Dear Sticky,
First of all - happy birthday! Secondly, don't be too hard on yourself. I know how it feels sometimes like you are slowly slipping backwards, but it appears to me that these are usually localized events of bad behaviour (whereas before we were on bad behaviour most of the time...hrmmmm).
That being said, I think it's a great idea to try and shoot for an AF stretch. It might just give you the clarity of mind you need. I guess the one thing I would do in your place is think long and hard about what you're getting out of drinking. Do you find that sober, you don't want to drink, but then once you start you can't stop? Or are you looking forward to drinking and then unable to enjoy it moderately? I find that if I really focus on ENJOYMENT, I can limit my drinking sessions (both in intensity and frequency) because I realize that most of my drinking just...isn't really that fun or pleasurable, even IN the moment). Hope this helps, for what it's worth.
EL

Hey everyone

I'm not finding this staying sober thing easy after 16 months TSM. The longest I have gone for that time is 5 days AF. Tonight was a mini breakthrough though - drinking with no desire to go AWOL. Have overdone it on the wine lately so got a small bottle of vodka which I've been mixing with lime & soda. Have enjoyed the few drinks but no desire to go on all night. The sad thing is that hubby also thinks I need a month at least sober, which is what I've said is my aim before I try TSM again. Hardly surprising given the results of the past few weeks. He has gone out and didn't notice I had had one or two beforehand.

Had a major bust-up with b**** sister-in-law this week and so did hubby. My one drunken text moaning about money issues was enough for her to start ignoring me again and bad-mouthing me to other family members. Never mind that I apologised and suggested we have lunch. That was the end of it. Hubby has found her bad-tempered for a couple of years. All a drama tho' as my mother-in-law may be living next door to her in the not to distant future. Am glad to have told her how I feel about her, even tho' my sponsor would have said to not react!

A friend rang tonight who had a friend of hers commit suicide thru alcoholism. She says she doesn't agree with TSM. Mind you, her hubby is a sex addict, so she will be seeing things from a different perspective. Also she thinks the guy who committed suicide was on TSM, but I very much doubt it given how little it is heard of in NZ.

Tiller - am not sure why my signature goes on forever. As I told EL, I just keep copying and pasting and adding to it!

Take care everyone
Cheers
Sticky

Hi Sticky, how is life at 51 + 1 week???

5 AF days sounds good to me - more than I could attempt now. Was it stressful, or white knuckle time? I know you set a goal of a month, but did the 5 you got seem helpful? It sounds like changing the drink from wine was a great idea.

Sorry about the family conflicts...don't let 'em get you down, or make you drink over them, okay??? I always like reading your posts, even when things are rocky - we all go through them, after all.

Chrissie

Hi all

I didn't go AWOL last night but still had far too much, stayed up late and am tired today. Still would like to do 4 weeks AF, but haven't got past 5 days so far! The 5 days haven't been too hard. It's good to feel well and rested during the week. By the end of it the cravings are strong though.

We are going sailing for Easter as the weather forecast has improved. The boys don't want to go, but hopefully they'll have fun once we're away. It will hopefully be easier for me not to drink with everyone around all the time and a change of scenery. Am reading a 900 page book so that will keep my occupied.

I hope you all have a great Easter!

Cheers
Sticky

Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF
Week 9: 12, AF, 10, 2,AF, 10, AF total 32, 3AF Week 10: 9, AF, 10, AF,1.5, 6.5, AF total 27, 3AF
Week 11: 12, AF, 14, 3.5, 1, AF, 7.5 total 38, 2AF Week 12: AF, 8 AF, 9, 2, AF, AF total 19, 4AF
Week 13: 8.5, AF, 9, AF, 12, AF, 14 total 43.5, 3AF Week 14: 7.5, AF, 8, AF, AF, 9, 9 total 33.5, 3AF
Wek 15: AF, 9, AF, 9, AF, 9, 10 total 37, 3AF Week 16: total 34, 2AF
Week 17: total 32, 3AF Week 18: total 34, 4AF
Week 19: total 33, 3AF Week 20: 32, 3AF
Week 21: total 38, 3AF Week 22: 29.5, 4AF
Week 23: 34.5, 3AF Week 24: 36, 4AF
Week 25: 30.5, 3AF Week 26: 29, 3AF
Week 27: 22, 4AF Week 28: 33, 2AF
Week 29: 24, 4AF Week 30: 23, 4AF
Week 31: 19, 5AF Week 32: 29, 4AF
Week 33: 29.5, 3AF Week 34: 20, 3AF
Week 35: 35, 2AF Week 36: 20.5, 3AF
Week 37: 30, 3AF Week 38: 16, 5AF
Week 39: 32, 2AF Week 40: 23, 3AF
Week 41: 27, 3AF Week 42: 24, 4AF
Week 43: 37, 2AF Week 44: 29, 3AF
Week 45: 24, 3AF Week 46: 25, 3AF
Week 47: 29, 3AF Week 48: 25, 3AF
Week 49: 26, 2AF Week 50: 26, 1AF
Week 51: 20, 3AF Week 52: 25.5, 3AF
Week 53: 23.5, 4AF Weeks 54 - 56: 25, 3AF
Week 57: 30, 2AF, Week 58: 35, 1AF
Week 59: 16, 5AF, Week 60: 20, 4AF
Week 61: 25, 2AF, Week 62: 25, 3AF
Week 63: 20, 4AF, Week 64: 15, 4AF
Week 65: 25, 3AF, Week 66: ??
Week 67: 15, 5AF, Week 68: 19, 5AF
Week 69: 22.5, 4AF

Oooh I love a good 900 page book I hope the sailing is fun (look at you, jaunting off again!!)
I'm with you on the 5 day thing - I can, with some effort, manage 4, maybe 5 days AF in a row but then the weekend hits and man, the cravings are worse than if I had a few drinks on a Wednesday night. I'm not sure that long stretches of AF are great for me right now. I'm just curious, when you drink, are you ever, rarely, sometimes, often able to stop at 3 or fewer drinks? That kind of seems to be the magic number for me and a lot of people on this board. I think having 3 or fewer during the week actually makes the weekends easier to handle.

Hi all

Am feeling down today after overdoing it on the wine last night and hubby is now super angry with me. I don't seem to have an off switch with wine after all this time. I managed to only have 3 beers on Saturday and not want more, so that felt good. I'd planned to not drink in the weekend but hubby offered me a beer. Also he suggested we get some wine last night. I'm going to try and stick to beer or shandies, since I don't seem to be able to go past 5 days AF.

Had a great weekend sailing. The weather was good. We saw a pod of Orca quite close to land. Caught up with some friends for dinner one night.

We are going to Sydney for 3 days on Sat for the funeral of a good friend. He got cancer last year. Only 67. Such a lovely guy. His wife will be devastated - they were always a happy couple. So it will be a sad day on Monday. A group of us are flying over.

Wish me luck with my beer only pledge!

Cheers
Sticky

Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF
Week 9: 12, AF, 10, 2,AF, 10, AF total 32, 3AF Week 10: 9, AF, 10, AF,1.5, 6.5, AF total 27, 3AF
Week 11: 12, AF, 14, 3.5, 1, AF, 7.5 total 38, 2AF Week 12: AF, 8 AF, 9, 2, AF, AF total 19, 4AF
Week 13: 8.5, AF, 9, AF, 12, AF, 14 total 43.5, 3AF Week 14: 7.5, AF, 8, AF, AF, 9, 9 total 33.5, 3AF
Wek 15: AF, 9, AF, 9, AF, 9, 10 total 37, 3AF Week 16: total 34, 2AF
Week 17: total 32, 3AF Week 18: total 34, 4AF
Week 19: total 33, 3AF Week 20: 32, 3AF
Week 21: total 38, 3AF Week 22: 29.5, 4AF
Week 23: 34.5, 3AF Week 24: 36, 4AF
Week 25: 30.5, 3AF Week 26: 29, 3AF
Week 27: 22, 4AF Week 28: 33, 2AF
Week 29: 24, 4AF Week 30: 23, 4AF
Week 31: 19, 5AF Week 32: 29, 4AF
Week 33: 29.5, 3AF Week 34: 20, 3AF
Week 35: 35, 2AF Week 36: 20.5, 3AF
Week 37: 30, 3AF Week 38: 16, 5AF
Week 39: 32, 2AF Week 40: 23, 3AF
Week 41: 27, 3AF Week 42: 24, 4AF
Week 43: 37, 2AF Week 44: 29, 3AF
Week 45: 24, 3AF Week 46: 25, 3AF
Week 47: 29, 3AF Week 48: 25, 3AF
Week 49: 26, 2AF Week 50: 26, 1AF
Week 51: 20, 3AF Week 52: 25.5, 3AF
Week 53: 23.5, 4AF Weeks 54 - 56: 25, 3AF
Week 57: 30, 2AF, Week 58: 35, 1AF
Week 59: 16, 5AF, Week 60: 20, 4AF
Week 61: 25, 2AF, Week 62: 25, 3AF
Week 63: 20, 4AF, Week 64: 15, 4AF
Week 65: 25, 3AF, Week 66: ??
Week 67: 15, 5AF, Week 68: 19, 5AF
Week 69: 22.5, 4AF Week 70: 19, 4AF

Hey Sticky, how are things in the southern hemisphere? Question: is NZ considered "down under" like Australia? At least here in the US, we refer to Australia as "down under" (gee, I hope that's not an insult! I don't want to start an international incident! ) ANYWAY...actually I was wondering how YOU are; I hope all is well.

Hey, Sticky! Hope you are enjoying the sail! I am so envious, I have always wanted to sail! You are living the dream!

I just read this, and I would like to share my experience with wine. I started off on TSM drinking Lite beer. I couldn't take the taste, so I moved to wine. My consumption plateaued and actually went back up. I tried a heavier beer, Sam Adams. It has an AV of .95 per 12 ounces and it's heavier, so my consumption is way down.

Take care!

Okay, thread-crashing time. So...Hf, you were a beer drinker originally, and your light beer no longer tasted good so you moved to wine? And now the stronger kick of the heavier beer satisfies more so you drink less units?

Beer has always been my drink, and pre-TSM the heavier, stronger brews. But now the dark ones taste really bad, so I've been going the other way, towards lighter. Last night I went to a friends for Happy Hour and had 2 Michelobe Ultras. Man! Why not just drink tap water? No kick, & no flavor. I think Michelobe Ultra might be my most direct route to a cure

When I started off, I was drinking Lite beer. I love beer, I have won more of the mugs for drinking many different types of beer than anyone else I know. I like IPA’s, pale ales and other dark beers. TSM hasn’t changed that! I despise light beers in general, but was drinking it to cut my calories. Over a couple of months, I just couldn’t take the taste anymore.

I went to wine because I was afraid of the calories, I drank cabernet sauvignons and merlots. I made the shift on 10/20/2011. I found I was drinking more and more of it. I read other people’s threads and found wine slowed people down. I switched back to beer on 2/8/12. I bought a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and then a 24 pack of Costco’s Kirkland Sampler (it’s actually ok.) I bought a Sam Adams Lager while I was out and when it came time to log it, I noted it was lower alcohol than the other options. And more filling. It actually is enjoyable for me too!

Since I have shifted back to beer, I have better control. I don’t know if it’s because of time on TSM or the beer. But I really liked it. A few weeks back, I bought a six of Rogue Dead Guy Ale, and drank one per night. It was actually a treat for me. Before TSM, I would have drank them at one time. I made them last a week. To keep things honest, I count my bottle tops. Easier than cans, too.