Cutting out wine completely after a heavy summer

[homefiresburning]

Is this possible?
It's been one crazy summer.. continuous bbqs, parties, celebrations and good weather.
I've been drinking far too much wine and have the belly to prove it!
Some weeks I went through five bottles of wine, somethings less, sometimes more.
It's my go to for celebrations and relaxation but I'm afraid it will become a nasty habit . Is it reasonable to think I can just stop immediately?
It's not so much a crutch hut certainly has become a habit this summer and I want to cut it out totally for health and weight reasons too.
Anyone else achieved this?
I'm worried about my body's reaction to complete avoidance in the initial weeks which coincide with my return to work after my summer holiday.
Also when drinking socially, what have you swopped wine with ? Alcoholic or non alcoholic drink suggestions welcome.
Thanks

I’m going to replace wine o clock with a power walk outside with a podcast on. I sometimes can’t be arsed doing this but I’ve NEVER regretted going.

I’ve really cut down on my alcohol intake and I’d agree with keeping busy at wine o’clock. Take a walk, organize a drawer, take up meditation. I definitely find it easier if I’m not sitting around, doing my usual Friday/Saturday night stuff, missing my glasses of wine.

The next day, I never think ‘I wish I’d had a drink last night’ but I often used to think ‘I wish I’d stayed off the wine/only had one glass’ etc etc.

I'm the same OP- almost daily drinking for the last few weeks while on holiday. There's no reason you need to ween yourself off if you aren't an alcoholic. Just quit and you'll be fine. Switching to something else is just prolonging the habit.

I love a glass of wine so I won't quit completely, but once back at work will cut back on the social drinking to just a few on a Friday and Sat nights and a glass with Sunday lunch- nothing during the week except a nice cup of tea.

This is a great idea.

I'm curious about the whole CBD thing. More so now I've seen Claudia Winkleman advertising it.

I'm in the exact same position OP - reliant on a glass of wine most nights now and if it's a grape I don't like, I top up with lemonade so it's definitely a sugar hit I crave as well.

Need to sort myself out! My weight has ballooned plus at 49, my belly is terrible.

Take some time off, put a number on it and stick to that. 30days? 100 is good for a detox that will leave you with tons of energy, sleeping better, looking better - and it’ll totally reset your habits…

I quit last October. I did eat a lot of ice cream and cake to compensate but I have now knocked that on the head too. Make sure you always have ice in the freezer and find your drink of choice. I drink zero beers but my fav is sparkling water with ice and lemon when its hot and mint tea when its cold. Good luck. My belly is much flatter and my skin is so much better.

Ginger beer cloudy with lime. Lime and soda. It's lovely to see the Belly disappearing. So take pictures to encourage you and use a tape measure

@homefiresburning

I'm worried about my body's reaction to complete avoidance in the initial weeks which coincide with my return to work after my summer holiday.

unless there’s a big part of your story missing I can’t see that you’d be physically dependent on alcohol. So as soon as you stop you’ll feel better. Good idea to have lots of b vitamins.

Generally the dependence is more mental than physical. So (I mean this kindly) are you sure this isn’t an excuse? There’s always a reason not to stop drinking: good day/bad day, party, birthday, Christmas….

For going out I reckon wagamamas do the best no alcohol drinks. Nojito is a good one

www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/3361/temperance-ginger-mojito-alcohol-free

Also punk AF no alcohol beer, leffe no alcohol are nice too.

I do a few months a year off the wine to manage my weight. It just drops off if I stop the wine drinking. (I'm late 40s)

Are you a teacher?

I always find that attempting to go AF in the first few weeks of September doesn't work if you are using alcohol to relax. Much better to wait until early October when things have calmed down a bit and the late autumn/ winter spices in things like coffees and teas make a comeback.

I usually let it tail off throughout September (so maybe have some wine at a max of 4x weekly, but the days I drink are my choice), then start on the herbal teas, which do the same relaxing that a chilled glass of white does for me over summer.

Try “The alcohol experiment” app. It’s free and full of excellent videos that will help you on your journey and make you realise that there really is no need for alcohol in your life!