quit drinking

So yesterday was a year of trying to do this…and according to this a 163 days in a row!

It was Tuesday so I went to pub quiz and had a fish and chips and club soda with lime…WE WON! too

I’ve been the defacto scribe and score keeper since I’m the sober one. Much easier to keep track of those bonus half points and just do basic addition when you’re not drunk. 8-)

Also cheaper to go out if you don’t have a couple of bitters while playing and celebrate the win with a Knob Creek.

So even with a six dollar tip on the nine dollar bill, I came out six bucks ahead on a night out.

Reading posts here, Rational Recovery and Easy Way to QUit drinking books were a big help and I’d highly recommend them.

Big thank you to Crissy, Czaz, Lush28, Kelita, Josh, Angel and anybody else I’ve traded messages with but whose names I’ve neglected to mention.

When I can’t sleep I sometimes listen to the radio overnight. . .

I’ve stumbled across this sports talk show that is sometimes about positive inspirational stories of overcoming addictions. . . just thought I’d throw it out there. . .

http://radio.sportingnews.com/shows/david_stein/calendar2009.html

http://radio.sportingnews.com/shows/david_stein/

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=301314389

The calendar links to a self improvement (such as dropping alcohol)

program

Just throwing it out there. . .

Trading some messages with Angel this morning got me wondering about cooking with booze. So I did a quick search and found these links…haven’t tried the suggestions but they sound interesting.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/alcoholsubstitutes.htm

http://homecooking.about.com/od/alcohol/a/alcoholsub.htm

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/370573

- attitude change? People have posted about how much better they feel since they quit. Physically with more energy, not hungover etc and just being in better spirits. . . have you had an attitude change?

- I had to take some prescription pain pills today (for a minor medical thing, no biggie) and the dizziness/lightheadedness was a quite pleasant side effect, but now it has moved onto slight nausea and that is reminiscent of feeling like having drunk way too much and being worried about maybe going to barf – an experience that I REALLY don’t miss since I quit drinking

- I was at a company function over the weekend and sitting next to pregnant colleague both drinking sprite & cranberry juice with lime wedge . . . I don’t want to just have diet coke or club soda all the time and am looking for suggestions, what is a good “mocktail”?

I guess I missed noting my 43rd day (in a row again) by a couple.

That’s 47 in a row now and all told…maybe over 7 out of the last 8 or so months dry.

Feel better when I’m not drinking, I guess I just need to keep on not doing that.

Hope every body out there is having a happy and sober holidays.

I’m doing alright and am trying not to get down into holiday blues. . .so have some really relatively minor problems that I’m trying not to let myself get too bummed about…like I’ve got to work this week and so I wont’t be able to travel in order to be with relatives, worries about work situation in this economy, plus I’m not dating anyone and so I’ll die old and alone…blah, blah etc…life sucks swirling vortex of depression….

I should be OK if I’m not drinking. THE BUZZ might seem like an escape but would probably just exacerbate “the perception of life sucks” problem leaving me feeling worse emotionally and probably physically the next morning. So I don’t want to do THAT…

Keep your fighting the good fight

so I guess now, my reputation at pub quiz is as the not drinking guy

. . . was talking with one of the guys I usually play Tuesday night trivia with and how they usually get everybody a bottle as an xmas gift exchange and he was asking so you don’t drink at all. . .and I was no, not really,

so don’t know what I might get from a gift next Tuesday. I’ll probably just get three bottles and wrap them up for the fellas, not sure what to get the two women who sometimes play with us or if they’re even going to be there.

. . . funny that I’m posting on these boards and am known as the not drinking guy, but I wanted to quit since I’d drink too much wine sitting home watching TV anyhow

Cleaned out under the sink, took the returnables back for depostit and so I got rid of the (hopefully) last bottles of wine (EVER)

I’ve been a long time regular at Tuesday night pub quiz at my local brew pub.

The owner was out of town so I was host and asked the questions. You get your tab comped for doing that.

Didn’t give in to getting free beers. Didn’t really want any.

Which was good for me.

Hopefully I can keep it going again. . . except for a few weeks, it’s been over six dry months altogether.

Just got to keep it going. . .

Resisted the urge to have drinks in airport bars during long layovers while traveling for the holiday.

Then I had a couple of glasses of wine a couple of times while visiting family for Thanksgiving last week.

That was just fine.

Then when I got back home, I drank a whole bottle by myself while streaming shows on Hulu last night. While not REALLY EXCESSIVE, that probably wasn’t so good.

Like Czaz was saying I’m better off with out it.

On the Post Secret art project blog today there was this link

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/STH3Ibwj9OI/AAAAAAAAHcM/d5s8YRmJl-g/s1600-h/30.jpg

Don’t want to be “that guy”, right?