Tulips, Snowdrops and Brownies! Thread 4 for those wanting a coffee not a cocktail🌷🧁☕️

[AFmammaG]

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/alcohol_support/5147598-day-1-or-100-tulips-and-snowdrops-say-browniesnotbeer

Boldly starting Thread 4, link above to Thread 3. Hoping some of the oldies will join and always open to newbies. This thread is for anyone looking to chat and support those trying to lead an alcohol free life ❤️

I am loving the CG series too, my legs were shaking today, but I had such a high after it!
I can’t do tomorrow (think it’s a rest day anyway). Maybe I can make this my new addiction 😂

I’m going to try and do day 4 today and ‘rest’ tomorrow. Also feeling the benefit of doing lots of exercise. Raising the bar of emotion and making my new normal high!

I’m going to full body today too.. my DS is home - off school sick so I’ve had to work from home, I’ll do it in my lunch hour.

My technical ability needs work too @AFmammaG but I find her little tips before each set very helpful. I am sticking with slightly lighter weights until I improve my form my glutes hurt today but I love that feeling that muscle is growing. I guess I could be considered fat thin, I have quite a small frame but a layer of fat. I’m going to really focus on building strength. Both physically and mentally 💪

Sorry Cantdoitall, I missed this before. I think most of the big supermarkets stock the CBD drinks, usually get mine from Morrisons. My favourites are the Goodrays ones as they come in a 4 pack and each is a different flavour which I think taste equally nice.

I do still enjoy the taste of red wine and ale which have always been my go to drinks. I was mostly dry for January and February, then had a few weekends drinking in March and April. March is nicknamed the month of doom in my family as we've had a lot of bereavements during that month over the past few years. Last summer I managed a decent stretch of 3 months sober, but I still had the 'twitch' to want to drink most weekends. That seems to be getting less strong each period I stop drinking which is good.

Hope everyone is doing ok today. The weather's looking a bit overcast here, but I'm hoping to squeeze in a bit of gardening and take my dog for a walk in a bit after my☕

Thanks for that @bigfoot40
I think I’ve been detailing the thread with talk of exercise - apologies.
We had a crate of wine delivered today, it’s on DD and they arrive monthly. 14 lovely bottles.
all stashed in the garage and I’ll use them for presents etc. just a hit annoying knowing they’re there!

Day 117 and I did day 4 of CG. Lost 2lbs this week, feeling pretty motivated. How’s everyone else doing?

I don’t mind the exercise derail @Cantdoitalll, I think it’s all part of the healing process and replacing bad habits with good ones.

@SadMama87 how has your week been?

Officially 10 weeks AF!
DP is day 12. It’s good to be doing this together.

I am feeling great, I’ve done loads round the house today - getting the garden sorted and clearing the garage of old stuff the kids will never use. It feels cathartic!
I also cleaned DPs car, it was disgustingly dirty… took me 2 hours! I am feeling like I am achieving things that would have been hanging over me if I’d been drinking.

Well done on the 2lb @AFmammaG that’s brilliant!! I’ve gained weight, I had initially lost some but I have been eating well (protein) so maybe it’s muscle 💪
Hope everyone is doing ok. One day at a time 🌷

10 weeks 🎉 fabulous @Cantdoitalll! What an achievement. Yes my weekends feel so much longer, it’s amazing. The thing I love the most is not hiding from other parents on a Saturday morning! Now if I see someone I know I can say hi without worrying about how I look, how I smell, my breath 😆 that constant worry of do they know? Anxiety levels are certainly lower.

I’m also not too worried about the scales but I could feel the difference this week and jumped on out of curiosity. I’ve been quite disciplined this week. My eating is so obviously linked to my hormonal cycle. I suspected before but now I have a clear mind I know, which is a relief because I also know when I’ll be back out the other side!

I’ve found that tracking my cycle has helped to identify the times within the month where I’m more irritable have low mood and where I feel better. I even know when I ovulate (pelvic pain!). I’ve done it for about a year now. Ironically since stopping alcohol my symptoms have changed - less low mood but more breast pain.

I use the health app on my iPhone.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend, more organising today for me today, power hosing the slabbing in the garden and cleaning out DDs room. It’s great to feel like I want to do these things rather than having to do it and getting grumpy.

The box of wine that was delivered this week was AF!! DP changed the order and didn’t tell me, I enjoyed a white “wine” last night while cooking.

Hi everyone, day 1 again, I did a good alcohol free stint, felt amazing and stupidly thought I could moderate. Things quickly returned to how they were prior to me stopping. I am going to re read all my chick lit and take it day by day.

Welcome @Determined24
You can do this. How long did you manage AF before?
it’s easy to forget the negatives when you’ve not drank for a while, I have to remind myself every day.

I also have to remind myself how awful it was because my mind remembers it differently sometimes. I read back over my posts from when I was really low and that helps.

@Determined24 welcome, I believe I would be back to drinking every week if I drank again now. I’m not saying I’ll never drink again…. but it’s clearly too soon for me.

What I really recommend is investing in yourself. Small steps really do add up and make a difference. Here are some ideas.

Drink loads of water. Overhaul your diet. Prioritise your sleep. Moisturise your body. Find some exercise you enjoy. Explore new hobbies. Treat yourself to something not related to food or drink. For me, I got some expensive face cream. A fresh haircut.

I obviously didn’t do all of the above in the first week (!) and I don’t do all of the above every day but by doing a little often I’ve noticed such an improvement in my mood. I’m starting to look and feel like a different person.

Thank you, I managed over 100 days and felt great. Stupidly thought I had changed but fell back into the same routine but felt even worse than when I first stopped.

I will remind myself of this if I feel tempted again x

Morning all, good to read all the updates. I am still doing well here - day 19 of my most recent dry spell. I joined a gym last week (just our local council one so quite cheap!) and have gone nearly every day - lost 4lbs already. I still haven't decided how long I am aiming to stay dry for but taking each day at a time and feeling upbeat. Definitely agree about doing small things to invest in yourself but I also find satisfaction from doing things I couldn't have done when drinking, e.g. collecting my DD from the station and saving her the 10 mins walk up the hill!

Hope everyone has a good week.

I really like this! Rome not built in a day but foundations must be laid and then you keep building. I am looking forward to a hike and some camping next weekend. Naturally the sun will bugger off just beforehand but am excited and looking forward to it. I get to take the car to the campsite so my face cream will be coming with me! I am a sucker for skin care

Just realised from my Try Dry app that today is my 100th dry day in 2025. So although I have had some slips, I have not drunk on 100 out of 118 days this year which I feel pretty good about. I was drinking a bottle of wine every day before I first started on these threads last year. I’m hoping this is the start of the foundations being built, even with the occasional slip up!

Aiming to do dry May and keep focusing on fitness and trying to lose some weight.

Well done guys, you're all doing so well and sound so positive x

Well done @Limeandsoda2023
You’re building strong foundations. Success isn’t always linear. We slip up, get up and brush ourselves down and get on.

Every time we try again we come back that little bit stronger. We will learn something about ourselves. I learnt last time that I need to put some thoughts down in a journal every day, just when a couple of lines about my commitment to this, that I am doing it for my future self.
I am day 74 today, still very much one day at a time. I think about alcohol every day, sometimes about how well I’ve done, or I consider a drink then remember the bad stuff, or remember that it maybe wasn’t so bad and I could have a drink (I can’t! I can’t moderate).
I have some things coming up that people will expect me to drink. I am going to have to to be quite firm about saying no, it makes me reflect how ingrained it is in parts of our society. I wonder if our French or Italian counterparts would be the same? They seem to have a different attitude… I say that as I work with 2 Europeans and their habits are so different.
Wine has been ruined for me with my addiction, I used to be able to enjoy a couple of glasses then stop, it all changed with divorce, small children and new relationship complexities. I don’t feel bad about that, it is what it is and as I approach menopause I think that completely abstaining is probably better health wise anyway.
I’ve not been able to exercise this last week at all @AFmammaG so many things on and I’ve been exhausted. I am thinking I need to speak to the GP about HRT as the fatigue and joint pain before my period is affecting me quite badly.

@Cantdoitalll sorry to hear about the fatigue, that can be awful. Let us know how you get on at the GP 🤞 Sometimes I let the kids watch something and get into bed for 20 minutes and just close my eyes. I never truly relax as I’ve constantly got an ear out for them but it does help. Time to hide is invaluable.

I just did day 6 of CG on Tuesday, so haven’t been able to commit to everyday but fully intend to keep going as and when. I’m enjoying the challenge. Yesterday I was tempted to eat crap so got on to the treadmill for 30 minutes to ride it out. It does work. There’s a lady on the dry Jan thread who is really into her fitness. I find it inspiring. I’ve managed to keep at it and had lost another 2lbs last time I weighed.

I’ll hit 125 days this week. Still need to pinch myself that I’ve not drank at all this year. It didn’t all magically click into place on day 100, contrary to many other stories but my goodness, life is better. It really is.

Sooo…
DP and I are away for the weekend. Lovely and sunny, lots of restaurants and bars.

No alcohol for either of us!
We are up early and enjoying feeling energised. I’ve been to the gym and had a lovely breakfast and going exploring now.
We have just had a chat about how different it would be if we had been drinking… probably miss breakfast, wake late and have that horrible dread in the pit of my stomach.
We still went out and had a laugh night, I got quite giggly at one point and DP said I seemed really happy 😆
I’ll admit I was worried that I would slip up with being away and child free, but I’m not going to!
I’m officially 9 weeks today!
well done on the 125 days @AFmammaG
Hope everyone else is doing ok x

That sounds like such a wonderful weekend away! I have done a few sober holidays now and it’s amazing how much va va voom you can muster when not weighed down by alcohol, hangovers and general knackeredness from it. I have had a week off from proper exercising but I have started reformer Pilates which I am quite enjoying and heading off for my walk / camp tomorrow. It’s quite cold overnight so hoping I don’t freeze. I have hot chocolate, sleep tea and handwarmers at the ready.

Home today after our weekend away. It’s been fun, we still went out and “drank” in the bars, had AF beer with dinner. It’s been good.

I’ve felt more energised this last few days since getting my period, makes me realise that the last week of my cycle is where I feel terrible, not sure what I can do about that but I’ll be seeking some help.

I’ll be continuing with AF, it feels empowering to know I can go away and not really miss it. We met with some family - cousins mainly - and a few of them were not drinking too. We are all similar age and I noticed that some of the men were on AF drinks too.

@DoBetter3590 I'm in a similar situation to you - on Day 5 and have a holiday coming up in a couple of weeks. My drinking was different though - no blackouts or huge binges and not had a hangover for over 30 years. However, I was drinking every day - a couple of large glasses of wine - and those units really build up. I knew I shouldn't but it was such an ingrained habit. I'm already sleeping better and feeling more alert but am wondering how I'll cope on holiday. It's great to read people's stories on here and get some support and inspiration. Good luck!