Thinking of trying to have a Dry November

[toottootmummy]

I am absolutely sick of over doing it when it comes to drinking.
No hangover today and was up bright eyed and bushy tailed with my beautiful DS, but I've been doing it a bit self reflection last night/this morning and think/know I do drink too much and to excess!
So I'm giving it a go, anyone want to join me on my dry November?

The more the merrier!
I struggle with Friday and Saturday nights too, like you I can stop at a bottle. My problem was the Friday and Saturday night bottle then started appearing on Sunday, and Monday and Tuesday etc before I knew it it was the weekend again and I'd not had a night off. Today is day 5 for me I'm planning on looking for some AF wine or lager for the weekend

I do Lent as it’s six weeks. Unfortunately had a party before the end so only managed five. To make up for it I’m doing November as the least exciting month socially ( and 30 days not 31).
Is that a poor reason.
Also noticed my teeth are really sensitive. Think all the acid in wine is eating into the enamel. Actually quite scary. I can’t see my liver but my teeth are a reminder I’m over doing it.

I've nearly done three weeks which is a massive achievement for me as I've been a daily drinker for years. I have a big party in December that I'm a little worried about as not sure I'll be able to abstain, but I'd really like to keep going for as long as I can.

Can I join. A bit late but I signed the last of some awful red wine last night and got a bit mean to Dh. He’s been fuming all day and I’ve no idea what I was going on about.

@Sweetpony welcome to the thread. I've done that before, started ranting at dp and not remembered the next day. Today is a new day so don't beat yourself up about it.

@Basecamp 3 weeks is brilliant! The last time I went more than a week is when I was pregnant with dd she's now 7

day 7 for me today 🎉 it’s the first time in three years that I haven’t had alcohol everyday. I can honestly say that I’ve hit a point that I’m no longer craving it or sweet stuff in its place.

The first couple of days I replaced wine with chocolate hobnobs! I’ve never had a sweet tooth I thought, but I must of been getting the sugar in the wine.

my energy levels have shot up and my anxiety isn’t as bad as thought it would be
( I used to drink more to help with bouts of anxiety )

I’ve just ordered some bottles of AF frixenet ( sorry about that spelling! ) it’s got good reviews, because I wanted something for the weekend in case I start to miss the wine I will let you all know if it’s any good.

hope everyone has a good weekend

Morning, can I join? I'm on day 6, mostly because I've had covid and felt too ill to have a drink. But being so ill has made me realise I need to start taking better care of myself. I eat too much, drink too much, sleep too little and don't get enough exercise either.

I did dry January last year, and it did reset my drinking habits for a bit, but I've slipped back, to having a glass or two or three of wine, or a gin and tonic or two, most nights. My habit is to open a bottle of wine with dh for dinner, we have one glass each, then I have the rest after he goes to bed. So to break it, firstly, we're not having wine with dinner, and secondly, I'm going to go to bed when he does. (That will do me the world of good too.)

I have no social events planned in November, so I am aiming to go the whole month without a drink, and see where I am after that. I've told dh and he's fully supportive of it, so thats good.

I weighed myself on Monday, and I'm going to weigh myself again at the end of November as well. My starting weight was 14st 13lb, the heaviest I have ever been. Which was a shock. I'm putting that here to keep myself honest and focused on why I am doing this. I need to be healthier for myself and my family, especially my kids.

Thanks @cantthinkofabetterusername. I listened to a few podcasts from "I quit wine". So relatable, especially the part where she talks about stopping for a while and then going back. I stopped when pregnant and breastfeeding and never really felt the benefits because I was exhausted looking after my children anyway.
Also that internal argument after you have stopped for a while, the sense of missing out, everyone else is drinking, I'll just have a few, I've been really good recently... etc. I suffer with that so much. I call it the 'will I or won't I' game. It usually starts around now on a Friday. When I talk myself into justifying drinking because I've had a good week or a crap week or I've not got to get up early as it's the weekend (the list goes on).
Tonight I'm going to have a cup of tea and a biscuit and try distracting myself by painting my nails.

Welcome @katmarie on the podcast I listened to it explains the relationship between wine and sugar and the craving that happens when wine stops. It's the first person I've heard say she didn't use that as an excuse and didn't just let herself eat what she wanted because she was already fighting one battle and didn't want to start another. Might be worth a listen if you have time.

this Sparkling AF wine is fairly decent as far as AF drinks go, out of all the ones I’ve tried this is definitely the best one

Just wanted to offer some support and encouragement to all of you here. I became a bit uncomfortable with my drinking a couple of years ago and so in January 2020 my partner and I did Dry January. We continued afterwards and I made it to 79 consecutive dry days in total (I was tracking it on an app called Try Dry - highly recommend!). It totally reset my relationship with alcohol. 2.5 years on I find it very easy to keep my drinking to 2 nights per week and to stay within 14 units. I was someone who thought the unit recommendation was deeply unrealistic beforehand! I still enjoy a beer or a glass of wine now, but in a much more balanced and mindful way. That sounds sooo boring and a bit wanky now I read it back lol but it is honestly a change that is well worth the effort.

Evening all. I hope you are all embracing the start of an alcohol free weekend?!?

Lovely to hear all positive stories and welcome to the newbies. @Hashtagihearya nice to see you here! I’m not sure what to suggest around your DH’s buying habits, but I know having one bottle in the house let alone many is very difficult.

Off out for my first dinner with girlfriends in 5 weeks tonight (my social life is pretty low key!) They both drink but won’t hassle me to do so, so hoping it will be ok. (Plus I’m having pudding with the saved calories!!)

Whats everyone else up to??

Hi all
Chilled out night with pjs and tv tonight for me. I went to a therapy session this afternoon with dd, she has anorexia and today was a turning point in her treatment she complete broke down and admitted she doesn't want it anymore she just wants to get better, my heart broke for her but also it's a good thing.
Never have I wanted wine more!!
Anyway, sorry ranted a bit there.
Tomorrow we're going to a bonfire and fireworks display, I've offered to drive so won't have to think about drinking

That’s a really positive step for your DD, what a difficult journey for you both. Well done for not turning to wine

@cantthinkofabetterusername that sounds really hard for you both, glad there's been a bit of a breakthrough, it's a long and tough journey. Well done for abstaining.

I also managed to stay dry last night which is a big achievement for me. @Hashtagihearya my DH sat next to me on the sofa sipping a nice bottle of red. I could actually smell it He is very disciplined, always drinks moderately and has never understood my all or nothing attitude. It did make it harder but it was my lie in this morning and I was determined to enjoy it rather then wake early needing the loo, followed by the foggy haze of trying to recall my actions the night before.

Today will be day 7 for me and I keep telling myself it's just one more night and then I'm out of the danger zone for another week. I have a night out on Thursday which will be difficult but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

Hope everyone else is waking well rested this morning.

@cantthinkofabetterusername be really proud of yourself this morning. Supporting your daughter through her illness must be so stressful and depleting but doing it hungover would be worse! If DD has recognised the need for help and is willing to let go of the 'benefits' of being sick. Then she's in a really good place - especially with a strong, supportive parent behind her. xx Ps: This space was designed for ranting!

@Shhhhh223 I hope you had a good night too? My dinner out was a success. I ate WAY too much and was decidedly over vigilant about monitoring how much everyone else in the restaurant was drinking. But I got through it, and also discovered a really nice new AF drink called Crodino... (its like aperol spritz) I think Sainsburys sell it so I'm stocking up for Christmas!!

@NoTimeForWine I forgot to ask what colour you painted your nails? (I am very rubbish at it, possibly because I buy cheap nail varnish that dries out and goes sticky far too easily). Another biscuit fan here... hobnobs being a particular favourite, especially when dunked!

@katmarie Welcome! Tracking weight loss can certainly be motivational, but don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't fall off immediately - weight loss/clear skin/better concentration they are all drums beaten to make us stop drinking, but the early results seem highly individual and hormones/life style/genetics are also going to play a part. I'm over a month AF now and haven't lost a thing (although given the vast quantities of cake and chocolate I've consumed, it's interesting I've not gained any either.) My skin is having a last ditched peri menopausal acne party and I've been known to completely lose my train of thought mid sentence. I'm not saying this to deter you (or anyone else) for using this as a goal, but more to plead that you don't get disheartened if it doesn't happen as quickly as you'd like.

I can definitely advocate

1. Sleeping better and longer (with more vivid dreams!)
2. Not having to worry if I said or did something embaressing
3. Not having to worry if I smell of stale booze the morning after
4. Feeling generally calmer and more equipped to face what the world throws at me
5. Having more disposable income and less guilt at whether the man in the supermarket is judging me!!

I hope this sounds helpful and not patronising - as @Strawberrypicnic says there is an urge to be supportive and encouraging to those just starting but always a risk it comes across wrong!

Ooo I will look for that thank you! … yes I had a good night, stuck to AF fizz when usually a Friday was a full bottle of at least 12% wine ( anything less seemed like pop ) love this thread it helps me to focus and I like seeing everyone’s progress

Evening all
Thank you for the messages of support 😊. Had a chilled out day today and dd is staying with my mum tonight so we've had a little bonfire in the garden for dd7, I'm now sat in front of the tv eating a bag of revels 😂
Hope everyone is enjoying bonfire night

I did it!! The first 7 days under my belt. So happy right now.

Feeling refreshed despite it being my turn to get up this morning. Usually I'd be doing the bare minimum and trying to counteract the hangover from the sofa. Not this morning, I was out of bed and doing the washing up before 8.

I wish I could bottle this feeling to remind myself why I don't want to open the wine come next weekend.

I hope everyone else made it through. @Stircrazyschoolmum my nails are clear polish always the low maintenance option in this house!!!

Well so far dh and I had one small can of beer each on Friday evening, and nothing else since. I'm ok with that. Normally after the beer there would have been wine or gin etc as well. I'm not sleeping brilliantly but that's because I have a lingering cough from the covid, so hoping once that's shifted I'll get the benefit of better sleep. We've put no alcohol on the weekly shop, which is saving us money as well.

In the meantime I got on the scales this morning and I'm at 14st 10. Which is going in the right direction.

Morning all. I managed another AF night last night, I've had a headache all weekend though could it be withdrawal? Scary thought if it is. On the plus side I'm going into work with enough sleep and no hangover.
Have a good day everyone

Day 9 here and also feeling refreshed after the weekend. I'm in the safe zone until Thursday night when I'm out but I'm doing all the right things at the moment.
Increasing fruit and veg and exercise. Drinking loads of water and getting decent sleep. I may need to listen to a few more podcasts come Thursday pm just to keep me focused.
@cantthinkofabetterusername I have a huge spot on my face, which I'm sure is detox related

If you don’t mind me asking, what is everyone’s long term goals/plans with alcohol? For me personally I want to break the daily drinking cycle I had gotten into. I don’t want to give up alcohol altogether as I enjoy a glass wine it’s one of my life’s pleasures. I would like to enjoy a glass of wine when out to dinner or meeting friends and enjoy in moderation. If I’m completely honest my main motivation for not drinking as much is pure vanity. I don’t like the weight gain or effects on my skin. I’m at the peri-menopause stage in life and my body just doesn’t play the game anymore! .. I’m on day 11

@Shhhhh223 it's a difficult question for me to answer because the thought of never drinking alcohol again makes me feel quite sad, like that would be to shut off a big part of my life. Then again, I don't associate many positives at the moment with drinking.

My current goal is to have a month off before Christmas. A month of better sleep, clearer thinking and greater productivity.

In my heart of hearts I don't think I am capable of moderating. Having listened to a few podcasts about making rules around alcohol, I don't think I'd be able to stick to them (although if I only drank out of the home my intake would dramatically reduce).

So I guess my short term objective is 30 days alcohol free and then see how I feel about life at the end of the month.