Dry July

[soberken]

Anyone up for Dry July?

Day 1 - 👍🏼

@TigerJoy - just in and came to check on you. Did you fight it? Are you ok?

Hey. No, I failed. Currently drinking a massive g&t.

Definitely drawing a line under it after tonight. As much as anything my diet has been going really well and this will sabotage it.

I am really struggling with my husband, it is fucking hard.

When I started my 1 year sober I decided if I slipped up I would be kind to myself. So, I failed. And tomorrow I will do better.

I have nice plans for the weekend including a massage and facial tomorrow, and tasty low-fat food. I have made an appointment with my therapist next week. And zero booze from tomorrow.

That's the attitude Tiger. Enjoy the G&T and then that's it and off you go again tomorrow on the straight and narrow.
It is hard when you have the stress of feeling responsible for another human being but you can't control how they feel - you can't make it right. You can only control yourself and what you do in life - no-one else.
Back on that horse tomorrow - Yee Haw x

Thanks, @piggypokkyfool

It's really nice to be able to talk about this here. I don't feel comfortable talking to family or friends about how bad things are.

Back on the wagon and being cheery tomorrow. Thank you for the support.

I drink too much. When I drink, I sleep really well.

If I don’t drink in an evening, I feel terribly anxious and take ages to go to sleep, then wake several times. Is this linked?

@theunrivalledjoysofparenting I think they are linked. You are using alcohol as a kind of numbing agent to take the edge off your worries. The irony is that for most people it is a sleep disrupter.
On the nights you are not drinking put in some headphones and listen to an audiobook - it will take your attention away from thinking/worrying about things.
Let us know how you get on.

@theunrivalledjoysofparenting read alcohol explained by William Porter, it will explain the link with alcohol and sleep. The anxiety, insomnia etc is actually withdrawal.

@TigerJoy
@PiggyPokkyFool

Sorry last few days I've been stressed out but haven't had a drink. Tiger I hope you're ok, Piggy has clearly given some fab supportive advice.

I always think the FACT we are so aware of our habits and alcohol relationship makes us already one step ahead.

Virtual hugs (very unMN!) all round

I actually can't sleep tonight. It's 5am where I am and I'm playing a scenario over and over again in my head. It's so fucked up! Anxiety levels are sky high.

Hi all!

Well after slipping, I slipped again last weekend, wines on Friday. Out to see Kylie Sunday (more wine/Prosecco). Which yes you've guessed it, led to me eating rubbish, feeling unproductive, the usual.

Given myself yet another virtual slap and firmly back on wagon. I really need to finish Allen Carr's stopping drinking ebook for women, I cant remember exactly what it's called but comes with great reviews.

I have restarted my keto diet Wednesday, haven't drank at all this weekend and feeling good for it. Even ducked out of a family gathering as I knew it would be a booze fest. Falling out with my mum in the morning helped that too 😂

I have a job interview a week tomorrow so the focus is all on that and giving instagram a break too.

All we can do is try folks.

@TigerJoy I hope the rest of your weekend has been grand.

@soberken I do that, in the night or when I wake up at silly o'clock I ruminate about anxiety inducing situations and go over and over it in my head. It's horrible.

I've had a lot of 'friend' difficulties past few months and while I'm mostly trying and realising that cutting these people out is beneficial for my mental health, I sometimes start feeling the rage about how I've been treated. Trying to 'come out of it' so to speak but it can be difficult.

This thread is so helpful and supportive, thank you for creating it @soberken. Just readings everyone's stories, the highs and lows are really what I need currently

You're welcome @ChampooPapi this is when you need a tribe!

Hi all

So, yesterday was bad. Because I ended up drinking LOADS of gin I ended up getting really emotional and stressed in a bad way. Then couldn't sleep. Then yesterday was extremely tired, and grumpy, as the gin had surfaced a lot of unpleasant emotions. Ended up having a MASSIVE row with DH (which is now sorted).

I think alcohol, gin in particular, makes me angry. I'm usually a cheery drunk, but the times I've ended up rowing with DH have often been as a result of me drinking gin (either at the time or the day before). I don't think it so much surfaces unpleasant emotions as causes them. So it's not some great catharsis as I was telling myself it was on Friday night.

I spent all of yesterday wanting to drink. I have a friend coming over today and I really want to open a bottle of wine. We're going on holiday next week and I'm now feeling resentful that I won't be drinking.

Before Thursday and Friday I felt relaxed and actually quite cheery about not drinking.

I'm not trying to retrospectively justify myself - I would have been MUCH better off not drinking on Friday at all. I would have got an early night, slept well, not had a row, and feel better than I do currently. So why having had a shitty experience do I want to drink again?!

Hi all .... checking in 👍🏼

Been a bit quiet as unwell and absolutely hating the heat.

@TigerJoy how are you feeling?

Gin = Mother's Ruin

Alcohol for me is RUIN ALL. I hope you're ok Tiger.

I am off for a nights camping this eve, and I just hope to fuck I don't give in to the wine witch. I do feel slightly on edge. I'm white knuckling in the hope it WILL pass.

Well I totally messed up at the camping. Even threw up ..... mortifying.

Only a few days left of July. Anyone want to hang on for a drier August?

@soberken Oh no, that is mortifying. Was everyone else really wasted too? Because I think circumstances are important and although we have to take full responsibility it is near impossible if everyone else is on it too.

I think sometimes we do have to except that we are crazy fools but at least we are healthy and don't drink most of the time. But when we do we just turn that tap on. We can strive to not do this but if it happens we are not like so many of the masses who would be back on the sauce within a few days.

We take stock, chastise, feel ALL of the guilt, and we have a few weeks off.

I know its not the point of the thread but its still better then probably half the population of drinking age adults, and yo would probably not have been sick if you were regularly smashing it or had a drink problem.

You were a ball bag again yes, but each time will get further apart so enjoy the next spate of wellness and/or controlled drinking, because you know this is whats going to follow now.

All the best to you

Has anyone thought of doing something as a goal to coincide with the no drinking? Like training to run a race or triathlon etc? I know someone who did this when training for a marathon. I love my wine and g&t, but currently pregnant. Stopped drinking mid holiday once I found out mid April. I do miss it sometimes. And not sure I would be able to to an entire month when not pregnant! But I do hope after the baby i won’t drink as regular as I used to 5 days a week mostly half a bottle of wine or a couple of g&t. My aim would be twice a week. I worry as alcoholism runs on my dads side. When I was younger I could easily go a month with out. But now find I like to unwind w a glass of wine. ESP after a busy day w the kids.

Forgot to mention that now I unwind w a glass of lemon water. Oh the fun!

@Mamabear12 when I was pregnant it didn't even cross my mind to have a drink!

I trying to focus positively that throughout July, I've only had a drink 3 times. Improvement needed thou.

Rather hoping August is as dry as possible!

That’s great only 3 times. Well done! Yes, being pregnant makes it so much easier! I used to smoke but once I got pregnant w my first dropped the habit and the second I realised I was pregnant (straight away!). A lot more harder to quit things just on your own, which is why I thought maybe training for w race or something might be a good option for others, as it shifts focus to something else.

I do miss my wine, but it has not been difficult to not drink it. Dh have even suggested I tasted his drink a few time and I never do. It’s a casual “would you like a taste?” If it’s a really good wine.

Is there an August thread?

Well i'm on another dry rest of August here, did dry July then had the first week of august full of libation which resulted in me feeling god awful so maybe the future for me is to basically hardly ever drink except on special or celebratory occasions.

I looked at the other tryers to be dryers thread and I don't think its for me, I need judgment! I need people to say 'No that is not good!'

The last page was them celebrating being 2 days sober so for me that is actually a trigger to drink really. Two days is nothing unless your an alcoholic in my personal opinion and it isn't good for me to compare myself day to day with people struggling on that level I guess.

I beat myself up if I don't manage a full month and I noticed in the past as soon as people start saying how well i've done after a few days/week i.e 'Oh i havn't managed that ever!'....I feel a bit too good about myself and think oh i'm not that bad after all which can result in a night on the sauce basically.

I probably need to read more of that thread but I hope we can continue this one for august with people who are really trying to abstain more days in the month then the days they drink.

champoopapi that is how I feel about the tryers thread, I have been sober for 4 weeks and wanted to stay that way. when I tried previously I found that thread allowed me to drink I would reward my self for not drinking by drinking!! Everyone is different I guess it's about your own personal goal, I can't moderate so the only way forward was to quit.

How are things going for you? Do you want to quit?