Giving up/ Cutting Down Alcohol Thread Part 16

Arkers

Good morning everyone,
3Cats, most of us could have written some or nearly all of your post (not necessarily same life events) and you will find tremendous non-judgmental support here. It sounds like a lot of your drinking is habitual and one thing you could do is something completely new to break the habit. You mention taking up a hobby and this is a great idea.

Whatever you decide to do, we are all here for advice if asked for and support.

13 please Shaggy x
Hope you are having a lovely holiday
Arkers x

sukeyboo

3Catssooz wrote: »

I have a plan.
Read as much as I an about the subject-I won't be talking to anyone apart from a couple of close friends.
Post on here-even if it hasn't gone well.
Start liking me again.
I'm cutting down for now, I think I will fail if I go for giving up.(for now)
I will not have any alcohol until 8.00pm, and then limit (will be going down-I hope) to a two/three of glasses-as time goes on I will reduce this.
I will not buy more than "allowed" - just in-case I am tempted to overindulge.
I will use the time to make my house a nicer place and get on with chores, and maybe even take up a hobby.
I will see how I go re AFD-and try and put some on.


Sorry for the long post -
Thank you all for your kind words already! Just to say I feel quite emotional that people are going to read this and be supportive.
Thanks again
3Cats

No need to apologise for long posts on here 3catssooz - we are used to them .

Your plan sounds like a good one - especially the 'start liking me again' part - once you can start doing this the other things will follow - self-worth really does make a difference

Like Arkers, I am fine at staying AF during the week (Monday-Thursday) but I do struggle sometimes at weekends - it is as if once Friday arrives I have 'permission' to drink and I am going to make the most of it :eek: Must try harder to limit the quantity consumed this weekend

Glad to hear you had a lovely anniversary meal out Maman - sorry to hear it made you feel a bit under-the-weather yesterday - hope you are back on form today?

9/12 for today please Shaggy

Barny1979

6/24 AFDs today

maman

I agree that lost of what you posted is very familiar to many of us Cats3. My drinking increased when I was rewarding myself with wine after a long day at work. Opening a bottle was the first thing I did when I walked through the door. I also empathised with the drinking when you get back from driving. That's something I definitely don't do any more. I tell myself that the first thing I'll do is make for the kitchen and put the kettle on. I find 'visualising' like this is helpful. I tell myself how good it'll feel to settle on the sofa with a nice cuppa after dinner. It usually works.:)

We've been out for lunch today. I had planned to have a drink but the air pressure is giving me a headache so I didn't fancy anything. So silver lining is:

10/10 AFDs please Shaggy

That's' target achieved for me and loads of month left.

rosy10

12/TF, please Shaggy.

3Catssooz, as Arkers has posted, what you have written does resonate. Up to the end of 2018 I had had a very stressful decade. I was using alcohol to self medicate stress - it couldn't go on. I was getting pins and needles in my fingers, I was overweight, very stressed, in spite of the alcohol.

I joined the thread at the start of this year doing my 'oh so familiar, "dry January"', but I stayed with it, posting - some months better than others.

and here I am 8 months later - not perfect, but not too shabby. I have dropped over 2 stone,(which do have Shaggy as utter inspiration). I'm a not too tall lady of a certain age, and I thought, quite frankly, I'm making excuses - and I'm worth so much more - so yes, it is about liking - dare I say, loving yourself more.

I don't drink every day anymore and it has been known for me to go a whole week - if not more :eek: without an alcoholic drink.

because I'm worth it!

Season_of_Mist

Just wanted to welcome wilson1973 and 3Catssooz to the thread.

wilson1973 if you don’t mind me asking, did you just stop drinking - fullstop - one day and have never gone back to it since? I know that works for some people. Or did you have to build up to it over a period of time? Just wondered how you managed to go from being (hope you don’t mind me using your words here) a heavy, problem drinker to the person who hasn’t drunk for over 2 years.

3Catssooz what you are describing sounds like the rituals and routines many of us build around drinking. It can be very easy to get into that mindset of a reward at the end of a long day or a tough week at work, but very quickly the routine itself becomes the justification; “It’s Friday night so of course I’m going to have a drink” sort of thing. I don’t have any answers other than to say I have found posting on this thread really helpful and surprisingly effective as a motivation, it really matters for some reason being able to come on and post up a good total or a target reached, and some of the posts are an inspiration. Of course, there’s no way of knowing if the totals people put up are genuine, but somehow I just feel that they are if that makes sense?

Anyway I’m up to 15/31 for this month and looking forward to another AF weekend. Good luck to everyone aiming to cut down or cut back however modest or grand their aims might be.

Barny1979

7/24 AFDs today

marahouti

Haven't been able to check in for a couple of days. Some interesting posts which I will have a better look at later.
15/22 please Shaggy. X

cathybird

Morning all, 14/21 for me today please.

maman

Season_of_Mist wrote: »

I don’t have any answers other than to say I have found posting on this thread really helpful and surprisingly effective as a motivation, it really matters for some reason being able to come on and post up a good total or a target reached, and some of the posts are an inspiration. Of course, there’s no way of knowing if the totals people put up are genuine, but somehow I just feel that they are if that makes sense?

I think they are too. It's strange but this thread, although very supportive and good natured, has an inbuilt sense of accountability. Certainly, for me, I'd feel I'd be letting the thread down (as well as myself of course) if I posted an AF day that wasn't genuine. If I had a 's*d it' moment then I'd post that too and revise my total. I don't think I'm alone in that view. .

Season_of_Mist wrote: »

J....but very quickly the routine itself becomes the justification; “It’s Friday night so of course I’m going to have a drink” sort of thing.

I've got myself into that mindset. It's progress because I used to feel like that every night of the week. I'm not yet ready to call in early on a Friday but I'm working on it.