Dry Babes Just Starting

[babycow38]

Hello, I'm wanting to start to put the booze on the back burner, start to live life without it, I've perhaps like you posted on the Brave Battle Bus but because they have been going so long felt a bit "not in the club" so am starting our own stay sober thread, absolutely nothing wrong with Brave Battles just think I needed a brand new place to start with women who have lurked and have felt overwhelmed.
This thread is for you if you feel you are drinking too much, too wrong, or just don't like how you are with the drink.
Let's have an honest, non judgemental place here x

Welcome, new people and BRILLIANT 8SV

D2 is fantastic! I am right behind you- also on day 2 as nothing last night. I had work to do. If I have an absorbing task, I don’t get so bored...

Slept a bit better and less anxious. Had a lovely sex dream which I like to think as a perk!

Really want to keep it up a bit longer...

Well done 8SandV. Glad you are feeling better and hope you are feeling even better this morning.

Welcome Nightowl and Moneyissue.

at your sex dream littlepill. Definitely a perk!

No alcohol for me last night as DH wasn’t here so was always going to be easy. Went to bed early with a new book and read for ages. Slept through and woke with the alarm.

I need to keep this up as I desperately need to lose weight. Am going to Australia in November and will be sharing a hotel room with two friends, I snore. I’m sure it’s weight related. And alcohol. DH moans at me. So extra incentive. Otherwise I will feel the need to have my own room which will significantly add to the cost.

Hi everyone, thank you for this thread, I have joined specifically to join in, hope that’s ok! Feels like a bit of a sign for me as I know I need to majorly cut down my drinking. I am also a bottle of red a night person (on average) seems a popular choice. A bit about me, I have 2 kids, but both are grown now. No partner but happy with that at this moment in time! But I guess none of that helps me not to drink, I spend most evenings alone and wouldn’t say i’m lonely but the issue more so is that there’s no one to comment on my drinking, or to support me to not drink. So it gets to 5 or 6pm (my “allowed” time to start drinking) and my willpower not to is zero.

My big problem, unlike some have mentioned, is that I don’t get a good nights sleep without drink. With drink i’m asleep by 10pm and sleep soundly and solidly until my alarm goes off at 7. Without drink, I lie awake till 2 or 3am, fall into a fitful sleep and feel exhausted and awful all day long. I have a stressful job and trying to get through the day feeling so tired is torture. So i’m stuck in a vicious cycle that I don’t know how to break.

Thanks everyone.

@Storm would you consider a sleeping aid/tablet to get yourself into a routine? I've insomnia since I was a kid. A xanax normally sorts me out.

Well today was good. I'm currently moving (part of the huge decision I made yesterday) and came across half a bottle of wine. I threw it out 😀

Day #3

Hi everyone I'd like to join. I am currently on day 4 of no booze. The tricky part will be the weekend. Am going to try the tonic water with a slice idea. Am turning down an invitation to the pub tomorrow which is sad because I haven't been out with my friends for weeks. But I know my will power can't take the temptation. Will go out with my brother on Saturday but he's also not drinking now due to similar problems so hopefully that'll be enough.

Everyone is doing well, it seems... I am on day 4, too. Was invited to pub but turned it down. Going tomorrow, but even if I drink, it is still better than a bottle of wine every night. Will aim for dry Saturday, then meeting a friend on Sunday which will be risky.

Scabby I think I am running parallel to you. It's a great feeling to turn the temptation into a power, and to overcome the craving. Hope that keeps you going over the next few days...

8salt you're doing well, too! Chucking out wine, wow! Freeze it? You are good!

Cider Hope you are ok! Yes, sex dream was nice!

I am noticing the cloud leaving me, and I am feeling less needy, generally. Great that the sun is out. I love not feeling guilty in the mornings, too, my school runs are more pleasant.

AND a bottle of wine is £5 a day, at least, yes? Better to spend it on make up and nicer dinners...

#5 but it's Friday . I wouldn't mind if I could moderate, but don't think I can. So I'll have to be good.

Hope everyone is doing well.

... And I have a confession which is my friend wanted a chat and she poured a couple of small glasses of white for me last night. BUT I resisted the urge to have more when I came home! And they were tiny glasses....

Going to the pub in a mo but my point is to try to moderate it. I reckon 3 week nights off was ok. Just need to keep a handle on it over the next few days...

Well done 8salt! Good luck to all...

Well done Littlepill. Wish there was a little pill that would make moderation easy.

Ha! Me too, 8salt Maybe the secret lies in Salt & Vinegar crisps?
Chin up. Hope you are ok.

Went to pub with friends last night. Half a bottle of white and then a large glass. Was vv sozzled but I guess it's an ok ish amount.

Helps me to list on here. Will aim for alcohol-free tonight...

Hi everyone, I'm joining too. I've been sober for 16 days, 27m & 30s I downloaded an app!

Like a lot of others, I was drinking a bottle of wine a night, my last drink was a 3rd of a ltr of Jack Daniels, which i decided would be better than wine. In the past I've stopped drinking for almost a year with help from the Soberistas website. I've also read the Jason Vale book and others, however I start up again thinking I can control my drinking and stick to 2 glasses of wine like a 'normal' person, but I can't.

16 days ago I braved a women only AA meeting and I think that is the way to go for me, with support from threads like this. I haven't been to any more meetings yet as I was self medicating in the last couple of months and crashed into a depression when I stopped drinking. I can't be around people when I'm like this so have basically avoided people for the last few weeks. Thankfully I have sorted out medication and am coming out the other side now. I might even attend a meeting today.

What helps me when I stop drinking is Erdinger (a 0.5% beer type drink) and Rawsons Retreat 0.5% red wine.

and hugs for everyone on their journey x

Wow, that is a great post, Bixg, thank you for sharing this.

I was previously sober for a couple of years, and often think back to that time. It became easier to just stay off it, than to moderate it with "a couple of glasses" like normal drinking.

Can you tell us more about the women only AA meetings? What happens? Can you dip in/out once you start?

I was always adamant that I wouldn't join AA as I pictured a lot of down and outs attending (so wrong!). The day after downing loads of JD I just google AA in the city I live in and there happened to be a women's only meeting that night so I decided to give it a go.

They were sooo friendly and welcoming. You don't have to say "I'm Bix and I'm an alcoholic", you don't have to share, you don't have to believe in God. As it was I did speak, but mainly cried throughout the meeting as I identified a bit with all the other women's stories and I just got overwhelmed.

The ages were from early 20's to 70's/80 odd. They happily shared their numbers with me and some have checked I'm ok but are not in your face. I will go back this week.

I felt weird after the meeting, kind of anxious and hopeful, but mainly anxious. I was worried about what people would think if I told them I'd joined AA. I've only told my sister (and now MN!). I don't need to tell anyone else at the moment.

I do want to do the steps, but I haven't started them yet, apart from admitting I have a problem.

You can dip in and out of AA meetings. Some women had stayed sober for years, some had fallen on and off the wagon, a lot were fairly new to AA. It was quite funny as there seem to be some 'great' meetings (i.e. in well to-do areas with incense and meditations) and more basic ones in a bare room with chairs (like the one I was in). Some of the women were comparing venues and saying 'oh you must try the one in so and so...' it just struck me as quite funny that there can be almost fashionable AA venues.

The sun is out and I'm so tempted to walk to the shop and buy wine. I'm just trying to remind myself of the sheer horror I felt at the beginning of the week.

It's desperate but I've no hobbies. Going out drinking/socialising is what made me happy. I don't want to join a club or start painting/knitting. What a mess.

I also can't imagine my life without alcohol as in, weddings, big events. It just seems so incredibly boring.

Awww salt I know this pain. Sometimes a glass of Schloer in a wine glass hits the spot & maybe some olives or crisps - you can afford extra calories when it’s not wine!

I am bored. Waiting for phone call and then want to respray some garden chairs. Nice to be busy

I'm lying on my bed eating a Kit Kat. I turn into a savage when I'm not drinking.

Ha ha! You inspired me to get some s&v crisps out of my car boot (after school snack) and now also lying on bed....

Twitter can be absorbing. Any good? Or Private Eye. The typeface is so small that I can't possibly be pissed AND read it

Mmm I love salt and vinegar crisps. The co op ones are so strong they make me sweat. I'm addicted to those. Am still hanging on I'm happy to say. It was hard last night missing out on a night out but I feel relieved I didn't go now. And bought some new sandals instead of spending it in the local. Have joined the alcoholexperiment.com (sorry can't do linkage) Thank you to the poster who shared that previously.
I am wondering if I can get through the bank holiday camping trip coming up with my old heavy drinking friends from back in the day

Ooh. What's private eye?

@Scabby I'd find that extremely hard. Have you a plan of action? Alcohol free beers maybe?

It's a satirical current affairs magazine... quite funny.
Yes I am really not sure how to deal with it. Camping goes so well with drinking

I got alcohol free wine when I was going to a large family event where everyone would be lashing into the good stuff . It sort of worked in the sense I felt like I was having a drink, except I wasn't getting drunk and it was a disgusting wine

I'm in bed and I'm half asleep. Started new medication for anxiety during the week and my insomnia seems to have taken a hike.

I am really unsure that alcohol free wines and beers would work for me because I think they would trick my brain into thinking I was drinking again and it is my brain which is addicted to booze more so than my body. That's just me though. I am on ADs and they're working better without alcohol definitely. Have had a really quiet weekend which is ok but not sure how I will deal with going to the pub next week (I play in a pub band)

I want to go to the pub and watch the match. I don't like football. Any excuse?! My kind of ex, kind of boyfriend and baby daddy arrived here at 1.30am steaming drunk. I didn't let him in the bed. He slept at the bottom

Hi all. I’m still here.

Didn’t drink Tues/Wed/ Thurs. All good. Then DH came back on Friday. Drank too much Friday night. Usual gin and tonic and then red wine. Had the same last night but less red wine. I slept all night which is a sign I didn’t have too much.

I’m planning on just having two glasses of red with dinner tonight. Then DH is away again from tomorrow.

I haven’t found a decent alcohol free wine. I did drink low alcohol white wine with lots of soda water for a long time. I might start that again. I also have some alcohol free ‘gin’ - Seedlips. You can get it on Amazon. It’s not exactly like gin but is nice with tonic and ice and lots of lime.

I keep thinking I need to break the association of DH being here and cooking and chatting with alcohol. When I do the low alcohol spritzers I do still feel like it’s our normal routine. But then I get greedy! I feel I’m missing out on proper wine.