Geenie

I agree with this Dee. I would never ever go near NA beer or wine as both were my daily drink and I have little doubt I would be triggered by these despite the lack of alcohol. I never drank cocktails or spirits so a mocktail of fruit juice and a tonic water is just going to be a pleasant soft drink to me and has no triggering effect.

There are now a few NA drinks on the UK market, botanical type things made from herbs, fruit and vegetables, that are not sweet and therefore when mixed with a tonic or soda water have a more grown up, slightly bitter taste. I think the lack of decent alternatives to alcohol does make people feel deprived when out socialising, so this a an area with a lot of potential.

Willow00

I tried an apple juice and tonic water the other day which was very nice
I also keep meaning to try the grapefruit juice mixes

jr67

Hello class.

Here it is, 2 a.m. on Monday, and here I am, arisen from the bed and ensconced on the living-room couch, totting up my days. This is Day 26 for me.

Sunday evening I had a work meeting at a restaurant. Probably the seventh time or so out of these dry days where I've been out at a bar/restaurant and in the past would of course have ordered some number of alcoholic beverages. I'm getting over the novelty of not ordering drinks in such a setting; that's a good sign that I am starting to redefine myself as a nondrinker. It's getting to the point where that doesn't feel so weird.

Regular workday ahead, no shortage of deadlines and must-dos, and happily, hangover-free.

Oh look, 3 o'clock already and I'm just finishing up this post. (Note to reader: It didn't really take an hour to produce the words written above. Most of the hour was spent producing a much longer stream-of-consciousness version, then editing it down to this abridged version.)

And now a nodding of the head
perchance portends a break, a rest,
a sleep, mayhaps a welcome chance
to dream.

freedomfries

Day 12! Going for a jog in a few minutes when the sunscreen settles. Then seeing a psychiatric nurse. Have an appointment with a new counselor later in the day at 2:30pm. So will see how that goes.

jr67

Congrats on your Day 12, ff. Good luck with the new counselor.

dontlookbacchus

Hi classmates.
Welcome Cynix. Great to have you on board.

Another sober weekend under our belts. Hopefully everybody got through. I find weekends challenging but feel very accomplished and relieved on Monday mornings. I suppose that is sign of how much work we are all putting in.

In a good mood to begin the week.
Have a healthy, happy and sober day all.

Lixie

Hi guys. Day 3 here, and I'm looking forward to a sober week. Have a good morning/evening/night!

fishkiller

Morning all!
couple more days and January is under out belts.
Disclaimer, I didnt start until mid month but who's counting? Lol

Cynix

Hello all,

Day 5 ongoing have a great day all.

MrWolfie68

Sorry. Meant to check in yesterday, but have been a bit under the weather. Perhaps the cloudy, damp week here in the Great Lakes. Hope everyone made it through the weekend unscathed.

Welcome Cynix. I hope your anxiety is easing a bit. It can definitely be a bear during that first week of withdrawal. In my experience, it begins to improve markedly heading into the 2nd week.

Got some errands to run this morning, but will catch up a bit later today. I will be finishing up week 3 this evening. Feeling pretty darn good about that.

Interesting takes on NA beverages. fwiw, I am in the camp of leaving them alone. I figure I was only drinking beer for one reason, and not a good one. Definitely a personal decision to figure out though.

Have a great day/night depending on your side of the globe.

venuscat

Fantastic love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! s

No reason except that it is FREEEEEEEEEEEZING there.....I think you are allowed to be grumpy when you are stuck inside this long. s xx

Cityboy

Morning all.

Great discussion concerning NA beverages. I love grapefruits and grapefruit juice.

After two weeks, my sleep is still off though much better than before. Could be the coffee. Also could be the way that I tend to spice up everything I eat. Stomach seems to be a little off as well, which could also be a result of the extra coffee and seasonings.

venuscat

I had to cut down my coffee.....no caffeine after 1pm ever now. And no food for a good 2 hours before bed. I try....don't always make that one. xx

Cityboy

Quick fix though

Hitting "submit reply" by mistake that is.

venuscat

^^^ LOL.....thought you saw that....no one else is going to get it...oh well. He he.
Just a bit of Monday Silliness fro Suze. s

Cynix

Morning Cityboy,

Just a warning about grapefruit juice for some people if like me you have high bp and are on certain meds as grapefruit can react with some high blood pressure meds and i know the alcohol actually lowered my bp when drinking but would go through the roof next day or on previous attempts to quit.

Not sure about NA drinks too early for me yet probably need to stay away from social events etc until in a better place i have seen them help some people though.

Lixie

I'm sticking to Diet Coke, nothing fancy here.

venuscat

OK.....I will chime in.... (Quelle surprise ).

I have also heard that grapefruit juice can react with certain meds....it is probably always a good idea to ask a pharmacist about these things; they are usually a wealth of knowledge.

I am not one who has ever 'replaced' alcohol with any other drinks. I drink a ton of water....we have filters on all the taps and I have jugs of it in the fridge. And fresh OJ sometimes....not too much because I damaged my guts with all of that booze. And I have a Nespresso machine and make beautiful lates every morning. (drinking one now).

If I have to (I don't often) attend a social function, I walk in with my own bottle of flavoured mineral water in my hand....and no one ever offers me a drink. Or if it is more formal, I organise with the hosts in advance and ask them if I can bring cranberry juice. No one ever says no.

I appreciate that is harder to do with work functions sometimes, but again, I ask for a cranberry and mineral water and keep the glass in my hand.

It might sound all a bit too planny, but I needed to keep myself safe in early days and again when I moved to America. Life is different here re alcohol and its availability. Just so much everywhere, and I felt like a newbie all over again. In may ways I was. (I have lived here almost 3 years now, so I am used to it).

DaisyBelle7

Good morning all!

Willow68, we have 2 rescued cats, 1 rescued dog that we believe to be a lab/pit mix, and our puppy is a Yorkshire terrier. My husband and I have always been “big dog people”, but let me tell you... this little firecracker has stolen our hearts. She’s a doll, but yes, very high maintenance at this point. I’m glad you had an enjoyable Australia Day, and that you had the strength to stay sober. Well done!

MrWolfie68, I hope you feel better soon.

I have my pre-op appointment for my foot surgery today. Surgery scheduled for 2/11. Anxious that I’ll have to get on the scales today. I don’t want to know what I weigh. I’ve been over indulging in sugar and junk food for the last 2 weeks.

venuscat

Geez, why do doctors do that here? OK....I guess they need to know your weight for anaesthesia. But you don't have to look. s All the best for your surgery love....I won't forget the date, it's the day after my belly button bday. xxxx