The upcoming holiday season...

[BlondeAFAmbition]

The upcoming holiday season...

Ditto on the dog and not the kid, DG. PS, I have a part beagle myself, she is also part Jack Russell and part psycho. And she always has a great Christmas, since she is the center of attention all day long. Well, that also goes for most days...lol!

Nelz, right on about the empty calories. I am so ashamed at how many I have had in the years of drinking AL. It has absolutely no nutritional value. Just sugar and poison to your liver. I work in the natural health world...you'd think I would have stopped long before this. Well, better late than never. We should start a list of holiday AL FREE cocktails. I'm naming my previously mentioned one Pink Pointsettia (splash of cranberry juice, sparkling water (I get the flavored ones with no calories made by Polar. There is one called Cranberry Lime that I am going to use for this one), a slice of lime and a few fresh cranberries thrown in for good measure. Serve ice cold in a wine or champagne glass. Voila! Any other ideas?

[Doggygirl]

The upcoming holiday season...

Blonde - you have officially made me thirsty! I need to find whatever that Cranberry Lime stuff is you are talking about!

DG

[lolab]

The upcoming holiday season...

2 dogs here...and a kid too! and doggiegirl he's 13 and half the time I can't tell what HE'S sayin...:H

sunshine and rainbow...I agree...the wind down at the end of the day with my boy is what I'm looking forward to the most....I'm always crashed out by then...:-(

Blondie..(I like that, doggy) We go through so many of those blue cans - it's crazy!!! I love the polar selzer and so does my whole family....I like it with a splash of something too - pomegranate or that san pellegrino limonata...YUM! I'm not a fan of sweet drinks and like Nelz, the little bite that you get with it is really good.

[lolab]

The upcoming holiday season...

oh woops - you didn't call her blondie, I came up with that all on my own! :H

[lolab]

The upcoming holiday season...

bumping this up. Holidays are closer now!

I was 1 month AF when I started this - and for anyone wondering - I'm not worried anymore - approaching 2 months AF....a few weeks has done so much for the way I feel about drinking. I'm actually very much looking forward to an AF holiday season!

[BlondeAFAmbition]

The upcoming holiday season...

That's awesome Lolab! I, too, am feeling much stronger about not having AL be a part of my holidays this year. I'm glad a I came back to MWO just in time to build up confidence in that regard. We were talking about substitutes for AL drinks for the holidays and I had mentioned my beloved selzter water (Polor Brand) and I was delighted when a found a display of new holiday flavors in the drugstore yesterday...including Pumpkin Spice, Eggnog, Cinnamon, Candy Cane and Granny Smith Apple...I tried 2 of them yesterday and I must say they are quite tasty. I think I will stock up on more (especially the Pumpkin one...I am a lover of all things pumpkin) and bring a few bottles with me next week. An added bonus, these are calorie free (I will probably save over a thousand calories drinking this and not wine on TG, they are flavored naturally, sodium free and no carbs! Plus they are el cheapo...about a buck a bottle for a decent size. So if those of you on the selzter train haven't found them yet, I suggest seeking some out as they are great and it kind of puts back the longing of a holiday drink since they are kind of "special" for this time of year if you know what I mean.

For the first time since I've quit drinking, I see myself as living through the holidays AF. If I can do this, I think I will be in the free and clear. The holidays always seemed like an excuse to drink but I am using the visual of "fast forward to hungover" and that's really doing the trick!

Good luck all and thanks Lolab for resurrecting this thread just before TG!

[lolab]

The upcoming holiday season...

you're doing great Blondie! Arm yourelf with those selzer bottles! :H

We've been buying the 12 packs of cans of plain Polar by the boatload since February...LOL I tried some flavor but I'm just not a "flavored" kind of girl...I prefer to add a little pom juice or something to my plain...my latest passion is a can of selzer with about a quarter of a can of the san pellegrino limonata...oooh that stuff's tart! I don't drink soda so I am a bit challenged in this area.

[BlondeAFAmbition]

The upcoming holiday season...

Oooo, that San Pelle with the seltzer sound GOOOOOD! I must try that...we sell San P at the store I manage. But I never tried it cause I thought it was sweet. Thanks for the tip!

[windy]

The upcoming holiday season...

Hey Blonde and Lolab,

I am so glad to hear you guys feeling so confident. I am not feeling so much so...I mean I know I won't drink anything, but I think it's going to be challenging for me. I've got to dig deep within me because I want to not even think about it...but that's not what works, I must think about it. I truly can not imagine drinking on Thanksgiving and haven't had too many urges lately. I guess the troubling part is the awkwardness of those first few minutes when everyone is pouring drinks and it will be quite apparent I am drinking lemonade mixed with Diet green tea (my fave at the moment) . It's just kind of stressful for me. I know I don't owe anybody any explanations, but I get nervous all the same.. Any advice? I don't know if I am making any sense at all. It's that inside turmoil I don't like...I want to be cool and relaxed.

[lolab]

The upcoming holiday season...

Hi Windy - yep you're making sense friend...and who knows...there are quite a few days before Thanksgiving for me to waver in my confidence - LOL! I completely understand anticipating feeling awkward especially at first....I will be traveling and there will be alcohol "pushers" at both places that we'll visit. They won't be used to me saying no...but I just realized I have a special reason that I am getting up early the next morning - (I am not a stand in line black Friday shopper and the thought of it makes me cringe - but we will be heading out fairly early to look for something special and I can laugh it off saying for the first time I need to be able to get up early and get things done. Are you hosting dinner? I have a friend who always says "I will wait until after dinner to have a drink - as I always mess something up if I drink before!" By the time dinner is served, I've always had some myself and never notice if she actually drinks or not. Or if you're traveling - can you laughingly say "for ONCE I want to do some holiday decorating the day after Thanksgiving without a hangover - hahahah!" ? Probably once you role play it out in your head and imagine what you will say IF anyone says something - you'll feel more at ease...

[Pinecone]

The upcoming holiday season...

That limonata is awesome. I think I'll try to find some. Thanks for reminding me about it.

I find myself thinking about the holidays alot too. I just have to remember that politely sipping a beer is not my reality. It is some other people's reality, but not mine.