The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

In_a_Mess_3

Morning!!

Am sitting here feeling good!!

A Saturday night without alcohol, woo hoo!!! :j

I am so pleased that I am not hungover this morning and feel like getting on with things today instead of feeling fuzzy and horrid :rotfl:

Well done to everyone else embarking on this journey too, one day at a time :T

polaroid

Hey guys, thanks for the nice welcome. was feeling very vertious last night. had my first saturday (in, actually I have no idea how long, scarily) with out a bottle of wine or two for company. my daughter always stays with her dad on a sat night so i consider it my "treat" night. I was just wondering, what do other people do instead of "drink". I had three cups of hot choc, a big bag of maltesers and a bag of crisps and sent my self to bed at 11am before i ate anything else...i dont really want to substitute alcohol for food...why cant i just watch tv and not have to put in anything in my mouth....(no rude suggestions please!!) . i lost a lot of weight over the last year and i know this sounds stupid in the grand scheme of things but i am really scared of putting it back on...
thanks for all the posts and yours bismarck - a very true sentiment

Bismarck

polaroid wrote: »

Hey guys, thanks for the nice welcome. was feeling very vertious last night. had my first saturday (in, actually I have no idea how long, scarily) with out a bottle of wine or two for company. my daughter always stays with her dad on a sat night so i consider it my "treat" night. I was just wondering, what do other people do instead of "drink". I had three cups of hot choc, a big bag of maltesers and a bag of crisps and sent my self to bed at 11am before i ate anything else...i dont really want to substitute alcohol for food...why cant i just watch tv and not have to put in anything in my mouth....(no rude suggestions please!!) . i lost a lot of weight over the last year and i know this sounds stupid in the grand scheme of things but i am really scared of putting it back on...
thanks for all the posts and yours bismarck - a very true sentiment

you're welcome...

excellent question..."the void"...how to fill it?

Firstly - it's again a readjustment phase...do something different...I started reading to the kids more and getting more into it because I appreciated it more. In my own way I was trying to make amends.

Eating wise, I've nibbled far more than I used to - such that the calories that I'd saved from not drinking were spent on grub that I didn't really need....so I didn't lose weight although, realistically, it should have come off without too much effort.

Simply - treat this as a new you...a new improved you and the new you needs to do something with the time that is now available....enjoy your freedom.

jo1972

Morning all

In a mess & Polaroid, congrats for having a sober Saturday, remember the buzz you woke up to this morning, this will help you later today

Eselt, that must've been an really horrible experience :eek: no wonder you turned to drink! I'm glad you are both on talking terms now even if you can't be together, at least you can both forgive yourselves and move on.

Bis, the 'giving up' thing is very true. Last year I started a giving up smoking thread on DFW and quite a lot of the way through people were coming on saying you're not giving something up, you're quitting something you don't want to do anymore! Did debate on changing the name, but it got a popular thread in the end and didn't want people to not be able to find it if they needed the support!

How's everyone else this morning? I am very happy to be sober, not spent over £100 now and today (excuse the slight blip last week :rolleyes: ) I've been quit for a month :j

It is not easy, but definately is beginning to feel easier. The cravings, when I get them, are just as bad, but they don't come as often as the first couple of weeks. Plus I am getting using to not drinking i.e. losing the habit of constantly drinking throughout the evening. Unfortunately picking up a chocolate habit but hey ho, that doesn't stop my liver working :rotfl:

Please stick with it everyone, because it is worth it! :beer: :rolleyes: :coffee:

xx

polaroid

hhmmm, thanks for that. a lot to think about. i used to paint and draw a lot, maybe i should take that up again - at least it will give me something to do with my hands!!
failing that, it goes back to the old - if you havnt got it available - you cant do it. i think this applies to food and drink!

jo1972

Bismarck wrote: »

the calories that I'd saved from not drinking were spent on grub that I didn't really need....so I didn't lose weight although, realistically, it should have come off without too much effort.

Morning Bis :wave:

Imagine how many calories there are in 3 or 4 litres of Stella :eek: :eek: I'm surprised I'm not the size of a horse! OH looked at me yesterday when I opened up my double decker (after a small bowl of ice cream) and said that I was going to get fat. But he doesn't realise how much liquid calories I used to pack away every night so I doubt a choc bar a day would make a lot of difference!

jo1972

polaroid wrote: »

hhmmm, thanks for that. a lot to think about. i used to paint and draw a lot, maybe i should take that up again - at least it will give me something to do with my hands!!
failing that, it goes back to the old - if you havnt got it available - you cant do it. i think this applies to food and drink!

Polaroid, I've had counselling many a time, but it's only this last time that it seemed to work. This time my keyworker told me the only way I was going to crack it, is to completely change my routine. One of my triggers is driving home from work, so now I drive a slightly different route so that I don't go past the offy. He told me not to even look over towards the alcohol aisle in tesco. I mustn't spend too long in the kitchen as that's where most of my drinking took place and when I get home I must go straight into the lounge and sit down rather than go straight to the kitchen fridge and open a can. I sit down with the kids now and play with them, go on the laptop, watch films, read the newspapers, eat loads of chocolate, in fact do everything that I didn't do before. Anything to get a new routine....it does work, trust me. I did drink copious amounts of Lilt, but have now slowed down on that, I don't feel as though I need to be drinking 'something' as much.

It's all about a complete change of lifestyle to take your mind away from your old life, that, and if you're honest, you don't want anymore anyway....so change everything and make it easier for yourself

polaroid

i once saw a programme that showed how much sugar was in wine such as rose, i couldnt beleive. it really is just empty calories. even though i am eating more i am sure that even after a week my tummy is a bit flatter (might just be because i can stand still at the end of the night though!!) lol

Bismarck

jo1972 wrote: »

Morning Bis :wave:

Imagine how many calories there are in 3 or 4 litres of Stella :eek: :eek: I'm surprised I'm not the size of a horse! OH looked at me yesterday when I opened up my double decker (after a small bowl of ice cream) and said that I was going to get fat. But he doesn't realise how much liquid calories I used to pack away every night so I doubt a choc bar a day would make a lot of difference!

morning Jo....:hello:

something that hasn't really been mentioned is the post drinking munchies that go on! after a few beers the fridge gets opened or the takeaway is ordered and of course there is little resistance and you can consume half the days calories after your evening meal...just because your body doesn't know when to stop...or it's craving foods to soak up the booze.

beachbeth

I feel awful this morning. It was my daughter's 21st and we had people round for nibbles and drinks and then off down the town to a pub and a club. There was no way I could have abstained from drinking. My parents came for the drinks before we all left for town and, Im afraid, my mum is horrible when she's drunk. She snipes and has a go at everyone (whether she knows them or not) and it makes me feel so embarrassed. If I hadn't had a drink myself I would have ended up in my bedroom upset and it would have spoilt it for my daughter.

Having a drink made my mum bearable and we did all enjoy the night. Ive got a hangover this morning. I would have been just as happy staying sober, waving everyone off and settling down in front of the tv. But she is only 21 once and wanted everyone there. I know its my parents that I get my alcohol addiction from but my dad and I are happy drunks whereas my mum isn't. I couldn't have coped last night without a drink.

Well done everyone else who is managing to abstain - keep up with the helpful hints and suggestions. I shan't be drinking for a few days now and maybe longer than that.