4 days without drinking, please help me keep it up

[Japanesejazz]

Ive drank nearly every day for the last 10 years and it was starting to get out of hand
I do like a drink so I’m not sure I want to quit forever but I don’t want to be drinking like I was ever again
My first goal is 28 days without a drink
Be lovely to have a bit of help, keep me strong etc

you got this OP! Feeling fresh and having more energy

Years on, I never wake up, never, without the joy of not being hungover flashing through my mind. Jumping in the car early in the morning and hitting the shops when they open, waking up in the night for a pee and not fearing my phone beeping so I have to remember what I sent, the list is endless. It has made me love and feel proud of myself and the novelty never wears off. And now the flashes of wine o'clock revolt me rather than tempt me. Its not just a drink, its my whole entire life. X

12 days, tried a non alcoholic cordino spritz this evening, nice but quite sweet
My partner is here this weekend and had a couple of whiskies after dinner,
was not tempted to join him
Did spend £30 on non-alcoholic drinks at the supermarket, should keep me going for a bit!

13 days and I’ve found my substitute for red wine
Beetroot juice!

Well done OP! Relish and savour the feeling of being in control, so many struggle to get to this point.

Soda water and half a lime squeezed into it makes a great refreshing drink.

I’m a cranberry girl sometimes

Well done for getting to 13 days. You can do it, have faith in yourself. You will feel so good when you hit your target and knowing you are in control again, not the alcohol x

What worked for me was the book ‘Alcohol explained’ by William Porter and use the Try Dry app. I’ve saved nearly 13,000 calories so far. I did dry January. I started a bit late (from the 5th Jan), and managed the whole month apart from one evening without drinking a drop of alcohol. The night I did have a drink, it was only because someone had gifted me a bottle of wine and I shared it with my husband - it didn’t taste particularly nice, and I didn’t get the same warm, buzzy feeling I used to get. My sleep has been so much better too.

I bought the audio version of the book and dip into it from time to time. I get comfort from having a routine where I have a nice bubble bath in the evenings now. And it helps pass the time. By 10pm, I know I’m safe, as most shops are closed by then. Fridays and Saturdays are hardest. But I can honestly say I didn’t really have any cravings at all so far this weekend. And I used to drink every day too.

I don’t feel like I need booze to relax any more. I decided to carry on not drinking for the rest of February as well.

One thing I’ve found that really helps if I ever get tempted to have a drink, is to watch a YouTube video about the consequences of alcoholism. I saw a documentary about a journalist whose mum is an alcoholic and there was a recording of her mum calling her when she was drunk - it was a wake up call for me because I never want my children to go through that.

If I can do it OP, you can too.

I found a nice pink grapefruit sparkling presse which is nice - I have that at the weekend now - in a wine glass!

That sounds like something I would like, is it the bottle green one?

A mocktail Seabreeze is delicious (grapefruit and cranberry). It’s nice and dry and has a good mouthfeel.

2 weeks!
Went out cycling this afternoon, first time in 8 years, usually only cycle on the exercise bike. Enjoyed it so much
Weight lost this week = 2 pounds
Total weight lost = 10 pounds
Total Calories saved = 5474
Total Money saved = £92

Wow that’s amazing! Well done

Amazing OP, well done! Half way to a month!

15 days, today has been hard but I’ve managed to resist and tried kombucha, very nice

Well done OP! Each day is a new day

Well done OP!
Im on day 3 mainly because I have chest infection and am on antibiotics but im
using it as an excuse to stay stopped. For at least a month. I have gotten into a bad habit of unwinding most evenings with a few glasses of red or vodka lemonades.

Your thread has inspired me to keep
going even when I'm feeling better and have finished antibiotics.

A book called This Naked Mind by Annie Grace finally flipped the switch for me. Am currently on day 41 alcohol free for the first time in decades.
Join us on the 100 day AF thread.

Today was a day when I really wanted to have a drink, in fact I wanted to have a lot of drinks.
I had bought some of the Goodrays drinks, so had a grapefruit one with some non alcoholic red martini
Must have helped because I have now done 16 days

Well done op. One day at a time. Remember you don’t want to do day 1 again.

For me there’s something about saying to myself I can have a drink but I’m choosing not to (for all the reasons important to you) dry January type restrictions just made me crave alcohol and even if I completed it, it made me drink more come 1st Feb.
I used to drink daily, it was just normal to me, my family did the same - drink while making dinner, drink during dinner and maybe another glass afterwards. I now have a large glass of wine once a week or even once a fortnight. It’s been very gradual and I talk to myself about the small wins - especially early days, I’d wake up in the morning and think ‘I didn’t drink last night, I feel better for it’.

take it slowly and one drink isn’t failure just gradually try to increase your alcohol free days until it becomes your new normal.

17 days, better day today, thank you everyone for your messages, so many wise words

Thats amazing- well done and keep going!

Well done. I’ve been enjoying Ginger and lemon Kombucha. It’s cold and dry and not sweet at all.

Be proud of yourself. You're giving yourself the best gift... a healthy body and mind.