Wow, once again thankyou for all your replies and support.
I explained to my girlfriend yesterday how I was feeling, and what I felt needed to change, and she's been very understanding. Prior to this weekend we were planning on going to a Halloween night at the local pub tonight - so naturally a bit of a tricky situation for me bearing in mind my new priorities.
She suggested we do something else, without me even hinting that we give it a miss. She's a very selfless person, and I'm damn lucky to have her. I can see that tackling something like this by yourself would be a whole new ball game. So I appreciate that in that sense, I do have a bit of a head start.
So today, we've got stuff planned. We're going to the supermarket to get some ingredients for the meal I'll be cooking later, nipping up to my parents' house to help with their post while they are away, then going to the cinema, before we come home for the meal.
That should keep us both busy!
I think there's alot of value in keeping busy, like many of you have mentioned. Being bored is fertile ground for habitual drinking in my experience.
Well, day 2, and so far so good. Have a great weekend everyone!