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Moderation Gang (MoGa) - an ongoing discussion of moderate drinking


11 years ago 0 11219 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Looks like moderation is really working! Nice to read how well you all are doing.
 
Jojo, great realizations. How can you ensure you remember these when you need to?
 
Elizabeth, sorry to hear you are drinking more then you would like. Pressure and stress is a big trigger for many.  Finding new ways to relax and reward yourself is important. What are some new destresses you could try out this week?
 
 

Ashley, Health Educator
11 years ago 0 100 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hey everyone. Marylizy and Camiol, I just had a similar experience. I took a friend out for her birthday for dinner last night and had 2 glasses of wine with dinner. I was struck by what you said on the SoGa board, Marylizy, that you're not going to apologize for it because it's what you intended to do. I feel the same way. I decided ahead of time how much to have, had it, then stopped. It felt good to have that control but I also know it's not a "free pass" to start drinking however I want again. 

A few observations from last night... I wanted to go home and do work after dinner but found the second glass of wine made me really really tired so in the future if I want to do work after, I think I have to stick to one. I also realized that the flavour/experience wasn't as "magical" as I have been thinking it would be after such a period of abstinence. I need to remember that. Also, I'm back on the abstinence train today. I think I will be able to drink moderately again in the future but instead of it being X drinks a week/day, I think I need some stricter rules, e.g. only when it's a special occasion/celebration. For that reason, I've decided I'm not going to have another drink until (Canadian) Thanksgiving which is still a few weeks away and I will only have 1-2 glasses of wine with dinner. Hope your neck and shoulder start to feel better soon Camiol.
11 years ago 0 325 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Camiol
Good for you girl. You were able to control what you drank. Doesn't that feel great!!!! I hope the new meds will get you back to feeling good. Have a great day and keep posting. It really helps to have this support group...Marylizy

11 years ago 0 616 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Marylizy I also didn't abstain tonight but I didn't overdo it either.  I had a vodka cooler while cooking dinner, it took me a good half hour to finish it, then my BF came over and I had 3-4 ounces of wine.  I made myself a tea after I finished the wine.  It felt good to have control tonight but that doesn't mean I've regained control of my drinking and I'm not fooling myself into thinking that I have.  

I'm exhausted today.  My doctor put me on extremely strong anti inflammatory pills to try to ease the burning in my neck and shoulder.  They make me very tired and nauseous, but I'm hoping they work or I'll be off work again.  Just putting in 4 hours a day is killing me....all this from doing tomatoes......crazy eh?  Off to bed my friends.  BP if you're checking in, please let us know you're ok.  
11 years ago 0 325 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Mogas
I did have that beer today...lying on my raft in the pool relaxing and the thought of a nice cold beer was calling...Had one, that was all that I had here at home, it tasted great and that was it..Could have gone to store for more but was testing myself to see how I would react. Felt nice just to enjoy a beer like a normal person. That is the MOGA goal...hope I can do it. I am not abstaining for the rest of the week. Will see how the weekend turns out...Hope you are all doing well. Please check in...

11 years ago 0 616 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hope it seems you are also making a big change by leaving your permanent job to start a new venture...that's wonderful!  I wish I had your courage.  I have always wanted to be my own boss, but I also had the fear of failing so I never did it.  You're also doing great in abstaining too...there are some wonderful, positive things in your life right now...enjoy every minute, you deserve it.

I didn't realize you are also in a marriage that is like mine.  It's hard to live in a marriage that really isn't a marriage at all isn't it?  It's been a long time coming for me and I hope when I tell my husband I want to end it, that he is understanding and perhaps agrees with me.  That would be the perfect scenario, however I'm expecting that he wont understand nor will he agree with me.  I'll deal with whatever reaction he has, hopefully neither of us will get on the defensive.  

I suppose that I'm getting out of my comfort zone by wanting to start a new life with just me and my daughter.  In time, it will happen and I'm really excited to move on. 


11 years ago 0 161 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I'm not doing so well as you, C, M, T. Hope, I'm in the same boat. Don't say much because I'm drinking more than I want to.
 
Big triggers at work right now. Things are going okay, I'm just really feeling the pressure to be perfect. There was a really sensitive piece in NYT recently about the Chicago strike and all those inspirational films about teachers. They rarely shows teachers actually teaching. There is a lot of misunderstanding about what we do. There is so much magic in the classroom, but it takes hours of planning and grading for every hour of class. Where do those hours come from?
 
Even though I don't say much, I'm here, thinking about you, and gaining insights from reading what everyone is saying. This morning I was thinking... how are you BP? 

11 years ago 0 51 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Turquoise, it's very good that your weekend plan worked well, it seems you really had a moderate drinking patterned weekend:) which is inspiring for me.
 
Today I spent a very productive day at work after a sober night. As planned, I ate something just before I came home not to feel hungry which is a very big trap makes me feel like drinking beer. I like beer when hungry and cant eat anything while drinking. And the opposite is true, I cant drink when my stomach is full. I somehow gave up trying to control my eating for 3 days, since I realized that it is impossible for me to control both eating, drinking and smoking at the sametime. The good news is I dont smoke when I dont drink. I smoked only 5 in 48 hours which is very good for me. I think I can quit smoking very easily if I can stay sober.
Night 2:  I ate dinner, I slept my daughter and I worked on my start up project and now off to bed for reading which is my dearest hobby I cant live without.
 
My husband is going on a business trip tomorrow, which is something risky for me that I love dirinking when alone at night. I will think about it tomorrow.
 
Camiol, I'm thinking about your plans to talk with your husband all the time, since my marriage is nearly the same with yours. You are a very strong women that can face to living as a single mom, which is something scares me a lot.
I was in a conference last week to listen some keynote speakers which are more or less role models in my business area. The common thing they said was: you can never achive or invent anything if you dont leave your comfort zone. I will first try my chance to leave my permanent job for the start up project I'm working on to kick myself out from my comfort zone. And secondly I will be working on  my marriage...
 
Goodluck everybody and think about your comfort zones that you wanna challenge in the near future..
 
Looking fw to hear from all Mogas and Sogas...
 
 
 
 
 
 
11 years ago 0 409 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
So my weekend plan worked mostly well. I had only two glasses of wine on Saturday night, but I also had two glasses of wine (larger ones) on Sunday. One was around noon, at the campsite, and one was at home on Sunday evening. My total wine consumption over the weekend was probably 5 drinks total. I feel good about this, because it was totally possible for me to have had all 5 drinks on Saturday. We all had a great time camping! Gotta get going, but I'll post more later.
11 years ago 0 11219 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
That's fantastic Camiol!
 
Sounds like you two deserve eachother as best friends. Very nice


Ashley, Health Educator

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