Cutting Down Alcohol Thread

Baileysonice

Arkers wrote: »

hooray dancing penguins, Baileys love the Unicorn but won't get to 21 days, any chance we could have it again (I feel like a toddler with the best star chart ever!!)

NewMe - This is part of the difficulty in changing long term habits. What to do other then booze. Have you thought of treating yourself to some nice smellies and having a long indulgent soak in the tub? Perhaps joining a gym? Having an early night where you turn off the telly and read a good book.....or whatever else takes your fancy! This time of year is great for a bike ride, as you can travel further a field then walking. At least you're both in it together. It's only recently my DH has tried to get on board by cutting back. In my opinion it's harder if it's just you alone. Keep going as anything is better then nothing.

Arkers x

Ill have a word with their agent see if we can negotiate an extended stay :cool:

Baileysonice

New_Me wrote: »

What does everyone do in the evening instead of opening the wine/going to pub/beer garden etc? I'm back off the booze and we've been going for walks and watching tv, but it's pretty boring without a drink. We're usually both knackered after work, one mentally and the other physically, so struggling to think of alternatives.

I don't really think I do anything much different really its just a different drink in my glass. I did think about starting some new hobbies but all good intentions and all that. I do cook better and eat better on AF days though I have noticed that

maman

New_Me wrote: »

What does everyone do in the evening instead of opening the wine/going to pub/beer garden etc? I'm back off the booze and we've been going for walks and watching tv, but it's pretty boring without a drink. We're usually both knackered after work, one mentally and the other physically, so struggling to think of alternatives.

When I started, I used to just drink water and pace about like a mad thing and wait until bed time until I could post an AF day.:eek:


Fortunately I've moved on a long way from that.:D


Distraction is definitely a help. For years I went to a dance class on a Monday evening. We just have a glass of squash in the break.:D I've now switched to Tuesday and Wednesday evenings but going out on the first school night of the week definitely helped get me off to a good start. The other thing I do is probably called visualisation. So just as you can easily imagine how good it would be to sit in the garden with a glass of wine do the same with something else. I tell myself how lovely it's going to be to sit down after dinner, all cosy on the sofa, put my feet up with a hot cuppa and watch something good on TV. You can add chocolate bars of you want to but that can be quite addictive in itself.:(


Then there's rewards other than booze. So save up the money you'd otherwise spend and go to the theatre or the cinema or treat yourself to a massage or facial or whatever you enjoy. I always try plan these things for when I want to be AF so a large chunk of the evening is taken up. I've never enjoyed the cr*p wine in little bottles that they serve in most theatres anyway so foregoing an interval drink isn't a hardship. It's also important to go straight home, straight to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Don't open a bottle and waste an AF night.:eek:


HTH.:)

Honey_Bear

It's a sobering thought, New Me, that life without booze seems a tad boring - pun intended. It's as Arkers says: breaking old habits and forming new ones is a toughie to begin with. I went to bed early so I wouldn't be tempted and read A LOT. I read books and blogs about giving up drinking because I wanted to stop completely and a lot of fiction, which I hadn't done for years. Eventually it became easy to just have an AF beer while I was eating and then nothing afterwards while watching TV. OH and I have never just watched whatever happens to be on; he records stuff that we both like to watch together and anything he thinks we might like. We both go to be a couple of hours earlier than we used to and I really can't understand how either of us ever managed to get anything done while we both drank as much as we did.



You'll find your own way of doing things that works for you, but apparently the only reason I'd been enjoying staying up late watching TV was the fact that I was, at the very least, merry most nights, and usually rather more than merry.


24/31 please, Baileys.

Barny1979

17/24 AFDs today

maggiem

14/15 please - and hurray, baby penguins and it's a Friday. I'm also going on leave, just today to get through first.
Life feels good. Hope we all have a good weekend

Wanna_Bee_Free

Thanks for my dancing bear!

I am not having AF evenings as often as many on here but will plan to go to the cinema if I think I need distracting. A walk in the park is good too. I still watch pre-recorded TV and also bought myself a box set to watch before OH came in as after work but before dinner is my danger time to get through. I!!!8217;d like to read more.

Good luck New Me!

cathybird

Morning all, 20/21 for me today please.

fatrab

New_Me wrote: »

What does everyone do in the evening instead of opening the wine/going to pub/beer garden etc? I'm back off the booze and we've been going for walks and watching tv, but it's pretty boring without a drink. We're usually both knackered after work, one mentally and the other physically, so struggling to think of alternatives.

It's a hard habit to break, for me I found acceptance that things were going to be "boring" for a while was the way forward. To begin with it was boring and I felt myself wanting to go to the pub, but I'm quite money motivated/orientated and when I saw the bank balance rise and the stomach reduce that was enough for me to get over the boredom. I'm not bored now, but I don't actually do very much through the week. I still go out 1 night per week for a "pint" and a chat with my landlord but it's now soda water and lime or a ginger beer.

Honey_Bear

25/31 please, Baileys.