Alcohol is my nemesis.

[AstridG]

So one of the reasons I wanted to do this was to get out of the habit of drinking so much and often. I am not a large woman - but I can pack it away, big time. So far - it's working! I am totally content not drinking on weeknights when I'm just hanging out at home. I've gone to a few social gatherings and not had a drop and felt totally ok.

Then last Sunday - Day 11 - I was all irritable because I am working out like a fiend and being compliant with my food and I'm not seeing any weightloss or changes to my physique. It was one of the first really beautiful days of summer and I proceeded to drink some (ok, a lot) of wine with a friend. My thought being "Eh, what's the point of depriving myself if I'm not going to get any payoff return?"

I proceeded to get back on plan the next day - and I am now having thoughts like "Well it IS a long weekend next weekend and we're having visitors that we rarely get to see - am I REALLY not going to have a few drinks...?" "What harm can a few cocktails do...?"

I feel like I can't REALLY have fun in certain situations without drinking - especially when other people are drinking. I know it's dumb and I need to change this mentality - but I don't want to.

I'm a recovering yo-yo dieter and sugar addict. But other than alcohol I am totally on board with this way of eating. I actually don't miss much else (except my milky sugary coffee in the morning...).

If anyone has any tips, tricks or information they can share about just how terrible alcohol is for my body then feel free to share!

Thanks for reading!

[befabdaily]

I feel ya. Prosecco is my beverage of choice. I almost don't really miss anything else (well occasionally rice, or cheese) but damn, nothing is quite as tasty as a glass of chilly Prosecco after a long day at work.

I have been substituting a glass of bubbly water with frozen raspberries as "ice cubes", muddled a little to release their flavor. It hits the spot in a lot of my wine-wanting situations.

But I won't lie, I like my drinkies. I'm not a heavy drinker, but my one glass of wine at an occasion is pretty sacred. Probably the thing most likely to keep me from being all Whole30, all the time.

Edited to add: some studies would suggest that a little bit of alcohol (basically, that first drink) is not all that bad for you and might even be good in some ways. It's the second-Nth drinks at an occasion that are really not so great. So use your Whole30 to see if you can adapt to spending occasions without it, and become more comfortable without alcohol, and then when you do go back to it, you can be happy with less.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

Kombucha in a wine glass was my substitute during my W30. My husband and I have our nightly drink routines, well not every night....but sometimes it feels like that. When I was W30 he was not and he still drank regularly. Having something that bubbled in a nice glass was helpful for me.

[AmyS]

I'd add to the above that sometimes folks who socialize in groups around alcohol discover that the reason the social events aren't so fun without alcohol is, well, because they aren't so fun. It takes booze to make them (and possibly some of the people involved in them) bearable. This is a big thing for many people during/after a Whole30, you're not alone there. Some folks end up altering their social lives, and others discover that standing around with a glass of water with lemon is fine.

The larger issue may end up being your own relationship with alcohol. I have that with fancy coffee drinks (don't laugh, please ). I'm about six months into Whole30 and Whole30ish eating, and I still think about those coffee drinks every day. Actually, it's one of the reasons I don't drink them - because I know if I can't even go a day without thinking about them (many times) then I'm not ready to have one occasionally yet.

Funny how Whole30 quickly turns into something that's so much more than food...

[LadyM]

What helps me is to think of alcohol as an especially insidious sugar. Sugar addict isn't so far from alcoholic, frankly. That helps me reframe it in my head.

I'm not a regular drinker by any means (not anymore, anyway), though I am anticipating challenges abstaining in the summer because it is a part of my social life that I'm hesitant to give up. But it's not the alcohol I crave, it's the company and the occasion. So, it's just another case of needing to put my needs, desires, and health first.

If you really want to continue drinking, I doubt there's anything anyone can say to stop you. You have to make the decision and discover the motivation for yourself.

And I wish you luck whatever you decide!

[Javagal78]

I have no advice but can totally relate. I really miss the alcohol the most but it is a beverage without breaks for me. AmyS made some great points and I am already anticipating social changes that are in my future.

[Beets]

What helps me is to think of alcohol as an especially insidious sugar. Sugar addict isn't so far from alcoholic, frankly. That helps me reframe it in my head.

This is very true. Very true.

TBH the thing that was hardest for me was not drinking wine. My husband and I generally drink a glass of wine at night. Before my W30 I started giving up wine M-Th. I noticed that I had a very slight but now noticeable hangover-ish feeling on the days I did drink even a single glass of wine. I was short with my kids, tired, unmotivated. I don't want to feel this way every day.

During my W30 I got over the wine, except on a few occasions. We had a neighbor over for drinks one night. He and my husband drank some nice rye and I didn't like not partaking. Frankly, I definitely rely on alcohol to overcome my discomfort in social situations. I don't like being shy. I like being fun and charming and I am afraid I won't be without it. But I drank my kombucha and I was able to tell some funny stories--without booze. The rye smelled good but I survived and had fun.

Fortunately I've had practice not drinking at weddings when I've been pregnant. But I had more fun when I was drinking.

Anyway. I've had a few drinks since my W30 ended. We went out for my husband's birthday and it was one of the only times in my life I've put tomorrow over right now.

When I think about my next W30, however, I am not planning it around chocolate cake or some traditional family meal. I'm planning it around social events where I might want to drink.

Sad. But true. I'm working on it. And great call with the frozen raspberries!

[kb0426]

Oh boy.

First, don't weigh yourself.

Now, I don't think there is anything any of us here can say that will make you want to change. Something inside of you has to create that motivation.

If giving up alcohol for 30 days is something you can't do vs don't want to do, it is a different conversation. But, no one is saying you can't have alcohol ever again. They are just saying give it up for a full 30 days.

Oh, and did I mention that you should not be weighing yourself?

[1Maryann]

90% of my social life revolved around alcohol. I did a Whole100 starting Jan 1st, and the biggest question I had was if I could go without drinking for that long. Doing so opened my eyes to a lot of things.

First, I had to decide if I had a problem with alcohol, or if it was just a habit. Turns out that most of the time I was drinking only because everyone else was, and like AmyS said, some occasions just aren't as much fun without booze. Now, I'd prefer to skip those situations, or leave early.

Second, I had to re-examine many of my friendships. I had some people refuse to socialize with me during my Whole100. They decided I wouldn't be any 'fun', and I should give them a call when I was back to drinking. Was alcohol the only thing holding these friendships together? In some cases yes. So it was time to take a hard look at just what those relationships meant. Some had to be discarded. If you would rather never spend time with me again than do so without alcohol consumption being the common factor, I guess we don't have much of a friendship after all.

My Whole100 ended a month ago, and I have still not had a drink. I don't even think about it any more. Some of us have an addiction to alcohol, and some of us just make it a habit. I have found that it just doesn't interest me any more. I feel so good right now, I'm not willing to start re-introducing poison. I have been to several functions where alcohol was served. Even though I am once again 'allowed' to have a drink, I have chosen club soda and lime instead. I would rather wake up feeling rested and ready to greet the day. I am much happier having substituted a new and healthier habit.

[Beets]

Also, did you start your W30 over? Clearly the W30 police aren't going to hunt you down and you are a grown-up, but you might really benefit from the satisfaction that comes from doing a full 30 days.

We all have moment of doubts, and there is a nagging voice that says, "oh come on, this wont hurt you, just have one ____." But you owe it to yourself to do a full 30 days and to know you can, if you want to.

I'm someone who benefits from knowing the whys of things. Maybe it would help to read ISWF? Also it helps to know that some people, many it seems, don't see results till the last week or last day. You need the full 30 days to reap the benefits. You can do this. Just make up your mind to stick with it.

[Jinkse21]

I'm right there with you sister! Or at least I was.... My husband and I hang out with a bunch drinkers, even at 40! Every gathering involves alcohol and stories about what stupid thing so-and-so did at the last gathering and everyone laughs. I drank partly so I wouldn't be the fuddy duddy in the room and partly so their stupid s$%# wouldn't be so annoying. Whenever I get together with my family, wine, martinis, and mimosas is always involved along with lots of "good" food. It's always been about the social aspect of drinking because when I am home, I don't drink and I don't want to.

I finished my W30 on May 2nd and I still haven't had a drink. My husband did not do it with me and, in the beginning, was good about not drinking a lot but then when he figured out that I didn't care if he drank because it's his choice, he jumped off the wagon skipping! He's confused as to why I still haven't had a drink.

I do plan on drinking wine on Sat. for the first time (for my birthday) but it is Organic and low in sulfites. I am a little scared about it lowering my inhibitions where I will eat whatever is at our friend's house but I plan on having a very compliant dinner so I won't be hungry later.

It's always easier to come up with excuses to do something than not. You just need to remember who is more important...you and your health or the alcohol...cookie...pasta...

[cayenne]

Day 42 here. Still no alcohol and I have to say, this may be the longest stretch in my adult life. I like my beer on my days off(only 1-2 at the most). I also love sugar, etc. I know everything in moderation but I don't think you would tell a crack addict to "limit it to one". That is what I tell myself when I want beer, candy, etc. I know right now that I can't (probably) stop.

FYI, it took me a good 4+ weeks to feel the benefits. I think only now, that I am lighter, good endurance finely, and can keep forward momentum. They say here you have to learn to "ride your bike". And diferent folks take longer. I am a slow learner, apparently, so I will keep forging ahead.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[AuntB]

I haven't had a drink in almost a year. I found that my relationship with alcohol was getting scarily close to addiction. If you can't have fun at a social event without drinking.. that's a slippery slope. I lost a lot of friends when I stopped drinking, which proved the point that alcohol was our true friendship..we just enjoyed sharing it with others who drank.

just giving advice from the other side of the spectrum...

[Michelle Skieresz]

A lot of great posts in this thread. I did my first and only (and hopefully not my last) W30 during the month of August 2012. I had just come off a month of vacation so that meant, for me, drinking almost everyday and eating whatever. So I came into my W30 almost desperate to get back on track, but totally ready since I had just read ISWF. Alcohol was my biggest fear of giving up, but once I declared "I'm not drinking for 30 days" it was easier because I took the choice out of my decision. I got a lot of strange comments from friends, but didn't have to give any up. I kept telling myself "It's only 30 days."