Less booze. More AF days. But still a bit damp. Not dry jan, but not a soggy summer. Support thread for reducing alcohol.

[Frouby]

New thread in case the other fills up while I am busy this weekend.

Did I mention I get married tomorrow? 😁

Rubbish at clicky links but sure someone clever will be along to link the last thread.

This is a support thread for those wanting to reduce the amount you drink. There is no judgement on here. We are all struggling along with our own problems and lives and looking to cut down. You might only want a couple of weekends off. Or reduce the amount of days you drink. Or the amount you drink. Or both.

Whatever your starting point and whatever your goal come and join us for friendly chat and support.

Also, I've arranged to meet friends the week after next and have cleverly agreed to meet one (separately, different days) in a restaurant half way between us so I'm driving and another at the seaside near her but I'm also driving back. So planning ahead to have a reason not to drink. Second friend is an alcoholic who's been sober for about 19 years. I still don't feel like telling anyone IRL that I'm not drinking: scared they'll say "ah, I wondered when you'd admit you were an alcoholic" when in fact I'm not admitting anything of the kind. Maybe I am but I just don't want to have those conversations

It's hard to admit to moderation or AF isn't it. I haven't really told anyone because other than DH (who drinks more than me) no one really knows how frequently I drink.

AF here tonight. Find it easy when DH doesn't drink. Have been thinking today that if I don't drink then maybe dh will reduce his drinking too. I might possibly try and do a 3 day AF challange. Surely I can get to Wednesday without drinking?

Have just started to notice that my skin is terrible in a morning after a big session. A 3 day detox might perk it back up a bit.

Try a 3 day challenge Frouby your skin willl look fresher your eyes will be brighter and whiter and you won't feel as tired and fuzzy as I'm sure you do some mornings after drinking the night before

A bottle a night so far here on my holibobs!! No will power at all. Although not drinking at all during the day. Have said no several times as know it will all go downhill should I have daytime drink. Generally waiting til 7pm for first drink. Not bad on holiday hey?! Although do manage the bottle during the evening!!

Nothing useful to say here, other than that having animals pts is just hideous, Frouby. I am so very sorry. My Dad always had that shitty job. I would have been crying too.

Sorry to hear about Cuntgate as well. Not what you needed.

Soaking wet. DP's fault. Can't explain in a coherent manner, but might try tomorrow.

Anglaise, 3 days is my target. But not tonight, for various reasons.

Glad to hear news, Woosey and Water.

Sorry - just -re-read previous. Unfair to say it's DP's fault. He may be a catalyst, but it is nobody's "fault" but mine.

Frouby- am so sorry you had to face taking your guinea to be pts. Just so sad to have to do that. I had to do that for my dog a couple of years ago and sobbed uncontrollably. It’s awful. Sending hugs

It is awful isn't it. Thought I would be brave with a little piggy but I wasn't. I had our old pony pts last year. That was fucking horrendous. But it is the last kindness we do so has to be done.

Day 1 out of the way. Day 2 today.

Dion, hugs. I can't not drink if I am upset or stressed. Am trying to be zen like for the next 3 days. But it's bloody hard.

The bags under my eyes were shocking yesterday. At 40 I really need to look after myself better. I need to lose 2 stone, get a bit fitter and reduce drinking.

Sorry about your g-p Frouby it is hard having any animal pts but the best thing to do even if knowing that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
I used to drink when I was sad, upset, angry...there is always a reason to have a drink. I actively avoid drinking when feeling like that now because I know I probably wouldn't stop after one or two. I don't miss it, the problem is still there the next morning along with a headache, fatigue and a puffy face which in fact makes things worse.
I've got two hens! I don't have enough room for any more than two but need to do something about their nesting box. Frouby what do you use? I put in a couple of boxes but they are too flimsy. With the help of You Tube I managed to clip the wings following the first evening when I had to go up a ladder and retrieve them from the roof of the shed much to the amusement of my neighbours and gite guests.

Lol Anglaise I have also had a couple of escapees.

I have nest box/coop I bought on amazon. Was about £100 I think but it is suitable for 8-10 hens. We have 6 hens and 2 banties so it's plenty big enough.

You could use anything really as long as it's cosy and has some kind of bedding in. Are they in a pen or free ranging? Are they shut in at night or do they put themselves to bed?

Mine are in a decent run with 2 'bedrooms'to chose from but they all go in together. Will find you some photos.

I cried like a baby a few years ago when I had to dispatch Treacle a bloody goldfish of all things. Had researched the most humane way to dispatch a fish. Apparently if you fill a bowl of water with ice, then keep adding ice until it is more ice than water, you plunge the fish in and it immediately goes into shock and dies.

Had told DH what I was going to do. Had a bucket of water and ice and was going to nip and get a bag of ice when dh got home, then dispatch Treacle.

DH came im from work while I was in the garden, saw ice and water and treacle the fish still floating around looking half dead so 'plunged' it in.

Water wasn't cold enough, gold fish looking even more poorly but not dead. I walked in, saw what he had done, grabbed poor treacle and ran outside with it and twatted it with DHs trainer to put it out of its misery.

It's surprising how far bits of splattered fish go. (definitely not envy). Was traumatised after that.

That's my main box, its roof opens for easy cleaning, has perches inside for roosting and a double nest box.

Anything will do though really. Have used an old chest of drawers inside a stable with the top 2 drawers removed before. An old pet carrier with straw in and an old tyre filled with straw but they were all in a stable so didnt need to be waterproof.

Day 2 in the bag!

And you aren't going to believe this but because we had tea at 6pm, me and the dcs went and did an aldi big shop afterwards to save doing it tomorrow.

Have been so productive today. Have emptied, stripped and cleaned the fridge, my big food cupboard/larder, my junk draw and another draw. Cleaned and tidied up down stairs, done 3 loads of washing and bathed Pirate, our remaining guinea pig. Took ds swimming, and then did tea, washed all the pots (which usually get left until morning if I have had a drink) then been and refilled fridge and cupboards with a massive aldi shop. All put away and organised.

Winning at not ginning!

Frouby well done on day 2! Omg at fish!

Day 21 here, feeling ok although looking forward to 21st September which will be 60 days, assuming I make it that far. And we are going to go out for dinner. Really excited, we have been cutting back on spending (and eating and drinking) so haven't been out together for ages.

Oh Frouby, your posts are a tonic (without the gin, thank goodness). Love the fish story. And the photos.

Very tired here, as I took a sleeping tablet on top of drink last night. Still feel wiped out now. I should, and do, know better, but it didn't stop me. Still Day 1 AF yet again today as a result.

Water, Day 21 is amazing.

winning not ginning love it!
water if you are cutting back spending then cutting back on booze will really help.
I've been moderating for a year / previously I was spending around 25€ a week on wine, so over 1000€ a year 😳😳. In the last year I've bought one bottle a week so around 150€. That is some saving so I can buy lots of running shoes and other gear slightly more guilt free.
Frouby you hens must be very happy in their run. I found a couple of stronger boxes than the ones in the photo for Clothilde and Claudine to nest in. Here are mine in their pen - my neighbour keeps telling me it's too small, her hens have the luxury of at least 130m2 to roam around in. She thinks she is a hen eggspert (sorry!)

That's a perfect set up for 2 hens! Ignore neighbour, it's more important to thoroughly fox proof than anything else and 130m2 is an awful lot of fox proofing!

The boxes are perfect. They just need something cosy to sit on. They will let you know if they aren't happy with the facilities as they will lay elsewhere.

My little bantie has been broody and must have been guarding her eggs (that weren't hers) in the nest box as they had started laying in the big bit. Have moved her and broken her broody and they are all happily back in the nest box again. 5 eggs in 1 side and 1 in another.

Obviously have a special susan in there somewhere .

Name changed to join thread.

I’m on AF day 10 after only 2 AF days in 4 months and not had 5 AF days since last year.

Daily drinking was only one small can of cider but I couldn’t seem to drop that.
I had cut from drinking c. 4 bottles of wine pwk (dp says 5, I say 3!)

After embarrassing episode of being sick I’ve lost the taste for wine after 15 years of a ‘wine with dinner’ habit.

That’s what I grew up with so that was my normal.

I started drinking too much to help me sleep. I can’t say I’ve been sleeping well the last 10 days.

I also do an occasional 4/6 pa binge night out of vodka/cocktails/baileys/cider usually about 20 units.

Apart from the calories and consequential weight gain drinking wasn’t making me feel ill.

But then I read something online about a swollen liver and have now convinced myself that my spare tyre is that.

Thankfully dp isn’t a drinker but he’s quite cynical about my ability to keep this up.

I’m not actually planning on forever AF just make it a special occasion thing rather than an automatic habit.

I’ve been filling up on lilt and 7up as my substitute.

I can’t talk to anyone about this irl so I’m so glad I’ve found this thread!

[happy]

Welcome sarahandduck. This is a lovely thread with us all at different points in our journey. 10 days AF is fab as is moderating from 4 bottles of wine to a few cans of cider.

It is difficult to discuss in rl. People either think you are an alcoholic or justify their own drinking by denying you are drinking much at all .

Day 3 AF tonight. Am definetly dry tonight as for the last 4 Tuesdays we have had fires around the stables and yard owner is aware so I need to be able to get and deal with anything that might or might not happen.

Busy day again today too. Am drowning in ripe tomatoes at the allotment so me and ds are off to pick those when I have done a couple of hours of paperwork. Then we need to clean the chickens out, do some weeding and transplant some beetroot seedlings and I might pull some potatoes us too now its rained before the slugs start munching. Then off to the stables for both dcs to ride.

Welcome Sarahanduck. I'm day 21 AF today 🙂

Read the Soberistas blog last night and some of the personal stories are really interesting. But I kept thinking "hmm, is 1.5 bottles of wine a night that that bad?" - when OF COURSE IT BLOODY WELL IS! Especially if you do it every night for 30 years...

So skewed has my view of my drinking become hey? It's interesting, starting to think about this stuff.

Day 3 here.

As dry as the ginger ale I am drinking.

Not particularly missed it last couple of nights.

Someone remind me again why I drink. It makes me fat. It's fucking my skin. It makes me sleep like shit.

Might try and get to friday. But I know tomorrow will be difficult as we are doing petting farm /garden centre day out.

Thanks for the welcome!

Day 11 survived but feel awful- so tired I can barely function.

This isn’t a good ad for AF.

I’m noticing my skin looks better though.

Guess who is on day fucking 4!

Haven't had a day fucking 4 for 4 fucking month!

Obviously the AF hasn't improved my language tho 😂😂.

Feel very tired too Sarahandduck. Am knackered from traipsing around the garden centre/petting farm/fucking millions of parks everywhere place. Was nice, met my dsis's and my mum.

Made some lovely egg mayo sarnies too. Was boiling eggs at 9am, made half a dozen butties as my picnic contribution. Left the fuckers in the fridge . Sigh.

Dion how's things? Dp behaving? Are the dcs? My dd was a toad again the other day. Wanted new school skirts for September despite having been bought 4 in spring bank. So the little cow has cut the elastic waist adjuster thing on 2 of them.

She needs to get youtubing repairing waistbands.

How's the holiday woosey? Is your dd ok?

Anglaise is Mr Lunchtime Bum Sex back? Are you wincing slightly when sitting down? Hope his forest isn't a pine one, those needles get everywhere and you can still be pulling them out of strange places at Easter .

My skin does look everso slightly better, well under my eyes does anyway.

Oh and we have a new baby guinea pig! Found one very similar colour wise to the old Rubble. Managed to convince DS that the medicine he has had at the vets has made him shrink a bit and some of his fur has grown back brown instead of black where his plaster has been.

Will go to Hell for lying but ds is as happy as a sand boy with his piggy back even though he is small.

Bloody hell frouby..that’s flipping fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!

Just popping in. Will be back properly tomorrow.

Majorly soaking here as usual!!

Frouby fantastic day f***g 4 I'm so pleased for you and you sound on great form. I'm so pleased you got another G-P they don't like being on their own for long. Not sure what I'll do when one of mine go.
Keep going to Day 5 tomorrow and then just do the same every week

Forest Man has been on holiday, I saw him last week and we had a lot of sex but i managed to pass on the bum sex as no lubricant (the French all use vaseline for that and ONLY that).
Sarah day 11 is great, not sure why you aren't sleeping but some people find that when they go cold turkey, there can be a lot of side effects including insomnia. Don't give up you are doing really well.

Frouby, I don't know how you have managed it, but keep going. Do it!!! Anglaise is right. I can't, but I think you can. Love your Rubble story, too. DP and the DC are pretty crappy, in their different ways. My DD would have tampered with her elastic, too, and I would also have sent her to YouTube for a tutorial on replacing it. FML. x

Woosey, we are dans le same bateau. No excuse here. But glad to hear from you.

Sarah, agree with Anglaise. I am in awe.