are you thinking about it? worried about it? have a plan? throwing caution to the wind? making a deal with yourself?

I was thinking about this last night... I'll be 30 days in come Halloween. I LOVE Halloween and the party is already set. I was thinking... am I going to drink? I've sworn off alcohol at least til then... but after 30 days I really don't want to ruin whatever my progress will be.

And then there's Thanksgiving and Christmas... we always make Brandy and Vodka slush...

and of course New Years....

All in the next 3 months!!!

So I think I've decided to make a deal with myself. 3 months clean. No liquor. If I stay sober through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas... I will revisit my no liquor decision and see how I feel about taking a "night off plan" for New Years.

I know for some it's a slippery slope. And it very well could be for me as well. But at 3 months in, I am sure I have a better chance than if I do it only 30 days in for Halloween.

I haven't decided for sure to drink New Years.... just to revisit the idea for that night and see how I feel.

What has everyone else thought about the holidays?

I drink shots and they aren't so bad if you drink the right thing. In the beginning though, I drank nothing at all. My biggest danger is getting toasted and then starting to eat things I normally wouldn't--in a party environment there are always so many less than optimal choices.

Well, life goes on and we have to learn to deal with it. This coming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and I am invited to two Thanksgiving dinners on different days! I will drink wine but will definitely limit my consumption to one or two glasses. I sure don't want any DUI charges and the cops will be out in great force doing RIDE checks.

Good time to start thinking about it. Planning is the key. If I were further in I would probably have a different conclusion.

I'm finishing week 23 OP and on a really good streak. I'm already thinking about food and baking choices. I'm going to eat OP through the holidays and not consume alcohol.

I'm only 14 pounds off my weight one year ago, and it's taken me 33 pounds to get here. My 20 pound gain started with the Thanksgiving ham and continued through Easter, ending the first weekend of May when I stared into my closet and wanted to cancel an exciting trip with friends because I didn't have any warm weather clothes that fit. I made it through a disgusting weekend and started SB the following Monday.

This is a make or break time of year for me, and I'm excited at the prospect of a healthy holiday season and a smile on the scale.

I am a sucker for alcohol. I don't have as much willpower as some when it comes to it, mainly because it seems things we go out and do with friends usually revolve around it.(that doesn't sound good at all does it?!) anywho- I have been trying to only drink occasionally and not much when I do. I have also not been doing too well with weight loss and I know that has a big impact on it. I think if you can avoid it do it! Thats great! If you do indulge, as said before don't overdo it- thats what leads to eating things you wouldn't with a sound mind

I do drink a glass of wine now and then (okay several nows and thens every week) but only wine. You do need to be very aware of what you are drinking. Almost all mixed drinks include mixers with sugar at best and high fructose corn syrup at worst. That can definitely trigger cravings. I have a horror story about the one time I had a margarita without realizing what was in the mixer. It was ugly.

I've made a decision to stick to wine because of the mixer risk and because Dr. A advises against beer. My one exception was a Bailey's on the rocks at New Year's Eve (yes, just one!). Then again I'm not a heavy drinker and 90% of the time a glass really is one glass, so I rarely drink enough to lose control of how much I'm eating.

With Canadian Thanksgiving coming, I thought I'd create a thread with links to all of our holiday threads (at least those I could find) so we can find them easily. It's in the FAQ under the title Emergency Handbook for the Holidays!

There may be some good alcohol tips in there, Gothik, but I agree with your decision. Alcohol really puts on the pounds if you drink it a lot. If you can't stick with one glass of dry red wine per event, I'd just forgo and focus on having fun without alcohol. After all, I think most of us can agree that if we have a limited number of calories, we'd rather eat it than drink it, eh?

I have found I can go to parties and have a good time and drink NO alcohol .

Rikki, like you most of my social events center around drinking. Football games everyone is drinking beer, out with girlfriends everyone is drinking wine, family dinners more wine, out on the boat with friends there is ALWAYS rum punch and that has a LOT of sugar in it!!!

Sad to say that since I started back on the Beach I havent been going out as much as I used to. This isnt necessarily a bad thing because it is keeping me from eating and drinking forbiden things. However, I know that I cant hide in my house forever. I have been thinking about how I will handle the holidays with my friends and family.....regarding food and drinking. When I dont eat and drink with my parents they are insulted....makes it really hard. So this is going to be my goals over the holidays.....I may have a glass of wine with dinner, but only 1 glass. I may have pasta at dinner but a small portion. Dessert will be wonderful even if it is only a few bites.

Uh, does every Friday night count as a holiday? As far as I'm concerned it is!

Cat you rock You are truly a woman after my own heart

I usually stick with wine and do half wine and half diet soda or seltzer. That way you have have 2 or 3 glasses of it and stretch it a little. Sip slow and make it last and that way you can socially drink. Once in a while, I let the bad girl in me come out and play and I'll have a rum and diet coke(ok more than one, but who's counting right?). And yes, it does trigger cravings and I'll eat something I wouldn't normally eat when sober...but I allow myself to do this once in a while. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't be able to stick to it. And besides, dancing all night burns the calories off and it doesn't count anyway right? LOL j/k

I have 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per year and they are based around social occasions. Mostly, it is red wine.

You don't have to drink to have fun and although there is a lot of social pressure to drink initially especially if you and your friends drink often but it goes away after a while. You can also do something such as seltzer water with lime or diet coke with lime if you are at a bar type place. If you are just at a house party, I'd say just drink the non sugary/non alcoholic drinks that are available and enjoy yourself with your friends.

I either have a glass of wine or Whiskey
If you're a girl and you nurse a whiskey no one gives you crap

I um.... yeah I like to drink. Especially that Threesome Wine you girls have been talking about so much. And.... yeah. I'll drink plenty during the holidays for the ones that abstain.