Sober October anyone?

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Ok - had a half hearted attempt at Dry SEptember with limited success.

Confident I can do Sober October. I feel like being clean, serene, and giving my body a lovely healthy detox.

Anyone else?

Starting tomorrow, might have a drink tonight, not sure yet.

Yes CheesyNachos Dry seems to be full of good advice and practical solutions, as well as all the emotional stuff. I admire you for your admission on there, it must have been difficult for you.

Well my Friday night is going just fine. Thought it might be tricky because Friday night is the night Dh and I often have 2 bottles wine between us. I've had a bottle of alcohol free beer, and it was very nice! Dh knocked back a half bottle of red wine, but he's stopped drinking now for this evening, so he may well benefit from my Sober October as well. All good.

Oh yes, fitness thing tribpot reminded me to say.. have a look at C25 (couch to 5k) programmes MT. It has you running from an absolute novice in about 8 weeks, it's quite astonishing. This couch potato is now running in organised 5k runs. There are some threads on here about it.

Yes! I am going for it... so far so good!

tribpot so agree with you about the benefits. I did Dry June, and I really didn't know if I could manage it.

By the end of the month, I did feel clearer, fitter and more alert. It was the only significant change I'd made to my lifestyle. It was a bit of an eyeopener how much better I felt.

Been able to keep to 1 bottle of wine a week since then, but a whole month again without is a good idea.

Family from the UK & parents in law here last night and normally we'd have several bottles of wine between us, but I stuck to 0% beer ... it wasn't even tooo difficult.

That's fab Meerka, well done!

:)

On the Dry June thread quite a few people had said that in Jan they felt good after 2-3 weeks. Hopefully the people on this month will find the same!

Morning all, how was everyone's Saturday evening?

We went to friends' house for dinner. I was fine on the sparkling water. It was a really fun evening and I felt no worse off for not having a drink, not even slightly.

It was interesting to observe everyone else and how much - and how little - everyone else drinks. Last night ranging from another 0 alcohol (he's stopped for a few months as normally a moderate/heavy drinker, the pressures on him at work with big project so he's currently abstaining), to someone drinking only 2 small glasses of prosecco (and not driving, so not that), someone who drank nearly a bottle of red wine, to my Dh who had a little over a bottle of white wine. And only one person had one glass of port!

Tis interesting, and so far, so good.

Happy Sunday everybody; we've an afternoon of gardening planned.,

I was on the dry September thread, and pretty smug with it, because I did it! The first time in my adult life I've managed anything like that. By the end of August I was drinking 1/2 to 2/3 bottle of wine nearly every night. A few shit/difficult things had happened in the preceding year, and I needed the wine to make me feel better, I told myself. The realisation that it was actually making things worse motivated me to start dry September.

I had a long planned boozy night out on Friday, with dear old friends, which I enjoyed, but felt absolutely dreadful yesterday, so I've decided to carry on and do sober October too, with the exception of Friday, my DH birthday and another set of old pals get together towards the end of the month.

This time I plan to tentatively add in some diet and lifestyle stuff too (I'm already not too bad at that stuff, so don't want to get overzealous to the point that I just go fuck it all).

Good luck everyone!

Good afternoon, Thank you for the fitness suggestions, I will have a look at the couch to 5k, My dd wants to do some more exercise too so I have someone to buddy up with :)

I had a drink friday night as dp and I had a very rare night to ourselves

Didn't touch a drop yesterday so don't feel too bad about it though, Its really nice to have somewhere on here to come and talk without being judged so thank You op!

I have to restart. Had friends in last night, and we all had some wine. Not a lot, but it means I didn't have a dry October, so far .
Am determined to start afresh though, so here goes.

I think blips are acceptable, dust yourselves down, and climb right back on the wagon. I think I made the mistske on Dry September of blipping and then thinking fuck it, I've ruined it now, and not sticking to it, but wish I had stayed on to bank as many dry days as I could.

I was feeling quite pleased at the way things are going..then realised only on Day 4.

Ham how did you find Dry September. Was it easy?

Hi Through, it was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. At the beginning of the month I was looking for some inspiration and downloaded the Allen Carr book. On an intellectual level, I absolutely hated it - awful style and language, cavalier attitude to facts, evidence and statistics - but, after I read it I did not want to drink.

I was also quite busy at work, so I was feeling motivated to get up as early as possible, feeling sharp. And I luckily had no 'drinking expected' social events planned.

I was kind to myself in all other aspects of my life - going alcohol free was the only change I made. Up until about halfway through the month I was very much counting the days, determined not to crack, and thinking about alcohol all the time, certainly more than when I was drinking the damn stuff, but then it got easier. And, as someone, Meerka I think, mentioned, discovered that 0% beer tastes pretty good.

Morning all. Well am back on board for dry October. Am generally trying to stick to a healthy, not over-the-top regime, and plan to lose a stone by Christmas. That's my main motivation really. It's very helpful reading other people's posts.
I agree with not changing everything at once, and being kind to yourself. I've learned that through a fairly hard year, which hopefully has taught me a lot.

Hope everyone has a good day, it's pouring rain here, but am indoors, on a day off, sipping coffee, and browsing MN .

Managed to get through sister's visit without any wine at all.

Morning all, Have a good Day 6 (or whatever Day you are on) everybody.

Morning all. Day 3 for me. Slept great last night, and went out walking yesterday. I'm using the couch to 5k on my mp3 to get me out, walking pace only but the music keeps me going. I just fast walk the running bits.
Can't run at the mo due to a slight foot problem.

Morning all..... another one who is starting to think about fitness and health as well. Our local gym has new management and they have drastically cut the monthly membership fees and have included perks such as free usage of the pool! We are skint this month...... but I think I can make a case for a gym membership.

Quick question? What are trigger times for people and how do you cope? Mine is usually getting in from the school run. Today I plan to not come straight home, but to take my DS to a cafe for fruity toast and to do his reading there. Just shaking it up.

first trigger - stress, mainly, especially emotional; we have had very bad news on the health front about 3 different friends/relatives recently. I really want to drink at the moment.

2nd trigger - being over busy and exhausted. Wine feels like a friend even though it isn't. A glass or three feels like a reward for getting through the day sometimes. Now I turn to 0% beer, because somehow to me it's still a little treat and pick me up.

Always had a rule that I can't have anything before 6pm except in special occasions like xmas dinner. I think that's helped.

Doing the 5:2 diet really helped too because on those 2 diet days, you can't spare the calories for wine. Having 2 evenings in the week without wine helped break the sheer habit. Habit can be so powerful ... It helped that it was only for 1 day each diet day, then I knew I could drink tomorrow. Having broken the pattern of drinking every night, it became really much easier to build on that. Going swimming also helped because I had to stay dry to drive, and then I was busy swimming.

Having managed Dry June, never went back to drinking most nights, it was only 1 or two nights in the week ... between 1/2 to 1 bottle a week. But even so I noted that it affects my less-than-stellar health. Wine is lovely, but for me it has to be drunk sparingly.

i don't quite now what my triggers are. They seem varied. I don't drink in times of stress (luckily I haven't had much stress in my life), and I don't have to drink when we go out, I'm more than happy driving and sticking to one glass of wine.

If anything I drink because I'm happy, and enjoying life. It's a lovely sunny day, let's have a glass of wine in the pub garden type of thing. On Sunday's we tend to do a lot of gardening, or have a busy day out, and it feels lovely to go in/home and relax with a bottle or two of wine reading the papers in front of the telly. Sunday's are the time I miss most when not drinking. I also think (CheesyNachos) at around 5 or 6 in the evening when I'm on the school run (teens from the train station) that it would be nice to open a bottle when I get home. That does normally pass when I get home, and if it doesn't I drink an alcohol free beer which goes a long way to stop any wine craving.

My main problem, which seems common, is that I don't have to drink, but once I've had one or two I normally just want to carry on. It's only wine; I don't drink anythinf else really, and I'd rather have an alcohol free beer than beer, or a mocktail rather than a cocktail.

Day 7 for me, and I'm not getting at all twitchy, (ha ha that comment will come back to bite me on the arse!) but I think I will in a week or two.

Hi everyone... how are you all? Sipping tea here and reading a book while the family watch Big Bang. Very exciting!

I'm doing sober October. During the week it's fine but I feel it on Friday and Saturday nights when I'd always relax with a few beers, especially if there was sport on as there is at the moment. Have found that I have more energy though on Saturdays and Sundays, don't have that groggy feeling from having 3 or 4 beers the night before, so that's good.

irish if you aren't babyminding, can you go to the gym or sport? it really helps take your mind off it. Then shower & bed.

Technically breaking the Dry October tomorrow ... making a new version of spiced wine for a meal for friends, and I need a tiny taste just to check it's okay, the recipe is a bit unusual. But seeing as I've made several dishes with a bit of wine and not had one tiny bit, going to overlook that.

Morning everyone, hope everyone is waking bright eyed and bushy taled. Day 10 here, and feeling confident about getting to day 31.

Shortly off to do the local Parkrun, ds1 is at home from uni and he's doing it with me for the first time. When I say with me we'll start together but he's aiming for under 25 min and I'm aiming for under 35 min!

Have a lovely weekend, -weather is supposed to be lovely here in the South East. I hope they're right.

Not really possible, Meerka. We have 3 dcs (aged 4, 2 and 3 months) so opportunities for evening sport/activities are limited. Our Friday night routine is for me to bring home takeaway after work, after which I'd always, ALWAYS, crack open a few bottles. I just settle for a big mug of tea now and a biscuit. Rock n roll lifestyle or what. I'm enjoying it though, I'm up with the kids now, fully bright and alert. Before I'd be struggling Saturday mornings. It's amazing, you'd think 2-4 beers wouldn't have that much affect on you the next day but it does. You mightn't be dying of a hangover but you're certainly not 100%.

Hi all,

I've been in and out of the dry thread over the past couple of years - longest dry period was 8 months last year, but I've struggled since for various reasons with lots of false starts.

However, am pleased to report I've been dry since 22nd September and at the moment I'm going strong, with no desire to drink.

I'm definitely on for dry October, and would like to extend it beyond that if possible, as I feel so much better when I abstain from alcohol totally. It suits me being a non-drinker, and I just wish I could become one permanently, but one day at a time, as they say.

Anyway, good luck everyone.