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!

Everyone okay today? My sunburn made for an interesting nights sleep!!

Does anyone do any yoga? @Drybird2020 is it you?

I am keen to start some yoga, I’m very much a beginner but would like to build it into my routine. Can anyone recommend some short videos for beginners?

Ooh @BunniesBunniesBunnies you need to look at Yoga with Adriene - she’s fab. I started with a beginners video a few months ago and have found a running one and a couple of others I love. She has loads of videos of all sorts of length and variation!

Hope all are well - it’s so hot here! I’m making the most of AF chilled drinks - just bought kombucha for the first time following a recommendation on here. It’s good!

@Hangingover definitely take yourself some nice AF drinks so you have something you want to drink. You can say as much or as little as you like - I generally do ‘I’m not drinking alcohol at the moment’ if I don’t want to say too much. Good luck!

It was totally fine. It was only the lady there and I've already told her I was giving up and we had a very honest chat about it

she did me a cigarette though, sort of thing could happen to anyone

@Hangingover your - Sophie kinsella- quote means the same thing as "just don't drink today". You can do that.

@BunniesBunniesBunnies I second Adriene, I use her for everything; you name it, she's got a yoga video for it. 😊

I have completed C25K, it was you lot made me do it! Any tips for what next?

@Drybird2020 get your 5k time quicker? Try 5 miles or 10k? Think there is a 5k to 10k thingy I think.

Sorry if I've missed all the posts. Had a migraine (a mild one) since Friday, it's finally gone. Got some magic pills from the doctor on Monday as was suffering quite a lot even though I wasnt rendered horizontal by it this time.

Hope everyone is doing ok

Ah that’s good @Hangingover 👍🏻

@Drybird - I completed c25k at the end of last year and signed up for a 10K at the end of May....which was obvs cancelled due to you know what. Just as well as my running has gone totally out the window and it’s def something I’m trying to get back to AF. I managed 3.5k this morning which I’m ashamed to say is most I’ve done in a while.

I found healthunlocked.com forums great - there’s a bridge to 10K forum/chat on that which has a really good plan which I was doing until it all went to pot and is full of people who’ve just done c25k and want to move on. There’s also good advice on next steps on the c25k forum on there - there’s a couple of ‘steppingstones’ NHS podcasts to follow up.

Linky healthunlocked.com/bridgeto10k

@Drybird2020 well done on completing c25k, by the way! Hope you are enjoying it 🙂

@Drybird2020 there are a few 5-10K apps out there which is my plan!

Any other dummies only just realised "c25k" meant coach to 5k? 🤣

I thought you were all running 25 kilometres!

Couch. Coach would be cheating.

Well done on the running Drybird.

bunnies. I do yoga sessions off the tv - with Julia Marie Lopez. She is really good. Very positive and encouraging. I tried Adrienne first but prefer Julia. I’m doing a 30 day course of hers at the moment which is free on Amazon prime. It’s my witching hour strategy: yoga, bath, AF beer. Good luck!

Omg @Hangingover I think I’ve run 25k this month!

And today is my day 25

No witching hour issues today, I’ve got a migraine twitching and am about to have to put the phone/laptop down and lie down. It’s not fair feeling rotten - I haven’t been drinking!

Oh god, no it’s day 26

Has anyone that's quit during lockdown thought what their pub drink of choice will be if going to a pub is unavoidable? I'm going to have either Kombucha or pink lemonade in one of those giant g&t goblets with ice.

Don't think I'll be able to face going to an Italian restaurant for a LONG time though red wine was my poison

@sparklinglime
I was on the original thread and dry January then dry February. I began drinking again in March (not mad amounts) but OH gave me an ultimatum that I had to "just stop drinking' and haven't had a drop since towards end of April. I'm two months in again. Unfortunately I'm not doing it for me this time but for him. He's on yet another diet (these start almost weekly) and to be quite honest I'm pissed off hearing him moan. He's not even acknowledged that I haven't even spoken about alcohol since he sent me the bloody text message. He's still drinking. It was easy when I did it for me, I hate that I'm doing it because I've been told to. I don't feel any blooming different either as never got a hangover.

To give those hope, when I did Jan/Feb for me I didn't find it hard at all.

Hi all.

had a minor craving today after a bit of a weird day at work where people made wierd decisions about wierdly random things. Almost all our office is back in the office now and I think some people are struggling with the transition! I dealt with said craving by eating two stale jam donuts and a kinder beueno.

Drinks of choice at the pub...... hmm. Our local offers an epic 5-6 selection of AF beer- including Heinekein AF on tap. very impressive to be honest. But I do like the fevertree tonics.

I am now drinking Belvoir ginger cordial with tonic water. TBH i think tonic with it is even better than dry ginger. It feels like a grownup drink- not too sweet.

I'm good for a bit of coach to 5 k.

I was doing some tara stiles yoga on you tube.

@myhandsareverycold that sounds tough.

@myhandsareverycold that does sound awful.

I'm on day two and a bit sleep-deprived but I've done some chores and avoided the sunshine and I'm not actually feeling too bad. Not craving, just sleepy. It is my birthday soon and I've had a couple of messages asking what I'm doing, but I think I may be best off doing a nice day out then retreating here alone, where no-one is going to stick prosecco under my nose.

Welcome back, @iamyourequal. I’ve had two (planned) slips which I’m OK with (although they didn’t fit with the intention of the thread).
That does sound very complex, @myhandsareverycold. Obviously everyone’s situations are different, but I don’t understand partners who demand abstinence but then drink at home themselves. Hope you find a way through

Thanks @GreenTeaMug, @SparklingLime and @Catonaroof. It's bloody infuriating to be fair. We are planning a weekend away soon and these weekends are always punctuated with sitting outside a bar/restaurant having a drink and people watching. I'm wondering what will be said then. I'm half expecting him to say 'you're allowed one" to which he will promptly be told to fuck off.

We are all doing really well, whatever our motivation.

I’m sorry to hear you are being put in this position myhandsareverycold . It all sounds a bit worrying. I don’t know how much you were drinking compared to your DH, but, in the nicest possible way, I don’t think it’s right he is telling you not to drink. Does this level of control extend to other things or just your alcohol consumption?