The freedom thread ( continued ) Riding the rollercoaster of an alcohol free life! Alcohol support for those wanting to give up drinking.

[SavBbunny]

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 @fortheloveofgodwhy for hosting the last thread 💜
And here’s to the next 40 pages grin

Hi all hope you are all well. I have been drinking a lot of water and not reaching for the fizzy...but I have to say I had some ice cold apple juice and it really made me so happy. This is my life now getting joyful off apple juice but at least it isn't wine! Well done to @SavBbunny 8 months bloody rocks! I am not sure how many months or weeks I am because I'm concentrating on not drinking (and have had a few blips along the way) and don't want to beat myself up all the time. As @Kindtomyself says it's our journey. I'm doing well so far but have noticed I'm able to understand why certain things are happening with booze coming out of the system. Tiredness, cranky Ness, insomnia at times, thirst, thirst for sugary things! But I know it's all worth it and I'm not drinking today. I'm reading mes D goes without which is good I've only just started it but I really love the sober diaries. The naked mind doesn't connect with me for some reason unsure why. But I will try again once I've finished the other book. Back into a routine helps a lot too.
Well done on day 26 @rockbottombird hope you and the children are well and continuing your new adventure happily!
Have a lovely sober night (I'm getting more and more tired earlier on in the evening but can't seem to actually sleep but doing more and more steps to lose weight I'm determined too!)
X

Sober hug for anyone feeling sad this evening.

Checking in. Its my birthday in 3 weeks and I'm already thinking maybe I'll have a glass of champagne. I came into this with the intention to do dry September as going AF altogether felt too scary. I don't know of that'll be a slippery slope though as there's always an event that I can convince myself warrants a drink. Advice welcome.

Morning all.
Drinking strong tea and judging whether to cancel my appointments next week. Very fond of her Majg, not so the new King. Lots of my relatives work / have worked for the Royal family.

@Namechanged12344 I am counting the days I didn't drink. 34 weeks would mean 170 bottles of wine. I doubt I need two hands for my 'blips'.

@Endofmytetherfinally I hope you can find an alternative drink to celebrate with. I am a big Gordon's 0% fan. London Essence tonic is my mixer of choice. I go all out to find huge lemons so it looks pretty. I wasn't a gin drinker so I have discovered something new. Nozeco is OK too.

Thank you @BunniesBunniesBunnies for the info on wls. I haven't seen the surgeon yet so I can't really make a judgement. If I think it is going to be a poor care situation then I'll stick with the therapy. However I would like to be a normal size.

Fingers crossed for a sober Friday. X

@Endofmytetherfinally my advice would be to stop thinking 3 weeks ahead! Just tell yourself you don’t need to decide now, and will see how you feel at the time. Otherwise you’re going to be giving alcohol headspace for the next 3 weeks.

Well done on getting to (I’m guessing?) day 9.

Good to hear from you @rockbottombird - you’re doing brilliantly

Thank you, yes day 10. You're right. Focus on the now. I've done AF drinks before mainly during pregnancy and never quite saw the point but DH is a big fan of ginger and soda.

@Onewildandpreciouslife well put, don't let alcohol take anymore of your headspace.

last night I was pleasantly surprised to find the new managers at my local pub now has alcohol free cider, so i shall be frequenting there again more often!

Just bought Corona 0% going to try it tonight when partner opens his wine...I don't want to look at wine but no choice.

Evening all.
Feeling a bit out of sorts.
Managed a lovely lunch. Was offered champagne but declined! Home to my Gordon's af. Hopefully you are all OK.

Not sure if this is the right place. Up to.. and sometimes over..a bottle of vodka a day. Working full time as a nurse. A good day is half a bottle. Watching alcoholics detox every day and seeing the hell their lives have become.

On days off I drink from about 10am. At work I struggle through the day and then finally let rip. First time I’ve ever posted on anything like this.

My partner is completely unaware because of my tolerance to alcohol and because I only drink vodka.

I can act completely sober even after about 15-20 units taken secretly within just a few hours. Often considering self harm rather than the shame of coming clean.

Also I know that admitting my problem would mean I would have to STOP. And I don’t want to. At least, some of me doesn’t want to…. The bit that’s in charge at the moment

@168536D well done for posting, that first post is hard. No judgement at all from us, many of us know what it’s like to be trapped by alcohol like that. You CAN escape it, but when you are drinking that much you should definitely speak to your GP to ensure you quit in a safe manner. Many of us have seen our GP about our drinking, they’ve heard it all before.
The other thing we ask is that when you join this thread, you have stopped drinking. This is to protect the sobriety of people on this thread. If you’re still drinking it might be a good idea to start your own thread and I’m sure some of us can pop over to advice.

You’ve been very brave to write here and I hope you can make that choice to give up booze for good. As many of us will tell you, it’s a life changing choice that can bring so much joy to your life.

Well done @SavBbunny for coping with feeling out of sorts, it’s not easy sometimes👍

Have a happy and sober weekend everyone.

Just back from a few marriage-repairing days away, but will post about that maybe tomorrow or Monday.

Day 132

@168536D welcome welcome welcome

Oh god I remember that feeling so well. As soon as you TELL people in your real life then you pass a threshold you can't uncross... You can't decide to go back to drinking buddies/situations if giving up turns out to be too hard. And every ounce of you alcoholic voice is screaming at you not do it....and I know your addiction won't let you believe this right now but the relief when you finally do it is..Indescribable. truly.

One of the only rules on this thread is to be sober and trying to stop when you're posting... But if you aren't able for that ATM please please please PM me if you want to talk... Everything seems so impossible when you're in it, I know.

Evening everyone, day 12 here. Feeling pretty good. I thought yesterday that if I was going for moderation (again) I'd definitely have had a drink to toast the queen, and then obviously today and the rest of the weekend.

Like a PP I feel a bit scared looking too far ahead so have set a goal of 100 days and am just focusing on that.

Morning all.
@168536D
Hello and well done for posting. I agree with Bunnies you will need help from your GP. Do not feel ashamed. Alcohol is addictive. You can have a new life.

@DeedIDo I hope you are feeling better about things. I had a row with mine this week (very rare).

@BraveMaeve congratulations. Well done first weekend was the hardest for me.
@rockbottombird how are you doing?

Hope you’re feeling a bit better this morning @SavBbunny - these are strange days.

Had an unexpected craving last night - was in the office until 9pm and last week was hard generally- so the idea of a “quick release” button was very tempting. Putting music on while I finished work really helped. Walked past so many drunk people on my way to a taxi - very glad that’s not me any more.

Hope your time away helped @DeedIDo

Well done @BraveMaeve - you’re nearly measuring the time in weeks!

@Onewildandpreciouslife thanks. I am a big softee. I think HM passing has just made me think of my parents. I also hate the aggression towards a 96 year old lady. I have had to stay in as there are so many nasty gits around where I live. They'd be knitting at a scoffold!

I usually have a therapy session each week and my counselling has been suspended due to my lady losing her mother. I was going to give it up but I think i might carry on until the end of the year. If I had a garden I would be OK. Frantic weeding is what I need. Too much time on my hands.

Please help
I need to get back on the wagon
I don't buy alcohol but it's in the house and I have NO control over that fact. I was doing really well but had a blip and even though I'm drinking less than most "moderate " drinkers I just want to quit again. I'm so much better without it

@felicityfortunate welcome. Can you get some af drinks?
I have a large Gordon's 0% most nights with loads of ice and tonic.
My husband has a whole cup board of booze but it is not my poison. Can you ask your OH to choose a drink you don't like? Mine drinks rum, whiskey which smells rank to me.

@felicityfortunate well done for recognising this. Who brings the booze into your house? Have a frank conversation with them. If it is someone who loves you they should support you during this time by not bringing alcohol into the home. It likely won’t be forever. We got rid of all the booze for a while. Then it felt safe for my dp to have some beers around (I was not a beer drinker). Now we have all sorts in the cupboard including my old favourites and it doesn’t bother be at all.

Hi @felicityfortunate I feel you as my partner has a massive wine fridge and gets regular deliveries of amazing wine so I never have to buy it and it's just bloody there! I bought Nozeco today yet to try, Corona 0% which actually tasted ok tbh. It's about mind set I guess which is bloody hard when you are in the thick of things.

Morning all.

Thank you for the replies
He refuses to stop buying it (white wine) and thinks if he keeps most of it in the garage then that's good enough
I was fine for a few months but became increasingly tempted in the last few weeks and it's just so much harder to resist when it's right there
I hate that EVERYONE seems to drink and wine is seen as essential for life. I know life is better without the wine but sometimes it just feels stressful and a bit drab

I like Nozecco and there are similar drinks but ffs I just want to be able to not think about it
I'm exhausted