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Cutting Down Alcohol Thread

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  • fatrab
    fatrab Posts: 1,231 Forumite
    Morning!!

    Sorry I've been absent for a few days, managed to break my ribs on Sunday while working on the car so have been off work and not feeling too great. Back today though and it's only sore if I breathe so I'll just need to refrain from that for a few weeks :D:D

    3/5 School nights
    11/26 AFDs
    12/26 TAFDs for today please Shaggy :)
    You can have results or excuses, but not both.
    Challenge - be 14 Stone BY XMAS!

  • maman wrote: »
    If it's the App that Adrian Chiles was using I think it nagged you!:D

    There's more in the news today about the AF days announcement. Apparently some officers have resigned from the group because they believe that there's commercial pressure from the drinks industry to not encourage people to cut down a lot more than a couple of days a week. They may be right although I still think support and encouragement is better than nagging.:)

    If people don't put the data in, it won't work. As someone who conveniently managed to lose count every time I drank too much it might work if you're superhuman enough to count accurately and then put the figure in. If, however, you're like me and in denial about how much I drank and don't want to be nagged ....

    Whatever it is and how ever it works if it helps one person take back control over alcohol, despite what I've said about, I wholeheartedly support it. It's definitely not damaging anyone.

    This thread has been an absolute godsend for me, as has Belle, so whatever works is what's right for the user.

    \rant warning

    As to the drinks industry, well, that's where I go off on one to be honest. I try very, very hard not to rant but I do about some subjects and this is one of them. If everyone drank in moderation the producers of alcohol would go bust. They can make all the 'Drink Aware' adverts and PR noise they like, but it's a business and the only reason they make the Drink Aware adverts is because they're required to by law. Business survives by making profit, and alcohol is very, very profitable providing there are a very large number of people who drink in excess of two units a day. It is that simple.

    For those of us who lived through the tobacco industry kicking and screaming that the link between lung cancer and smoking wasn't proven (it was, completely), lying through their PR teeth for decades, killing hundreds of thousands of people early in this country alone - the parallels are obvious. That's what's caused the resignations. A couple of people simply couldn't stand the mendacity any more and chose to walk away, rather than be associated with the lying, profiteering booze industry.

    I don't have any issue with micro-breweries and other artisan producers. They're trying to make something really special and the last thing they want is people not appreciating their skilled work and product.

    I have a huge problem with the multi-national corporations and the pubs and pub chains that resemble drinking barns where people wander around with dispensers, pumping booze into people that are already tipsy. The outcome of that is entirely predictible, which is why they do it. Saying that it's up to each individual to be responsible for their own behaviour over booze is like telling a child of two there's a box of chocolates on the coffee table but they're only to have one, or two at most and then stop but no-one's going to be watching them or counting the chocolates afterwards. Yeah, right.

    At one point in our history 50% of adults smoked. It's down to less than 20% now, and that's because one particular government decided enough was enough. Consumption was falling anyway, and the government capitalised on that with legislation. I was a smoker at the time and couldn't give up no matter how many times I tried, and by whatever means I tried - hypnosis, patches, acupuncture, willpower absolutely everything on offer for 30 years - nothing worked. The the legislation to ban smoking in pubs was introduced and suddenly I couldn't face the thought of not being able to smoke in a pub while I had a drink or three. Amazingly - I stopped, literally just stopped, overnight about 12 years ago. Sadly, mostly, I also stopped going to pubs, although I've recently found one I like enough to think of as my local.

    I'm not going to get party political about it but I will say that the tax take on booze is massive and it suits governments of all hues to profit from it. Normalising booze consumption by having alcohol as the 'go to' drink in a stressful situation as opposed to a cup of tea on TV and in films is just one of the insidious ways that we're being conditioned to think of drinking booze as an everyday habit as opposed to an occasional one. Product placement isn't just about branded products, it's about influencing viewers and it's very, very successful.

    \rant over

    I wasn't going to rant, I really wasn't, but this is something I feel really, really strongly about. (No kidding?!)

    12/30 please, Shaggy
    Better is good enough.
  • *Healing vibes* FatRab.
    Better is good enough.
  • shaggydoo
    shaggydoo Posts: 8,435 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    CuppaTea wrote: »
    Feeling a bit embarrassed and ashamed. Only 4 days s so far this month. My statement of getting back on it in September hasn’t happened. My drinking is too high for me. And my tolerance has increased.
    Am going to watch the Adrian Chiles programme tonight for a kick start.


    4 is better than none!



    Do you want to join this months challenge?
    What do we do when we fall? We get up, dust ourselves off and start walking in the right direction again. Perhaps when we fall, it is easy to forget there are people along the way who help us stand and walk with us as we get back on track.
  • shaggydoo
    shaggydoo Posts: 8,435 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    fatrab wrote: »
    Morning!!

    Sorry I've been absent for a few days, managed to break my ribs on Sunday while working on the car so have been off work and not feeling too great. Back today though and it's only sore if I breathe so I'll just need to refrain from that for a few weeks :D:D

    3/5 School nights
    11/26 AFDs
    12/26 TAFDs for today please Shaggy :)


    Oh My Days - Ouch!!!!


    Get Well Soon
    What do we do when we fall? We get up, dust ourselves off and start walking in the right direction again. Perhaps when we fall, it is easy to forget there are people along the way who help us stand and walk with us as we get back on track.
  • shaggydoo
    shaggydoo Posts: 8,435 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 12 September 2018 at 11:13AM
    Well I havent been AF the last two nights 'cos we had a run in with one or a couple of mice at midnight Monday and I ended up opening a bottle of wine which I finished last night. One of the mice ended up in a trap and we think the other has gone so last night was quiet on the mouse front....unique excuses for drinking hey!


    ....I'm gonna try and do an AF weekend to make up for it...


    ...anyone fancy a weekend challenge? How about 3 Homers for a Friday and 3 Homers for a Saturday????
    What do we do when we fall? We get up, dust ourselves off and start walking in the right direction again. Perhaps when we fall, it is easy to forget there are people along the way who help us stand and walk with us as we get back on track.
  • shaggydoo
    shaggydoo Posts: 8,435 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 14 September 2018 at 2:56PM
    Fabrab 3 /5dancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gifdancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gifdancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gif

    Miss P 3/5dancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gifdancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gifdancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gif
    Purplejay 2/5 dancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gifdancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gif
    Shaggy 1 /5dancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gif

    WBF 2/4dancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gifdancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gif
    What do we do when we fall? We get up, dust ourselves off and start walking in the right direction again. Perhaps when we fall, it is easy to forget there are people along the way who help us stand and walk with us as we get back on track.
  • shaggydoo
    shaggydoo Posts: 8,435 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 14 September 2018 at 3:06PM
    September 2018


    t4239.gif= 7 Days

    kt_goodjob.gif= 14 Days

    dancing-banana-homer-simpson-smiley-emoticon.gif= 21 Days


    cancan.gif= 28 Days


    Zgold-medalist-smiley.gif?1292867608Z= 30 Days


    smiley_emoticons_saint.gif= Target Reached


    2lbkos0.gif= Target Beaten



    Arkers 8/TFt4239.gif
    Barney 9/25 t4239.gif
    BestLifeNow 8/28t4239.gif
    Billy2Shots 11/30t4239.gif
    CathyBird 12/21t4239.gif

    Doshwaster 5/25
    Fabrab 11/26t4239.gif
    Glenda 8/25t4239.gif

    GreenKaren 1/14
    Honey Bear 12/30 t4239.gif

    MaggieM 3/14

    Maman 7/10t4239.gif
    Miss P 9/22t4239.gif

    Pricey 4 /22

    PurpleJay 4/15

    Shaggydoo 6/21
    Sukeyboo 7/12t4239.gif

    WannaBeeFree 2/10



    Please let me know if I've made a mistake!

    Everyone Welcome Anytime of the Month!
    What do we do when we fall? We get up, dust ourselves off and start walking in the right direction again. Perhaps when we fall, it is easy to forget there are people along the way who help us stand and walk with us as we get back on track.
  • maman
    maman Posts: 29,814 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    So sorry to hear about your injuries fatrab. I do hope you're not comfort eating.;)

    sukeyboo wrote: »
    Smiley day for me today :j -


    Same here!:D


    7/10 AFDs please Shaggy.


    I'm not likely to get any more until into next week as we have lots of family celebrations on over the next few days. What's good is that I shall enjoy it, behave sensibly and jump back on the wagon with plenty of month left.:)


    This was the article I was talking about yesterday:


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/alcohol-adviser-quits-over-quangos-links-to-drink-industry-t683g0gfz


    You're so right about the interests of big business HB. However, on the other side I do have reservations about some of the more nannyish methods some groups are advocating. I don't think it would do to take all responsibility/temptation away from individuals.
  • shaggydoo wrote: »
    Well I havent been AF the last two nights 'cos we had a run in with one or a couple of mice at midnight Monday and I ended up opening a bottle of wine which I finished last night. One of the mice ended up in a trap and we think the other has gone so last night was quiet on the mouse front....unique excuses for drinking hey!


    ....I'm gonna try and do an AF weekend to make up for it...


    ...anyone fancy a weekend challenge? How about 3 Homers for a Friday and 3 Homers for a Saturday????


    We had the same problem with visitors Shaggy....my lovely pest control man very nicely pointed out that we had Rolands rather than Mickeys _pale_ Took some time to sort as all our lofts are interconnected and there were one or two neighbours that just werent interested in sorting it. I did drink a lot during that time (and hubby took to wearing ear plugs at night...a habit he can't get out of now) Hope your mouse problem is only a short lived one. Can be a nightmare eradicating little visitors.

    Probably not going to be AF Friday but will be Saturday so can I go for the weekend challenge with just the Saturday?? You got me when you mentioned dancing Homers :rotfl:

    Miss P
    x
    2019 Wins : Pull my Finger Game :rotfl:
    2019 in 2019 challenge No 22: £20.41
    Prolific 2019 : £5.41
    Prolific 2018 £90
    2018 wins : Goats milk Hamper * Personalised Elf * Notebook *
    Swagbucks 2018 £30
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