Sober October Challenge

[KK1983]

Good afternoon 😊

As the title suggests, I have decided to give 'Sober October' my all and go alcohol free for 31 days. This challenge might be a walk in the park for some but this is going to be HUGE for me. In the past 12yrs, I can't even remember the last time I have even gone a week sober, let alone a month!

So, I am a daily drinker. I have 1-2 bottles per day, sometimes more over the weekend. I have a successful job and a beautiful life but my drinking is becoming more of an issue that I ever thought it would be. I think about it more than I want, plan days around it and spend far too much money on it. Alcoholism runs in my family so i'm aware of the signs which is why I need to get a grip asap. I want to be able to moderate.

If you saw me in the street you'd look at me and think I have my shit together. I have the house, the kids, the marriage, the job - the lot! Drinking became a friend when I had none and when I was lonely after my daughter was born and my husband worked nights. Now drinking feels part of my personality, people know me as someone who loves a drink, the life and soul and I used to love that but now, I'm bored of myself.

I have tried to go sober several times but I get to day 4 and give in after finding any tiny excuse to reward myself. Night 1 always feels a bit rough. I role around the bed for hours on end and get a little anxious but nothing too bad. Day 2 I feel hungover without the fun the night before. Day 3 I cry a lot and become quite irritated. Day 4 - I quit! Not this time though, I NEED to do this and I WILL do this.

To help me along the way I have started taking the following vitamins:

• Vitamin B Complex high strength
• Live friendly gut bacteria
• Vitamin B1 500mg x2
• Iron
• Biotin & Zinc
• Vitamin D & K2

Can any recommend anything else or have any tips to help me along the way?

Thank you for taking the time to read this,
Kate x

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-alcohol-free-sparkling-wine-75cl

Although I'm a dry white girl I found this AF to actually be ok.

Also, out of curiosity, where are we all from?

I'm from Liverpool

Don't feel you have to say if you'd rather not.

@Crazeechick I'm impressed you actually managed to drink enough AF wine for your brain to think there was a 'hit' coming, all the ones I've tried have been totally disgusting!

I like tonic water with fruit/juices/stuff in. I have nice 0.0 gin (tanqueray). I also like a virgin mojito with loads of fresh lime juice.

I'm from Wiltshire ☺️

I’m from Leicestershire but hail from North Wales and half my family were from Liverpool on my dad’s side. Went to uni there, too.

I think it’s just them getting worse as I did and wait thanks to the NHS - I had to pay private to get yhd diagnosis bdcause the NHS consultant told me it was all in my head: I’m awaiting a compo claim and PALS outcome in that one as the private consultant who saw me sits in the board for the NHS university hospital trust was appalled and told me to complain.

Im at the GP on Monday anyway - the pain is excruciating when it hits

Ireland. Awful weather here. Going to the bottle bank now to get rid of the shocking amount of empties (dh has no interest in drinking at home)

That's awful! Hope you get sorted asap x

@dumplinggirl same! The noise out of my recycling bin is awful usually. No this time though.

I'm in Sheffield

@ImFineItsAllFine Wiltshire looks a lovely place to live. Reminds me of Emmerdale haha

I’m in Devon.

I like the af freixenet but weirdly don’t can’t justify drinking calories without alcohol despite normal wine being way more. Soda water with ice and lemon is my go to

Midlands girl here.

Had SUCH vivid dreams last night. My brain is usually semi sedated I guess so making up for it.

My period is due and I’m in peri-menopause so I can sometimes have this awful ‘due on’ heavy and cranky feeling for days before anything actually happens, another thing that would conventionally make me reach for the wine.

I do also find it a comfort of sorts that we are all predominantly wine at home drinkers which makes me feel a hell of a lot less ashamed and alone. I really hope as many of us as possible can use this month to reset our relationship with alcohol (tho I can’t imagine staying AF).

Might be imagining it but my face seems a little less puffy today, however I am much hungrier than usual (tho may be due to time of month). I’m trying to see any weight loss as a bonus as the main goal is to heal my body and prove to myself I can do it.

good luck with the rest of day 3 all…Friday night takeaway danger zone 😫 think it will be an early night for me.

Dealing with a potentially catastrophic situation yesterday in a controlled manner whilst up against a rather brutal opponent took a lot out of me and I am afraid I folded last night. Today is the last opportunity to find a resolution so it will be another testing one. Will try and be stronger no matter the outcome.

But back to day 1.

I agree with you on this, I'd rather eat those calories. However, when it came to alcohol, I'd rather drink them.

@Todayisanewday75 and @KK1983 , totally agree. Calorie hierarchy is wine, gin (but slimline tonic), food, soft drinks.

@Jiggywiggle that sounds really tough. When I had a time critical total disaster I told myself that either way it would be over in eight hours. As it turned out it was a disaster, but it was over. Just a blip, there's plenty of month left!

New day today.

Dong heat yourself up

Yeah it does make you feel a little better knowing you're not the only one drinking all the wine at home. I have no intention of being AF but this reset is needed or I could see it going from 2 bottles a day to 3 a day and where do you stop. I'm hoping to once or twice a week nowhere near where I am now. I'm just looking forward to seeing all the benefits to the month off.

My job is heavily around alcohol and I've had that 'Friday feeling' a few times today.

@Jiggywiggle These things happen, at least you're honest, you could have just said nothing. Hope things get easier from today onwards.

Afternoon Sober Friends.

From Yorkshire here, post code is West, but literally a stones throw away from North!

Just a blip @Jiggywiggletheres plenty of time to climb back on the wagon.

I find it easier to say ‘I’m not drinking today’ than set any other goal than that in absolute stone (appreciate this is the Sober October thread, which I fully intend on doing, it’s just easier to break it down into chunks!).

The weather is grim here, so it might be peppermint tea and hot chocolate tonight to warm the cockles!

I haven’t anything remotely like decent AF wine, that would be a game changer! DH is a fan of AF Guinness, it’s pretty close in taste I think to the real stuff.

Let’s get Friday done!

@Jiggywiggleall is not lost.

All- let’s get through our first sober Friday together (my first for a long while!)

Was sooooooo tempted to buy a bottle of wine today, but I know it’s a slippery slope and I cannot just have one glass once there’s a bottle open.

Just nearly caved in Aldi - walked out with Halloween lights, pumpkins and some alcohol free pink gin and lemonade cans - I can confirm they’re not even worth the 59p I paid per can - really odd chemical aftertaste

I've got that 'Friday feeling' so bad 🙈 Gonna be a hard weekend.

This will have to try cure the cravings

Well done for not caving though 👏🏻