BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

[SAUSAGE]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Hi everyone - Sausage here
Been at work all day so first chance to get on line, Thanks for your adivce -yes have tried keeping a little notebook of points to help me ( did it last time when I did my 108 day stint and it helped) ie
Positive consequences of change
Negative consequences of drinking
What I hate about drinking etc
and it does help. I'll keep re-reading it.

It's friday night and its throwing it down with rain. Tonight's going to be tough - after all it's not unreasonable to drink on a fri night is it!
Will check in later ...

[SAUSAGE]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Made it through the evening - not as hard as Thurs actually
It's Sat am and I am totally AF and feel great
I continue on my AF journey ! Day 6 now!

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Happy Saturday Booze Busters!! (and Sunday for Mame!)

Hi Erin. Congratulations on over 30 days AF!

WIP - how did your visit go with your Mom? I admire your spirit...

Mary - what movie did you see last night? Mr and Mr. Doggy wanted to see the not so new Batman movie - seemed like one that you NEED to see on that big screen. But we haven't done it yet. Usually we just get movies from Netflix and watch at our convenience.

Sausage - congratulations on getting to Day 6 and I'm REALLY proud of you for getting through yesterday!! I want to comment on this quote:

...after all it's not unreasonable to drink on a fri night is it!

It may not be unreasonable for some people. But drinking on Friday night is unreasonable for me. I would be thinking about it all day, and likely start early. Then I would probably not feel like cooking dinner, and whip up some junk food or order a pizza. That doesn't fit with my health goals. I would not be fully "there" for conversation with Mr. Doggy, and I certainly would not be available to make decisions and/or drive should an emergency situation arrive. (Kimba's injury happened on a Friday night!!!) I would also have a hangover on Saturday. Even if it wasn't a throbbing headache maximum strength hangover, I've learned that I woke up mornings feeling less than 100% (far less!) even on a "good" morning. And finally, drinking one day leads to daily drinking and it's hard to get back to NOT drinking. Last time it took about 8 months.

So yes...for me drinking on Friday is unreasonable.



The battlefield is in the mind.

Best wishes to all for a Booty Kickin' Booze Bustin' Saturday!

DG
Day 108

[SAUSAGE]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Hi DG
Yes point taken!!!! I'm so glad I didn't drink last night and this morning I felt great and went to the gym for a hard work out. My big test will come tonight - am going to a party at one of my neighbours where there's sure to be loads of alcohol around and everyone drinking - will let you all know how I get on!!

[A Work in Progress]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Hey Sausage, good for you! And a question: are you sure that this is a good time to be putting yourself through a "big test" (party with friends who are drinking a lot)? If you feel you really MUST go to this party, do you have a plan about what you will drink, and what you will say to folks who offer you drinks and ask why you are not drinking? And a plan for how you will deal with your own impulses to go ahead and drink?

best wishes,

wip

[SAUSAGE]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Back from the party - remained AF but can't say I had a good time. It was really tough - so much so that I only stopped a couple of hrs. Firstly there was quite a bit of pressure from the party host to drink. He began by saying "Hi Sausage good to see you, what would you like to drink" - (the kitchen was full of what appeared to be wine and beers only when I glanced around) I replied "I'd like a soft drink - what have you got?" He seemed totally shocked at this and said "that's not acceptable you must have something stronger" -At this point I very very nearly gave in to have just the one - but I didn't " I repeated "what soft drinks have you got " and he looked a bit worried and said "think we have some diet coke somewhere" He got me a diet coke (which was flat) and later on in the evening someone else got me a lemonade which had appeared from somwhere, but had a really miserable time and everyone else seemed really happy on their alcohol etc.
I think part of the problem was as WIP says, it's early days yet so it would be hard also there wasn't a very good range of non-alcoholic drinks and the party probably wasn't that good anyway. I must admit as time went on nobody seemed to notice or care what I was drinking so it was only that inital start that was difficult but it must get better than this surely?
Still AF but fed up
Good night eveyone !

[sydneyguy]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Hi Sausage..

I am reading your posts with great interest.

I have not started my AF days. I am cutting back to 1-2 glasses a night with 2 nights HF days per week. It was good that you did not cave in at the party. VERY strong of you. I know how tempting just seeing all the bottles and happy people. The peer pressure is tough too. If I ever get into a situation like that I will say that I am on some kind of medication so the questions would stop re; why I don't want an alcoholic drink.. Sydney Australia here u in England?

[SAUSAGE]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Hi Sydney
Yes am in England!
Yes did think of making up an excuse like that but when I lie I tend to burble and it would probably look a bit weird and like an obvious "tall story"

As a female if you say you are not drinking people often speculate that you may be pregnant but in this instance most people would have know I couldn;t be as I had a hysterectomy earlier this year

Earlier in the week I discussed this - how do you feel when people pressurise you to drink with others on the forum and the general consensus was that people don't if you just state your intentions firmly and say nothing - (see earlier posts - I think it's on this thread if not it s on my other one in newbies "new in need of encouragement") so that 's what I tried to do tonight.
Interestingly one of the poeple that I do socialise with who does try to put pressure on me to drink is someone whose husband has been tee total for over 20yrs and this suprises me Thought if anything she'd be more supportive

[A Work in Progress]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Sausage, you just have to give it some time. These folks will get used to you not drinking, if you let them; and you will get used to not drinking when you are around them, if you keep doing it. New behaviors ALWAYS take time to settle in, and it takes time for people to get used to their friends who are engaged in new behaviors. Anyone who pressures you to drink has her own reasons for doing so, and you may never know what they are... but she does NOT have you best interests at heart.

Next time, you know you will need to go really prepared for this... not necessarily expecting that it will be totally easy or even totally fun. Right?

A good non-lying "reason" to give people is: I have realized that I just feel SO much better when I don't drink at all, and I'm enjoying it a lot... or something like that... something that nobody can really talk you out of.

I will sometimes take my OWN drinks to a cocktail party-type situation. Green tea, good fruit juice (something not all sugary) because I really don't like carbonated soft drinks, or stuff with a lot of sugar, and I really need to have a glass in my hand. If I have that, with something I like to drink in it, I'm fine.

It's great you got through this one without drinking!

wip

[retteacher]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

We saw Tropic Thunder. It was crude & tasteless but funny. There was a senior citizen couple that got up & left. I have to admit that we laughed.

We hadn't been to a movie theater in months & months. I can barely remember the last time. We had fun. It was kind of like a date.

Mary

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Happy Sunday / Monday Booze Busters!! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Sausage, congratulations on your success staying AF both Friday and Saturday night at the party. I'm sorry you didn't have fun. Beware the voice of AL in your head who will be constantly trying to convince you that social situations are "no fun" without him. For whatever it's worth - here are my party strategies. (I post them a lot so I apologize if I posted them 3 posts ago and forgot LOL) And this is if I HAVE to go. I still don't care to go to a lot of parties that are mainly people standing around drinking.

1. EAT before I go and while I'm there. My signals seem to get confused between thirsty and hungry. It is way easier for me to stay AF if I am NOT hungry. I also avoid sugar like AL and poison.

2. Decide in advance what i will drink and where possible, take it with me. (A trick I learned from Mary is to already have your drink of choice in your hand when you walk in if you can. That gets you right out of the situation you faced with the host. All you have to say is "I'm all set thank you."

3. Set a time limit on how long I will stay - have an exit strategy. This falls into the "I can handle anything for X amount of time" category.

Hello to Sydneyguy.

WIP - how are things with your Mom?

Mary - I will admit that Mr. Doggy and I would probably laugh at raunchy humor. So glad to hear that you and Mr. had fun like a "date!!!!"

Dog training was fine yesterday - what a turnaround from the old days where every Saturday was cause for misery and panic about staying AF. I didn't even want an NA beer yesterday. Life really DOES start moving on at some point.

Today is my SMART face 2 face meeting which I am looking forward to. I'm liking this eclectic little group of AF people and starting to wonder how their week's went and all that stuff.

Have a great Booze Bustin' Day everyone!!

DG
Day 109

[A Work in Progress]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Hey DG, Mary (glad you had fun on your date!)!

Things with my mother are pretty much unchanged. When I saw her Friday she was clingy and scared, unsure where she was, just kind of bewildered. Yesterday, she was mostly pissed off, accusing everyone of doing her wrong, said that a staff person "manhandled" her (I am sure that's not true), just all kinds of complaints, including the complaint that one staff member objected to being called "nigger" whereas, according to Mother, she only said it once. Then, she wanted to lay into me for abandoning her there at the horrible hospital (which of course I DO feel awful about), and about never paying her enough attention, or doing enough for her... I told her I was not going to stay if she kept on with that, but she kept on. So I left. She was hollering my name, and begging me to come back, but I just kept walking. You just never know how she's going to be, but all of her different "ways" are pretty hard to be around.

I just might skip the visit, today. I have been going to see her, for the last 3 months, in the hospital, the nursing home, and now the psych hospital, 6-7 days a week. Some people say that you really need to go every day, when they are in a nursing home... I just don't think I can do that.

DG I wish we had a SMART group here in my town. The only ones we have are at the VA hospital, and not open to non-VA patients. I'm glad you're doing that, and have enjoyed hearing about it. I just might end up finding an AA group that has women's non-smoking meetings (yes, I am picky!!), and start going...

Hoping everyone has a great Sunday!

wip

[SAUSAGE]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

DG
Thanks for the party tips -will try this next time and bring what I plan to drink - definitely think this is a good strategy. Well I'm hear on day 7 now (witching hour) sipping alcohol free sparkling grape juice and going through a "surely I must be able to moderate if I've been strong enough to go AF all week" phase - Talk me out if it someone!!! This must be common as the AF days add up and the horrors of drinking and how yucky you felt drift into the dim and distant past.

[A Work in Progress]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

Sausage, I just left you a couple of posts on your other thread!

wip

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Hangover Free Challenge - Week of 9/1/08!

SAUSAGE;403461 wrote: DG
Well I'm hear on day 7 now (witching hour) sipping alcohol free sparkling grape juice and going through a "surely I must be able to moderate if I've been strong enough to go AF all week" phase - Talk me out if it someone!!! This must be common as the AF days add up and the horrors of drinking and how yucky you felt drift into the dim and distant past.

Keep hangin' in there Sausage - you are doing great!! And yes, the thinking you describe is common - at least it was (less so now) for me, others seem to post a lot about this. Here is the way I "respond" in my own head to thoughts like that now.

No, I am not a moderate drinker. When I have one drink, that leads to more drinks, and ultimately way too many drinks. It happens that way every time. Why would I drink now, and expect a different outcome? My life is so much better without alcohol. **continue reviewing all the many reasons I love being sober.**

WE CAN DO THIS!!

DG