Things are going well so far. Instead of drinking almost everyday day I’ve been able to use alco free beers most of the time. Drunk twice since NYD. Friday night and last night because it was my birthday… I drank in the house and chose for the first time in years not to go out to the pub to celebrate it. Instead I’ll save my cash to treat myself. Although I did drink in the house, I don’t carry the same guilt as I would have drinking shots and whatever. Not saying I’ll never go a pub again but for now I’m trying get into good habits.
Also using 2 apps now to note moods ect to see the times I feel I want to drink.
Well, it seems like you are getting where you want to very wisely go. 😁👍✊
I am right in saying that you are no longer drinking daily..? If so, that's really really good. I think it takes guts and continuing effort to reduce your drinking to a "safe" level.
You are probably realising that controlling your alcohol intake is all about your will, your goals, and your never ending recognition that each of us is in charge of their own health.
Keep on having faith in your ability to do the right thing for you and your life. 🌻
Thanks so much! Yes I am now so far, able to control my drinking and not drink daily. I think once I was able to talk about my habits ‘honestly’, I was able to then look at all aspects surrounding alcohol.
I am making steps to change. I feel motivated. It’s only been a short time however, day by day step by step I can crack this.
The childrens dad has just changed jobs too so I can now have time some nights to plan activities. I was going canoeing and fell walking, gym ect but was falling into the trap of staying at home..then picking up a drink.
I’d like the next goal to be…losing the alco free drinks, but not just yet!
Hi Moonpig. Really happy for you. 🌻 It's so smart to fill the time with activities, walking, reading, tidy up jobs etc. As those all keep you occupied and active on positive things, rather that drinking more and things getting more negative.
Overcoming the habit of just letting myself fail, and giving into the weekend "party" time fuzziness of drinking took me some time.
It was step by step. It was like me getting a better and tighter grip on those bad habits. And as I saw myself changing my lifestyle, and feeling more in control of my life, I drank less and less and less.
It's a long road Moonpig, but you have made a great start. Keep on, keeping on.
I felt that too for years. My kids have really reined things in for me in lots of ways. And also studying. I’ve studied for 7 years so had that to concentrate on. I’ve felt abit lost since with not going into a career to care for kids for now.
So where are you in your journey now? Sounds like you have made some great progress 😃
Think I’ve already accepted that I’ll be losing friends along the way!
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hello thats great your getting in control, with me when i first stopped for 3 months id hit a rough patch and was drinking wine every night i had PTSD and had to move back to a house where bad stuff happend on my own during lockdown, i had been living with my mam, but had to self issolate,wheras in the past id have few nights off, id got some boxes of wine to stock up and was only taking like half bottle out and drinking at my mams house i used to add hot water, but finding myself in that situation back at my house and in trauma and alone i was shaky and turned to drink it wasnt long before all the boxes were empty, thing is it says on the box lasts 5 weeks 🙄thats never the case with me lol, so i avoid buying them now, ive since sold my house and am back living with mam, i stopped for 3 months because my liver cojnt was high but i was 56 but may be worth you having a blood test, i started drknking none alcohol stuff i had no choice i was under supervision for a while after a few weeks i thought why did i ever drink, at first i was even turning to the none alco when stressed just opening the beer bottle or wine and the smell i found relief it was a comfort thing for me drinking holding the glass knowing it will make me feel better but temporary as my mood the next day was often depressed lethargic etc eventually i went off the none alcohol and liked cocoa chamomile tea is soothing and helps sleep, i hit sweets bad too, well my liver count was ok and got moitored for 6 months 2 years on now and my liver was fine,last blood test in july after i went back to reasonable drinking with occasional binge, and a few nights off, my story frlm NYD is i had 3 nights no alcohol drank thur fri sat bottle wines,mon tues none wed a bottle and last night one glass of 8per cent mulled wine and a small bottle of beer, i didnt evrn fancy a drink last night but i needed it for pain relief, i bought some co codimol on monday but i think its safer to have couple of drinks and more enjoyable, so what im saying is now my problems have gone im nearly normal but a bottle of wine is still classed as a binge, so im going onto lower strength i mixed red wine with none alco mulled wine at xmas, ill look forward to your next update, 🤗
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that’s good that your liver seems to be improved. I asked about blood test but they won’t give me 1. After asking me questions and looking at me they said there’s no reason to suspect your liver isn’t functioning right. I did a home test which came back fine but who not how reliable they are. Sorry to hear of your traumatic past. Do you seek support for this ? I’m hoping therapy helps me deal with some things.
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i had coumcelling but she was often off she was having councelling too lol i then decided on cognitive therapy by phone,someone rang me up and helped change my mindset i had to write doen my triggers what made me want to drink, i realise the urge goes if i just distract and said when i swam it was very helpful put me on health mode, i walk in park now and i find if im relaxed n tired on a night im often fine just laid watching tv snug with my cat i am afraid of living alone again i dont trust myself still, my house well my old house was just across road from.a shop so that didnt help🙄
im 59 in august im seeing my friend tomorror shes 59 saturday it flys by, i have a friend who has alcohol nuropathy it damadges the nervous system but he drank heavy for 5 years, it actually helps me to look on the liver site on here and hear there stories of alcohol damage, i think my health anxiety has kept my drinking from been consistant i hardly drank when had a job but covid took that 🙄its surprising i rang AA and they said lot of the people there had developed problems from drinking during lockdown i wanted to go again but dont want to worry my mam,
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would your mam be more worried of you seeking group support than dealing with it alone at home? I’m all for the AA if that’s what’s needed for people. It’s definitely harder when situations changes, like loss of some kind. Like I have said before, my loss has been the studying. I was also trapped in a relationship that left me quiet isolated. I’ve since got back on my feet and trying to find new areas to occupy my time.😊
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we went together after my drinking escalated few yrs ago but as there wernt many places i got a lift out of town i seemed to be cured well temp for 3 months,after one meeting think it was there prayers and strange tbing is we parked outside a pub called the angel, the ladies drjving wasnt good we were terrified and as i felt i was in top of it i never went back decided to wait until more opend near by if needed, she thinks im ok i dont buy much alcohol now but have sneaked some in many times and had when shes gone up to her room she likes to watch tv upstairs as the boilers in there and its very warm, if i tell her i want to go AA she will be following me about every where like before, and that in itself will stress me out, she was even worried about the cocodimol, thing with AA you go to stop and then you get a list of people to ring if need drink and i dont want anyone ringing me up like that, so i plod on as i am😕🌟
Well, I was the typical social drinker, good in the week, but prone to bingeing at weekends, but also when I had "tough times" I would self med with red wine. I can't drink a lot, a bottle is enough to get me beyond tipsy. But then weekends started on Thursdays, and then during covid all bets were off. But about a year ago, I started to realise, just like you, things were going all wrong and felt out of control. Always late, always tired, tasks all building up, getting irritable, being more withdrawn ( which is not me at all ) I knew I was drinking too much, too regularly. I think it impacted my health, as I now have a vitamin deficiencies under investigation. Suspected B12 and B1. Alcohol rips the vitamins from your system it seems. Though I pride myself on eating well. For a while I kidded myself that if I took a few days off the wine, all would be good But each Friday night, I knew I was defeating myself. Now, I don't drink. Simply as that.
I stopped in Jan 2021 for a month, but was soon I back to bad habits. I had a long time friend who was always Out-Out, and I had to tell her my party times were over. We just What's App now. I stopped for nearly all of July when we walked a chunk the SW Coastal Path. October for two weeks, then started again on my Birthday. Stopped on the 20th Dec 2022. And I am now telling folks I am doing dry January. I have loads of deflection strategies now.. But it's really dry 2023 for me. I also know now, that I am defo NOT drinking on my Birthday, to celebrate anything, if am sad it's zero % Ciders, if its a Wedding,a Partay, a Hen etc. ..I am now Sensible Susan.
My life, my health, my family, my happiness, my life.
That’s amazing that you have have that mindset now. It’s sad that relationships do/will disappear but we have to weigh up what is important to us. I was bought a bottle of spirits for my birthday …a bottle of wine for Xmas..so that on its own shows that people associate my personality with alcohol, or it’s just the easy option. Moving forward …i will be asking friends not to buy me alcohol as gifts, though once appreciated.
Wishing you well for the positive move forward 😃
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yes my mam bought me a bottle of really nice red wine fruity i put it in her room so it was safe until xmas lol 😁exept i had a glass for pain relief and a relax and poured it in her bedroom in front of her then took it down, its been hard this winter with the cold air and now the radiators leaking but were sorting it it was warmer last night as we were able to turn it on i thought shall i have cocodimol or try the alco mulled wine i got for 2 pound lol it was ok but not my cuppa tea id rather have a cuppa tea lol 😁
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have you tried CPD products for pain relief? My ex used this and came away codine based pills for his fibromyalgia 😃 There are also drinks that have CPD in them. He used drops but the drinks look ok. I am thinking of trying them too!
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thanks what is it called the alert never showed up again just seen it 🙄
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CPD ? There are drops, drinks and all kinds to help. 😃
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oh drinks i can put bit alco in then lol😂
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😂 I guess. It’s CBD not CPD lol
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lol i looked it up and found this 😂🤔click to see full size
😟😂
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😂 yeah it’s CBD it’s cannabis oil but you don’t get high …I think lol
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shame lol well my conition is a nerve problem so i need something to relax my nervous system i guess thats why ive had slight releafe whrn had cocodimol in past as it tends to make me a bit tired, well i never told you a thing ive done i read it takes 2 weeks to get rid of a habit and de programme the mind and when ive been having too much i decide to go for the 2 week challenge thing is so i also read it takes about 3 months but i guess it depends what you read, when i stopped drinking the first time i guess it was about 2 werks to not be that bothered i guess were all different, i used to eat a lot of cheese and chocolate many years ago until my mam got cholestrol blocks in her arteries and 2 heart attacks i was ten stone and my gut bacteria had a reaction to the extra mature chedder i developed a inflamed colon i starved myself for 6 weeks almost,just before mam had her attack, i gave up everything and knowing about saturated fat my weight went right down im now just under nine stone, this was about 8 years on my 5oth birthday, i had one last alcohol binge back then a bottle red wine then i stopped apart from 2 more binges caused by a horrible woman, my mam used to like a drink not much but every night and stopped afyer her heart attack, thing is i think its people well mainly those that have addictive personalities i dont, i had one night last week on a cocoa night lol one piece of choc orange i had decided to not replace alcohol with chocolate id normally have 3 or 4 pieces, as for maltessers there banned lol 2 high in sat fat i can stop at half a box no less 😂
codine is a opioid, I’m sure you know that. That’s why the drowsiness comes in and can also become addictive. I’ve used neproxen in the the pain for severe pain …prescription not over counter. It’s basically a stronger ibuprofen. So anti inflammatory!
when I was studying, I read it takes 21 days for something to become a habit or for a habit to disappear but can’t send you the source 🙈
I’m enjoying not eating all the junk associated with alcohol.my gut feels better in the mornings. But I do seem to eat more through day which is weird!
Try to think of your health as a motivator. I have a friend who drank everyday and then had Liver failure and threw up PINTS of blood and barely pulled through. Looks slightly yellow and the veins could pop again and another bleed out, because the damage is done, its permanent. He is now a walking time bomb for total health failure. Scary stuff !
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