DRY 17

[Loubilou09]

[This message is actually from Sober Sarah! She wanted this thread to start with links everyone will find useful. MNHQ]

If you're quitting alcohol for a brighter sober future come and join us here. A very welcoming bunch supporting ebach other every step of the way. smile
We have put together some helpful info and links, to help you do this Smile tiredofthinkingaboutdrinking.com

Tired of thinking about drinking, Belle's website filled with free stuff as well as subscription courses and an account of her four years sober.

joinclubsoda.co.uk/ Club Soda - to help you make the change you want.
www.sobersassylife.com Sober Sassy Life - A Selection of Articles, Blogs and Freebies to get you unstuck, and on the way to your Sober Sassy Life! Also has paid for courses.
thesoberschool.com/ - an online hub with the mission of inspiring and supporting women who are tired of feeling hungover

www.blogtalkradio.com/bubblehour - podcasts on a huge range of issues relating to addiction and recovery

www.smartrecovery.org.uk/ - an alternative to AA. Meetings nationwide and online.

Useful meditation or relaxation apps
www.headspace.com Headspace for calming the brain chatter
www.withandrewjohnson.com Andrew Johnson stop drinking app
Helpful blogs from people who are sober
sothisissober.com/ our own vxa's blog
www.alcoholfree2016.com our own Lily's blog
www.alcoholfree2016.com our own Lucy's blog
www.sobergrowing/blogspot.co.uk our own Sober Sarah's blog

All of these blogs contain links to loads of other brilliant blogs.

Sobriety counters
meetnomo.com/index.html
www.pilanites.com/streaks/

Hope this helps you ! Love Sober Sarah and Vxa

Thank you very much tinker! It did feel like an achievement!!

I weigh myself most days (prob shouldn't...) healthy weight but it's moving closer and closer to the top end! You are right they must be broken!!!! That's the only explanation!!!

Hi all. New here. Hope you don't mind me jumping in. I have read from the first dry thread over the past few weeks but I'm still not sure about something and would like to ask you lovely ladies something. Ihad my last 'proper' drink (10 cans of strongish lager) last Saturday. I don't normally drink in the week anyway due to work so have been ok but I do binge at wkends. during our weekly shopping trip on Thursday I bought becks blue and have drunk that instead Thursday and Friday this week. Does that mean I can count this as my first 'dry week' or does having af beer mean I have to start thinking about this differently and take away all beers. I struggle if I don't have something as Dh also likes a drink at the wkend. And I don't like juices or cordials as all too sweet

Welcome Hamster, God no becks blue don't count. Congrats you've had your first dry week Lots of us drink it or similar drinks.

AntiGrinch, it took a couple of months for my anxiety to settle down completely. Skin took a while too, mine got worse immediately after stopping which pissed me off a bit

Exactly Saywhen, don't think too far ahead otherwise it feels overwhelming. I still sometimes get a bit of a panic if I think of an event and doing it sober, when it rolls around it's usually not a big deal and I enjoy myself anyway.

Sorry you were feeling rotten BG, sounds like a weekend with the bf is well needed.

Well done everyone, you are all doing brilliant. Very impressive

It's been a quiet week here for me involving running around to various hcps to sort out my various ailments. Who said stopping drinking would make me healthier ? Got another appointmemt next week and I've decided to bite the bullet and ask for a blood health check. My medication can affect organ function and also absorption of b vitamins, same as alcohol so think it might be time to have a proper check of things.

Good luck with the health check burntnorton.

Thank you tinker!

Hello Hamster!

Last night in a cocktail bar I went up to the bar, directly to the waiter and said "I don't want to drink alcohol tonight, but when I do, my favourite cocktails are whiskey sour and old fashioned. Can you mix me something non alcoholic, very sour, very interesting and very grown up."
He accepted this with great respect and brought me over something that looked just like a whiskey sour and tasted very delicious. It was great. I fitted right in, in a nice dress, with a cold heavy drink in a very chunky glossy glass, and loved not feeling fuzzy, or feeling that desperate need to drink more and more, always wondering where the next drink was coming from. Just one very good drink, no booze, and good company.

Hello saywhen! I don't dare weigh myself. I am sure you will soon have it under control.

Oh Antigrinch I love that! Go you!

Thank you burntnorton one day at a time....

Sorry and welcome hamsterannie!

(Can I just say that, for years, I like, NEVER go out. This isn't like "Oh I am going to all my usual cocktail bars but having mocktails." this is like "OH MY GOD I AM IN A COCKTAIL BAR I AM SO EXCITED LOOK AT THESE YOUNG GLAMOROUS PEOPLE OH MY GOD".)

Thanks burntnorton. Have been wanting to stop for a while now. Sick of waking up on a Saturday lunchtime feeling dog rough and re-doing it on a Saturday night. Was up this morning before 7 raring to go. dp was a bit 'oh' when I bought af beer as I am his drinking buddy. I made an excuse saying may be called into work this morning (and next couple of Saturdays) so hopefully ok there. Not actually said I want to stop but if he sees I can still 'drink' with him I think he will be OK with it. Anyway got a busy day planned. Can go out in car (usually won't drive Saturday or Sunday) for fear of being over the limit. Feeling good one week in. This is it now. This is how I want to continue to feel.

Right. sun's out, wondering what to make for tea, going to crack open a becks blue.

Hamster, I know that awful Saturday feeling. Glad you are feeling good. does your dp drink a lot?

Antigenic. I rarely see much of Saturdays or Sundays due to hangovers and feeling rotten. Dp is my drink buddy but he has a couple (3 at most) beers, which he can nurse over the course of a night. After that he just stops. My problem is, if it's there it needs drinking. I can't seem to stop myself once I start and usually fall asleep on the sofa and he helps me to bed. I have been like this for a long time (over 30 years) and have got to the point where I hate myself. I look much older than I am. Kids have all grown and left home and have own families. Don't know if this is just some mid life crisis but I have felt so much better this week with not drinking and having af beer instead. Will keep it going and see how I get on.

Sounds good, Hamster. the af beer is great in the summer and you only want one. you can have 6 in the fridge but because there's no booze in it, it doesn't set off that crazy thing where you are just a drinking machine.

I've been tired all day today but not ratty with the dcs. It's easier without a hangover. Early to bed tonight.

Good morning all. Had a few moments today thinking I'd love a glass of wine later.

So just to confirm to myself. No. I won't drink today. Day 7.

Hope you all have good days.

That sounds awesome Anti. I was always partial to a whisky sour myself, would be interesting to know what he put in it.

Hope everyone and your families are ok if you are in the London area.

Bit down today myself. Have got into a really bad habit of sitting up to the small hours and still waking up early. Back sore. House is a tip. Worried about a close friend health wise. Still at least there is no hangover. May pull myself together as I've a kid's birthday party to go to. Again, thank heavens no hangover and that to deal with

I'm sorry you are feeling down today burntnorton.

Be kind to yourself- i hope the kids party helps.

My dcs have gone to their father's so I am self medicating missing them with some tea and a bit of chocolate. Actually it isn't really that bad today because we had a good day yesterday and a good morning today so I don't have to beat myself up about missing them AND being tired and shouty with them while they were here.

burntnorton, I don't know about the mocktail but it did have the frothy egg white and I think it had lime and grapefruit. I hope you feel better about everything soon and the party is ok. I know what you mean about staying up late and being tired the next day. I do that too usually. Last night I went to bed at the same time as the dcs though.

Saywhen - day 7. no we won't have a glass of wine later.

Have a good day everyone

Hi all. Another day done (8 days). Longest I've ever done. Unlike most I also drank when pregnant (3 dc - youngest is early 20s). Used to have a Guinness 2 or 3 nights a week that fil would fetch, saying good for the blood. Bloody hell, what was I thinking. Anyway thats passed. Looking at the future now. Possibly having the pink cloud feelings I have read about on this thread but feeling so good at the moment I am going to continue. I am going to aim for 100 days but have about 10 birthdays and a wedding between now and the end of August so will focus on a day at a time.

Hi ladies - HamsterAnnie -get you...well done! It's fantastic to hear you are feeling the benefits already. That in itself is a grweat motivator. I haven't found it tough this weekend. I think the habitual 'craving' phase has passed. I had nothing but diet lemonade this weekend at the pub and quite honestly didn't fancy anything else to drink. Where in the past if I was out of wine by 3PM on Sunday I would make an excuse to nip to the shop and make sure I got another wine in, I made the excuse to go to the shop again yesterday, only this time it was because I couldn't go without my lime cordial. I'd been doing a lot on the house at the weekend and was planning to crash out with the concert on TV on Sunday eve with some lime and soda.

HamsterAnnie my eldest DC is 19 and like you at the time my midwife recommended Mackeson stout once a week for the iron content. Relatives also pointed this out to me. This is what we were encouraged to do to benefit our healyh back then. A glass of wine with sunday roast was meant to be ok...we can't beat ourselves up over it as it was all considered safe and beneficial back then.

Day 8

One month today for me! no hangovers in a month as a result either!

Congratulations tinker!! One month!! Go you!

Day 9 here. Feel a bit fed up. Gained more weight and feel so exhausted (due to sleep of dc)

Guess it would be worse with a hangover too.

Saywhen, I'm sure I'm heavier too...either that or ALL the waistlines on my trousers have shrunk. My Mum told me that when she quit for a while 20 years ago the weught loss would be very gradual. She also mentioned her appetite went up some in the evenings.

Morning all, may I join? I am Day 6. :)

I was drinking madly to cope with depression I think- was on a bottle of wine a day plus a couple of scotches. I spent a week tapering down then stopped and really can NOT believe I am Day 6! Yesterday was a massive struggle, so hoping to join you all (I have been lurking on and off for years!) and get some support.

Morning all.....

Weather here is bloody awful, is it really still June??

Just back from bank to apply for mortgage - hate all this grown up rubbish, soooo overrated!!!

Time for Thai curry, and then off to work again........

Feels a little like a treadmill for now, but hopefully moving will help, just feels very overwhelming at the moment.... but I MUST be saving a small fortune off the booze, so might as well do something useful with it .....

Keep cosy my fellow soberistas...

Hi everyone. I've not posted in a while but I'm still here and still sober. I passed my 100 day target last week. During the past few months have managed to have a couple of family breaks away without wine/gin and a sober birthday (can't remember when that last happened). Whilst there have been a few fleeting moments where I've fancied a drink, I know it would never be just the one (as I don't seem to possess an off switch very often) so I've played it forward and kept going. To anyone just starting out it took weeks for me to really see the benefits in terms of sleep, skin and being able to stay away from biscuits or anything else sweet. I have found in recent months not drinking is now making me look at the broader aspects of my life, I think in the weekly drinking haze this just didn't seem to happen. This I'm finding quite tough as I'm having to feel the associated feelings and deal with them in other ways rather than blurring them with drink but I think I'm slowly getting there. Despite that I definately feel a sober life is so much better not just for me but also for my family. Keep on going everyone, it does feel like all the adverts and everything else tells you why it's ok or even great to drink but I think deep down it takes a real leap of consciousness once you are a drinker to turn away from it and do something different. Onwards...