Giving Up/Cutting Down Alcohol Thread part 18

satchmo1

17/26 for me today please.

family355

18/28 today please cathybird 

RobM99

alt80 said:

@RobM99 you've done really well mate. Did you consciously choose to give up? In total I haven't had a drink for 50 days - didn't drink in February after not managing to stick to my original plan in January. Found myself drinking a couple of times to relieve stress back in January, not a road I want to start going down at all.

       Yes, my decision. I looked at why I was drinking and confronted the facts - alcohol was not going to solve anything. OK so it gave relief from "the real world" but it's still there next day. Like an old blues song "I woke up one morning..." and thought - This is it. No more. A friend said I had an addictive personality - maybe I have, I don't know. If I play a CD I like, I'll wear it out before playing another! I was addicted to mint choc-ices and Penguin biscuits - again, not any more. All rock'n'roll here.   

       As I've said on here before, list 5 reasons why you (generic) wants to give up. Not my reasons, or someone on the radio but yours. One of mine was - I wanted the gold star end-of-month emoji regularly!  I think my best run is nine - Menorca stopped me getting a year in the end. Oh - one reason I had - I was hoping that giving up might make me more appealing to a lady I know. It didn't but hey - can't have everything! Maybe it'll help in the future - who wants to date a drunk? My guess - only another drunk and that really doesn't appeal.

       Whereas I used to feel panic if I had no super-strength lager in the fridge (how bad is that?) and relief - no, joy - now it's more of a problem if I run out of tea bags. Do I ever fancy a beer? Hmmm...sometimes - make that seldom. But I know - one is too many, six not enough so I don't. Plus I want my target-beaten emoji. (No Gold Star his month, had a birthday drink with the new band which was a good afternoon). 

      There ya go, that's the story.  22/30 please!

marahouti

Good afternoon.
23/25 please cathybird. Thank you. X

sukeyboo

10/10 for today please cathybird 

cathybird

March

7 days = 14 days = 21 days = 28 days = Target reached = Target beaten =
Entire month =
March targets
AllNightDiner 13/14 alt80 22/TF Arkers 11/TF cathybird 22/21 Coveredinbees 21/TF CuppaTea Dark Sunday 7/18 dustydigger 18/25 family355 18/28 GotToStopSpending happydenial 16/21 ITL89 lantanna 8/15 leftatthetrafficlights 22/25 maggiem 3/5 makingmehappy maman 9/10 marahouti 23/25 MissPennySave 4/10 MissPiggy1973 4/14 notpropaganda73 28 oceandreamer 16/21 PriceySOS 26 RobM99 23/30 satchmo1 17/26 Season of Mist 6/28 sukeyboo 10/10 sunshine raincloud TornErse 17/29 WBF 9/10 Newcomers welcome!

oceandreamer

16/21 today please Cathybird

alt80

RobM99 said:

alt80 said:

@RobM99 you've done really well mate. Did you consciously choose to give up? In total I haven't had a drink for 50 days - didn't drink in February after not managing to stick to my original plan in January. Found myself drinking a couple of times to relieve stress back in January, not a road I want to start going down at all.

       Yes, my decision. I looked at why I was drinking and confronted the facts - alcohol was not going to solve anything. OK so it gave relief from "the real world" but it's still there next day. Like an old blues song "I woke up one morning..." and thought - This is it. No more. A friend said I had an addictive personality - maybe I have, I don't know. If I play a CD I like, I'll wear it out before playing another! I was addicted to mint choc-ices and Penguin biscuits - again, not any more. All rock'n'roll here.   

       As I've said on here before, list 5 reasons why you (generic) wants to give up. Not my reasons, or someone on the radio but yours. One of mine was - I wanted the gold star end-of-month emoji regularly!  I think my best run is nine - Menorca stopped me getting a year in the end. Oh - one reason I had - I was hoping that giving up might make me more appealing to a lady I know. It didn't but hey - can't have everything! Maybe it'll help in the future - who wants to date a drunk? My guess - only another drunk and that really doesn't appeal.

       Whereas I used to feel panic if I had no super-strength lager in the fridge (how bad is that?) and relief - no, joy - now it's more of a problem if I run out of tea bags. Do I ever fancy a beer? Hmmm...sometimes - make that seldom. But I know - one is too many, six not enough so I don't. Plus I want my target-beaten emoji. (No Gold Star his month, had a birthday drink with the new band which was a good afternoon). 

      There ya go, that's the story.  22/30 please!

@RobM99 thank you for sharing. I did a similar audit in January with alcohol after not liking why I was choosing to drink some evenings; not going to solve anything and in my case quite potentially help to lead me to relapse. A few years back I used to drink pretty much everyday, would have thought nothing of sharing a bottle of wine with my wife, a beer or two and a Scotch of an evening every night I wasn't working. You're right that the world is still there the next day for better or worse. Tried cutting back alcohol in one of my many attempts to get my addiction under control, didn't work for that but I suppose I realised I didn't need another problem and have kept an eye on my drinking since.

100% advocate listing the 5 (or more) reasons. 

Are you still saving your beer money up for a sports car?


23 for today please.

RobM99

"Are you still saving your beer money up for a sports car?"  Well, sort of! With the current financial situation it might be a tad extravagant, it's case of justifying it to myself, really. However it's not a cancelled thought for sure.

23/30 today, mid-emoji day! Hope all others are doing well, also that my words might give you inspiration.   

Arkers

Good morning everyone,
11 please Cathy 
Arkers x