Anybody else doing Sober October?

[Trodincatsickagain]

I know there’s been a long running thread for years for dry January but I fancy having a break through October, in preparation for Xmas, give the liver a break beforehand - that is all meant very tongue in cheek 😜

Anyone fancy joining?

@Trodincatsickagain - surprisingly well, just a slight bruised feeling thankfully.
Sorry to hear you’re not so good, hopefully a quiet day and a walk to blow away the cobwebs will help. The trees here are so pretty and autumnal now 🍂 x

At 82 l won't give up my 2 whisky s a day as my wife passed away a few weeks ago , but l wish all you very lovey ladies well with an alcohol free October, very well done ladies all of you William

Thank you mintydogg for the encouragement and I don’t think I would be giving up my daily tipple either if I made it to my 80s 😊

So sorry to hear about your wife, please look after yourself.

Minty, thank you for writing here, it’s so lovely to have your support. Like TrodIn, I’m so sorry for you loss & fully agree with your whiskies & wish you many more years of enjoying them.
With love 🤗

Evening all - I was meant to be going out for a meal but still feeling a bit delicate so I’m currently sitting nursing a glass of ginger ale and trying to find something watchable, which is easier said than done… I’ve exhausted Netflix and now currently trawling Disney.

Day 4 almost down and I hope that everybody is feeling really pleased with themselves for getting this far and hope that you’re having a good evening!

@Trodincatsickagain Same here. Night in front of the telly with a few snacks and pint of sparkling water! Got apple tv+ recently and there's a few good movies on there. What are your snacks of choice? I've gone for pic n mix sweets.

Go you Missyelif! I’m in a savoury mood tonight and have opted for crisps and chunks of the mature cheddar block in the fridge 😄. I’m holding off with Apple TV until December - I love severance and will watch both seasons again then and hopefully any new films that they have.

I’ve been so busy I’ve not been back, but wanted to check in say going well so far!

Big test today when I was in a pub after my weekly sports match, we all usually have a pint after and I abstained. It wasn’t actually that hard. Already just forgetting a bit more about alcohol now, after drinking almost every night for about a year 😳

Glad to see everyone else is doing well, let’s keep going 👏

Sparkling water is my go to as well, I love it!

Im also loving feeling fresher in the mornings, and not having that awful hangover anxiety. I’m figuring that a day of feeling good, is better than the few hours of feeling good I get from booze.

Yes!

Another day done!
I’ve had a baking evening - not what I’d planned, but I promised someone some bits so thought it would be a good distraction, and it was
Very much enjoyed some ginger ale too, clearly it is the en vogue choice for classy October-teetotallers
Hope you all have a wonderful night’s sleep

That’s fantastic news @chachahide, that you managed to abstain from your usual pint, goes to show that it really is possible to break those habits and behaviours.

That sounds like a really productive evening @HotTiredDog. I love baking and can find it very therapeutic if I’m in the right frame of mind. If not I just get stressed and resent the mess and washing up after 😄

I crashed early last night and got a good night in and again so grateful to wake without a hangover! Off for a run/pootle once the sun comes up and sounds like the wind is finally abating. Onwards and upwards to day 5 and well done to us all for getting this far!

Our friends cancelled on us for dinner due to a family emergency so DH and I went out on our own which definitely made not drinking easier. I still drove so he could have a pint and I had a Diet Coke .
Well done to everyone - we’ve got this Day 5 😘

Its so wrong and so true that a cancelled social commitment can be a real treat! I hope your friends’ emergency was resolved as well as possible, NearlyaDoctor, & well done on using the opportunity to stick to your plan 🙌

So pleased that you had a good night’s sleep, TrodIn. Well deserved, not just cos you’re doing a great thing for you, but also because you’re playing a big part in helping others - thank you.

ChaCha, that habitual, first pint can be so hard to resist - but you did! Flippin excellent!!

I was watching Saturday Kitchen this morning & Helen presented a wine with the food. I’m proud to say that, admittedly after thinking that it would be nice to have that first sip, I realised that I do not have to have a glass tonight 💪 What a great realisation!

@HotTiredDog That's great, I've noticed this mind set shift as well, it really hasn't taken long. It's making me not WANT to touch booze for a while now!

'm noticing I'm actually feeling my feelings, has anyone else had that?! I need to actually tackle a few things in my life and I think booze was a way of avoiding it... I'm happy to say it's not making me pick up a glass of wine though! Keen to keep this up now.

Yeah, drinking is a great way to escape from difficult feelings and dealing with issues. I struggled initially on my last period of abstaining and it was all pretty intense for the first few weeks, there was definitely a period of working through it all. I also started to see the effect that even low level drinking was having on my mood and another reason why I would eventually like to give up all together.

Thats such a positive mindset @HotTiredDog, you can say no and you are! I love those first few mouthfuls of wine as it hits my bloodstream and I feel myself start to relax but it’s never enough and I always want that next glass and the one after! So I’m with you tonight saying no to that glass and pleased that I got through another weekend AF.

I want a glass of wine so much 🙄, missing Dd horrendously. Today is the longest we’ve ever been apart.
New sofa has arrived and I really don’t like it , DH does though, the other one he found uncomfortable. This one doesn’t blend in the lounge the same way , it’s too dark. It does recline which is nice though.
I just want to cry at the moment but am going to make a chicken pie instead 😢and not drink wine .

All first world problems I know and should be more grateful 🙏

These early days are so hard @Nearlyadoctor. I can remember being so tearful and just missing desperately not having DD around, she was my last to leave home and I felt the loss of her not being there so acutely, but it will get better and I use to love it when we had a call and I could hear how she was immersing herself into her new uni life and making new friends.

As for the sofa, give it a while, it might well grow on you yet, Problem is there such an expensive purchase to get wrong - but reclining is good!

Just try and let it wash over you for today, enjoy your chicken pie and congratulate yourself on how well your doing coping with this all without a glass of wine.

@Trodincatsickagain thank you for your kind words - just took the dog out for some fresh air and to give my head a wobble 😂

Well done on resisting the wine! I know I will be the same when the kids leave home.

I am embarrassed to say that this is the longest I’ve been without booze for a very long time. My sleep has dramatically improved in the last 2 nights, I’ve been falling asleep on the sofa before I go to bed, which never happens to me ever. Long may it continue!

Evening All! Sunday evening roll call 😁. Just returned from a lovely windy walk and watched the sun go down. I love autumn and this is probably my favourite time of the year. It’s also helped me to feel a bit more settled this evening as yesterday I definitely felt a bit edgy and missed that Saturday night wine.

Hope everyone is having a good evening and managing with those urges. We’ve all made it through another day and will soon be hitting the 1st week mark! Go us 🎉

Yes - but we can’t be constantly thinking “ because I have all my basic human needs met, I can’t be upset if something is wrong”. Of course we are hugely privileged in so many ways to have the lives we do, and we know that, we aren’t ungrateful.
Meanwhile, I’m glad DH is pleased with the sofa; do you think you’ll be able to accept the not-quite-rightness in time?
And of course you’re missing DD, it’s what we do!
Hugs xx

Thanks. I have a part time job and just got back from a shift. Going to have a bath and a cup of tea! Well done everyone so far. Keep up the good work.

@Texanchilli sorry but nah girl, you’re wrong - don’t be embarrassed about it, be super proud of what you are actually doing here! Well done 👏

Would anyone like some of the chocolate cake that I made yesterday? Just a choc sponge, with a bit of jam in the middle (you can imagine whipped cream if you’re decadent) and topped with dairy milk 😋 We all deserve a huge slice, with TrodIn going first as she’s The Best!!