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. 💛

@freshstart2026 - I spent a lot of last year moderating, or I suppose cutting back significantly. What I drank last year is was so much less than the previous one. I was also able to stop after one or two. So that’s progress for sure and that’s great. That said, I found if I had a glass of wine one evening, I’d sleep like crap, but also the cravings the next night start up again and I have to battle for a few days to quell them. So I think that if I decided to have a glass or two one or two days a week, I’d just fight with myself in my head and that’s exhausting. I also think that from a health point of view, you have a drink or two one night, and the next 48 hours the body flushes out the toxins, then if you decide drink say 2/3 nights, I can’t see how the liver gets to fully recover or heal. That said, I’m not fully sure, but I think I’m at the stage where I don’t even want to drink even a couple of nights a week, but I’d like a glass of champagne in celebration or a ice cold cider on a baking summers day, when and if the occasion arises.

@needastrongone
Im the same - I know full well I can't do a sort of weekly moderation.
I'd love to be able to just drink on the social occasions but I don't know if I can. Also holidays- was my downfall last year so im somewhat reluctant to assume i can do that again and get back onthe wagon. For now I just need to carry on dry as long as I can with the mindset that it's a permanent thing. I know it's different for others.

Im finding it really interesting all the comments about self-esteem. I've had low self esteem all my life and I think drinking has been a coping mechanism/way of 'dealing' with it.

Ive tried lots of things to improve it over the years but don't feel I've made much progress and im really quite sad that it feels like as im aging I am not seeming to be any happier in my own skin.
I sort of know.all the things I should do to work on it but sometimes.its so hard to find the time and energy. I do definitely feel better about myself when not drinking but I also get more absorbed by my thoughts and in flat moments really berate myself for all the drinking over the years - wasting money and time.on that.

Sorry this has turned into quitw a negative post.. just needed a bit of a rant- long hard day with poorly child and hardly slept last night!

@needastrongone
I also think that from a health point of view, you have a drink or two one night, and the next 48 hours the body flushes out the toxins, then if you decide drink say 2/3 nights, I can’t see how the liver gets to fully recover or heal.

I've been mulling this over too in respect of moderation, as I too can't see how moderating for me would give my liver and body the chance to repair.

Like you, I already reduced my drinking and I went from probably drinking 6+ bottles of wine, 5 nights a week, a couple of years ago, to drinking twice a week (except it crept back up in December). The problem for me is a glass of wine doesn't exist to me at home. I get the taste for it, I get the energy boost I desperately need and I can do a bottle++ without much thought and am looking for more, which can't be great for my body.

One thing I am considering after the 100 days, is reintroducing alcohol occasionally but not drinking wine at home, as wine + solo home drinking is my biggest issue. I can moderate much better if I'm drinking a spirit and mixer, and can happily have one or two G&T and go to bed. I can moderate ok when I'm out to keep up appearances but what usually happens is I'll have a sensible glass of wine or two with a meal with friends, come home and drink an entire bottle alone.

Saturday is day 60 and also the last day of February, so it feels like a big one and I'm looking forward to ticking that off.

I've given quite a bit of thought today whether or not I'll drink again after 100 days. Right now I don't think I will. I've done a few sober streaks over the past few years last year I did 100 days from the 1st of January then thought I'd be OK to have a vodka at a party. I drank in moderation for a few weeks but very quickly fell into drinking daily. I'm thinking I would like to do a whole year which would see me through a lot of scenarios without alcohol and give my body and brain a lot longer to heal and recalibrate. I'm really curious to see what changes could happen.

Checking in with day 55 ticked off. Finding things fine at the moment no thoughts of alcohol, I've even been forgetting to check off my app. I am really thinking now about going for a full year and just taking it month by month.

" No one ever regretted giving up alcohol"

I seen this quote today, it made me stop and think how true, alcohol just takes and gives nothing. I am absolutely loving feeling tired at night after a busy day and yawning away before bed at a sensible time rather than drinking a bottle of wine and staying up way to late listening to music or watching tv none of which I would remember the next day.

Correction 95 days last year I fell to temptation in last week.

@Icecreamhelps cross posted

I am feeling the same as you about going for the year.

I am another one who is aiming for the year. If I'm honest I want to say I'm aiming for forever but that currently feels too big. I am absolutely certain that I can't moderate. I also have low self esteem and after an diagnosis in a close family member I'm starting to wonder if I have adhd.

I think I’m at the stage where I don’t even want to drink even a couple of nights a week, but I’d like a glass of champagne in celebration or a ice cold cider on a baking summers day, when and if the occasion arises.

That would be the dream scenario for me too - extremely mindful drinking on a very occasional basis.

I’m probably being unrealistic thinking I can moderate. I actually feel a bit daunted even thinking about the post-100 days right now TBH. Not drinking feels a bit like being in a safe, comfortable bubble sometimes. I do have low moments mentally when I miss the drink, but I also feel in control. After the chaos that alcohol so often brings, I really appreciate that. Anyways, I am rambling. Night all.

I failed on Sunday and had a whole botttle of red to myself. I have been trying to limit it to a small miniature three time a week with my evening meal. Hated myself. No wine today, nor yesterday (Monday). Swimming helps! Why put in all that effort then spoil it by drinking 600 calories is what I tell myself!

Well done @Sillyme1 for getting back on it. The amount of calories in wine is crazy - not to mention all the takeaways I would also eat to try and soak up the alcohol. No wonder I put on about a stone in the past few years!

Morning all on what for me is day 56. I’ve woken up after another wonderful sleep but have a sniffle (again). I do sometimes feel a bit snuffly first thing in the morning annoyingly - it’s something I had put down to alcohol but it’s clearly just me!

I’ve a day off today so am planning another productive day sorting the house. I think this might actually be the year I finally get it decluttered! It’s so good for my mental health to have a tidy and organised home.

Also, I can’t believe it’s almost the end of February already. It seems like only yesterday I was watching (half enviously) as the Dry January folk were having celebratory glasses of wine on 1st Feb! Needless to say I’m so glad I didn’t do that and continued on not drinking. I will feel soooo proud of myself when I reach two whole months sober!

Morning.

Reading the last few posts, and seeing a few of us going for a year of being sober, I’m happy to join this group - I think I just needed a few of you to say it out loud, and that there might be a few of us still posting and supporting each other. I like the idea of covering all the potential drinking scenarios a year would bring and having a strategy for each. As I said yesterday, I think I’m at the stage where I’d only consider a drink very occasionally anyway - there are too many positives coming from being sober. I also really think my body needs time to heal from the damage I’ve done to it from drinking.

@freshstart2026 - I agree, having a (relatively) orderly home settles my mind too!

I have been very absent from this thread apologies.

firstly well done to everyone. Over half way now!!

My cravings have completely gone and I feel I have got new habits and associations.

next milestone I go on holiday today for 10 days so no drinking. I actually don’t think it will be too challenging as half the trip is a yoga retreat.

I am currently wondering what to do when I get to day 100. I definitely don’t want a drink to celebrate! I think I’ll see what happens. I know DH would prefer me to drink, he keeps saying I just need to learn how to drink socially. I feel like the reason I have stopped is I just can’t do that.

I think I will not put any kind of pressure or expectation and see where I land.

I’ve been reading that 6-12 months is where you really start to see the emotional stability and mental clarity so am tempted to go for a year but will see what happens.

@Ladymuckypuddle " No one ever regretted giving up alcohol"

That's a very powerful quote to bear in mind, thank you for that.

@JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome I'm also going on holiday soon and usually the glass of wine on the balcony or the glass of wine at the restaurant in the evening is a really lovely part of the holiday. So:

• I need to make sure I have other things to drink other than water, to make it still seem a bit special.
• I need to make sure I know what 'alcohol free' is in the local language
• I always sleep badly on holiday, so I need to bear that in mind as I'm sleeping very well sober at the moment.
• It's also important to make the most of a holiday and I think I need to stay sober to really appreciate what is around me.
• I need to remember that I won't regret not drinking!

I agree, it's flown by! I have found Feb easier than Jan. I think because I was counting down the entire month and felt like I HAD to complete Dry Jan. Feb feels easier, I'm not even daily checking in on the app anymore. I'm doing this because I want to, there is no predefined end date, I'm just seeing how I feel each day, so it feels like less pressure. People have asked if I've broken my dry streak yet (bemused mostly because I am known to like a drink) and I just say nah, enjoying the better sleep and I haven't fancied it yet.

I agree on the organised home. I find I can't be calm in a chaotic home, but sadly my home is often not as tidy as I'd like. Not drinking has improved on this somewhat as I have more time and energy to do the basics and I have big plans for home improvements for the year. Not drinking helps those too... financially!

Last night when I posted, I was 95% on going sober for a year. Now a few others have posted about the year mark I am going to be bold and definitely today lock in the 1 year goal. When I first started DJ I had a inner fear about never drinking alcohol again now its switched the other way and I have a fear about drinking alcohol again. I don't trust myself to try and moderate because I've tried it before and ended up back to a high increase. Plus what pp said about drinking and then only having a few nights off. When did my liver have time to recover.

I really don't want to go back to looking and feeling awful. Ageing quicker, bloated, no energy at all and all the other negatives. So 1 year it is, which now I've written it down actually feels like a relief.

When the time comes is someone happy to start a 1 year thread?

Just realized I’ve saved £825 not drinking this year. I’m aiming to be debt free with some savings in the bank by December 💪

@Ladymuckypuddle I'd definitely be up for a year thread when the time comes.

I am doing it in chunks - so getting to 100 then another 100 then a year and then ... onwards to never I hope.

My liver results weren't great in January and cholesterol also up. I just don't think drinking is an option for me anymore. Also, honestly, I've been happier this past 55 days than I've been in the past while when drinking.

I'd also love a glass of cold cider on a hot summer's day or a glass of champagne at a wedding. But the reality is one would not be enough. So what I'd really like is to be the kind of person who could have and enjoy just one of those. But that kind of person isn't actually thinking about how nice a glass of cider would be in the summer in the dead of winter. That's not me.

Afternoon all, apologies for the radio silence I’ve been head down in a company merger and trying to focus (badly) navigating that. I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about saying this out loud.. but I’m seriously considering committing to a full year alcohol free.

Part of me worries what people will think, and I don’t want to become “the one who doesn’t drink.”

But the positives I’ve experienced so far are undeniable. The better sleep/clarity and sense of being fully present in my own life are wonderful.

So I think I’m leaning in ☺️ Currently on day 56, for some reason I’m craving lots of sleep! Like my body is suddenly feeling the need to reset after years of broken sleep - the more I have the more I want.

I'm so impressed with those of you committing to a full year when there's me, currently working to my next goal of 60 days, which is 3 measley days away 🤣 A year is massive so huge kudos to all of you

@Raindancer101 60 days is a massive achievement! If your past self had known that you would succeed in being alcohol free for 60 days you would have been well chuffed. It's really something to be proud of.

@anewyearthisyear "So what I'd really like is to be the kind of person who could have and enjoy just one of those. But that kind of person isn't actually thinking about how nice a glass of cider would be in the summer in the dead of winter. That's not me."

The realisation that we really want might not be available to us (ie. to be a different person!) is a big adjustment. It's like grief.

I think the trouble with the fantasy of the beautiful drink in the garden in the sunshine is that it is just that- fantasy… the version we have in our heads doesn’t really exist (for me, anyway), because that delicious cold glass would simply leave me wanting more and then we move into different territory involving less civilised, less pretty, and more regrettable levels of intoxication. Sad but true!