Giving Up/Cutting Down Alcohol Thread part 18

tiddles

Thank you for all your work on keeping this thread going, cathybird.

17/20 for me today, please, and I’m going to go for 24/31 as my target for August.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

satchmo1

15/20 for me today please

RobM99

Hi all, 27 today please.  I'm away for a couple of days but fully expect a Gold Star!

Honey_Bear

Well hello One and All.  I've read back a couple of pages and it's lovely to see names that still mean a lot to me ar still around.  :wave:

It was 10 years ago yesterday!  Yay me!  Thank you everyone who supported me through my Giving Up journey which is still probably one of the best, if not the very best, things I've ever done and I absolutely would not have been able to do it without all the support I had on here.  I'm so grateful, and I hope I never forget to be so.

In the interest of transparency I'm going to be completely honest.  For the past six months or so I've allowed myself to drink champagne on high days and holidays such as:

- celebrating a huge victory with a friend (that was the first - she bought a bottle of champagne in with her when we invited her to supper and she really wanted to share her achievement with some people).  There was absolutely no pressure on me to drink, it was completely my choice,

- Christmas Day, abstemious, one bottle between six of us, stayed off it afterwards,

- New Year's Eve (drank more than I wanted and didn't enjoy it, nor did I feel drunk),

- Belovéd's birthday, still abstemious helpings,

- a Senedd MP visiting her friend who wanted to meet us (same political party) who I will be campaigning for and with in 2026 although I don't live in Wales, not abstemious because people find it hard to understand I would like to stop after a couple of glasses but I'm getting my head around that,

- a massive personal achievement.  I was not in the least abstemious and don't regret that at all. I also didn't wake up with a hangover which was amazing,

- taste-testing three different types of champagne between six of us with fish and chips because we're having a champagne cream tea later this year to celebrate our civil partnership after 31 years of living in sin and wanted to know which of the cheapest champagnes was the best - Lidl by miles - about £14.49 on offer so I've stocked up on that and allowed half a bottle per person which is enough as far as I'm concerned.  We were all exhausted having been at The Count where three elections happen in the same space locally, where one result was hotly contested and high profile and he lost (hurrah) and a better man won.

I don't regret drinking on any of those occasions, I do need to manage the issue of other people really enjoying drinking champagne and therefore drinking more of it to keep me going because I'd like to stop after two or three glasses.  I realise in my drinking days alcohol went to my head very quickly because I was on St John's Wort initially for depression and then for anxiety in the days I was drinking more heavily than I should have been.  I've been off SJW for several years and alcohol just doesn't have the same effect on me as it did then and more to the point - I don't want to get blotto or even tiddley.  I don't like drinking more than a couple of glasses and I absolutely LOVE being sober.  I don't want to risk getting caught up in old behaviour patterns again but I do want to celebrate with friends on High Days and Holidays.  I'm so, so glad I waited nearly 10 years before I dipped my toe in the water again and I have absolutely no want or wish to go back to drinking red wine every day, or a gin and tonic, or low alcholol beer or anything else.  I used to love them, I'm sure I could again, but I don't want to be that person any more and it seems I have a choice now.

I think I've been very, very lucky because it seems I got out before any long term real damage was done but of course I can't really know that.  I am very cautious about it now and that's a lovely place to be at this stage in my life.

If it's okay with everyone I will still post annually because, believe it or not - even that keeps me accountable!

Wanna_Bee_Free

Wow, congratulations on 10 years Honeybear and thank you so much for coming back to update again. It sounds like you are in a great place now with alcohol - long may it remain so!

maman

Thanks for the catch up @Honey_Bear, lovely to hear from you again. 

That's brilliant news about being able to have a small celebratory drink and then jump back on the wagon. 👍

Many congratulations on your upcoming civil partnership. Glad you found a mse friendly champagne to suit. Next time you have a tasting session, you might want to try a Cremant. It's made with the champagne method but not in the region so can't take its name. I've bought it in Lidl, Aldi, Asda and Sainsbury's. They're all good. 

Be back soon. 🤗

cathybird

July AFD challenge

7 days =

14 days =

21 days =

28 days =

Target reached =

Target beaten =

Entire month =

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July targets

AllNightDiner 4/10 

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alt80 TF 

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Arkers 11/TF   

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cathybird 21/21         

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chemteacher78  

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CuppaTea 6/10 

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Dark Sunday  

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Daywon 23/31        

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dustydigger 24 

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JezzedIt 7/25 

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lantanna 12/15  

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leftatthetrafficlights 22/24      

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maggiem 11/24  

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maman 14/10       

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marahouti 5/25 

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oceandreamer 5/10 

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PriceySOS 23/23         

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RobM99 27/30     

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satchmo1 15/20    

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Season of Mist 23/31     

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Shaggydoo 11/16    

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Shrewbie 12/21    

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sukeyboo 13/10     

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tiddles 17/20   

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Watty1 9/10 

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WBF 9/15 

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🌞 🌞  Newcomers welcome! 🌞 🌞

cathybird

Yes it's a bright shiny new month just round the corner ... Any thoughts on targets?

August targets

AllNightDiner

alt80 TF

Arkers TF

cathybird 14

CuppaTea

dustydigger

JezzedIt

lantanna 15

leftatthetrafficlights

maggiem

maman 10

marahouti 25

oceandreamer

PriceySOS

RobM99 30

satchmo1 20

Season of Mist 31

Shaggydoo

Shrewbie

sukeyboo 10

tiddles 24

Watty1 10

WBF

Newcomers welcome!

cathybird

@Honey_Bear so happy to hear you're doing so well xx

July results updated here

PriceySOS

23 please x

Honeybear, it is great to hear from you, well done on your controlled situation. We bought the same Lidl champagne for our daughter's wedding a year ago tomorrow! x