Announcement

**tassimo** · October 1, 2009, 10:42 AM

Mod Squad October Thread

Hey there,,I'm joining the October Mod Squad!!! DeeBee,,good for you for starting an exercise plan. Tiredness is a catch 22,,,you feel tired so you don't want to get off the couch or exercise,,but exercise will give you loads of energy and it will probably spill out onto other areas of your life. I find when I'm exercising regularly, I want to eat better, I get more done around the house and I'm more focused mentally at work. You go girl!!

It is tough when there are lots of social commitments, but I guess that is all part of life and we need to still maintain our friendships and relationships with family members. I have some social stuff going on to but I have a plan! Here are a few things I MUST do in order for moderation to work for me:

I WILL NEVER DRINK VODKA AGAIN EVER!!!! IT IS POISON FOR ME!!!

No "Pre-drinking" before a social event....you probably all know what i mean,,,

If I choose to drink, it will be with others, never alone, and I will "sip" my wine or beer, like a "normal" person would...

I will have a glass of water between drinks

I will only have 2-3 drinks on these social occasions

This will only happen once or twice a month, and the rest is AF

I will stick close and read posts and be diligent about my exercise plan.

I know moderation is a tough path, and if I find after a night of having a few drinks that my cravings increase, I will re-think this plan....

Thank you all for your insight and support. I'm looking forward to reading tips and plans from the rest of you moderators! Good luck to all...

**DeeBee** · October 1, 2009, 11:01 AM

Mod Squad October Thread

Welcome Tassimo!!
I like your plan. It is very similar to mine.
Not drinking by myself has been a huge step for me and it's something I am proud to say I haven't "slipped" on for the last year and a bit.
Strength to you on your mod journey:-)

**Eve11** · October 1, 2009, 11:07 AM

Mod Squad October Thread

Hi gang,
I had a fairly good September. One slip the beginning of the month (where I finished off 1 bottle of wine in a night at a birthday bash) but didn't go over my total of 7 for the week and did much better the following 3 weeks.

I have come to realize that my body is affected by even small amounts of alcohol. Hubby and I celebrated our 19 year anniversary the other night with 2 glasses of wine with dinner. The next day (yesterday) I have to say I felt it.

I definitely don't sleep as well when I have had more than 1 drink and usually don't even feel like I'm at my best until the afternoon.

So, I have to realize that I truly pay a price for drinking and I have to constantly ask myself if it's worth the price I pay. So far it is, but I must say I admire the folks that just say "To heck with it" and go AF.
No more planning, thinking, worrying, etc. Just be DONE with it!!

As long as I can continue to drink safely - (NIAAA states no more than 7 drinks per week for women for health reasons) I will continue for now keeping in mind that breast cancer increases something like 28% when one drinks more than that, there are risks for impaired driving if in an accident (in some states even with 1 drink in your body!) and many other health maladies far worse when one really overdoes it. Severe alcoholics are nutritionally compromised, etc.

So, keep your eye on me. My goal is no more than 7 per week on the drinktracker.

I am SO glad the drunken behavior is gone. Was driving my son to shcool today (hangover free) thinking how would life be different if I was overdrinking like I had been? I sure wouldn't have gotten up and made him a warm breakfast today or been in the mood to drive him to school. I admit to episodes (not often but have happened) of waking up and still feeling drunk. Think if you had to drive then!!

Anyway, looking forward to a great October. Hello to friends and lurkers and good luck to my new AF friends (Sarasmiles especially).

Hugs,
Eve11

**mooderator** · October 1, 2009, 12:25 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Hey modders and lurkers alike....

HAPPY OCTOBER or OCTSOBER as it will be for me. But I am still coming here because you guys are the best.

DEEBS - thanks for kicking us off again hun x Hope all went well with your bro. You seem to have solid plans for your social events... stay strong.

Tassy - your plan is mine all over. I am having an AF OCTOBER, but will be back to what you have just stated in NOVEMBER....I am finding the AF time gets easier...not always perfectly easy, but much easier...I am also finding the urge to overdo it when I do drink has decreased dramatically. There has been occasion when I have gone over what I would have preferred, but in the vast majority the plan is working, developing and helping me be happy and live a fuller life.. Good luck with your plan..it sounds solid. x

WELL DEEBEE The bellydancing week 2...was Fabulous fun. I think it will help to tone me up more and the GIRLS, well they are a scream and have a fab social life to go with it. I am delighted with it.

**Sunbeam** · October 1, 2009, 03:50 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Hi everybody,
Tassimo, Welcome! More regular visitors on this thread means more support for everyone. My suggestion is that you use Drink Tracker - I don't think you mentioned that. It is much harder for your alcohol intake to increase when you have a record to look at. It is very easy to fill in all those zeros at a sitting, you don't need to do it every day.

September I guess was OK for me: I had something to drink on five days total. A stretch of 12 AF days. I don't know why I drank last Friday and Saturday eve, though on Sunday I felt disgusted at the thought of alcohol. Not too much, but none would have been better since there really was no occasion. My goal for October is to have more AF days than September.

The new dog is keeping me really busy since my husband has been out of town the past few days. She is great but we are going through the dominance struggles. She hates to have me at the computer. At the moment I am typing with my feet firmly on her leash (to hold her down) so she can't paw at me. It will get much better as she accepts the rules.

**fig** · October 1, 2009, 09:14 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Hi Everyone!

I'm starting October not on the best foot, but tomorrow is another day. I'm away from home at a conference and am off-center. In the past when I have had to travel for work I would settle into the hotel and then find a restaurant, have a glass of wine so I'd mellow out and feel like I looked at ease being alone at dinner. Then another wine, and another. Usually no more than 3 or 4. Well, last night I fell right back into that routine and before I knew it I'd had 3 glasses of wine. What is it about having to have a crutch when you are alone? Anyway, tonight I had 2 glasses of wine with dinner. Tomorrow, none. Promise. Now I know the trigger so I can figure something out. My routine is totally shot! Hmmm. There's absolutely no reason I need to drink anything but water. Tomorrow I'll take extra i-glut and kudzu and stay strong, and find something to occupy my body during those witching hours.

Wish me luck!

**Eve11** · October 1, 2009, 11:21 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Fig,
My problem is having the first one - haha - I know we can all relate to that one. Probably much easier to just not have one ... "if I don't have the first one I won't want the last one" as someone posted here once. It's always a challenge once we start and that's whats the hardest for moderators.

Hubby and I went dancing tonight. It's a school night and I generally never ever drink on school nights but it's a bar and it was too easy to just want to have a drink. Had only one ... but I craved and wanted a second ... I have to admit that. My trigger is coming home knowing I have wine here. What helps me is having this board, the drinktracker and all of those things to help me stay on the path I want to be on.

So, I popped an L Glut - had seltzer and water and am going to bed. Have a good night and thanks for sharing.

Hugs,
Eve11

**Sunbeam** · October 2, 2009, 03:10 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Deebs,
I'm delighted to see you back on Drink Tracker. You already know that I believe it is a great tool.

**tassimo** · October 2, 2009, 03:56 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Hi everyone,,just wanted to say a quick hello. It's friday and it's the 'witching' hour. No where to go, no responsibilities tonight which in the past would give me a free pass to indulge in a big way. Not tonight. I will have my lemon water and watch a movie with the kids. It's cold and rainy and feels like winter already! Looking forward to getting under the blankies and snuggling. I'm almost two weeks AF which 3 months ago was unheard of for me. Congrats to everyone for being smart about their drinking and Sunbeam, I often think about your signature line...Your so right! Have a good one everyone...

**Eve11** · October 2, 2009, 04:14 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Tass,
Good for you! Your kids will be happy and you'll have a wonderful evening, a good night's sleep and will feel rested and relaxed the next day!

Hugs,
Eve11

**tassimo** · October 2, 2009, 06:17 PM

Mod Squad October Thread

Thanks for the very kind words Eve...you have a great weekend too!

**mooderator** · October 3, 2009, 07:58 AM

Mod Squad October Thread

Not fitting in!!!

Hi guys...this is funny...

You may or may not know, that I started a thread about an AF october.....got lots of people interested and kept checking it and posting there. A big group got together and it was great. Then the first came and some else took it upon themselves to start a new thread for OCTSOBER..fine no problem with that, but we seemed to loose a few...and I think someone else started a similar thread and some went there....anyway since October actually started, the thread is going well and there are lots of posts...GREAT..but somehow I just dont seem to fit into it at all. I am reading with the intent to post...find I have NAF ALL to day and leave it...so I am sort of retreating back HOME to you guys...where I always feel I fit in and have something to contribute! I dont know if its because the group are perhaps those doing their first 30 days mainly and they have more in common with each other...who knows, but I am back.

Love to All

**tassimo** · October 3, 2009, 10:00 AM

Mod Squad October Thread

hi Mooderator..I did see your thread about an AF October. I couldn't join though because I know I will have a couple of Saturday nights where I will have a couple of drinks. So in trying to be very honest with myself, and of course, everyone here, I didn't join you....But hats off to those that can do it! I'm fine when we have no social plans,,but when I get together with people who are drinking, I want to be able to have 2 or 3 and not go above that and make a fool of myself like so many times in the past. Maybe I'm in lala land, and maybe I won't be able to do it, but I'm going to give it a try. I say the more input by others the more support we all have and the more the merrier!!!!

**Sunbeam** · October 3, 2009, 11:09 AM

Mod Squad October Thread

Moo,
I'm guessing that people were not entirely with you on that thread because your goal was not to remain AF for good, which is the goal for most who post on this site. It is probably this plus what you said: this is not your first 30 days AF.

Tass, thanks for mentioning my signature line. It has attracted comments from many, but few moderators live up to it over time. Most of us go over our individually-adopted limits more frequently than we would like. My maximum limit as reflected in that signature would be at least 1 AF week per month. In addition, I wish to drink no more than once weekly. I have barely lived up to that, so I am now setting a goal of two AF weeks per month. That is the level you mentioned, so I hope we can do this together. My husband always has wine in the house, and he drinks moderately most days, so it is way too easy to want to share a bottle once per weekend. That would still be moderate drinking, but it is not what I want. It is just too easy to fall into an every weekend rut, and I have way better things to do on my weekend. I cherish my AF life, breaking out of the alcohol bonds that were compelling me to drink.

This conversation in my head also caused me to start wondering: how long had I been drinking every weekend? I only engaged in abusive drinking over the past few years, but the habit of sharing a bottle of wine with weekend dinners had been going on for years. I drank beer in college (probably at least weekly), and remember having a couple of beers most Friday nights when I was single (nearly 30 years ago). Since it is so ingrained, it will take me awhile and additional effort to break it. I have made great progress, but I still have this distance to go before I feel completely in control. That is what I want.

I also have a weight loss goal I have occasionally mentioned on this thread, and I am finally achieving it. I lost 5 pounds in the month of September. I want to lost an additional 10 by the end of this year. I started a separate thread called "Weight Loss After Menopause" in the fitness section, if anyone wants that part of my story.

It will be two years in January since I joined MWO. My AF time was Jan - April. Sometimes I feel like I am wasting my time posting here, but I enjoy having you cyber-friends, and I continue to strive to improve my life.

Take care, all. I am off to enjoy a beautiful AF weekend.

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