Dry 6

[sydneysideup]

This is the thread for the alcohol free. Happy and hopeful, continuing from Dry 5 here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/a2137624-DRY-5?msgid=50943574
Whether it's been an hour, a day, a week or a year, join us here.

Morning CornChips
No plans as such here - Christmas village tea tomorrow where DH is singing. Kids are pretty wacked out after week of Christmas play rehearsals and shows so probably pretty easy to allow them to recover to get through the last week of term . No news on job front so a week-end of wondering for me

Oh No Lucy :( Fingers crossed you hear good news about the job soon.

Thanks Cornchips have decided to take DC's to the cinema to see Penguins of Madagascar to take my mind off of it

Hi. Some brilliant milestones being reached - it's so good getting to a particular day or number and feeling just so proud! I'm on day 412 apparently, which seems a bit unreal in a lot of ways.

I went to see Paddington with dd this afternoon - maybe we were at the same cinema Lucy? it was really nice, I have never been with her before and to be honest go so rarely, it's a big event!

Going out for a meal tonight with some school mum friends which will be nice - they are fine about my drinking, in fact treat me as some interesting, slightly odd specimen what with being sober and running for fun

Nothing exciting to add - just hope you hear soon Lucy and massive pats on the back to all of us

Hey Biggles nope at cinema in different place :) LOVE the cinema and am planning to go and see the last of The Hobbit trilogy with DH on Friday afternoon before the kids break up. Have a lovely meal to celebrate day 412 and go girl with the running - saw your pics of Lime Kiln Hill! Gah - I hope I hear on Monday too!

That hill may be a pimple to some of my northerner friends but it is a ruddy mountain round here . my leg is telling me off today!!

Indeed it is! Rest leg tomorrow?

Well I am doubly proud tonight. We went to a dry Indian restaurant and my friends all took a bottle of wine each. At one point I had three bottles in very close proximity to my face and you know what, I didn't even notice them well, I did, but I had no pang, no craving, no proper kind of awareness even, nothing except a brief annoyance when I had to move one to speak to someone! It didn't hit me till just now! Very chuffed.

Good on you lovely :) Sober treat today?

Definitely...what though? a run is in order, legs not too bad today, but what can I have..hmmmmm.

How is everyone today? loads of people out last night, lots of staggering around. I wonder how they feel today

Depends what tickles your fancy? Chocolate - you'll have calories to spare after the run? A nice think hot chocolate? Fancy AF drink like Bill's pink lemonade? Soak in tub with some of nicked from DD Lush bomb? The world's your sober treat oyster!

thick rather than think hot chocolate D'oh!!

A friend of mine wrote this and thought you might like to read :)
www.theguardian.com/society/she-said/2014/dec/13/a-christmas-letter-to-my-old-lover-alcohol (will also post on the Sober for Christmas thread)

That's quite some achievement Biggles - hope you did indulge in a sober treat or two :)

Had my DTs birthday party yesterday. The entire experience fuelled entirely without alcohol. Realised that there's no getting round it, kids parties are horrifically stressful. But at least this time I wasn't lurching between panic at what lay ahead, deciding that wine will help, and then having the same panic afterwards but with a sore head on top of everything else. The party was a huge success, and alcohol would not have stopped the sound of 26 hyper, Frozen-enthralled children being mind-bogglingly awful to endure

Had my brother and family here afterwards yesterday, and ended up having to explain to a very confused SIL that my decision to stop drinking is not just a temporary 'weight loss' choice but something I want to do permanently.

Lucy - I saw that article, all very familiar, thank you. I never really thought of myself as a massive Christmas drinker, but I am processing a lot of thoughts at the moment about socialising without booze in general. I must pop over to the Christmas thread too.

Fantastic achievement Teapot Bet your DT's had a fantastic day! And no amount of booze dulls that the awfulness of that kind of experience!! Big sober treat lined up for you too?

Two and a half mile up and down hills run done . massive mug of hot chocolate with grated dairy milk on top in hand in front of an open fire with a fabulous book. Things could be worse! well done with the party, I remember the drunken idiot I used to be at dd1's parties . Awful, looking back.

Hi everyone!

Teapot many congratulations for surviving the party sans alcohol!

And Biggles too!

Just because I am incurably curious, what sober treats do people indulge in? Tortoise on one of the early threads suggested putting a pound coin in a jar for every day you do not drink. I still do this, and one of the items I bought recently was this;

www.gloverandsmith.co.uk/product/335/Acorn_and_oak_leaf_necklace_UK_made_pewter_oak_leaf_and_acorn_pendant.

That's really pretty CornChips :)
My list for Biggles was a good indication as to my line of thinking about sober treats! Plus I've expanded my repertoire in the run up to Christmas with my 12 sober treat days of Christmas where I share a sober treat idea every day between now and the big day on my blog ahangoverfreelife.com/category/sober-treats/

Thanks! I have to admit though usually my sober treats are alot more everyday- strawberry lip gloss, Montezuma's dark chocolate, orange and geranium chocolate (... amazing....!)

I read your blog and liked the idea of the theme.... especially the pear body wash!

And loving that mug. :)

The mug idea came from here - so thanks ladies!

Good luck tomorrow Lucy. Hope you get some good news on the job front! Loving the 12 sober treats of xmas.

I celebrate 6 months tomorrow & have just "graduated" from Belle's Team 180 to Team 365. Feel very pleased.

Teapot - well done on sourcing a twins birthday party AF. You rock!

I've been at an all day chess tournament with my DS today. Sort of thing I would have rewarded myself with vast amounts of booze afterwards. Have a very early start tomorrow so very glad I will not be hungover tomorrow.

Six months!!! woo hoo definite massive reward time ( that's a steaming mug of full fat milk hot chocolate with cream on the top and chocolate sprinkles )

Anyone spotted my er minor addiction to hot chocolate yet???

Hi everyone, glad to hear you are all doing well. Update from me - after 340 days of sobriety I had my first glass of champers last week. It was nice enough but I decided I didn't want more than that one so moved back to soft drinks (unheard of in the past!). So my plan appears to have worked :) I have knocked the habit, stopped smoking and lost a stone without trying :) This year really has taught me that alcohol doesn't relax me or make me enjoy myself more. I never said I was stopping for good just for the year and I feel pretty proud of myself as I was on a good 5-6 units a day for a few years. To be honest I don't feel the need to drink anymore - I am not saying never as sometimes I might fancy a glass of champers when celebrating but I can't see myself getting drunk again, I'm just not interested.

Mission accomplished!

Haggis 6 months tomorrow - Woop Woop! That deserves a sober parade with rainbows, sparkles and unicorns Bring on enormous sober treat and Team 365 & we need a chocolate smiley!!
Thanks also for good wishes for tomorrow - lets hope it's a sober treat day for both of us ....
Nikki congrats on 340 days and if it's achieved what you were hoping then that's a success in my book. I'd love to go back to the odd glass but it's just not possible for me.