On A Mission To Moderate or Absolutely Abstaining? Join us for encouragement, support and non - judgemental chat.

[Amdone123]

So, January is done and dusted - Praise the Lord. Following on from our last thread ( which was initially designed to help us moderate, but for some has - maybe - led to abstaining, thanks to how great they're feeling ), a new thread has been created.
So, if you're looking to abstain or want to moderate, or just need to chat in general, join us here.
Hallo to previous posters - onwards and upwards.

I’ve been catching up with everyone. Thanks @Amdone123 for keeping us all in mind.

@bilbodog i really indenting with what you said. I’ve been doing really well moderating or abstaining and I feel great in the mornings but I do miss wine in the evenings. I Miss how I feel after a couple of glasses of red. However my health and my weight need addressing and no hangovers/hangxiety/gin fear is a good thing!

@Swannyb i know what you mean about different friends. I had one too many the other night with a friend who is younger and the next day I was saying to her we shouldn’t have bought those last two glasses of wine and she said ‘no we should have bought the bottle!’ I meant we should have had some water! I think I’m getting old 😂

@Steppered i have been there before - mastered the art of moderation then just a few weeks later back to a bottle a night. I’m not taking anything for granted.

@alco welcome and hang in there! I found that I would reward myself for a day AF with an extra drink the next day! It’s taken me a while to break the habit. I wish you well.

@YouknoweverythingJonSnow , ah, no problem. Well, at least you resisted - I understand the thinking about it all evening.
In fact, I had a light bulb moment not long ago. I was deliberating about whether to buy or not, and I thought to myself well, if you don't, you'll be annoyed when you get home. So, in the past, for that reason alone, I've bought it.
I've moved on from that mindset now though. Yesterday I wanted a drink but batted the thought away as I knew today I'd feel rubbish.

Playing it forward really works for me - does it work for anyone else ?
This morning I was out of the house 7am, did my cleaning job, back home and feeling good as I didn't drink yesterday.
Have a great day, folks. One day ( or hour) at a time.
Another tricky bank holiday coming up.
God Save The Bloody King. More like God Save Me 😩

Thank you for the welcome messages. I've read back a few pages on this thread and have to say I see myself in a lot of posts, and what a lovely supportive group it is.

I actually feel like I achieved quite a lot over Dry January and when I was moderating. I did a gig sober, a comedy night sober, a boozy work night sober, a meal out sober, I cooked a lot sober and actually was perfectly happy cooking away in the kitchen with my tunes on and dancing around, sober! So I broke some of those associations in my brain. That was a really good thing to do, I felt like I had started to build a small but precarious wall of good sober stuff. Man, it went out of the window in April with stress and pouring that shit down my neck. So I need to build myself up again.

I think my plan for May is to allow myself a few drinks over this bank holiday weekend and the last bank holiday weekend, with abstinence from 8th May through to 25th.

Hello everyone. Welcome @Steppered Hope everyone is good. I’m on my second AF night. My plan is just not to drink when I have work in the morning, so although Tuesday was a stuff up, at least I have two under my belt. Feel a bit deflated though.

I’ve mentioned my partner drinking every night before, but I’ve managed to persuade him to join me for two of my four weekly AF nights, so I’ll see how that goes.

I’ll catch up properly at the weekend. Am knackered!

Day three for me. I am aiming to keep drinking to Friday and Saturday only. Have been drinking a bottle of wine or more for at least six months now.

The last couple of weeks I have slept for more than 10 hours. It's been blissful. But I feel a bit tired, bizarrely.

@Steppered , wowsers - you achieved a lot when you abstained. That's amazing - a sober gig, sober meal, sober cooking !
Try to forget April - it happened and it was your way of coping. Focus on those positive months, they were outstanding.
You can do it.
@EnoughEnoughnow , that's great news about the partner.
@youboozeyoulose day 3 is great - you've got this.

So, I just weighed myself and I'm really pleased that finally my weight is going down.
I'm wondering now about whether to drink this weekend - I'm not going to, I've decided. ✅
Charlie will still get his crown - makes no difference to me.
Also, since coming home from holiday, over a week ago, I've spent approximately £8 ! Had I been 'on it' that would easily read £40 !

Thanks, @Amdone123 .
Those sober wins I had though, trust me, if I can do them, anyone can!

Have a good week everyone.

It seems I am not immune to the wine monster after all! I went to an event yesterday and there was free wine, then I went to the pub which was nice because I was with colleagues I don’t usually socialise with. I had a bit more wine but I was doing ok. Then I got home and has two more glasses - completely unnecessary and now I feel like crap. We’re away by the seaside for the weekend and I feel like I’ve ruined the first day away for myself.Why do I do this?????

@Bigbus , well, you're in good company because yesterday I decided to drink, too. I had a great day - watching films and slugging wine. I don't feel too bad today thank god.
At least you're having a break - get a brisk walk in and fish n chips - you'll be reet 🤣

@Bigbus @Amdone123 Solidarity with you both, I had way too much wine and food last night and snapped at my partner when he suggested that I go to bed. I feel awful today. Just have to do better in future.

Oh yes I forgot to mention the bag of kettle chips and two slices of toast that seemed like a good idea at midnight!

I shall see it as a learning experience. Diet Coke and paracetamol seem to be helping. Although I can’t help but think a glass of Prosecco to toast the King might be more helpful!

@Bigbus , I was just thinking the same !

On a positive note I did not drink so much that I forgot what I did or sent any silly texts or did anything to embarrass myself so that’s all good. Feel annoyed with myself but not embarrassed or ashamed so I’ll take that.

Morning! Hope you're all well and enjoying the festivities.
I'm struggling today. I'm at the gym, waiting for a zumba class, so there's a small win there. I say this as I woke up not wanting to do anything. Dh went to his gym so I seized my moment ; put a wash on, cleaned the kitchen, walked the dog, all to self motivate.
We could have gone out today but dh doesn't want to. That's fine, I'm not that bothered but I feel like drinking.
I was hungover yesterday and even though I know I'll be hungover tomorrow, playing it forward is not getting rid of the urge to drink !
Supermarket after zumba - I know I'll pick it up.

Good Morning Everyone, I'm back!

Just returned from my holiday, haven't had time to read up on missed posts yet. Holiday went fine, I didn't lose any days to hangover but I did drink everyday!

Back now and still committed to being part of this lovely community. I hope you are all well.

Ah well..@Amdone123 @Bigbus and @youboozeyoulose
I had too much at the weekend too. Friday night we were going out to dinner after rehearsal, I had a completely unnecessary drink before going out (pub is literally five minutes away) 3 drinks at the pub and then more when I got home and got very maudlin, and seedy the next day.

It’s Sunday night now and I’ve had an AF night though as did my partner thankfully. We watched a scary movie and I would have appreciated a stiff drink especially when we had a brief power cut at a scary bit!!

Welcome back @Manyrivers :)

Posting for accountability… plans for this week

3-4 drinks tonight (not working tomorrow), then AF Tuesday - Thursday. I did some low impact exercise yesterday, (just steps, no HIIT) and discovered that I can exercise with sore ribs as long as I don’t jump, twist, or do weights, so back to (modified) boot camp :)

Hope everyone has a great week x

I'm going AF Tuesday to Thursday too. Then trying to be sensible at the weekend. Good luck everyone x

I haven’t stayed AF for the weekend - but I’ve definitely moderated and yesterday went for a very long walk - hoping I’ve saved the day a little bit for my weigh in today - I had been doing well but this weekend will have scuppered it. Best to face the music and move forward and resist the temptation to hide from the scales. AF now until at least Wednesday.

good luck everyone, Bank Holidays are tricky!!

Morning and welcome back @Manyrivers .
Well, I drank yesterday - 2 bottles. I had a lovely day, cooking, reading, watched a film.
I'm trying to not beat myself up today.
I'll be af now til Saturday, so a 5 day break will give my liver a break!

@bigbus, the weight thing IS getting me down. I can lose 3 or 4lbs over 10 days living like a nun, then I look sideways at a bottle of wine and cheesecake and it's back on !
I'm thinking of concentrating on the gym and fitness and just weighing myself once a fortnight.

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend? Things have been going pretty well for me since my holiday. I am moderating with ease right now. Hope I can continue to keep it up. I do have a funny story to share though...

I had a few glasses of wine yesterday afternoon, and to my surprise woke up with a bit of anxiety (I know it was the booze because I haven't woken up feeling like that since my holiday). Anyways, I went for a walk and for the first time ever, attempted to take a lemon from someone's tree (it was on the other side of their high brick wall, on public land). Whilst I am fumbling in the bush a car pulls up and the driver goes, 'Is that your lemon tree? NO, because it's mine and I don't get any lemons because people keep stealing them'. I said sorry multiple times and scurried away MORTIFIED but thanks to my alcohol induced anxiety, I was getting so worked up that I would end up on a community FB group so I returned to the scene of the crime in my car to check whether they had CCTV - thank F##K they don't! I was SO stressed earlier, but over it now.... 😂

@Swannyb 🤣🤣🤣
I'd do that - go back and check - madness 🍋

Morning everyone!

I've had a long stretch of drinking now (slightly moderated) culminating in a big birthday for me over the bank holiday weekend. I'll admit I have been avoiding this thread as I had no motivation to stop.

I've decided that I want to set myself a series of 50 days re-set challenges this year (guess the big birthday!). So, today I am starting a 50 day not drinking at home challenge alongside a 50 days of not sitting on the sofa in the evening.

Oh @Swannyb - thank goodness there were no cameras, I would've checked too. Very bad luck getting caught on your first Lemon!

That does sound like a lovely day @Amdone123 - glad you enjoyed it!

Hope the WI goes well @Bigbus and well done for balancing things out with the walk! I'm going to face the scales again tomorrow too. Also scheduled a chat with a friend this evening who has started the ZOE program - I'm hoping that she motivates me to give it a go. I need to do something...my weight is really holding me back from properly enjoying life now.

@Coppergate3 , I could do the 50 day challenge with you.
Drinking at home is a problem for me. I say I never go out ( that's why I drink at home), but I don't do too badly. I'm away this weekend for example and I go out with dh a lot for meals.
It's never occurred to me to try to stop drinking at home. Well, I can tick day 1 ✅ because even though I'm a bit delicate today, I've had a houseful of adults and children and I could easily have drank to get me through it. I didn't though so all good.
I've also taken the children out ( there's 5 of them. I was like Mary Poppins), for a walk when it stopped raining. So, I've had some exercise. I've joined the gym too so I'll be going at least 3 evenings a week.
50 day challenge here we come !

Hi all, I have tried to catch up on the thread but I wanted to say hi to everyone hope you are all ok! Brief scroll through seems like people have a lot of goals in terms of weight and alcohol. Low carb bootcamp I always look at but never do haha my mother always tempts me with potato snacks she makes deep fried oh lord I seriously have no will power...I've been thinking of everyone here recently and how whatever we do we still are achieving small goals, yesterday I was forced not to drink too much as I had to drive to collect someone, bring them to my house and drive them back to a relatives house . I poured the guest a nice red but I didn't myself, she did say are you joining me give me company I said no as I'm driving. After I got home I did drink but didn't feel like it. Tonight I think I will drink with DH but then someone upthread has mentioned Tues to Thurs so I will aim for this too! I just wish decisions were easier when it comes to booze and me. There's so much underlying that I would need to discover it ( I have been to counselling before about alcohol addiction and we kind of unsurfaced a few things but not enough ). I too drink at home more than I drink out. When I've been out recently I've sometimes over drank sometimes have thought about my next steps so tbh I just don't want to go out! But that's also not the balance either is it...oh I don't know! Hope you have all had a great BH weekend so far. On and up.