Calling Time on Wine - 100 Day Reset | Thread 2: One Day at a Time - Together

[therockingbird]

Welcome to Thread 2 of Calling Time on Wine 100 Day Reset 🍵

If you’re here, you’re doing something genuinely brilliant. This reset isn’t about perfection, shiny lives, or pretending it’s easy. It’s about choosing ourselves one day at a time, even when life keeps lobbing chaos our way.

We’ve already proven we can sit with hard evenings, bad days, stress, boredom, celebrations, and still not reach for wine.

Thread 2 is about keeping the momentum going, supporting each other, being honest when it’s tough, celebrating the wins and remembering why we started when motivation wobbles. Clearer heads. Stronger bodies. 💪

So pull up a chair, grab your tea, water, or AF alternative, and keep going. You are not doing this alone - and you are doing so well. 💛

I DID IT!!! Had my leaving do and didn’t drink and had a great time. I had 2 zero beers at the meal and weirdly felt a placebo effect with everyone else loosening up. Then soda water/ tonic after. Home at 10 slept perfectly fine today. It was an eye opener. I expected to want to leave as soon as we got to the pub but managed 3 hours in there.

This showed me I don’t need alcohol to fit in. And once everyone else is well oiled nobody notices.

I have another milestone next weekend, dinner party with my booziest friends but I’m hosting so it will be easy to pour my self non alcoholic drinks.

well done to everyone. I have found all the info on here invaluable. I definitely feel I have been reprogramming my associations. Zero beer has been my substitute and I now associate that with relaxation etc.

have a great weekend all.

Morning all!

@ThisIsMyBurnerPhone that sounded like an incredibly tough situation. It just goes to show how alcohol is such a huge part of life - it’s everywhere. Well done for moderating and not just pressing the fuck-it button (which I probably would have done). That is impressive. Did you find the alcohol helped your social anxiety? That is a big part of the reason I drank, to “take the edge off”.

@Icecreamhelps it feels good doesn’t it, to be able to handle the work stress? I love feeling competent and calm.

Well done, that sounds really hard. I think the lack of alternative would have phased me to. Sounds ridiculous but maybe next time have water or something in your bag and go and tip the wine away in the ladies and just refill with water. It’s bad in this day they didn’t have something AF.

I am viewing this as a journey and there will be bumps along the way but you learn from those.

@JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome fantastic achievement, well done! 💥👏💪

Cherry juice sounds lovely @Icecreamhelps

These situations are hard @ThisIsMyBurnerPhone , it's frustrating how much headspace and socialising is taken up by alcohol isn't it. You did your best, be kind to yourself today and have a restful weekend.

Day 5 here. Weekend incoming, but we've got this.

Thank you for the lovely support and understanding.

Amazing... well done you! You should feel super proud of yourself.

(I cant begin to imagine a work do without booze but will have to happen sometime..fortunately any sort of social event is rare and I work from home!)

Morning.

@ThisIsMyBurnerPhone - it’s a learning experience. You did great. It was pretty poor of the event not to have AF alternatives in truth, people don’t drink for many reasons and there should be an option for them too. I think planning for the next event is a good idea.

@JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome that’s brilliant, another learning experience right there. I’m really pleased for you. Society is so terribly skewed towards drinking being the norm, and necessary and it’s not - you’ve proved it!

Ive found my original username but I’m the same person as Needastrongoneagain. Our whole household is full of cold, so this week has been very boring, but very easy not to drink as we all feel crappy.

Question - my mother in law used to swear by a Hot Toddy, she wasn’t really a drinker at all but swore by a small capful of whiskey in hot water, honey and lemon juice when she had cold and she used to make me one occasionally when I felt grim. Obviously I appreciate that’s still ‘drinking’ but it was really comforting. I didn’t have one last night but would have quite liked that warming/soothing feeling going through me, but not for the reasons of drinking, I feel too crap to drink anyway. Is that classed as drinking (I appreciate that literally it is). It’s theoretical anyway, as I didn’t have one!

I can’t remember who was talking about the ‘is that it?’ feeling now. I’d just sit with the feeling and let it be there, take the days as they come and see if it changes. We’ve drunk all our lives and our drinking identity probably evolved too - just as out non drinking one likely will.

@needastrongone I've never had the whisky in in it anyway so I wouldn't miss it, but can confirm that hot water, honey & lemon alone is so nice and really soothing for a sore throat and cold. Hope you feel better soon.

"Is that it?" for me, drinking takes up so much headspace that when that goes, you can mistake the calm for boredom I think. Not constantly arguing with yourself internally?

Just want to reiterate, I am only day 5. But I have taken breaks before and I can confirm that it does help (if anyone is reading along, having slipped off). I have more tools in my toolkit. Hopefully, this time will be the time. Sometimes you have to fight the battle more than once to win! Heading into the weekend ... I am okay actually. I feel calm and ready for it. Knowing I have done 14 weekends in a row a few years ago helps me know I can do it. Wishing you all a good weekend. We don't need no booze!

Survived a wake in a pub without succumbing though I did really fancy a wine. Not physically but I think it would have made it a better time. Now I’m home I’m so glad I was driving as would have talked rubbish, been over zealous/ familiar, have to get an expensive cab home and then the usual night terrors and regrets.
Ive realised unlike others, I don’t need the alcohol to make me more sociable, rather I find other people quite dull if I’m sober!
This is something I clearly need to work on!
Just completed my Day 38 on the app “ with difficulty” still a win and I know I ll make my Pilates class tomorrow!

Still on track here but this foul,miserable weather is making me want to curl up with a glass of red wine. Made a ginger switchel instead ( don't buy expensive Mother Root stuff. You can make your own very easily). Day 37.

Made it through Friday night without wine. My brain was telling me I could have one, it’s Friday night, I’ve worked hard all week etc but I’ve stayed strong and I’m really glad I did.
Tucked up in bed ready for work tomorrow and I’ll be waking up with a clear head!

Well done everyone for getting through Friday night. Here’s to a sober Saturday! 💪

Oooooo - can you share your recipe? I tried to make ginger cordial recently and it was a bit uninspiring.

I had my first real challenge last night. I was bored and felt lonely …. that’s when I’d normally have a drink and make bad choices. I just had a real struggle with ‘is this it?’. I’m a single parent and have my kids 90% of the time, so don’t have much life other than mum, if you understand. I really need to plan some things to do in my child free time, but I feel socially nervous without the booze.

Anyway, rambling aside, I didn’t give in. I went to bed at 7pm instead and fell asleep sat up. Onwards we march!

I get it, I’m also a single parent and have two teens. Most nights are spent alone on the sofa watching TV and it can get boring. I’ve recently started doing sports photography at the local rugby club (one of my boys is in the team) - it’s helped immensely as I’m now embarking on all sorts of tutorials to help me take better pictures and edit more professionally. This ‘hobby’ has become very enjoyable and a complete distraction. Find something you’re interested in and get learning! The money I’ve saved on not drinking wine just bought me a much better camera ☺️ well, that’s how I’ve justified this latest purchase lol

Morning all!

Been AWOL this week but have just read through the 130+ posts since I last checked in and I’m all caught up with everyone’s news. Sorry to see you go @Crocodocodile, but hope you’ll check in occasionally.

I’ve been away travelling with DH, and lucky enough to stay in some hotels with very nice bars and restaurants and …. I’m still AF 🥳. So far. Got today and tomorrow to go, but I’m taking it one day at a time.

I’ve told myself if I fancy a glass of something at any point, that’s fine - but when it comes down to it, I’ve found I don’t actually want to. And I’m not sure why?! I can’t quite locate where my motivation is coming from. Possibly it’s bloody-mindedness around the 100 day goal, feeling like I’ve managed to get this far so I’m going to stick with it. Possibly worry about how it might affect me physically after such a long break. Or possibly - and this is what I can’t work out - I just don’t want to. But that’s such an alien concept for me I don’t even trust the notion that that might be it!

The one thing I know for sure is that it’s not down to any great epiphany health wise - I’ve not lost an ounce, sleep is still patchy, skin and (weirdly) eyes feel really dry, random headaches still making an appearance, no big energy surge or sustained feeling of wellbeing. I said to DH, ‘this has to be doing some good, surely?’ And he laughed and said ‘you’d think’! But the comment someone made about 100 days being the real kick-in of all the good stuff has at least given me a bit of hope.

So that’s me. Good to have caught up. If anyone’s looking for an AF beer, Erdinger is a banger, and the barman last night said he’d been dry for 18 months purely because Guinness Zero is so good there’s no point in drinking the real thing. Have a great weekend everyone.

My ginger switchel is very simple. I dont measure amounts as do it to taste so feel free to adjust to suit:
Peel and roughly chop a big chunk.of ginger...I use quite a lot.. and put in a small pan. Add cold water..about a litre?...bring to boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Leave to cool and strain. Keep the ginger for another batch.
Add apple cider vinegar to taste. Start with a tiny amount and keep adding until it is just a bit too sharp. Now add a drizzle of honey until you get the perfect balance. Job done. Keep chilled and drink as it is,or dilute with soda water and have over ice with a dash of lime. Its very refreshing and not sweet. Its just trial and error for taste so you might need a few attempts to get it how you like it.

Good to hear from you @EnjoythemoneyJane!

I’ve told myself if I fancy a glass of something at any point, that’s fine - but when it comes down to it, I’ve found I don’t actually want to. And I’m not sure why?! I can’t quite locate where my motivation is coming from.

I totally relate to this. I think with me it’s bloody-mindedness and also determination to lose weight that are my two biggest motivations right now. Third to that is the fact I feel so much better mentally, can cope with work far better and am enjoying not feeling ill and hungover every day.

Agree and also 37 days in I would be raging to have to break my run and reset to day 0 on the app! I’ve read so much literature and what with IC and on here, I feel like I’ve really worked in this sobriety and hopefully it’s sticking.
Feel weirdly flat and low this weekend but I’m assured this is normal and may last a few weeks. After two months it should all get better ( or does it keep being pushed out to keep us going!?)

Morning,
I've only just got up slept in longer than I wanted to but I'm off work this weekend so no harm done.
@Hedjwitch I was in a similar situation with my 2 youngest DC single parent after my marriage ended. They would spend most evenings on the xbox in their room I felt lonely and bored I felt a few drinks after work helped. They're grown up now so I'm free to go out of an evening but I'm struggling to find something to do.
I love the sound of your switchel I'm going to try that this afternoon.

I’ve had a looong day with the kids on my own and it was tiring. Now’s the time I would dearly LOVE to pour myself a glass of red wine to relax whilst making dinner - I think I deserve it. Am making do with an AF G&T but I can’t lie, I would love a drink.

I’ve had a lazy day doing not much - bit of washing, cleaning and a snooze on the sofa! One son is with his dad and the other home with me happily watching sky sports in his room. It’s been bliss! I could have done many house chores but sod it ☺️ We’ve paella for dinner and many snacks in between. Day 38 has gone well. I’m really embracing the extra sleep - it’s like my body is catching up. I’m thankful that I seem to have no desire to drink, long may that continue.

We have a kids party in the diary tomorrow at a local pub. I’ve asked DH to go on his own, which he’s happy to do. It’s the sort of thing I’d really struggle with sober, as I don’t know the parents well and am socially anxious. Is it bad that I’m ducking out of occasions involving alcohol wherever possible and just staying home instead?

I think it’s worth doing what you need to do to get through @freshstart2026!

Day 39 here. Had rubbish night out last night but the rubbishness was down to the event being nightmarish and I don’t think there would have been enough alcohol in the world to have helped! Being AF was a godsend as my friends and I had a getaway vehicle!

I’ve had a productive day catching up on work. Husband went to the pub at lunchtime with friends to watch Six Nations. Part of me could have fancied a cosy afternoon drinking with them all but no major fomo. Considered joining them later on for an AF beer but was too tired to muster the energy to socialise. Cooked a nice healthy meal and watched the Olympics instead!

Still sticking to my healthy eating and exercise, not sure whether I’m more surprised about that discipline or the not drinking tbh! Been years since I have managed consistency with either!