Sober October - Plan Ahead

[notroundthebend]

I managed dry January, even did Feb! Then the virus hit and I went backwards with the wine drinking and it's really got to stop. So sober October it is (and beyond)..! So, Thursday will day one 🙌 join me if you wish.

Well done everyone. I sat in front of tv again with tea and chocolate. Need a healthier alternative to get me through the rest of the month!

I stuck it out too - watched telly. Doing a LOT of that right now and it’s likely to continue till about March I reckon! Running out of good things to watch though. DH very bored, he likes a drink at the weekend, not bothered through the week.
I did finish a book yesterday which means my head was clearer. I’d love it if my skin became dewy and youthful soon as well

Made it through the weekend. I dropped DD at uni for the first time - normally that would be a wine type of event. I celebrated with a cup of tea.

After 5 days waking up with a fuzzy / slightly sore head, poor sleeping and generally feeling a bit meh! This morning I have woken up and I feel amazing. I am back in the room.

Awesome. Well done Unescorted! Hope you have a great day.

Excellent! I felt a bit low yesterday, as if I couldn't 'treat' myself to anything, but just had my peppermint tea and a good night's sleep, so glad I haven't given up on this, the mornings make it worth it

Unescorted that’s brilliant. Hold onto that feeling!

I don’t know if I feel the same but I have already completed 2 steps of the quite complicated meal we’re having tonight. House smells great. (Not sobriety related, I’m just ahead of schedule and that hardly ever happens!)

@BrassicaBabe

I'll join you too if that's ok.

I did the Annie Grace 30 day experiment mid June this year. I found it really helpful to understand the chemistry of alcohol, what it does to you and why you want to keep going when you've had one drink etc. I've managed to drink less since finishing the experiment. But I'm a bit of an "all or nothing" type. Opened a bottle for a glass on Tuesday and drank the whole bottle.

I've leaned that alcohol does pretty much nothing good for me. I'd like the strength to be t-total I think. But I dooooo like it! I'll do another 30 days and have a contemplate at the same time

I have signed up to this, I’d never heard of it before but I actually think it’s really interesting.

I’m feeling ok so far. DH caved and had a 4 pack of beer on Saturday night after a hard day of decorating but I had a couple of glasses of tonic. I have no real urges for beer so was fine, had he cracked open a bottle of red it might have been an entirely different story though.

Another sober day done yesterday. Tea and high calorie snacks got me through again. I’m giving myself a week then looking for healthier ways to get me through the evenings!

@Hohofortherobbers

Excellent! I felt a bit low yesterday, as if I couldn't 'treat' myself to anything, but just had my peppermint tea and a good night's sleep, so glad I haven't given up on this, the mornings make it worth it

The "not being able to look forward to a treat" thing was very hard for me for the first couple of weeks. I took a lot of long baths in the evenings!

Then I made sure I was changed for bed before I curled up on the sofa to watch TV, which felt like a bit of a treat.

And now my mentality is completely different, not so reliant on 'treats' at all.

Well done all! It's great waking up feeling fine, isn't it?

I'm late to the party but also doing sober October, along with DH.

We do dry January every year as a reset after Christmas excess but like a lot of people our alcohol consumption has gone up over lockdown!

I worked all weekend (nurse) but I'm off today, have bought fillet steak for dinner and making a lemon meringue pie. Had a lovely long walk with Ddog and planning a couple of glasses of tonic water to go with dinner

Just read a light hearted 'is it wine time yet' thread on AIBU and felt instantly deprived that some stranger online is having wine tonight and I'm not, have got a grip in myself and poured a glass of one of the new cordials I treated myself to shopping Saturday. Pomegranate and elderflower. Moment of jealousy passing

Hoho just make a note to go on the wine time thread tomorrow to ask how fresh and lovely they are feeling.

@user1474402918

Hoho just make a note to go on the wine time thread tomorrow to ask how fresh and lovely they are feeling.

Ha ha, yes! All bright and breezy, first thing in the morning

Started keeping myself busy around the witching hour, going to fitness class now and volunteered at dc's activity as a helper tomorrow evening

Some great ideas by PPs re keeping busy. I’m treating myself to a manicure tonight in an attempt to stop the snacking. Can anyone recommend some good cordials for grown ups? I want a change from endless cups of tea. The belvoir ones sound nice but they’re quite pricey.

If you want to keep busy you can have my job today...started at 6 and finished at 7:20. That is am and pm respectively. I am enjoying my hard earned cup of tea.

Vik1ng I am hoping someone will come along in a mo with suggestions. My designated driver drink is soda water with a splash of bitters. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but I like the really bitter aperitifs from Italy.

I like the Robinson cordials which I dilute with sparkling water, lime & mint and rhubarb & orange.

Thanks for the recommendations unescorted and hoho. I don’t think I’ve ever had a drink with bitters. Am curious now to try them. Lime and mint Robinson’s with sparkling water sounds good too.

I'm after some alternative drinks too please. Hot or cold. If they are in any way healthy then that will add to my smugness!

On another note has anyone started treating themselves to other things based on the money they've 'saved' through not buying alcohol? Admittedly I'm on day eight but even so if my alcohol spend was as high as all the things I've said I'll treat myself to I've got a much bigger problem than I realised!!!
In all honesty I'm not missing it at all. I mentioned in a previous post about the book I'd read and it's honestly changed me. I've not even given wine a second thought and it was very much my 'go to' most evenings. I don't feel like I'm deprived or missing out on anything. It's very strange but very good.

Checking in, still going strong. Sleep is amazing but I can't seem to get out of bed in the mornings!!! Anyone else finding this? It's like my body suddenly needs twice as much sleep.. when I drink wine I'm up and down all night needing to drink water and never settle 😰 now I'm in bed by 9/10pm and sleeping 10+ hours. So great to see that so many are doing well keeping to it.

Oh and my drink of choice is cloudy lemonade.. that or Pepsi Max ice cold.

I've been watching this thread, but refrained from joining in too soon as I haven't had much luck with my 'giving up' efforts of late, and having joined another thread on here and fallen off the wagon after a few days, I didn't want to embarrass myself yet gain.

However, my big test was last weekend and I got through it surprisingly easy. So here I am, still dry, and starting to think Sober October is doable.

Long story short I've given up drinking loads of times! Nine months, five months, 55 days at the start of lockdown, but somehow or other I always end up back on it. My drinking pattern tends to be once or twice a week downing a bottle and a half of red on my own, at home. I have plenty of alcohol free days in between but on the occasions that I do drink, I drink way too much and I'm fed up of it. I feel like shit next day, full of good intentions and then come Friday it's wine time again.

I last had a drink on Sunday 27th so this is my 9th day dry. I'm not talking in terms of 'forever' even though I'd love to pack it in for good, but I'm going to try and do October, if nothing else, and see where I am at the end of it.

Hi Fanny your drinking sounds similar to my DH - once he has a glass he has to finish the bottle and its' friend. He is quite happy to leave it a couple of days - where as I am a little and far too often. He is doing Stoptober to re calibrate what is a reasonable amount in one sitting and I am doing it to stop the auto cork pop.

I was quite pleased last night - I didn't feel as if I was missing out by not drinking. On Friday I am meeting friends at a local food hub. Normally I would ride my bike up & that would still be my preference, but I might take the car to have a non drinking excuse.

I had a hectic day/evening yesterday and didn’t get chance to treat myself to a manicure, so that will be tonight’s distraction instead. Tuesdays are always super busy which is usually my excuse to have a wine or 3 when I do finally sit down. But I didn’t miss it yesterday which means i went to bed at a decent hour My sleep is definitely better @notroundthebend.