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.

I have evil indigestion which has been winding up for days. Think it is gluten free cake that my daughter baked at the weekend. Another year older, another good substance for the list of no-nos.

@WendyWagon there isn't a parent without regrets. Luckily in the main it seems the opportunity to heal comes back round.
Haircut here too today! I'm going choppy disconnected Bob I think. Let's see!

Ah, @WendyWagon - keep going. You're still going and still strong. You've got this. 💐 Enjoy your haircut. Will keep everything that's legal crossed for you on the job front. x

Bored of the heat now. I really don't like it (am an Autumn baby). It also means I have to take the dog out later in the evening. I don't mind this at all, but it risks running into the path of the local deer herd. I spotted a couple of the principal does the other evening and managed to head off down another path just in time. Don't fancy having to haul the dog to the emergency vet after the battering he would rightly receive from the head stag for "interfering with his women". Fortunately the siren-song of the local squirrels is tempting enough to distract the dog from hoof and antler-based "fun"...

Still AF and 2lbs lost at Slimming World this week (those would be my marbles disappearing into the sunset, probably, for certainly I have not been eating much less). Happy days.

Strength and love to all. Keep going. xx

I have a pixie cut dear friends! No Pat Butcher but it is short. I found some gel and wacked it on. The colour at the back is charcoal but I still have a bit of 'fag yelliw' at the front. My husband said when are the tour dates? (he thinks it is very Jenny Éclair, a great witt him.)
Feeling better already my friends.

@WendyWagon amazing what a haircut can do, isn't it? It sounds gorgeous. I like Jenny Éclair too, she always looks good (even when she says she's trying not to!). And don't underestimate Pat Butcher, she was a classy lady! x

@REP22 a hair cut is always therapeutic. I do fancy some funky colours. I am considering a Marks tinny.

Omg Jenny Eclair is a compliment. I'd love to look like her. She looked great on taskmaster

I'm after some Leffe zero. Currently on lucky saint but it's a bit gassy for the flavour.

Checking in on day 17, been years since I have gone 17 days without a glass of wine!

Has anyone else not lost weight while giving up? Im not eating any more than usual and no takeaways but I've only lost 1lb so far!

Sadly, although I have now been sober for nearly 14 months, I have not lost a pound. The amount of chocolate I am eating may explain this though.

Hair sounds good @WendyWagon. I went blue for the football, but it disappeared after the first wash.

Glad you are feeling better @WendyWagon

Thank you all lads.
Two faux gins down. I will go to bed in a mo. I have a new mag out of a box (packed it but not read it).
I am going to buy some silver shampoo tomorrow. My poor niece who is my hairdresser was really worried, I'm not. Hair is just weeds. Mine needs cutting every four weeks ditto my nails. Bit odd really with RA but my old dad was the same. Snakes.
@SummerScoop I have lost weight because I don't eat the cheese anymore. I used to mainline the fromage when boozing. I think you will naturally look for healthy options when you start to feel better. I don't have a sweet tooth but I am fat due to steroids. I am determined not to be though. I did scoff a huge breakfast yesterday so I'm not perfect. Booze is sugar so I would recommend replacing it with fruit.

Morning all.
Glad to hear you sounding more chipper @WendyWagon

I must say I’m really struggling with the drinking culture at the moment. I had DH come home last night and say “ah Thursday! I get to have a beer!”, then I had a really lovely chat with a newish friend which ended with her saying “we must do this over a glass of wine sometime!”. Then Dh went down the pub with dd and her new boyfriend- I didn’t feel up to going so it was “just for a quick meal”, and they came back at 11 all giggly and happy having had a really good evening.

sorry. Rant over. I can rationalise it all - I’m tired and a bit grotty with a cold, and I don’t want to drink, but grrrr! And I don’t want to say this in real life, because it means admitting how much of a problem I had with alcohol.

Anyway, lovely sunny morning and need to head out for a run before it gets too hot (and I definitely couldn’t do that if I’d drunk last night)

Ah sorry to hear your feeling the FOMO OneWild, as you know you can go to the pub, and have a nice time without the alcohol and still get up for the run. Although maybe not if you feel crap. My DH has been 'finishing' the Christmas Baileys this week.. yuck 6 month old curdled chocolate milk.. like my DD said you used to like Baileys mum, Yes dear but not after it had been open 6 months, although i would definitely have had a glass anyway.

Still struggling with this blasted heartburn hear, all the online advice - stop drinking alcohol... well I'VE DONE THAT!!! It is like it was at the end of pregnancy... argh.

Morning all. Just up! The dog has been barking all night. We are not used to neighbours and he is on gate duty. He's the size of a cat but he takes his new job very seriously. I am very tired this morning.
I didn't know Baileys was chocolate. The DH loves it along with any disgusting variation. However he used to say my wine tasted like sweaty socks!
@Onewildandpreciouslife I don't really do evenings out anymore. The DH and I are early birds. Our kids don't drink. No pub will make money out of them. However if you have a local I would request that they get the posh faux drinks in.
@Fortheloveofgodwhy I hope you feel better later.
My hair is sticking up like Ruby Wax this morning. 😁

@WendyWagon my hair has done the opposite- the twisty fun bits that made me look like I was giving a poetry reading, have gone. It's still a good cut and I'll have a play around I think.

Don’t take my word on it being chocolate. It’s whisky and cream and something sweet. 🤷‍♀️ I’m not moving out the shade to check 🤣

I’m the same, although only sober five and a half months.

I am going to to tackle this Big Style tomorrow. Doing that 800 calorie diet for a week. Will report back.

16 months sober and fatter than ever.

I think I've had a transference of bad habits and negative patterns from booze to food (mainly sugar!)

Still I'm confident I'll find a way to tackle my eating issues. Sobriety was fragile but too important to begin with. Now I need to sort my food issues out. 😩

I did lose weight after going AF - got as far as my 3 stone award at Slimming World, but have since put almost a stone back on - I had an AF blip a few weeks back that affected me a lot and the AF blip brought its friend Comfort Eating along for the ride.

Getting back on track now though. After mystery weight gain last week I lost just over 2lbs this week. Am feeling better in my sobriety and less "dependent" on the replacement chocolate milkshake that crept in in it's place. I will take the weight gain/lack of loss over the alcohol and its effects though, any day.

One other unlooked-for consequence of being AF however (which I suspect may also have had an impact in the weight issues of the last week or so) - for the first time in months/years, I have "fallen to the Communists".😳I'd forgotten (almost but not quite) about that regular little 'treat'.

Will still take it over the falling-down-water and associated hellmouth, however. In some ways it's reassuring that the old body is recovering and getting back to normal functions (even THAT). It's more than I deserve, to be fair. I count myself lucky.

Sorry if this is TMI. 🙏

The dog and I are off to the cricket again tomorrow. Though we have yet to be present for a win so far this season (first AND second teams, FFS), so we may find ourselves banned from the boundary.

Hope you have a good weekend. Strength and love to all. Keep going. x

Oh @REP22 you are funny. I see you as a solicitor with heart (a bit John Deed).
I have been rocking my hair today. If I could blot out my face I would post but you know the Stalker would lift it. He actually still worries me for the DD, I nearly lost her.
However out FB market place bargain collecting. I was very well served. The compost bin went in via a seller.
I have fresh compost and will be planting my gift of courgettes tomorrow. Happy gardening I hope. X

@WendyWagon oh thank you so much, you're so kind. I wish I was a John Deed (or actually a Jane Deed; not sure I could cope with the 'pant admin' of being a man) ❤

So glad that you are rocking the hair, I know it feels so great. Had a recent trim myself! I am sorry that you've had a stalker in your life. I had a low-level one for a while, but it was more annoying than anything else. Having to deal with a real nutjob one must be utterly grim and very distressing. I'm so sorry. 💐

I bought two courgette plants to go with my new geraniums last week. I can kill a plastic cactus just by looking at it, so my hopes aren't high. We will either rejoice in their bountiful harvest (you) or offer prayers in memory of the poor plants' souls (me).

Much love to you. Keep smiling. x

2 weeks tomorrow, I am proper struggling at the weekend. I do well during the week. I suggested a beer garden tomorrow and it’s ALL I’ve looked forward to all day. I’m driving myself crazy. I feel bored. OH feels bored when I’m sober.

@Overitx I find weekends harder too. In the summer I try and keep busy with local cricket, going out for walks, coffee, daytrips, ANYTHING. Less easy in the winter.

Keep going though. Two weeks is an amazing achievement. It will get better, I promise. xx

Thank you. I went for a bath to try to cheer myself up. My sister came in and so randomly brought me a wine glass with ice filled with ginger beer. It made that wine craving lessen which might be just what I need.