February alcohol free/moderation thread - graduates and flunkies of Dry Jan 2023, new members welcome!

[MeinKraft]

Dry January has come to an end (sooner for some of us than others ) but the alcohol free fun doesn't have to stop there!

Whether you're wanting to extend your drought, moderate your drinking on an ongoing basis or are thinking of going dry for Lent and want to prepare why not join us to discuss all things alcohol free!

That’s interesting @Stickywhitelovepiss . Were you drinking at home? Well done for completing your 12 weeks. What are you going to do now?
I’ve still not had any alcohol. I’m not convinced I can moderate at all and am worried that even an underwhelming experience with half a bottle like yours will reverse everything I’ve achieved this far!

That's exactly how I felt sticky, it was utterly underwhelming and I resented the feeling afterwards more than I enjoyed the experience at the time.

DH also seems unbothered, though we do still enjoy an AF drink at the weekends. I think I will stick to just drinking when we're out for a treat / special occasion. I'm going to attempt to do as a poster on the original threads (I think) suggested and allow myself 60 drinking days a year. I'm currently on 6 so definitely on track 🙂

@FlightDeckBuckarooo @Champagneforeveryone - I don't right know what I'll do now.

Till now, I was working on the basis of drinking moderately a couple of times a week - and having to closely monitor self to stick to that. I still find myself wanting the red wine experience - just less the reality!

I'll have to see how I go.

Same here , I don't want to risk it. Tried Moretti beer AF and it's really nice.

@Champagneforeveryone Why 60 specifically? It’s not a bad idea though. I might limit myself to 52 - once a week. If I want an extra day for special occasions I’ll have to save a week or two. Amazing 52 drinking days sounds like quite a lot.

I was also thinking I should drink something less quaffable than my light dry rose or fizz. More red perhaps? Although reds are much stronger than 11% Prosecco.

What I want to know is how are French women not raging alcoholics. I mean I’m sure some are but it never appears to be on the scale of the U.K.

I have definitely noticed a change in my alcohol habits. I really don't crave it anymore and actually kinda grudge the morning after feeling. I do normally have a home date night once a week with DH. We put the kids to bed eat dinner together, chat and enjoy prosecco. I actually enjoy that but don't really enjoy sitting having wine on the sofa etc now. I had 2 white wine spritzers last night and really just wondered why I bothered so went to bed. I woke up feeling fine. I don't want my weekends to be me being over tired because I had to much wine.

aaarrrrgggghhhh I haven't really considered why 60 TBH, that was what the PP had said and it seemed a good idea. It also works out at about 1 in every 6 days which seemed to give a little more leeway for holidays etc.

I'm currently on 7 days and at the end of March I could be at 15 and still be on track. I'm secretly quite chuffed with that 🙂

@Champagneforeveryone yes 7 days is very good!
I previously said it was great idea until I remembered I drunk for pretty much all of 2023 up until pancake day. So that’s about 50 days gone already….😳

Sounds like some habits are changing?

I've stopped thinking about drinking which is weird. Haven't had a drink since mid Jan, sort of thinking I might keep going.

Habits are a changing here too
I had a bottle of wine last weekend , which lasted 3 nights ( faints )
I found I stopped hankering for a glass of wine , knowing I was allowing myself to have a drink at the weekend
( though I didn’t go shopping on Sunday , just in case an extra bottle found it’s way into my trolley )
As long as temptation isn't in the fridge , I’m ok !
Still , it’s definitely progress

Hi everyone, just checking in for a quick hello.
Good to see that things are going fine for most of you. I've been (mostly) OK with my 1-2 times per week, which usually means splitting a bottle of wine with DH on Friday and Saturday. The trick for me is to leave it until later in the evening, so I don't want to carry on after it's finished.

This is an ongoing problem for me: I want to keep going once I start. I was at a gig at the weekend and drank WAAAY too much. Hangover and everything. The challenge for me is being able to stop when I've started; especially when in a 'going out' situation and with company.

On the whole though, I'm doing well.

Stay strong everyone 🙂

Hi - just read back a few posts, though I'd updated no alcohol since Jan when we went to an evening with friends. Not really missing it tbh. No migraines since; first one looming today but that's it.

I'm also doing well after 3 months off, something that I never thought would be possible at the outset of this year. Am reintroducing a glass of wine or two a couple of nights a week now, but finding it pretty easy to keep the rest of the week wine free, and to keep to alloted limits. Still an 80% plus reduction, and under 14 units a week.

No way I'd be so complacent to say I've forever cracked moderation, but it's been a positive start...

This has genuinely been one of the best and most empowering things I've ever done, for sure.

Hope everyone else is doing ok...?

I didn't make it through the month back then, but I can say that I've drunk less this year than since I stopped serious sport training 30 years ago. I probably have 2-3 drinks a fortnight. I do have some nonalcoholic beers from time to time, and I really like that they're so available now. I can't remember when I last had a hangover. Glad so many are doing so well.

I do have AF beer every night that I'm not drinking - seems to scratch the itch without unleashing the beast. I tell myself it's a fermented food so healthy 😉

Did anyone else find that the desire for booze kicked in with a bit of sunshine? I had a Mini bottle of Prosecco on Mother’s Day and that’s been it since January, I genuinely don’t think about booze day to day. It was lovely and warm yesterday and as I was leaving work I just wanted to go and sit in the sun somewhere and drink lots of lovely gin or a big glass of ice cold Sauvignon blanc.

I was surprised at how much I wanted it tbh.

Very much so. I knew it would be an issue, but I wasn't really prepared for how much so.

Again I'm not so fussed when staying at home, but the prospect of sitting in a pub garden in the sun is irresistible 😬

This is where the AF beers come in for me!