DRY 10!!!!

[CheesyNachos]

Welcome! This is the thread for those of us who want to abstain from alcohol. We are all at different stages of our journey, and many of us have some hiccups along the way, but we are committed to an exciting, fulfilling, joyful life alcohol-free.

Previous thread is here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/2485290-DRY-9?pg=1

Everyone is welcome!

dona He sounds fab.. :) I don't think you do ever have to say "I'm never drinking again". When people ask me if I'm stopping forever, I just say "who knows, I hope not!". I think people really look for you to make some big bold statement for the dramatic effect, but when you say something more temperate like "for now it's really working for me by not drinking, so I'd like to carry on" there's nothing they can say in response.

Blimey that yoga class stretched muscles I didn't know I had!
I feel proud of myself :) Done lots of other things in my life to be proud of, but am pretty darn chuffed with myself at the moment :) As should we all be, tbh. :)

dona that is absolutely true about the liver having no nerve fibres so gives us no pain sensations. That's the most dangerous thing about drinking - we don't know how much we've destroyed our liver because it will keep functioning until 75% is damaged and by then invariably it's too late. You can have blood tests that will indicate if there is acute inflammation (LFT's) and you can have a full liver panel blood test that gives a more in depth review of more chronic signs of damage. The gold standard is a liver fibroscan which is a specialist liver ultrasound that measures the liver stiffness (it becomes stiff when cirrhosed). If you stop though the liver is a fantastic organ and will regenerate itself and recovery almost fully - if you catch it in time!

I'm not sure I want one lucy what are your thoughts?

I've had LFT's but 6 weeks after I stopped so they were within normal range - which is what I would expect as any short term damage was repaired by then. Never had a full liver panel but I'm fairly sure it would have been okay. As for a liver fibroscan - never had one and probably wouldn't because I know myself well enough to know that if the scan was okay (after almost 850 days AF I expect my liver to be pretty fully recovered!) that voice would pipe up maybe I wasn't that bad and could have a drink? so would rather not know! It costs about £450 at the London Clinic which is a hefty wedge of dosh too! It's up to you - you could ask your GP for one but they are only usually done on the NHS if your blood work suggests liver damage.

Just listened to this: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03fc82k
David Yelland, former editor of The Sun and recovering alcoholic, and Adrian Anthony Gill, whose recent memoir Pour Me tackles his own problems with alcohol, talk frankly with John Humphrys about their relationships with drink. They appear on Channel 5's documentary My Name Is... And I'm an Alcoholic airing on 13 January 2016 - tonight at 10pm. I'll be watching it & it features Lucy Rocca from Soberistas.

I was going to say that was on! I am really looking forward to it. But only because I have a fair stretch of sobriety under my belt
I have had a few LFT some years ago. It showed normal. Very counter productive!

I'll be watching tonight.

I managed a dry Nye but not for my husband's birthday. I've not enough consistent number of days under my belt to post confidently on here yet but I hope to soon.

I sometimes wonder whether, if we could tell if we had liver damage early on (i.e if we could feel the liver suffering), fewer people would drink at all.

I've always worried about my liver.

Another day down.

The music thing I'm going to tomorrow night has a FB page. Someone mentioned that they won't be drinking as they are doing Dry January. I said that I was doing it too (obviously this is a cover for me not drinking). One or two people made jokes about non drinkers "letting the side down".

I thought to myself that, if I got wasted, they would not find it so funny.

I could hear David Bruce Banner / The Incredible Hulk's voice in my head saying, "Don't make me drink! You wouldn't like me if I drink!"

Oh no Orange, an opportunity for me to repost my favourite Henry Sellers clip from Father Ted ......."oh what a shower of BASTARDS... sack me, sack me??! I MADE the BBC!"

That's brilliant! Thats me too

I don't know what you mean dona

Hahaha! I love Father Ted!

Just a quick message to say I AM SO TIRED! (have I mentioned that before? at all? ) No idea what's going on. My app (!) says I'm getting plenty of good sleep...

I'm going to bed at a good time, NOT DRINKING, and am having lots of v healthy food and moderate exercise. Must be a shock to my poor wee body or something, all this healthy living?!

Anyway - still v v v positive about not drinking. I'm not saying "never again" but am more than happy to be having anything other than alcohol for the forseeable. It's Day 9 already! (I had to look that up as I'm not counting, rather taking each day as it comes.)

Can I join the "worried about my liver" group though? I've been paranoid for some time now that my hands have been gradually turning yellow. Thing is I have sallow skin anyway so it might just be in my head!

I have sallow skin naturally too . Well my intention is to give my liver a bloody well deserved rest! Hopefully a permanent one from alcohol!
I was absolutely exhausted in my first stint (before my Christmas lapse) but now I feel really good (day 14) I think I am about 11 weeks mainly sober and its only the last two where I have felt between normal and positively energetic.
Well done on 9 days. Are you finding it a bit easier?
I enjoyed the alcohol documentary last night. I could definitely relate to the soberista woman - Lucy?
Had I left it much longer I probably could have related to all of them.

Can anyone recommend any good Android apps? I can't get on with the drink aware one.

If you just want to track dry days then there is a basic one on the AA app - which has loads of other good stuff inc Daily reflections, Big Book etc.

Does it have £££ saved? I'll have a little gander anyway x

Hi everyone.

stillhere, still DRY. Still dealing with familystuff, but am generally okay.

Hope everyone is fine.

No - The Dry Jan app does but I don't know how long that will only work after Jan. Alcodroid tracks but is fiendishly complicated!

Anyone tried milk thistle? Apparently it detoxifies and protects our poor abused livers. I thought I'd been having liver pains the last few months, but if there's no nerve endings in the liver it can't have been that. Anyway they stopped 2 days after my last wine binge on 29th Dec. dona ANOTHER good reason to stop! I have a long list of these good reasons, number 1 being 'hangovers are pure EVIL!!!'

Preces i alternate from being tired beyond tired to the point of dropping to being fuelled with positive energy. Today I'm firing on 'most' cylinders 😀 so am going to yoga again tonight gladistopped i see you're doing yoga too, oooh we are going to be so stretchy (and sober!) 😀

Also emotionally I'm ALL OVER the place, from tears of despair to feeling optimistic and full of the joys. Anyone else?

PS- H and i had a long chat, I'm working on him to go for couple counselling, but really I'm hoping it would help him 'cope' and turn TO me instead of ON me when shit happens. It might help me to cope without wine too. Fingers crossed he agrees to it.

Hi cheesy well done, its particularly tricky when you have the added complication of dealing with some tough 'life situations'. Im with ya there! A double pat on the back for you x

Speaking of bad liver symptoms, I noticed I had funny pale horizontal ridges on my nails and googled the symptom. Apparently this is a thing that can happen if the liver is seriously damaged. Now, I don't think my liver is seriously damaged but it gave me a fright!

It's been 2 weeks for me now and I know enough to know I'm physically not addicted - managing without is fine. It's the calming effect, the wind down that I need. Honestly this is a revelation. I've been deliberately taking time out at that time of day to try to wind down. Deep breathing and a to-do list for the next day and a nice bit of telly. How did I not know I needed this?? I suppose I've been getting over that time of day with alcohol for nearly all my adult life. Now looking for more wind-down techniques.

(If I'm really honest, the number one technique is 'do everything you wanted to achieve during the working day then switch off' - not a shocker!)

In case anyone missed it last night and wanted to watch:
www.channel5.com/shows/im-an-alcoholic-my-name-is/episodes/my-name-is-and-im-an-alcoholic
Milk thistle is good for liver detox & regeneration jelly
Dona only have link to itunes one but I'm sure there must be a £ counter one for android too

Hi all - I've heard about milk thistle but have never tried it.

Survived music evening sober. Of course, the evil little voice of alcoholism was nagging me, earlier, to drink but I resisted - mainly, I think, because hardly anyone was drinking. Had the booze been flowing, I might have weakened.