90 Days! . . . I'm more than ready . . .

[90DaysTheseThreeMonths2024]

Going for 90 Days alcohol-free starting tomorrow.
(As it is Leap Year ~ Feb, Mar & Apr make a perfect 90 days.)

DH is my lovely supporter, so no temptations or downfalls at home. 👍
I'm posting this for accountability and a bit more incentive for myself.
I intend to update daily. (I love to ✅ things!)

I have been indulging way too much lately, and have noticed edema in feet and ankles. Also experiencing increased hot flushes. Ugh.
So, actually I am very much looking forward to—rather than dreading—the next 90 Days!

If anybody would like to join in spur of the moment, please do so!

It's a bit after 2200 (10:00pm) where I am, so less than two more hours for me . . .

OK, well, I've run out already, so am starting about an hour and a half earlier than I intended, as I wanted to have a final tipple right at midnight!
Oh well....

Good luck. Do u mean u were going to have a drink at midnight but u had no booze left? Maybe not a bad thing?

.

I'll join! I've just done Dry Jan but would like to carry on for longer! I'm seriously trying to change my relationship with alcohol so a good long break will do me good. Easier said than done so glad for some solidarity 💪

Can I join too? I failed Dry January, only by one day but still. I really want to commit properly and be accountable

If you do 90 days.. why not go all the way and stop all together?.
Health benefits will be amazing.

@lunklitdays that's not a failure, just a blip! I do understand how you feel though.

@LetsGoDoDoDo
&
@lunklitdays

Yay! Yes, please, please do join in! 🙌

So, Day One, evening now ~ not over yet but also no threat of having anything in the next few hours.

@Pippa246 -- LOL, yes, that was the plan! But it ran out before midnight. (Same amount either way.) I intended to say that I wanted a last one right before midnight, not right at midnight.
But no such farewell ritual after all.

Yes, @Moier -- I agree, and will probably go longer.
Last time I did '90 days', I went two and a half years.
I am starting for 90 days again, as I know I can stick with it; but if I say forever, then I won't even do 90 days. That's just my brain. As it is, I am not counting down 90 until I can drink again, but need the set timeframe for the jump start. (Again, this works for my brain.)

Hi, @Bringonthesunforthewashing ~ will you be joining from afar? If so, Good Luck! 🍀💪

OK, so today, all is well.
I think I'll be fairly fine for the next 89 days too, but also know that there will be a few 'white knuckle' moments—usually more out of habit than craving.

How'd everyone else do today?

Thank you @LetsGoDoDoDo , I was disappointed in myself, I was so near the end too when I drank, stupid really but it is done now. Managed fine yesterday @90DaysTheseThreeMonths2024 . Two and a half years off after doing 90 days really is admirable, I do like the idea of never drinking again but as with you, I can't think that far ahead. Just now I would like to manage one full month!

How are you getting on OP??

Hi, @PickledOnionsRodger , thanks for checking!

So, 17 days ~
👍😃👍 it's gone by pretty quickly!
The first week felt a bit surreal, and in some ways it was a breeze; DH had hernia surgery, so I was preoccupied by all of that, and didn't really have any 'cravings' or thoughts about wavering. It was a good distraction. (And he's doing well.)

Week Two, I was a rather sluggish but was still fine about staying away from the bottle. There were a few times I felt that I wanted to settle in with a glass in my hand, but that was mostly more from reflex and habit, rather than really wanting to have a drink. Still wasn't fun, but those moments passed fairly quickly, and I'm thankful for that. (And also thankful for Tiramisu! 😂)
Day 14 was a bit of a tough day. Wanted to open a bottle, although not quite white-knuckling it. I prevailed, but my poor DH had to deal with me being all cranky and stroppy over trivial things. On Valentine's Day, no less!

Now I'm back to feeling calm and generally unfazed about not having my booze. It's quite nice, but I know (or at least assume) that I'll have tough days coming up—but it's really not been too difficult so far. I was finally ready and truly looking forward to this, so I think that helps.

I hope this frame of mind continues. I'm pretty sure I'll be good for the 90 Days, and probably beyond, but afraid that when I start feeling really great, is when I'll want to crack open a bottle.
BTDT, so I'll do my best to remind myself, and apply previous experience to keep from doing it. When I'm in high spirits (pardon the pun), I'll need to remember that opening a bottle will ultimately just make me feel crap all over again.

For now, I'm pleased. The edema has gone down quite a bit, my sinuses are clearing, and my complexion is looking better. Also dropping (without effort) the weight that I gained this past year. I'm upset at having drunkenly allowed the weight gain especially because at my age, when I lose all the weight I will now end up with saggy skin. Huge regret there.
Damn.
Damn me.
Oh well. Must pay the consequences.

Anyway, OK, so I want to try to keep positive, since negativity and regrets (and grieving) are what got me into this hellhole.
I want out, and I want to stay out.

I'll try to post more often from now on. The first week distracted and busy, then second week no energy or brain function. Ha.
I'm just trying to not think about it at all, really. I've actively put myself in the mindset of, when I want to have a drink, rather than thinking,
'I hope I can keep myself from having a drink',
it is now, simply,
'Too bad, can't have one.'
Full stop.
It's just not an option.
So there. 🔨 <bangs gavel>

Oh yeah, hot flushes finally getting better—still having a few, but they are now detox hot flushes, so they'll diminish soon.
I've also had menopausal hot flushes for a while, and I can tell the difference. Menopause ones aren't sweaty (for me) but booze-related ones are, and they were getting nasty.

Yikes, sorry for the missive, but all caught up now!
I'll try to check in more often. I'm not able to post on MN from my old clunky iPad anymore, and posting from the phone is really annoying, so I wasn't in any mood to deal with it, the first couple of weeks! But I'm feeling a bit better now.

Anybody else still around?
@LetsGoDoDoDo ?
@lunklitdays ?

@90DaysTheseThreeMonths2024 thanks for the update! So happy to hear this. You're doing great and reaping so many benefits all ready. Very inspiring 👏

Sounds like you're off to great start!

I just realised that at first glance, the title of this thread looks as though I have successfully completed 90 Days. Oops. But I think the 'more than ready' qualifier helped steer it back? Oh well, it'll be a 90 Day success in 67 more days~ hahaa 💪

Hi @PickledOnionsRodger and @MalbecJunkie

For now, three weeks (+) down. It's been a little bit difficult on occasion, but still not too unbearable.
I wanted to post on the actual 21st day, but was still feeling wiped-out.
Also still having crap hot flushes; not near as bad as last month, but still more than I was hoping for by now. But I really put my body through hell, so it'll take a while.
I am sleeping much better. And no more 03:00am wake-ups.

I am taking supplements (inconsistently), and they do help, but sometimes I just CBA.
I'm very sluggish during the day, but mainly just thankful for no torturous cravings. I'll take sluggish over cravings any day!

I'm leaving empty bottles in random places, to condition myself so that when I see a bottle, it won't instill the reflex to have a drink. I want the bottle to become a common, meaningless thing, so that won't even register anymore when I see it.
Yes, I am an odd sort. 😂

OK, just a general update for now, not enough energy to post more!

Are we havng fun, yet?

Well, so much for updating daily!
I've been utterly wiped-out, zero energy, no motivation.
But . . . I am still persevering! 👊
Over one month now.

Besides being so wiped-out, I am sadly back to deep-grieving my Mum. Those were the two main reasons that I started drinking (again) ~ it helped push back the grief and gave me some energy. So, the past couple of weeks have not been fun at all, but I am still managing to stay away.

I think I need to go for a health check. I should be feeling better by now, after one month!
My last health check was over 20 years ago.

The edema has gotten better, and sinuses, and complexion—but that's about it.
I'd been having pains in the heart area for the past year or so; they were only occasionally before, but had been increasing to monthly, then weekly-ish, and now they are daily. And I am always out of breath.
Not so great.
I think when I was feeling so unwell, I was blaming it on the booze. Well, yeah, that is definitely to blame, but I was blaming it all on the booze which perhaps was covering over a serious health issue.

I don't think I've ever had Covid (never tested) but the way I feel now, fits the description of Long Covid. I suppose it's possible, as there was a time a while back when I felt horrible and had odd ailments including major joint pain that I'd never had before; also sleeping all day (had that before!) and a worse than usual persistent, annoying cough.
Never any fever, though.
I don't know.
I'm just so tired of feeling like hammered shite all the time.

Hot flushes are easing up a bit though finally, so there's that at least.

OK, well, sorry for all the moaning.
But I am still hanging in there.
Just wish I felt better!

btw, I should have been clicking 'Thanks' for the replies on here — sorry!
I wasn't being rude, I forgot MN added them! 🙇‍♀

Sounds very peri menopause-like to me; is that a possibility?

Well done on getting so far! Once you remove alcohol from your life, everything else can come into focus a bit more.
I agree with @MalbecJunkie - when I stopped drinking and was still tired, I realised maybe it wasn’t just the booze, and got sorted for HRT, which made a huge difference.
And I’m sorry about your mum. I think lots of us drink to escape pain, and when you don’t have that option it’s really hard. But ultimately it’s much better, because you actually have to face the issues that are causing you pain. Catharine Gray, who wrote the Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (one of my favourite quit lits for the early days, also wrote a book called Sunshine Warm Sober about her years 2-6 of sobriety. I found it really helpful at looking at the underlying reasons for drinking issues.