On the wagon......

[kate egg]

Decided after getting really fed up of acid reflux in the night, to the point that I coughed till I was sick on Friday night, no more red wine

No alcohol Saturday night, no alcohol Sunday night - and two nights with no acid reflux Didn't really miss it which surprised me. Had a couple glasses cold water and then took hot milk and honey to bed

I know I was drinking too much anyway, a bottle a night most nights, so this can only do me good. Plus I might lose a bit of weight

[bluebell]

Good for you! Sometimes it is easy to fall in the trap of, I'll just have a little one and then that becomes a bigger one. I like the occasional glass of red wine.

Mind you easy me sitting here saying well done for giving it up, take sweeties away from me - that's a different story!!

[kate egg]

My problem is that if I have one glass I think 'oooo that was nice' and then end up drinking the whole bottle

[wendy]

Well done, acid reflux can cause so many health problems. So if you know what causes it, then stop it.
Spencer has a small hiatus [s] hernia and has to take tablets if we have a spicy meal.
With me and curry.... that is fairly often LOL
Wendy

[kate egg]

I am on daily tablets for it but it was still bad, teribble at night and often bad in the day as well. Well both yesterday and today its been fine night and day, so hopefully no red wine = no acid reflux

[misty]

I sometimes worry about what they put in wine. I like a glass or two of white and sometimes it just tastes 'funny'. Then if you only have a glass in the night it feels as if it's gnawing your guts! I usually use the rest for cooking as I like to share.
Hope you keep feeling better.

[chickenchaser]

Good luck Kate

I stopped drinking years ago when:

1 ) I started getting the hangover before the night was over
and
2) I realised I "needed" a drink and became afraid I was on the slippery slope to alcoholism.

Obviously I was nowhere near being an alcoholic but I decided to err on the safe side (pity I can't do that with the ciggies)and just stop while I could.

I never missed it and will have the odd glass when I am socialising but I realise now that I never really liked the taste and don't miss it

[Lilo-Lil]

Good for you Kate, it must be hard to give up something you like. I only drink when out for a meal with friends as I am aware that "just one" could become a whole bottle!

I spent many years on-call 24/7 most of the time, and so drinking was out of the question if I was needed to drive. If I wanted a drink I had to find someone else to take the phone, so it was easier not to drink in the first place. Guess I went a bit OTT when I finally finished the on-calls!

As I`ve got older I`ve found I can only tolerate red wine. White is far too acidic for me, and as for cider - I used to drink gallons in my youth but the taste now makes me feel sick!

[AL37]

Nice one Kate,
Got to admit I love red wine and an open bottle always ends up empty the same night
Since I got my allotment in december I have not drank nearly as much as before. So less booze combined with a more active life has lead to me loosing over a stone.

[kate egg]

I'm sure it should help me lose weight - if I could only stop eating so much in the daytime

But adding it up -

One bottle wine approx 500 calories + bag crisps 150 calories, plus that last nibble (slice of bread and ham for instance) 150 = 800 calories per night

In theory that is 5600 calories a week less than usually consumed which is about 1 1/2 lb lost

Watch this space and see me shrink before your very eyes (ooo its a good job there's no webcam )

[chickenchaser]

You could always go on the egg diet, Kate

Seriously, though. Well done for making the decision. I saw something on TV years ago where a woman had a glass or 2 of wine a night. That's all, just a couple of glasses!

She was rushed to the hospital and they found out she had cirrhosis. Her glasses of wine added up to more than the recommended 14 units per week and she was irreversibly damaged Well you don't stick to 2 units at home, do you

Life is a bit scary sometimes.

[p.penn]

Well done Kate - I totally know where you are coming from on this. I used to worry that I drank half bottle every night - until a recent very stressful time when it went up to a whole bottle. And this is the woman who used to fall over after 2 glasses!

I realised quickly that even a bottle wasn't 'hitting the spot' and have either abstained or moderated considerably since then. I think it is so easy just to get into the habit of having wine in the evenings, when anything else would do just as well.

I'm sure you will lose weight too!

[kate egg]

Weight was actually up 2lb this morning But I don't really mind, I guess it may take a while for my body to realise it isn't getting as many calories as it used to.

It's strange that I don't feel any different in the morning, I rarely felt hung over even if I started on the 2nd bottle which is very scary.

I now have this image in my head of red wine=poison so am not bothered about it. I can take or leave other alcohol, although I may partake of a glass or 2 of cider when we go to Devon in the summer And as long a there is no whiskey in the house either I am OK!

Thanks for all the words of support, its so good being able to talk to such nice people

Oh and another thing - I worked out that I am saving around £30 a week on not buying red wine or crisps etc for the evenings Thats nearly £1500 a yer OMG I could get a car for that

[wendy]

Well what more incentive that that !
Good on yer !
Wendy

[Ninja1]

Here's to the wine drinkers - hic
Of course you have to be sensible when drinking, but life can be sooooooooooo stressful, I find a glass or two (or three or four) just 'takes the edge off' my problems and I can cope better.

I know exactly what I'm drinking 'cos I make it myself
just fruit, veg or whatever I've gathered from the hedgerows, plus water, sugar and yeast, sometimes an orange, lemon or some sultanas depending on the recipe.

I only drink wine in the evening after all chores have been done, and I get my feet up !

don't feel guilty peeps - enjoy within reason
Ninja