The continuing support thread for living alcohol-free. Everyone welcome.

[Blackberryblossom]

Hello and welcome to the alcohol free support thread. Many thanks to @wendywagon for holding the reins on the last thread, and to drybird for starting the original thread about 3 years ago.
We’re a broad community who have all chosen to live alcohol free for good. There’s support here whatever your stage on that journey. Whatever you’re going through, someone here will have gone through it too. Don’t be shy about posting, we love all the successes of whatever shape and size, and have all been there too when things get challenging.
Thank you too @rep22 @onewildandpreciouslife for offering to back up host too. I thought there was someone else but I can’t find the post.

Welcome @Kate489 it's never too early (or too late) to get off the alcohol merry-go-round. Kudos to you for realising you are using alcohol as a coping mechanism and for wanting to stop and not spiral.

We're all here for a chat / moan / unload.

It seems us women cope with a Hell of a lot and reaching for the booze is pretty common.

Thank you @Crunchymum
There's a quote I heard many years ago that has stuck with me... Drink to get happier, not to get happy. I have drifted far from basing my drinking on that.

Welcome @Kate489 - it was dealing with my mum’s dementia that pushed my relationship with alcohol from poor to disastrous. After 3 really hard years, I finally got all the issues settled (mum in a care home, her house cleared and sold) but I was left with an alcohol problem 🤷🏼‍♀️. Well done on deciding to make a change

Evening all. 🚨

Back from the smoke. Out this afternoon so tried for a early home, ha. Trains delayed.
Feet are suffering with the walk from the tube. Toxic Tommy got his Tuesday telling off from me. He's an arse. Tis interesting how I am managing to cope with him.
I am finding it hard lads. I am old and knacked.

@WendyWagon Sorry it's hard. Just the commute alone would be exhausting, especially with the current piss-poor state of the train "service". It will get easier. Well done for sticking it to the Boy Blunder.

Can you treat yourself to some comfy bouncy trainers for the walk to the tube?

Sending love. ss

70 days. Go me

@Thestartofsomethinggood That's fantastic! Well done. That takes courage and determination. x

Well done @Thestartofsomethinggood

70 days is epic!!

Yola, some fantastic milestones the last few days @Onewildandpreciouslife @Sweetleftfood @Thestartofsomethinggood and anyone I have missed (sorry) well done each and everyone of you, 1 day or 1 year it is all in the right direction. Some days every minute counts, just getting past that wine witch on your shoulder. I would also recommend some quit lit for our newbs, sunshine sober and Rachael’s holiday for the lighter side or the alcohol experiment or Allen Carr control your drinking. There are some great books out there and even if one doesn’t work another might. I still have quit like a woman on my to read list and Nomo tells me I am at 591 days…

I found audio books worked so I could listen while I did things. Walking, gardening, cleaning. For me the words revisit me when I am repeating the action.

listening about the pitcher plant when walking a path with the dog, comes back to me several times as week when I walk down the same path. It keeps all the reasons why I stopped fresh in my mind.

when drink becomes a coping strategy or a self harming or punishment action it’s time to stop. First man takes a drink and then drink takes the man. Excellent piece of art

Wow that is an artwork to think about, @Fortheloveofgodwhy . I really enjoyed audiobooks too, they had the benefit of privacy as no-one was interested in what I was reading. I would listen on the solo parts of the school run, or in bed at night.

Many congratulations @Onewildandpreciouslife on 18 months, I bet that feels good. Congratulations too @Thestartofsomethinggood , you’re getting into your stride!

welcome @Sweetleftfood and @Kate489 , hope you’re both ok.

@REP22 thank you so much for the recipe link! I have saved it, in case I can’t find a M&S one. I do occasionally bake, so it’s nice to have a recommended fallback. @rothbury how are you doing? Hope you’re feeling better.

I am here with an AF IPA wondering if it’s bedtime yet. Still, Friday tomorrow. I don’t know how I ever found time for hangovers.

Thanks for checking on me. I’m feeling a bit better but it hit me hard this time around. Went back to work today and it was crazy busy.

At least it’s Friday tomorrow lads!!

Morning lads.
Wfh today so no train crush.
My body is falling apart. It's been hard to do the commute. Loving the job tho. I had a massive tick awarded to me by the big boss.
Friday is danger night but I am slimmer already and the cheese has remained in the fridge, bizzare.
Congrats to all those big wins.

Great to hear the job is going well @WendyWagon . Commuting is harder work than people realise- I find it takes a while for stamina to build back up, so hopefully it will feel easier in a couple of weeks

I have made it to a week since my last drink. I thought I would be happier about it, instead I just want to congratulate myself and put a bottle in the fridge. Struggling to think why I can't, so trying my best to focus on how awful I would feel starting from scratch again tomorrow.

Hope you are all doing ok. I guess if it wasn't so hard and all consuming trying to resist then we wouldn't have a problem.

Distract yourself. Play a game on your phone. 72 days here

Thank you @Thestartofsomethinggood 72 days is amazing.

I am pleased to have woke up fresh and ready to go to the Next sale! Day 8.

@Kate489 believe me. Until yesterday I was 145/146 days sober. I finished a tricky time and I'm on annual leave. Thought I'd have a glass of wine. That was most of a bottle. It is not worth it. Not at all. I'm ok and just stocked up on AF lager that I like (asahi on offer currently). But I feel shit and I know now it just is not worth it at all.

Oh @Kate489 I was responding to your last but one post! Sorry!! I see you made it thru! Happy shopping

Sorry you’re feeling shit @stilldumdedumming . It’s so easy to convince ourselves it will be “different this time”. Feedback not failure, is a useful mantra! Glad to hear you’re stocked up on the Asahi - I keep seeing ads for it on the rugby games but haven’t tried it yet.

I went out for dinner with some girlfriends last night. I’ve got a bit of a health worry going on, and I was slightly tempted by the wine but luckily resisted. But they made one bottle of wine last between the 3 of them for the WHOLE NIGHT! And I absolutely knew that if I’d drunk I would have wanted waaaaY more than that. So it’s a good job that’s not an option for me any more.

Pleased to see you got through last night @Kate489 . Do you think it would be helpful to write down your “why”, for future use?

Hugs @stilldumdedumming. Look after yourself today. It's a data point, not a failure. And you did well stopping before the end of the bottle. Good move stocking up on the Asahi AF too.

I'm happy for you @Kate489 well done on riding the craving. I hope the Next sale was productive?

Take it easy @rothbury. Hope you have a quiet weekend to continue your recovery. And congrats @WendyWagon first week done! Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

Lazy Saturday afternoon here. Sofa, coffee, cat and guitar. Did all the chores this morning.

@Onewildandpreciouslife I hope you're OK.

Well done Kate. Hope you spent your wine savings at next

This has probably been shared before but a good read for anyone in the early days/relapsing/struggling

http://mummywasasecretdrinker.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-obstacle-course.html?m=1

Hope you are all having a nice weekend. I am safely in bed, bringing day 8 to a close. Almost had a wine once kids were in bed, so made myself do some housework instead. I kind of feel like I want a drink to end my run as otherwise what's going to happen? I just never drink again? I'm certainly struggling to adapt and figure out what I want and need.

I haven't really done much the past few nights which hasn't helped, makes my evenings seem boring without wine. Not doing much other than wasting time on my phone tho as I'm so tired with the constant thoughts in my head. I'd hoped that would have calmed down by now. Suppose fact it hasn't makes me think I have more of a problem than I thought.

Next sale was good for the kids and few Christmas presents but nothing for me. Still, it got us up and out early and had a good family day at park afterwards.

I have told some friends I am doing sober October to take some pressure off socially. Definitely not ready for any conversations in real life, so I'm glad I found this thread for many reasons.

Morning lads. Sorry not very active. The toxic colleague has been undermining me. Something is going down this morning.
The world is full of jumped up little men.

@WendyWagon sorry to hear you are feeling so drained by it all. I struggle with humans in general these days. Let alone nasty humans.

@Onewildandpreciouslife hoping you're doing okay? Health worries suck.

@stilldumdedumming I hope the wee fall off the wagon doesn't derail you too much. Blips happen and it's how we deal with them that matters the most.

@Kate489 well done on your 8 days. Every AF journey here started with days.

I'm having a bit of a crap weekend. 2 out of 3 DC have colds (nothing serious but eldest has a big week ahead with secondary school stuff) so we've had a very boring and low key weekend. It's been ages since we've had any proper downtime but I swear it makes them all nuts.

I have escaped the cold for now but have a wisdom tooth infection. Have AB at least and then I'll need to sort getting them taken out 😳