Brave babes are still here: sping / summer / autumn / winter There is always someone around

[venusandmars]

This topic had being going for years and years and years. Maybe almost as long as some people have been struggling with drinking.

We are still here. Supporting, encouraging, helping. Never judging, never minimising our problems.

If you want to catch up, our last thread is HERE

And if you want to follow everything from the start, the very first thread from 9 years ago is RIGHT HERE

You can join in anytime. Everyone is welcome. Whether you are trying to cut down, abstain completely , or are simply acknowledging that you might have a problem... Post what you want.

Do you use a slow cooker? Prep everything the evening before and put it in the fridge, then stick it on in the morning. When you get home it's all ready to eat, just a short time to cook veg. Then you don't have all that time in the kitchen chopping and stirring when you're hungry and tired (and when you're thinking that opening a bottle of wine while you're cooking would be a good idea).

Or put something ready-made in the oven and then get out of the kitchen! Go for a walk, groom the dog, do a project with the children, drink lots of water / tea. Return to the kitchen only when the food is ready.

At the weekend I often cook in the morning. I can then enjoy the afternoon out and have a simple prep / reheat for dinner. Long Sunday afternoons in the kitchen were my nemesis . That habit had to go.

venus - rhymes with genius 《 in my world 》

Slow cooker - 💡
Morning prep - 💡

All down to forward planning. [ facepalm ]

Huge thanks.

I head to bed really early, and I mean really early. It feels like my safe place and I don’t drink there.
It’s my birthday tomorrow and I have asked DH to get Nosecco or AF beer. It’s all a bit fucking boring though...I’m losing the love for being sober.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow

Sober birthdays suck arse but think of how virtuous you will feel? It is a massive achievement to have a sober birthday. Make it a choice not a punishment?

And then when I am bemoaning a sober 40th, you can come and trot out some cliches to me

Seriously though. Making the choice not to drink on a day you would normally always drink is empowering. Best of luck!!

Second sober birthday just happened. It gets easier! Honest!

Happy Birthday @dementedma !

Well hooray I’ve managed a 5 day streak! I am shocked I haven’t shown any withdrawal symptoms lads, I was out of control. 2 bottles of wine most nights and sometimes , occasionally even 3!

(I’d usually pass out though and finish the bottle off around 5am, I’d have started around 3pm the day before in those instances)

DISCLAIMER - That was my experience but I knew what to look for and was willing to seek medical help if anything at all concerned me. Experiences can vary!

Sorry just thought I’d put that in. Tbh I love wine, I would never have drank the same volume of alcohol in any other form.

Ideally I would love to moderate and just drink on the special occasions I mentioned yesterday but right now I’m not risking it. I am finding the further away I am from drinking the less I am missing it. I didn’t even make myself a special AF drink last night and just drank bog standard tea!

@dementedma Happy Birthday

Agree that not drinking can be fucking boring, the dark evenings are so loo...ooong this time of year.

Lovely DH and I are going to get some board (sic) games from the charity shop to try and alleviate our dull routine of dinner, TV, bedtime.

KOKO

Happy birthday @dementedma

That’s a good plan @TurnStone we have board games here!

Happy birthday ma 🎉💐

Happy Birthday @dementedma I hope you had a good AF one

I have had a throbbing headache the past two days which seems odd after 16 days AF. Still having some problems with a very slow digestive system but hopefully that will sort itself out soon. Better than what used to happen when I drank too much anyway

Keep Going Lads!!!

Happy birthday Ma. Hope you’re having fun.
I know what you mean re boredom. I’m ok, doing fine and not seriously tempted to drink but I’m itching to Do Something and I’m not sure what. I’m also totally awash in Becks blue.

Anyone done One Year No Beer? It took over my FB timeline with adverts (can’t imagine why) and predictably enough I signed up. Feeling a bit conned already - the daily emails I could write myself standing on my head blindfold and playing the bagpipes and the online community is - well, it just isn’t the bus, put it that way. I don’t mean to knock it and I will take any help I can get, but it just all feels a bit corporate.

How is everyone doing? It’s a tricky time for dry jan’ers - excitement and newness start to wear off and the reality, which is dull and scratchy, kicks in. But still, it is so worth it. I’m trying to name 3 different positives about sobriety every day and really think about their benefits. I think it could take years to work through them all.

@smallfox I almost caved in over the weekend and joined One Year No Beer (despite all the scary people running marathons and doing all sorts of fitness shite!)

But I found a breakaway free group of people originally on with OYNB called Sober Inspired Pirates. Here’s the story behind them.

oynbpirates.blogspot.com/2019/12/

Come and join Sober Inspired Pirates (the new name)

Thanks all. Dry birthday done and dusted with barely a flicker. Bloody hell.
bleary well done on the 5 day streak from your previous level and thank you for bringing “lads” into the bus vocabulary. I don’t know why but it genuinely makes me chuckle every single time!

Thanks Bleary - that’s very interesting and I will join.
I always feel disloyal on any thread other than this one, oddly! But I need any help I can get.

I'm loving the 'lads' too. Feels a much better fit for me than anything girlie related. And tbh I'm not much of a 'babe' either I think lads should become the agreed non-gender specific term for every group of people.

smallfox good to see you around.

Well done everyone who is keeping on. And to anyone who is lurking or feels they have fallen off the bus: please, please, don't worry. Don't give up. Post your failures as well as your successes - it's all part of this thread.

I'm a complete and utter FB novice. If I become a member of SIP, will my "friends" be able to see?

I'm actually only on FB due to my DC3 disability (I am a member of a few groups) and don't have RL family and friends on my FB.... but I'd absolutely hate for anyone in my child's disability groups to see I'm a member of SIP (if that makes sense?)

Hey @dementedma, that’s amazing! Can’t take credit for “lads”I think it was @2020newme as we joined the thread the same time - ish I picked it up from her.

Nobody should see you on that group Crunchymum as far as I am aware.

@SmallFox i wasted about £250 on something similar to One Year No Beer last year ...The Sober School with Kate something, it was all teaching your Granny to suck eggs stuff.

It’s a private group so your friends won’t see you post in there btw (just been googling) unless they are in there themselves.

The alternate is to create a sock Facebook account I guess but nobody has noticed me in any sober groups. Team Sober Uk is also great.

I don’t post that much (I’ve replied to a post and that’s it) anyway. I post more here under the total anonymity cloak. I’m happy to give my Facebook name away though if anyone wants to know.

I like posting here 😄 hence all the ones tonight! Off to bed now lads 🥰

Lol! I mean to give my Facebook (ie real) name to another regular poster here who PMs me that is!

Morning!
I've just a brilliant driving lesson today. One step nearer to my test. I couldn't have done this without you guys on here helping me to get AF. A whole new life awaits because of you lot!!! You can all have a wear of the smock of smug today 🙂

No - Lads was @SoberMeTimbers

Still Ok here. Lost 7lbs this month through not drinking and not eating shite.

Out on Sunday but have already committed to driving and also told the friend I would not be drinking and she said she isn't drinking at the moment either so that should make it easier. Still not easy though. Keep it going lads.

I thought this was supposed to get easier! Had it nailed yesterday, sober birthday no problem. Today was toughest day yet. Cravings were so strong. Made it by going to bed at 8pm. I hate this.

Cracked!

No, I haven’t opened the wine, I took 2 Dulco Lax earlier 😆

Sorry you are having a tough day @dementedma. I know you find going to bed really early a way of coping but have you tried anything else at times? I’m guessing you’ve been on these threads a while as you went to Mint’s wedding? When did you last have a drink?