think if you asked anyone who's stopped drinking altogether including me if they 'wanted' to stop when they did, the answer from 100% of them would be no. If they're anything like me they all tried to moderate for years before they had to admit defeat and actually needed to stop. It's different.

The good news is there are those who can moderate and my OH is one of them. He and I drank roughly the same amount for 20 years, and he never got nasty. He's cut down hugely since I stopped altogether and I think he feels better for it, but has absolutely no intention of stopping; he finds going AF even one night a week tough.

Happily, it seems the lovely Chardonnay falls into the group that can moderate and that's great. There are several people on the Cutting Down / Giving Up Thread who manage it very, very well.

And then there are those of us who couldn't and working out which group we belong in is a toughie and can be a bit of a shock. Honestly, I love being AF so much I never even think about wanting a drink any more. A craving is very, very rare now (in fact I can't even remember when I last had one, Thank God for B***s B**e) and I never, ever want to go back to drinking. I guess I'm lucky in that I got out when I did, because if I'd left it another two or three years, I probably couldn't have done it without some kind of intervention.

Chardonnay

Hey MC! No worries, I find it hard to find the time to post sometimes myself but this thread is still really important to me!

I know exactly what you mean about pets making a house a home - I said that to OH the other day. We wouldn't be without them now!

Wow, well done on the training! I know that weight training is supposed to be great for getting in shape. I've never managed to get into it, more a cardio girl but I am envious and bet you are really seeing a difference!

Oh MC, we are so similar! I could honestly write exactly what you have! Most of the time, I am fine and don't drink to excess but I just know there are a couple of occasions coming up when I will drink more than I plan to and pay for it. I know exactly what you mean about going around in circles with it. I feel a little similar myself at the moment (will post about that in a minute). Have you started the books?

I guess now that you are very much into your fitness, that makes the days that you are affected by drinking too much all the more frustrating. We don't want anything to stand in the way of what we've achieved do we?

Be interested to hear how you're feeling now but don't be too hard on yourself! You're going in the right direction!