Stopping drinking for a while - part 2

[Patbutcherismyhero]

Hi all, a new thread as requested. Hope to see you all here shortly x

Me too! Many many times!
Plus alcohol seems to deplete the body of so many vitamins/minerals.

Skip dinner but eat two Shari g bags of crisps

Sharing bags that is

Right, DH just offered me a beer and I owned up that I’m trying to go AF for ‘a bit’. He looked surprised but said he’ll come along on the ride with me which will help no end.

Hope you’re all doing OK.

Amazing @TheWildRumpyPumpus that will definitely make things much easier for you! I had a very active day, a walk/scoot with 2 of the dc while dd was on Sid duty and then spend a couple of hours cutting the grass and sorting the garden out.

I celebrated with a McFlurry and a Heineken Zero

@FrolickingLemon it was really productive thanks!
End of day 4. Hoping for a better nights sleep tonight. I’m so tired, but tomorrow will be the start of my first AF weekend in months so I’m hoping for a lie in Saturday morning to make up for it.

Hi all,

Day 9 and mad dreams are settling down and tiredness is less pronounced.

Great to hear your meeting went well @ErinBrockovich, small business owners are the other heroes of the pandemic I think. You are doing great works in such uncertain times.
Enjoy your weekend and I hope you do get a lie -in!

@NeedAUserNameAllTaken I read that alcohol prevents the nutrients from healthy foods being properly absorbed by your body. Our livers have been flat out dealing with alcohol toxins until now and must feel like they're on some sort of amazing gourmet holiday!! We will definitely all be a picture of health very soon.

I have one more hot Australian summer left before I return permanently to wet cold Ireland and I plan to be glowing and AF AF for it lol

Happy Friday everyone! Going strong

@FrolickingLemon you are right about the back ground stress of everything going on right now causing depletion. I'm not sure we will really get how demanding this period of life was until we are looking back on it. Right now its just survival and adaption.

I still feel strange doing it without alcohol but I just refuse to buy any at Aldi ( my previous downfall) If I dont buy it I cant drink it!

Have a great weekend and relax as much as you can. Trying to muster the energy to turbo clean of my gaff now so I can do same on wknd...

Morning all! Glad you feeling better @HotelRoomforOne and that your meeting went well @ErinBrockovich

Sid has his injections this morning and because of Covid I'm not allowed in with him, how awful is that?

I'm day 65 now and I was adding stuff in my calendar on my phone last night and saw where I've marked day 100 and felt no joy at all at seeing the end date. I really feel (and hope) that my relationship with alcohol is done.

I am not an alcoholic, I know I could have a glass of champagne etc and not end up drinking to drunk and while I may do that in the future I can't see myself going out again where the sole purpose is to drink - which let's face it is the main social scene I have known my whole life

Growing up in rural Ireland we spent every Sunday after Mass in the pub with parent grandparents and cousins. It was seen as normal for everyone to be fairly pissed going home (and driving!)

My app tells me that in 20 years of being af I will save over 30k! And I was conservative when I put the figure in. Imagine the difference that money could make to my retirement. Or I could use it to poison myself and make myself miserable....let me think

@fluckityfluckfluck handhold for Sid’s injections, I hope it isn’t too upsetting.
Another bad nights sleep here. Today is day 5AF and tonight will be a challenge. I usually rush the kids off to bed as quickly as I can because I just want to put my feet up and have a glass of wine.
Tonight I’m going to do something different once they are in bed. Go for a walk or set the laptop up and work for an hour or so to stop that urge.
I’ll inevitably have to deal with DH asking why I’m not drinking as he either didn’t notice I took my wine order off the shop (unlikely) or didn’t mention it.
My issue is I don’t want his judgement- I’ve never admitted there’s a problem before - and I don’t want his pressure - he’s a very determined person with loads of will power and I’m not.
I’d rather shrug it off and not make it into a big deal but I’m not sure that’ll work as it’s such a big change in routine for me.

@ErinBrockovich maybe it would work to just say casually that you are taking a break/detox/trying to lose weight or whatever but that you really don't want to talk about it or make a big deal of it? It would stop you worrying about it at least, but that only works if you think he'd respect that.

Well done on day 5 and the plans for later. Have you thought of doing a jigsaw? Occupies the mind and the hands

Morning all. Bit of a restless night again, but not feeling too bad and skin looking slightly better (that might be to do with me faffing around using a coconut face mask of an evening instead of guzzling on vodka or wine!) Still too warm here. It was lovelier earlier, but it's just starting to rain now.

Gosh, @fluckityfluckfluck that estimate is based on only £30 a week. That's made me think for sure.

Oh and I take loads of vitamins. Probably wouldn't be necessary if my diet hadn't consisted of alcohol and sharing bags of crisps for so long!

@ErinBrockovich Since AF I have been legging it out the door every night once the children are in bed (not asleep but in bed at least) at 7.30pm.
First few nights it was a push.but now a.week in I am addicted. The feeling of closing the door on the chaos and walking out at an adult's pace is magnificent.
I usually walk for 45 mins to an hour, and it feels great. They are all still awake when I get back but I have renewed energy to deal.
I recommend it, if you can.
It's pouring rain here but I'm still going tonight. I didn't realise how much.I needed that freedom of movement and time away from partner /children.
Can you just tell your partner you are on a health kick, to skip his judgment?

God I miss being able to go for a walk or run early morning or evening. I'm on my own with DD so can't leave her on her own and she doesn't stay with her Dad. Still, something to loon forward to in a few years. I shall make sure I enjoy a good walk on Saturday daytime when she is with her Dad. I'm kind of liking the idea of thinking ahead to Autumn and Winter days.

Loon? Loon? Look. Obvs.

Day 65@fluckityfluckfluck that is fantastic, really something to aspire to, and day 100 will be a cause for celebration, even if hard to envision now.
That's two Irish women on this board anyway, wonder how many more there are?! It certainly is a drink soaked place, although I'm realising Australia is much the same, for all its fit& healthy image..

To be fair my short term goal is 30 days AF so I could casually say I’m trying to lose some weight before the kids go back to school and I have to face the school mums again.

I need to get a decent multivitamin, I’m feeling so drained after consistently poor sleep.

Anyone got any recommendations for a home workout on you tube? Whilst I would love to go for a walk, realistically I’m shattered on a Friday night so I might stand more chance of putting something on the iPad. Would also be suitable for @FrolickingLemon.

@HotelRoomforOne you know my other issue with going for a walk? I live in such a small place that you always bump into someone you know! Or someone’s husband/mother/dog etc! I hate it having grown up in a big city with anonymity. You can never just wave and carry on either, they always want to interrogate you and then I’m standing there thinking I wish I’d brush my hair and had changed out of the clothes my kids have been pawing at all day...

@ErinBrockovich I hear you, I've lived that village life too. Hard to get a decent pace up when you have to keep stopping for the chats.
I don't know any good net workouts, but have heard the FIT app mentioned, could be a way. I heard anything that can break you into a sweat for 20 mins will really obliterate any anxiety, at least for a while. Good luck!

The Les mills on demand app is ace if you can afford it - often special reductions on. Or Joe Wicks if you don't find him annoying. 30 days with Adrienne if you fancy yoga

Day 5 here. Quite happy for tomorrow to be Day 6, but will probably have to deal with DH wanting to go for a drink later and saying he can't/won't drink alone.

Morning all. @fluckityfluckfluck wow I’d not thought about the money saving benefits - I dread to think actually about how much we might have spent recently.

@HotelRoomforOne well done for getting out for your walks - it sounds like a good idea to escape the house and break the usual routines. Some exercise is long overdue for me too!

Hi all, not had chance to check back in over the past few days but glad to see everyone is still posting here. Well done all. It's not been a great week for me and I'm going out again tonight which frankly I really can't be bothered with! But it's one of those things I can't get out of. I will try and moderate as much as possible because I don't want weekend hangover again. Im really beginning to resent the wasted days and even hours.

I've made a decision to really change things when the dc go back to school. My weight has ballooned in lockdown so I want to get back to my healthy eating and cut right back on the booze. I've put on over a stone . With dc back at school it will give me a bit more freedom for jogs and gym time so I'm really positive for a new routine. No point starting yet as too many plans in the next few weeks but I'm going to commit to change come September.

@Patbutcherismyhero that's good to have a target/plan, but be careful that the alcohol whisperer doesn't scupper it.

I'm pleased to have had three days mainly AF (bar one small beer) this week. Had some red wine last night (about half a bottle) and really feel it today, which is good in some ways as I think my tolerance level is going down. A few weeks ago I was able to have a bottle and feel relatively OK the next day. I didn't even finish my last glass!

But I may be fooling myself, I know...

@fluckityfluckfluck when I think of the drink driving my parent's generation did on a Sunday after an afternoon in the pub (and sometimes driving along bendy country roads), it's enough to make my hair stand on end!