Stopping drinking for a while - part 2

[Patbutcherismyhero]

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

@HotelRoomforOne Thanks - I've been doing 11am to 7pm. The hardest part was getting used to black coffee in the morning. I find I'm rarely hungry, my bowels are much better and I've really not been dieting at all, having ice cream and cake etc. One day a week I will push the 11 am as late as I can without being starving and still stop at 7.

Hang in there - you are doing great. I can't imagine how difficult a curfew is on top of everything else.

I have my babies back since last night thank goodness. Sid can go out on a lead from next Friday - can't wait. School starts Tuesday so a tough week ahead but at least it won't be boring

Hi all. I hope you don't mind but I have just been reading through all the comments.

I am a recovering alcoholic. Or I was. I got to 11 weeks and then relapsed so now on day 3 (again!).

I just wanted to answer to some of the questions raised. Tiredness is common in the early days. Excessive dreaming is too. As for vitamins. A vitamin B complex is important. Also iron and thiamine. It takes days for the body to rebalance itself. Expect sugar cravings too as there is so much sugar in alcohol.

Keep going with it. I know you are not all alcoholics. I thought at one point I wasn't. It creeps up on you and I now have cirrhosis of the liver, although it is remaining stable for now. I will follow this thread as it will keep me motivated to carry on getting through the days. x

Hi @Lou670 thanks for posting and welcome. Good luck on the restart. It's sounds like you've been on quite the journey. This is a great thread, jump on board x

This weeks yoga tip from breathmiller

"This weeks view from the yoga mat smile - I was listening to a book on one of the Yoga philosophy texts this week and the author was talking about habits (samskaras) and how self will can have the power to change them. Everytime we have a thought and don't follow it down a path then we strengthen our self will a little more. (And everytime we follow it , self will is weakened or lessened) I liked that. So instead of topping up a glass with red wine last night i topped up my self will. And when my self will is stronger it all becomes so much easier. And new healthier samskaras are made"

Oh god SORRY wrong thread

Day 14AF. Last night wasn’t too bad in the end as we sat down to watch a film and it took my mind off things.

@HotelRoomforOne I’m hoping to see a loss on the scales tomorrow. Last week I stayed the same but I’ve been much better diet wise this week and have increased the exercise. You know muscle weighs more then fat right? So burning some of the fat away and replacing it with muscle won’t result in a loss but is still so much better for you. Plus it does lift my mood. I’m definitely going for another swim this week.

Hi @Lou670 thanks for sharing your experience, nice to have you on the thread.

@AmICrazyorWhat2 don’t be too hard on yourself. Saturday nights are my weakness and even worse when there’s someone sitting next to you opening a bottle. Onwards and upwards.

P.S. @OrchidJewel your post made me chuckle.

Strangely apt @OrchidJewel! Just checking in. Now 13 days AF for the first time I can remember! A few wobbly moments so far, but aware of a shifting from a sense of ‘deprivation’ to ‘not wanting‘ to drink alcohol. Not much weight loss as such here, but clothes more comfortable. Tight pants give me the rage, thankfully they’ve lessened off !
Haven’t been able to post much, but thank you so much for this thread and sharing. Can’t tell you how helpful it is!

Ok I have a confession. It's not pretty.
Last night I had a bottle of red wine which I've not had for ages. It was nice to begin with but by the end of the bottle I was absolutely pissed and sorry for the TMI but I ended up puking for over an hour. Can't even remember going to bed. Luckily my husband was there and said I just seemed sick so he put me to bed. My bathroom is like something from a bad movie this morning. I feel HORrENDOUS. I can't even be bothered to type that again. I'm sat on the sofa watching kids tv.

That's it. No more alcohol for me.

Oh @cherrybakewellll sending huge healing hugs. You poor thing.

This could be the catalyst you need. A similar night was the start of my af story, after trying to moderate/impose rules for at least a year. Maybe go for your 30 days af? X

Yes if there's any positives to come out of it, I don't think I'll be touching wine for a good while now!

@ErinBrockovich well done on day 14! A great achievement. I can't imagine going two whole weeks.

@HotelRoomforOne I'm sure the weight will drop off suddenly. How can it not? Alcohol is so calorific you will have to see a change eventually.

@Lou670 thank you for that insight it's great to have you here.

@cherrybakewellll don't beat yourself up. It's so easily done especially on a weekend. The one benefit of a stinking hangover is that it will put you off drinking for a while now. Have a relaxing day, lots of water and maybe some fresh air if you can get out. I wonder if you were so sick because you haven't drank so much in a while?

Its not been an AF week for me but with us being away for most of it I'm not too worried. I think the most I had was 4 drinks in a night so hardly a mad binge.

Having Sunday lunch at my mums today and she will no doubt try and top my glass up repeatedly. My family are all big drinkers, more so than me. It makes it very hard to view my alcohol habit objectively sometimes because it's just something I've grown up with and been around all my life. My mum drinks daily and my dad is a big binger at weekends. Now I'm more clued up on the health issues I do worry for them.

Am ready the upcoming week though. Time to get this weight shifted and start being a bit healthier all round!

Thanks @Patbutcherismyhero and yes I think you are right, also because I've really been strict on my eating i was hungry before I started drinking and I didn't have the stodgy dinner I normally would when drinking.

I'm very similar to you in that my parents drink daily, always have so I know what you mean about socials with them and the inground acceptance of drinking.

I've cleaned the bathroom now and my husband is out at band practice so I'm having a cup of tea of the sofa, the baby is cruising around the lounge and I'm going to attempt to plan a completely healthy menu for the week and do the online shop. It's riveting stuff here I tell ye!

Sounds like you're doing well! Feel free to share your meal ideas, I'm doing a similar plan today. Glad you're feeling a bit better and yes drinking wine on an empty stomach is lethal!!!

I'm going to 'budget' syns for sweet treat in the evening so that if I feel I need it I'm still on plan.

What gets me is I know I could do AF if I really wanted to and actually I do now. I'm going to plan to do 30 days from today. Wedding anniversary is first weekend in October so maybe I'll aim to be AF until then.

Hope you've gotten through the day okay @cherrybakewellll

Thanks @fluckityfluckfluck entirely self inflicted obviously.

I'm absolutely determined that it's Sober September for me. My DH is on board although he's got about 20 pints of cider left in the keg in the garage so he has about 28 hours to sort that

Same here Cherry. I haven’t touched a drop I’m since Friday evening and feel better for it. Of course, my DH stocked up on tonic water yesterday so I’ll have to ignore it when he makes a G & T, as well as the ciders downstairs. 🤣

Morning all day 15AF. Last night after putting the kids to bed DH opened a bottle of red. I was confused, we never normally drink at home on a Sunday... oh it’s a bank holiday weekend. In that case, yes we do. As you were.
Was a really strange experience because Friday and Saturday nights I psych myself up to avoid the booze and there it was presented to me unexpectedly.
I managed to resist.
I had a rare dinner invite for next weekend, which I declined because I know I’ll want to drink and I don’t want to break my run. I suggested an early lunch instead, knowing I’ll have to go home to the kids afterwards. That should be enough of a deterrent.
So I weighed myself this morning expecting great things. Urm 1pound off. One pound! Cheated! Ha ha. So that’s in 2 weeks because the first week I stayed the same. A little bit disheartening if I’m honest but only because my tummy feels so much flatter, less bloated and wobbly.
Maybe it’s because I’m exercising and eating well rather then any sort of food restrictions. I’m happy with the visual results I’m getting though so not about to change anything this week other then trying to cut down on the chocolate digestives.
Yesterday DH took the kids to the park and I did my tax return. I’ve been putting it off for a while but bit the bullet and did it. I know for certain I would never have contemplated doing it on a Sunday previously, due to the rotten hangover and not trusting myself to concentrate/do it accurately. So I’m pleased that’s another job off the list.
Not much on today so I’m going to head off to an exercise class later. That’s right. Instead of a bank holiday hangover I’m going to make a fool of myself at the local community centre trying out a Zumba class! At least I won’t be stuffing digestives for an hour!
Have a good day everyone!

Well done @ErinBrockovich that's a huge achievement. You sound really focused. It must be nice to wake up on a bank holiday with a clear head. Respect for getting your tax return done, that alone makes me want to drink!!!

I had a bit of a frustrating lunch with the family yesterday. I drove to my mums so I wouldn't have to have the option of drinking. Had a nice afternoon but I was ready to leave about 2 hours before we actually did. Dp and the family all drinking more and more and it's very boring when you're the only one sat there sober as they gradually get more pissed and annoying. I got roped into giving mums friends a lift home too so I generally felt a bit like they were taking the piss. Anyway I did it and feel better for it today.

About to get a bath and head out for a long walk with the dogs in the sunshine. It's day one of healthy living and I'm trying to take baby steps rather than overwhelm myself with a bunch of new habits that won't last. I am planning a total overhaul of eating as from today though and have drawn up a meal plan for the week. Will remain AF for as long as possible. Ideally I'd like to reserve drinking solely for the weekends now but 4 nights a week AF would also be a big cut back for me. Fingers crossed.

Hi All, I’ve not posted on this thread before. I got far too drunk on Saturday night and still feel very down about it this morning. My husband and I have both said we are going to have a few weeks of not drinking now. On the whole we don’t drink during the week, it more tends to be if/when we go out at the weekend. Sometimes we can go out and I’ll be fine the next day. Other times like Saturday it can ruin me for days. I feel like I can’t risk having any more of those nights, but at the same time it is frustrating as I don’t want to miss out on the nights that don’t end up like that but I’m not sure there is a middle ground. I had to be induced in June when I was 20 weeks pregnant after finding out the baby’s heart had stopped beating, I didn’t drink at all when I was pregnant, which I didn’t find particularly hard but I did find it boring. I probably am drinking too much now partly because I am so sad about my baby and miss him so much but of course that sadness is even greater the few days after drinking. I can only think that the best thing to do is to stop drinking for a while and take it from there.

@notinthestarsigns Welcome, I am so sorry for your loss. I think so many of us reach to alcohol for comfort or avoidance, at least you can see the false promise in that. Check out some of the reading that is recommended on here and maybe have a read of the first thread if you can x

@ErinBrockovich has your DH mentioned you not having a drink yet? You are doing really well.

@Patbutcherismyhero it's so boring watching others get pissed isn't it - good plan re the small steps towards a healthier life.

I'm on day 75 of the 100 target. I'm now at the stage where I don't even entertain the idea of breaking it. I'm enjoying the peace.

Hi @notinthestarsigns, so sorry for your loss, welcome to the group, it's a really lovely supportive place, hope it helps.
Welcome to the other newbies, lovely to have you too. Sorry I didnt say hi before, busy weekend.

Good luck on health kick day 1 @Patbutcherismyhero! I need to do this too, my diet has been far too biscuit based!
Enjoy zumba @ErinBrockovich

Glad everyone is doing okay!

Wow day 75 @fluckityfluckfluck, amazing. Nearing day 50 here, still enjoying it but slight wobbles at forever, sure it will pass though.

Have a good week all x

@fluckityfluckfluck day 75 is awesome and what's even more significant is that shift in mindset where you're not even thinking about it anymore. This is just the new normal for you. So pleased for you.

Thanks @Patbutcherismyhero - I can't tell you how much better I feel. Which is directly related to how really really crap I felt leading up to stopping. This was never ever something I envisaged for myself, but there is no doubting the results. I am much happier, despite thinking for years that wine made me happy