On The Wagon For January

14579101156

Comments

  • Cheers Pete, sure you'll cope, I just have to avoid pubs and bars, so this basically mean not going out but it sure is a great way to save money.
  • well thats 3 days now without any alcohol that must be my longest teetotal run in many many months.

    (heavy drinking at the weekend mind but thats because Im away for a short break)

    I am resolutely determined not to regularly drink in the house anymore. Not just for Jan but for good.

    I have been thinking about this a lot and I think the key in succeeding long term is to find your own balance.

    We definately shouldnt feel guilty about a few pints down the pub a couple times a week, nor should we feel guilty about occasionally getting completely plastered on a night out. These are things that add to my existence not detract from it so cutting them out does not make sense.

    whatever teetotalers might say a social evening out with the right crowd is greatly enhanced by alcohol.

    It is home drinking that is the slippery slope for me, drinking in front of a film night after night, grabbing a can of lager when you get home instead of making a cup of tea or having a glass of orange juice.Its no good, its drinking for the sake of it and its stopping from here on in.
  • MedalsMedals ✭✭✭
    Couldn't agree more Jason.
    Home drinking is my biggest problem too and I'm determined to cut it down. I've done two nights now alcohol free. Last night was bl**dy hard though!

    I reckon if I can do 3 nights a week, off the booze, I'll be happy with that and see how it goes from there.
  • m.ittenm.itten ✭✭✭
    I'm planning on doing this too......

    Mainly just cutting down on the random mid-week drinking. I said I'd allow myself to drink when we're doing something, but that only really gives me excuses.

    Want to have a good run at not drinking first! But I've got soooooo much wine in the rack :-)
  • Medals Its great to hear that someone has a similer outlook (especially on a running forum)!
  • Its just a day at a time folks, and, lets be honest, no one is making you do it.
    You want to have a few pints? Fine by me.Jason, a night out is carp wthout booze as you say, that's why I won't be going anywhere. Had a couple of weeks off just before xmas and it really wasn't that bad so set your own pace, guys.
  • Hi All,

    This is day 4 sober for me.

    So far, all is going well - I was a heavy drinker - at least a bottle of wine per night, then the big 2 week Christmas and new year binge. I knew last year I had to stop - was getting raised blood pressure and 'holiday heart' and I'm only 32, but I just found it *sooooo* difficult with a full time job (stressful), 2 kids, house, partner etc.

    In the end I talked myself into running the FLM. Once I'd been accepted and committed to the charity to raise 1500, I knew I couldn't back out gracefully. I'm more scared of not completing that and letting down my charity than I am of facing 16 without the booze.

    I guess everyone on this forum has found thier own 'key' - I wonder if the fact that mine had to be so extreme (1st mara) means I actually had/have a pretty strong alcohol addiction.

    I just hope I don't a) slip up,and b) go back to my old ways after April 22nd.



  • "But I've got soooooo much wine in the rack :-)"

    mitten, I gave away a crate of 24 Kronenbourg I had hanging around. Plus 14 odd bottles of Grolsh that where in my Fridge.

    As I dont drink wine, the bottles of that hanging around are not a problem. The bottles of baileys are a big temptation but my other half would probably have a sense of humour failure if I gave those away to.

  • Couldn't agree more Huge and JasonX! Love my nights out. I am just doing it for 3 reasons really:

    1. To save money (that I can then spend a bit of on kit, going away, that sort of thing)
    2. To see if I can cut it out to that degree even with the temptation of the clubhouse and socials.
    3. I did it a while back and my fitness improved beyond recognition. This I think I need for the Marathon so will stick with it for that.

    No doubt post Marathon I'll be back to my weekly outings!

    Pete
  • Been reading this thread as I was really beginning to feel I'd been drinking too much over Xmas. Not had a drink since NYD now, and will abstain tonight too.

    A couple of years ago the Mrs and me realised that we were drinking far too much. We got into drinking wine with every evening meal late 1998 I think, and it had got to the point where you could probably count on one hand the number of days in a whole year when we didn't drink anything. For me it coincided with starting to run, when I noticed that despite starting FLM training I wasn't lsoing any weight. As soon as I cut down the booze I got slimmer.

    We do have the odd week where we have a bottle of wine with dinner midweek if its been a particularly good, or bad, day, but generally we try to avoid alcohol during the week now. When I look back to the old days I can't believe that we would go for months without a single dry day.

    I found its good to replace the booze with something else you like - whether its a hot chocolate or a nice soft drink. After a while you begin to look forward to these things as your "treat" in place of the booze.

    Good luck!
  • I noticed a real diffrence in the two weeks I had off the booze before xmas and having dreaded getting on the scales this week find that I have lost half a stone. OVER XMAS!!!!
  • X-KKDX-KKD ✭✭✭
    Day 4 - no booze so far. It is hard but I find it frightening that my bod REALLY wants a drink, but the fact that I can and WILL not take a drink means that I have more control over drink than it has over me.

    Well done everyone so far - keep it going folks!!
  • MedalsMedals ✭✭✭
    KKD Know what you mean. My body still wants a drink after 6.00 / 7.00pm.
    Suppose it's willpower really isn't it.

    What I found helped last night was hot chocolate, but it wasn't the sweet stuff. I got it from Thorntons and it's dark chocolate flakes. Not cheap mind, £3.99, but I suppose I'd pay that for a bottle of red, or a 3lt bottle of cider and this'll last a lot longer!
  • I'm doing this too, although in truth I didn't even make it through New Year's Day as there was an opened bottle in the fridge that I just couldn't let go to waste. I've done this before - longest was 6 months - and it's surprising how much your body seems to need a drink. I don't know how much is psychological but it is scary. A similar thing happens if you stop all caffeine.
  • I stopped all caffine 12 months ago - agree, very scary; especially the first few weeks
  • I guess its a whole body reprogramming thing and will take time, Think it is psychological AND physiological.
  • Now if I could just get off the smack...
  • Actually I am finding stopping eating chocolate harder then alcohol at the moment
  • Bet you're sucking the liquores aren't you :-)
  • Its cheese for me, can't have a day without it at present.
  • Why does everyone invite you to nights out when you are of the beer, I think i should go anyway and drink water....

    Now that will piss them off.....
  • Is it their way of saying they just don't care?
  • DavidB - you're being naughty again!

    Excellently well done everyone. See, once you set your mind to it, you CAN do it! Same as giving up smoking (did that on Nov 20th 1977).
    As a triathlete, for me it's really simple - experience has shown that if I keep drinking wine, my performances really suffer, even training is hard. Whereas without alcohol, race results improve quite a bit. Easy choice really.
  • lol, i have so far given up

    Booze
    Cigs
    Chocolate
    Spam & Egg Sarnies
    Cheese
    Full fat take aways

    i miss them all :(
  • I fell off the chocolate wagon
  • I have so far refrained from:-

    Choc *
    Cigs *
    Take aways
    Eating out
    Chips
    Crisps
    Biscuits *

    * dont eat these anyway but it makes me feel good to see such a long list as ..... I did fall off the wagon last night and am now considering going to pub tonight INSTEAD of Sat (when I shall go to the ciname) as I have a long run on Sun. Seems the sensible option :-)
Sign In or Register to comment.