The Continuing Support Thread for Anyone Trying to Lead an Alcohol-Free Life Spring into Summer 2026

[REP22]

Hello and welcome. I’m glad you’ve found your way here. We are a bunch of people who are trying to give up and keep off alcohol. No judgement, just honest support and kindness.
The original thread was started by @drybird2020 in 2020 and we have plenty of veterans and newer members who can offer advice and signposting. You are welcome here, whether you post several times a day, once or twice and then never again, or if you only just come to read but have no intention of ever posting.
Whatever your stage on the AF journey, and whatever you’re going through, someone here will have gone through it too. Don’t be shy about posting, we love to celebrate your successes of whatever shape and size - and will support you when things get challenging. We get it, we've been there too.
All we ask is that you’re genuinely trying to abstain. We don't encourage moderation-only here, as it can be triggering for some to read. If you’re looking to moderate your drinking rather than quitting it altogether then MN has another long-running and very active moderation/abstaining thread that’s always near the top on the alcohol support board. Lots of fine support there from those worthy people too. Keep trying. Sobriety may not be easy - but I guarantee you that it is worth it.
I started trying to give up drink in 2018, succeeded (mostly) in 2019 but had a few “wobbles”, one of which led me here in April 2023. I still struggle sometimes but the posters on this thread have been an absolute godsend of wisdom, support and encouragement, along with my dog - known here as Sid (not his real name), and they keep me going. I hope you find strength and comfort here too. This thread and its wonderful posters has been a lifesaver to many, and have certainly seen me through many good and not-so-good days.
These books were particularly helpful to me and I still go back to them from time to time: The Sober Diaries by Clare Pooley (Amazon - Sober Diaries) and The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray (Amazon - Unexpected Joy). Others have found This Naked Mind by Annie Grace (Amazon - This Naked Mind) helpful. There are Apps that help track your AF journey, including Reframe and the ones I use, I Am Sober and TryDry. Podcasts can also be helpful. I have found One for the Road by Sober Dave to be a good listen. But different things work for different people. Feel free to post and ask. There is solidarity, wisdom and support here. This is a safe space where your voice will be heard, understood and valued.
Lighter evenings, blossom and birdsong are with us once again. Pull up a chair, and make yourself at home. It's going to be alright. x

Ooh, that sounds nice. I like the Peroni 0% lager with a curry, so I'll look out for the orange version. If it ever stops raining it will be good to sit outside with a cold drink in the evening.

Hello shipmates, glad to herald a few days off work, and especially glad for the sober mornings.

Good on you for holding out @PhantomOfAllKnowledge you're amazing.

I know exactly what you mean about the bank holiday days and "scope for drinking and the fallout" reasoning @Lavrander - those thoughts are precisely mine. Even after my recent wobble and the grimness and fear of consequences of that, the little wheedling voice began yet again last night... "four whole days... you deserve it... you've earned it... four days off..." Aargh! No - off you f~ck cravings, off you f~ck and let me be... I think invoking the song "Poison" is a good one @FiloPasty - sums it up pretty well. I have "Freedom" on my car playlist - about 10 years ago I was hospitalised with kidney failure and it was desperately unpleasant and lonely. I used to cheer up my fellow ward inmates by wheeling my drip around with a cardboard bedpan "cowboy hat" on my head singing Beatles songs the other ladies could join in with - everyone apart from me was over 75 - but it was scary and frightening. I downloaded Freedom to celebrate my liberty, hehe. These days (most of them) I favour "Stone Cold Sober" by Paloma Faith and "Powerful" by Sia. Sid likes Steps - but we'll leave that there. I'm so thrilled to hear about your sense of liberation and heartiness @FiloPasty, the weight-loss, the guilt-free sensations (oh, I certainly hear you on the recycling bin shame) and the clear, vibrant air around you. I can sense your joy and I absolutely rejoice in it.

Lads, I have had something of an unlooked-for aspect of bullet dodgery. After my last wobble I have been seriously (though fortunately not literally) sh~tting myself that I might had finally have run out of rope under the Law of NPD (No Permanent Damage). I felt 'not right' and was worried that that, with some recent very bizarre unexpected weight fluctuations, spelled irreversible grimness. Well, yesterday, I fell to the Communists. 🚩

I'm sort of at that age when one can never tell, you see... The relief was immense, and that's the first time I've been able to say that (never having been in a situation myself where the footfall of Great Aunt Flo has been delayed after an ill-advised romantic tryst). Sid and I have put out the bunting for this joyful crimson-tide - but be assured that I shall not fail to heed the other, non-physical, collection of red flags futtering above my head. Lesson heeded. The bullet-chamber is increasingly leaden. I must and shall learn from this.

Sorry for the TMI lads. No-one I can tell IRL about this, apart from Sid. I mentioned it to M - she offered me a Tena lady. There's something to look forward to. Thank you for your indulgence.

Sid's services have been engaged in testing some new doggie play equipment locally over the past few days. He's not really one for giving himself over to wild abandon in toys and games, but he defied expectations and loved it.

Strength and courage shipmates. It's going to be alright. xx

Congratulations, @REP22. The way I look at it, we never know which small sherry may be the one to tip things into uncharted waters, so it's better to assume that every one is the potential culprit, and banish the cravings to the deep dark place where they belong.

Sid looks delighted with his tunnel. As he should be - it looks like a fun place to hang out.

I hope all shipmates who are enjoying time off work are able to put it to good use, productive or otherwise. It's raining on and off here, and I am waiting in for the decorator, who is supposed to be making some sort of progress on my front door. I expect to be blamed for the weather, as the job has been fitted in between others in the hope that it would be done when other things were drying, but it hasn't worked out like that. It wasn't me who wanted that timing though - I am paying for full days' work, and am getting a bit fed up with it dragging on. I realise that the weather has to be taken into account, but I haven't been spending my evenings rain dancing. The Garden Men are coming next week, which will put back the progress on the door if it's not finished by then, so I really hope it can get done soon.

Thank you lovely @ShyMaryEllen - you are, as ever, kind and wise in your words. And so right. I think, for a lot of people, it's probably not the litre bottle of Jack D's that gets them in the end - it's the little half-bottle of spirits "just to take the edge off" that proves the final nail in the big teak box.

Sorry to hear you are also having problems with getting the decorators in. Though in slightly different ways than me.

I hope they can account properly for the hours you're paying them in absentia. Screwfix can't be THAT busy on a bank holiday. Hope it's sorted soon and I'm sure it will look fabulous. x

Hi all, just saying hello. It was DS2's birthday yesterday and it was a good day. We went to a local pub for their legendary steak platter (honestly, it's so much meat, it's not for the faint of heart) and then I made a pineapple upside-down cake at DS's request. I'm not much of a cake baker but this is a retro American cake that never fails (provided one likes pineapple!).

Am still being very lazy. I've been doing some housecleaning yesterday, but it's a bit disheartening, because I do a few tasks and see how much clutter and how many more jobs remain. This is the downside of looking at things too closely, ha. My perfectionist tendencies don't help.

Thanks @Lavrander for the kind words. I'm not very prolific on the publishing front (aforesaid perfectionism plus ADHD), so it's very gratifying to actually finish something. I hope you enjoyed your pamper day today!

About the cinematic dreams, last night I dreamt that I got involved with a beautiful woman terrorist from Hamas. She shot my friend dead in front of me but I was still in love with her (in real life I am boringly monogamous and straight). I have no idea where this plot came from. Anyway at least it's a relief to wake up from dreams like this.

@PhantomOfAllKnowledge I'm so glad you enjoyed your dinner out, that's very encouraging, and well-deserved!

@WhatMaggieDid you have so much on your plate this weekend, my gosh. Good luck with it all. Congrats to your DS on his job abroad!

Great post @FiloPasty . I'm envious of your weight loss. I don't generally lose weight when I stop drinking (my appetite returns), but hope springs eternal...

@REP22 I'm happy for you! Health anxiety is awful and it's very reassuring to realise that one is feeling rubbish for a non-life-threatening reason!

Good luck with getting your front door done @ShyMaryEllen . The weather here is a bit grim as well. I could do with another spell of sunshine.

Sending everyone strong sober thoughts for the bank holiday weekend!

@elusivehope that is a brilliant dream, I had some crazies and remember everyone telling me it was normal. So vivid.
I have been doing Slimming World alongside the non boozing. It gives me a weekly focus and as @REP22 will attest I am very motivated by a shiny sticker. Starting to exercise too and just feeling much more energetic.
Saying that though probably hormones but I’m in a right grump today. It’s rained most of the day here and I’ve been tackling the ironing pile and post holiday washing whilst watching The Other Bennet Sister, a lot of it quite sad in parts but brilliant nonetheless.
Any recommendations of what to watch next?

I do love those stickers @FiloPasty hehe.

I really enjoyed The Other Bennet Sister. I love all (well, most) things Austen. I wrote/directed a play about her a few years ago (I played her sister Cassandra in it), which did quite well. I thought the series was a nice, fresh take on the characters and the lot of girls of that time who weren't perhaps as conventionally pretty/talented as others. Very well acted and a lot kinder on some of the characters (especially Mary and Mr. Collins) than even Jane herself was.

Did you watch the series "Miss Austen" a while back, with Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen? It's her in later life, looking back over her and Jane's lives, as she was going through Jane's letters whilst clearing the house of a deceased relative. Very well-done also, the actress playing Jane particularly good. The series is on the BBC iPlayer. I recommend that if you haven't already seen it.

Sid is currently watching the snooker, and he wants an episode of Gone Fishing with Ted in it during the interval. Anything as long as it's not his beloved Police Interceptors is fine with me... 🙄 x

Well the friends are here and the DH is feeling much better than he was about the upcoming interview.

I’ve had a couple of days of feeling pretty rough and realised that I was probably dehydrated. I bought some squash today and have been drinking that very diluted and found that my need for an AF beer tonight had completely gone. Which is nice as I felt like it was a bit of a crutch.

I also loved The Other Bennet Sister but I’m not a massive Austen fan - I do love the Brontës though.

@elusivehope my boys used to love a pineapple upside down cake when they were little. When DS1 was very small he called it Happy Cake and that’s stuck ever since 😁 I think it’s to do with the colours of the pineapple and cherries!

Everyone is tucked up in bed here after a long journey and I’m ticking off day 3 on Try Dry 😊

Morning all.

I rolled on my arm in the night but the DH has already brought Yorkshire tea and shortbread biscuits.

My mum used to make pineapple upside down cake. For my late brother's first birthday she made a Yogi bear cake (white icing with cherries all over). I've never forgotten that and was only three.

I won't be given chocolate tomorrow as I don't eat it. Flowers would be nice.
I've bought the new Kate Fforde book in hardback. I couldn't resist as it's about a cottage.

I have the pink marks af fizz.

Have a good day my friends.

Morning all.

Pleased to hear good review of The Other Bennet Sister as have been thinking about watching.

Arrived in France yesterday and stopped for a night on our way to resort. Became ill with quite a high temperature so straight to bed without even a thought of drinking and then dreamed I had a glass of wine and felt really gutted afterwards. People were partying outside the bedroom window until 5 am. All feels a bit disappointing but at least I got through first night of holidays unscathed from a drinking perspective.

Have a wonderful weekend all.

Good morning shipmates,

So sorry to hear that some of us are feeling a bit grotty. Hope things are on the mend very soon.

I LOVE a pineapple upside-down cake. It was one of the things we made in Home Economics lessons at school, used to love those. My teacher was called Mrs. Aimeson, an older lady who brooked no nonsense. She let me sit in her private office when my hamster died and I was crying. In my first big school report she said I was "diligent and polite" - I remember being overjoyed at that because people weren't always nice to me when I was little. Pineapple upside-down cake is a gorgeous simple little pudding that ticks all the boxes. A bit like Sid. 😉 Jamie Oliver did a nice peach cobbler too, quite similar.

Strength and courage. We will make it. xx

Hi all, sorry to hear about the illnesses. My son and husband have been a bit unwell too. I’ve been quiet as found out on Monday my husband is losing his role. It is in fact a genuine redundancy unlike some happening where employers are shedding people before the law changes next year.

we rely a lot on his income. I work but don’t earn nearly enough to cover everything and mortgage likely going up next year.

we are working on the exit terms and will hopefully have some buffer. But I’m anxious. I am not good with uncertainty and change and just trying to pretend everything is fine.

the good news is we are not drinking. If we were I have no doubt things would seem even worse and we would not cope. My husband I think can see the benefits now so that is good.

life just throws such curve balls. We sort of knew this may be coming but we thought he would have more time. The product he works on is diminishing next year not this year but it if I were the employer I would have done this sooner as well. They are desperately needing to cut costs. It’s so sad.

we also turned down two roles last year when things were better. Hindsight.

he wasn’t happy in the role for about 3 years but clung on for security.

if anyone has any positive tales of turning things around post redundancy please do share. He’s in a senior socialized trading role but could take him a while to find somewhere.

@Sunshinebound99 sorry to hear you news.
Personally I did better salary wise after 55. It was weird having stagnated since my forties.

Things are picking up in the jobs market I believe. Marketing is suffering due to AI but sales and product are growing.

That is all great to hear! Thank you

need to let the magic in again. It feels like it has gone for a while. But really need to stay positive

he’s earlish 40s and has pretty good experience but it’s a niche market

Oh, @Sunshinebound99 - bless you. What an upsetting time for you. I do hope that your DH gets a decent package and will be alright. Try not to play the "if only" card about the rejected offers, it's never helpful. It's extremely positive that he got the two offers, even though he turned them down - it shows that he and his skills are still in demand and sought-after. Might it be possible for him to approach the firms that made him the offers along the lines of "I'm sorry that I was unable to accept the XYZ position with you in Maycember 2025. I very much appreciated the opportunity and the offer. I am now looking to move roles and I was impressed with what I saw when I interviewed with you. I’d be really interested in talking with you about any other openings in your company if you felt I might be suitable."?

I had a redundancy situation when I was a lot younger; it was only my second job. I worked in sales admin for a company that manufactured and sold equipment for maintaining sports grounds. At the time, I was still living with my parents, had zero savings and was in an extreme amount of debt. My dog at the time, Tess, had been stricken with cancer when she was 3 - she was a determined fighter and was doing extremely well under treatment. But it cost me all my salary. I'd sold everything I had, including my precious complete collection of Dr. Who videos, and was already maxed-out on one credit card. She was booked in for her third operation in three days' time. One Friday, I was doing the month-end sales figures when the accounts admin lady came into the office with a furious expression - she said we were all needed in the meeting room. When I said that I'd just finish what I was doing, she muttered "I wouldn't bother" which was odd, and not like her. In we all trooped. It was 4pm and the boss announced to us all (including salt of the earth chaps in their 60s who'd worked in the factory since leaving school) that'd they'd sold the company at 12.00 that day and we'd all been effectively redundant since noon. It was utterly, utterly shit.

The new people wanted me to stay on but it would've meant moving from rural South England to Macclesfield. Nope (sorry Cheshire). A few colleagues were tempted and went to visit the new premises but all came back and said "don't do it, it's an utter sh~thole with holes in the office walls and buckets on top of PC monitors to catch the rainwater".

It proved the spark I needed to get myself out there - I got an incredible job with unique opportunities including foreign travel, high-end entertainment and a myriad of skills and confidence which has stood me in excellent stead for the life and job I have now. I am thankful for the redundancy, as awful as it was at the time. It was genuinely one of the best things that could have happened to me. It helped make me what I am.

I really, REALLY don't say this to gloat or sound glib in the face of the enormity of what you are facing - but you asked for some positive spin, so I hope this helps with that.

I know that I can speak for all aboard this ship when I say that we are behind you and supporting you. To be trying to keep sober is hard enough - and to have to deal with stuff like this at the same time is desperately unfair. Sending love. 💐

Tess lost her battle with cancer, aged 7. She looked up at me one night at bedtime and I could straight away see that the fire of fight had gone from her eyes and knew that she had had enough. I rang the vet immediately, despite the late hour, and she was eased into immortality and peace within the hour. I ended up going bankrupt due to the debt - another particularly low point. But, again, I survived it and it made me a better and wiser person.

My point is that you will survive too. This is horrible and frightening. But these days will end. Better ones will follow. You can get through this together. Eleanor Roosevelt once said "A woman is like a tea bag—you never know how strong she is until it's in hot water." The kettle is on the boil for you at the moment @Sunshinebound99 - but how strong you are. You are going to make it through this time. It might not be easy, and the knot of fear in your stomach feels tight. You are mighty and it is going to be alright.

We are beside you in this. You are not alone. ❤️

Hi everyone, bit of time since I last posted having clocked up 68 days sober and feeling great, managed a night out with work and visit to the in-laws without a drink. HOWEVER, yesterday I just felt like a drink, we had no plans for the weekend so thought I'd imbibe... I checked with OH so it was all above board and 'approved' and I was looking forward to a bit of tipsy chatter but - as is often the case - I just went way too far.... The first sip didn't even taste all that nice but I ploughed on and then by the end of the night I'd ordered a takeaway (first time in 2 months!), drunk 5 bottles of cider and woke up this morning feeling absolutely rotten :'( Feel sh*t that I've ruined my streak and let myself and OH down so back on the wagon again now.

Difference is though that I know I can do it now, I've reminded myself how terrible I feel the morning after a heavy night. I'll leave the cider drinking to OH now and I'll stick to my ginger beer...
Day 1, again, here we go!

Bless you @JK26 - we've all been there. Be kind to yourself. You're still here, and still trying and that's what matters. It will be alright. xx 💐

@REP22I can’t thank you enough for your message. It was just what I needed to read right now. Very kind of you. I am so sorry to hear about your dog, Tess. Really heartbreaking. wonderful though she had a great owner like you to care for her. It is so hard what life throws.

I am so encouraged by your story and I will try to remain hopeful. Good advice too re the previous companies. I think sadly it will be unlikely as the senior roles rarely come up and these ones were filled but he will think about it and you never know. We need to remain positive and I will have to try to keep my anxiety in check.

I really do feel glad for not drinking at this time even though some days it does feel hard and I have a twinge of thinking I miss it. But really all it will cause is problems. I don’t think I would handle this situation at all with drinking. A problem was never solved with alcohol.

thank you so much for the support. Really grateful ❤️

Sorry to hear and hope you’re ok. Keep on going you can do this xx

@JK26 I’m on day 5 after previously clocking up 60 days and feeling fantastic. I’m trying to see it as part of the consolidation process and not being to down on myself.
You’ve done well to get straight back to it - my lapse lasted for 3 weeks! Strength, courage and solidarity to you 💪🦁🥰

Oh wow, I thought pineapple upside-down cake wasn't known in the UK, but clearly I'm wrong, ha! It's great to see all the love for it. @WhatMaggieDid I love the name Happy Cake! My recipe is from the American Joy of Cooking cookbook: it has buttermilk, and pecans instead of maraschino cherries. @REP22 I am sad at the thought of people being unkind to small you! that teacher sounds lovely. How people can be unkind to kids I don't know.

Day 10 for me today and I haven't felt this physically and mentally well in ages. It's amazing how much better I feel when the alcohol finally leaves my body. My sleep patterns are still completely screwed up though. I need to try to get back on track.

Today I've been trying to get rid of the DC's mountain of childhood soft toys, which understandably they no longer want. It's a surprisingly hard job because I have my own nostalgic memories attached to so many of them. Some of them were also very dusty and I piled them all up on the bed and gave myself an asthma attack from the dust. First world problems I know, sigh. I think I do have mild hoarding tendencies as I find it very hard to get rid of Stuff, despite the fact we live in a smallish terrace house with very little storage space.

@FiloPasty well done on doing Slimming World! It's interesting to hear that you're actually putting effort into weight loss, instead of just hoping it will happen (which is what I'm doing, hmm). At the moment I just want to focus on not drinking though.

@eekwhatnow I'm so sorry you're feeling poorly, well done on staying sober though.

@Sunshinebound99 so much sympathy about your DH's redundancy. That really sucks. Thank goodness you're not drinking, as you say, so at least you can face the situation with a clear head. That is a huge boon. I'm another person who thinks that if your DH has been offered other roles recently, his chances of finding a new job seem good.

Welcome back @JK26 and as Maggie said, well done for getting straight back into sobriety on the very next day. In some ways, it's better if you drink one night and feel like shite the next day, because it reinforces the idea that you don't want to drink again. I tend to go in cycles, I have a drink or two and feel more or less OK, so the next day I drink again, and then before I know it it's been a week and I've been drinking every day and stopping is even harder.

But I'm not going to do that any more.

Happy Easter/Ancient Pagan Spring Holiday to everyone for tomorrow. We don't really observe the celebration at all in my house, but I always buy a load of chocolate eggs.

Happy Easter, one and all. I’m just catching up after being MIA for a couple of weeks, nothing major to report, just very busy with life at the moment.

I’m so proud of you @WendyWagon, you’ve had so much thrown at you lately, and to recognise straight away that you had a blip, and have catapulted yourself back into sobriety, that takes strength, well done x

@elusivehope well done on reaching day 10, fantastic effort, and you’re reaping the rewards of that booze free life.

@Sunshinebound99 I am sorry to read about your DP’s redundancy. I was made redundant in my first “real life” job after uni. I was heartbroken, I had only been in the role for 18 months but loved it. My success story from that time would be that I got to spend a bit of time I wouldn’t have got otherwise with my DC, and the job that I went on to get saw me join a company who I still work for over 10 years later, although have changed roles a number of times.

I hope everyone had a terrific Easter Sunday. I’ve been helping a friend decorate this weekend, finally got the finishing touches completed about 9pm last night. Was hoping for a long lie this morning as a reward for my hard work, but the cat had other ideas.

@REP22 the pic of Sid in the bluebells made me smile at 5am….I had LOADS of AF yesterday & it’s affected me somehow, mad dreams, night sweats, dry mouth, actually feel hungover!! 😬 Maybe all the sugar?!
@Sunshinebound99 welcome and so sorry to hear about your husband’s redundancy; it was the best thing that ever happened to me career wise. I was with the same company from finishing uni for over 20 years, was promoted several times & to the outside world I’m sure I seemed to ‘have it all’ but I hated it for the last year. I’d never known any different & thought I’d be stuck there forever, then redundancy came, I was given an amazing package & was offered jobs left, right & centre by contacts I’d made over the years. I’m now in my dream role, all the better for being sober! I agree with @REP22 that he clearly has skills that made the other companies want him & I have no doubt he’ll get something soon.
@PhantomOfAllKnowledge well done on getting through the work event, I totally feel your pain as an introvert who has to entertain a lot & that first glass (I thought compulsory when on the company card!) allowed me to socialise like a ‘normal person’. I’ve found it extremely difficult without, I now get through the meal & get to bed with a hot chocolate! So sorry about the blips
@WhatMaggieDid (thanks for the list, I’ve taken a screenshot in case I need it!) @WendyWagon (tax back - yay!) @elusivehope (I’m delighted you got the article finished!) @REP22 (your way with words re 🚩, brilliant, just brilliant!!) congratulations to you all on getting back on the wagon! 💪
@JK26 68 days & @FiloPasty 200+ days!!! 👏🏼 👏🏼 Definitely going to look out for the Peroni with orange.
@Carpetburn well done on getting out of the toxic workplace (been there, had the Stockholm-syndrome!) and good luck in your new role!
My plan in Dec whilst reading Allen Carr was to do Dry Jan then 100 days; people have been mainly supportive but I now need to come clean about going AF for good & it’s going to be difficult.
8th Apr will is approaching and am very worried; I was delighted to tick off my first bank holiday in try dry on Fri (didn’t count NYD as that had a New Year badge!) & was looking at others feeling sad thinking ‘I won’t get that one, or that one….’ I also wondered yesterday if this is my last AF weekend. 😩 I’ve found it so much easier than I expected, friends & family literally can’t believe it, one even asked my hubby to randomly check my AF drinks, but I’ve lost friends, they don’t want ‘boring’ me, we’ll arrange to do something when I’m “back on it”. After starting regularly drinking in my early teens I’ve never attempted moderation………🤷‍♀️
I’ve also lost almost a stone & look dreadful as I didn’t have a stone to loose. I’m finding it impossible to get in the extra calories I was getting drinking 20+ units a day! I’m not contemplating going back to that for a second, but anyone had that problem & can offer advice?

Morning all.
Happy Easter. If that's not your thing happy chocolate egg day!

Son and girlfriend coming for lunch. I'm doing a James Martin receipe. Lamb and potatoes Boulangere.

I have pink AF fizz from marks and a premixed AF cocktail.

@TwoNicePuppies I think most of us on this thread have lost a few friends after giving up the booze. Two women exited my life.
Both happy to let me pay frequently when I was too drunk to notice! I miss one as she was funny (but told a lots of porkie pies) but the other was one of life's takers. I'd buy things for her and the money was never repaid. Her DD was also a cow to mine at her most vulnerable.
Real friends love you just as you are (Mark Darcy to Bridget Jones)

With regard to weight you could try some more protein. It won't build fat but will bulk you out a bit. I use nutricheck as I know I don't eat enough carbs or protein. I'd also recommend a pink highlighter, Bobby Brown do one. It makes you look healthy. Before they removed my tumour I was grey. Looked like something from Dickens! Scraggy neck too. Prai neck cream is the best for that.

I can honestly say I'm not the same person I was. I face things head on and I don't let things effect me the same way. My late mother used to say I attract trouble but I deal with it and don't drown it with booze. It's easier that way.