Good morning all! thanks for the new thread @Patbutcherismyhero. Almost feels like a fresh new start!
This will be Day AF - I'm so chuffed to get to 10, it's half way through my first target of 20 days (I do have other milestones for after 20 days).
I totally resonate with the suspicion of people who don't drink. Not many of my actual family drink that much but my in-laws, who I spend the majority of my 'family' time with, are very heavy drinkers. I haven't spent much time with my own family in recent years and that is definitely due to me drinking and not wanting to travel anywhere or commit to doing anything the next day as I usually feel rough. I no longer get invited to events as I usually make up a moody excuse and decline. As I do with all of my social events that are outside of my drinking circle. Update though - I have been invited to a little family member's birthday celebrations on Saturday, about an hour's drive away, starting about 10am, which I am taking my daughter to. She'll be able to see all of her cousins (in my family) and I'm actually really looking forward to it. Looking forward to getting up early, packing a picnic and then having a little road trip to the coast. Unheard of!
@fluckityfluckfluck I'm really sorry and I have to apologise but your fake pregnancy/miscarriage story made me chuckle. That is exactly the sort of hare-brained scheme that would cross my mind! Still chuckling now - sorry...
i think this weekend will be fine for me to get through AF however the real proper challenge for me will be next weekend as it is our wedding anniversay and we are going out with my best friend and her husband as it is also their anniversary. What would be the norm is that i would have a few drinks late afternoon and then into the evening whilst getting ready, taxi to the restaurant, copious bottles of wine, spirits and dessert wine then back to theirs to party until about 3/4am. These are the two people that we drink with the most regularly and the most heavily - especially me and my best friend. I have said to them that I will drive but it wouldn't be unheard of for us to leave the car in the car park and pick it up the next day (probably the day after that if I'm honest - many a time has the car been left in a car park for a few days after a spontaneous binge. I'm trying not to think about that too much as it will overwhelm me. I'm hoping that I'll have racked up enough AF days that I won't want to ruin my hard work.
And @fluckityfluckfluck - you are far from a crap mum, you are here on this thread, investing in yourself, being aware, and caring about yours and your family's future. A crap mum wouldn't even care about changing.
Welcome to all of the new joiners, this is a really good, supportive and non-judgemental thread. I'm very grateful for it, I wouldn't have been able to get this far without this and being able to be open and honest.
Frolickinglemon - when you join this new thread (I hope you do), I also avoid any outside social interaction after 6pm as I'm normally lost to the cause by then. You're not alone there.
@ErinBrockovich ditto - I never did anything unless we could walk there as it would interfere with my drinking. We went to a Dessert restaurant one morning, after going to the kids early cinema showing, as a birthday treat for my daughter and we were horrified to find that that they didn't serve alcohol! We never went back again despite her asking on a almost fanatically regular basis. I think that they were always 'fully booked. I was really hungover that day as well and really needed a hair of the dog. I actually took a travel mug with wine and ice into the cinema just to get me through the animated hangover hell. I saw people that I knew in there as well and thought nothing of telling them that I had wine in my flask. God. That's another story that I normalised.
Darcyshirt that's brilliant about the 1 unit beer. sometimes, just the initial taste/sip/drink is what I'm after. I would still then polish off a whole bottle
Railings - that's brilliant progress. It's so good when those who are important to you support you and don't try and dissuade you. I'm hoping that it will be the same for me as well next week. I hope that they respect my choices and don't pressure me to have a drink. I'm very, very easily led and constantly get FOMO.
@BooksMusicSnacks that is fantastic! I am not a runner at all but now you've made me want to go for an early morning run! Not now of course, I've spent too long writing this oversized post!!
Oooh - everyone, we had a personal trainer come to the house last night and we did EXCERSISE! So chuffed with myself. And we've arranged for her to come at 6/6.30pm twice a week which should hopefully mean that I can't even consider thinking about drink as I'll be too busy focussing on preparing to become the new Jessica Ennis (or some other really fit and healthy female).
@Patbutcherismyhero my absolute thanks to you for starting this post - I owe you a lot!!
Really must do some work now....