It's day 1! Anyone else?

[Thepeppapigfanclub]

I'm 45. I've been drinking a bottle/bottle and a half a night for as long as I can remember with the odd dry January/ Stoptober along the way - but I always end up back on the wine again.

I'm a parent to a 13 year old and the shame that comes with this is crippling. It's not good and I know I HAVE GOT to stop. I am sick of the self-loathing, the fear, the anxiety and the money down the drain. Most of all, I'm worried about shuffling of this mortal coil leaving my child before I should.

So it's day one (again) for me. I just wondered if anybody else has picked this as their day one too for some support.

Any tips for the first week?

Many thanks - there's some seriously inspirational people on here reading some of the other threads - I'm in awe of all of those who've made it to six months, a year and beyond. It feels beyond my grasp.

@MamaGhina how you've displayed your reasoning behind it actually makes a lot of sense.

I think we all know the stereotypical alcoholic in our town/village. I also watch alot of alcoholics on YouTube. Those that have got sober and are inspiration and those that are in their addiction still and to understand their story and as a reminder it can to happen anyone.

Hi all- just checking in and about to have a shower and go to bed as the cravings are strong tonight.

I appreciate each and every one of you and this lovely thread. ❤

Hello everyone. There has been a little positive movement from MNet Towers, so I have relented slightly but trying to abstain a bit. MNet itself sometimes comes tinged with cocaine iyswim.

Anyway it's 100 days today. I'm not sure at present if I'll drink again - certainly not casually at home, possibly at a party or a celebration. The health scare (liver) gave me the kick I needed both to stop drinking and clean up my diet. At 18.5lb down, I am discovering winter dresses I haven't worn for a couple of years since covid. I may have to ditch the E Cups I bought last winter due to "double boob" .

There are so many positives ahead for all of us. One of mine is that my grown up DC talk stuff over with me/us and like coming home. They have so much more freedom than DH or I had in our mid/late 20s. They are following their dreams and are pretty secure in our unconditional love for them. They spill when they screw up which we could never have done. My mother's special nuggets amongst many were "you can't wear pink, it's for pretty girls"; "I told your teacher I know you are a bit slow and I didn't expect miracles, and she said you were the cleverest in the class, the others must be a bit dim", "if I'd been braver I'd have gone ahead with the abortion" - that was in 1960!

My biggest fear at present is retirement on the one hand and whether I can keep up the work pace on the other.

I aim to stay AF, largely, until I'm about 85/86 and then I shall throw care to the wind and might have an occasional fag as well.

All good here. I actually had a strong urge to start doing yoga today! Wtf. That's a first.

Are you there @Thepeppapigfanclub your absense is noticed. Hope you're okay.

@SpringNotSprung congratulations on your 100 days. Also glad your stand has resulted on MN taking a stance.

I think if you get to 85/86 and decide its time to drink your way out then that's fair do's if you're in a care home not doing much. But I have a suspicion that 85 year olds in the future will be in much better health...especially if we are treating our bodies better by not drinking.

Hi all, checking in on day 24 for me. Today has been oddly tough, definite cravings when I haven’t really had any in the last couple of weeks. Early night I think.

congratulations @SpringNotSprung on your 100 days.

Best wishes to all for the rest of the week.

Thank you @Cloudsclouds6 . One event down and I had tea and honey on toast for dinner when I got home so so far so good. Coming up to day 60😱

echoing others @Thepeppapigfanclub i hope all is okay

@SpringNotSprung congratulations and good to see you back.

@Thepeppapigfanclub we are all here for you.

well done @TimesaChangeling - honey on toast sounds amazing! Low carb sucks sometimes!

@Limeandsoda2023 well done on day 24.

@Yocal - urge for yoga sounds like the kind of urges we need!

@NewLifeHappyLife hope you enjoyed your early night!

Evening all.. @SpringNotSprung thank you as your post did make me chuckle tonight just at the way that is so far from anything we should ever say to our kids and also about the fag - brilliant! I bet you look lovely in pink - buy a pink top to celebrate being lovely to your kids! As you described is how I’d love to mirror when mine are older.

@TimesaChangeling well done!! Honey on toast sounds superb - I’d forgotten about how nice it tastes. Also on sour dough yum! Had some cereal before bed with banana. Better than a double vodka! — hope everyone’s ok and we hear from @Thepeppapigfanclub soon.

@SpringNotSprung congratulations on 100 days, what an achievement! Stopping the drinking at home was one of my motivations to join this thread and also one of the things I hope never to go back to. Such a waste of life!

Good morning @MamaGhina. I miss hearing from @Thepeppapigfanclub in the mornings.

@Thepeppapigfanclub hope everything's okay.

@TimesaChangeling Well done on your event. Good luck on your others. Mine also went well although it was touch and go on not drinking!!

@Limeandsoda2023 we're on the same day count. I have found the cravings increasingly recently.

100 days is awesome!! Congrats @SpringNotSprung and so good to see you again. 🙂

Morning everyone, just checking in at 7 weeks (on Saturday). Really want to keep going with this. We can do this!

Lots of messages to catch up on., sorry if I tag the wrong poster or miss an update somewhere.

@Cloudsclouds6 sorry for your trauma. Hope you’re okay? I'm finding the cptsd is flaring up an awful lot. I had a good old journalling session last night which helped a little.

Glad you are back in our bosom @SpringNotSprung . 100 days is an incredible achievement, I hope you buy yourself some pink clothes to celebrate. Massive well done to you.

@MamaGhina you’re doing really well and this path is your own, no-one else's. Chucking it in the fuckit bucket is a real thing; I know I have done it so many times too and that you've moved away from that is a huge step in the right direction. I could see myself going a similar route but then the thought of Christmas is worrying me a bit in case the wheels come off.

@excitedemmi so how was the night out?
I'm getting drinking dreams too. They are freaky but part of the process, I think. Youtube vids sound interesting. I like podcasts as well.

@MattyJB good luck for tomorrow. Please lean in to this thread for support. It's so supportive.

@NewLifeHappyLife hope you are okay? The cravings are hard aren't they.

@Limeandsoda2023 I started to struggle around week 3/4, I think the first few weeks were easier in a way because I was ready to have a break from booze, the break felt good, but now my brain is like "so you've had a break, now have some booze!" ughhh. Also really wondering where my sober joy is?

@TimesaChangeling day 60 is awesome, how are you feeling?

@Yocal hope you enjoy the yoga. Maybe that is something I should try!

And we miss you @Thepeppapigfanclub and hope you are alright. Sending hugs.

I'm pootling along okay. Today will be 35 days AF which is my longest break from alcohol ever. (Pregnancy aside). I must admit I feel quite flat though. I haven't lost any weight, I feel quite tired, my skin and hair is the same, my mind isn't much quieter, in fact it's a lot noisier because I'm getting some serious interference from cptsd intrusive thoughts and negative inner critic. I have never tried anti-depressants but I am feeling like I could be open to it. I booked an NHS Talking Therapy assessment for tomorrow morning, I have had counselling in the past, it's helped to a degree, but I want to see what other options I have. I'd really hoped kicking the booze would help and in so many ways it will, I know. But. I had really hoped for more. Perhaps I am wildly unrealistic.

Hi @Thepeppapigfanclub how are you feeling today? I've just read your whole thread (well your posts on it) and could relate to so much of the difficulties in it. The sleep, especially. Whenever I try to give up, the poor sleep and vivid dreams make me feel so drained that I convince myself that just having a couple of glasses of wine just to take the edge off is going to help me. I'm so fed up of the rollercoaster. It's disheartening when there's no weight loss too. I am/was a similar drinker to you, getting through 1.5 -2 bottles a night sometimes - not every night but several times a week. Also with pains in my sides I daren't go to see any doctor about. I did dry january and made it to 11 days AF. Other than that I haven't been AF for about 15 years, which is when I was pregnant with my daughter. I dread to think how accustomed my body has become to the stuff. I've decided to try and have another crack at it and change my relationship with alcohol completly. I can't give up giving up, but if I have a relapse i'm not going to beat myself up over it either. I have to see some progress though, it's going to be quite a journey. Reading your thread has been inspirational, just wondering how you are getting on now, today.

Also feeling flat here. And no weight loss! Also, well aware I have lots of work to do on myself. Probably going to have to relearn lots of things like socialising as I have used alcohol as a support my whole adult life!

Also feeling flat here. And no weight loss! Also, well aware I have lots of work to do on myself. Probably going to have to relearn lots of things like socialising as I have used alcohol as a support my whole adult life!

Sorry so many of you are feeling flat. Just to jog your memory I'm been AF since early July. Yesterday I got urge to do yoga. I didn't, but I did recognise the urge. Well, without any ceremony (normally I announce that I'm going to undertake something).I just sat out in the sun and started meditation, which then turned into stretches. It really helped click somethings into place. A bit of a reconnect. Without going mind, body and soul on you all, I do think there is a lot to be said about taking sometime to yourself to do this. The sun, fresh air and some breathing and gently stretching out as you feel you need to. Absolutely lovely thing to do for yourself. I feel much more grounded in my own body for it.

It wasnt even following somebody elses yoga moves it was just a case of feeling where you feel needs to stretch and doing it. So no pressure to do anything other than breathe in your own space and move to your own rhythm.

That and screaming at the top of a hill are my top tier no spend decompressions. I really feel its my nervous system that needs some self care in this process and reconnecting to it. X

Good evening all. I am starting my sober journey tomorrow, I posted on one of the earlier threads this year, and managed to get to 23 days sober (my longest stretch in years), but fell off the wagon pretty spectacularly. I need to stop drinking, my mental health is at an all time low, I know I’m killing myself by drinking. Time to stop and change my life.

@Steppered i am actually feeling good! Mind you, that might just be “ no longer very jet lagged”.

I am sorry to hear re the cPTSD… one of the reasons I got into a bit of a mess I think earlier this year /last year was intrusive thoughts, or perhaps just one intrusive word, and I could see that it was significant and a result of a lot of fairly rubbish things happening in short succession. I do not by any stretch have what you have and which I know is very different but that thought has not come back for a while now and slowly I can see that I am much more even and balanced. Giving up booze doesn’t solve those types of problem but at least you are not now working on it with one hand tied behind your back…

I love the idea of impromptu self devised yoga! It’s just taking a moment to pause isn’t it?

Day 3 here. Mix of you know the initial elation and plenty of really hard bits each day which are requiring much discussion with myself.
I want to/need to be completely sober but I don't want to hold myself to it right now because I know it will be harder to recover from a perceived back to day one than taking each day as it comes. No plans to drink but I keep telling myself that and fir that reason won't keep counting days, just stating 3rd day to explain where I'm at.
Wouldn't it be nice to never have to do this again? Trying, failing, getting it under control then completely losing it again. I lost it completely in 2020 and I think I'm now close to losing everything including my health if I don't stop.

Welcome @Adsy1988 and any other newbies I may have missed.
I do dry Jan every year and seem to sail through. But then it doesn’t take long to fall back into bad habits.
If I can continue to abstain at home, I’ll be doing alright because I only go out once or twice a month. Before I was drinking at home every weekend, then that crept up to Thursday-Sunday and sometimes Wednesday as well if I was meeting friends. It was too much and I felt rough all the time.
I’ve drank once in 57 days. I’m out tomorrow and have decided in advance I will drink. Mainly because of the occasion, the friends and I honestly don’t want to feel miserable sipping a soft drink. I know that might sound a bit pathetic but this is the first time I haven’t thrown in the towel the minute I had a drink and I feel quite proud of what I have achieved on this thread!

Hello @Awayinthewindow and @Adsy1988 - welcome to the club. You will find lots of support here and no judgement.