The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread!

shopaholictiedtheknot

Morning all

AFD 3 for me today:T so proud of myself:D feel really well today had a great night's sleep and feeling really positive today!

Winebox you make me laugh - I am constantly thinking up excuses - love the puddle one :rotfl:

Good luck today everyone :beer:

biscotte

good morning all. Thanks everyone for posting - this is a great thread and really helps me focus.

I'm away this weekend visiting a group of old friends and have tons of things to do and people to see. So much so that I really can't afford to get drunk which is going to be challenging as I am with people who would expect me to drink and there are two evenings out/parties.

So, do you have any favourite methods for avoiding drinking too much? or am I just doomed?

Pippilongstocking

Biscotte - i kept myself busy when my pals decended on me for the weekend, poured everyone drinks and so my gin and tonic, essentially looked the part but was tonic. I told myself I could drink later on if I wanted too but not til after 11ish - when kids had vamoosed, by which time the notion had pretty much gone as I was so knackered from running around after everyone else.

I was first to do the washing up, refill glasses, clear tables etc, so I found it easier to say, ok I will get myself a drink in a mo, to my pal as my hands were in the sink, making a cake, or just managed to leave drinks everywhere.

Some folk intermit drinking with a glass water but I have't found that helps me much - its easier for me to limit the time I can actually drink. Goodluck.

Managed an AFD yesterday, the first one seems like the hardest somehow.

Winebox - start every day with good intentions but then...hey, I drove through a puddle on the way home from work, better have some wine. The shop sold out of my favourite newspaper, better buy a couple of bottles instead. No doubt there'll be some overwhelming "reason" later today but....I'll think of you trying too.

This is so me as well, my resolve generally buckles around tea time, when the dog looks at me funny, kids fight (dont they always??), um its tea time, or I seem to find some malise that needs a glass of wine. Odd if I can get through this time, I tend to be ok (ish). Even caught myself saying oh I will just have one after being away - then the other voice (I tend to think of is as someone from here (?!) [sorry, meant nicely] - saying 'hmm you know you can't do just the one, why do you need it; come on take control.'

I will think of you guys both trying - might keep my resolve up.

jo1972

I'm back

Been away from MSE and the internet as a whole for a little while, I need to get my head together big time.

AFD2 today, felt great when I got up this morning. This makes a change, most days I've forgotten what I'm doing, did do and should be doing. Been hiding the empties from the family in the rubbish and been highly sensitive to anyone going in the kitchen for the last couple of weeks incase I was rumbled

I realised how bad it had been when last night OH said that the final of Hell's Kitchen USA was on, which I've really enjoyed and watched avidly, obviously avidly p!ssed too as I was really surprised it was on considering I thought it had finished last week and couldn't remember even who was in the final

I've had more excuses than ever to make a last minute trip to the shops by myself to buy alcohol, OH couldn't understand why I didn't buy these thing's 'I'd forgotten' when I was in Tesco half hour previous. He didn't seem to realise that I could barely stay awake past 10pm every evening, even though at one point I was actually quite tipsy by 7pm and hadn't even started the dinner yet!

I was never this bad and now realise that every time you stop and start again, you very very quickly reach your tolerance level and it's gets higher and higher with every days drinking.

I've once again spent no decent quality time with the kids for a few weeks, I've spent my time worrying about how to buy alcohol, where to hide it, how to drink it without anyone knowing, where to stash the empties and how to function knowing I'm 3 sheets to the wind

I had a severe hangover yesterday, the tale tell signs being that I couldn't face a coffee in the morning, only drank water. I had no money whatsoever which meant that I couldn't buy alcohol. The nice guy over the corner shop usually gives credit but I couldn't risk it as I already owe from the previous day and so didn't have the front to ask. So I decided that enough was enough and didn't have a drink. The funny thing is that I although the afternoon thinking about it was tense, the drive home knowing I'm not going to have it was hell and the first hour indoors was unbearable, by the time I got through making dinner and sat myself down in front of the telly (summat I've not done for a while as I'm normally sat in the kitchen drinking myself to death), I actually enjoyed the sobriety! I enjoyed watching 2 hours worth of Hells Kitchen and stayed awake, I ate an evening meal which I haven't done for a month or so and then went to bed and thought about nice things rather than morbid feelings I get when I've had a drink i.e. worrying whether I'm going to wake up

Right, enough 's I'm going to read through the rest of the posts that I've missed for the last few weeks and hope and pray to god that I can get through tonight.

Hope everyone's well?

xx

mollypolly

HI JO.:hello: :hello:
Welcome back and GOOD LUCK.

Love Mollypollyxxxx

SiannieLaz

morning all,
catching up with all the weekends posts, had coursework to do all weekend. AFD8 today for me, but feeling very low for some reason. could absolutely murder a drink although I don't really want one, if that makes any sense! Guess I'm just having an off day, I can't expect them all to disappear, just gonna have to deal with it without getting drunk:(
bummer, it's times like this that I wish I could be like all those other people that can just have 1 glass and leave it at that.
Never mind, onwards and upwards I spose.

Wanna_Bee_Free

Winebox,thanks, next time I'm trying to convince myself of a reason I hope to remember your puddle and newspaper excuses and see if I can laugh at myself and spot what I'm doing before I fall for it. Good luck tonight.

Hi Jo, glad you're back. Your stuff about forgetting who was even in the final of Hell's Kitchen is very true for me too (not that program though!) I am happy to watch films etc a second time as too drunk the first time to remember them clearly. It's just as well they have those recaps at the beginning of a lot of shows as it can sometimes be news to me what happened the previous week.

Wonder if the recycling guys comment as they empty out the bottles from my house each week - that was one of the tube posters from Drink Aware recently. http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/campaigns
And while looking for that found this article which said one in six people worried about the amount they drink based on the number of bottles they recycled.
So at least we are not alone.
http://www.radiocity.co.uk/Article.asp?id=942386&spid=20274

Fay, well done on an AFD and thanks for the hint on limiting the time you drink. You're not back to Square One, don't be too hard on yourself.

Different Corner & Shopaholic thanks for your positive posts on AFD3, although that seems a long way off right now.

Thought I'd list some of the ways I have attempted to limit my drinking before. Unsuccessfully maybe but in case it helps with ideas.
Soft drink in between (usually only manage the first soft drink before I don't care any more but it's one less drink).
Taking only a little cash to the pub - other people were generous though
Driving
Arriving a little late so avoiding the first round or two
Being on antibiotics - not unless the doc has told me I can't though
Drinking something that's not a drink I enjoy as much as my usual tipples. Actually, as I'm writing this I think might give this one another go next time I'm out.
Fay used this one recently too. I said I was trying to lose weight (which I was) and so drank spirit and diet mixer. Then I'd have just the mixer when I made my own or bought the round.
Once I'm totally hammered switching to water. Although by this point the bar may well have been drunk dry!

The day before you leave you could try the I have to be up early/drive tomorrow excuse for a lighter evening?

I've not been very successful with these, but maybe a bit of damage limitation in there that made the hangover less.

winebox

Hi Jo, so sorry you've been through the mill laely, well done for starting over & hope tonight is good.
Fay - I got through the danger time of getting tea ready - always my weak spot too. Hope you & everyone else last the evening. WBF. Shoppy.
Siannie well done, 8 days!

Well, shouldn't have joked about feeble excuses earlier...& what did I say about an overwhelming reason to drink later on?.....just heard my Dad's been diagnosed with liver cancer (how ironic). Nothing whatsoever to do with booze - he's never been a drinker & is not the source of my bad habits. I don't really feel like a drink now, it seems a bit sick to run off & hit the bottle in the circs. There's a difficult road ahead, they're not offering any treatment due to his age (91) but I guess he won't be going home again long-term. Until only 2 or 3 weeks ago he's been living on his own, quite self-sufficient no carers needed, even still playing golf (on foot - no buggies!) so despite his age it's come as a shock. He doesn't deserve this.

Sorry to be a downer, but if I can get thro tonight YOU BLO0DY WELL CAN!

Pippilongstocking

WB - sorry to hear your news x

Bismarck

fayjmck wrote: »

WB - sorry to hear your news x

me too.

take care