The Freedom Thread; for those embracing a life without alcohol.

[Drybird2020]

Welcome to the 7th thread in this series, which has helped me and many others find the way to a life free of and free from alcohol.

Anyone is welcome! Newbies, you will find emotional support, tips for handling cravings, strategies for handling social occasions and plenty of first-hand experiences to mirror your own. An alcohol problem makes you feel lonely and isolated, but you are not alone.

Please be aware that this is an abstinence thread – it can be difficult and triggering in the early stages to be around alcohol related chat (however, it might help to know that one of the gifts of long-term sobriety is not being at all bothered by people drinking or talking about drinking in your presence!) So, if you feel that moderation is for you, or if you feel you need to cut down before stopping, there are other threads in Alcohol Support that can help, or you can start one for the specific support you need.

Oldies, come and share milestones, enjoy the chat, and pay forward the kindness and non-judgemental support we have all benefitted from. And when you have the time, do yourselves a favour by finding where you started and reading through all your posts, it will show you how far you have come and what you have achieved! (I'll add links to previous threads in my next post).

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou thank you.
You'll get up tomorrow a new women

Morning all up at 6 am with a nice hot coffee. The outside world is so quiet and still . Reflecting on all the Sunday mornings I have woken up at this time with a banging head for a glass of water then back to bed.

@BorderlineHappy hope you managed to stay strong and are feeling good this morning . The longer it goes on the easier it gets.

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou it's a good feeling when you can get through the days and don't even want to drink.

@Adventuresat40 sorry to hear you have COVID hope you're doing ok. When I had it it actually reminded me of how I felt when I was hungover  which really made me think why on earth would I want to do that to myself!

@HangingOver in a way it's kind of empowering to feel that you don't need to do that anymore . I have a couple of nights out planned now things have opened up and im actually really looking forward to seeing everything through sober eyes.

@Soberanne congrats on day 8 keep the treats going . I think the longer you are sober you really start to appreciate the little things in life like treating yourself to a delicious ice cream.

I danced lots yesterday with the kids and had a lot of fun on a bouncy castle ! Laughed lots and woke up grateful and fresh this morning . I think kids really have got things right , what on earth happens to us to think that the only way we can enjoy ourselves is through alcohol?

Hello again. After managing a whole night I’ve gone back to being rubbish. And hiding from here.Day 1 again today. It’s really only when I start cooking through to eating, but it’s such a thing. Something to do with habit, boredom, resenting cooking again.
Well done everyone else. You are inspiring!

And thanks for including me ..I’ve been feeling ashamed, very schoolgirlish. But it’s so wonderful to feel included!
Day 1 again. Mentally I have massive doubts that I can do it. Need to turn that round to determination that I will.
This is a great threda

Winenota it's obvious that the intention is there. Keep at it. It will get easier each time. I have had many times over the years of wanting to stop and intending to stop but not being able to. If it was easy then we wouldn't ALL need this support group. Day 1. You can do this. You've shown you can do a day so you know for sure you can. 😊

I had, what probably could be classed as one of my hardest hurdles yesterday. A day at my dad's with all the family. Everyone is a big drinker, and ot starts early. Alcohol is a big part of the day, everyone, mostly the women as well as the men are driving, getting pissed and having a massive lairy laugh. I had 2 tiny fleeting thoughts at the time that I wasn't 'joining in' and at one point there was a tiny second where the glass of wine being poured looked good. But I had sparkling water in a wine glass and I really didn't miss it at all. I was amazed at how the conversation turned to drinking and how pissed so and so had been and how hilarious it was. I was even able to join in with how I had been in the past. I had a great day. I have some issues with that side of the family anyway, it's not the easist sometimes and I have been low and non contact in the past, so some of these feelings of not fitting in surfaced on the way home again and I got them muddled up with not drinking. But it was nothing to do with thay really. I actually had a really good day, didn't worry that I made a fool of myself but also was able to enjoy everyones company. They were all drinking, i wasn't. Simple as that.
The younger kids weren't drinking. The drivers weren't drinking. I wasn't drinking (i was also the driver) . It wasn't a big deal. I had a good time catching up with family after a year and a half. And no hangover, like most of the party will have today. Win win.

What a lovely sunday morning. Woke up feeling ok , a change for a sunday. Day 9 here we come

SoberAnne day 9!! Woohoo!! 🥳🥳
You are doing so well

@Winenota doesn't matter how many day 1 you need.
You will get to day 2 ,then 3.
Keep going.Sending you positive thoughts.

Up and out this morning,done my walk.
Love getting up refreshed and not tired.
And not hungover.
Week 2 here I come.

I need this thread. I can go for weeks, a month, sometimes longer, without drinking alcohol. But when I do I am such a guzzler! I binge drink and I want to stop untill december. I know this is a thread for abstinence but as my plan to to abstain for a good while please can I join? I need the support and this seems the place for it. I'm starting a nursing degree in september so there is no way I'll be able to drink in any excessive way and do that. So my plan is to abstain untill the december holidays. 4 months no booze. I hope I can be here 🤞

So today is my day 1

And what app is everyone using, which is the best that's free?

Thank you both, that means a ridiculous amount to me!
Really well done breathmiller that’s incredibly well done with so much temptation, and soberanne. Hurrah!

Day 10 here and still feel very exhausted although i think my sleep is improving. Hope everyone is doing ok and enjoying a sober life

soberanne well done on 10 days. That's great. In a few days you'll be able to say you've done 'weeks' 😊

Hi everyone. I'm on day 290AF but can't seem to ditch the chocolate now!! Any tips?

Well done @Soberanne🤩🤩🤩

@CabotCoveBeforeBros 290AF is amazing. I have no advice on the choc sadly but hopefully someone else will

@CabotCoveBeforeBros - I'm trying to cut down on the sweet stuff but not give it up entirely. I've found things like this chocolate bar which is divided in 4 x 25g at only 135 calories each bar, which doesn't overwhelm my diet. Because it's individual bars, it's portion controlled and I don't find myself scoffing the whole thing.

www.ocado.com/products/guylian-dark-raspberry-bars-72-514134011

@CabotCoveBeforeBros I still don't have sugar under control. It's the next big step for me. I have had some success with reducing caffeine though it has crept up.a bit over the holidays. As often discussed, I can't easily do moderation ...

@ChampooPapi I used TryDry which is from the Dry January people. It was very helpful at the beginning although after a while it became annoying because I forgot to do it for weeks on end and then had to fill it in painstakingly which took ages. It calculates units and money saved which is motivating (and also horrifying when you see how much you were spending).

Sugar is a bitch.

I do feel I don't always cram as much of it in as I did at the beginning but I could definitely do with working on it. I had a binge last night but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I actually did low calorie and intermittent fasting last week and felt great. I definitely work better with an all or nothing mentality which is proved by over drinking/abstaining.

I do find, like booze , I just need not to have it in the house. If the crap is not there I can't eat it. If it's there I have no willpower. It means I don't mind so much when I have a blow out like last night because it's not very night.

I do sometimes think I need to live the life of a hermit not to be tempted by life's delicious offerings.

It's going back to that idea of what makes us feel good. Coming out of the river the other day my 10 year old said how great it was that it made you feel so good and that it was good for you at the same time! Whereas cake/crisps/sweets/screens make you feel good at the time you're doing them but they are not good for you in the long term. Wise wee soul.

So, last night notwithstanding, my plan is to do more of the things that make me feel good and are good for me. Then maybe I wont crave the shitty lying feel good stuff.

Oh and sorry. If it wasn't obvious, I'm grumpy today. Bloody bloody menopause.

Sobriety is still winning and i am stopping counting days as its dragging and becoming a bit pointless. My focus is just that today i will be sober.

@Drybird2020 yes I'm using that and so far so good. I know I can do a month, maybe more but 150 days....maybe more... I'm going to give it my dam best shot 💪

@Breathmiller I am with you. I am thinking that I need to cut out sugar completely, it's the next big step for me. All or nothing is a big part of my personality - we've discussed this before on previous threads! And my hormones are definitely giving me a hard time too. I feel like the childbearing years have only just finished and now this...
Swimming, running and yoga are my free, feel-good activities. Creative writing, gardening, reading, I love them all. But it's the school holidays so I'm not getting quite enough of them and I reach for the caffeine and sweeties instead.

@Soberanne

Sobriety is still winning and i am stopping counting days as its dragging and becoming a bit pointless. My focus is just that today i will be sober.

I found this a good approach because once in a while you look back at the calendar and think bloody hell, I've done all this time without really noticing!