The Freedom Thread (continued) - A thread for people wanting to enjoy an alcohol free life. Everyone welcome!

[BunniesBunniesBunnies]

This is a thread for people who want to live an alcohol free life! These threads were started about three years ago by @DryBird2020 and they have been a continued source of support for people at all stages of sobriety. Whether you are one day, one month or one year sober - You are welcome! The only thing we ask if that you have committed to stopping drinking when you join the thread (as talk to drinking or moderation may be triggering to some of our posters).

My name is @Bunnies and I am almost 1000 days sober, in no small part thanks to this amazing supportive community. I hope to see many new and old posters on this thread!

Happy sober 2023 all!

Morning all. One tea down.
Happy sober Friday. Tis snowing here again.
@Fortheloveofgodwhy how was the gig?
I am off to pick up the DD. Thank the Lord for 4 x4s.

morning! The gig was amazing, drive back through snowstorms less so. But we made it and life is all about adventure!

best of all I came home and went to bed, at 2am. None of this oo I haven’t drunk because if driving so I’ll have a quick glass now and wind down before bed.

sobriety rocks 🙌 and off for a meal in a lovely pub tonight. Designated driver again - of course 🤣

drive safe @WendyWagon

Here we are again. Another sober week completed. Off to the pub in a bit. Three Heinekens and back home for curry and Crufts. Early night and a busy weekend ahead.

What do I do about my forthcoming anniversary? Do I just add a day for 'the Day I'd Rather Forget', or do I knuckle down and calculate from 20 November instead?

Have a safe and sober weekend everyone.

Morning all.
Im not sure I’d even add a day @TheOtherHotstepper . I saw a brilliant analogy somewhere recently: if you were cycling from London to Brighton and fell off, you wouldn’t go back and start again. You’d pick yourself up and keep going, learning from what made you fall off. Enjoy your busy weekend.

It’s my half marathon in 3 weeks. Gradually building up the miles - 12 miles today (gulp!). No way could I do this if I were still drinking

Morning all
I continue to take inspiration from the stories and shared experiences on here.
I'm 82 days sober, actually 83 later this evening - according to my app.
I've handled Christmas, a family 21st, a rugby weekend away and a work colleague leaving night. A lot of firsts.
However, today I've been invited to a 50th. It's a day in the city. Meeting at 3pm. I don't know all of the attendees, though I do most. The birthday celebrant knows I won't be drinking. It'll be a full on drinking day for the rest. I'm probably not looking forward to explaining to each and every one that I'm not drinking today. Not that I would jeopardise my sobriety to make others feel better about their own drinking. I'll get through it.
On other occasions, I've googled our locations and checked out their range of AF options. Today is pretty free range, so I'm not sure where we'll end up. I reckon most bars will have AF options though.
I will certainly be eating at some point, and I imagine some of the party will join me. I can use the adverse weather for a quick departure if needed and I'm truthfully giving up alcohol for Lent - I'm just extending it a few decades longer!
Have a great sober day everyone

Good luck today @Gymspiration

I'm not really struggling but I am currently feeling a bit disappointed that I don't feel more change 65 days in. I feel marginally more energetic and so far I have managed to avoid the myriad coughs and bugs around me but I was hoping for a bit more energy. I read some on here saying around 100 days they have begun to feel a real difference. Can I hope or am I just old and tired?

Morning all, having a cuppa in bed child free this weekend so thought I'd pop in and say hi. @WendyWagon jealous of your snow!! We had blizzard like conditions yesterday but it's clear now and just bloody freezing. Living by the sea we are always the last to get the snow! Well I got through my birthday with no issues and a works lunch which I was dreading as normally a boozy affair.. only 3 of the 12 actually had a glass of wine! Many of us are AF and have been for some time. I talked openly for the first time about how I used alcohol to block out what was happening in my marriage, I found it almost healing to say it out loud. Surprisingly most (all females) confessed they'd also quit drinking for the very same reason. Hope you all have some lovely plans for the weekend ahead, I'm going to tackle wallpapering!

Have a fabulous AF weekend all xx

Morning all.
Lazy up this morning.
Congrats to @TheOtherHotstepper
I shall be popping out to pick up my new Milly Johnson. I need the Yorkshire humour. Thinking about asking the GP for this new anti fat jab. Got to be safer than surgery. My friend in London has had it and lost three stone.

It will be paint picking time soon. The DH and I always fight over brush versus roller. Me being the latter. Ditto over perfectly good carpets I hate (acid yellow anyone?). The DH is frugal. We are children of War babies so everything is repaired or recycled. He does actually have twenty five year old jumpers. Same with the rum. He drinks it once a year. I would have necked that back in the day if I had liked it!
Steak pie tonight as requested by the DD. I need to finish up the Kylie. Sugar syrup to me. Have a good Saturday all.

@WendyWagon, thanks, but it's not until 1 May.

@Onewildandpreciouslife, I'm liking the analogy. Thank you.

Onwards and upwards

Happy Saturday - just checking in, slightly less bored than last time, luckily.

I had a painful work issue yesterday that lasted all day and got my gander up in the extreme. I got home thinking “I’m having a fucking triple gin and tonic and I don’t care”. I played the tape forward, I still didn’t care;
“you’ll sleep badly and hate yourself in the morning”: GOOD! GET IN LINE, I HATE EVERYONE!
“You’ll be unable to sleep at 3am”: EXCELLENT, I CAN CATCH UP ON SOME ADMIN.

Anyway - DH said to meet him for drinks and to get a cab and I said yes to the drinks but that I had to drive otherwise his drinks bill would be out of this world. So I drove and had mocktails.

I’m still pissed off but he feels a bit shit this morning and I don’t, so it was the right thing. Not quite sure what stopped me but I’m pleased I don’t feel rough anyway.

Morning all.
All quiet on the western front.
Off to Waitrose later as they have a new natural engery drink called Tanzing. Apparently fruit juice. I have never liked the sugary stuff so we will see.
Well done Tramma on not boozing.
Plotting and planning for the move but waiting for others to confirm dates etc.

Ahhh...angry drinking tramma . Well done for not giving in to it.

I was mightily pissed off the other day in an already crazy busy week and when I got home had to say out loud (to myself as much as anyone who was in the vicinity of my rant) that I would NOT angry eat everything that was in reach! Different poison, same reaction. Stuffing things in to stuff down these high emotional reactions to shit external stimulus.

My work on my disordered eating and self image is better than it was but still a work in progress. And with the words that just popped in to my head...stayingvigilant how are you doing? You're NN always reminds me to do just that.

Hope Monday treats you all well, my friends.

Hello all, was it on here i read about the book overcoming your childhood? Excellent book, quite short and nothing remarkable but it really spoke (audio) to me. I would recommend..

No news here other than another sober weekend, usual shanannigans with offspring and the like.

Glad you found it helpful @Fortheloveofgodwhy

Ooh. It would have been angry drinking. That seems very obvious now but that’s actually something I stopped years and years ago. How
peculiar! I wanted to really slam the gin bottle down hard and pour a grossly large amount, tickle it with tonic and not bother with ice. Vengeful. Would have been disgusting too. Really whacking myself about like I was my own wayward wife.
It was an issue that finished and was dealt with completely on Friday so I didn’t have anything to dread or stress out about further at the weekend. Hmm. I’ll think about that.

I sympathise with the food thing. I’m eating so much chocolate and I can’t stop. I haven’t been hungry for months. I’ve never managed to let myself get hungry as I’m nibbling constantly. Treat food. Such an unhealthy approach to fueling myself. I haven’t gained weight but not losing either.

Morning all,
An early one for me and I can't even blame the husband. Back in my sales rep days I used to get up at 5am to be on the road at 6. It has never really left me. I have to be in bed by 10 or I am toast.
In my 'mummy medicine' days I screwed it all up. 3am wanderings. I am hoping I can go to the pool early when I move. Not sure of the timings yet.
No Tanzing in Waitrose so I was on the milk. However interesting to see more AF discussions on Sunday kitchen. Frank Skinner and Spencer Matthews were both on. It would be useful to see more women discussing the topic however we have to take further bashings for our shortcomings so perhaps that is a confession too far for women in the public eye. I know in our social circle I can't discuss that I have issues with alcohol. Bloody misogyny when 'good old Freddy' is supported in trying to cut back. Ever it was thus.
Have a good day my friends.

Morning @WendyWagon early one for me to.. the wind is playing havoc with my sleep! I'm currently googling advice on how to stop a disused chimney from howling in the wind!! I have one in my bedroom that's driving me nuts 😵‍💫 That said I'm also an early bird so being up at this ungodly hour isn't unusual for me. I'm off swimming this morning after the school run, I doubt it will be in the outside pool in this weather though.. looking forward to a nice swim and a lovely steam room session before I start work. Frank skinner gave up drinking years and years ago after hitting rock bottom, I remember reading his biography many moons ago. More and more people are saying no to drinking which is a good thing, we have a long way to go but the drinking yummy mummy culture is finally disappearing! What's on the agenda for today? I'm just praying this wind dies down a bit.

@rockingbird good morning. How about a chimney balloon?
I am off to BFFs house. Not seen her for a fortnight. I am baring gifts. She has curry on offer. Its my favourite.

Didn't know whether to post here or somewhere else (but where?)

In the last week three big things have happened.

I have a voluntary role where I run a team of 12 people. I caught one of them out in a series of lies and now he's blocked me and created all sorts of other problems, meaning I cannot fulfil my role.

My therapist of 18 months, the one who (indirectly) enabled me to stop drinking, told me he is moving on at the end of the month. I will have to go back in the pool until another therapist is available and there is no clue as to how long that will be.

My long time friend and sobriety buddy took her own life last Friday. She started drinking again and within a week she was gone.

DH doesn't really get any of it. Not sure what I want from this post. Not even sure what I need.

TheotherHotstepper - I’m so so sorry about your friend. And the other things but the last one is awful, especially as it’s so intertwined with sobriety. How extremely sad - do you have mutual friends and/or family you can share your grief with?

can you get a session with the therapist that is moving just to get your early thoughts as straight with someone you have a rapport with?

Don’t know what to suggest about Lying Volunteer. That’s just the last thing you need.

@TheOtherHotstepper you poor sausage. We post all sorts on here. You can ring cruse as a support tool. What a very sad thing to have happened.
Suicide is not a concicious act. It is a desperate cry for help. Please talk to someone today. It touches many families. My prayers are with you xxx

theotherhotstepper I am so sorry to hear about your friend. As well as the grief there are may be many extra layers wrapped up in their loss. I do hope you can talk it through with your therapist. It would be useful to speak to them about your fears of them leaving. They may have someone they can recommend. But, remember that it's you that's done the work. They have only guided you. You can do this without them, and hopefully you can find another person who can walk with you as they did.

Sending you a hug. 💛

@TheOtherHotstepper Im so sorry to hear about your friend and all the other stresses you’re going through. I hope you find someone to talk to in real life, but in the meantime, we get it, so post as much as you need to x

@TheOtherHotstepper i am so sorry to hear about your friend, alcohol or not suicide is hard to understand and hard to deal with. Post away here.

as for the therapist is this through the NHS or a work scheme? can you find a private therapist to hold the gap so to speak, even if it is only fortnightly

OH lordy @TheOtherHotstepper it all sounds very brutal for you at the moment and I think there is a lot to unpick.

I am so very sorry to hear about your friend. It is always shocking to hear about unexpected deaths, it really does shake you to the foundations.

Keep strong, keep posting here and keep the faith xx