Wankerbastards and summer sunshine will make us want the bloody wine. But tryers to be dryers won't give up, and ice cold becks blue we will sup.

[Frouby]

Thread 7 for the tryers.

Join us for tips and support for encouraging a more healthy relationship with alcohol. Whether you want to drink less, or not at all, stay in your units or just cut down this is the thread for friendship, support, tips and ideas.

Absolutely no judgements here, but there will possibly be swearing.

Other threads are dotted around but I have yet to master a clicky link.

😂😂Frouby for annual skirt fight.
I'm so pleased there is no school uniform here in France. Teenagers (boys and girls) have unofficial uniform of jeans and trainers.

Madame - I’m moving to France then!!!!!

I too have had the skirt war here!! Dd (13) is refusing having a new school skirt. Hers is wayyyyy too short. But apparently it’s not!! It shows most of her thigh fgs. Apparently if she had her way, it would be shorter. So I too have had the ‘get a bloody detention then!’ chat!!

Nodding along with school uniform traumas. Fortunately, I don't think anyone needs anything. Or if they do, they can go to the second hand shop in September.

Think I am going to struggle tonight as it is, as Cats says, hump day (and not in a 'shagging off 3.5lb' sense, unfortunately). DS is being very controlling, so I've had to have words with him about it. DD was out for the day, on a day trip with a friend that she's been wittering on about for about a month. She has spent most of it texting me to nag me about booking the next thing she's desperate to do. I had to have words with her, too.

Dion - it’s exhausting when they do that. It’s as if they’re not satisfied with what they’re doing, and they’re constantly looking for the next thing. Makes you feel inadequate too. Which you most certainly are not!!

Dreaming of gin all day today. Still not put any wine in the fridge. So it’s gin or plain soda and lime. I’m aiming for day 3. But spoke to dh on the phone earlier and he wasn’t in the happiest of moods. So I’m preparing to reassess once he’s home in a couple hours....

Thankfully no skirt wars here. Plus my kids go to catholic schools where they’ve changed them all to pleated kilts on or below the knee to prevent such issues. So tell your DDs they are lucky 😂

I’ve been busy (good) with work. Am also fat. This will nor curb my biscuit consumption though. It’s bordering on obscene.

I’m just waiting to hear back from a friend though. Two days AF is quite enough for me this week. If I don’t go out I may go for day 3. We’ll see...

Well, I'm sunk as a friend has just rung to ask if I want to meet him in the pub for "one drink" .

I haven't got any gin, Flossie, or I'd be too tempted. I hope DD2 is ok today. She's so lucky to have you as her mum.

Just opened my cupboard and look what looked back at me 🙈

NC4 - 2 days is what nhs recommend. So go and enjoy.

You too Dion!!

You’ve both done fab so don’t beat yourself up this week 🤗

Re skirt wars, dd, 15, has a strict skirt length rule which everyone gets around by rolling their skirts at the waistband. And then teachers catch them and they get detentions. So dd got her sewing machine out and altered hers to make it shorter. So far shes got away with it!

DAY 4 AF HERE! pleased with myself, think I can do tomorrow as well...

Flossie, I'm on the first train to yours, now I've seen that photo. Plus you can make Frouby Pasta for me. And I'm also going with your 'two nights' logic. #winwin

Water, Day 4. Yay, yay, yay!!!

Day 3 has failed for me. The one drink in the pub was fine. It could never be more than one drink because pub drinking is out of my price range. It's the 'what happened next' that's the problem. And I don't even like whisky. However, that will soon be gone too, and then there will be nothing left at all.

Skirt Wars: my DD's defence is that she is so tall that all skirts are micro on her. It is true that maxi dresses come to just below her knees, so she is not entirely spouting crap.

That said, she's spouting a lot of crap tonight, about nothing at all other than my failure to tidy her bedroom.

Hi everyone
Lots of impressive AF free days! Well done.

Day 3 here. Feeling good on it. Seeing a non boozy friend tomorrow so hoping to keep the run going.

Really worried tho looking back at my record. It's generally horrific, well in the "you are doing serious damage to yourself" range. I need to make some changes. I find myself wound so so so tight in normal life. I really don't think I can carry on like this.

Well I can’t flipping believe it!! I looked at that full bottle of scrummy gin. And instead pouted plain soda and lime!! Sooooo...day 3!!!!!!!! It’s been months if not years since I did THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Senseless- I totally get what you’re saying. I’m in the ‘doing serious damage’range too. I’m a hypocrite. I am so careful about what I eat, about health, blood pressure blah blah. But then tip a bottle of wine down my neck every single night for months/years on end. ‘All’ I have to do is stop the wine and I could consider myself a healthy 45yr old. However I’m not currently. I too can’t go on like this.
Hey..this is why we have this lovely thread x

Dion - come share my gin. And I’ll knock up ‘frouby pasta’. Or failing that, as I’ve said before..we all let it to Madame’s gite with wine and gin. And frouby brings a gigantic curry!!

Frouby - you started the book yet??

Hello all! Well done everyone - fab work!

I am almost on day 2 except I had half a pint at lunch. Was in the Civil Service Club so felt rude not to. Have been AF this evening though, partly because I had work to finish

Dd2 a bit more human this afternoon and she made a sweet card for her nursery teachers. Dd1 also being much better, having come round to kayaking even in pouring rain.

Ugh I do not envy you uniform drama. I seem to be the only person I know who thinks they can fuck off to the far side of fuck. Luckily dd1 only has to wear a school t shirt. She still tries to subvert that with clever layering and mad hair. God knows what she will be like at secondary school. Dd2 as well probably. She's easy going about most things but not clothes.

Was tapped up for new post. Quite flattering but am going to channel Frouby and try not to people please because I am not sure it's me and it's a level transfer albeit with good promotion prospects. I think my next move should probably be on promotion. That said, if I did this role I would probably be immune from a grim yellowhammer forced move so I will try and use approach as bargaining chip to suss out what the risks are in that respect.

Go Flossie!!!!!!!!!!! That is brilliant.

Not to mention Senseless.

Now thinking I should have tried harder today. But I didn't, and have done more damage to feel crap about tomorrow.

Longest, half a pint at lunch doesn't count at all. It's what it leads to (if anything) that matters. I am cheering you on vicariously, whatever you do about work.

As predicted I caved last night and had my usual Wednesday bottle of wine. Dp had had a bad day at work and we both just fancied it. Feel a bit disappointed in myself now. But will do AF today and hopefully tomorrow.

Well done on those who have still managed AF! It's such an achievement.

On a side note I'm reading the unexpected joy of being sober by Catherine gray at the minute. Has anyone else read it? I go between finding it very inspiring and then not being able to relate to her very much with her swish London lifestyle and constant holidays 😂 but she does make some really good points.

Cats, I also feel disappointed in myself. Oh well. I'll probably be AF tonight just because I feel so crap now.

I haven't read Cathering Gray, though now you mention the swish London lifestyle and holidays, I think it might piss me off so much that I'd end up drinking .

Ha read about mw instead! I am about to run the daily junkie gauntlet to the tube and then tomorrow I am going camping in this:

www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2651986

Flossie you are doing amazing, 3 days is absolutely fantastic. Plus I bet it's at least another 1lb off. Have read the book, it was fantastic. Very gripping, I don't know what time I finished it last night but it was late.

Back later for a proper catch up.

@Dionysa 😂😂 yes there are points where I just find her totally unrelatable but she does describe sobriety in a very lovely way and is candid about her own alcoholism. It's worth a read.

Flossie 3 days is brilliant, well done you! And Senseless and everyone else.
Cats I really enjoyed the Catherine Gray book although my lifestyle is the complete opposite of hers (I live in rural France surrounded by cows as opposed to beautiful people). She has some very good tips on distraction and things to do to avoid drinking.

We went out last night to eat, I drove and so I had a glass of wine with the meal and nothing else. So compared to other weeks this August intake has been very moderate. DP has had a gastro and hasn't wanted to drink, plus he still has 4kgs to go to his ideal weight. It's much easier not to drink when your OH isn't either.

How is Day 4 going, Flossie?

I've just downloaded a hypnosis app - Quit Drinking with Andrew Johnson. I'm not sure that's why I'm AF tonight, though. I think it might be the hangover.

MadameF, you're so right about it being easier not to drink if your OH isn't.

I am moping about DP.

Love your story of glam London life, Longest

How is everyone else?

This is how my day 4 is going Dion!! 🙈😂

But hey...I’m thinking a gin n slimline tonic is fine on SW diet. No wine in the fridge. I poured myself the drink then have kept topping it up with tonic but no more gin. Going to go onto soda now. So one g&t.
And I neeeeeeeeded it!! Like..properly needed it!! Ffs dd1 has been a complete diva cowbag!! We all decided on doing a shopping budget and meal plan this week. I’ve never done it before and my food shop spending is so embarrassingly middle class that I couldn’t live with myself anymore. Anyway..tonight was chilli and taco night. I made a meat chilli in one slow cooker and a quorn chilli in another. Fucked about with it all. Dd1 decided to have stand off and decide she didn’t want it, was going to cook herself pesto pasta etc etc. Proper diva strop. Pissed me off. I won the battle with her but poured a fucking gin!!

😂Flossie!

But only one G&T is the Holy Grail.

I feel your pain about diva strops over lovingly prepared food. FML.