motivation/ encouragement needed to quit drinking for November

[Feckinlego]

Hi guys, would really love your help. For the past year I seem to have gotten myself into the bad habit of drinking 4-5 nights a week. I'm drinking 2-4 bottles of wine per week, far too much!
A bit of background, we'll I've 2 children age 1 and 7, and an amazing dh. I work part time, 2 nights per week. Me and dh work opposite shifts so dc don't need childminders. So I'm on my own a lot with the kids.
Reasons I give myself to dtink:
Stressful day with dc
Going on nights the following night
finishing nights for the week
weekend
big one- to avoid dtd with dh(sexdrive completely gone after last birth though was never great)
for the past few months I've been having periods every 2-3 weeks, with resulting horrific black moods, to the point I'm wondering if I'm actually depressed.
I'm functioning ok, house clean/dcs fed dressed played with etc. Dh doesn't think I have a problem but I do, so I thought I'd start with a month off to see how I get on.
any advice greatly appreciated. I'm off on to work but ill try post when I can xx

Evening all. My anniversary tomorrow so we're going for dinner. We'll share a bottle, but I'm going to try stick to just that. And hopefully I can go back to having the rest of November being dry, hopefully having a drink tomorrow won't ruin my resolve!

Agree, elvish about here. It definitely helps keep a check on my drinking. I had wondered if November was the right time but just bit the bullet! Luckily for me it's actually a very quiet month.

Well done 70, you're well over the month now that's brilliant! I'm going through the same thing with my periods do I feel your pain!

Happy Anniversary Feckin, I hope you have a great time. I'm sure one night will not put you back on a slippery slope - come back and tell us either way though.

I really, really wanted a drink last night. DH is off on Fridays so Thursday night is the start of his weekend, he had a few glasses of Red whist I was putting DD to bed and he was cooking, then he asked if I wanted a glass of prosecco (sp?).

I think that if I wasn't on this thread I would have let him open it, I was really tempted but there's no point in not finishing a bottle of fizz as it will be flat, so I would have had half a bottle of wine on a week night.

This is just the type of thing that has got me where I am so I'm feeling quite proud of myself for resisting although I did open one of the chocolate oranges I bought for Christmas stockings instead

Thanks Elvish. I hope I don't go overboard. Ill be thinking of all you here, funny I'd hate to let you all down, so that will keep me right! Well done on resisting the proseco and the red!

Resolve is slipping.....I always planned a dry December (did it last year, and have been having a month off every 3 months), so will definitely still be doing that. Saw Feckins thread about November and jumped on thinking 'great idea, two months off", but now thinking "well, I hadn't planned on not drinking in November so what's the harm" . Typically drinkers justification going on there. On about Day 13 I think .

Good going everyone else.

70 - you are doing amazingly, you make it sound easy peasey.

Happy anniversary Feckin

Bowlers. Some days are easey peasey and some not so much x

Morning girls. Well done 70 you're an inspiration, honestly. I know that feeling bowlers, again the weekend becomes so hard. It's hard to keep resolve at weekends, everyone else is having a drink so why shouldn't we eh?

Well I drove to the restaurant last night so couldn't drink. Got a bottle of wine for home. Dh drank beer but I stuck to the half bottle. I found it so hard to stick to that but I did it. But of course there's a half bottle left. Girls I need your words of wisdom today to stop me drinking that other half tonight, I really want to keep the rest of November dry!

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Feck - tip it down the sink, cook with it or make sure DH has it!

Well done Feckin, pour the wine into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Then you can add a little bit when you're cooking and need it.

Thanks girls, I'll have to do something with it or I really will drink it. Freezing it's a good idea! Back to tea tonight for me

Feckin thanks for calling me an inspiration I'm really not. if it helps the first 3 weekends were white knuckle fir me - ESP Saturdays - remember only one night - 3 hours - that's it - just 3 hours - you go all day without so you can do the 3 hours at night!!

Your words are very encouraging 70, you're doing so well. Hope your anxiety is abating a bit for you x

It is fingers crossed for bloods on Wednesday x

Hello all. I like the ice cube wine for cooking idea, might do that myself with a glass I poured last night but didn't drink...

Slightly ashamed to say I had a very boozy day yesterday. Had a lunch date with a guy I met via online dating. It was ok but he got a bit intense and I wasn't really feeling it. Awkwardness compounded by a crush I have on someone from RL, and I couldn't help comparing online bloke with him, unfavourably (only in my head, didn't say anything out loud!)

So not feeling too great today

I had too many last night too Corky, still have the headache now and I've decided to go to bed early.

Can't decide if my head is so bad because I've not had as much alcohol recently, but I suspect it's just because I ended up mixing spirits and beer and had too much

So my week last week: Weds 1 bottle beer, thurs half bottle wine, Fri half bottle wine, sun half bottle wine. Mon Tues, Sat - nothing. Prob about 16 units. I'm ok with that.

Hi girls sorry I haven't posted. Dh had a small accident, he's fine now but I got an awful fright at the time. I didn't drink the half bottle sat, but had 2 cans cider last night. I don't even like cider. The excuse was celebrating dh being ok, but truthfully I panicked at the thought of not drinking for another fortnight. I'm so mad with myself today, I was feeling so much better not drinking and I just slipped straight back onto it. Hope it at least teaches me a lesson.

Corky fair play to you getting out there dating. What about this rl man, is there a chance?

Elvish I felt like that this morning, I too hoped it was my tolerance going down. Probably wasn't though .

And change, once you're happy with cutting down that's great. Well done. Don't know if I can do the same.

Work now for me for 2 nights so next temptation is Wednesday

Feckin, glad your dh is ok after his accident. At least by drinking something you don't like, you limit yourself to fewer drinks...?! Sorry you're beating yourself up over it today. I certainly know that feeling. At least temptation is out of the equation for the next couple of days.

Change, that sounds reasonable. Well done.

Elvish, hope you're feeling better today.

Oh, the rl crush man - I don't know, I've felt a spark but can't help wondering if I've been reading too much into it. Had a chance to ask him out the other day but bottled it. Not sure when I'll see him again now

70, good luck tomorrow!

Ah corky you'll never know until you ask! What's the worst that can happen? Easy for me being brave behind a computer screen I know!

I second the good luck to 70 for tomorrow

Evening!

Well another day done and no drinks since Sunday (1 glass of wine). Doesn't sound too impressive but in all honesty it is.

I think my hearing is improving, I could hear DH opening a bottle of beer in the kitchen from the other side of the house

Good look with the tests 70, and I agree Feck - I'm all for encouraging others to do things I would bottle out of. Do you have a mutual friend who could drop some hints Corky?

Hey all, been missing for a week or so.
Lego, hope your dh is ok!
Everyone still seems to be doing ok?
I'm on 4th night in a row dry again which is awesome.
I've promised my counsellor i will go to the gym on Monday which means iwon't drink Sunday and if i can avoid tomorrow, I don't mind too much what the weekend brings.
I feel like crap though, think I'm getting ill.
Keep on everyone, you're inspirational!

Well done choochoo, that's great going. I'm feeling under the weather too; I'm sure it's because of overdoing it at the weekend. Feeling fluey and developing a rash too. Nice! Think it's something I had before, which is going to really piss me off because it lasted for weeks and itched like hell, and by the end, when it was all flaking off, I looked like I had full-body dandruff. So will up the vitamins and zinc and definitely steer well clear of booze for the foreseeable.

In good news, though, just had lunch with RL crush bloke .

Ah corky I'm delighted, the date went well did it? Sorry everyone is feeling under the weather but you're all doing so well.

I'm just about managing to stay dry. It was such a struggle last night . I put a bottle of wine in the fridge yesterday, debated with my conscience all evening, poured a glass last night, took one sip then threw it away. I'm so sorry I made this pact with myself, it's too hard! Ah well only 10 days to go! Have to say I'm feeling better than I have in a long time so that's something.

Take care if yourselves girls, talk soon

How exciting Corky! (not the rash of course )

I really struggled last night too Feckin, I'm glad you poured the wine away - that's a really strong thing to have done. I'm not sure I could have if I'd opened the bottle and poured...

Without you guys I would have given up cutting down weeks ago and I would be feeling worse about myself because of it.

Another tough night ahead tonight for me, DH is away and I will really want a drink after I have wrestled the kids to bed. Planning to stay strong though!

This weekend should be ok, no plans and DH is going out on Saturday so I could have a dry Saturday night without anyone tempting me...

By the way, not sure if you will have seen this - quite interesting blog

Interesting read, thanks for the link Elvish. And good luck for this evening. Can you plan some kind of nice 'replacement' activity for after you have got the kids to bed? Um, not sure what I'd suggest though! I'm planning a couple of pints of fizzy water myself, along with some crochet.

Well done last night Feckin. I have an open bottle of wine in the kitchen (had a glass of it the other night at the tail end of my weekend bender) but it's absolutely rancid, so I'm pretty confident I will have no temptation to drink it. Will leave it on the kitchen counter as my test - just use it for cooking. It really was minging! I should have known before I bought it, given that it was suspiciously wee-coloured and on special offer. The clues were there!

Lunch wasn't really a date, more of a friends catching up kind of thing, but we have more contact lined up (semi-professional so also not a date, but I will take whatever I can get!)