The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

craigp_2

nearly-there wrote: »

I've been camping sober too...........first time camping without drink as well even though my bf brought a bottle of wine. Can so relate to that drunken night wee...........tended to crouch behind the car / bush rather than tramp to the loos. <hangs head in shame>
I had a lovely time in Pembrokeshire in St Davids......................in a tent overlooking the sea.................just by the coastal path......................got burnt though.............where did you go Bismarck?

Welcome to the posse CraigP....................saddle up..................and ride those cans out of town !! I'm 41 and have been living with my sister for the past 2 years :eek: Well done with the walking to work - how far is that?

The walk to work is roughly a 6-7 mile round trip and means more money saving on bus fares

TNG

yellowmonkey wrote: »

Hi

Still here.

Think it is time to show our appreciation to a certain someone

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=952291

ym

Awww shucks, thanks ym


and thanks YOU lot. You're ALL fabulous!! :T :T

Another NAD for me yesterday

barshamhillbilly

Morning All


Hi Craigp. Welcome aboard the wibbly wobbly wagon

Got through yesterday - tried some new alcohol free beer, doesn't save any money but at least its a start.

Camping - oh I miss that. We haven't been able to go since we bought the smallholding. Nearest we've got is a night out in the tent on the field for the kids.

I thought we could have another BHB's thought of the day -

"[FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif]Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.[/FONT]" (Hemingway).

Best wishes for today
BHB

mollypolly

CONGRATULATIONS Beckseven.

Well done TNG & BHB.

Love your 'thought of the day'BHB.(I may suggest this to DH:rolleyes: )

Have a good day all.Hope the sun shines on you.

Love Mollypollyxxxx:happylove

Bismarck

Well, good morning one and all.

I've not had a drink since June 3rd 2007 at about 11pm - that bit's kind of hazy...this is not the end by any means, simply the beginning of another year...

keep the faith, waggoneers!

jo1972

Morning all,

Welcome Craig :wave:

I'm really busy at the moment so shall pop in a bit later when it all calms down :rolleyes:

Was going to post a link to a song that I heard yesterday, bit of a carp song, but the lyrics are good. Unfortunately due to local council restrictions can't get on to youtube from here :mad:

Look it up, Bare Naked Ladies - Alcohol...here's the lyrics:

Alcohol, my permanent accessory
Alcohol, a party-time necessity
Alchool, alternative to feeling like yourself
O alcohol, I still drink to your health

I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol

Forget the caffe latte, screw the raspberry iced tea
A malibu and coke for you, a g&t for me
Alcohol, your songs resolve like
My life never will
When someone else is picking up the bill

I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol
O alcohol, would you please forgive me?
For while I cannot love myself
Ill use something else

I thought that alcohol was just for those with
Nothing else to do
I thought that drinking just to get drunk
Was a waste of precious booze
But now I know that theres a time
And theres a place where I can choose
To walk the fine line between
Self-control and self-abuse

I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol
Would you please ignore that you
Found me on the floor
Trying on your camisole?
O alcohol, would you please forgive me?
For while I cannot love myself
Ill use something else.

Would you please forgive me
Would you please forgive me

xx

shopaholictiedtheknot

beckseven wrote: »

I can totally relate to Nearly there's post about the reason for drinking. The downing wine asap to get that relaxed feeling is something I was starting to do more and more and I noticed that I was drinking faster than my friends when we went out and my husband. I disovered I was pregnant about 2 and a half weeks ago and have stopped drinking completely as I did with my previous pregnancy. Despite being in that early exhausted part of pregnancy I feel a hell of a lot better than when I was drinking. I know that I wont have a problem with wanting to drink whilst pregnant but i am worried that afterwards it will creep up again when I feel stressed. Right now I'm going to enjoy being alcohol free and healthy but seriously thinking whether I should think of trying not to drink again as I don't seem to be able to control it when I do. At the moment the merest whiff of alcohol makes me feel sick which is good-my DH had a can tonight and I could smell it really strongly! Always a good deterrent!

I too gave up when I found out I was pregnant and I craved it badly in the few weeks I was but managed to abstain, unfortunately I miscarried and in the turmoil I started drinking again, I am on day two now of my alcohol free week 1 and hoping to keep on the straight and narrow although my aim is to cut down and not to be tee-total for the time being.:D

shopaholictiedtheknot

nearly-there wrote: »

I said in a previous post, I would reflect on the reasons why I used to drink. This was based on one of Jo's posts - she's been asked by her counsellor to list the reasons why she drinks.
From when I started drinking (at about 16) I've been a binge drinker. I was the one who gulped the drink down........................and was often sick. I could drink faster than it affected me................not a good thing to do.............................but only drank on occasions. By the time I was in my twenties, and married I was drinking a bottle of wine per week...................and stopped being sick In my thirties this slowly increased to two to three bottles. Over the last few years I've been drinking 3-5 bottles of wine per week...................always drinking 1 bottle at a time and sometimes as much as 2 bottles.....................often falling asleep on the sofa.
So looking back right from the beginning, here are the reasons why I think I drank!!

In my teens
Excitement of underage drinking - forbidden fruit !!
Lack of confidence - dutch courage ??
It's what everyone else did - it was the norm.

In my twenties
Habit carried on from my university days....................but couldn't go out or couldn't afford to go out. Still drank in company. Enjoyed that 'me' time at the end of the week. Didn't get drunk very often because I had young kids.

In my thirties.
Marriage broke up. living alone in a new area. didn't know many people. Even less going out. Started to drink alone.................a bottle of wine one night a week. Enjoyed the escape from the everyday drudge of the rigours of life................this was relaxation, escapism and feeling good time.
I didn't drink when I went out..................would buy a bottle of wine on the way home so I could 'escape' and find peace by myself.................wanted to be alone.

Over the last few years
Drinking in company as well as alone..................downing a bottle of wine in about 3/4 of an hour :eek: Just wanting to get to that 'relaxed' feeling as soon as possible. Just felt very stressed and depressed. This I thought the drink relieved......................but stress is really a normal part of everyday life and looking back (with sober eyes these past 39 days), I think that the drink just made me more stressed leading to poor decision making in both my personal and work life, which in turn led to more stress and finally depression.

Looking back I can now see a pattern emerging with my drinking. At first I was led to believe that it made me feel better about myself and then it convinced me I couldn't relax without it and finally I just used it to 'escape' from the rigours of life!! Not nice eh!! Has anyone else looked back on their reasons for drinking. It's been enlightening (and scary) doing this !!..................but very worthwhile.

OMG I relate to everything except the uni part (cos I didn't go!) You could have been me writing that!! I have tried many times to put together the reasons for my excessive drinking and there you are writing it for me:eek:

Thank you!

jo1972

NT, thanks for posting your story....I've not got the guts to put mine on here yet (haven't even put it on paper for the counsellor tomorrow yet)

winebox

What a great lot of posts, Jo yours is brill have skimmed thro it but will def read it again, more than once.
Mollypolly thanx, Bis & BHB as per good ones,shopa hol (for short?) - et al, sorry if I forgot someone how do you all do it, scribble notes?

Nearly-there, It was good to read your history, thank you, & I was kept awake last night mulling over mine - not pretty. Don't think I'll post it but was useful exercise, early days drinking such fun but later how I have "blamed" others (like they were holding my nose & pouring it down my throat).

Can I just say & i don't know why (well I do I was PM'd, it wasn't nasty at all just suggested doubt) - when i posted re the 140 units per week i would not blame a lot of you for thinking yeah right, who's she trying to impress, mass exaggeration, who could do that etc....all I can say is, why would I lie? It was hard for me to put that in to print, it was hard for me to realise how STUPID I am being & if i did post my history (I won't, honest!! mind you it beats Peyton Place "WOT? say the younger ones?) you would see the long history of huge excess, & I am very very lucky to be here. All I would say is pls don't doubt the veracity of what I'm saying in this thread i have huge respect for all of you & you are helping me lots xx