The support thread (continued) for an alcohol free life. All welcome.

[WendyWagon]

Hello and welcome to the alcohol free support thread. We are a welcoming bunch. These threads were started by @drybird some three years ago.
We are a mixture of sober sisters (and the odd gent) who want to lead a alcohol free life. We chat about everyday things that we use to drink to manage. No question too silly. Someone will have done/thought or been through the same.

Hat on, head high @WendyWagon . The day before my brother’s funeral (many years ago) someone said to me “just get it done”, and it served me well. I hope today goes as well as it can for you.

Hope you’re OK @WendyWagon, thinking of you today.

You got this @WendyWagon x

Thinking of you today @WendyWagon

13 months sober today. I need to work on my coping strategies- I’m increasingly relying on sugar to get me through and that’s not good. Difficult day today: although (to quote Sober Diaries) “I am, so far as we can tell, cancer free”, today is one of my regular gynae checkups, which has the potential to up-end all my carefully made plans. I’m coping with the uncertainty better than when I was drinking, but I’m not happy with the amount of chocolate it’s taking!

Morning all. Quick update as I’m on holiday and about to go off on a tour.

Day 9 sober and Day 3 of a very upmarket all inclusive holiday with 4 other couples. I am AF and there’s two other people who don’t drink much (a g&t pre dinner and one glass of wine with dinner).

everyone else has drank morning til night. It’s a posh place so everyone getting pissed on cocktails and champagne etc - no beer drinking at 10am but Buck’s Fizz with breakfast is totally fine. It’s amazing the bollocks spun round alcohol.

I thought I’d struggle but I am fine. To be honest, if I wasn’t on the Antabuse I think I would have struggled more and thought about sneaking drinks, but because I know I can’t, it’s been easy.

waking up every morning and having coffee in glorious sunshine with a completely clear head is so fantastic. Watching everyone else watching the clock for the magic 10am when they start serving the Buck’s Fizz is a real eye opener- that would 1million % have been me. In fact, I’d have kept some drinks over from the night before to make sure I had something on wakening.

DH has drank way more than he usually does for various reasons. He’s been really annoying at times but I am just letting everything wash over me.

So I am feeling great and looking forward to the rest the holiday and even to getting back home and continuing my sober journey.

good vibes to everyone 💪🙏❤️

We will all be thinking of you @WendyWagon . Shoulders back, tits out.

@2023forme I’m off tomorrow morning with a bunch of heavy drinkers, so I’m taking inspiration from you! Well done!

Good luck to @Onewildandpreciouslife i hope the appointment brings a continuation of good news..

@WendyWagonyou've got this you are not the person you were int eh past, you are a stronger clearer calmer version and you don't need to sink to any level. But feel free to video any good rows..

@2023forme, well done on the holiday, and whoever as off on the hen i found the glorious non hungover me, engaged with my kids and looking forawrds to the day was such a great pay back i didn't miss the wine once on our holidays last year.

I am sure there are many more posts i could/should/would comment on but i am running out of time before therapy thursday. I wanted to pop in and say very quietly I have started to run/plod again, on a whim on Tuesday i got up at 6 am and took the dog bleary eyed and got out and ran, for half an hour (a fair walking warm up took half of that... but it is up up up hill). I went again yesterday and this morning.. so quietly can i say i love it, i think i saw those pink bunnies again. Honestly i'm 13 months in and sobriety it is a gift that keeps on giving. In my BS (before sobriety or bull shit) years i would have to plan a run and not drink the night before, otherwise i was a disaster and when i say run i am a slow slow plodder and never got above 5k, so not a marathon runner by any means. I resented the running as i couldn't have a drink, but kept it up as a means to control my drinking. Here i am just running for the clear air, the extra time (combined the dog walk), the beautiful view and saluting the sun when she comes into view.

With you @WendyWagon.

Socialising ... I find that after the first couple of drinks, no-one cares that I'm not 'drinking', including me. What I miss, if anything, is the first couple of mouthfuls and that's all.

Love and strength @WendyWagon xx

Thanks @Onewildandpreciouslife , I have learned that I simply cannot have any of the stuff in the house. Moderation is not possible. I have downloaded the I Am Sober app to try and help and have poured the remaining poison away. Very best wishes for your appointment; i hope all goes well.

Love to all. x

Sending you strength @WendyWagon you got this Sav, one foot in front of the other…..

@Fortheloveofgodwhy - lovely to hear you’ve restarted running.

No nasty surprises at my appointment, thankfully, so I can keep plodding on.

Thinking of you @WendyWagon x

Morning all.

This struck a chord this morning. Good luck with the hen weekend @rothbury

@Onewildandpreciouslife love that quote!!!!

@WendyWagon was thinking of you yesterday, hope you made it through the day okay xxx

Good morning all. That's a great quote @Onewildandpreciouslife , and really good news about your appointment.

Strength and love. x

@Onewildandpreciouslife I'm glad the appointment with your consultant went well. Long may the positive outcomes continue.

I hear your about the sugar.

I'm a little bit ahead of you (just over 14 months now) and my sugar addiction is out of control. Just this week I've decided to have a real crack at cutting it out. I'm not doing anything mad I'm just cutting out the crap. I'm also trying roughly to stick to 1600 cals (MFP) and low GI. I'm pretty overweight though.... I have several stone to lose.

I'd love to shift a stone for my Birthday in Mid June. Maybe 2 by the end of the year. But I'm old(er), have arthritis (and autoimmune type but it limits my physical ability) and I suspect I'm perimenopausal. So I'm probably being very ambitious here.

Hope you coped as best you could yesterday WendyW ❤️

@Onewildandpreciouslife I missed your news about your appointment, that’s a relief!

Morning all.
No Eastender fights yesterday although I wished my sister a good morning and she ignored me! The old bat has no manners.
Beautiful sunny day and a smashing buffet was served. I managed to get some flowers and put a personalised ribbon on them. I wore the hat.
No hymns which was odd to me but lots of other music. Today is my husband's birthday so we need smiley faces. I will be making the chicken dinner as requested.

@Onewildandpreciouslife good to hear all is well.

Glad yesterday went as well as it could @WendyWagon, sorry that your sister wasn't able to surprise you by being basically civil. Happy birthday to Mr. Wagon and hope you enjoy your tasty dinner. xx

Morning all.
Big sleep for me last night.
Managed to eat the birthday dinner. Husband didn't even have a tot of anything. That's the difference with a non dependant drinker. He really can take it or leave it.
Looking forward now to our move. Son champing at the bit to get organised. He is really good at houses. I remember him painting his bedroom at 3! He will arrive next weekend to move some small things and our old sports car before the vans come. He will no doubt boss me about. Both DC will paint their own rooms so that's a couple off my list. My late brother had a building company so our son worked for him in the school holidays. He will go all Nick Knowles on me.
I have been reading the grudge thread and I realised I am still carrying a few around. I was decent to my sister on Thursday but I can't forgive her for contributing to the stalking we suffered. Throughout my childhood she used me as a punchbag physically and mentally yet she sees nothing wrong with that. Childhood banter. Later she failed to do anything to support me or my family in times of utter dispair. Her grown up children luckily don't take any notice of her. She is a big binge drinker like a kid. Luckily she has never been a daily boozer but could drink me under the table. Familys hey.
Have a good peaceful weekend my friends.

Morning all.
This thread continues to inspire me.
Surviving all incl holidays, work conferences, starting back at running (and not as a trade off to a day of drinking) - brilliant posts from so many.
We've had some family emergencies here, sucks a lot of energy. Must admit, didn't even nearly feel like a drink.
I have had other triggers, some if which were surprising. I won't dwell though and wouldn't wish to trigger others.
Currently on day 125 - or 4 months and 4 days as my counter also shows.
The early morning wake up and clear headed coffee is probably my greatest secret pleasure. I've started walking to further coffee shops for that private moment. There are other people here, though none of them know this is my prize. Feels like something of a guilty pleasure actually. I wonder if any of them are doing the same? What larks!
Need to visit some sick folks later. Always appreciate good health.
Have a great sober day everyone.

@Crunchymum one of my problems with the sugar is that because I’m able to run, I can largely get away with it! But the last couple of nights I’ve slept badly, and woken up with a headache, so I’m going to try to cut back and see what happens. (I know I’m very lucky being able to run, and having had a few interruptions for surgery, don’t take it for granted)

So exciting about the move @WendyWagon !

Good to see you @Gymspiration . Isn’t coffee fabulous?! Who knew?

Well done getting through the funeral @WendyWagon . It can't have been easy but just imagine how you would have dealt with it a few years ago.

I hear you about toxic family members. I'm NC with my narc parent now, never would have managed before. I needed to quit booze to see them for what they are. It's hard but easier, IYSWIM.

@Onewildandpreciouslife I can't easily look back upthread on my phone, but think it was you struggling with sugar? I've finally got it under control (most of the time). I used it as a crutch for ages after quitting booze and I thought I'd never get it under control, but I have. Took 3 years tho 🙈. I am sure you'll get there.

Another recent win for me is that I have quit coffee!!! I've been wanting to for years and got some good advice on these threads, which I wasn't able to follow, and then a few weeks ago something just clicked, like it did with alcohol, and I decided to just go for it. I felt really bad for about 10 days but now it is over and I have 2-3 cups of tea a day and that's it. It might not sound like much but I had a psychological addiction to it, in addition to a solid physical dependency on large amounts of caffeine, I'd get panicky if I ran out or if I thought I wouldn't be able to get another one, very much like I used to with wine. So this is a big deal for me, and I'm happy. It feels like am extension of getting sober, somehow.

Happy Saturday, everyone. I've been awake for a couple of hours, lying in bed listening to podcasts and lurking Mumsnet. It's always blissful waking up without a hangover - it never, ever gets tired! I ruined so many past weekend mornings with self inflicted sickness, headache, fatigue, guilt and self-recrimination. It's so good that we've all left all that behind us.