The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

Pippilongstocking

Hi guys
Well for me tonight my £4.99 is in a jar on my desk and no wine today I am saving up my wine bottle money. Very thoughtful day for me, one day done.

I know chucking it down the sink is really the best thing for any of it - I think its that whole, frugality thing, this thing takes over me but oh no can't waste anything - so don't put it down the sink. That waste of 'money' thing drives so much I guess, whereas - if I drink it (well it ends up down the loo) funny how we are conditioned to not waste.

It was that conditioning I was talking about, the dont waste things bit. To feel wasteful about getting rid of something that's so much of a curse by tipping it down the sink is you are right silly.

Everytime i sit down on the sofa glass of wine in hand to switch of my head, I usually miss my programme on the tv, cos i fall asleep or miss the movie, cos of booze -- I would rather than read a book, see a film or programme or be nicer to myself, thats a shame, like some others I live alone, no one sees me drink I don't normally drink in public cos of the car, and have found myself shying away from things because I dont want to have just one drink - so I'd rather drink it at home.

You are right its such a waste - of money, health, time and headspace.

All it does for me is switch my head off temporarily - when i feel mostly that i cant cope - and you are all right they seem far worse,, more depressing and it seems so stupid in the morning.

Problem is that its so hard to avoid any of it - its everywhere, how do you all do it??

Leigh73

Hi guys and girls,

I'm sat up in bed, can't stop crying, barely able to think straight. Can't get my girlfriend back. Feel so flippin' lonely it's untrue.

Drank from last Thursday until yesterday, costing me £350.

My chest pains are scaring me, and my head is racing.

Is anyone online here to talk please?

Thank You

Wanna_Bee_Free

Hi Simeon, sorry I wasn't around earlier and missed your post - looks like you've gone offline now. Nothing I type seems adequate somehow. Hope you are ok.

This thread is really making it coming home to me how much I need to change my habits. I am awake with the aftereffects of 3 pints of strong cider last night, feeling sick, dodgy stomach, and I'm pretty sure the drunken stop off on the way home for the dodgy saveloy and chips is really helping too!

fayjmck, I have been too scared to face up to the alcohol spends in the past, although we did take it out of the groceries budget which made that one a whole lot easier to manage. Now it's comes out of general spending. Your jar idea makes sense to me, I guess you could just try it and see. I've done the fairy liquid thing on leftover food before.

Cost of wine, usually between £4.29 and £6.79 depending on whether it's for general daily (! that's too right now I've typed it) consumption or for taking to a friends house. I'm a sucker for those heavily reduced bottles each week, especially if it's a wine I've had before and enjoyed. Although probably kidding myself if I think I can distinguish one of these gut rot bottles from another.

So, this week I started with the aim of 3 AFDs. So far both Day 1 and 2 I've drunk far too much and paid the price the next day. Will try again tomorrow.

Bismarck

saving money on booze is a funny one...whether it's buying it in 3 for 2 deals or a slab of lager or a bottle of cheap vodka....part of you is telling yourself that it's you being "good" and "frugal" and you're saving money by either not going out or by drinking cheaply.....a cheap drink is a cup of tea or coffee...

eselt summed up the effects well. oddly enough, before I came online I was thinking about rising unemployment and how to keep a job...one of the best ways of doing it has to be to make you, as an employee, indispensible and be the one who has the best attendance record and productivity rate.....unless I'm very much mistaken, drinking on a daily basis doesn't help with this - (despite the stuff they say about a glass of wine a day being good for you...that's all very well for those who can just have one glass and put the bottle away and drink it over 5 or six days.....(yeah, right :rolleyes:))

can you take a look at yourself through an employers eyes and see how you appear? do you ever come into work hungover? have you ever rung in sick because you've overdone it?

if an employer is looking to cut jobs, you need to do your best to make sure it's not you ...tough times....take care

shopaholictiedtheknot

Morning all,

Leigh hope you are ok? Try not to beat yourself up about your binge, we have all been there in our darkest times and you will pull through ((hugs))

AFD for me again yesterday despite a family row in the morning which left me stressed all day, I had to pick up DD at seven from her drama class so that helped as I couldn't start the minute I got home which is how it usually pans out:o I am going to try and have another one today, although am having a bad day already, work atmosphere is still rubbish and I have headache from the volume of calls I am taking! Oh well keeps me out of mischief I s'pose!

I have the week off next week so that will be a testing time, long days drawn out before me with every opportunity.... :rolleyes:

winebox

Lots of posts to answer!
Shoppy - IF I ever get my money-saving jar going (:o yesterday, 3 times I decided to cave in but walked away to a cup of tea/soup/coffee instead but finally.....I didn't go out & buy any but the RED wine which I've happily ignored for weeks & weeks....was very nice)....I am going to put in £7 a day which I reckon is a fair average......when I'm not bothering to try & cut down (and believe it or not, I AM bothered) I buy by the case from various suppliers when on offer so still manage to get decent stuff for less than £4 a bottle and unfortunately for my lack of "won't power" the bloomin' village shop always has quite good stuff @ 2 for £7.50. Amazingly, I am quite fussy! Won't drink any old stuff.

Bis, in all these years I have only ever missed one morning's work, & that was a combination of booze / bad cold. I rarely feel hungover (tho 3 bottles will do it.....) I truly believe I do not look like a boozer ie I don't have bad skin, generally pretty bright-eyed & have had less sick-leave (for any reason) than anyone else there! (25 women)...I take your point though. Never one to be compacent I would probably be the last to be got rid of as I am working well below my ability / worth (where is a decent part-time job?) & so do the job far better than anyone else...that sounds so conceited!! Probably yet another strand in my drink habit...only need half a brain to do my job & am bored. Always on the lookout for other work but hard to come by.

It just occurred..think how GREAT I'd feel without the wine if I'm this "well" without it.

Siannie - what a cheek asking if you're pregnant!! My weight is also round the middle, NOT a good look thank goodness can cover up in the colder weather - but I am far too old to be asked a question like that!

A lovely day weather-wise.........hope all well

(Lastly...DD had first orthodontist consultation this morning, it would be my luck that what she needs isn't covered by the NHS, so that's £700 to find.....& to think, 100 AFDs will cover it. Scary. How could I say no if that's "all" it takes?)

shopaholictiedtheknot

I too, have rarely missed a days work over the years but I have come in feeling very ropey a lot of times and been guzzling down extra strong mints in an attempt to cover up wine-breath!!!

I have recently converted to red wine - I used to hate it but somehow white wine has lost its appeal to me

LOL wish I could say that of all alcohol!!!

115K

Leigh73 wrote: »

I'm sat up in bed, can't stop crying, barely able to think straight. Can't get my girlfriend back. Feel so flippin' lonely it's untrue.
Drank from last Thursday until yesterday, costing me £350.
Simeon (Leigh)

I usually just lurk as well but I thought I would log in to hope that you are feeling better today Leigh. I would go and see your GP and see if she/he could maybe help you with this time in your life, maybe some anti-d's or to refer you to counselling. Take care. x

I think people on this thread are doing very well with the battle to stay away from drink.

I don't even want to calculate how much money I have spent on alcohol over the years.:eek:

eselt

Hi All- hope you are all OK. Leigh-where are you? You sound very depressed and 115k is right, you need to go to your GP before you feel worse- drinking will make you feel much worse too- take care and best of luck.

Bis you are absolutely right about the employer thing- I had to leave my job after turning up after lunch smelling of wine- I got sent home and was going to be disiplined but I resigned before it came to that- looking back it was pretty obvious I was developing a drink problem, even though I thought I hid it well- I think they were looking to get rid of me anyway as people were beginning to gossip and I gave them the perfect opportunity. Mind you on the plus side it did make me realise how work stress had contributed to my drinking, I started to feel better as soon as I walked out the door, something just seemed to lift off my shoulders. Looking back it was for the best, I would never have got back on track working those ridiculous hours and all the bullying and stress. Its a vicious circle though, being hungover means you underperform at work, which makes you panic and anxious, you have trouble sleeping so you drink more.........

Bismarck

eselt wrote: »

Its a vicious circle though, being hungover means you underperform at work, which makes you panic and anxious, you have trouble sleeping so you drink more.........

indeed it is...never been that good at just "turning off" and even now, unwinding is hard work...still many triggers but it's all a learning curve.

got to be quick today...good luck everyone!