Need a little support..

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

I am currently on day one of trying not to drink, I have been over the top this school holidays, jumped on the Gin bandwagon, hot all sorts of different types, always had a different one to try.
Drank too much a few times, most recently this wknd, and have been hurtful and dam right obnoxious to a very much loved friend. We haven't talked it through yet and we are sending polite what's apps, she has agreed that it was the demon drink and I have apologised profusely.
I just hate that 'beer fear' and hate myself for not knowing my limits.
I've put all the gin away, I've bought various 'soft' drink options and I'm hoping to find support here.
Thanks for reading..

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

I couldn't read and run. I'm currently on day 7 of not drinking after a very heavy summer, and to be honest, even before then I've been drinking 4-5 nights a week for years.

The worst is when you go so far you wake with that horrible panic knowing you e done something awful. I'm not happy being the person I become when I'm drunk and that's why I'm stopping for a while with a mind to seriously cut down forever. I'm doing the 30 alcohol experiment , which I'm finding helpful- though somewhat sickly sweet, at least it's something that commits me to my decision.

Good luck x

[whynot93]

I've ditched the dreaded wine habit.. one glass a night lead to two and so on. I forget easily how it makes me feel, I become someone I don't want to be! So last night was the first night of no alcohol and I'm just going to keep on going. Come 6pm when the kids are winding down I'm ready for my first glass but it has to stop!!

I'll be popping back in here to say hi and looking for a hand hold.. we've got this 🙌

[Godotsarrived]

I am on the same journey. There are thousands possibly millions of us out there. Loads of support here and in places like Club Soda ( check it out). Good luck, keep on keeping on :)

[whynot93]

Feeling very proud this morning.. night two wasn't so bad with no wine 🙌 how you all doing?

[Alicatz66]

I need to join you please .. promised myself an alcohol free week .. didn't drink on Monday but back on the wine last night .. had nearly a whole bottle and was snappy with DP and now woken up with wine blues .. I know it has to stop and I know I feel so much better without it .. so I guess this is day one and I need support xx

[whynot93]

Good morning @Alicatz66 I did the very same yesterday evening.. I had two good day and zero wine then last night a little stress crept in and I thought oh just one 🤦‍♀️ to be fair I stopped at two glasses but I need to just get back to one or none! Why do you think it makes you snappy? I can be the same.. stuff creeps in my head and before you know it I'm ranting away! We don't argue as such he just listens, but the worst part is the next day I'm left not knowing what I've said most of the time.. then the come down is horrid. Big hugs from me I know that feeling well.

[Alicatz66]

whynot93.. big hug back .. I know exactly what you mean .. ranty is exactly how I get ! I know I always wake up feeling more positive and happy if I haven't had wine .. lat night I took exception to the fact that DP pointed out to me that I'd said I wasn't drinking and a bottle was nearly empty... Ex Husband was a heavy drinker and I guess that normalised it for me and I joined in !! DP hardly drinks or is happy with one glass of wine or a pint ... we have been together nearly 3 years and very happy so another reason to rein it in .. I really have the "wine blues" today ... let's look forward to a nice clear headed Thursday morning tomorrow..

[whynot93]

Ah see my husband downs a bottle of red every night! For years and years I was a non drinker! I gave up when I got pregnant and just never went back to drinking. Until around a year ago.. a friend was staying over as her mother was local to me and very ill, we had the odd glass per night.. nothing unusual. Then hubby went to work away and I'd have the one glass alone in the evening as a sort of reward for being a lone parent and working so hard! Now here I am trying to rein it in 🙈

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

I'm on day ten and honestly feel sooo much better- once you get over the first week it's a lot easier. I can't advocate finding a good non alcoholic drink enough- I'm drinking Aldi's elderflower sparkling water with lime slices and mint in the evenings , or lemonade and cranberry juice. Without it I would have given up by now. Good luck all, it's not easy, go easy on yourself.

[Alicatz66]

Successful wine free evening last night ! Slept like a log .. in work at 7.30 feeling fresh !

[whynot93]

Great news @Alicatz66 I was also back to wine free last night 🙌

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

I'm on day 11 now, and I've been loving mornings and early nights!
Small joys were.
Being able to drive my eldest to the shop for treats at 9pm on a Sat evening.
Being able to take some child's piriton round to a mum in need on a Friday evening.
No hangovers on 2 x Sats and 1 x Sun so far!
I've run 13 miles this week and haven't shouted as much! Plus it's my PMT week so it's an extra win!
I've read The Sober Diaries and the Unexpected joy of being sober, both full of facts and figures of why we should just NOT drink.
Hope nobody falls off the wagon tonight, but if anyone does I'll be here for a cyber hug and leg up back on!

[allmykettlesareboiled]

Well done! That's great! And totally with you on the enjoying the early mornings with a clear head. I am currently on 5 months af, sort of accidentally.

Wanted to cut down and got this app called Sober Time which is excellent, you can set your own goals, it gives you a total of how many days you have been af, an inspirational quote every morning and stats, for example how much money you have saved or how many calories you have no consumed! I am just seeing how far I can get, pigheadedness really as I don't want to have to reset it! Totally recommend if that's the sort of thing that might help you!

Well done again, it's not easy, but you are doing great

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

I do have an app but that one sounds far more fun! Went for a girly lunch today and the lovelies had got me a bottle of gin and fancy gin glass for my birthday... will use it for the fancy spring water I've got tonight and pop the gin in the cupboard with the others ❤️

[allmykettlesareboiled]

Hope you managed to resist the gin last night and enjoyed your fancy spring water! (What did you get by the way, looking to expand my soft drink options!).
That's the problem, having temptation constantly put your way... could you pass on the gin as a gift to another friend? If it's not there, you can't possibly drink it! Although I have an 'emergency' bottle in a top cupboard, and it's sort of comforting to know it's there, if that makes sense? It's been there unopened since March, I hasten to add!
I struggled a bit last night and really wanted a glass of wine, but kept setting myself little goals and tasks to do to take my mind off it... kept telling myself if it got to 8pm, 9pm etc and I still wanted one I could have one. But then I found I was so busy that by the time 10pm had rolled around that the craving had gone. I did eat lots of chocolate though...
Very pleased I resisted and have been super productive this morning, no fuzzy head for me again! Get the app! I really recommend it, and it's become a sort of a competition, watching the days and months rack up, and I feel like I can't cheat, as even if I did have the odd drink and didn't reset the app back to day one, then the app would know I had cheated! Sounds ridiculous but it's working.

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

I got apple and elderflower spring water from Tesco's and chucked some raspberries in it, then had a decaf coffee, I did eat more but as I'm also doing Keto it was things I could eat and still within my macros ❤️ I've had about 9 hours sleep also 🙌🏻 . If after 90 days (my target) I decide I don't want to drink again I will give them away, I have given the opened ones away but not the new ones as I feel bad as people had got me them as gifts. Glad you had a good evening too!

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

I went to a BBQ, I met new people, I was funny and made people laugh, and I done it all with the power of Diet Coke and nothing else 🙌🏻

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

Well done always! I went to a party on Friday, and whilst I didn't make anyone laugh- I didn't drink. And suffered much embarrassment on other people's behalf- everyone was drunk by the time I got there. I hadn't really realised how loud people get, or how uninhibited. It was eye opening

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

It is eye opening to see actual drunk people when sober, this was just an afternoon thing so no real drunks, but I would have usually had one before I went for a confidence boost & a few there, then worried I'd said something stupid or made a bad impression, but it was really positive ❤️
(I also would have carried on drinking at home and not be tucked up in bed like I am now)

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

How is everyone doing? I'm on day 20 without a drink today and have finally gotten over the cravings. Saturdays have been a revelation, I didn't know I could enjoy a weekend without wine. That sounds awful written down but it's true- I've gone 7 years before this point never having more than 5 days without a drink.

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

Three weeks tomorrow, I'm having a ball! No hangovers, took my friends home last night, they weren't drinking but had walked round and their youngest had fallen asleep so it was nice to be able to do that.
Thank you hanging around peoples ❤️

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

21 Days

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

Another lovely Sober Saturday and no hangover weekend!

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

Well done- it's quite illuminating and feels very good to lose the reliance I had - I'm on day 27 and had intended to go for 30days but that will be much longer now.

I do rely heavily on alcohol substitutes- posh waters, mocktails etc- as for me, there is a point when I sit down with dh of an evening and we share that "grown up" time with a drink. I'm so glad that we can still do that, and that it has the same physiological effect of "aaahhhhh" that a glass of wine did. It turns out that the ritual of it was more important than the wine. And I remember the plot of the things we watch!

I never really got hangovers that I noticed until I stopped drinking either- I wasn't sick or headachey - but I WAS hungover in that I was grumpier and without much energy. I genuinely thought I wasn't hungover 😵

Now I can see that Saturday and Sunday morning hold so much more promise. I thought I enjoyed sitting and lounging- I didn't ! We get so much done now and I'm so much more "present".

I post here because i fear that in real life I'd come across as evangelical, but really- it's done me so much good!

[alwaystryingneverwinning]

Yes I agree with the not actual hangovers but not being 'present' going to try for the next month too ❤️ Well Done to
You too!