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

[Crunchymum]

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 @WendyWagon for hosting the last thread 💜

Here’s to the next 40 pages

Morning all, checking in AF on chrimbo eve..! Thanks for the app suggestion @Blackberryblossom I've already signed up and started on a audio book : Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington. I can't believe it's almost Christmas 🫣 moving so close to the big man's visit has meant my focus has been very much on getting our home sorted. I've become a master at flat pack furniture and my new power tools have come in very handy! I hope all those who are feeling poorly are a little better today? There seems to be a lot of sickness doing the rounds.. one of my children has a barking cough and constant drip 🥴 whatever your plans over the festive season, I wish you all love, health and happiness. Oh.. and remember on me glass is never enough so have none. xx

Morning all.
I have a new fizz option for tonight, Sainsburys. I will photograph later.
Off to Morrisons shortly to get things that were forgotten yesterday. My beloved Marks let me down. Absolutely packed with empty shelves, no turkeys. I couldn't even get my af tins!
I will be bum sitting later watching the box and wrapping the goodies. I can never get ready in good time. Have a lovely day my dear friends.

Morning all!
Morrisons have a really good AF range apparently - the McGuigans rose which they stock is my favourite AF wine. Good luck @WendyWagon !
I’ve got some Freixenet 0 sparkling rose for tomorrow.

I'm jealous of everyone's AF options. My local supermarkets had a crap offering (and there wasn't much when I did the online shop). I do however have tonic water and soda water and limes and lemons. As well as diet coke, rose lemonade and AF beer. I don't think I'll go thirsty!! The Frexinent AF sounds fab though.

Hello @rockingbird I’m glad it was helpful. As I remember it’s straightforward to cancel before the end of the trial period, I did it once but then ended up subscribing and use it most days now, not always for quit lit now though I’ll probably look at a couple over the next few days to boost my resolve. I’ve got Mrs D is Going Within on the go at the moment by Lotta Dann. Your Christmas sounds so memorable with your new home and furniture. I hope your little one is on the mend soon.

@WendyWagon hope Morrisons is both well stocked and empty for you! @Onewildandpreciouslife thanks for the recommendation, I will look for the McGuigans Rose the next time I’m in Morrisons

I did my first post-covid bike ride this afternoon 7.5km and I knew about every single one of them, but it still felt good. That wouldn’t have happened before I stopped drinking as I’d have been drinking since lunchtime… I didn’t swim first thing because I didn’t set an alarm to get up in time, and had a glorious clear-headed over-sleep and lie-in, followed by a walk with dh.

Hope everyone is ok. I’ve had a posh Wilfred’s and ginger beer and have a few presents left to wrap.

DH: is that real beer, or pretend beer?
Me: it's 'pretend' beer
DH: oh, you're still being gay then.

He's been out drinking all afternoon and shows no sign of stopping.

Give me strength!

@TheOtherHotstepper breathe and ignore. Enjoy your AF beer and hope you are not too irritated by his hangover tomorrow.

Yes, @TheOtherHotstepper , exactly what NewMum said. You’ll be the one with the clear head tomorrow. You can ask him if he has a real hangover or a pretend hangover
I’ve just remembered a dreadful Christmas Eve when my ex was out drinking and his completely drunk and inappropriate dad was pouring me triple G&Ts but without any tonic. Oh I don’t miss that at all.

Sending Strength to TheOtherHotStepper

Merry Christmas Ladies! I haven’t been posting much but I check in and find inspiration quite a bit. I’m headed to midnight mass tonight for the first time in a long time. I normally plan to, but then drink and can’t drive. I’m finding all these wee unexpected positives of being AF. Had a rotten week, lots of family drama. Instead of bottling it up and having a wine, I actually had a cry, and then woke up the next day feeling calm and settled. Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Merry Christmas sober sisters. Keep strong ❤️ We've got this.

Yes yes yes @BunniesBunniesBunnies we shall party like it's 2023. Very chilled and quiet here. Had a lovely sassy workout in the park this morning and it was totally empty. Peeeeeace.

Also, I had a 0% prosecco and raspberry cordial with brekkie 😀

AND the prosecco was only $6 because who the hell in West Australia wants 0% prosecco.

Merry Christmas
How wonderful to have woken up hangover free. Feeling content and optimistic

merry Christmas all you sober lovelies. Hope you all have a wonderful days calm and not at all quiet 🙌🙌🙌. Stuffed stockings sober last night for the first time in over a decade. Feels like the Christmas excitement might actually be back thank you sobriety!!

Merry Christmas all
off for a hill walk soon and then back for Christmas dinner
@Shanster hope the drama has settled and that you have a good day.

strong and steady sober sisters….

Merry Christmas to all the awesome posters on this thread. Pleased to report I’ve stopped sneezing and Christmas Dinner is no longer in jeopardy!!

The stockings are stuffed and under the tree, (although the teens won’t surface for many hours yet) and I finally made it to the Xmas eve carol service which historically I’ve always been to sozzled to get to.

Looking forward to leisurely cooking “the big meal” with Nozzecco chilling in the fridge then eating my body weight in after eights whilst watching loads of good telly!!

Wishing everyone a calm, healthy, happy Christmas making new memories (that we can really remember!!)

Merry Christmas everyone! I actually feel absolutely fine about not drinking today.

A really interesting thing I noticed the other day was that in the past if I went somewhere and couldn't drink I was wishing the event to be over so I could get home and have a drink (I know, pathetic really). This Christmas I've enjoyed things for their own sake much more.

Merry Christmas to all you amazing people. Thank you Thank you Thank you for being you.

(Fab to see you hangingover)

Good morning my festive friends. Happy Christmas.
I am a solidarity sister with For the love of God as I stuffed hoho bags for the dc without being pissed for the first time in 17 years! Proud and amazed.
Have a lovely day all x

TRIGGER WARNING

Agh!! I had two glasses at lunch. Feeling annoyed with myself. Im so bored of sparkling water and Diet Coke. The AF offerings in South Australia are pants. It’s soft drinks (lemonade & coke) or this incredibly hoppy AF beer. Gross. Im impressed you could get nosecco @HangingOver in WA. I had been doing really well amongst the boozy BBQs sticking to fizzy water or coke and receiving quizzical looks. But today’s Xmas lunch restaurant had 3.5hrs of unlimited booze. AF options? Water, lemonade or coke. Oh and the hoppy beer. I thought they’d have some nice mocktails or something. The waitress plopped a fizzy in front of me and whilst I managed to ignore it for around an hour, I eventually gave in. then (obviously) followed by a second. I did stop there though. And despite everyone continuing once we returned to our Airbnb I started on lime & soda. But I am annoyed. I feel my resolve is much weaker this time round than it was last time. I think I had more reason to totally stop (maybe) whereas I have this constant belief that moderation is possible. I’m finding it so very very hard to be surrounded by drink and not partake. Not sure why I gave in so easily today.

@StayingVigilant ignoring a drink put in front of you would be tough. It is a shame that restaurants still need to catch up on the AF craze. Some have some Ok options but fizzy drinks do get boring. Nevermind today, just keep going again for here. Thinking of you.

Happy Christmas to us all! I shall be raising my AF glass to you all today.

@StayingVigilant you did really well switching back to lime and soda afterwards. That is sheer resolve right there! I don’t think it’s that our resolve is necessarily weaker at Christmas, more that temptation is so much stronger and there All The Time. Stopping after two is phenomenal in my view. Be kind to yourself, if you can.

Hope you have a lovely day @Shanster . And hello again @HangingOver how are you?

congratulations @wanttobesober ! Christmas Day morning without a hangover is an utter gift.

loving everyone packing stockings sober! I’ve been on AF fizz this morning, on coffee now and planning some AF cocktails later today, or maybe just a huge pot of English Breakfast tea. . Can I just say how much I love dh for drinking AF with me all morning. There was not a single bottle of gin under the tree for me today and that feels really good. DD chose Christmas Dinner today so we are having Toad in the Hole and I shall have an AF IPA with that.

Merry Christmas all!!!
@StayingVigilant I’m sure you didn’t “give in easily”. Sobriety is hard in the stupid booze obsessed world! It’s pushed on us everywhere! Be kind to yourself and stay strong.
@HangingOver I’ve been loving the outdoor exercise too!😀

It’s my third sober Christmas, thanks to you all for your continued amazing support. I wouldn’t be sober today without you all😍👍

It’s my third AF Christmas too Bunnies and they are definitely getting easier with time. My first one was basically to see if I could, last year’s felt quite long, but this year is feeling good. There’s a hidden joy though of getting out on Boxing Day morning without the slightest hangover or regret. Tomorrow morning here will be crisp, cold and bright and I will be heading up a hill with the mr, and dd too if she wants.

Thank you too bunnies and breathmiller I really appreciate your regular posts on here. Happy Christmas @Drybird2020 for starting this group too. There’s such a feeling of reassurance knowing that everyone is right here.

How are you doing today @TheOtherHotstepper ?

An AF IPA sounds excellent Blackberry