(Mostly) Soberistas - heavier drinkers trying to moderate

[Springadorable]

We did Sober October. It helped. We tried really hard, reduced our alcohol intake, and want to continue to not drink relentlessly. A few drinks at an event or meal out - fine. A bottle or more a night for no reason other than habit and we like being drunk - trying to avoid. We try, we improve, sometimes we cock it up and start again. Join us!

Hey to all the newbies 🙋🏻‍♀️ - WELCOME!

I put my Christmas tree up yesterday and had a few drinks which was nice. Yes, I know it's super early but I love it. The house feels so cosy and festive.

My friend is starting Slimming world on Thursday and I said I'd go with her so that'll stop me from nightly sofa drinking. I'd like to lose a stone before xmas so that's my new goal.

We've got this guys, we can do it xx

Wow - super keen with the Christmas tree! We go and get ours from a farm where you go and select the tree and they chop it down, we always leave it too late and inevitably end up with something HUGE because all the normal sized ones are gone or they are really straggly and unappealing. Our youngest is two later in November so I was thinking this year we could get it for his birthday but I am very impressed yours is already up.

Good luck with the diet!

@nowinetimeforme My daughter is 19 on the 14th Nov and when she was little I used to put it up for her birthday and it's became a tradition I've stuck with cos she still likes it. I love real trees too, I get a small one for the dinning room - smells so good! x

Hi all, great to see it getting busy on the thread!

@nowinetimeforme @Springadorable it wasn't just you guys, I didn't so much fall off the wagon as dive off it head first on Nov 1st and sank a bottle of wine. Still, that's given me a clear signal that Sober October isn't a magic wand and I do need to make some conscious changes going forward.

This is me too, no off button! I fin it eaier not to drink at all than to have 1 glass of wine and stop, so more alcohol free days is probably my best strategy. Iinitally I'm looking to keep my drinking to Fri-Sun, ideally I'd like to get it down to once a week or less longer term.

So far, I’ve only had alcohol while out - If I drink at home, I think it’ll quickly get out of control!
I’m more conscious when ordering drinks (as opposed to just pouring myself large measures from the fridge) and wine is so expensive to drink in a bar or restaurant, so I’m conscious of that too.
My NHS app counts alcohol free days - it doesn’t reset to zero. It also counts weeks of streaks but you set a pledge each week for how many days will be drink free and if you meet (or exceed) that target, it adds another week. I have mine set to six days alcohol free, but it can be changed as often as you like.

@CosyAutumn I've not come across that one I don't think, do you have the name of it? I've got about three others but that sounds pretty good

It’s NHS Drink Free Days

Checking in - “we like being drunk” made me laugh. Obviously it’s not a laughing matter for people with a serious problem, but I grew up in a er and culture where all drinking and alcohol related antics were viewed as essential to life as breathing. Then you hit middle age and it’s not so cool…

I’m feeling happy with myself. It’s my birthday today and I went out for lunch. I had a glass of fizz and a glass of wine with my meal. Old me would have come home and opened a bottle of wine but I’ve had a cup of tea instead.

@ThePoshUns Happy Birthday! 🫖

Well done @ThePoshUns !! That's a considerable effort! Ha yes exactly this @abracadabra1980

I’d like to join please!
October was way too heavy on the booze. Feel dreadful for it and sleeping really badly. Need to sort myself out!

I would like to join too please. Drinking far too much wine and sleeping very badly so obviously the two are linked, no matter how much I try to deny it. I have got into very bad habits of drinking too much wine on too many days. I have been logging my drinks and it is not a pretty sight so now is the time to do something about it.

I started yesterday and had two measured singles of whisky, so that is a very good start. 25ml of whisky does not look very much in a glass!😂

Room for another? I’m drinking far too much wine. I work 5 days on, 5 days off in a sometimes very stressful job and I count down the days until I’m off then the wine comes out.

Trouble is first day off with a nice bottle turns into another day, then the next. I can’t just have one glass, it turns into a bottle, then it turns into getting another. My partner can nurse a nice beer or cocktail, I have to smash the whole bottle. I have a cabinet full of various spirits which I can take or leave. Why is it wine?! I lost some weight this year and could do with another stone but it’s creeping back up again. I feel bloated and anxious. My stomach is a fat mess. I don’t want to say I’ll never drink again but I need a proper reset and realise that alcohol doesn’t need to feature so heavily to have a good time. A meal out without wine? Madness. A roast without a glass of red. Unheard of.

Yes wine is my downfall. It’s pretty much all I drink. I can be disciplined Mon- Thursday, but come Friday once the cork is out I can quite quickly down a bottle. I envy people who can stop at one glass.

Ahh can I join? You sound like my kind of people!!

The wine consumption has been creeping up and I’d love to calm it down before Christmas shenanigans begin!!

Welcome to the new joiners!

@FiveSheltiesthe horror of discovering that your doubles have been more like quadruples (at least) when you actually see it measured out. I hear you.

I started logging my drinks in the beginning of September. It helps me for sure.

No drink for me today and I’m looking forward to a good few days on the wagon after my extravagant dismount on the weekend. I hope you all had a good Monday

More mother drama for me today (being truly obnoxious, but refusing to accept responsibility for her own behaviour and reactions and throwing a me me me pity party) so trying to quell the wine witch but it's going to be a long night. Especially as it's raining and a glass feels very tempting. Hope everyone is hanging in there!

Does anyone have a favourite glass that they use? I do - I literally look at it and it makes me want to put something divine in it. Yes, I could lock it away, but tonight I shall have Diet Coke in it. Have switched my wine drinking to Jack Daniels and caffiene free diet Coke (10ml JD - tiny amount), and I sleep so much better than with wine. I can then sidestep to various cokes, - I like the cherry one, then off for a while. I figured last time I did this I just need to change my palate. It does work but you need to do it for a few weeks. I did switch my palate to chocolate once (don't usually eat it) and I then binged on it and put on more weight than I had done with wine. Urgh.

Sorry you are struggling with your Mother. I appreciate I’m about ( hours too late but getting some fresh air / going for a walk helps me a lot. Hope you’re ok xx

My sober friend always puts her fizzy water in a wine glass, she says it makes her feel fancy!

What’s your plan Abracadabra? Are you trying to cut down or stop altogether for a while?

Thank you. We've got a make or break phone call this afternoon. If she continues to be aggressive and nasty then at least I'll know I've done everything I can to salvage the relationship and will step away. Ha yes, I was out walking in the rain at 5.30am this morning 😂 xx

Yes!! To the point where I did actually get rid of my lovely gin and tonic tumblers as the association was just too strong. Unfortunately my husband has a thing for drinking wine out of mugs (to be fair, the handle is convenient) so no easy dodge there!

Morning.

That’s tough @Springadorable. How are you today?

I love the phrase ‘extravagant dismount’!!

I had one glass of wine last night. Same sort of reasoning as @Springadorable, it was dark, raining - we were sitting relaxing and it was a bit too early to eat our evening meal - I was bored as well. I can’t do other stuff due to DH’s disability otherwise I’d probably have distracted myself. I get so bored of water, juice, mint tea etc i think last night I caved when I could easily not have. Didn’t enjoy it - even this one glass and I don’t feel brill this morning (probably because it was red wine). Must find a drink in the evening that really makes me feel that it’s different, an ‘evening drink’. The positives are that I didn’t pour another glass and had no wish to and I haven’t had a drink in November thus far (it’s early!!).

Anyway - back on the wagon!