Cutting Down Alcohol Thread

Itisme_2

4/12 please.

fatrab

sukeyboo wrote: »

Morning all :hello:

I have finally found a de-alcoholised (that is what is says on the label!) wine that I quite like :j. It says that it is 'less than 0.5% ABV' but I am not sure whether that counts for an AFD if I have a glass in the evening? I know that HB's favourite is 0.05% ABV and is considered 'alcohol-free' but have found conflicting information on various websites - some say anything under 0.5% is considered 'non-alcoholic' and others say it has to be 0.05% or less to be 'alcohol-free' - I am very confused

I realise that it is obviously better for me than to drink standard ABV wines but I don't know if I will be 'cheating' if I declare an AFD if I have some

Any advice gratefully received

There are Ginger Beers on the market which are sold as soft drinks which have 0.5% on the label. There used to be cans of shandy too but I haven't seen them for a while. I'd say if it can be sold to under 18s (anything with less than or equivalent to 0.5%) then it counts as non-alcoholic.


Mrs fatrab tried drinking Shloer Rose (she usually drinks Mateus) but I think it was a little on the sweet side.

Glenda

5/25 for me today please Bailey's.

i'm currently torturing myself thinking about wine. When does it get easier I haven't had a glass in 20days!

Poor_Single_lady

4/22 please

Thank you all. x

cathybird

Glenda wrote: »

5/25 for me today please Bailey's.

i'm currently torturing myself thinking about wine. When does it get easier I haven't had a glass in 20days!

hi Glenda, hope the urge passed - the thing with cravings is that they don't last, they do pass - then they do come back again, but only temporarily, so you're basically dealing with something that is a huge hassle for a shortish time every day, about 20 minutes? They might come three or four times a day to begin with at particular times of day when you would habitually have had a drink. When cravings strike they feel intense and lasting but if you can get through them they go away, and then all is calm again. I used to repeat to myself the mantra "Not today", along with "If I really want to I can drink tomorrow", and the thought that I could "perhaps drink tomorrow" used to give me a sense of freedom about it that helped me get through them. But then tomorrow rolls round and you repeat the whole thing and you still don't drink.

I used to have a glass or two of wine as soon as I got home from work, then go on from there and then spend the evening more or less drunk, but I found drinking a glass of ginger beer with bitters was an adequate substitute and for a long time drank that when I got home to fill in. Now I don't find I even need that. I think it does take a while but it is doable - you just have to deal with each craving as it comes and goes. That's my two bobs' worth. Hey I hope it passed. x

Honey_Bear

fatrab wrote: »

Morning!

5/28 and 5/90 please Baileys.

This week I have cut out the booze.
Next week it's refined sugars. (no sticky buns or chocolate)
Then it'll be no carbs the following 2 weeks . This worked really well for me in Feb so I'm going to do it again and hopefully get down to my target weight for April (15st 7lbs) before month-end.

Have a nice weekend

Wow, FatRab! That's some strength of character you're showing! Jolly good for you. I hope you carry on enjoying your new life because the longer you're one of us, the happier I am.

sukeyboo wrote: »

Morning all :hello:

I have finally found a de-alcoholised (that is what is says on the label!) wine that I quite like :j. It says that it is 'less than 0.5% ABV' but I am not sure whether that counts for an AFD if I have a glass in the evening? I know that HB's favourite is 0.05% ABV and is considered 'alcohol-free' but have found conflicting information on various websites - some say anything under 0.5% is considered 'non-alcoholic' and others say it has to be 0.05% or less to be 'alcohol-free' - I am very confused

I realise that it is obviously better for me than to drink standard ABV wines but I don't know if I will be 'cheating' if I declare an AFD if I have some

Any advice gratefully received

I don't know what works for you, and if you like the AF wine if I were you I wouldn't worry about it. I also don't know technically what counts and doesn't count as AF, but I know that when I was desperate to do something about my drinking but not ready to stop I tried Sainsburys basics lager which was 2% and that kind of worked enough for a few weeks for me, before I went back on the red wine. Big mistake going back to the wine, obviously.

If you can drink something you like at 0.5% alcohol and not be tempted to drink anything stronger I'd say go for it. I inadvertently bought myself a six pack of low alcohol bottles of beer at Sainsbobs about three years ago and didn't notice that it wasn't AF. Drinking them didn't make any difference to my wanting/not wanting alcohol and the only reason I haven't bought them again is that a) I didn't particularly enjoy them, and b) it's too much of a risk for me.

This thread is not Alcoholics Anonymous where there are hard and fast rules that are applied ruthlessly to everyone and it works for some people. I'd say I've been AF/dry/sober for nearly four years, during which time I've had that six pack of low alcohol beer *yuk* and had a very hearty swig of a gin and tonic *yum* and I drink a 0.05% AF lager pretty much every day. There are plenty of people who are very happy to tell me I'm not AF/dry/sober as a result and they're entitled to their opinions.

Like Professor Brian Cox said a few years ago on TV, 'I don't have a lot of time for people's opinons.'

If you enjoy it, drink it with a clear conscience and post here as haivng AF days. If you find yourself tempted to drink something stronger and go back to drinking 'fullfat' wine, then maybe re-think the decision. How does that fit as a compromise?

Glenda wrote: »

5/25 for me today please Bailey's.

i'm currently torturing myself thinking about wine. When does it get easier I haven't had a glass in 20days!

I echo everything CathyBird says, Glenda. I tried to do the 100 Day Challenge in January 2014 and lasted exactly 20 days before I cracked, so I can feel your pain. (It was a pizza that did it for me.) It does get easier but those first few weeks are tough because, like you, the cravings plagued me. I took refuge in chocolate and that at least satisfies your body's craving for sugar which is a huge part of the problem for all of us that have over-indulged on booze.

Like CathyBird I used to spend most evening at the very least very tipsy and very often flying drunk because I didn't have an off switch. Staying stopped is a lot easier once you get past the first few weeks because the cravings do subside.

Alcohol is addictive and confronting any kind of addiction is very tough. You're doing amazingly well to have got to Day 20; please keep going and keep us posted. We've pretty much all been through something like it one way or another and it's why we're all here - to keep ourselves motivated to keep saying to ourselves that we can do this.

7/30 please, Baileys.

maman

sukeyboo wrote: »

I have finally found a de-alcoholised (that is what is says on the label!) wine that I quite like :j.

Oooh! Which one is it? I'd like to try. I'm not fussed about having it on AF days but it's bound to be lower calorie!:D


HB, I wonder if it would help you take the same approach to goodies as I do to alcohol. I've told myself it's a treat for weekends, holidays and special occasions. That seems to help and I can feel virtuous about my healthy eating all week.:D

Glenda wrote: »

i'm currently torturing myself thinking about wine. When does it get easier I haven't had a glass in 20days!

It's strange Glenda but however long you've been AF, something can happen to make you think about wine. For me, it can be someone enjoying a glass on a tv programme or passing a pub/wine bar and seeing people having a good time (particularly in the summer). I suppose a straight answer is will power:( but distraction works too as does just telling myself I'm not having it!

Itisme_2

5/12 please.

Honey_Bear

maman wrote: »

HB, I wonder if it would help you take the same approach to goodies as I do to alcohol. I've told myself it's a treat for weekends, holidays and special occasions. That seems to help and I can feel virtuous about my healthy eating all week.:D:naughty:

It would work if I had an ounce of willpower left, Maman! I became a non-smoker 12 years ago and a non-drinker four years ago and neither require much effort any more, but sugar .... It's my ultimate downfall. I'm a stone overweight and it's a stubborn stone that at the moment I seem to be stuck with. I can resist anything until about 4.00 pm every day but from then on, until I go to bed, I crave chocolate and failing chocolate, anything sugary. At the moment I'm okay with a couple of chocolate ginger biscuits and I can then stop myself, which prior to Lent this year I couldn't.

I'm awfully glad you're not here to see that I'm typing with my fingers crossed because yesterday there were three chocolate ginger biscuits left in the box. The box was in the bin by 4.05 pm.

maman

Honey_Bear wrote: »

It would work if I had an ounce of willpower left, Maman! I became a non-smoker 12 years ago and a non-drinker four years ago and neither require much effort any more, but sugar .... It's my ultimate downfall. I'm a stone overweight and it's a stubborn stone that at the moment I seem to be stuck with. I can resist anything until about 4.00 pm every day but from then on, until I go to bed, I crave chocolate and failing chocolate, anything sugary. At the moment I'm okay with a couple of chocolate ginger biscuits and I can then stop myself, which prior to Lent this year I couldn't.

I'm awfully glad you're not here to see that I'm typing with my fingers crossed because yesterday there were three chocolate ginger biscuits left in the box. The box was in the bin by 4.05 pm.

Sorry if I seem to have been nagging you.

I wish I was there to give you a big pat on the back. You've done brilliantly to give up the most important things. :T:A

I do think the same techniques could be applied though. Would you go out in pj's to buy biscuits?? :rotfl: