The Best Things About Being Alcohol-Free

[Perriwinkles]

I thought a thread to remind us of what’s great about being AF might help motivate us. I’m only on Day 6 here but I already feel better! Let’s aim for 100 things (if there are more, even better); so if you’re replying, go from the next number on to the previous post.

I’ll get us started:

1. Clear-headed mornings.
2. Bright eyes
3. Remembering conversations from the night before.
4. Being able to consume calories from yummy food instead of alcohol.
5. Being able to drive anywhere at anytime.
6. Losing weight.
7. Less stomach discomfort.

(The next post can start from number 8. Let’s create an amazing, motivating list to remind us why we’re ditching the booze!). X

@FanGirlX
That’s a great idea and no doubt helps you keep going AF. Support really is so important. Right now my main support is lack of coercion - just not being persuaded to drink is supportive in itself. X

I read the whole thread from start to finish last night when I had a serious wobble. It helped a lot. Thanks for all of your inspiring words.

I like going to parties and watching as other people progress from sober to tipsy to drunk.

I know we are at 100 but not having to say no to the kids when they want to go to a club or a friends because I wouldn't be able to pick them up. I would feel so guilty and giving them that freedom was one of the best things for me.

Not suddenly dropping off to sleep in company or in front of the tv.

Well there’s nothing stopping us going past #100

104. Playing out a relapse with a good friend & drinking buddy in my head & concluding that it’s really really really not worth it.

105. Really knowing yourself and liking what you know.

106. No more drunken sex where you don’t quite feel the right (or any) emotion

107. Learning to tell the difference between tiredness and a hangover.

Doing something daft, feeling like a drunk twat, then realising you're stone cold sober and that everyone does silly things sometimes.

When I was drinking I could agonise for months over tripping up or dropping something so it was wonderful when I first did it sober and could just forgive myself

109
Not checking the time to see if it’s too early to drink.

110
Not making excuses for why you are having a drink.

111
Knowing who your real friends are and not just drinking buddys.

112. Need fuel to visit family tomorrow, able to go to the 24 hour station tonight because I've not been drinking (hope that the queues have gone down from when I drove past earlier)

113. Not having to rotate supermarkets/corner shops because they would know you only bought the last litre bottle of spirits 2 days ago!

114 Freedom from the interval battle of moderating

115 more honest and deeper relationships with friends/partner

116 living my life- having exciting adventures and not ruling things out because I won’t be able to have a drink.

117 being choosier about who I spend time with because I can’t drink to get me through social occasions I’m not enjoying.

118 Being able to go for a Sunday day out instead of staying home because you think you might still have too much alcohol in your system to drive

Day 1 for me.
Didn’t get through to midnight as I was drunk early. What a waste of time it is.
Happy New Year (I’m in Australia)

Sorry wrong thread!

I have another!!
119 - not having to consider drinking enough fluids during the day to help counteract the alcohol consumption you're going to have that evening, to make the hangover less bad!.. iykwim?

Bumping this thread - I hope.
so very useful thanks all!