The freedom thread ( continued ) Riding the rollercoaster of an alcohol free life!

[ChampooPapi]

Adm1010

Hello all

This is a thread for people who have decided that life is much better without alcohol!🤩 These threads were started by @Drybird, and they have changed the lives of many people.

Some posters on these threads have been sober for a long time, and some are only just starting. We are a very friendly and inclusive bunch and we are always excited when someone new joins the thread. The only thing we ask is that our posters have given up alcohol completely. Talk of moderation can be triggering for some people, so this thread is not the right place for that (there are other moderation threads🙂).

We are a supportive welcoming bunch. No question is ever to “ silly “ and their is generally someone around if you are struggling

So just come here to chat or vent or check in . Whatever you need as you ride the rollercoaster of an alcohol free life smile

Thank you to @Adm1010 for hosting the last thread 💜

And here’s to the next 40 pages grin

Thank you! Bad morning this morning. The enormity of what I did at the weekend (nearly or slightly cheat on DP depending upon what actually happened - I'm not 100% sure). I haven't told him because it would destroy us but I am consumed with guilt. I can't believe I was so reckless at my age (40s).

No judgement from me @SmellyWellyWoo, sending you strength.

Well done to everyone on their milestones! I'm planning to treat myself to something when I get to two months... semi-seriously considering teeth whitening and/or Botox just because I am finally feeling and looking better than I have in many years . My face bloat and bags under the eyes are soooo much better, my skin is clearer and I've lost weight - it feels SO weird to take some semblance of pride in my appearance again!

@BunniesBunniesBunnies

Congratulations on two years. That is epic, what a wonderful milestone to reach.

I bet life looks and feels a lot different now?

Welcome @SmellyWellyWoo I'm sure alcohol has made a fool of and been a danger to all of us.

I'm relatively early on in my AF adventure. 60 days / 2 months. I'm looking forward to a sober summer.

Welcome @SmellyWellyWoo for sure we all have terrible nights in our history. Up the benefit of now is that u
It will stay in history. No point in telling your DP, if you don’t even know what happened. Just make better decisions moving forward. I don’t condone lying btw, but I also have passed bad mistakes in this level and I know that the only benefit to telling DH is to alleviate my crushing guilt. It won’t help him, us, the kids or our future. Maybe that’s wrong but it is how I believe.

I would say it is different if you gave regular blips, or an affair… but if it was a drunken whoops ‘did I?’ snog in a club or similar.. nah move forward better.

Must be 64 days for me now. Still i weight loss 😡 but no gain and that’s a plus given the sugar addiction I’m cultivating 🤣

@BunniesBunniesBunnies 2 YEARS. In awe. Absolute awe. I concur with the wonderful feeling of NEVER having to drink again. It’s really is quite a relief now. I’m waiting for it to be hard and expecting some challenges. I don’t go out much 😏 but I genuinely just don’t want to and that’s amazing

*Benefit is now you know…. No that word vomit correction, and that’s without booze. Imagine how my posts used to read 🤣🤣🤣

Morning all.
Off work this week. Out with old drinking buddy today but she is driving so should be safe.
Gordon's af available in loads of places now. I asked for it in premier inn and bingo they had it.

Hello all - can I join?

of course

@SmellyWellyWoo I completely agree with @Fortheloveofgodwhy - we've all made stupid mistakes, I know I have. There's no point in beating yourself up over it. Onwards and upwards!

@Piglet89

Hello all - can I join?

Hi @Piglet89! I'm still a newbie here but this thread is very welcoming and supportive

Thanks @SAB10! Day 1 here, so about as new as it gets…

Hi @Piglet89 and welcome! We’ve all been on day 1 (I’ve had many “day 1s” unfortunately!).

Currently on day 25, and hoping this dry streak lasts this time

Thanks @Onewildandpreciouslife

Hello everyone, and [waves] to @SmellyWellyWoo @Piglet89 and @SAB10 Popping in with a quick psa for anyone who likes a bit of quit lit - Millie Gooch’s The Sober Girl Society Handbook is 99p on Kindle at the moment. Not affiliated, just thought it looked helpful and interesting.
I was thinking about Bunnies and BreathMillers’ big milestones this week and realised that I now regard myself as someone who doesn’t drink rather than as someone who stopped drinking. Somehow that’s a bit easier. We ate out for my dh’s birthday this week and it didn’t even occur to me to notice that I wasn’t drinking. Which makes me wonder why it is that I still sometimes actively miss pouring a drink at stressy times. Maybe it’s easier not to miss the happy drinks, if that makes sense.

@Fortheloveofgodwhy definitely just a blip. Thanks to you and everyone else for your support ☺️

@BunniesBunniesBunnies two years is amazing!

Hi all, welcome new folks.

We are away for a few days and just had a gorgeous drink.
Everleaf Forest I think it was called. In a wine glass with soda water. Soooo tasty (and thank god it was paid for by the apartments as they were late with our key - it was VERY expensive)

Hello long time no see. I don't think I've posted on this thread but have on the previous ones.
Congrats bunnies on two whole years!!
I am at 649 af days today. I'm not struggling but I am away at a week long family event with various in laws on both sides. They are drunk 24/7. And sort of making fun of me not drinking, asking why I'm here, getting in the way, if I'm effectively 'bringing the rain with me'. And I've been pleased being AF, and just getting on with things, but they seem to assume I must be miserable if I'm not drinking. I want to go home but can't til Friday.
Part of me wants to cry, another part thinks stuff it and join them and it will make it more bearable, but the biggest part of me thinks, why should I let these horrid people get the better of me. So I'm not giving in.
I just want to hide. But I'm going to read this thread, and maybe the previous one to cheer myself up and find my resilience- or something 😬😩.

Hi @100PerCentMe 649 days is quite an accomplishment. You definitely don’t want to give that up for these jealous types. The only people who care about you not drinking are the ones who are worried about their own drinking. They don’t like to see they have a problem so it is easier to point the finger at you 🤷‍♀️ Stay true x

Thank you fortheloveofgodwhy. You are so right. I went out for a walk and thought to myself that probably I'm a boring person but I would be destroying my health and pickling my brain just to fit in with them, and I'd rather not do that to myself.

breathmiller well done on 20 months- that makes me either 19 or 21 months- I remember we were just behind/ in front of each other!

I guess as blackberryblossom (I think) says, we are all people who don't drink- not just people who stopped drinking.

Great to see all you other familiar faces blitzing through the weeks and months, which is what the early one, five and 17 days etc quickly become😬

100percentme helllooooo! Great to see you. I was just trying to work out your days in months too. Is it 19 i think? I started August 8th 2020. Which is crazy when i think about it. Bet neither of us back then could believe we'd still be here and what's more enjoying life much more without alcohol. Go us!!

I went out for a delicious dinner tonight and had a mocktail. Was so delicious and fancy and it needed nothing more in it than it did. Couple of AF G&Ts when we got back to the apartment. Tired but happy. And looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow hangover free.

@100PerCentMe 649 days! What an achievement! You must be so proud.

Absolutely do not let those family members influence you. Their reaction to your AF life is completely about their issues; nothing whatsoever to do with you.

Well done!

Morning all.
Having a few days off after last weeks work drama.

@100PerCentMe
I can assure you that if you drink now you will feel very ill. I had a blip and it took me two days to feel better.

Off for another laser session today on my drinkers veins!

Morning all.

Hello to new people. I'm sat having a cup of tea in the peace and quiet with the sun shining in, it's lovely.

Have a great holiday @Breathmiller

@100PerCentMe that all sounds pretty awful, my advice is to stay with it and observe these people with curiosity- I've started to do this with my Mum and it has been very interesting. My mum's not a big drinker but I have struggled with our relationship and tended to blame myself but I now see things very differently and it helps to ground me and understand too

Thank you!
kindtomyself- observe with curiosity- thank you, this is it, exactly what I'll do. It means I can step out of the situation in my head. Great advice!
Sav and Piglet so true! Thank you!

breathmiller I've been AF since 3 July 2020. Need to get it into months, not days!!

Thank you so much all for you kind words, you guys are the business! I can do this! 😬