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

[Fortheloveofgodwhy]

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

T@Champoopapihank you to for hosting the last thread 💜

And here’s to the next 40 pages grin

@jesussufferingfuck22 thank you for the audiobook idea. That's a really good one. I faff on my phone until my eyes are.yoo heavy to keep open, which isn't the greatest.
@onewildandpreciouslife and @namechanged12344 thanks for the c25k chat. I am really tempted to try! I hope the sick dc hasn't passed on any sickness to the rest of the house.

Today was my first Saturday waking up without a hangover for a long old time, and I forgot how good it feels. I've done loads already this morning and have a fun day planned with the kids. Previously I'd have been moping around feeling shit and not wanting to do anything.

Day 5 here. Onwards and upwards!

Congrats on day 41 @Nouveaunew and you can definitely get to day 60 and beyond its only 19 days away!! It'll fly past (she hopes!) The weather has been good and definitely a trigger but I stay sober. That horrible dealcoholised rubbish I bought yesterday was gross in the end as woke up with a headache. I looked at the ingredients and there are sulphites in there which is the cause of most headaches in hangovers. The wine DH buys in bulk has no sulphites. Whatever. I'm still not having any. I think he's a bit annoyed he's lost his drinking partner will it change our relationship I thought it would be for the better as I'm less aggressive moody bitter after I've had a drink and in the morning. But what if he thinks I'm boring now???? Oh FML.

Love that quote @LydiaLurk I might read up on her again when I get a chance. Love a good sober celeb story

Well done on day 5 @beargryllshasabigrope !!!! It feels so bloody good waking up and making plans sober and not hungover I love it too.

@EsmeWeatherwaxToYou happy birthday for yesterday and good luck with day 1!!!

Just came across this on Instagram.

Hahaha I love that @Namechanged12344!!! So true! This is my third sober summer 🌞 and I’m loving it!

For various reasons I have a cupboard full of booze at the moment and I don’t mind it at all, even though some of them are previous favourites. It’s strange really. It there was a pack of ciggies lurking around or my fave junk food I definitely wouldn’t be able to resist!!! There must now be a deeply ingrained part of me that KNOWS how awful booze is for me & what it did to my life, and I just never want to go back there.

Hope you’re all doing well

Morning all & thanks for kind words about my sober performance last night. Makes me feel really proud of myself. TBH I found it easier than spending a sober evening at home as there was lots to talk about and the quiz was fun. Boredom and loneliness are big triggers for me - much more likely to happen at home.

Plus I find the pub environment of having to buy individual drinks is easier to handle than home where you can just open a bottle, drink a lot quite quickly & then lose the ability to rein yourself in.

@LydiaLurk - hope you are enjoying hangover free Saturday morning complete with silky soft post facepack face

@Namechanged12344 & @Nouveaunew - agree about AF wine. I have tried many and even found that the red ones gave me a dreadful headache - even worse to have a hangover after being sober. AF beers seem to be the best substitute drink. Well done on your 40 days +. Onwards to 60 days!

@Crunchymum , @Blackberryblossom ,@JesusSufferingFuck22 - enjoy your weekends

@EsmeWeatherwaxToYou - welcome.

Sorry posted too soon - also to everyone on here that I didn't name check - have a lovely weekend and thank you all for being here. Its so nice to be able to share with others in the same boat

@Namechanged12344 love this!

Checking in 🙌

Not counting days any more which has helped me. But I think I'm just over 6 weeks now ☀️

I'm counting in weeks now too. Just over 6 weeks for me too. If I was better at my 7 times table I could tell you how many days lol

Ha! Funny quote @Namechanged12344
What is it about good weather that makes us think we should go day-drinking?!

I love what you wrote @BunniesBunniesBunnies because I really couldn’t keep up this level of effort or vigilance forever. It’s hopeful to me that, like you, I might just find it easy one day!

the hardest part now are the friendships based on boozing. We have lots else in common but we always drink together and they’ve been suggesting meeting up to go on the piss. I haven’t told them I’m giving it up yet and I’m really not sure why.

have a great sober day and evening all.

@EileenFH Well done on your sober night out. I can relate to a lot of what you are saying. The boredom is a tough one.
My af choices of drinks are caffeine free herbal teas and water. My body, probably a symptom of long term alcohol abuse is sensitive to absolutely bloody everything. Sweeteners and sulphites give me days of pain.......so it's easy just to stick the kettle on and have a cup of chamomile tea and not feel too deprived.

@BunniesBunniesBunnies I feel kind of repulsed thinking about drinking now. My brain still tries to trick me into it being ok to just have a wee one though.

@EsmeWeatherwaxToYou welcome

It's great to see the days, weeks, months and years mounting up for everyone.
It's also great to see someone on day one. Even if it's not their first day one. It feels like someone else has been saved.

Friday night was tough. Dh was ok thankfully. He was happy his work day was over. Took me ages to get to sleep. Wrong audiobook I think.
Today is better. I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, then I remembered I had planned to make something in my multi cooker I had bought as a treat with my vodka money. It's the little things that get us through I suppose.

Keep going people. You've got this xx

@JesusSufferingFuck22 - what's a multi cooker? You might also know what an air fryer is too. I can't get my head round that concept - surely the point of frying is all the crispy greasy bits.

Have had a lovely day pottering about in garden. Wondering what to distract myself with tonight as DH is not up for anything as feeling ill.

@EileenFH I've got an instant pot. The version before Ninja swamped the market. It does everything apart from clean itself. So far I've pressure cooked, roasted, sautéed and airfried. I'm yet to use the dehydrator and other functions. Air frying is just crispy food for people depriving themselves of all the flavour you get from using lots of oil/fat. I'm disabled so using one pot for different cooking processes helps a lot with my energy levels and means I don't need to ask family for help. I HATE asking for help.

It's good when you find something that absorbs all your attention and distracts you for a while. I can't garden outside but am growing edible stuff indoors this year.

Scrolled upon this.

@JesusSufferingFuck22 yes woman! Well done you for sticking to this! I'm nearing a year into my sober journey now and I seem to cave every few months, so I have to try and be vigilant. I do get straight back on the sober bus again but feel so crushingly awful for weeks afterwards the 'blow out' or 'relapse' is never, and I mean NEVER, worth it.

To many more weeks and months for both of us 💪🤞💜

This afternoon’s bbq was lovely. I took AF Prosecco and AF beer. I drank the beer from the can, which meant that the person who was helpfully refreshing everyone’s drinks couldn’t see how much I had left and had to abide by my polite “I’ve just opened this one, thank you!”

@Namechanged12344 your post rang a bell with me. I went AF in November 2020 and my partner did miss having a drinking partner. First of all he still kept offering me wine, then he would say that he wouldn’t be stopping (I hadn’t asked him to) but over time he has started drinking much less of his own accord. I think he feels better without the hangovers too. The good AF gins and beers help. Drinking together gave us time together, and we found that still worked with one or both of us drinking AF drinks. This year he’s been looking into AF cocktails.

Welcome @EsmeWeatherwaxToYou Quitting alcohol is a phenomenal birthday gift to yourself!

@ChampooPapi
wow a year with only a few relapses is brilliant … i like how you call it a ‘sober journey’ as that’s what it is. I still feel very wobbly to be honest as so many people seem to associate me with getting drunk! It’s a bit of an eye opener in itself!

welcome @EsmeWeatherwaxToYou You’re among friends here

This thread is an example of a really positive function of the World Wide Web. I never feel guilty when I’m on my phone on this because I feel it’s contributing to an overall better life ahead.

it’s definitely a process though and at 41 days I’m feeling like it’s very very early days for me in terms of how I’m feeling mentally about it.

Thanks for such a warm welcome! Almost gave in out of habit but stopped myself, in bed now totally sober hurrah!

Week 1 - done. Hope you had a lovely evening all.

See you in Week 2 @LydiaLurk

Here we go with day 8 @EileenFH !

Well done @EsmeWeatherwaxToYou

Morning all.
Have just caught up.
Well done on all the first weeks, tis the hardest.
Hopefully have agreed our new home so something to put the wine pennies towards. New curtains etc.
I sleep much better AF but it took about a month. I also don't get hot anymore (56).I think I was sweating out the alcohol!
My husband is buying af beer now and he is not a drinker. Must ask him why?
Need to do house paperwork but have a lunch coming up this week. Hopefully OK.

Lads....

Your old pal Hangingover is in dire straits. This is an SOS. Please send me any healing/anti drinking vibes you have spare, I need 'em all.

I am a newbie to these threads, but happy to send my vibes to you!

Hey hangingover.
Would* it help to talk over what's happening? Whatever it is will not be helped by drinking. You have done so well. Think of all you have achieved. This will *pass. You've done it before and you can do it again. Find a distraction, any distraction and trust that the desire to drink will pass. It's only a passing thought and you don't need to listen to it.

We're here for you.