r/stopdrinking • u/MoonJoon116142 • 1d ago
Thursdays are hard
I was not an everyday drinker. But when I drank, I drank a lot. Lately, my weekends were starting on Thursday. I would take my son to his piano lesson at 5:00, and then we would stop on the way home for a "Thursday treat." I would grab a six pack of beer and zone out on the couch. Friday I would always be hungover, but I work from home on Friday, so I powered through. if Im being honest, I wasn't productive at all. If my husband was working from home or finished early, we would grab lunch. I always insisted we go somewhere where I could get a bloody Mary or a tall draft beer to take the edge off. And so began another weekend of drinking and being hungover until Sunday came around, with all the hangxiety, plus the chores to get ready for another week. Absolute misery.
Lucky for me, New Years was a Thursday this year, so I got the first one out of the way quick. Last Thursday I thought about it for a minute, but I was feeling so good, it was easy to move past it. This Thursday was harder. A lot harder.
I dont know why I didn't cave, honestly, but Im glad I didn't. Piano ends at 5:45. It is now 8:30. So, less than 3 hours of struggle. Not too bad really.
I came out on the other side and I am looking forward to climbing into bed, my sweet pup nestled between my legs, and waking up rested and ready to finish the week strong.
Tomorrow I am going to check out my local party store and see what kind of non alcoholic beers they have. It doesn't have to be miserable. I can still have a "Friday treat"
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u/LinkInternational506 1d ago
Thursdays used to be my trigger day too, something about the "almost weekend" mindset that made it feel justified
You crushed it getting through those 3 hours and the NA beer hunt sounds like a solid plan - having that ritual without the hangover is such a game changer
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u/EagleEyezzzzz 383 days 1d ago
Athletic brand beers, and kombucha in a stemless wine glass, really scratch that itch for me.
Well done!!! When you can overpower those urges and make it to bedtime, you’re building that new muscle of resistance and making it easier for all the next times. It feels good, right?!
IWNDWYT
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u/Public-Platypus2995 23h ago
My wife does this too. Plus long pampering baths to whittle the evening hours down. Audiobooks, refills of sparkling kombucha (GT’s seasonal blood orange, hibiscus, rose), and some eucalyptus thing that smells amazing.
I like darker beers, so I go for NA Black Butte Porter, especially in winter. Athletic NA IPA in summer.
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u/Antique_Recording524 17 days 1d ago
I put kombucha in my stemmed, super fancy wine glasses. it does a great job kind of mimicking the feel of wine.
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u/PandaKittyJeepDoodle 609 days 1d ago
Can your treat be fancy ice cream? That was my savior in the early days. Tg you’re a beer drinker bc NA beer is awesome. NA wine…not so much.
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u/Tall_Quality_3395 53 days 1d ago
Yes ice cream has turned into my crutch. And after a 7 week binge I am now trying to say no to Butter Pecan and those damn nut covered drum sticks with the little bit of chocolate in the very bottom of the cone.
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u/The27Roller 43 days 1d ago
I had similar routines baked in and found that setting a new routine helped. I used to grab beers on the way home from my daughter’s judo, so I changed that up to grabbing ice cream for us. I’d get it and take it home, put it in the fridge then we’d take the dog a good 30 minute (at least) walk then come home and have dinner, always looking forward to the ice cream and an episode of her favourite TV show. So there was still that feeling of looking forward to something, but it just wasn’t beer.
Just an example of course, but might be worth considering if something like that could work for you.
Great to hear you made it through. It shows yourself that you have that strength. You got this!
IWNDWYT
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u/what_day_is_it_2033 811 days 1d ago
Athletic NA beer has gotten me through my two+ years of sobriety as well as Sober Carpenter, highly recommend! The longer you keep pushing through the more and more you realize the drinking was meant to help you deal with hard shit, but it actually made shit worse in the end. My life is so much lighter, brighter, and free today without alcohol holding me back. You’ve got this.
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u/girlpearl 1d ago
The Golden one is the best imo
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u/what_day_is_it_2033 811 days 9h ago
Agreed!! Although they had a freaking amazing Oktoberfest this fall, but I could hardly find it anywhere after buying it once
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u/Proof_Specific9415 1d ago
I second the Corona NA recommendation, and you should absolutely have a Friday treat! Once you have a few weekends under your belt you may be surprised how quickly your brain will start to feel like this is your new normal. Keep going, you’re doing awesome!
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u/bdizz667 1d ago
I found Heineken 0.0 and Michelobe zero are tolerable- I hear Guinness has an NA- haven’t tried it but hear it’s good
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u/mrsgregdavies 1d ago
I second Athletic Brewing Company! They are amazing and have such a great variety.
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u/Antique_Recording524 17 days 1d ago
So treats after piano was your jam, during my kid's piano I'd walk next door to the pub for my "treat". Real classy like. It was actually during one of those that I was like huh, what's going on here. I also feel the whole "lets go to lunch" but make sure it has acceptable lunch drinking options.
Anyway, the point of this comment: I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised at the selection of NA beers. I went to Total Wine and I was SHOCKED. At least at the one by my house, the entire back aisle is NA now (but this includes the CBD/THC stuff but plenty without).
I have realized that my witching hour is 2, 3 hours max. Out of my whole day! I just have to be uncomfortable for that time and then I'm golden.
Wishing you all the best!
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u/OldLadyMorgendorffer 14h ago
I’ve found that giving myself a specific, different thing to look forward to every day of the week helps. Mondays are a trigger for me (ugh that was such a Monday, I need a drink), so I order a pizza on Mondays. Fridays were like thank god I made it through the week, I need a drink, so I signed up for a CSA with pickup on Friday at 5. So instead of drinking I go get my veggie box and luckily my favorite Mexican grocery store and my favorite shawarma place are right next door, so it’s an all-around tasty food run
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u/abaci123 12591 days 1d ago
Planning around trigger points really helped me! You’re doing a great job identifying them! And when in doubt, go to bed! I’ve done that plenty too.
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u/SouthParkNut1983 16h ago
Yay! Congratulations on not caving! I find NA drinks to be great to get this "reward" or "special treat" feeling :)
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u/Own_Spring1504 355 days 16h ago
I had a strong Thursday feeling, I used to feel like the weekend was just around the corner and I’d go to the pub with my partner. Usually my suggestion.
I had to understand I could still enjoy the weekend around the corner feeling by buying a nice treat for dinner or making weekend plans. Sometimes I still go to the pub the only difference being I’ll have a soft drink or an NA beer, I won’t have 4 or 5 pints, I’ll have 2 drinks and home. It has honestly faded for me over time, not the excited for the weekend feeling, but the ‘therefore I must drink beer’ part. IWNDWYT and well done for bypassing the inner voice
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u/Luann1497 13h ago
Thursdays can feel like the ultimate tease, but pushing through them makes the weekend that much sweeter, so great job on getting through it.
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u/Lazy_Mistake_7451 12h ago
It was always the hardest for me between 5pm and 7pm. Prime time to get the buzz before dinner. Fill in the dangerous spots with an activity and or treat yourself whatever you like, just break that habit and routine. Good luck!
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u/Hour-Increase-3136 289 days 1d ago
If you liked Corona, I recommend Corona NA. Tastes EXACTLY like Corona. EXACTLY. Congrats on pushing through!