Booze Busters Week of 6/30 Absolutely Fabulous Hangover Free 30 Day Challenge!

[sothankful]

Hi there, Well I slept most of the day away. I just got done reading your post from the 4th and I feel so bad that I didn't get online yesterday to read them. you all are so supportive. I was crying thinking wow, all of you have taken time out of your day to post something to each and everyone here. then I just go and piss it away. I want you all to know that I am so grateful that you all are here. thank you so much I mean that from my heart. day 1

[Hannah]

Hello all you Booze Bustin Buds!

Well, how’s it going today?

We had a tee off time booked for today, (surprise surprise! although they were forecasting storms for later in the afternoon. We weren’t sure we would get a whole 18 holes golfed, but figured most of the round, anyhow…..NOT! We were standing at the tee off just waiting for the group ahead of us to get far enough down the fairway, and eyeing the clouds, and wondering if we were about to get rained on…..and my hubby said “Holly ____, get your rain jacket out NOW!” And I looked down the fairway, and I swear we could see it coming, like a wall of water. Wow. Thank goodness he noticed. I did have my rain jacket mostly on before it hit, and we went scrambling for our truck. We sat in it and watched the rain and hail, and realized we wouldn’t be golfing today! And felt like little kids whose candy has been taken away. Wahhhhhh!!!!! We were pumped for it, and didn’t get it, and then felt like we needed – something!!!!! And unfortunately that felt like a drink. We drove around aimlessly for a while, then picked up some steaks and fixings, came home, and sat on the balcony (rain over by now) and drank an AF beer……..but still feeling kind of restless, but lazy at the same time. Hubby said to me, this is bad, but I feel like being bad…..and I misinterpreted it, and said, Yeah, I’d better go take something, because I am sure craving a drink right now – Oh, he said, yeah, that too, but mainly I don’t feel like BBQing steaks – and I said, Well, we don’t have to have them tonight, what do you feel like having? He said – taco chips????? So here we are, had a bowl of taco chips for supper (along with a stick of cheese – hey, gotta have some protein, right?) and now working on a glass of AF red wine. Pamina, tomorrow I may find out what it feels like to have an AF hangover, just like you!

But – Al didn’t get me after all. So what if my arteries are slamming shut even as I type.

Joy (1967) – Good for you! So proud of you, gal! You have won that round with Al , and don’t it feel great???!!!!! And sure I remember Jefferson Airplane! Love(d) their music, grew up with it. Don’t recognize Ambrosia, but I am sure I would recognize a tune if played.

Kaddy! 120 days!!!!! You are stepping into old timer country - how does it feel to be an old gyser? (Kidding!) Good for you!!!!

Louise – Your mango salsa sounds delish. What did you serve it with?

Sothankful – It’s a process, don’t give up on yourself. Many people who are on these boards sober now went through what you are going through. Just keep on trying, NEVER give up.

Sheep – I will second DG’s high recommendation of Curves. I’ve been a member for 2 ½ years, and hope to be one of those 75 year olds you see in there, still exercising to the beat!!!! I tend to be about ten pounds less sober than when drinking – just one of the perks of abstinence! And yup, exercise is great for beating down those cravings too.

Greenie! I’m gonna have to visit subscribers to see how you made out at Lenair, (just don’t seem to have the time to get all around the boards these days) but sounds like just great! Three weeks! Awesome!!!

Pamina, laughing at your description of an AF hangover! If that’s possible, still much preferable to the real thing, No? I’ve never had more than one AF beer in a row, I don’t think…interesting….guess there is a teensy bit of Al in it, but you would think if would be drowned out by all those carbs. I have noticed it still relaxes me if I haven’t eaten beforehand, so maybe our bodies still react even to that teensy little bit of Al?

DG – So cool that you are shrinking to the point that new clothes don’t fit!!!! I am a big Land’s End fan too, love their sleeveless tee – not quite a tank top, but cool. I am missing my Curves this week too, just because hubby is keeping me busy golfing and I don’t have the energy to do BOTH, believe me! But am looking forward to a normal Monday morning, and my appointment – I think! Awesome you are on day 45 – you rock!

Well, looking out the window, and it’s fixing to storm again – but have to admit that we had awesome weather this past week, so can’t complain. Gelgit, I wish we could send this your way. How are you doing with the fires?

Well, hope you all have a great Saturday evening, all!

[greeneyes]

, 1967! Feels good does it not?

[Doggygirl]

Good Day Booze Busters!!!! With the holiday on Friday this weekend IS feeling like a nice long holiday weekend to me - in a really good way. Sometimes the weekends - even holiday long ones - feel like they fly by way to fast.

Pamina, LOL on your AF beerfest. I actually read your post before dog training. Didn't think much of it at the time - but I've been threatening to try AF beer at some point, even though beer was not my poison of choice since the college years. When dog training was wrapping up I went to our garage refrigerator where the beverages live only to find about 3 beers in there. So I took one to our trainer but then had to make a liquor store run. So at that point, an AF beer was calling my name to at least try it. I ended up with Sharp's (my other choices were O'Douls and a Budweiser AF beer of some sort). On a hot summer day around others drinking beer and shooting the breeze, it tasted pretty good! I had two and of course that blew my carb count out of the water for the day. As Dolly mentioned, either the carb count in general or the grain content may be what made you feel tired. Anyway...you inspired me to finally discover what AF beer is all about. I can't make it a regular thing due to the carbs, but it will be nice once in awhile on Saturdays or special occassions!!

Greenie in the Big Girl Pants!!! Congratulations on 3 weeks AFHF!!! That is awesome. Overall you sound SO good since you return from Lenair. Sorry you were sick though and have been having some physical symptoms going on. But life sure is looking up isn't it? LOL on the liquor store rotation from the drinking days. I thought about that yesterday when making the beer run for the boys. It was nice to walk into the one I picked knowing I hadn't been there in a really long time!

Sheepish, congrats on Day 4!!!! I really enjoy winter time too (rather than the horribly hot summer days) EXCEPT for the shortness of the daylight hours. Hopefully this coming winter we will all be solidly sober, and able to enjoy that time of year rather than get in the cyle of depression / drink / more depression / more drink / continue ad nauseum. (at least that was my cycle last winter!!).

sothankful, I'm sorry to hear of your fall on the 4th. Like the others have said, don't give up. It would be awesome if every one of us could succeed in getting an AF life on the first try. I'm sure that happens for a few folks, but for the majority, it seems we have to go through some trial and error and pain before we finally get it right. You WILL get it right if you keep trying. You mention that you think you need to look at the process in a different light....Hope you will talk more about that. Mean time CONGRATULATIONS on yesterday being back to Day 1. We'll be thinking of you here on Day 2!! Especially due to the fact that you will be wearing the Fugly Green Suit. Sorry we didn't have time to get it cleaned in the last year.

louise, thank you for the recipe!! I echo Hannah's question - what did you serve it with? Since you provided the recipe I will decline your invitation to come clean your closets!! Believe me - I HEAR you on the weight frustration. I know I will always have to work at it in a way I really didn't (lucky me!) in my younger years. But I truly believe the hormones are helping - especially after a doseage adjustment on Thursday. I've still been watching calories and carbs and working out, but I've seen better results with the same effort over the last few days. I don't want to speak too soon as it may just be a fluke. But if this keeps up for another week or two, I will be 100% confident the hormones are making a huge difference. And it's not just about the weight - it's about mood and energy level, etc. I didn't even take an L-Tryptophan Magic Mood Pill yesterday!!

1967 You ROCK!!!!!! Love the "Joy" in your name AND your post!! Good for you resisting temptation, and believing in yourself. WE CAN SAY NO. AL only has as much power as we are willing to concede. Jefferson Airplane!!!! WHEE!!!! Oh the memories! I was thinking of you yesterday and had fond memories of living in Florida in the Clearwater area during most of my 30's. I loved all the beach concerts in the summer time. Of course I wasn't doing them AF back then like you did last night!! On to Day 9, then tomorrow you will be a Double Digit Babe!

Hannah, sorry that your game got rained out (and hailed out?? ) yesterday. My mind went to a dirty place when you talked about Mr. Hannah wanting to be bad. Wow. Chips and a stick of cheese and AF wine for dinner. Sounds like fun to me!!

I felt great during dog training yesterday. It was a smooth running day where we had lots of people who trained, but somehow nobody was in a rush and things just ran smoothly with people coming and going for their different types of work. And it's always a good training day when Mr. Egotistical A-Hole is not here. (the one who while pouting, backed into our gates causing over $2,000 damage) I mentioned up stream the AF beer during afterglow which actually hit the spot. We were talking and laughing - our trainer tells good stories. And I swear he has better gossip than most women!!

I have a "before" picture in a pair of shorts and a tank top from around the 1st of June. The top is an XL and the shorts are an 18. Yesterday, I was wearing the same exact tank top (Land's End!) but in a L, and the same exact shorts (Sam's Club) in a 16. YEAH!!! I've got a ways to go before the Mrs. America pageant, but I'll get there. Hannah, I hear you on Land's end tank tops and sleeveless tees. What I REALLY like about them is that the arm holes are cut correctly so your brazierre (sp) and straps aren't sticking out all over the place.

I've still got some dresser drawers and bathroom drawer/cabinets to clean out so maybe that will be my project for the day. Mainly I'm going to just do whatever I feel like doing!! So who knows...I might just be reading and posting here quite a bit.

Love you all!! Have a Booze Bustin' Day everyone!!

DG
+ ****************
Celebrating 46 Hangover Free Days!

[Marshy]

Hi all,

Well, the Booze Busters cheerleading squad were moonlighting at Gay Pride here yesterday, sashaying along on the parade in their shorty shorts. Very thoughtful of you to send them over for the day, DG and Hannah
Fortunately for them the rain held off, and a good time was had by all. I went armed with a small bottle of water. The more events I go to AF the easier it gets (I never thought I'd say that!) and it's actually a huge relief to not be thinking about where and when to get my next drink.

Today I'm having a lazy day, going through the Sunday papers, half-watching the men's final at Wimbledon, that kind of day. Having a few AF beers too, so might get the dreaded AF hangover tomorrow. It's gotta be better than the real thing!

Have a great day everyone.

[greeneyes]

I've been so busy since AF and the holiday confused me (I couldn't figure out why I didn't get the sunday paper yesterday)! Anyway, Thanks DG, but it's really tomorrow. I most certainly cannot count today as snocered as I got drinking scotch with my dad for my last drink three weeks ago. That would be when I lost my purse. Stilll haven't found that sucker. I took my supplements improperly and am fine now. Being sober just gets better and better!

[Aunty Mame]

okay, now that I've explained stroppy, can someone explain "big girls pants" to me? I've never come across it anywhere except on this site and it intrigues me!

Monday morning here - groan!!! It has been such a cold weekend. The snow didn't last because a southerly blast hit .... and there isn't much south of here until you get to the Antarctic, so southerly winds are truly bitter. I dropped Uncle Mame off at the airport at 6am this morning and was planning to go for a short run and swim, but I just couldn't do it! The temperature isn't supposed to get much over 6 degrees today ......

Glad everyone else sounds good and hope you are all having a good HFAF weekend! Louise, the salsa sounds great and I have many plans for it once we get mangos again! (LOL - I went to our local farmers market yesterday and one of the growers had pineapples, which dont grow here in the middle of winter!!! I did manage to get fish that had only been caught the day before though, which I turned into a very nice red curry!)

Hannah - sounds like you had an eventful non-golf game! And my thoughts went the same way as DGs at Mr Hannah wanting to be bad!!! Actually, you have re-invigorated my thoughts of golf - my dad was a big (and very talented) golfer and I sequestered his golf clubs when he died. Haven't played since I met Uncle Mame because he doesn't. But we were moving stuff in and out of storage yesterday and I caught sight of the golf clubs, and said to him that he should give it a go, and got a reasonably positive response. So maybe this summer .....

DG - will PM you about the hormone stuff - mine are all over the place at the moment. Going to get one of those pharmacy menopause tests this week. Dont quite know what is hormones and what is my body getting used to not having large quantities of alcohol.

Must get off to do some stuff, but hello to Pamina, Greeneyes, 1967, Marshy, Sheepish, sothankful and everyone else who is lurking and not posting!!!

[sothankful]

Hi there, Feeling better today.

DG, Thank you for the words of encouragement. as for what I meant about seeing this process in a different light. trying not to look at this like a diet or white knuckling it. i want a life style change.
and like my husband said life will still be fun. I want to be able to have fun in a social environment.
without getting sh** faced every time. Tired of the green suit, it makes my ass look big !!! LOL

Hannah-thank you so much. I will not give up. I think I was expecting a miracle over night. that is not realistic. I will keep plugging along like DG said....

have a great AF Sunday...

[sothankful]

I forgot... day 2

[Sheepish]

Hi All BBers

OK- DoggyGirl. Your congrats for me on Day 4 were slightly premature as I did go out Sat night and I did drink. I had 1 cocktail and 2 small glasses of wine with dinner. So- there goes my 30 days and back to square one. Which brings me to the question. Maybe I am on the wrong thread or????? I find myself capable of moderating for long stretches and then I will go through periods (recently) where I just kind of 'give up' and drink whatever/whenever I want. I feel like I SHOULD go AF 30 days as the book recommends- but then I am also capable of moderating fine on most occasions. (Although I have had my share of hangovers) and I do think alcohol plays a negative role in my life sometimes. So- Do I beat myself over this Sat nite 'slip'- because I didn't do 30 days? Was this a success because I moderated? I also don't know if this particular thread is the place to ask this question as I know that it is for those looking to abstain and I respect that.

Please do not get me wrong- ALL of you and your posts are very helpful. Hearing your perspectives gives me many things to think about.... I am just feeling confused.

I am AF today and plan to be tomorrow- would like to stay but I also fell coming here every few days and putting on that suit. I guess I need to figure out what the goal for me is... I am sorry to be so long winded. Thank you for letting me vent.
Have a great start to the week all

-a humble Sheep