Giving up/ Cutting Down Alcohol Thread Part 16

RobM99

"Out of curiosity Rob, are you just having as many AF days as you can or have you got some drinking days planned for later in the month? 🤔"
Nothing planned, just that 21 seems a reasonable target. I never drink if I go out; I'll have an alc' free lager or soda water - sometimes I go CrAzY and have lime with it!

lantanna

Today is 4/15 for me please

cathybird

maman said:

Just to say I was pleased for you cathy because you'd got to a full month when I know that's not your aim. So just last month you'd smashed your target. That doesn't mean you have to do it every month but you just showed you can which I think is praiseworthy. 😁
I love the emojis. I know that once I've passed 10 they do spur me on to 14 but if I had planned drinking days I don't think I'd put them off however lovely the emojis. 😉
Out of curiosity Rob, are you just having as many AF days as you can or have you got some drinking days planned for later in the month? 🤔

3 AFDs please Cathy. 

Oh I know maman and I was really chuffed that people commented I'm not saying otherwise! I was really pleased that people were so kind as to say well done. So thank you I guess I just think everyone here should be celebrated for setting the targets they do ... it's all good

cathybird

August

7 days =

14 days =

21 days =

28 days =

Target reached =

Target beaten =

August targets

Arkers 2/10

Arsenal 2/15

Barny 2/21

cathybird 6/21

Cuppa

lantanna 4/15

maggiem 4/18

maman 4/10

marahouti 5/21

PriceySOS 20

RobM99 5/21

Season of Mist 31

Shaggydoo

sukeyboo 4/10

WBF 1/12

ALL WELCOME TO JOIN!

maggiem

Declaring early for today Thursday 4/18 please. 

Interesting to read your comments Cathybird. I too don't want to totally give up drinking but do want a healthier relationship with alcohol. Like Arkers I was opening one bottle of wine a day, often more (shared) and both the amount of wine and then the snacking were increasing. I thought what was so good about your AF month was it sounded like it was achieved unconsciously as having a drink wasn't important to you. That sounds like a very healthy relationship with alcohol to me and one I aspire to as well. 

marahouti

I couldn't agree more cathybird (5 Aug 12.47). I too had an AF July and was very pleased at people's kind comments. However, I have no wish to give up drinking alcohol altogether. I enjoy drinking and depending on the circumstances I sometimes choose  to drink rather a lot of it😉.
I did Dry January for charity and I decided in early July that as there were no social events on the horizon I would sponsor myself to do Dry July for Action Duchene. It seemed to have a nice symmetry, two dry months six months apart. I knew I could do it so I did😁. I debated whether to 'break my fast' on 1 August but honestly didn't want a drink; my choice.
It doesn't matter what our 'number' is, we are all setting targets and we should celebrate👏🏼

marahouti

5/21 for yesterday please cathybird. Thank you. X

sukeyboo

Declaring early for today on 4/10 please cathybird 

Like others have commented, I don’t want to give up alcohol completely as I do enjoy a drink, but I want to be in control of my drinking and not my drinking in control of me 😉. I still need to work on that a bit as weekends can sometimes be slightly over-the-top but it has become a lot better since joining this thread with all the help and support it gives 👏

maman

I sometimes think that my lowly target of 10 isn't good enough. Then I tell myself that as I was having no AF days before joining the thread ( I was another bottle+  daily drinker), cutting down by a third is more than I ever would have imagined possible.  There are actually few months where I don't exceed the 10 and it's certainly got easier during lockdown with no events and occasions. Actually it's got easier for me (us?) as I know many people nationwide have upped their alcohol intake during lockdown so the good habits from the thread are sticking. 🙂

4/10 AFDs please Cathy

cathybird

maman said:

I sometimes think that my lowly target of 10 isn't good enough. Then I tell myself that as I was having no AF days before joining the thread ( I was another bottle+  daily drinker), cutting down by a third is more than I ever would have imagined possible.  There are actually few months where I don't exceed the 10 and it's certainly got easier during lockdown with no events and occasions. Actually it's got easier for me (us?) as I know many people nationwide have upped their alcohol intake during lockdown so the good habits from the thread are sticking. 🙂

4/10 AFDs please Cathy

Maman, that's part of what I was trying to say, that I get concerned sometimes that people might think more moderate targets are too low ... but you are one of the most consistent people on the AFD thread, you've been here since the early days of the thread and go on hitting your target month in, month out, it's a perfect example of a target that is sustainable over time. Meanwhile on other MSE challenges that I take part in people sometimes join with really high targets and it always gives me a faint sense of alarm because it seems unlikely that they will keep it up for very long (and often they don't). More is definitely not better!