# Not sure how long we will last....



## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

.....but OH and I are going to try giving up alcohol during January.  I'm usually doing extremely well if I manage two days without drink...we're caught up in that habit of opening the wine at wine o'clock so we shall see what happens


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## muddlethru (Jan 1, 2014)

Go on you can do it, go for it. Happy New year.


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## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

Thank you Muddlethru for your encouragement. Happy New Year.


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## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

We've decided to postpone the start date to Monday as we're on holiday..........


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## Pete H (Jan 1, 2014)

We'll I was a big drinker ( 40 pints a week was normal ) not proud of that but it was the way it was... Found out I had this D/2 and stopped the next day, that was fourteen years ago and not touched a drop since .. My new Demon is SUGAR......


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## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

well done Pete I am genuinely impressed. All of my bad habits over the years have started since I've been diabetic....but I was diagnosed when I was 2


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## LeeLee (Jan 1, 2014)

I wish you well Amanda.  The first few weeks are the hardest.  After a while you get out of the habit of going down the wine aisle in the supermarket, and it becomes a bit easier.


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## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

Thank you LeeLee


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## Cat1964 (Jan 1, 2014)

As you know Amanda today starts my Dryathalon, no alcohol for the month of January in aid of cancer research. So far I'm doing fine....lol  I'm on the sugar free Irn Bru today


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## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

Well done Cat


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## Steff (Jan 1, 2014)

AJLang said:


> We've decided to postpone the start date to Monday as we're on holiday..........



LOL sounds as bad as my willpower Amanda, ive been trying to give up chocolate since Xmas day and still putting it off .


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## Pete H (Jan 1, 2014)

Beer no problem, but I have got a chocolate orange here under the table and I swear it keeps jumping up waving at me ......( no chocolate for three weeks ) man get me a pint.......


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## AJLang (Jan 1, 2014)

Steff and Pete sounds like chocolate is the same for you as wine is with me. I'm really lucky with chocolate as most of the time I either don't eat chocolate or I'm happy with one small chocolate during the day


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## Pumper_Sue (Jan 1, 2014)

If you look at it from another angle................. drinking wine is an expensive way to wee. So just think how much you will save on your water bill by not having to flush the loo if you give up


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## zuludog (Jan 1, 2014)

This is an interesting coincidence. For all my adult life, over 40 years, I have been fond of a drink, sometimes a bit too fond. My poisons of choice being bitter, red wine, and whisky. But somehow over the past few months I've just got tired of it; yet I still drink fairly frequently.

A few things have happened over the summer:-

I've made new friends with 4 or 5 people who manage to live perfectly normal and social lives, bring up families, go backpacking, relax after work etc. etc. with hardly any booze at all. Two of them are teetotal, and if the others have a couple of halves of lager a month then that's about their limit.
I bumped into an old friend I hadn't seen for about 3 years. She used to drink quite a bit, but has been dry for nearly two years. She still goes out to pubs, but recommends lime & soda or blackcurrant & soda as they're not as sickly as orange juice. I tried them and she's right. They're also cheaper than booze
I heard about someone who had given up booze for a year and wrote a book about it. In fact if you put 'a year without alcohol' into Google there are several references to this and others.
I have allowed my credit card debt to build up. Although I can manage to pay it off at my present rate in 15 months or so, it will obviously go faster if I'm not spending money on booze.
I need to lose weight! And hopefully it will help to reduce my HbA1c.

I've tried cutting back, but that doesn't work, so I'm going to cut it out altogether. I'll try till the end of February, and if I manage that, I'd like to think I can keep it up for a year

I'll try to submit a post on this each month and let you know how I go on


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## Cleo (Jan 2, 2014)

My husband and I did it twice - in February though ! 
I was amazed at how much money you end up saving !  I had ?200 in my account at the end of the month - that in itself was a reward. 
Perhaps if you think of ways to reward yourselves at the end of jan it might make it easier - good luck


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## AJLang (Jan 2, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I've decided to take baby steps so I'm not going to buy any alcohol to drink in the house during the whole of January - that should save me more than a few pennies  Although I do have the alcohol in the house from Christmas to drink..............but it must be good if I don't buy anymore


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## Cat1964 (Jan 2, 2014)

I had a very trying day yesterday. All I kept saying to myself is I picked a bad time to give up alcohol  but I did not give in  I can do this Dryathalon and will probably be all the better for it by the end of February


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## LeeLee (Jan 2, 2014)

Cat1964 said:


> I had a very trying day yesterday. All I kept saying to myself is I picked a bad time to give up alcohol  but I did not give in  I can do this Dryathalon and will probably be all the better for it by the end of February


Well done Cat, think of all those calories that aren't sliding oh-so-easily down your neck!


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## LeeLee (Jan 2, 2014)

AJLang said:


> Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I've decided to take baby steps so I'm not going to buy any alcohol to drink in the house during the whole of January - that should save me more than a few pennies  Although I do have the alcohol in the house from Christmas to drink..............but it must be good if I don't buy anymore


If you need another reason to to avoid the wine aisle, remember that alcohol can irritate the stomach lining.


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## AJLang (Jan 2, 2014)

Cat1964 said:


> I had a very trying day yesterday. All I kept saying to myself is I picked a bad time to give up alcohol  but I did not give in  Can do this Dryathalon and will probably be all the better for it by the end of February


Well done Cat you can do this


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## Cat1964 (Jan 2, 2014)

Thanks LeeLee and Amanda. Yes I know I can do this, definitely I can. I came to the conclusion though I am going to quickly sicken myself on sugar free Irn Bru


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## cherrypie (Jan 3, 2014)

You might to read this article which shows a month without booze has some health benefits.  It could also change your mindset.

http://www.newscientist.com/article...oze-a-break-from-bad-habits.html#.UsZQbigx-FI


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## zuludog (Jan 3, 2014)

I've just followed up that link to the New Scientist. it will definitely give me more of an incentive to stick to my plan
Followed the link within the article ' Our liver vacation....' which is also very interesting, especially the reduction in blood sugars


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## LeeLee (Jan 3, 2014)

If you do end up lapsing, try not to treat it as a complete failure and go straight back to business as usual.  You can't change the past, but you can keep trying to do better.  Beating yourself up has no beneficial effect.


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## AJLang (Jan 3, 2014)

Hooray today has been an alcohol free day


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## Cat1964 (Jan 3, 2014)

We'll done Amanda  I'm now 3 days in and doing just fine. I'm sure you'll do well too. I'm sure the health benefits will make the abstinence worth it.


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## zuludog (Jan 4, 2014)

So far, so good.

New Year's Day; spent it at home. There was booze in the house, but I could make tea & coffee whenever I wanted, so that was easy.

02/01/14; went into town to do a few errands. Called at Wetherspoons to have a sit down while I deciphered my mini statement. Had a cup of coffee with my sandwich.

03/01/14; went to Manchester to do some shopping. Normally this would include a pub lunch, but I went to McDonalds instead, as they have loos. Like many towns, Manchester has been closing their public toilets
Hmm...should have written 'previously' as now not drinking is supposed to be normal.

That's enough on giving up for now. I'll post again in early February.


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## AJLang (Jan 4, 2014)

Well done Cat and Zuludog.  I'm not drinking any alcohol tonight either


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## Pete H (Jan 4, 2014)

AJLang said:


> Hooray today has been an alcohol free day



Keep up the good work  my chocolate orange is still in its box ( unopened )


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## AJLang (Jan 4, 2014)

Thank you Pete Well done with the chocolate orange


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## stephknits (Jan 6, 2014)

Very impressed by all, not sure I could give up my medicinal glass (or two) of red..


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## AJLang (Jan 6, 2014)

Thank you Stephknits


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## runner (Jan 11, 2014)

Aj - just found this thread after posting on Zuludogs - Suggested it might be fun to have a running total for all those who want to contribute, of alcohol-free days, just like the wight loss thread have running total of Lbs lost - no pressure on individuals, but generally very helpful with motivation, and an amazon result at the end of the year!

Good luck with your efforts Aj - I'm on the same mission - 3 alcohol-free days this week!

[what on earth is going wrong with my spellooong?]


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## zuludog (Jan 11, 2014)

Yes, I would be quite happy to go along with a continuing account or discussion on giving up booze, but we now have two similar threads; this one and "First boozy challenge"
Perhaps we should stop posting on these two threads and start one (sticky?) with a more obvious title; "Giving up alcohol" is about as clear and simple as I can think of., and would be more obvious to any newcomers.

If you agree, could a moderator or someone with a better knowledge of computers than myself organise it?

I had a beef casserole last night, and drank pomegranate juice with it instead of red wine, so that makes no booze since 31/12/13. I'm hoping that this abstemiousness will have a beneficial effect on my bank balance as well as my health!


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## Cat1964 (Jan 11, 2014)

I'm also now into my 11th day being alcohol free.  I'm fundraising for cancer research as you know. Two of my family are currently battling this horrible illness and I thought to myself if they can manage their own 'battle' I can certainly give up alcohol for a month. And once I had decided to do it that was it. I had a drink  before midnight on Hogmanay  not one drink has passed my lips since. I am actually quite proud of myself. I was getting into the habit of coming home from work after a hard day and having a wee vodka and tonic whilst relaxing and enjoying the tv. As nice as it was it's not the answer to a hard day. I'm quite surprised how much I am not really bothered by having no alcohol. I was out at a 60th birthday lunch on Thursday with a work colleague and had 2 fresh orange and lemonade. Tomorrow I am going to see the final performance of Aladdin at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow and I've booked a box. I went last year with hubby and Sophie and had 3 kids kick the back of my seat and what me over the head several times with their flashing wands!!!   So I decided never again, I went to work next day and booked a box for this years pant, I've had the tickets since 8th January last year so I'm looking forward to it. It's only Sophie and I know that it's a box, it'll be a nice surprise for hubby.   It'll be me, hubby, Sophie and her boyfriend and afterward we will go for something go eat so I will probably opt for fresh orange and lemonade again. Being alcohol free is probably doing my health wonders. Not sure about my purse though because I bought 2 Kipling handbags yesterday


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## AJLang (Jan 11, 2014)

Hi Runner I think that your suggestion is a great idea I managed five alcohol free days but then started again on Wednesday.  OH and I have just talked about what we think is realistic and we are going to aim for two alcohol free days a week - may not seem a lot but as we didn't have a alcohol free day last year I think it is a sensible goal for us.  Well done on your alcohol free days

Zuludog brilliant suggestion for a new thread and I like your suggested title.  You  will be able to keep us focused because your goal is so good wanting a year without booze

Congratulations Cat on doing so well. I also hope that you get more sponsorship because you are doing brilliantly


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## Cat1964 (Jan 11, 2014)

AJLang said:


> Hi Runner I think that your suggestion is a great idea I managed five alcohol free days but then started again on Wednesday.  OH and I have just talked about what we think is realistic and we are going to aim for two alcohol free days a week - may not seem a lot but as we didn't have a alcohol free day last year I think it is a sensible goal for us.  Well done on your alcohol free days
> 
> Zuludog brilliant suggestion for a new thread and I like your suggested title.  You  will be able to keep us focused because your goal is so good wanting a year without booze
> 
> Congratulations Cat on doing so well. I also hope that you get more sponsorship because you are doing brilliantly



Thanks Amanda, my work put a message out about the Dryathalon this week, so I e-mailed them and told them I was already doing it. So they said they will try to get another message out and see if they can get people to donate to my Just a Giving page. I have already reached my target of ?200 which I am so pleased about but to exceed it would be wonderful. Every penny counts to try and help defeat cancer


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## AJLang (Jan 11, 2014)

Congratulations Cat on reaching your target it will be fantastic if you exceed it


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## runner (Jan 11, 2014)

zuludog said:


> Yes, I would be quite happy to go along with a continuing account or discussion on giving up booze, but we now have two similar threads; this one and "First boozy challenge"
> Perhaps we should stop posting on these two threads and start one (sticky?) with a more obvious title; "Giving up alcohol" is about as clear and simple as I can think of., and would be more obvious to any newcomers.
> 
> If you agree, could a moderator or someone with a better knowledge of computers than myself organise it?
> ...


Do you want to start a new forum: Giving Up/Cutting down on Alcohol, then make a thread Total days Alcohol Free 2014?

Well done Cat!


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## Cat1964 (Jan 11, 2014)

runner said:


> Well done Cat!



Thanks Runner


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## zuludog (Jan 11, 2014)

Runner; yes, that's ok with me, but could someone else do it for me, please. thanks


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## runner (Jan 11, 2014)

zuludog said:


> Runner; yes, that's ok with me, but could someone else do it for me, please. thanks



Can't see a way to start a new forum - think you're right - needs to be a Moderator - help Moderators!


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## Copepod (Jan 11, 2014)

*New thread started as requested*

I've started a new thread Giving Up Alcohol http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=43191

Hope this helps


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## AJLang (Jan 11, 2014)

Thank you very much Copepod.  Is there any possibility of having it as a separate section of the forum like the weight loss section please so that we can in separate threads?


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