Stopping drinking for a while

[Patbutcherismyhero]

Throughout lockdown I've gradually started drinking more and more. I now usually only have one day off a week. Last night I drank way too much and was sick, slept terribly and today I just feel awful mentally and physically. I need to cut back. It's become far too much far too often.

I hate waking in the night with anxiety and having to check my phone to if I put any shit on social media. I don't usually get hangovers but I always feel tired and lacking in motivation. Alcohol has become such a big part of my life but I know it's not healthy and I really need to stop for a while. Anyone else?

I need to do something too... alcohol has crept up to the point that I don't remember my last AF day - it definitely wasn't during lockdown. The drinking itself seems to start earlier during lockdown: I'm a single parent working from home, and my boyfriend has stayed over since two weeks into lockdown after he'd isolated.

I normally have around 3 glasses a night, but sometimes a couple more than that if it's warm and we're sitting in the garden. A few years ago I'd have my first drink of the day after my eldest (and only child at the time) had gone to bed, and would have AF days easily without planning. Now I head for the wine at about 4pm every day 😟 I'm going to make some changes. Well done everyone who is making a go of this!

Succeeded with AF night yesterday. Can't say that I feel any better for it. Was hoping that I had more energy in the morning at least.

Still debating whether to have a glass of wine this evening. Which is actually making me cross because who gives a glass of wine this much bloody thought??

Me too. I’ve had a tough day and I want a glass of wine.....

I know. After a tough day at work it feels like the least we deserve.
I think I'm going to wait for as long as possible, that way there hopefully won't be time to drink loads

I'm on my second seedlip. Try and have a bath or something? Some other nice thing to end a bad day? You will feel better tomorrow without the wine. If you do have it, try and only have one. Baby steps and all that

I quit on 20 January 2015. I have an app on my phone that automatically keeps a tally of how much I've saved/not drunk etc. I've saved £13k by not drinking the 2,000 bottles of wine I would drunk over those 5 years. (Yes, I drank about 8-10 bottles of wine a week).

Long story short: just quit permanently. Agree with PP Piglet who said it's a giant con. Rather than "cutting down" or stopping "for a bit" just knock it on the head, honestly. Nothing bad will happen!

Get help OP. It's not ok. Do you have kids to look after?

Hello! Can I join please? A lot of the PPs on here resonate with me. The drinking is creeping up during lockdown, I generally like a glass (or three?!) whilst doing dinner & would really like to break the habit.

I had a horrendous hangover yesterday & couldn't take my son to his 1st day back to school (luckily DH stepped in). Gutted. I'm planning on doing dry July & am determined to stick to it. Day 2 AF today & I'm tired, irritable & grumpy.

Fab non judgemental thread OP.

Sorry OP, I know you've claimed that you've cut down on what you may normally have, but it reads more like you're trying to convince yourself that you don't have a problem with alcohol dependency, whereas your choices paint a different picture. If you started drinking again on Fridays that's 4 days in a row at least where you've had more than one drink a night. That is worrying. It's fantastic that you're doing the reading and research to help yourself, now you just need to action it. Hope it works out for you 🙂

Wow, KenzoBaby that is such an achievement, well bloody done. My big fear is that my 3-4 bottles a week will go to 5, then 6, then...

Great thread OP.

Sadly spoilt by the likes of ToBBQorNotBBQ, and Somewhereinbetween1.

It's really not helpful to tell anyone that they have massive problems with alcohol and need professional help when they're making gradual steps in the right direction.

It might be an idea to set up a new thread with a title that's not obviously to do with limiting alcohol to avoid any future massively unhelpful posts?

Personally, I'm starting what I'm calling dry July tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone else on this thread. 🌺 🌹 🌺

I’ve not had wine. Going to have some ice cream and go to bed!

I've not had any either, Random I am past the danger time now!

Whoop! Well done guys

I did an hour of yoga at 6pm and then had dinner straight afterwards, so that got me past the 6-8pm 'boozing window' pretty successfully

My legs are bloody killing me now though

OP, I'll join you if you want to start another thread elsewhere. The omgyouhavekidsyoucantdrinkeverrrrrrr lot appear to have arrived.

I admit I have not read the whole thread but I wanted to let you know my experience.

I was like you and this is the reason I am now on day 260 of no alcohol and I will probably never drink again as one drink is the slippery slope to daily drinking for me.

I stopped at the beginning of last year for two months then started again. Moderation to begin with and then up to daily drinking in a month or two. Luckily after a terrible binge I remembered how good those two months felt and so I stopped again.

I didn’t think I had a problem with alcohol but on reflection I really did unfortunately. But it gets easier the longer you go. My anxiety is more or less gone and I am better able to deal with the stresses of life now that I’m teetotal.

For many moderation is harder than going completely alcohol free and your mental health/sleep will improve once you find the approach that suits you.

I wish you well. Alcohol can destroy your life little by little. Hopefully you can find a relationship with it that works for you.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the judgers arrived.

Such a shame.

I am happy with my gradual steps.

I'm so glad I've found you Box & this thread. It echoes so many of my thoughts & feelings about my drinking, it's scary.

I'm overweight & haven't been able to lose much...it's booze!! I eat very healthily & exercise so I play mind games with myself ('ah, I've been for a run so I can have a glass of wine...')

DH doesn't drink at all. I'm mortified at how many empties have been in the recycling over lockdown. It's disgusting really.

Yes to the crap sleep. Yes to the heart palpitations. Yes to being worried about my liver. Yes to feeling foggy & rubbish in the morning.

BUT I didn't drink yesterday and haven't today. Found a Gordon's G&T 0% substitute which hits the spot and is really nice. I do like the sound of the Lidl AF gin. I've thought about the Seedlip but it's quite a pricey mistake if it turns out to be vile

Pat not Box!! Don't know where Box came from!!

Just joining here too! Hope that’s ok.

I also get this:

once I'm past that trigger time I'm usually ok

I’ve really noticed this - I can really want a drink at about 5/6 pm but once we’ve got past dinner time, I don’t want it any more. Unless I was going out of course but that’s not relevant at the moment!

I’m not actually drinking every day or frequently but I’m someone who, when they starts, tends to find it hard not to have quite a few.

Hello, please may I join?

I'm just so bored and lonely of an evening, especially when there's nothing to do nor look forward to. I turn to wine to relax and make me feel better, but need to stop that. I'm also getting puffy with a fat belly, and am
too old for this!

Another day ladies.... keep going

It’ll be 6 weeks tomorrow since I last had a drink. Moderation wouldn’t work for me so I’m going the whole way. It’s really not easy at the start, but I honestly think you need a period of nothing at all if you want to change the way you drink. I believe it affects your brain. I read Claire Pooley’s book to start and now I’m reading Catherine Gray’s. Would def recommend Claire Pooley to make you think about your personal relationship to drinking and what triggers you. At the start I struggled with craving the taste but as I’m getting further in, I realise that there are so many situations where I would just reach for a drink and learning to deal with those without a drink is bloody hard! Good luck everyone!

For me it's just that sense of relaxation that comes with having one or two glasses. It's just like a chilled out buzz at the end of a stressful or boring day. That's what I miss when I don't drink. I don't drink to get paralytic which is why the comment about 'do you have kids to look after' annoyed me. If I'm going on a real binge or a night out they obviously would be at their dads or grandparents. Not that I do that often anyway.

I need to refocus my attention elsewhere. I enjoyed Catherine grays book but found it hard to relate to in some senses as she was a massive party girl, living a very cosmopolitan life and travelling all over the place and doing great things after she got sober. Not exactly the same as being stuck at home 24/7, home schooling your kids and having no life!

Thanks for the recs BigKnickers and well done!