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

Hi how did everyone’s weekend go? I haven’t been very well for a few days so I managed to stay alcohol free this weekend. During the week isn’t such a problem for me as I am here on my own with the children and no one else is drinking.

I might try and get some low alcohol wine for those times when you don’t want to make it obvious you are not drinking. I think I last had that about 20 years ago and remember it being vile. Hopefully technology has moved on a little.

Evening all. @Cider I will I could moderate like that. It just seems like once I get the taste I'm away...

Went for dinner with DP (gonna call him that for the moment anyway ) and our DS. It had wine displayed all over the walls. I had a Fanta. I think I might have had wine though if DS and DP weren't with me. Why am I such an idiot? I feel a million times better without alcohol but yet I crave it and think of the next time I'd be able to have some.

A few things are helping me stick to it.

1 I need to lose weight
2 I am saving money
3 I don’t want to stop totally, if I don’t cut down I may have to.
4 My parents and inlaws drink excessively. I want to set a better example for my children.

I'm in. Used to be part of the Dry threads years ago and stopped for a year at one stage but I have noticed in the past six months my drinking is starting to spiral again. Classic binge drinker but the binges have become much more frequent - stressful new job, relationship break up, rejected by someone I fell in love with. The usual excuses and drinking makes me particularly maudlin and sad with the last one.

I do have a night out planned in a few weeks that I'm giving myself a pass for but hopefully on the whole I can cut back majorly by holding myself accountable on this thread so thanks for starting it

I put on weight when I don't drink. I think alcohol just runs through me (literally), and I rarely eat when drinking. My metabolism must be weird

I'm exactly the same SandV. I rarely get hungry when drinking, completely knocks my appetite away.

I think I am both a binge drinker and an every day drinker
Basically a drinker. Have noticed after a week that I feel clearer headed. Had a lovely weekend with DS and we played tennis for the first time in a while.

Snap Scabby. I never really drank until I was 28, I'm 38 now. I had the odd few and never at home. Life stresses and relationships made me turn to alcohol. It made any pain go away and then turned into a habit. It's such a powerful drug and I obviously can't respect that.

Got through the weekend, not without lots of thoughts of maybe I will have some. I'm a week today and just thinking this time last week I was in a right mess.

Hello! Catching up with all your posts.

Weekend was so-so.
Last week

Nothing Mon-Wed, on Thurs I had drinks with elderly friend and she bought a bottle of wine especially for me, so had 2 small glasses with her
Fri - pub with friends 1/2 bottle then 1 large glass
Sat - nothing
Sun - whole bottle of prosecco

Still better than a bottle a night, huh?

8SV You did so well to get through dinner out just drinking Fanta! Especially if wine notices were on the walls...

Scabby I am the same: both binge and daily drinker. Seem to have sorted the daily thing out a bit and I notice my binges are then less marked...

Cider is though with partner there/away. Alc free wines are really hard to find and sometimes I found they made it worse. How was the alc-free gin? I like Schloer with the cork as a prosecco substitute and the red wine, or grape juice, for wine sub.

Belindabelle Sorry you've not been well. Good idea for low-alc wine. If I have a friend coming for fizz, I pour out lambrusco (4-5%) for mine!

Another day.... arghhh will be hard this week. Meeting friend for drinks on Friday.

Keeping busy seems key. I do some online work and naturally keep sober for that (naturally meaning - it naturally keeps me not thinking about wine). My painting chairs project kept me going, as did Private Eye reading. I do a course one evening a week but we have taken to meeting in the pub afterwards. Driving helps. If I have to collect a child, I know I have to stay sober.... problem is I have no kids this week...

@Littlepill That is definitely better than 1 bottle a night.

I'm here battling with myself not to put wine into my online shopping order.

Thanks, S&V! Put something else in - nice magazine/book/bath bomb?

They have an offer on the wine I like. 6 bottles for €40. Ordering closes at 12, trying to keep myself busy.

Got passed the cut off point. I really didn't want it as much as I wanted it 😀

Well done on resisting. The wine will still be there in a while and you will enjoy it all the more.

I can't have white wine in the house.

WELL DONE S&V! Very well done!
It's letting that moment pass, isn't it? Very impressed!

Thanks everyone. I am really happy with myself. It is only a small step, but it's one I've always talked myself into.

Anyone else having mad dreams? I keep dreaming about wine and my family being upset and then more wine. It's bloody awful. Although it's helping me avoid.

8SV I agree about it being such a powerful drug. I definitely don't respect it. I can't seem to drink in a healthy way like two drinks then stop. I drink on my own in the week due to boredom and stress then to 'reward' myself for working and being single parent I go out on a weekend and hit it hard. Then sometimes drink through the hangover ffs.
little pill glad I'm not the only one.
I think alcohol has been presented to us as a good thing though and it's opened my eyes to see the normalisation of it in media.

Hi all,

Can I join. I’ve read a lot of the brave babes thread on and off for the last few months, while trying to convince myself I don’t really have a problem.

But think it’s time to admit I do. I can happily only drink of a Friday and Saturday night but once I start I can’t stop.

I have 2 young children and spend my weekends snapping at them as I’m hungover and I hate it. Every Monday I say i’ll not have anything the next weekend, but then Friday arrives and it’s s vicious circle

@User1471 Welcome I've done the drinking through a hangover all too often. I've one DC and he's too young to realise I was hungover, so I need to nip that in the bud for him at least. I always squirm reading posts from people with experiences of alcoholic parents. Mine and yours don't deserve that.

@Scabby I think you are me! Any stresses and I'd turn for a drink. Then anything good, I'd have to celebrate with a drink.

For me, I think I need to come up with new ideas about what being bored actually is. Evenings are the worst, I'm not a fan of TV but I might put a bit of effort in to finding something I like. Love Island is back soon, that was great last year.

I spent €30 on fecking sweets and crisps on Sunday night

Haha 8SV you may be right! Also- I bought loads of chocolate and sweets yesterday. Felt very close to having a drink. There is still a beer in the fridge maybe I'll chuck it. I remember when I gave up smoking there was a period when I kept buying tobacco and having to throw the whole packet away. To beat the boredom I have plugged the laptop into the telly and am watching old jazz performers. Also tackling the garden (when it's not raining).

I'll have to stay off Facebook today as many of my friends will be beating the drums for Wine Wednesday If I wasn't so greedy and had a bit of control I could be attending, but I've prooven countless times that I can't. Feck

Keep strong, 8SV!

When I started cutting down at first I turned into a right carb monster. Bread, crisps and chocolate were the worst. Now I am a few weeks in I am trying to address that and lose a bit of weight.

For these first weeks I would just eat whatever you like to keep yourself on track. The alcohol will do more damage than the sweets longterm so cut yourself some slack.

I was taking the sweet and crisp eating to the next level

I'm still AF, anytime I was tempted to buy wine I thought of the horrific withdrawal after my bender this time 2 weeks ago. Hoping my memory doesn't fade on that!

Hope everyone is doing well.