The Cutting Down / Giving Up Booze Thread (Part 14)

Wanna_Bee_Free

Declaring early for tonight 12/21 for me please Shaggy. A few months ago I cut out my daily coffee habit and only drink 3 or 4 teas a day plus a latte every 3 weeks ish. I'm sorry to say this has improved my sleep a great deal, especially combined with more AF days. I still have the odd bad night though, something like once a week or so.

shaggydoo

September 2017

= 7 Days AF

= 14 days AF

= 21 days AF

= 28 days AF

= 31 days AF

= Target Achieved

= Target Beaten



Alcohol Free Days

Arkers 7/TF
Barny1979 12/25

CathyBird 18/21
CuppaTea 13/18

Eltee /18
ElusiveLucy 7/10


GintotMelinda 3/TF

Honey Bear 19/30

MaggieM 6/15
Maman 9/10

Nicnak /15

Poor Single Lady 13/24

Pricey /20

PurpleMumof2 5/10
Shaggy 11/21

StepUpToThePl8 2/5

StichyWitchy 1/15

SukeyBoo 6/10

Tallyhoh 5/30

WBF 12/21


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!

Poor_Single_lady

14/24

Hope everyone can sleep well. xxx

Barny1979

13/25 AFDs today

CuppaTea

14/18 please shaggy

Good news, after years of being on my own, I've met someone. Can't believe it, it's very new. But we decided tonight to give it a go.

maman

CuppaTea wrote: »

14/18 please shaggy

Good news, after years of being on my own, I've met someone. Can't believe it, it's very new. But we decided tonight to give it a go.

That's great news cuppa , so happy for you. :T

maggiem

7/15 please
Lovely news cuppatea - have fun

cathybird

Morning all, 19/21 for me please.

Great news Cuppa, I hope the new relationship works out well.

sukeyboo

Wishing you all the best in your new relationship Cuppatea :smileyhea

Declaring early on 7/10 please Shaggy

Honey_Bear

maggiem wrote: »

6/15 please for last night.
Continuing to struggle especially when travelling. There's so
Egging about airport lounges with free booze then sitting in a restaurant on your own somewhere that makes me long for a glass of wine. Not sure I will make target this month as it will need a change to my usual weekend. However trying to keep going.
For newbies I havent experienced improved sleep so if you are not you are not alone. Maybe if you completely stop drinking but even during dry January my sleep did not improve. Shame but assume other health benefits happening.

Sorry to hear it's so tough when you're travelling MaggieM because I can understand the temptation when you want/need to relax and switch off. I can't offer any useful tips because my whole strategy was built on avoiding boozey places for a few weeks when I gave up, but have a (((hug))) instead.

As to the sleep, I read an article a few months ago by a doctor who specialises in sleep disorders. Apparently fully half of all the people who get as far as being referred to a sleep clinic sleep soundly if they cut out caffeine completely, so that includes decaff coffee. Most tea has quite a lot in too, as does hot chocolate.

I used to drink a lot of coffee but never after 1.00 pm so I didn't think it was affecting me (caffeine has quite a long halflife) but it was. I gradually weaned myself off the full strength caffetiere stuff on to a decaff version which has made a huge difference but I still don't drink it after lunch, as all of them have about one third of the normal caffeine so it's still there and it does affect me - I occasionally get a high from it even now. It took me a long time to work out which brand I liked best over the three weeks I weaned myself. I'm so nerdy I weigh it every day when I make a pot all to myself, a grand total of 41g of Lavazza Decaff per full pot from which I get three mugs - thank God for microwves. That and Taylor's decaff are the only ones I bother with, the rest are all vile.

When I'm out and about I drink any old rubbish that's available if I can't carry a flask (like last weekend) which reminds me how foul most coffee is. Caf! Nero's coffee has the highest caffeine content judging by my heart's reaction to a couple of mugs of it - never, ever again.

As to booze and not sleeping; I was totally unaware that for years I'd basically been going to bed and passing out. Stopping drinking overnight meant that my sleep was quite disturbed for a fortnight but after that I think it sort of calmed down a bit. I now sleep like a log and provided I switch the light out by 11.30 pm I wake up really early (5.30 am-ish) every day, which means I have a lie-in every morning, or I would do if I could make myself switch the light off. Very few people including children get enough sleep, apparently, and the answer is really boring - we need to go to bed earlier, sleep in a coolish room, and avoid screens like phones, tablets and laptops for at least an hour before bed. It's worked for me since I stopped drinking, and I've accepted that my boozing was masking a lot of problems that I had no idea I'd been saving up for years. Stopping drinking is a bit like spring-cleaning - once you make the commitment and start it you realise you need to do a bit more than you'd planned.

tallyhoh wrote: »

Well, I've managed a whole week now. Wish I could say its been easy. Last night was the worst, had the really achy legs thing, you know the nasty sort you get with flu. It stopped me sleeping.

I think having some pain is probably a good thing, it might make me think twice about starting drinking again.

Thanking you all for your support & words of wisdom at this time.

Well done Tallyhoh! :T:T:T If you can get through a week you're doing a lot better than you thought you would ten days ago aren't you? It's amazing what we can achieve when we set our minds to it. If it's leg cramps that are keeping you awake, try eating a banana at some stage during the day. That might help.

CuppaTea wrote: »

Good news, after years of being on my own, I've met someone. Can't believe it, it's very new. But we decided tonight to give it a go.

How lovely! Huge congratulations on finding someone you like, and that it's mutual. :j:j:j

20/31 please, Shaggy.