Not dry january. But less booze in general. Anyone else?

[Frouby]

I am posting this thread because I really want to reduce the amount of alcohol I drink.

I was going to do dry January but think that is too much for me. And when I do drink again I will revert back to bad habits.

On a normal week I would have 1 or 2 g and ts mon to thurs. Bottle of wine on a friday. Then either a couple of beers or a couple of g and ts on a Saturday night. Nothing on sunday.

Over Christmas (which started for us mid December as we had a holiday) I have drank every day. Never been drunk drunk but 4 or 5 drinks every day.

I feel fat, bloated and lethargic. I want to cut my drinking down to a couple of nights a week. Friday and Saturday. Or thursday and friday. DP also drinks most days (more than me too) and we both need to address our relationship with alcohol.

I didn't drink last night and won't tonight either. And I feel 100% better already. We get married in May and I want to lose weight and improve my health.

Does anyone else want to join this thread for support? I know there is the dry January thread but I will be drinking (probably) 2 days a week so dont want to post on there and knock any penguins off the ice.

Currently drinking ginger ale with loads of ice and contemplating a shower and a cupp of tea later with the last of the Christmas cake (diet starts tomorrow) 😁

I was up all night with the beerfear Athena. So you are doing better than me anyway.

Been shopping today for DPs suit and DS pageboy suit. Jesus christ what an ordeal. Dd doesn't think she likes the bridesmaid dress we have ordered and havent even collected. And I have a banging headache. Probably from wine last night.

Sigh bastarding sigh.

Also dp has invited our ndns around to watch the boxing tomorrow night. I love my ndns but really don't feel like being sociable. Especially as it also means I will have to entertain and can't just fuck off when I have had enough. My plan for boxing was leave dp watching it while I had an early night.

Half a bottle of wine in the fridge is calling out to me.

I'm not even going to worry about this weekend and start afresh on Monday. Then I will get back on the 4 days AF, hopefully anyway.

Frouby - so sorry to hear about your sis. Fingers and toes crossed for you and her 💐
Had wayyyyyyyyyuu too much today!! Have come away for the weekend. Dh encourages me to drink. I hate Day time drinking so always drive. However no need to drive here and him getting me drinks and saying I’m boring to argue each time, telling him I don’t want to drink and to get me a soda!!
He’s now snoring and I’m pissed off that I’m easily led, pissed off with the fact I’ve drunk when I didn’t want to!! We away til Sunday so have PROMISED myself that I’m AF day one then. I will remember this moment..the self loathing. I want to be better than this!! I want to loose weight and be healthy!!

Woosey I get that from my dp too. It's very annoying. We have our ndns around later to watch the boxing. He has bought enough beer to get the whole street pissed and I took 2 extra bottles of prosecco out of the trolley he had put in for me and my friend. Friend isn't a big drinker so a bottle to share is plenty. I have other drinks in too.

Finished the bottle of wine yesterday. Will share the prosecco tonight. Possibly a g and t. Then sunday am aiming for AF. Am cooking though and my mam is coming for roast lamb with us so not going to ve too hard in myself if I do drink. It is a bank holiday weekend.

But after this last binge am going to be very strict with myself. Wedding is 5 weeks away next saturday (gulp) and I want to be slimmer and healthy looking.

Though finding dd a dress is going to be enough to drive anyone to hars liquor.

The Easter weekend is hereby officially declared a write off! Roll on AF Tuesday!

Right off here too!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Another write-off here, too. Friend turned up yesterday lunchtime, bearing two bottles of wine. We drank them very slowly over the course of about 8 hours. Unfortunately it was very pleasant, and I have no hangover at all (did have the Beer Fear at 3.44 AM, though). However, I do need to remember that this is in fact a one-off, and drinking normally makes me feel crap in the end. We can all start afresh once this weekend is over.

Thinking of you, Frouby, as you are obviously having a very challenging time one way and another.

Well I’ve totally overdone it!! At least a bottle a night since Thursday. My body feels toxic!! Spoke to Dh this morn and we both agreed we would do this together. We would cleanse, become healthier and hopefully loose weight to boot. We going away with friends on Friday so am planning AF til then. That’s 4 nights. Never managed before but feel so dreadful today..it’s a definate aim.
Hope you all well

Sounds like a plan Woosey. Much easier if DH is onboard too. I had half a bottle last night and really really wanted more, but luckily there was no more in the house! This long weekend. (Wine every night Thurs-Sun) has made me realise how easy it is to slip back into old ways. I'm actually looking forward to being AF tonight!

Afternoon all on a very cold, wet miserable easter Monday.

Not too horrendous here. Saturday night I had a couple of lagers, and about 2/3s of bottle of prosecco. That's not bad to say we were socialising. And it was from 6pm to 11.30pm so nice and steady.

Yesterday was AF. Didn't even fancy it. And not particularly bothered today either. Want to either stay up late or get up early and work.

Anyone else who is struggling . A change of routine like a bank holiday is difficult. I have struggled because of the easter holidays. Ds is pretty high maintenance at the moment. Just his age (4) but he is very full on and full of energy. But he starts full time nursery after Easter so hoping he settles a bit then. And the weather picks up significantly!

I've struggled a bit over the holidays as expected. Had half bottle prosecco Thurs, Friday, nothing Saturday and another half bottle last night. Tipped the other half down the sink this morning so nothing now till Friday at least.

Hi, me again :-)

Stinking, horrible, wet day. Ugh, ugh, ugh. But AF. I had to be, after the last couple of days. If I hadn't been, I would have been so pissed off with myself.

I think the holidays are seriously challenging. My DC and their constant arguments are enough to drive anyone to drink.

Woosey, it's great that your DH is going to do it too. If I had someone offering me wine, I'd find it very hard to say no. It's hard enough when I'm the only one offering it to myself!

Welcome back Thespian.

Well done on AF athena. My dp has been off the last 4 days and I will be glad to see the back of him tomorrow.

AF easily tonight. We ate really early which helps. Just having a cuppa while I get an hours work in. Dp gets the bedtime if I work. #winning

Hey looks like we all rocking it tonight!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
AF here. But to be honest am soooo hungover!! I never get hungover but have drunk record amounts the last week that my body had to kick off at some stage!!

Was planning to be AF tonight. But have found something out about DP which has upset me beyond words (can't say what, as outing, but not an affair - more a denial of my existence). So have given in. Follows yesterday's AF evening in which he casually mentioned that he will be away all this week, apparently "forgetting" that he and I have (had) arranged to see one another. I did not succumb then, but this is a bridge too far.

Oh Athena, sounds like you are having an utterly awful time. I’m so sorry. I too wouldn’t be AF if felt that upset!!
Sending you a huge hug. Stay strong 🤗

Thank you, Woosey. Of course, wine only makes things worse, in that I now feel crap as well as unhappy. And woke up at 4 with the blasted beer-fear.

Ah Athena that doesn't sound very nice. I would have struggled too.

In fact I had lager last night because ds was a little shit all day. The minute dp walked through the door I had my head in the fridge looking for alcohol. And I had 4 cans which is about 3 pints so not even just one drink.

Not only is it alcohol it is also very calorific alcohol. Which isn't good at all. Am really struggling at the moment. Ds is hard work off nursery, I have mountains of work I am not getting done, a wedding to organise, the allotment to organise ready for growing season, 2 fat, hairy muddy ponies to get going for the kids to ride, my house is a tip and needs redecorating top to bottom and even the dog is being a pita as she isn't get walked enough because of the bastard weather.

So obviously I drink. Then wake up at 4am with lists whirling around my head.

Fml.

Sorry you are going through this Athena. It's really hard not to use a drink after a hard day. I was so tempted last night to buy one of those small bottles of wine. Instead I had a hot chocolate and biscuits - so what I saved in beer fear I gained in calories! Addictive Personality moi?!!!

Can I join you ladies? I think you are just what I need I definitely don’t want to give up totally but want to be more controlled. The amount of wine we have been drinking has really creeped up. We never have dinner without a bottle of wine and at weekends a lot more, dh is forever topping up my glass and if he has just poured it then I drink it, I struggle with the stop button.

I felt awful after the bank holiday weekend as far too much alcohol and rich food was consumed so decided at least for now to give going AF from hopefully Monday-Thursday and at weekends learning to sip rather than gulp my alcohol. 2 nights in I definitely feel better. The tricky bit is husband isn’t giving up (fair enough it’s up to him) so it does make the evenings trickier when he comes home and pours himself a nice cold glass of white wine. My trigger time is about 5-7:30 after that I am not so bothered. I have just stocked up on a great selection of nice tonic waters which I am going to make with Ice and garnishes in a nice glass so I still feel like I am having something special. I think dh is not that happy about it as now feels guilty about having a drink if I am not but that is up to him. I am not rubbing it in his face, it’s his choice to make.
I also accept I can have the odd slip up and that is fine just start again the next day.

Sounds like some of you are having some tough times, hope life improves for everyone soon.

Hi florin and welcome. You’ve deffo come to the right place here. We are all trying to have a few days a week AF but like you say, we are also aware that slip ups happen. We all struggle with the off button. I was drinking nearly a whole bottle a night, 7 days a week. I reduced it to half a bottle a night in the week. However bank holiday weekend I was way over my ‘bottle limit’ and got smashed. Regretted every minute of it so am really trying this week. I’ve done two nights AF so far, which is an absolute miracle for me as I’ve never managed it!! (Especially considering it’s school holidays!!!!) I want to do another 2 days then know Friday and Saturday will be total down time . Have to say though, took Dd for mri today which she struggles with..usually is have cracked open the bottle already so I’m struggling a lot right now!! Got lamb in slow cooker smelling delish and just want a glassssss to go with it!! 😩😩

Pontious - well done on the hot chocolate. I’d say that’s a good substitute.

Athena - how you doing??

Frouby- how’s things?? School holidays are mega tough..especially with you having a wedding to plan too. Don’t beat yourself up. Sounds like you’re doing well considering.

Good luck this eve folks

I got well and truly smashed at Easter too. My wine belly is not going down. Af tonight as long drive tomorrow. Then maybe one tomorrow night as away with work.

Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one cottonsock..I have never drunk as much as I did over easter 🙁🙁

Hi Florin, you are in good company - we are all pretty much in the same boat as far as alcohol is concerned! I'm really trying to know my limits and know when to stop. I usually manage 3-4 AF nights per week, but often 'binge' on a night with friends: it's not big, clever or funny at my advanced age!