Day 5 almost done and today was my biggest challenge to date. I did some temp work in my old profession, which went okay. I used to call the pay from this beer money…now its savings and debt reduction money. The tough part came when I finished work. I was driving home and my head starting pounding. My mind was screaming out for my usual Friday after work drink. 

Instead of succumbing I dusted off the treadmill; it’s been 5 months since I last used it. Knowing my fitness levels at the moment are rubbish I started slowly…a 30 minute jog would hopefully get my mind off having a drink…80 minutes later I staggered off the belt. My legs ached but I managed to suppress the worst of my urges. 

Another hour or so and it’ll be sack time and I couldn’t think of anything worse than having a drink now. Time to make a plan for tomorrow I guess.

Hi,

So its my coming to the end of my first week and I have been thinking about things to come, especially the fact that tomorrow (sat 19/05) is my birthday. I am going to a friends place friends for a party with a few other May birthdays being celebrated at the same time. In general australian culture, well the culture I have known is that if its your birthday everyone just gets shitfaced..

I haven’t really been tempted to drink this week at all but i have been thinking about tomorrow and how strange it is going to be not drinking. This party will have about 60 people there and I am pretty sure about 95% of the people will be drinkning. I dont think I will be too tempted as I dont really want to drink but it would normally be such a normal thing to do.

I think it is going to be interesting to see how most of the people’s attitudes change the drunker they get, maybe I will get some insight on how I would look or sound to a sober person if i was in the same state as the others.

My biggest challenge at this point is what I should actaully drink, cause I would usually be holding a gin or scotch. Maybe just a lime and tonic?

Friday day night drinks and my boss pulls out a couple of bottles of red for the team. It was pretty tough to sit there drinking water, especially as I copped 20 questions on why I was stopping for  a month. 

What was interesting was that after the initial piss taking, most of them said it was something they would like to do but didn’t think they could! (Harden up lads)

Anyway, 1st Friday down and no damage done.

To all my new virtial friends thank you for your support,  Danger thoughts of drinking have gone.  So sorry for reaching out yet I suspect this is why this site was formed so when you need help and wisdom from someone like yourself going through this journey who at the moment in time you are weak they who in the moment are strong and willing to be the voice that we face the morning after, when you need it the most. 

So day 5.  I am finally home after a hectic day, but it was a good day.  There was the usual 5pm urges but funny that Fridays always seem so much better, when there is a promise of a few days away from the usual routine.  However that same break from routine, from responsibility, can cause so much tempation!  Luckily I have something to do early on Saturday mornings, that I have to be completely onto it for, so for today, the resolution is strong and I have planned the rest of the day to be busy.  I even managed to stop into the supermarket and not even feel like I was missing out, when walking past the wine isle.  I couldn’t help but survey all the shoppers, 1 out of 3 had wine or beer!  Also today I had an invitation to a wine makers food and wine matching dinner!  Oh the irony and oh the timing. There is so much access to alcohol.  Anyway, wishing everyone a happy, relaxed Friday night. 

Jem 

Day one was easy as had a realatively bad hangover.  I am a wine drinker of many years.  I have recently tried doing an alcohol free May and failed drinking 5 times so realising this was not working I saw the segment on Close Up and decided to sign up.

Day two and I\’m feeling sick don\’t know if it\’s my body responding to no alcohol or if I have a tummy bug. I guess it doesn\’t matter really as long as there is no wine tonight.

Was thinking as went off to sleep this morning…(always dangerous)  that I feel a little sorry for our drinks…YEP.. that is right sorry for them.  I mean really…did they ask or want the sort of attention that we give them??

We are obsessed by our liquid population …  

We have a dangerous LOVE/HATE relationship with them. There is an element of young love headiness at the start of the relationship and at the bottem of the relationship… emptiness…..it all meant nothing.  GOD

It never seems enough so we have multiple cracks at the relationship till its all gone from the bottle.  We are just unreasonable we call to have that void filled with emotional currency again and again.  It just never is enough!!

 We regularly cheat on them with all different types of other liquids. … its disgusting behaivour .  The off hand treatment – especially as we were so so in LOVE for those precious moments. The shot of love lasting 2.3sec …  tequilla never has time to connect with us its just… cruel…. using our short friends like that… we should be ashamed.

We call them names, worship them afar , gossip about there shape, size, colour,smell and even how they are dressed…My GOD What is wrong with us!!!

Physically we are amourous, we stroke their hourglass figures, caress their long stem leg and grip them in a grasp that puts an anaconda to shame.

We comment on their age – I will have a 12 (is that even legal) or a 50yr old……nationalilty, a scotch, colour: red, and white it just rascist!!!

We try and GE them with types of fruit and salt..  its rather disturbing.. The hippies are no better…  Organic pfffft – JUST LET THEM BE I SAY 

Magarettas get hit on all the time – ” Hey hey whats shaking  girl” She has a bodyache for days after that shaking – “never shake a baby” or a margaretta they try to call – to no avail…

Beer gets mocked for its “big head”  Its cultural heritage …dark, light  .We comment on its strength and weakness… AGAIN ITS JUST NOT Kosha man… 

Wine gets called…. “WHINEY”  I am sure its not winey all the time ..maybe just PMS ??  And the Rose’ well she cannot help it if she has an embarrasing mix of grapes now can she – We do backround checks on there family estates.  Were blatent, we choose them only if they come from a certain country.  

Its just NOT PC…  I say we need to see things from there side of the street. – LETS have a little empathy for our liquid population AYE

I am personally starting the movement – day EIGHT …

I am leaving them alone..and that feels right

 Kia Kaha my friends

Yesterday was the perfect day for me to begin HSM – I had to get up at 4am to travel to a work function (after doing my usual being awake for 1.5 hours in the night!!) and wasn’t back home until 9.30pm so was not in my usual danger zone of home/cooking tea etc and was extremely tired.  There were drinks at the work function but I didn’t mind not drinking – strangely enough I don’t mind being sober at a social/work occasion but love drinking at home where I can “relax”.

Everyone was having a couple of drinks but didn’t bat an eyelid at me having lemonade so I didn’t have to explain myself.  I felt quite proud – pretending I was the restrained person that perhaps doesn’t like to drink during the week hah!  At a work lunch today everyone had a drink and they said you’ll have a drink won’t you?   I said “nah I’m really tired so will just fall asleep so better have a lemonade today”.  Once again felt a little smug.

I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was so shattered from no sleep but I slept all night like a log!!  It was incredible – I woke up this morning and felt so great I said to my husband (in a bubbly happy voice instead of my normal groggy, ahhh I want more sleep voice) “WOW I want another shot of that sleep drug, that is amazing!!”.  I said in a casual way (coz he doesn’t know about HSM I don’t want him to risk finding my blogs) “I might not drink tonight and see if having no alcohol helps with my sleep?”  (Meanwhile totally knowing it has everything to do with alcohol judging by the number of blogs I read about you all being just like I was awake at 2am every night while our livers try so hard to cleanse our bodies).

Hmm I am really really nervous though.  I’m at home and it’s Friday night – the perfect thing normally is to have a wine, cook dinner.  (and another wine and a couple of sneaky drinks and then maybe a sly sip of the wine straight out of the bottle)

How is that a friend, who has no idea what you’re embarking on can make you feel so under pressure. She’s trying to be nice and find solutions for me to have a great boozing night at her party tomorrow night. But we all know, I have put strategies in place to curb the boozing.

My partner and I have a plan, arrive late, when hosts will be half cut already, get a young babysitter who needs dropping off afterwards, get a young babysitter who needs to be home by 12, drive, trump card- sick children!

And all the while my friend and I are working in the opposite direction. God! I feel horrible, nasty, underhanded, ungreatul. Let’s face it, she has no idea that I’ve had this great revelation and want better things for my life, she’s just trying to give me a good night out. Can’t wait until its over. I hope I get through without being sprung. Look at me, now it’s become more about, not being caught not drinking, than not drinking itself!! I’ve never wished a weekend away, like I’m wishing this weekend away! I’m done for already!

go me, another night down…. last night I didn’t even think about cracking open that lovely villa maria sav blanc…. oh so icy cold in this beijing heat !!! well she kept her little rightful spot, next to the bread winners stash of beer most of all enjoyed getting out for a walk after the little princess’s were put to bed, bread winner comfortably lodged on the couch….. interesting watching so many people out to dinner with wine, beers, cocktails under their noses…. did I feel a tad envious, hell yes, I would be lying if I said no, but hey I got to come home, cuddle up to the bread winner and watch back to back episodes of our current trash watch of choice, sons of anarchy…… thanks for the support guys, thanks HSM….. and thanks those lovely hershey chocolate kisses in my fridge……after having pushed out two little sproglets i am not beating myself up over a bit of chocolate…..