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Post by Qetesh on Jan 9, 2016 23:57:50 GMT
If you cook wine there is no alcohol in it. Cook it all. Bottle any leftover if you need too.
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Post by hardly on Jan 10, 2016 1:31:27 GMT
Or give the leftover wine to your neighbours.
Alternatively, pouring it down the drain might be an exercise in practicing your will power.
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Post by morsealworth on Jan 10, 2016 6:03:25 GMT
We're going to cook a recipe that requires 200ml of red wine. The standard solution is obvious: open a bottle of wine, add what is needed and drink the rest whilst preparing the rest of the meal. What do non-drinkers do in such situations? I just cork the bottle back. It can survive for about a year like this even after being opened. Maybe even longer, but I never checked. Oh, and I keep it under the room temperature. |
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Post by echocdelta on Jan 10, 2016 8:33:09 GMT
Friday 8th JanuaryHusband seems a bit happier today. We both wanted a beer or a bottle of wine in the evening, and I was so relieved to see him happy again it almost felt like a cause for celebration. We came very close to 'breaking' but we survived another day. We had a couple of friends around for board games which is not normally conducive to non-drinking efforts, but I've learned that the non-alcoholic beers work perfectly well as a substitute on occasions like this. Board games night used to equate to a binge-drinking session for me, but Dry-ish August and Dry-so-far January have shown me that I enjoy them just as much without the alcohol.
Saturday 9th JanuaryDue to not drinking last night and therefore not waking up hung over, I was able to get up early and do some light cardio. My charity fight has been moved forward to April so I don't have long to get in shape. I think today is the closest we've come to 'breaking' so far this month, and there's not even a particular reason why. At around lunchtime we both started mentioning how much we'd enjoy a drink. My husband suggested a couple of times that we get a beer, and later on that we should open a bottle of wine. It's so difficult to say no. But when I refused, he also resisted, so it's working as a team effort. Here's an interesting conundrum that came up today. We're going to cook a recipe that requires 200ml of red wine. The standard solution is obvious: open a bottle of wine, add what is needed and drink the rest whilst preparing the rest of the meal. What do non-drinkers do in such situations? Anyway, to ensure we would not be faced with a temptation we would surely be unable to resist, I went out and bought a half-bottle especially for the recipe so there'll be nothing left over. It really awesome reading that. The team effort thing sounds similar to how my partner and I kicked junk food and started cardio (let's not buy that, let's both get up etc.) On cooking with wine, I believe there are bottles of wine specifically sized for cooking, or cooking wine, which should prove to be horrible tasting for human consumption (I presume). Keep it up, it's really awesome reading these! |
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Post by morsealworth on Jan 10, 2016 12:21:50 GMT
cooking wine, which should prove to be horrible tasting for human consumption As Matsumoto-sensei once said, never cook with a beverage you can't consume otherwise (not talking about the toxic nature of ethanol). |
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Post by hardly on Jan 10, 2016 19:57:34 GMT
I want to hear more about boxing, how good at boxing are you?
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Post by Crumpy Six on Jan 11, 2016 8:40:43 GMT
I want to hear more about boxing, how good at boxing are you? We started going to this gym about a year ago, thinking we were signing up for boxersize classes. Turns out it's a proper spit-and-sawdust amateur boxing gym. They welcome keep-fitters, but everyone gets the same fitness sessions so it's brutal. We absolutely love it and have been attending as often as possible ever since. I had no intention of fighting (and could never fight amateur anyway) but a few times a year they hold a charity white-collar event, and I've decided to give it a go. Should be good! On the off-chance that anyone on the boards is in the Cambridge area, they'd be welcome to come along and watch me get beat up. In answer to your question, it's safe to say I'm rubbish at boxing  I've never fought before and have only sparred a few times. I'm strong but my technique is poor, so I don't land many punches. My biggest issue in the ring is fitness. It's unbelievably hard work, and after 30 seconds of sparring I usually have to quit before I puke. I'll need to do a lot more training between now and April just to avoid embarrassing myself. It really awesome reading that. The team effort thing sounds similar to how my partner and I kicked junk food and started cardio (let's not buy that, let's both get up etc.) On cooking with wine, I believe there are bottles of wine specifically sized for cooking, or cooking wine, which should prove to be horrible tasting for human consumption (I presume). Keep it up, it's really awesome reading these! Thanks! Doing this with a partner is really the only way it's working. It's also how we got this way in the first place. When I was single, I never drank at home and never had alocohol in the house. Drinking alone was something that, for me, had negative connotations. Since moving in with my partner, drinking became a social thing we enjoyed together. Same goes for going to the gym. I don't tend to go on my own, but when we're there to motivate each other we can usually make ourselves go. Sunday 10th JanuaryWe went to see the Hateful Eight today. Going to the movies has always been one of the consistently booze-free events in our diary, but the cinema recently opened a bar in the lobby. We have so far managed to avoid it, but I can see how easy it would be for us to begin incorporating a pre-movie drink into our cinema trips. It seems that whatever the pursuit, alcohol is at the periphery. We tried another bottle of non-alcoholic wine (red this time) with dinner. Again, it was so rank we ended up tipping it down the drain after one sip. I am trying to keep an open mind about these non-alcoholic alternatives but they don't make it easy for me. |
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jan 11, 2016 13:42:14 GMT
If you're looking for non alcoholic wine, why not grape juice?
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Post by hardly on Jan 11, 2016 21:11:06 GMT
I've really taken to ginger beer in recent years. It doesn't taste like alcohol but it's fun to drink.
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Post by Crumpy Six on Jan 13, 2016 8:23:01 GMT
If you're looking for non alcoholic wine, why not grape juice? I've found substituting alcoholic drinks is tricky, from a psychological perspective. In Dry August I tried replacing beers with various soft drinks and was unimpressed. They were too sweet, and being able to drink them at any time took away the reward-factor of a beer at the end of the day.
Monday 11th JanuaryTook ourselves to the boxing gym this evening. We can't always motivate ourselves to go on a Monday. Maybe I have more energy after a booze-free weekend, or maybe, without the possibility of a drink factoring into my decision to go or not, it's an easier choice to make. Tuesday 12th JanuaryThis feels like a break-through day. I had no plans after work, but did not feel the familiar, habitual desire to grab a beer out of the fridge. Not even a non-alcoholic one. 12 days doesn't feel long enough to break a habit that has developed over the course of several years, but it's a good start. |
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Post by Crumpy Six on Jan 13, 2016 9:43:07 GMT
12 Day Round-upFeels as good a time as any to do a summary of progress so far. When I attempted Dry August, I broke at day 9. So I've already done a lot better this time around. We do have two exception days planned for this month: Saturday 16th (my friend's 30th brithday) and Friday 22nd (going out with my parents). Having any cheat days at all feels somewhat pitiful, but for each cheat day we allow ourselves, we're going to add a week in February. Observations so far: - I no longer miss reaching for a beer after work. As noted on my Day 12 post, I'm surprised by how quickly this habit has broken.
- I love not waking up hungover or overly tired (this has enabled me to get up earlier and do cardio in the morning)
- Other than sleeping better, I have not noticed any day-to-day improvements in my health, energy levels, stamina etc. That is not to say Dry January isn't having a beneficial impact. But not one that is noticeable to me.
- I have not noticed any mood changes (for better or for worse). My husband has been unusually moody though.
- While I have been good at resisting alcohol, self-discipline in other areas of my life has weakened. I am giving in to sugar-cravings more often and struggling to knuckle down at work, despite looming deadlines
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jan 13, 2016 9:53:51 GMT
Go to work early and leave late. It'll help with the deadlines and make you tired and give you less time to worry about resisting drinking urges. And you'll feel good about being so productive.  |
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Post by Aynen on Jan 13, 2016 10:31:24 GMT
Keep in mind that it takes about 66 days for your brain to create new habbits, or remove old ones. In that sense, brains can be kinda slow. Keep that in mind when measuring your progress. From over here it looks like you're doing very well.
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Post by Crumpy Six on Jan 13, 2016 10:56:47 GMT
The habit-thing is interesting to me. We have come VERY close to breaking a few times in the last couple of weeks, and the times when it's hardest is when there's no reason or occasion to drink, it's just what we would normally do. This makes me very conscious of not doing it. It's a psychological dependence rather than a physical one, and this is where the non-alcoholic beers suddenly serve such a good purpose.
I refused to entertain the idea of non-alcoholic beers when I did Dry August, but now I think they're great. I would encourage anyone wanting to cut down to give them a try. After Dry January is over, I'm going to try to continue drinking non-alcoholic beers in the week instead of regular lager.
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Post by Aynen on Jan 13, 2016 11:07:37 GMT
It's usually easier to replace a habbit with a different one rather than to cut a habbit entirely. But the most important thing to keep in mind is not to feel like a failure if 3 weeks in you still feel an urge to indulge in the old habbit. If you know that's part of your normal brain function, and part of the thing you're trying to do, you'll be better equiped to overcome that obstacle when you get to it.
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jan 13, 2016 11:21:31 GMT
The thing is though, as you have said for you it's a mental thing rather than a physical one. If it was a physical problem the non alcoholic beers make more sense. By drinking non alcoholic beers now you may not be letting your brain get used to the idea of not drinking beer. Instead you're trying to trick your brain into thinking you're still drinking beer. My fear is that in the end it will not have made any difference in a psychological addiction. That said, you are doing well in your quest to not drink alcohol so good on you. I find this thing difficult to wrap my head around. I guess what I'm thinking is no beer at all would be a better way to go than drinking non alcoholic beer.
As someone who was once heavily psychologically addicted I would say that cold turkey is the best way to go.
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Post by Crumpy Six on Jan 13, 2016 12:13:53 GMT
It depends on what the ultimate goal is. I don't consider myself to be addicted to alcohol, either physically or psychologically. I do have some deeply ingrained drinking habits which I feel I should address. If I can replace weekday beers with non-alcoholic beers it will serve the purpose of reducing my alcohol intake longterm, which will provide the health benefits I'm looking for.
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Post by morsealworth on Jan 13, 2016 14:41:08 GMT
Yet it doesn't address drinking habits at all. Including that avatar.
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Post by Crumpy Six on Jan 13, 2016 15:28:50 GMT
Uh, what?
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Post by Qetesh on Jan 13, 2016 17:41:15 GMT
Cold Turkey is best when quitting. I think even adding days on does not negate these "cheat days".
You have to pick a month with no exemptions, reasons, rationalizations or cheat days. You can't be a little pregnant and you can't sorta quit drinking. You are not planning on quitting I know, but if you pick a dry month. You don't drink for a whole straight month.
It's 30 days straight or you are putting your stopping back at 1.
That's why in Movies they lose their "chips" in AA even if they have one drink.
I don't want to piss you off, what you are doing is still great but if you have drinking 2 days in Jan and add 2 weeks in Feb then you don't have a Dry January. You have a dryish Jan and Feb. It's not the same. Your body will get a taste for it again and your liver will process it again and you are back at square one.
If you don't plan on quitting and just really cutting back you could become weekend warriors. If you just want to cleanse your mind and body of it for a month, then abstain on B-days and visits or pick one without any. There's always a reason to drink.
I think your Avator of drunk bear is meant to be ironic?
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I've never fought before and have only sparred a few times. I'm strong but my technique is poor, so I don't land many punches. My biggest issue in the ring is fitness. It's unbelievably hard work, and after 30 seconds of sparring I usually have to quit before I puke. I'll need to do a lot more training between now and April just to avoid embarrassing myself. 
Aug 21, 2024 19:32:37 GMT
Aug 21, 2024 19:32:37 GMT
