Cutting Down Alcohol Thread

Baileysonice

maman wrote: »

No plans to drink today. I know I just won't.

My plan is to achieve my 14 day smiley at least this month.:)


March will be harder as I have a birthday and a week's holiday but I'll think about that when we get there.

11/10 AFDs please Baileys.

Well today you have more smilies than anyone so well done :T

Thanks cathybird and Honeybear thats really nice of you both and the truth is I am really enjoying it and of course now I have to make target no hiding under the radar You are both right about home whereas I used to arrive home and reach for the wine now I click the kettle on instead and genuinely prefer my choice. The two days I have had a drink this month were social events and planned which I am OK about. I think I am getting to the point of not drinking at home on my own anymore which is great as that is most of the time :rotfl:

Paspatur

20/28 for tonight please Baileys (unless there is alcohol in Lemsip or cough linctus)
Well done for stepping in and doing such a good job
I am another one who has decided no drinking at home on my own which rules out most of my life too

cathybird

Morning all, 15/21 for me please.

fatrab

21/28


Just need to get through the weekend and it'll be plain sailing!

sukeyboo

11/14 for today please Baileys

maman

Baileysonice wrote: »

Well today you have more smilies than anyone so well done :T

Thanks for that. I always feel a bit of a fraud because I set my target so low compared with many on here.:o But the 'meet it or beat it' approach works for me.:)

ElusiveLucy wrote: »

Work is so stressful I am finding it difficult not to come home and reach for a glass, but I am determined to keep at it.

Baileysonice wrote: »

You are both right about home whereas I used to arrive home and reach for the wine now I click the kettle on instead and genuinely prefer my choice.

Sorry you're having a hard time at work lucy but, at least, you can control your drinking. I always feel better being in control.:D. I find the 'put the kettle on' technique works well when I've been out for the evening and driving or even having had a single drink. I used to play catch up and neck a bottle very rapidly as I'd missed out during the evening. Now I'm happy with a cuppa.


It's the same when I'm having an AF evening at home. I 'visualise' how nice it'll be to settle on the sofa in front of some trash tv with a hot cuppa and (optional) chocolate bar!

fatrab wrote: »

My oldest son was there and he was having a pint anyway so I passed it to him.

Shame that you didn't get the support you wanted from your wife but at least Martin would be proud of you.:money:


No drinking here today. I'm out dancing tonight again and just a glass of squash will pass my lips.:D


12/10 AFDs please Baileys.

Honey_Bear

cathybird wrote: »

I agree Honey Bear, it does help with keeping up with the AFDs if you're a bit of a homebody. I suspect everyone gets more this way as they get older? I used to go out to a lot of things when I was in my twenties and looking back on it I really didn't enjoy a lot of it and I don't know why I bothered. It was almost as though I didn't notice I wasn't enjoying it, or rather that I thought I ought to enjoy it, because it was what people did, so I dismissed the fact that I was bored and uncomfortable a lot of the time. On top of that I would drink a lot to cope with being bored and uncomfortable! Why didn't I just stay home, sigh

Being young seemed pretty uncomfortable most of the time to me anyway, Cathybird. I was never one of the cool gang, but I always hoped when I went out that there was a higher chance of meeting people/that special someone who could, or might, make the world seem a better place. It worked, too, in the long run - because staying at home on your own or just with family is not healthy when you're in your teens, twenties and sometimes into your thirties. It's important to have a sense of adventure and ignore feeling uncomfortable sometimes to see what the outside world has to offer even, dare I say it, flitting about a bit having a misspent youth.

However, I'm now old enough to be a grandmother, although I'm not because I don't have kids. I think that element of getting older really is significant when it comes to why we can't actually be arrised to flit much any more.

Also, I'm certainly old enough to know that finding people/that special someone isn't nearly as important as being the right someone, which is what I'm concentrating on now, if that makes sense.

FatRab, one of the hardest things is dealing with people who you know care about you saying, 'Oh, go on, one won't hurt.' We know it would, but they're only saying it to give up permission to indulge in something they know we like, and one to them wouldn't mean permission to drink a whole lot more than one, as it does to some of us.

Baileys, I'm so pleased you're enjoying running the thread. I'd much rather not do it if you want to keep going with it. You're a lot better at it than I would be, too!

21/28 please, ooooooooh I get a Rah Rah smiley!

Baileysonice

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Baileys, I'm so pleased you're enjoying running the thread. I'd much rather not do it if you want to keep going with it. You're a lot better at it than I would be, too!

21/28 please, ooooooooh I get a Rah Rah smiley!

You certainly do :T:D

Yeah Im quite happy to keep going and that means I'm off on a smilie hunt for March :cool:

Baileysonice

maman wrote: »

Thanks for that. I always feel a bit of a fraud because I set my target so low compared with many on here.:o But the 'meet it or beat it' approach works for me.:)

12/10 AFDs please Baileys.

I have so much respect for your consistent approach maman. When I think about it 10 is about the total of AFDs I achieved for the whole of last year so I would set targets not achieve even one day so didn't return to the thread. not big or clever so I think the way you always achieve and over achieve your target is something to be really proud of

cathybird

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Being young seemed pretty uncomfortable most of the time to me anyway, Cathybird. I was never one of the cool gang, but I always hoped when I went out that there was a higher chance of meeting people/that special someone who could, or might, make the world seem a better place. It worked, too, in the long run - because staying at home on your own or just with family is not healthy when you're in your teens, twenties and sometimes into your thirties. It's important to have a sense of adventure and ignore feeling uncomfortable sometimes to see what the outside world has to offer even, dare I say it, flitting about a bit having a misspent youth.

Never found the someone anyway, in my case! Honey Bear, I think we're not quite talking about the same thing - I wasn't really referring to general socialising or being adventurous per se, it's more that I've always much preferred smaller occasions and hanging out with friends to big parties/occasions, which looking back I just disliked, and I wish I'd paid more attention to the fact that I disliked them and given them a miss, since I never got more out of any of them than a hangover (at best). I avoid them like the plague now. I think when you're younger you can be naive about things that make you uncomfortable just because you are inexperienced and as you get older you learn to listen better to your own discomfort. I wish I had learned that skill earlier in life. It's not the same thing as getting out of your comfort zone to stretch yourself - which benefits people of almost any age, I think.

BTW, re other halves, don't most people still meet them at work anyway? Or through friends or family? ... Most couples I know met via one of those two means, but I'm sure online dating plays a role these days too. And apparently there have even been six marriages via MSE! So there you go :rotfl: