For Those with Less than 2 Weeks Sober Part 6

[doorknob]

Originally Posted by LaDita

I love the snow and it makes me feel very peaceful.

Me too!

And we got plenty of it!

[Brightening]

Day 5. Had a real bad time today. I woke up so happy and cheerful about feeling better. Then the day wore on, and it was a real boring day. Something set me off at the end of the day and before I knew it I was crying. Really not typical of me. Guess I chalk it up to feeling things more acutely all of a sudden and not really knowing how to deal. My habit would normally dictate that a glass of wine and some restaurant bar company would do just the trick...and that would get me through to the end of the day (looking forward to it)...until of course I woke up and remembered why I went out. Now I don't have that to fall back on after experiencing frustration...

I feel better after getting home. Just going to have to work through this one.

[CarolD]

Brightening ....
thanks for sharing with us...Welcome!

I find prayer immensley helpful.
Before I had it memorized...I carried The Serenity Prayer in my pirse.
My mind was a mess in early sobrety...

God grant me the serenity
To acept the things I can not change
The coureage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

Forward we go..side by side...

[CarolD]

Hi Everyone....

It's 4:30 a.m. for me...Sunday morning
Today I plan to continue my sobriety ....here's how...

Prayer....Breakfast....an AA meeting
Back home to Falcon's Football + Diet Coke +
A visit from my son finalizing our Christmas plans
Dinner with AA friends....Prayer...Bedtime.

And of course..in and out of SR often.

Anyone else care to share on their plan for
another sober day? Plese do..someone might
be helped on their journey by your post.

[YaySartre]

I felt overwhelmed and a little confused today. In the early hours of day 9 now, and life is getting more fun. Keeping myself hydrated, reading lots of books, being gentle to myself, trying to practice good, permissive behavior.

I am beginning to feel much better without smoking. It's been over 24 hours now, and that's contributing to my being a little cranky, but it's nothing I can't endure.

[scoob]

Today my plan is to exercise, take in some computer recycling, buy a Christmas gift at the Farmer's Market (love that place), get ready for a dinner at a family member's house where i'll have to tell them i'm the designated driver.

[dhunt]

Im stiil trying.

[Brightening]

Day 6, Today's plan:

Relax and reflect... (now)

Bathe dog

Get ready for work

Go to work, start Poseidon tattoo

Paint, read, draw, or do another tattoo if one shows up

GO HOME (this is the tough one for me)... or maybe I'll see a movie instead?! It's hard to find leisure activities at night that don't include drinking, and I'm not ready to be around lots of people yet. Luckily, hubby is good company

[scoob]

A movie sounds like a nice distraction. Gummy bears, popcorn and a big diet coke.

[espresso]

In the middle of organising medical care and ambulances for my Father - and I am some way off from where he lives. Without AA I could not do this, so on here right now for some recovery to keep me on beam and centred until my next F2F meeting. Have been using all the tools I can so far today; prayers, readings and once the phone calls have stopped; other AA's/sponsor.

[Omega Man]

Hi, my name is Omega Man, I'm an Alcoholic and I have 15 days sober today!!!

100% certain that I won't be drinking today; can't say about tomorrow, but for today, no problem.
Plan for today - doing what normal families do; being together with both parents sober and functioning.

Taking the family to Bass Pro Shop since they have it all decorated for Christmas.
We'll get a nice dinner and then drive around our neighborhood to take in all the lights, some of the people really go over the top around here; coordinated music/light show type of thing.
Wife promised our son a movie night so I guess I'll be watching Elf or something like that.

Take care everyone, I'll be checking in regularly.

[CarolD]

Omega Man....

Congratulations on your sober progress!

[CarolD]

The meeting topic was Gratitude...

All 30 of us got to share and I found it interesting
that no one spoke of material things.

Some members have a lot of resources
some don't have much....but the sharing
was all about how recovery has benefited
us with changes in our perception and attitudes.

A meeting full of laughter and joy!

[dbauer00]

Day 7

Went AA this morning. My sponsor has me doing some good homework. Went out to breakfast with my wife whom I know is glad for my sobriety today. I'll be back to AA at 7:30 am tomorrow. Thanks, Dave

[Mariposa18]

Stopping by to show support =) Stay strong my Friends, you can do this! I look forward to seeing all of you once you "graduate" over on the 15 Days to Infinity and Beyond thread or the 30 Days and Under thread =)

God Bless~

[LaDita]

Day three has begun 3 hours and 57 minutes ago. We got five inches of snow and it's beautiful. I enjoyed myself at home today.
But now I have some heavy stuff on my mind and I'm anxious and irritated.
To help pass the time and make the most out of it, I decided to go job-hunting online. There is an employer here that I've wanted to work for forever but something always got in the way. Now it's my criminal record. I have some pretty heavy Gross misdemeanor charges from something pretty ugly I did involving...guess what? Alcohol!...ten years ago.
So that turned into doing alot of research in expunging my criminal record and it brought up alot of really painful emotions from that time and frustration on how I'm going to get it done, it's a really complicated process and I guess that's why God invented Lawyers but I can't afford a lawyer so I will have to do it myself. Some would say I'm not ready for this right now, but I've been putting this off for far too long and I deserve a good job already and the peace of mind from having a clean record.

Sorry to whine. Off to bed finally.

[PaddingtonBear]

I'm really in trouble.

I didn't drink for 5 days. Then yesterday I made the mistake
of going to a party.
I didn't drink at the party, but afterwards I had a drink to "wind down" (it was stressful to be around all those people who were drinking).
It's an old trap which I've fallen into before, I really should know better by now.
Today I feel terrible and look awful.

It feels weak, feeble and anti-social to say it, but I really am going to
have to "wrap myself up in cotton wool" and stay away from
friends and situations that could trigger drinking.

I didn't really want to go to the party, I just "caved in" because others really wanted me to go.
I've got to stop trying to please other people all the time
if I'm going to have any chance of stopping my drinking.

I'm going to a meeting after work to try to stay safe today, I don't know what else I can do.

I've got so much evidence now that I really am alcoholic:
1) when I take a drink, I can't stop but keep drinking until I drop
2) I've been trying for 2 years to stop drinking but only last a few days at best
3) alcohol has damaged (and is damaging) my life

Oh, I wish this wasn't so difficult

[ExNavyInHouston]

Hey everyone ... I'm rolling into Day 3 feeling really good. Pretty much hid out in the house most of the weekend.

I had a meal out Saturday and then a movie Sunday.

This morning I am killing time until a 10AM Spinning Class. Then I will go to work around noon.

I chronicling my first 30 days in my initial thread: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-1-again.html (Day 1 - Again)

I invite you all to swing by and visit.

Squid

[least]

Never give up, PB! If I can stay sober, one day at a time, for nearly six months now, so can you. I've been trying to stay sober since one year ago, but it took me months to finally get some sober time under my belt. Learn from this, don't beat yourself up too badly, and start over!

[YaySartre]

10 days sans alcohol.
2 days sans cigarettes. (thank you, steamvessel, for the encouragement, it meant more than I can express.)

The transition from day 9 to day 10 was kind of tenuous, and I started feeling the H.A.L.T.'s hit the skids about mid-evening, when i got a phone call out of the blue from somebody I figured was writing me off, due to past bad-behavior on my part. He put himself out there to see what would happen if we spent time together this evening. We rented movies, talked for hours and, and it was like old times, but even better. Nobody got flippant, nobody nagged, nobody felt disrespected. We're both making so much progress, and he wants to be a part of my recovery, too. (Which ...I am floored by.)

According to him, the changes I've made are utterly evident, I look and act alive again, I laugh again, I'm not the needy, messy, horror-show I was. Even when I'm feeling irritable, I am putting it in perspective. This indicates to me that my Addictive Voice loses power by the day, by the hour, by the conscious choices I now make to shut her up.

Feelings are new again, but I'm learning. I feel appropriately in these circumstances, and I'm taking care to see that my actions and choices are also appropriate. It's ...easier in some ways, and a little harder in others, but will be dealt with.

I'm going to get some sleep now, I'll write about this more tomorrow.

[Brightening]

One week today! Yay! It hasn't actually been as hard I as I would have thought, and this site has certainly helped me through the toughest moments. The urge to have a drink after work is leaving my psyche now...I have replaced it with other activities that are actually more fun. In January hubby and I are going to start a community college class in the evenings (amazing how much TIME I have now, that I didn't before). I know a lot of others won't agree but I'm still planning on having a couple at Christmas and New Years.

[Omega Man]

I like to view this thread as the SOBER WAGON and were all riding it togther.

So PaddingtonBear - dust yourself off and get back on the wagon with us. Here, I'm slowing it down, jump on. Ok - now that your back in, put your seatbelt on, I don't want you falling out again; or I might have to lock you in the boot.

Now, everyone on this thread, put your seatbelt on! The road can be bumpy, so if you feel like your falling out, grab the person next to you and hold on and ask for help.
What I'm saying is, use this thread, especially when your having doubts!

[TryingSoHard]

PB... you are so right when you say you're going to have to stop worrying about pleasing everyone all the time. You CAN'T please everyone else all the time. You just can't. No one can. You CAN please YOURSELF, and you can start doing that by taking care of yourself.

Just for today, don't drink. Ok? We'll be right there with you. I'm not gonna drink today, either.

I like Omega's post, too.

Can't wait to hear how everyone else is doing today!

[scoob]

Good day and welcome to Day 4. My dad is offering to take me to a meeting. Not sure if i'm a fan of that.

[CarolD]

scoob.....

I know 12 Step Recovery is not appealing to everyone...
I left my first meeting before it was finished...
why not go and listen?

Even if you have been before...you might find...as I did
the this last misery go round of active addiction
requires a new direction to overcome.

Well done on your sober time...