I didn't have a drink last night

[GoEasySqueezy]

I've done this before. I easily drink a bottle of wine a night, sometimes more. I vow to give up, feel the benefits, then the habit gradually creeps back again.

So I am going to write down how I feel, so I can reflect back when temptation strikes.

I only slept 6 hours, but for the first time in a long time I didn't wake in the night. I think I've read alcohol knocks you out for 5 hours and that's roughly the time I usually wake.

I have put make up on, and packed my lunch. I'm not rushing round, feeling like hell, because I stayed in bed too long.

I am driving to work, because I'm not worried that there might still be alcohol in my system.

I'm not worried that I might still smell of last nights alcohol.

I feel focused and looking forward to the day ahead.

I'm thinking about treating myself to a lovely soft drink later.

I am looking forward to doing this all again tomorrow

Would anyone like to join me?

Thanks @halfgirlhalfturnip, I did try a beginners session with Adriene, so definitely going to explore her other sessions.

Dh is only half way down the bottle of wine that he opened on Friday. I'm not tempted though.

I wonder if the reason so many people go dry in January is because they are all trying to save money, and there are not so many social engagements? As well as the overindulgence over Christmas and new year.

I have 3 events coming up that would normally involve lots of alcohol, so I am thinking ahead for some coping strategies. I like the idea of playing it forward. After a night out with friends I want to wake up with a clear head, one full of new memories. I want to look back at photos, where I look just as good at the end of the evening as I did at the start. I want to demonstrate to my friends that their company is all I need for a great night out. I want the day after to be productive and relaxing.

But for now, I will not drink today.

10 days, although it feels like I've been doing this forever.

Before this it felt like Groundhog Day. Without fail I would wake up with the thought 'This has got to stop'. I would beat myself up for being so weak willed, for drinking more than I planned. I would start the day with great resolve. Then sometime during the afternoon little thoughts would flash into my mind, a glass of wine at the end of a stressful day. By the time I got home all resolve had disappeared, if there was no wine in the house I would stop at the shop on the way.

Now the little thought is that I have done so well, surely I deserve a treat? One night of drinking can't hurt? I'm doing this, so I can get back with it the next day?

NO! I have made a commitment, and I will stick to this. 30 days, or more, not less.

I will not drink today

Well done you !
Once you feel the benefits of not drinking, you’ll wonder why you ever did it.

Well done. I did sober October last year, I was drinking every night up until then.
I am now only having alcohol on special occasions.
I feel better, look better and have more money.
Its a win win!

Every word you have written is me! I want to be you, and today I’m going to begin by not drinking. It’s exhausting the thinking about drinking. Well done to you and everyone else who has stopped

@Anapana I would definitely recommend The alcohol experiment, t just gently challenges thoughts around alcohol which I have found very useful. Also the dry January app which shows how much money I'm saving, and calories not consumed. I tend to log in about this time, once I've added a no drinking day I can't cheat or change my mind. Good luck, if I can do this anyone can.

Day 13 today 🥳

Day 13 is amazing. Just take it one day at a time. You’re doing so well

Back to work today after a week off. I didn't sleep well, and had a crazy dream that just seemed to last all night. Just as well I haven't got a hang over as well!

I know I will be exhausted by the end of the day, but will not allow that particular trigger to be an excuse to drink.

Today is day 14, and something feels different from my previous dry attempts, and not just because this the longest I have gone in years.

It already feels like the new normal. I have lost 4lb, but I feel lighter than that, less bloated. I'm also not craving the unhealthy snacks to eat with alcohol, so my diet is pretty good nutritionally.

Anyway, I will just put it here, then it can't be changed I will not drink today.

Well done OP. You’ve done so so well and I genuinely feel so proud reading this (which feels a bit weird as I have no idea who you are ) . You can do it. There will be tougher times ahead too but don’t loose faith, you will get there. Planning ahead with the positives and making strategies is really good.

Can I join too? I was quietly jealous of you all but anapana you joined yesterday which is an inspiration. I’m guzzling wine at a rate of knots as home is v stressful right now, but like everyone it’s not helping .

Thank you @Espanolespie

Yes, do join @Moomoola you can do it!

This thread has inspired me. This is my day 1!

Well done! You should be proud!

One thing I have noticed is if I do have a craving, it's like a wave that rises up, seemingly out of nowhere. It can go on relentlessly, but eventually there is calm. So I just ride the waves, knowing this craving will not last forever.

What causes the craving seems to be tiredness, hunger, thirst. These are all easily dealt with by a good meal and cherry squash with sparkling water. And a few episodes of Grey's anatomy

And I'm learning to deal with the feelings of stress, another thing that used to send me running for the bottle, honestly it was never just a glass as I would kid myself it would be.

I deal with stress all the time at work, and I don't keep a bottle of red under my desk! Stress is a normal part of our lives, and actually I am better equipped to deal with it when I am sober. What started as smoothing out the edges after a long day at work became obliteration.

I didn't have a drink last night, and I will not drink today

"You've reached the point in your relationship with alcohol where it is taking more than it is giving" Annie Grace

Oh, how true this quote was for me. She goes onto to explain that although this realisation has led me to make a conscious decision to cut down / quit, my subconscious still believes that alcohol is key to relaxation and enjoying social occasions.

I think I have turned the corner in terms of relaxation, and my evenings have been not just fine but great. I realise I can relax without alcohol and stress can be uncomfortable but I need to deal with it. Mindfulness has been particularly helpful with this.

But now we are out of the January gloom I have social engagements coming up and I need to mentally prepare myself. I am out on Friday, so will drive. Of course I will then have no choice about drinking, but I intend to apply my mindfulness to how I am feeling being alcohol free, but also noticing the effects on others as they drink. 'Twill be an interesting experiment I think.

Anyway, day 17 AF

Youre doing so well. Friday will be a test, driving sounds like a good plan. You might feel a bit weird on the night itself (habits take time to break) but you’ll feel so smug on Saturday morning when you wake up fresh as a daisy.

Just came back to this thread to see you're still going strong. Well done OP. You sound so happy to be doing this and I'm glad you've founds ways to help you past the cravings.
I'm day 34 today and have decided to extend dry January into February and hopefully beyond...

@lupinlass that's amazing 🥳

So I didn't go out last night, I am meeting friends tonight instead.

I really wanted to drink last night. I posted previously about cravings being like a wave, but this was a fucking tsunami, that went on until midnight. Luckily I had employed the tactic of logging my intention not to drink on the app. This just seems to consolidate the intention. I'm a stickler for rules, and it would be like cheating to go back on my word.

It seems like this is the new normal, but I am only on day 19 so I guess there will be tough times ahead. But for every difficult day, I feel stronger going forward knowing I have done this before and got through it.

Needless to say I didn't have a drink last night

I just popped back to see how your night had gone. Well done for recognising the cravings and bloody well done for not drinking. It’s not an easy road, especially at the start, and I found this to be the danger zone when the initial euphoria of stopping has worn off.
You’ve got to be a bit selfish about your sobriety at the moment and if that means not going out as much then that’s what you need to do. Even lovely good friends can be a bad influence - just have one! Hope you’re ok. Just one day at a time x

The postponed night out happening last night. I didn't drink. Friends didn't bat an eyelid when I said I wasn't drinking.

Was it the best night ever? No, but at least I can remember it. And I know I can do it, and still have fun. And I feel great this morning. And I saved a fortune in taxis.

Just found your thread. A lovely read! And huge congratulations on last night. The “first” of anything sober is tricky, but they do get easier over time.

3 weeks 🥳

According to the dry January app I've saved

£193
175 units
12.1k calories

And I've lost 5lb.

Annie Grace asks - what are the possible unmet needs in my life, and how was I using alcohol to fill this need.

I fear the time has come to address my relationship.

I was just settling down to read the next chapter of unexpected joy, and it occurred to me that I haven't really thought about drinking for the last few evenings. Not a flicker. I really feel like I have turned a corner.

I tried so hard to moderate in the past, and it just doesn't work. Putting alcohol in my system just starts the spiral again, and before I know it, I'm regretting my decisions. And beating myself up.

I still have a whole load of hurdles to get over, but I'm feeling stronger and more motivated every day.

Three steps forward, one step back.

I had a drink on Saturday night. It wasn't a shaky hand, wrenching the cork out of the bottle kind of thing. I just decided I wanted to. Life has been turned upside down this weekend, although I realise that is not an excuse.

I drank less than half what I normally would, and I really noticed how it affected me. I also had a stonking hangover yesterday.

But I made an equally measured decision not to drink last night.

So, I am going to concentrate on the 26 days I didn't drink, rather than beat myself up about the 1 day I did.