So I've decided to give up the booze...

[LucyJones]

And so far my skin has broken out, I feel knackered all the time and grumpy

it's only been since Friday so this is the third day

tell me I'll feel healthily etc etc < eyes up corkscrew>

[thatsnotmymonkey]

Replace the booze for something delish.

I like Pelligrino over ice with lots of lemons and limes.

I do it for a month every year and I always feel amazing- full of energy, spakly eyes, clear skin.

It is just all the toxins working there way out.

You will feel good soon, promise.

Why the stoppage?

[Coca]

I gave up for six months and felt fab, went through the break out stage aswell.

[LucyJones]

Ooh that's what I need positive stories!

I guess it is detoxing, I haven't got the shakes though

two or three glasses of wine a night, sometimes more

feel like i need to stop as I find it hard to have a night off

[duckyfuzz]

it will be worth it, you will look better and sleep better, honest! try grapefruit juice with tonic water, its delicious! I stay off booze for at least 4 days a week now and as well as feeling better for it I drink less as I'm not used to it

[thatsnotmymonkey]

their

der!!

[LucyJones]

Yes that is my hope duckyfuzz to break the cycle of thinking ooh it's five o clock wine time!
And also it's got to the point when I want to do things that involve a drink
like go out at the weekend for a pub lunch rather than to a cafe that doesn't serve alcohol... Not good!

[duckyfuzz]

I know that routine v well Lucy!

[jamaisjedors]

You can do it!

I had to give up a couple of months ago because of my eczema, the first month or so was tough (and I only had a couple of beers a week and maybe 2 glasses of wine).

But I have got loads of lovely cordials which I mix with Perrier and now have no longings at all.

[LucyJones]

And did you lose weight ? < hopeful >

that's the other thing, I could do with losing a stone , maybe two and even though I'm 36 I'm starting to worry about diabetes etc. I'm 5ft 6 and 12.6 stone so am over my healthy bmi by quite a bit I think

[thatsnotmymonkey]

I did lose weight! I lost about 5 pounds. Hazzaah!!

[winnybella]

Oooh, I'll be watching this thread with interest.

I also got in a habit of having 2-3 (small) glasses of wine every night. I actually used to drink much more, up to a bottle few times a week, but then I had to stop when I got pg and now I don't feel like having more (dd is 16 mo).

It's totally this habit of looking at the clock and thinking, right, kids will be in bed soon, then I can sit down with a glass of wine and relax. It can't be very good, though.

I also should give up for at least next week, as have an exam and wine and revising don't go together.

So, would love to hera more inspiring stories/tips.

[duckyfuzz]

I lost weight, cut out other stuff too, but 2 stone down on a year ago

[LucyJones]

Duckyfuzz is fast becoming my favourite mumsnetter

[duckyfuzz]

[2old4thislark]

I gave it up last year for a few months as part of a diet and because I was enjoying my wine habit too much

I felt fab and so clear headed every morning, it was well worth it. I lost 2 stone too.

I have since relaxed a little but try not to open a bottle of wine mon-thur. I have kept most of the weight off too

I found the best thing was to replace one habit with another. So when I used to open a bottle of wine I would have a cup of tea/hot choc instead. Not as nice but it's all about habit, IMO.

Good luck!

[frazzled74]

another wine drinker here, i drink 2-3 glasses most nights and have decided to have 2 weeks of being teetotal (starts tomorrow), I then hope to be able to drink twice a week i just need to break the habit of grabbing wine out of fridge after dcs are in bed.good luck lucy and winny.!

[redredwhine]

Feel very ashamed of self reading here about people who think it's '5pm - wine time'. On my worst days, of which there have been many in recent months, I have had my first (small) glass of wine at 10.45am.
I have been drinking a half bottle most days but I sometimes have days when I don't drink and don't have a problem with it. Last year I gave it up for six weeks and felt loads better.
The trouble is, I think alcohol dependency creeps up on you, especially if, like me, you start using it as an anaesthetic/sedative.
I think I should give it up altogether as am not good at just cutting back.

[winnybella]

It definitely creeps up on you. I left home early (at 16) and worked in fashion- it was party after party almost every night. I started to drink at home, as well, first a mini bottle of beer, then Southern Comfort (ugh, yes, I know) by a glassful. Then I had a few years where I would drink anywhere from a half bottle to a bottle of wine every night. Some of it out, but a lot at home. In pg I only had an occasional tiny glass and when dd was born I didn't feel like drinkin a lot, but still have 1-3 small glasses of wine every evening. I don't feel like drinking more, so I guess that's good, but for the last ten years, except two pregnancies, times when I was ill and a handful of days when I just didn't feel like drinking I guess I didn't have a break. Quite scary, really.

[tortoiseonthehalfshell]

Lucy, you sound a lot like me, both in terms of quantity and habit. And i've put on weight recently since giving up breastfeeding.

I came down with a sickness thing Friday such that by Saturday morning I felt nauseated and flu-ish (don't actually have flu) and haven't been able to have even a glass of wine.

Now it's Tuesday and it's turned into a proper stomach bug with the symptoms you'd expect, which is odd after 4 days, but hey-ho.

But the point is, I've therefore not had a drink for 4 days, and that's ummm longer than it's been in a while. Thinking I might go on and stay sober through June to see what this whole sparkly eye thing is like. Once I've recovered from the bug, obviously.

[tortoiseonthehalfshell]

Oh, hey, here I've been thinking what kind of illness is both nausea/stomach cramps AND like mild flu, and also why am I being so bitchy?

Lightbulb, thanks Lucy. I think maybe it's just a stomach bug, which in turn led to not drinking, which in turn led to the tired/grumpy symptoms.

Hmmm.

[PortiaNovmerriment]

This is the thread for me! Tortoise- I used to find that I would wake up with stomach cramps if I had a night OFF the wine, so it could be related to withdrawal. I think your stomach gets used to dealing with the acid in booze or something- I don't know, but the pains are familiar to me.

I have recently cut down drastically- one night drinking, and just one bottle of wine spaced with soft drinks. I can't have more per week because of medication I'm now on.

A welcome result is that I look more well, and I think I must have lost weight already, because I bought some trousers a fortnight ago which now feel too big.

[2old4thislark]

I found the actual thought of giving up was actually worse than giving up itself.

The first few days are the worse but it's worth sticking with. It's only when you give up that you realise how groggy wine makes you feel the next morning.

[cluelessnchaos]

I am not drinking atm, 18 weeks preg, but I have felt amazing for it, I had got into the habit of drinking half a bottle of wine a night and I seriously dont miss it, I was feeling really crap and sluggish each morning and I really want to not go back to drinking at all after the baby is born. DH is still knocking back a few glasses a night when he is home and thats fine by me, I think it physically has a different affect on me, I did lose weight, skin cleared up, mood lifted, higher energy levels, cant believe I didnt give up years ago, its like the advert for smoking where aliens on a planet chew purple gum that makes them smell bad and makes them ill, because everybody does it we think it must be ok, but actually its not ok and I dont want it anymore.

I gave up a month before concieving and had a few glasses in previous pregnancys but have no desire for wine at all, camembert is a different matter entirely

[LucyJones]

Ooh glad I'm not the only one! Overslept today and feel headachy, I'm still waiting for the sparkly eyed bit!