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. 💛

Morning all!

Just spent a long time reading all the updates. They are all so reassuring and affirming so, thank you so much to everyone that has shared.

I too have had little cravings sneaking up which were not there before, also cant budge the sweet tooth (which is wild as I have NEVER had one before.) It helps to see others are experiencing simialr and shows it is part of the process.

To everyone that has had a drink, thank you for your honesty!
@needastrongoneagain you should be giving yourself a bloody huge amount of credit for managing this awful time the way you have. To then be able to stop at 1 is amazing!

I am in a bit of a quandary. I initially committed myself to dry Jan, I came over to this thread as I felt you lot really are "my people".
As we reach the end of the month I find myself on the fence about whether I can, or even want to carry on the dry spell for the full 100 days.

I have honestly already learned so, so much about myself in 24 days, and I am enjoying the benefits of being dry massively. However, I also desperately want to be a person who can drink, who can moderate, who can savour a glass of wine and appreciate it, rather than seeing it as a means to get pissed.

Please can I ask some opinions? Am I kidding myself in thinking I can have hit the reset button in 31 days? Is the fact i am even thinking about it an indicator I need to continue longer?
Are there others wondering the same or are you all aiming for 100 days?

Answers on a postcard most welcome!

I’m another one who finds it almost impossible to moderate, after years of trying to kid myself that I could. I really need to figure out how though, because I don’t want to be AF for life. Like others have said, what I want is to be that person who can have one glass with dinner, or a couple when out socialising. It’s never worked for me before but then again, I’ve never done a 100 day reset either! (I didn’t drink when pregnant obviously, but I think that’s different).

@needastrongoneagain one glass and no more is STRONG. You would have had the whole bottle previously, amazing progress.
Today is the first day I am feeling really good. Slept well despite a few interruptions from the drunken DS , slept in, seem to be half a pound lighter ( every little helps) managed two pub visits now and no urges!
To the person with high MCH I checked mine and both MCH and MCV are right up there at the top of the scale. It’s actually amazing how much bloody alcohol affects so much in the body.
I am still living not having a hangover, I feel free.

@needastrongoneagain you should be giving yourself a bloody huge amount of credit for managing this awful time the way you have. To then be able to stop at 1 is amazing!

Totally echo this. Well done @needastrongoneagain !

I am in a bit of a quandary. I initially committed myself to dry Jan, I came over to this thread as I felt you lot really are "my people".

As we reach the end of the month I find myself on the fence about whether I can, or even want to carry on the dry spell for the full 100 days.

I have honestly already learned so, so much about myself in 24 days, and I am enjoying the benefits of being dry massively. However, I also desperately want to be a person who can drink, who can moderate, who can savour a glass of wine and appreciate it, rather than seeing it as a means to get pissed.

Please can I ask some opinions? Am I kidding myself in thinking I can have hit the reset button in 31 days? Is the fact i am even thinking about it an indicator I need to continue longer?

Are there others wondering the same or are you all aiming for 100 days?

I’ve been having similar thoughts @Crocodocodile - I had also been intending to do Dry January but couldn’t find a thread - then came across this one and really liked the vibe, so decided to go for 100 days! Serendipity perhaps?!

However, now we’re approaching the end of Jan, I can tell DH is wishing we could resume going to the pub together on weekends (I know I could go sober but just don’t see the point TBH, which means DH has been going on his own). He’s even asked if I’m “really” going to do 100 days, clearly hoping I’ll start drinking again on 1st Feb.

HOWEVER, I’ve agreed to do some overtime at work in February, which means a lot of evenings I won’t get home till quite late and it’ll be easy (relatively) not to drink. Because of that I figure I might as well do dry February as well, then see how I feel in March.

Something else that has stuck with me was the OP’s comment that Dry January is a pause, 100 days is a reset. I feel much better now but am curious to see if I notice even more positives in another month’s time. Especially as I’m noticing recently that my brain is showing a few signs of what seems to be recovery. Plus I still have another 12lb to lose on my diet, which drinking won’t help with!

I’ll be interested to hear other people’s opinions on this…

@freshstart2026... .I think, for me, the fact that you don't go to the pub atm because you don't "see the point" without alcohol, speaks volumes. I say this kindly....within that sentence lurks addiction (imo)

Yeah - TBH I just don’t find sitting in the pub surrounded by drinkers especially fun if I’m stone cold sober. I’d rather be doing other activities!

Another reason for continuing not to drink in February: I want to stay on this excellent thread!

Interesting someone said upthread that they had no sweet tooth before and now its gone banzai! Same here. Im having slabs of choccie, desserts every night, ice cream - its so so weird because usually I hardly ever eat sweet things, and if I do a couple of bites of chocolate and Im done. Wtf is going on???

@amibeingaknobthere’s loads of sugar in alcohol so your body is used to getting a lot of sugar even if you don’t eat it. When the alcohol goes away you crave the sugar you are missing. Often that’s why people don’t get the weight loss they expect when they stop because initially you eat loads more sweet treats !

Ahhh that makes sense. Im a prosecco lover so yeah thats pretty sweet. Im surprised by the cravings though - but I gather that its better to reach for something sweet rather than wine so I will ujust go with that for now. Is it likely to settle then as Ive never had a sweet tooth - not even as a child! Im day 29.

Im off to a 50th birthday tonight - first time socialising sober so its going to be interesting. Ive been out plenty for dinners etc with my boyfriend (who doesnt drink) and developed a love of fancy soft drinks, so thats fine. Tonight is going to interesting though - my social anxiety is high right now, I usually have a glass when Im getting ready to calm the nerves but as thats not possible I wonder what I will do. Just going to sit with the uncomfortable feelings and remember I am forming new habits.

Hello!!! Love this thread. I’ve not had a drinks since 30 December. Startof year was easy as had flu. Going to a friend’s birthday today so it’s gonna be a test!

@Crocodocodilei think it’s hard to say whether a month off is long enough for you personally. I would say that if you are trying to lose weight I find it very difficult whilst drinking. That could’ve a good reason to carry on until you’ve reached goal weight?

Oh - sorry @Crocodocodileit was @freshstart2026whi said they wanted to lose a bit of weight, when commenting on your post. I got all muddled up 😂

Yep this. Alcohol is chock full of sugar and calories which is why lots of drinkers don’t have a ‘sweet tooth’ - because they’re already satisfying that part of the brain. Remove the sugar and the brain protests.

Afternoon.

Thank you all for the kind thoughts re me having that glass of wine. I’m so glad of this thread and its support. You are right, that glass has taught me something. Interesting it was at around 4 weeks for me, sort of end of my version of Dry January - just proves that I need to keep at it, and the thoughts crept in this time.

Interesting re sugar in alcohol. It’s funny, but I could always discount wine calories so much more easily than food ones. A bottle of wine is around 700 calories right? If you’d given me that many calories in cake, or chocolate or something else in the evening I’d probably refuse or feel overly full. Necking that back in wine - not an issue, it didn’t count! 700 calories is about an extra meal 😳. The brain is a funny thing.

Listening to the social drinking thing too. I’m not able to add anything meaningful really, as it’s been such a long time since we’ve done that - and I’m now always the driver. I guess I suppose the choice was taken away so it wasn’t an issue because of that.

If you are going out to socialise tonight sober, I hope it goes well. I am SURE it will. ❤️

Hi all. @needastrongoneagain - one glass is just that - one glass. Not a disaster. Not a descent into the spiral of doom and definitely not an excuse to keep on drinking. Completely understandable given your circumstances and as others have said, you’ve learned something important from it.

@SwiftyFifty don’t despair about zero pounds coming off. I’ve been away for nearly a week and was absolutely gobsmacked when I stepped on the scales this morning and I was a pound down!! Even though i didn’t drink, I’d expected a few pounds to have gone on owing to eating out every night. I can only think it’s because the fat in my liver it reducing making it more efficient and in turn, burning fat more effectively. I read somewhere that everyone who drinks regularly will have a degree of fatty liver which means the liver is not as good at burning body fat. Hopefully you’ll feel this effect soon.

@amibeingaknob good luck tonight - you’ve got this!

@needastrongoneagain, if anyone here deserves to forgive themselves a glass of wine, it’s you 💐.

I’m kind of in the same boat as @freshstart2026 and @Crocodocodile. I’m really loving the clarity and ease of living without booze, and I’m also really curious to see where I net out after 100 days, but socialising is problematic for me. It just feels a bit shit.

I know I use alcohol as a salve for social anxiety, but beyond that initial handhold and confidence boost it also just undeniably makes things much more fun. My kids are adults and all our social occasions with family and friends are anchored around eating and drinking - even activities and days out will always finish up in a restaurant. Christmas is brilliant fun, largely because most of us drink and it often gets a bit harmlessly silly, with laugh-til-you-cry type games, etc, which I honestly feel I’d be missing out on if I was sat there with a mineral water.

And I also really enjoy and appreciate good wine with lovely food, as a distinctly separate thing to the fun, throwing-it-back, out out party drinking.

I already know I need to cut out the cycle of mindless daily no-reason drinking, and I really, really want to stop the extreme, completely blatted nonsense - or, in fact, any socialising that gives me mental or physical regret the minute I open my eyes in the morning. But I really don’t want to lose all the good moments in life that are accompanied by a glass of something lovely.

My worry is that I can’t walk that tightrope in between. Because if I really could do that, and do it consistently (as so many other people seem to) why haven’t I managed to more often over the last 40 years?

Great post @EnjoythemoneyJane. Agree with everything you said!

Yep, sums a lot of for me too!

Hi all. Checking into the new thread and nice to see so many updates.

I have to say im feeling quite grouchy right now. Had a long walk with some friends and kids followed by a stop at one of our favourite pubs for a drink/crisps on the way back. Ive done one pub visit already this month and that was fine - but this time I really did feel like a nice glass of something (pint or glass of red). It was rainy and miserable and just felt something was missing...

Altho having said that - pubs are one of may favourite things and we love going as a family after a walk, having some snacks/occasionally food, talking, playing games etc. I have to just focus on the fact this in itself makes me happy.. I don't need the alcohol!

Kids arguing all the way home then DH cracks another bewr open.
Im having a 0% G&t but not sure about it.. so many sweeteners! (Wish I had some Trip but couldn't be bothered to go to a different shop to get that).

To add to some of the other thoughts above - i too am really struggling with the idea of a completely AF life.
But after 7 months dry last year (Jan-Jul) I drank on holiday and never got back after that. I cannot moderate...
Feeling gloomy.

Evening all, just checking in for day 28 for me, new experience in that when I went shopping I didn't hit the alcohol ailse, not even to look longingly at all those bottles of wine, I didn't even realise I'd not gone down there until.I got to load up the car.

Well done everyone, lots of love

Sounds like a day that took a real turn. They're shit. I agree that AF drinks just flag up the lack of alcohol in that situation so I'd have a strop and go to bed early instead, knowing that in the morning I won't regret not drinking.

@EnjoythemoneyJane Agree with what you say. When people are pleasantly pissed, it makes for a better night.

We watched an old Christmas episode of Gavin and Stacey during the Christmas hols, the one where they have a party at Gavin’s parents and everyone is drunk and dancing to Madness. It looked great fun and likely wouldn’t have happened if everyone was sober.

But…..some of us sadly just cannot drink safely. We are genetically/biologically different to people who can enjoy a drink or 4 then call it a day, people who don’t shape their lives around alcohol. People who can go out for a meal and leave a half-empty wine glass on the table without draining it.

I am trying to re-shape my thinking around my drinking to think of it like a disease like diabetes. Diabetics can’t eat (too much) sugar, it’s just the way it is. I can’t drink alcohol without it leading to mental and physical problems, that’s just the way it is.

It’s as depressing as hell but I now genuinely believe that once a person crosses over the line into alcohol use disorder, they are extremely unlikely to be able to moderate ever again. It’s taken me 20 years and a million day 1s and attempts at moderating to finally accept this.

I really hope that some of you prove me wrong and do go on to moderate and live happily ever after. Sadly I don’t think that will be me 😞