Day 30!
 

Today is Day 30 of my 30 day commitment to abstain from alcohol! A few thoughts:

1) I was a Saturday binger, which means I have at this point stretched the recovery time after a drinking sessions from 7 days to 30 (and counting).

2) My body was used to going a week, so I didn't go through the perils of days 3 & 4 like most. That first Saturday night though was a lot of "Okay I'm bored, what the hell do I do with myself?" I made a plan to hang with my parents so I wouldn't drink any, watched baseball, and went to bed. I slept a good 10-11 hours that first Saturday night.

3) Sundays, Mondays, & Tuesdays - amazing! I was used to feeling like **** for these days, recovering from the 12-18 beer binge on Saturday night. It would take until Wednesday morning to feel normal again. Every Sunday, waking up after a few hours of sleep, still reeking of alcohol, getting dressed & going to Mass. LOL. I remember waking up the first few Sundays, expecting to feel like crap - because I always did on Sundays - but I didn't! So great to wake up not hung over with only a few hours of sleep. I just got up and could go do stuff, didn't need the routine of water, coffee, ibuprofen, a greasy breakfast, and then force myself to do something besides lay there in misery. So good to show up to work on Monday drinking coffee b/c I love it, not because I'm trying to conjure up some energy. I was always very functional - I still did the "Dad thing" on Sundays, albeit feeling miserable, still went to work on Monday, albeit tired & not motivated at all. Not binging on Saturday night has basically added 3 good days to my week.This has been, by far, the most pleasant aspect of not systematically binging anymore.

4) I never felt shakes, anxiety, etc - but boy did I want to sleep. I could - and still can - sleep 10 hours a night if allowed to. By 8pm, I'm yawning & tired. I'm an avid lifter/runner, and I noticed that I ran out of gas much more quickly during the workout. I did not expect this; before I'd go lift with a hangover and hit a new max. This energy drop was a surprise to me, and I'm glad I found this forum b/c it taught me that this is normal. My workouts are back to intense all the way though again - but I still like to sleep than I did. I hope this phase ends soon, 8 hours should be plenty.

5) When I committed to the 30 days, I did not say a word to my wife about it - I just did it. I don't know if she doesn't know what to say or what, but she hasn't said a thing to me. I'm sure she has noticed the lack of "my beer" in the fridge (she drinks Bud Light - I didn't drink that crap - lol). She still drinks however, and more than she should. Odd.

6) Today I committed to another 30 days!

Brilliant post! Congrats on 30 days!!

Congrats on 30 days and thanks for sharing some wonderful insights as well!

Awesome :You_Rock_

:You_Rock_

WW, that is awesome. Congratulations, and good for you for extending the commitment!

As I think I've posted on one of your other threads, you and I have a lot of similarities. I was mainly a weekend binger (although I was more "advanced"--hard alcohol exclusively and drinking pretty much straight through the weekend), who went through the cycle of just surviving on Monday and Tuesday, feeling a bit better on Wednesday, and by Friday, being ready for another binge. I'm on day 30 today as well, and I've had to drastically modify my expectations of what I can get done during the week.

Yeah man! Those 3 days - Sunday Monday & Tuesday - were hell. They were the cost of the "fun" on Saturday night, and I'd spend those 3 days cursing Saturday night. I've got those days back now as good ones! Great, isn't it? Whenever I feel a crave, I just play the tape of those 3 days of slowly-declining misery. THREE friggin' days. Every week. Not worth it and so clear to me now.

Congrats on your 30 days as well. It is truly a gift. I hope others in that horror of the first week see this thread and get inspired. It does get easier. Much! Do I miss that feeling that drinking gave me? Absolutely. I'd be lying if I said no. But to compare that to the 3 days of feeling like **** - I just play that tape!

Thank you for your post. I have a very similar situation. Brand new here, on day 3, but it's easy for me not to drink during the week. It's Saturday night that I start out fine, but then 4 drinks lead to 10 and I'm wasted and embarrassing my family.
Need to make plans this Saturday with my husband that don't revolve around drinking. What have you done on those other Saturday nights not to be bored?

First of all, you & I are fortunate in that our bodies were not used to drinking every day. I was in a 6 day sober, 1 day hammered cycle. So when people talk about the horrors of day 3 & 4 withdrawal, I never had that.

For me, "breaking the cycle" on that first Saturday was huge. I went to my parents' house (they do not drink) with my 2 young children. I watched baseball and did family stuff, no alcohol was around. I went to bed at a normal hour for a Saturday (11pm/midnight) instead of getting all fired up on alcohol and staying awake until 2 or 3am like I did before.

Really, you're just extending the 6 days of sober to a 7th day, and then you're back into your "I don't drink" part of the weekly cycle. After the initial week, the cycle felt "broken" and other than feeling a "want" to drink here & there, it hasn't been that tough. I was a bit tested this past Saturday after we were all in the heat being active all day, but I got a 44 ounce blue raspberry slushee and filled up on that.

I suggest this: Commit to 30 days, no more, no less, and see how you feel at the end. I promise you will have clarity and feel differently than you do today. Make plans for this weekend (Friday through Sunday) so that you don't drink. Make a plan if alcohol is around/offered. The following weekend will be much easier.

WW, Great job! Congrats! I tended to drink a lot on Fridays and Saturdays (and any days off for holidays). Sunday through Weds would usually be hell for me. Like you said, that's a good chunk of the week wasted away. Think about how much this adds up over time! Life is much better without that terrible cycle!

Congrats again :)

R&H

Thanks R&H. U2 rock! I saw them a few years ago on the "giant alien ship landing in the middle of a stadium" tour.

I still really like to sleep and could do so for 10-12 hours if allowed. I'm kind of hoping that will go away, it's annoying. :)

I saw them on the 360 tour when they were on the "claw" stage. An amazing experience :)

Welcome Sober@50

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