Cutting Down Alcohol Thread

CuppaTea

Morning all. I succumbed last night. The voices started at about 3pm. I was out until 6pm. Opened the wine at 6.30 and that was that. In my head I justified it because I was child free.

So I have had an awful nights sleep. My body feels awful and I am sat here worrrying what this heavy drinking is doing to my organs. I googled the 100 day challenge. I think I need to do this. It seems so daunting.
My problem is how to stay accountable. No one in real life knows how much I drink. I am too ashamed to admit it. How do I stay on track?

I am getting rid of the rest of the wine in the house and have a think about what drink I can replace it with.

Day 1 again. The only person I am cheating is me. And my children. I feel so sad.

Barny1979

25/25 target achieved for this month today

AnnieG

Morning
4/4 for the SNC this week and I think yesterday puts me up to 15 for October. Went to a Syrian restaurant last night that didn't serve alcohol which was a blessing for me as I know I would have caved despite good intentions of wine had been available.

Honey_Bear

fatrab wrote: »

Yeah, suppose so HB! Maybe I'm being a bit over dramatic but I still failed in what I planned to achieve this week and this month.

Going for midweek drinkypoos isn't the actions of someone who claims to be focussed on losing weight and saving money. Size 9 up own backside firmly administered.

Most plans need tweaking as we come across new information, FatRab, so it sounds as though you need to take something into account that you didn't realise would tempt you too much. Maybe just walking past your favourite pub you like is the trigger, so you need to take a different route. If the lesson's been learned the experience wasn't wasted. Good use for size 9s.

GlendaSugarbean wrote: »

22/21 for me, despite socialising and being pressured to drink (again!). May have to have an honest conversation with this particular friend and tell him to knock it off. Plus DH drank too much last night again - am getting very tired of this. May have to talk to him too. Feeling bolshy!

You do, if it's the same person repeatedly. It's your body and your choice; most of us wouldn't dream of being so rude to anyone else. A bit of respect is in order.

As to your OH, I'd counsel a little caution. The only time to have that particular conversation is when you're both stone cold sober, not after the first drink or when he's got a hangover. It would be more productive if you can tell him the effect his drinking is having on you, as opposed to what you think he's doing wrong.

My OH cut down to about a quarter of what he used to drink very gradually after I stopped completely. Quite a while before I stopped I can remember having to point out that his drinking was taking on a life of its own and was affecting our relationship.

Now that I don't drink at all and he very occasionally drinks a bit too much when he's out without me, I've noticed that he comes home in a cheerful frame of mind and then picks an argument. I can't tell you how boring it is! Love him to bits and all that, but ....

Thanks for the information NicNak. I had no idea there were those kind of after-effects from sepsis. OH is highly allergic to oysters - epipens, ambulances, huge needles up the rear end etc - and on the last occasion the paramedics weren't having a busy night so we learned a lot from the experts. Apparently all of us can develop an allergy to anything at any time for no apparent reason, which I didn't know.

Cuppa Tea, the answer initially is distraction. The more we think about the tempting thing, the more difficult it is to resist it. I found reading helped, any subject will do, fiction, non-fiction, studying, light-reading, whatever. Some people take up jogging :shudder: but you have to find something that suits you and then let yourself do it when you know you generally succumb to temptation. Distraction works, I promise. If chocolate works as a substitute - use it. You can worry about your weight later, this is more important.

Getting through the first few days isn't easy because this is a deeply ingrained habit and conquering it isn't about willpower, it's about having other things to take your mind off drinking. If it were easy we wouldn't need the thread, so work out what you can look forward to and set yourself up so that you can enjoy it.

I also took up crochet, so that kept my mind and hands busy. I'm not in the slightest bit interested in what I produce, I give all the lap quilts and blankets away to charity shops but it does give me the opportunity to work with lovely colours, and wool and a crochet hook isn't expensive - you can get started for a fiver, about the cost of a bottle of wine, and an hour in front of a You Tube video. That fiver will last a lot longer if you spend it on wool rather than wine, too.

Anything, anything at all that stops you having the first drink is the key.

26/31 please, Shaggy.

shaggydoo

fatrab wrote: »

I went for a walk last night with every best intention of exercise but had a F*it moment and ended up having 3 pints in the pub.

Not the end of the world but do you know what the trigger was?

Willowtree222

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Thanks for the information NicNak. I had no idea there were those kind of after-effects from sepsis. OH is highly allergic to oysters - epipens, ambulances, huge needles up the rear end etc - and on the last occasion the paramedics weren't having a busy night so we learned a lot from the experts. Apparently all of us can develop an allergy to anything at any time for no apparent reason, which I didn't know.

That's what they told me too. Only I have developed a ton of them. They don't know if it is the sepsis, or the just developing allergies! I think it has to be the sepsis though as that seems to have been the trigger.
Sorry about OH and his Oysters. It isn't nice having a reaction that severe. x

shaggydoo

CuppaTea wrote: »

My problem is how to stay accountable. No one in real life knows how much I drink. I am too ashamed to admit it. How do I stay on track?

We're all rooting for you...


do you enjoy life better when you were drinking less? Hold that thought...


push through....


life will be better in a couple of days....that's not that long is it?

shaggydoo

Thanks for all your kind words about my sad news - I would happily share it with you but it would make me identifiable in RL...


Thanks again.

shaggydoo

Annie 4/4
FabRab 4/5
GreenKaren 5/5
MaggieM 5/4
Maman 4/4
Nicnak 5/5
Shaggy 5/5

shaggydoo

FabRab /1

GreenKaren /2

Nicnak /2

Shaggy /2

Anybody else?