200 days alcohol free- anyone wish to join?

[FeelingLessTired]

Several years ago, under another user name I did a 100 day alcohol free challenge and alot of people joined me on MN. It was before covid, so a long time ago!

I really appreciated the support and lasted 120 days in the end. ironically enough DH joined me IRL and he just continued on and has been teetotal since then.

I was reading Annie Grace back then (I think) and her recommendation was that if you slip, to then challenge yourself for double the time- hence I now wish to start and achieve a 200 day challenge.

I'd love some company if anyone wishes to join me!

I have a funeral today and plan to drink J20 with tonic water. The deceased was a good friend of DH's and although he was in his early 70s drinking definitely played a part in his extreme fragility over the past few years. He's been really ill for a good ten years I think.

I have set out a spread sheet with my alcohol-free savings. In the last week i have definitely reduced and have saved just shy of £50 already (since the beginning of April) as we have had a fair few dinners and lunches out. I look at what I would have drunk (sauvignon blanc here and there) and when i have not had it I add that cost to my spreadsheet. That does help to inspire me because COL is biting us hard right now.

@paintcolourchart and well done on Day 24.

Oh I thought of another one - I'm funnier! I find myself occasionally cracking jokes and laughing in general more. Also finding myself singing along or having a little bop to music more often - I can't sing or dance, and I'm definitely not a comedienne but surely this can only be a good thing?!

@Goandygo not smoking is DEFINITELY a good one! Reading your other posts I agree we were indeed separated at birth!

How is everyone else doing? Sorry I feel like I'm posting a lot here atm! As mentioned before I do think I am getting a bit obsessed with going AF rather than obsessed with wine, so feel free to ignore my ramblings!!!!

@ZoeJudge I have heard that some WL injections have that result. It's worked for a friend of mine. I'm not planning to try personally because I have a few autimmune conditions plus kidney issues so am really wary of putting new things / chemicals in my body...... notably, I did not worry about this so much when actually drinking alcohol!!!! How crazy is that? I could always rationalise it somehow. The denial was deep!!

Love your posts @paintcolourchart , never worry about that!

I'm climbing the walls today. I am about to open an AF beer. And cook dinner. Aaaagh!!!!!. I'll get through it, but today is tough.

@FeelingLessTired hang on in there - have your af beer and it should pass.
You'll be happy you did tomorrow.
@paintcolourchart yes, feeling happy enough to dance and sing is definitely a good thing.
And you're not posting a lot - and really, even if you were, it wouldn't matter ❤️
Sometimes you just need to get it out there - I'm forever rambling 🤣

Love the posts and rambles also.

I'm getting there...... almost finished this AF beer (drinking at the speed I used to for alcohol.....). But the itchiness is beginning to subside.

Still have yet to try sober sex..... DH would be slightly surprised tbh.

@FeelingLessTired my dh would be surprised if I suggested sex full stop.
I wanted a drink and snack just now so I've had a corona zero. So lovely and cool. Had with a packet of crisps ( in a bowl 🤣).
I love being in control of it all. I think if I caved, I'd be so annoyed at myself. And it wouldn't even be because I want a drink - I just be self sabotaging.

Totally agree (about caving and sex )

I'd be furious with myself. The urge has passed, completely. Now to consider why I had it. I know why. I have an obligation thing I need to do next week. No realistic way to avoid it -it's complicated - better to just suck it up and do it. It's with a person I find difficult and my go-to is to drink through interactions with her because it eases things. So that triggered anxiety today and wanting to drink.

I know the advice would be 'Just put your foot down and don't go' but it's really not that simple IRL.

At least I have a week to prepare and plan strategies.

Right- signing off for now as DS1 has asked if I can drive him to Aldi to get cheesecake. Why YES! Yes I can drive!

Simple Sober Joys.

Hugs to all and back Later.

Absolutly, and you are correct to be wary of what you are putting into your body.

To be fair the doctor at keltoi is fantastic, he phones me once a week and runs thriough how am getting on with the weightloss and even enquires about how its affecting me mentally, if you get a good clinic to prescribe you the WL jabs you will be in good hands.

Just popping back here (previously seenoevil) to catch up with you all. Great to see so much success. Day 191 for me, so very close to 200. Had a hairy couple of weeks with personal crap but coming out the other side now. Still no real desire to drink and my reliance on af alternatives has pretty much disappeared. Most nights I’m happy with a cup of tea…. Dull? Probably - but I’ll take it.

191 days!!!!

That is epic.

Lovely to see you!

Day 17 for me. So glad I got through my wibble last night. I'd be so low today if I had not. Feeling fighting fit!

Best wishes to everyone.

@88expertprocastinator that's brilliant well done.
I did wonder where you were, ( not in a nosey way !! ), but I found your early posts really inspirational so I wanted to thank you. Thank you ❤️
I think I feel the same regarding af drinks. I'd prefer a cup of tea and a slice of cake. I had a corona zero last night - my head was banging afterwards and I slept fitfully. Tea and cake it is.
@FeelingLessTired well done for not caving - it's not easy once that seed's planted, but you did it.

A very early Good Morning from me !

I have Good, Bad and Great news.

Good - 60 days today 🥳. I can't believe it. I never thought I would get this far, and I haven't missed it. I've had a couple of times where I was going to press the Feck It button, but it passed ( helped immensely by reminding myself that I binned all my cigarettes - that was a great decision).

Bad - only a minor niggle, but my arm / shoulder is still giving me some discomfort so I'm not exactly feeling on top of the world.
However, I'm thinking positively - it will heal soon, I have to be patient ( I'm not ), and with my weight loss (12lbs in 60 days), I'll soon be in the best shape ever.

The Bad leads me to the Great News.
Even though I've been struggling and I've felt a bit depressed ( about my arm), not once have I thought this would be solved by drinking. This is massive for me. I never, ever found any solace or comfort at the bottom of a wine bottle yet I went there time and time again - it lied to me basically, but it will no longer.

So, that's me today - 60 days sober and facing my issues / problems / discomfort with a positive mindset. And not with alcohol.

Have a great day tribe. Thank you for all your support. I hope I've given as much back. Keep on keeping on, and stay positive ❤️💯

Aaah @Goandygo ! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

💪🎂👑

60 days is fantastic!! AF and Cigarette Free! You are an inspiration!!

I am so sorry that your arm is still a problem though- hopefully this will heal soon too. I love your positivity about that. And 12 pounds!!

It's so exciting reading about everyone's achievements!

18 days for me. The first 10 days seemed to drag now they seem to speed up! I don't think I have lost any weight but yesterday I did wear a tshirt with a skirt and did not feel I needed to coverup more than that so ... [hopeful]....

Do you have a lovely Sober Treat planned today @Goandygo ? You deserve it!

I was out last night- took the DCs to a film that started at 7.30. Being ready, able and willing to drive after dinner is a continuous joy for me. Today is boozy bookclub. I am taking a potted orchid for the hostess and some rose lemonade for me. I'm not even anxious about it. Just looking forward to being able to come home at a reasonable time and be able to spend my evening doing something productive.

Best of days everyone!

@FeelingLessTired thank you, that was so lovely to read.
Well done on 18 days too - you're right about the first days going a little slow. It's probably our minds adjusting, but yes, it does seem to fly after that.
No treat planned as such. Just being patient with myself if that makes sense.

@88expertprocastinator191 days is amazing!! You'll be first of us to cross that 200 day mark - how exciting!!!

Well done on pushing through that wobble @FeelingLessTired! Also well done on day 18! You'll smash sober book club. Even though you haven't lost weight do you feel you look like you have? I'm tempted to stand on the scales again as I honestly can't believe that haven't changed because of how I look (still overweight!) and feel. But I'm going to give it a bit longer for my TOTM to be completely finished as I'll just get frustrated I think!

@Goandygo wow that is an early morning! HUGE well done on 60 days!!! I know exactly what you mean as I'm still having issues with my ankle (separated at birth 😅). I thought it was getting better but I went on a 3 mile walk yesterday and it was so painful afterwards. Your weight loss is amazing! I really need to be focusing on that too now that abstaining from wine is not a daily battle.

Had a really lovely evening last night. I went for a solo walk at a nearby seaside town. I went on a little explore to a part of it I've not been before and then had a cup of my lemon balm tea on the beach and walked along the beach while the sun was setting with my feet in the sea. My ankle was really sore by the end of it though 🙄 BUT I didn't fancy wine once.

Day 26 for me, so nearly at my next internal milestone of 30! I'll be putting up my 4th crystal star in a few days - I honestly can't believe it. When I ordered them I didn't think I would actually make it to 4 weeks. I almost ordered 6 but didn't as that felt too scary but now I wish I had! Better place another order soon. This time I'm going for 8 which will bring me up to about 3 months!

Hope everyone has a great day.

I love your update @paintcolourchart . What a lovely evening!!!

I feel a little less - puffy- I guess. But I need to stop distracting myself with ice cream I think.

Just looked at the calorie count for my new love .... The Aldi pistachio and chocolate ice cream sticks. 238 each. I'm not saying that yesterday I had two... (but I'm still saving a good 800 cals a day on wine).

Oh and yes- we need to break the balloons out for @88expertprocastinator when she reaches 200 days.

And for when we all do!

wow @Goandygo that is some achievement. I hope you’re walking around shouting it out to everyone. Isn’t it amazing how your life gets so much better life gets when you stop drinking. Wonderful update.

@FeelingLessTired 18 days is great. I also remember the first 10 days went so slowly, then after that they just sped along. I’m also loving the Dubai chocolate (I’m a sucker for pistachios). It took me 30 days to see any real weight loss but then it kept dropping off. I’ll remind you when we need balloons (although I think we all deserve balloons every day!)

@paintcolourchart your evening sounds perfect and you will be at day 30 so soon - how are you feeling? I think you could safely order enough crystal stars to take you to 200 days - you seem like you have it cracked.

another hot sunny day here so off out with the dog before it gets too hot

sending you a photo of me out in my kayak last week - I feel much stronger and calmer without alcohol which I love …
hope you all have a fab day.

@FeelingLessTired yes, I'm the same - I started off by not substituting wine for food treats, but actually I sort of have been lately! Still better than wine of course but this does need to change! The sore ankle has really messed up the good exercise routine I got myself into just before I hurt it though, which has been the biggest hurdle for losing weight for me. I can't believe that 6 weeks later it is still stopping me.

@88expertprocastinator I'm feeling good, and amazed! Would be feeling even better if it wasn't for my ankle, like @Goandygo , but there we are. I honestly can't believe the switch has turned itself off! When I joined this chat 200 days seemed so unattainable but now it doesn't. I love your idea of ordering 200 days worth! That would be another 24 😂 but screw it I'm going to! I'll have a lot of star pendant necklaces to wear after this and I'll be proud to wear each and every one (just maybe not all at the same time.....!).
It really was such a lovely evening - I was feeling a bit restless, not like I wanted wine but just like I wanted to do something different, so I did! Didn't cost a penny and was lovely and peaceful. Your kayaking photo looks so lovely and peaceful too! It's just something about being on or near natural water isn't it. Your bit above about seeing weight loss after 30 days - did you change anything other than your drinking habits?

For me I think going away for 6 days from day 9 really helped me, because I knew drinking wasn't really an option as I had to be solely responsible for DS and share a bed with him so it broke the mental gymnastics cycle. Before I left I had a couple of nights where the wine thoughts took over but I didn't give in, and then by the time I was back I was on day 14 and that's when it really became easier for me.

Not even feeling anxious about being AF for my drinking/dancing event on Saturday now!

@paintcolourchart ...so similar ....I love the fact you're not anxious about the event on Saturday. I was thinking before that Geneva might be the only city I've not been legless in.

Wow , a very well done on your 191 days @88expertprocastinator , so pleased to hear how well you feel

I can totally identify with your positive list @paintcolourchart .
its 47 days since I have drunk at home - I was almost a bottle a day girl with more at the weekend ! I am so pleased I have stuck to that and amazed how strong I am about it too given how many times I’ve failed.

As you all know I’ve failed three times since then but all out of the home. Even on holiday I only had a drink in the bar and with my meal and not every day.
i have been totally alcohol free for 14 days now!
I’m still to feel the sunlit uplands, feeling rather bleugj… odd as I felt them before holiday. It could be the work stress I’m under but at least it’s not making me want a drink! So I’ll take bleugh over vaguely hungover anyday 😀

@Goandygo congratulations on your 60 days , amazing 😻
sorry to hear your shoulder is still giving you gip.
sending healing thoughts
I was interested to read of your bad nights sleep after a corona zero as I had a similar experience after an AF gin!! I assumed it was a placebo effect 🤣

have a good day everyone

@Sonnet 47 days of not drinking at home is amazing! I'm on 26 days totally AF, but because of a false start I have actually been AF for 43/47 days, which sounds similar to you actually and is pretty good going I think!

I've booked a private GP app this afternoon for my ankle through my health insurance - been putting it off long enough but I'm going to bite the bullet and use it. I really, really want it scanned but I imagine they'll just tell me to elevate/compress/ice it 😐

DH has said the same about AF beer before - that it just gives him a headache and the next day he's said he feels hungover!

@paintcolourchart i did make sure I didn’t eat crap food and I also did some intermittent fasting -
Hope your ankle gets sorted quickly - it’s hard to be patient but sometimes you just have to let things heal - a bit like the time it took our bodies to heal from all the alcohol abuse we put it through!

@Sonnet you are doing well and even if you’re not feeling all of the benefits right now your approach sounds like it’s working really well for you.

we are hosting a party in the garden tomorrow so a huge alcohol order has been delivered! Had a momentary pang for it but have picked up some af sparkling wine from Costco so will have that plus my cbd drink - keep reminding myself it’s just poison in fancy packaging….

Sorry, me, yet again 😬

I'm just on Chapter 4 of the Clare Pooley book and I have to say of all the quit lit I've read, this is by far the most triggering and least motivating!!! I'll give it a bit longer but I might duck out. Maybe it's because I'm listening to it rather than reading it but I'm finding her descriptions of wine rather inviting, actually. She also talks about anxiety, tiredness, brain fog etc happening again later after sobriety - at the ~100 day-ish point I think. It makes me a bit nervous that I'll be tempted to go back, and that it won't actually get easier the longer I go.

GP (obviously) did not suggest a scan 😅but did give me some exercises and clearly explained the healing process to me, so that's something at least.

@88expertprocastinator wow hosting a big drinking party with a load of booze delivered to your house is a huge thing to overcome - you've got this!!! You're doing amazingly. It absolutely is just poison in fancy packaging. Think how content you'll feel climbing into bed tomorrow night when every one has gone and you've had a great AF night, and how amazing you'll feel on Friday morning! Absolutely not worth sacrificing your 191 day streak for!!!