Staying Stopped - Alcohol Free, permanently.

[Drybird2020]

This thread is a kind and supportive environment for anyone committing to an alcohol free life.

From Day 1 onwards, you are welcome here for support, encouragement, tips and chat. There are many of us, at different points on the journey some have been sober for years, months, or weeks, others are just starting out, but all are
committed to an alcohol free life and the freedoms it brings...

Freedom from the tyranny of booze and the effort of figuring out how much to drink, and how and when to procure and drink it.

Freedom from guilt, self loathing, and 3am wake ups, and the fear of what might have been said and done the night before.

Freedom from the pervasive sense of dread and shame.

Freedom to embrace life with energy, and to face challenges with an uncluttered head, a lighter heart, and a lighter recycling bin.

If you've not yet decided whether total abstinence is for you, do feel free to hang out and ask questions but please be aware that discussion of drinking can be triggering, especially for those in the early stages of sobriety.

If you are still drinking, or planning on moderating (and this includes occasional or once in a blue moon drinking) have a look at the moderation threads, which might be a better fit for you.

I check in here every day as part of my recovery. It has kept me accountable, and the wonderful posters who contribute have helped me more than they could possibly know. This is day 137, and I'll be here for a long time!

Morning everyone and a warm welcome to the newcomers @WineNoMore20 @Moonlite @Bizzywater.

I keep checking in on the thread as well and it's hearing stories like yours that affirms my decision to quit for good, as these are still vivid and comparable to how I feel when I have had a drink. This thread is a great support and possibly the only place where I can put my thoughts together on what drinking has done to me and why I am so much more contented now. Hope you can find some peace with it too.

I'll join if that's ok? I've never really had a problem with alcohol butt Dad died of complications of being a functioning alcoholic and so many people around me drink too much . I have always been an all of nothing type of person and when drinking sporadically would drink too much .
I decided to stop late last year when I got freaked out by how muddled it made me feel the next day and the connection between alcohol and dementia later on in life . I know quite a few people's parents who have it who drunk too much ( not my dad though) ..
it just seems like too much of a risk and it can't be fixed later on ..
what I found was the urge to sometimes drink a bottle of wine on a Friday or Saturday ( or indeed too much at a night out) has just gone .. I have never overly liked the taste of any drinks and only drunk for ' the hit' so I don't know if that's relevant .
Either way I do feel better .. well done to everyone who has overcome it . My Dad died a horrible painful death and that alone should have been enough for me to give up completely but it took me a few years after that to realise its a very worrying and dangerous thing .
Well done to everyone who has made adjustments however small !

morning all.

Welcome everyone new. :)

Hi Drybird
I use to be Trees 😊 And was here on the thread back in Jan. Day 141 for me today 💪😊

Day 141 is epic!

I am still feeling very triggered by close of the working day. Stressful times at the moment.

Is there anything people can recommend? I thought today i might collect the dogs and go for a walk as soon as 5 pm rolls around.

@GreenTeaMug I'm not as far on as you but I definitely get to the end of the work day and it's all I can think about. I've started getting changed into sports clothes mid afternoon then immediately going out for a run or a bike ride when I log off. I make sure there is a cold coke in the fridge for when I get back.

Welcome to the newcomers @WineNoMore20 @Moonlite @Bizzywater and @oohnicevase, this is a very supportive thread.

I always have nice grown up cordials at the end of the working day, the elderflower is my particular favourite.

Welcome to all the new members.

@GalOopNorth 141 days is absolutely fantastic!

@GalOopNorth welcome back, and welcome too to new posters. I have the same response as Ulysses to reading posts by people just starting with sobriety, it's always a very helpful reminder to me about why I decided to quit and shows how important it is to hear from people at different stages on the journey.

@GreenTeaMug I eat something in the early evening, even if I'm waiting to have dinner with DH after the kids go to bed, I'll have a snack. And I make my AF drinks really elaborate, slices of cucumber, mint, frozen citrus... It creates a ritual to mark the end of the working day. If I could get out for exercise then, I would. I realised at the weekend that I haven't had a Becks Blue for weeks! I used it a lot at the start but have forgotten all about it.

Thanks all. i have a rose lemonade in my fridge for today.

I also find having a shower whe i stop work does help, but lately I have not been doing this.

I can mainline AF sparkling wine like it's going out of fashion.

Has anyone tried clean liquor ? I don't like the taste of alcohol so no use to me but I know it works for others in case anyone doesn't know about it .

i have a rose lemonade in my fridge for today.

Stick one of those wee paper umbrellas in it to make it extra special 😁

Having a big salad for dinner then off to tesco to get some essentials and will add some nice lemonades, I love shloer rosè as well so will grab a bottle! Day 1 for me

I weighed myself this morning and was completely surprised to find that I’m the lightest I’ve been in a good while and a stone lighter than the start of the year! My sugar consumption has gone skyward but can only think that the avoiding the empty calories in alcohol has been my saviour. It’s given me a real boost this morning as I’ve been avoiding the scales since lockdown thinking that I’d be piling it on but it’s just taken a while to slowly come down.

141 days is awesome, @GalOopNorth.

@Moonlite, best of luck, there's some great support on here, if you need it.

@Ulysses, do you have any weight loss tips? That is my next challenge. I'm trying to stick to sensible eating and have increased my daily activity, but sugar is my downfall too!

None I'm afraid, @elsacragg. I made a real effort at the start of the year with quitting alcohol, couch to 5 K and yoga but it took ages to get the weight to start coming off. I haven't been running in ages but I'm 2lb lighter than I was at the beginning of March. So yes, most of the weight came off while I was running and I've made little attempt at moderating my diet. I've been treating myself to fizzy drinks, chocolate, biscuits and cakes and Magnum ice lollies which is why I was convinced that I'd have put on half a stone. My clothes don't feel different but I've got a very limited range that I do wear.

It's just nice to see the work put in materialise and by far the biggest commitment has been not to drink and that something where I only see the positives now, there's no hardship in doing so.

This thread has been such a huge step for me I was thinking of going one of the weightloss ones to see if that would also keep me on the same path. I'm going to try and be mindful about what i snack on now.

I'm 45 and have been having issues with my periods but I called up the GP and have been given a prescription for the minipill as well as having the coil fitted. I've been taking that for the past few weeks and my months long periods have finally stopped and that's helping my mood too.

I can't really be bothered logging every calorie I eat so for now I'm trying to calm down with sugar!

Day 9 today. I’ve put on a stone in the past year but I read that it’s harder to give up alcohol if you’re also trying to diet. One thing at a time for me.

Having said that though, I’ve also been taking my make up off every night (never used to manage it) and spending the money I would have spent on wine on quality skincare. My husband has said how much clearer my skin is already.

Day 21. Doesn't seem like 3 weeks now. It's getting easier!

Well done to everyone loosing weight. When I stopped for two months in January and February I didn't loose an ounce because I was replacing the bottle of wine with chocolate. Now I'm working 15 hour plus days I don't have time and that's helping. If I could loose another 14lbs I'd be thrilled!

Hey all, Just checking in. Day 37 for me. Lots of change and uncertainty in my life at the moment and being AF keeps me grounded. Like it’s the one thing I’m getting right. Plus it’s nice not to think about drinking all the time (shall I drink tonight? Is it too early for a drink? Am I an alcoholic? Etc). I’ve got to keep going with this.

I only began losing weight in February, having stopped drinking at the end of December, it does take time @DryHeave. I think you're wise to focus one one thing at a time, your one job now is not to drink, self-improvement comes later! I always say that, I know. But it's important. 😊

There are so many full-on work challenges going on for people on the thread. So much to think about and manage, in the midst of this apparently endless storm. And doing it all sober! You all rock.

Morning.

I am glum and have decided that until i start feeling better about work I am going to fake it and be one of those annoying chirpy cheer leading type people. (It does NOt come naturally).

DryHeave I bought a facial ultrasonic cleansing brush off amazon. It has made the most ridiculous amount of difference ot my skin. Highyl recommend. I bought mine for about £20 I think - althoguh apparently you can get them for several hundreds..... (for me what i spent on booze a month, but never mind. )

Evening,
I hope you’re all enjoying the sun, I know for me it’s a big trigger! But while thinking about things to distract myself It’s dawned on me how much of my life I waste on drinking. Usually I try to get through everything I need to do by 6 because I know as soon as the wine came out it was game over.
So today, I have sooo much time, I can go for a later walk, I can do Pilates before bed, I can even read with both eyes open. It’s like 5 more whole hours a day!!

@GreenTeaMug

Thanks for the recommendation. Just orders a cleansing scrubby type thing!

Day 22 here. Feeling good.

Exactly @WineNoMore20, all the extra time is a real bonus, one of the hidden benefits of not drinking.