Hello all. Been lurking for a couple of weeks now so thought it was time to say hi.
I'm on day 13 AF today. I decided after a particularly heavy Saturday night 2 weeks ago today that enough was enough. Had the horrors big time on the Sunday, was supposed to run 14km at 8am but that didn't happen. I actually went out and did it after lunchtime but it was hard! Currently training for a half marathon. Also, I've recently had a breast cancer scare, I have bad family history and I know that the link between BC and alcohol is v strong so it's another box ticked in the list of reasons to give up.
I don't think/consider myself an alcoholic but maybe I'm kidding myself. I probably drank 4 maybe 5 nights a week, sometimes only 1 or 2 vodka and diet coke sometimes a whole bottle of wine, sometimes both. The last evening of drinking I drank about 8 shots of vodka and half a bottle of prosecco. I threw the rest away in disgust the morning after.
I really think that as a nation our attitiude and ideas about alcohol have changed so much in the last 20 years or so. I don't remember my parents drinking at home unless they had dinner guests. They never drank alone and rarely went to the pub, we used to go maybe once or twice a year on holiday. It is so normal now to drink daily, so accepted.
I saw a natropath a few years ago and we were talking about alcohol. He made a comment that has stayed with me ever since. He said, that if he had come home from school on a Monday and his Mum had opened a bottle of wine they would be pretty much calling her an alcoholic or carting her off in a straight jacket! It's true, 40 years ago it would have been so socially unacceptable to do this, now its pretty much the norm.
I've just finished Mrs D is going Without, today I've started The Sober Diaries.
I had a copy of the Jason Vale book but I leant it to someone and they never returned it. I might buy it again as it was pretty good, easy reading and he is quite inspiring. I've met him, a friend knows him quite well, he speaks a lot of sense about booze. I don't agree with all he says but some of it is pretty good.
Last night I went to Waitrose and bought some alcohol free Bavarian wheat beer, it is really nice. I've also bought some craft sodas to have. I would have never have drunk them before, all the sugar etc (didn't seem to bother me that alcohol is full of sugar!) but they are delicious. The fentimans rose lemonade is delicious. I had a mocktail at dinner in a restaurant this week which was also really really nice. Decent glassware and ice etc makes it feel grown up and nice.
My DH says I shouldn't think of it as forever, one day at a time. I'm a bit of an all or nothing person though at times. Think he is worried he is loosing his drinking buddy! I'm hoping my giving up will make him think twice too. He drinks more than me and has less AF days. The last 2 weeks he does seem to have slowed down a bit which is no bad thing.
Anyway enough of my ramblings! Hope everyone is doing ok tonight.