The New Year

It's almost midnight, the new year, and I am feeling grateful, happy, and positive.  Me and my husband went out to a nice dinner with our very good friends.  They are friends which we have known for five years now.  She doesn't drink and he does, but only a little.  In the last two years, they have become our best friends.  The fact that she doesn't drink, has helped me to not drink much at all.  However, tonight, she had a glass of champagne to celebrate the new year.  One glass.  I had four glasses, not enough to make me drunk or feel stupid, but more than enough.  But I don't feel bad about it.  For some reason, I feel excited, because tomorrow is my new start.  I am going to do dry January.  Then, I plan to keep going...to not drink for February.  I will do this, I will.

While 2017 wasn't my year to give up alcohol completely, it was my year to reign it in significantly.  I stopped drinking daily.  I stopped drinking to get drunk.  I only got "overly, stupidly drunk" eight or less times in 2017 (and of course, I felt like the biggest failure because of it) and I have felt positive about not drinking as I've done in the past.  With all that being said, I'm ready to not drink at all.

2017 wasn't perfect, in regards to my drinking alcohol (well, in other things as well), but it was an improvement to years pass.  2018 will be my year to join all those who have stayed the course to not drink.  2018 will be the year I make the biggest change of my life.  I'm ready.  I'm excited.  I'm going to do this.  I am.

Happy New Year!

I won the Festive Christmas Attire Contest!

I did it!  I came up with a creative outfit for my company's Christmas lunch party and won!
It made a much better presentation in person, but here it is.  The banner says Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas in Spanish.  Being Latina, well, it made sense.

And of course, the prize, a bottle of pricey wine!  It shall be re-gifted, hahaha!!

Company Christmas Party

I'm feeling great!  This month has been wonderful!  Even though my daughter and step-daughter are far-away (they aren't making it home for Christmas) and my step-son is spending Christmas with his mother's family in Arizona, it's still a magical time.  I've been to a couple Christmas parties, and have had wonderful times, no drama, no over-drinking, just precious time with family and friends.

Today's party is a lunch event. I don't plan to have more than a glass or two of wine.  I'm looking forward to the ugly sweater contest, my being more tacky than ugly, hahaha!  This will be the last Christmas party I attend before Christmas.  This is the last time I plan to drink.

I feel positively great! 

Happy Holidays to Everyone! 

Doing Okay!

I've not posted much, not because things are going badly at all, just haven't focused on drinking like before.  I'm not alcohol free, I want to be, but I'm not the hot mess I was earlier this year.  I've managed to change my relationship with alcohol for the better.  This is not to say I haven't had a few hiccups since starting this blog, because I have; but I'm proud at where I am for the moment. 

So far, I've managed the holiday festivities with no major drinking involved.  The plan is to keep it that way.  Last New Year’s Eve, I didn’t drink.  That’s the goal again this year. 

Then we’ll see what the New Year brings, because I feel very positive about it! 

Merry wishes to all!

Day 4

It's the last day of the month.  The past four days have been full, good-filled days, with work and home life.  I'm starting to get into the Christmas spirit, putting up decorations, buying a few gifts, thinking of the upcoming events and parties.  As I wrote, I've not stayed alcohol free since I began to drink back in August.  I'm better, not so desperate because I have changed my habit of drinking, but I had a bad slip on September 30th and I don't want to repeat that again. 

The best way not to, "don't drink".  May I follow that simple advice.

Thanksgiving

I made it through the Thanksgiving holiday without causing too much damage with alcohol.  I did drink, but nothing over-the-top, no drama, no issues and no hangovers.  I still can't get back on the sober track because I make excuses that nothing bad is happening from drinking, but it's a slippery slope, I know.

Today should be day 1, again.

Sparks

I’m not 100% sober, but I’m much better now than I was when I started my journey to stop the madness. November 2015 is when I stumbled across Mummy was a Secret Drinker’s blog, from there, I found other wonderful bloggers dealing with the issues of alcohol (or on paths of soberity), Wendy, Michelle, Anne, Hurrah for Coffee, PDTG, and so many more…this led me to start my own blog this past June. Of course, it was started the day after a horrible evening of drinking to excess.  Blogging has and is helping me to deal with my drinking problem.

I don’t want to be caught up in the nightmare cycle of drinking to excess.  But I know even moderate drinking, for me, can/does trip into indulgence. I know it’s the addiction.  The only solution is to not drink at all.  And this is what I’m fighting myself with at this time.  I know I’ve turned a corner.  I know I can do this, it’s a matter of sticking with it and not letting temptation call.  With that being said, reading blogs helps so very much.  Michelle at givingupdrugsandalcohol.blogspot.com wrote an empowering post recently, which struck a chord with me.  As long as I’m honest with myself and others about my drinking (or anything really), I can face the problem.

It’s sparks like these, which help me to get closer to my goal.  

Thank you Michelle; I don’t want to drink.