IronPhoenix

For those of you who are down the sober path. Did you initially set up any sort of daily routine to help yourself. I know at the end of the day is when I would want a drink the most after wrapping up work. I know I need to put something there immediately to replace that.

But what about your daily routines - did you shake it all up or replace activities in specific "drink times"?

waywardson8260

Sometimes I will make a cup of green tea. The mild caffeine effect helps dissolve any cravings I may get in the evening.

newpage119

My big drinking time was the moment I got in the door at night after work. I grabbed a glass of wine as I was taking my coat off!

In the beginning I was sure to make a beautiful non-alcoholic drink, the fancier the better, and have a small snack. That took the edge off.
I still have a mocktail when I get in at night, but the urgency is gone. I can hang up the coat!

I use sparkling juice mixed with club soda, any juice mixed with club soda is good. Fresh limes....
Peanuts, cashews, popcorn, cheese......
I have just discovered tea, and am working my way through flavors now..... anything that works!

Cocktail hour has been replaced by yoga hour most nights after work. Destroys the tension.

ScottFromWI

It really helped me early on to set an itinerary for the day. I have a very regimented schedule at work so I applied the same to my personal time - i literally wrote a plan for each day with what I would be doing most of the time. For me an idle mind is a bad thing, so keeping myself on track was a big help.

entropy1964

Hi
Yes, I set a very strict daily routine. Literally would write a list of all the things I wanted to do and accomplish and I stuck to it. No matter if the task was big or small it made the list. And yes, between the hours of 4-7 PM I made sure I was out of the house, busy. Structure is really important....

I really am a pretty structured person anyway but after a bender all structure falls away so I have to make sure I get back on track quickly.

SereneEdition

Yes I changed my routine. Instead of going home to drink after work I would go exercise, meet a friend at the movies, or other things that kept me out of the house.

Highly recommend it.

Anna

I did, and I know it helped me get through the first few weeks.

My most difficult time was early evening, after supper and not wanting to face the long evening ahead, so I would start drinking. When I began recovery I decided to take long walks after supper. This helped in so many ways. It helped me feel physically better, my attitude improved a lot, I reconnected with my neighborhood instead of sitting inside drinking. And, often my husband would come with me and it was a time to talk without interruptions.

LiveInPeace

For me in the beginning, going for a run, taking a kick-boxing class, yoga, as distractions--not to recover--helped. At night I drank chamomile tea which helped a little. Distractions helped me in the beginning before I got into my step work.

Getting into the step work and turning to God during my white-knuckling moments helped tremendously. I was told I was powerless over my addiction, but that God could give me the power to get through it.

C23

MOCKTAIL!!! I love it. I have been doing the same thing. Sober Mimosas is what I have been doing, as well as club soda, lemonade and Italian soda syrup.

This stuff really helps!

Marcher13

IronPhoenix I shook everything up. I found a soft drink I liked: San Pellegrino chinotto, I still pour that before the witching hour of 6pm.

I focused my attention and energies on cooking a great dinner from scratch, enjoying it and then cleaning up.

That knocked over the worst of the witching time.

I changed where I sat in the living room, I took up handwork. For the first six months I went to bed an hour earlier. The focus on changing my environment and routine helped me to change my habits.

Like Scott

I had to keep busy and active, now that comes to me automatically.

BixBees505

I am still pretty new, with just about a month. I had to do something physical at that transition moment between work and personal time. A walk to the end of the road, something physically taxing in the yard, treadmill ... anything...and I really had to do it at that crucial time.

Thanks for the thread and the question, IronPhoenix... I still get a lot out of the answers people offer. Wonderful that you are planning what will work for you and support yourself with the wisdom of those who are ahead of us!

Soberpotamus

I created a fairly regimented daily routine. I wouldn't say it was strict, but it did give some order to my day and to my life that I needed. I started volunteering at a women's shelter a day or two per week. I also started running and training to run 5K's, and I lifted weights for several months. I adopted a beagle puppy, and a month later, adopted an adult beagle. I started gardening and planted a mailbox garden. I slowly worked my way up to reading again, beginning with short stories and moving onto novels. That took a span of two years. I also began writing again after many years of not writing regularly. I start my day of with two cups of strong French press coffee and that sets my day. I move on to writing for about an hour or two, if that doesn't happen, I go and check Twitter, email, and the forums here. So, yeah, it's a pretty specific routine I follow that I've developed over the past 2.5 years. It's very important to me to keep a routine. And it was critical that I develop new rituals and habits when I quit drinking.

Sometime

I'm trying new hobbies to replace the drinking hobby and it's really helping me, good luck

Dee74

SR was, and is, a big part of my daily routine

Just a word on mocktails...they may make you miss, or crave, the real thing, so tread carefully.

D

snowvelvet

I used to drink every evening. Now I go to a meeting most evenings, or swimming when I've been to a daytime one. It's working for me.

GhostFace

I definately have a daily routine. Now I'm in the gym or working out at home, learning new skills for my business and posting frequently on SR. Maybe not the best plan but it's kept me sober for over 3 weeks now.

After seeing all my acomplishment I no longer want to go back to the person I used to be. If I acomplish so much in such little time, I could only imagine were I will be once I have a year of sobriety.

learntofly

I'd usually have wine right when I got home from work and then drink throughout the night. When I stopped drinking, I just made sure I was busy during the rough time between 4-8. My new routine became making myself some tea, picking up around the house, walking the dog, getting the mail, doing the dishes, and trying to make dinner. After that, I check SR and then try to keep myself busy by reading, painting, or crocheting/knitting and watching TV. I think the main thing is just to try to keep your mind off of the alcohol. In the beginning, it was really hard to concentrate on anything, but it has gotten easier and easier as the days go by. I'm on Day 31 now, and alcohol is not dominating my thoughts anymore. I'm actually starting to enjoy life again!

ZeldaFan

For me, sparking soda of some kind, then I fix dinner as I enjoy that (I believe it was coined a mocktail here haha) and watch a show or movie, then usually video gaming (Wii U Mario at the moment) and then Sleepytime tea and a low dose of melatonin. I've been traveling a lot for work lately and it screwed up my routine. I had to take some time to reset and I'm glad I did before I melted down.

2muchpain

I'm definitely the kind of person that needs structure. My days are usually planned out. I make a mental list of the things I need to do, and other less important things I get to if I have time. So my days are pretty full, not much down time.
I do make a list of things to do during holidays, cause I have more time on my hands. I usually go to more AA meetings during this time along with increasing my workouts. Then I pick two or three things on that list to get done each day. Tomorrow I have a list of stuff I need to buy, and a car that really needs to be washed. After that, catch a movie. Not much time to think about drinking, but if I do, it doesn't last long. John