Hi, I hope it’s ok to join. 😊
A late starter to DJ as was giving myself to the weekend past to indulge before DH and DC went back to work and school.
Last glass of wine was Sunday and now absolutely determined to to be dry the rest of the month, DH is also on board.
My love of wine has crept up in consumption throughout the year and gone from a good solid 4 days without anything to 2 at a push.
I have never had a problem with putting the lid back on the bottle and quite regularly will only have a couple of glasses but my anxiety, sleep patterns and general motivation in life are at a terrible level as well as my depressingly expanding waist line. I also turn 40 this year so absolutely determined to help myself go into it with a new positive and healthier outlook.
Food is my biggest issue. DH is a an awesome cook and I find it quite tricky sitting down to enjoy it without a glass of something to go with it, which tbh would be fine if I didnt now need the glass to relax while DH was cooking and then the glass/glasses after to chat our day away.
Like a previous OP I seem to have taken the notion that nothing could be as enjoyable without a glass, we probably won’t cook as many nice meals, our chat won’t flow as well, I won’t have the same lovely feeling of contentment that I do when my DC are all fed happy and playing and I have had a lovely bath, my candles are lit and have some music on but I’m trying to turn this on it’s head and tell myself that this thought process says more about my unhealthy relationship with alcohol than the enjoyment it brings me.
I haven’t read any books yet but I did successfully give up smoking 5 years ago using Alan Carr’s book (which I hear is very similar to the cutting back drink one) and I’m applying similar thought processes to DJ.
The deviancy of the alcohol companies to produce something so dangerous, addictive, and mind consuming (the constant head chatter) that’s makes us keep buying it and lining their pockets.
He also talks about looking at the people that are going about their daily lives with just as much enjoyment as us without the crutch ie nicotine/alcohol and how it’s shows us it’s the dependency that makes us think things can’t be good without but the simple truth is life can be as good...better!!
Most of us don’t use heroin and go about our normal life’s quite happily without but heroin users similarly think life wouldn’t be so good without.
Lastly (of which I can remember) he also talks about the relief happiness we get from pouring a glass of something/lighting a cig/eating a sugary cream cake and how we tell ourself it’s the right thing to do because it gives us satisfaction and makes us happy when all it is relieving the end of the withdrawal and resetting the clock to when we will feel we need it again.
His techniques are possibly quite dated but thought I’d share the bits that helped me.
Lastly I read somewhere yesterday that the celebration of winter and festivals actually ran all the way through to February in days gone by and where we modernly now put so much pressure on ourselves to be motivated, self critical and unkind to ourselves in January they carried on the festivities, feasting and joy till the beginning of February making Jan a much nicer month.
So other then stopping drinking wine, getting a bit more fresh air and upping my water I shall be making the most of my fairy lights, winter candles, cheese boards, posh chocolates and expensive bubble baths and being very kind to myself this month.