Day 13
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 216
Day 13
Hi everyone....just waking up to day 13 here and just wanted to post just some of the many benefits I've experienced of being sober.
1. Waking up without a hangover and/or still drunk. There's really nothing like it.
2. Less anxiety, depression. The alcohol just made that ten times worse, or actually even created it. I feel so much calmer now.
3. I feel physically cleaner, hygiene wise. I'm not sure why, but when I was drinking, I always felt like I had a layer of film on me. Do you know what I mean? Or maybe it was because I wasn't showering every day. God, I was gross!
4. Not waking up cringing about what I did, said, texted, posted, etc. the night before.
5. No more memory lapses.
There's so much more that I'm sure everyone can relate to that I won't make a five page post, but you get it.
I've also been doing a lot of thinking about my mother lately. She was a life-long alcoholic. At least two of her kids got that gene, if that is even a thing. She stopped drinking and suddenly died in her sleep. At the time we chalked it up to a heart attack. Her blood pressure was high, there were Tums and Rolaids all over the house, but I'm wondering if it had to do with stopping drinking without medical supervision. I'm not sure how long she had stopped. Will have to ask my brother if he remembers; he was living with her at the time.
Anyway, just wanted to post how worth it is to stop, and I want to thank each and every one of you on this forum. I don't post much, but I stay logged into this forum and read periodically. It's helped tremendously. Thank you.
Have a great day everyone, and stay strong!
1. Waking up without a hangover and/or still drunk. There's really nothing like it.
2. Less anxiety, depression. The alcohol just made that ten times worse, or actually even created it. I feel so much calmer now.
3. I feel physically cleaner, hygiene wise. I'm not sure why, but when I was drinking, I always felt like I had a layer of film on me. Do you know what I mean? Or maybe it was because I wasn't showering every day. God, I was gross!
4. Not waking up cringing about what I did, said, texted, posted, etc. the night before.
5. No more memory lapses.
There's so much more that I'm sure everyone can relate to that I won't make a five page post, but you get it.
I've also been doing a lot of thinking about my mother lately. She was a life-long alcoholic. At least two of her kids got that gene, if that is even a thing. She stopped drinking and suddenly died in her sleep. At the time we chalked it up to a heart attack. Her blood pressure was high, there were Tums and Rolaids all over the house, but I'm wondering if it had to do with stopping drinking without medical supervision. I'm not sure how long she had stopped. Will have to ask my brother if he remembers; he was living with her at the time.
Anyway, just wanted to post how worth it is to stop, and I want to thank each and every one of you on this forum. I don't post much, but I stay logged into this forum and read periodically. It's helped tremendously. Thank you.
Have a great day everyone, and stay strong!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 216
I forgot an important one.....saving money! I was up to at least 2, sometimes 3 bottles of wine a day. I estimate about 30 bucks a day, and that's conservative.
No wonder why I was so broke all the time! And then I would drink to numb the fact that I was broke. The fact that I didn't make the connection between being broke and spending money on alcohol is just astounding.
That's another little thing I do whenever I get the urge; remind myself of the money I'm saving. I'm pretty sure some months I was spending a grand on booze. Ridiculous!
No wonder why I was so broke all the time! And then I would drink to numb the fact that I was broke. The fact that I didn't make the connection between being broke and spending money on alcohol is just astounding.
That's another little thing I do whenever I get the urge; remind myself of the money I'm saving. I'm pretty sure some months I was spending a grand on booze. Ridiculous!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 216
Thanks everyone! I just had another sobering experience. I live in a section of Hollywood where both poverty and the wealthy are neighbors. It's very strange. Just walked to the corner store and literally had to step over a man lying face up in the middle of the sidewalk, next to about four other homeless drunks sitting there with their meager belongings, making rude comments as I passed, of course. The stench was unbearable.
I used to give these people cash if I had some on me, like a dollar maybe, but no more. I know they're just using it for booze. If anything I'll give them food.
Just a reminder of where I would be one day if I keep drinking. It's so easy to lose everything; and I can see these people are past the point of caring. Really sad, actually.
I used to give these people cash if I had some on me, like a dollar maybe, but no more. I know they're just using it for booze. If anything I'll give them food.
Just a reminder of where I would be one day if I keep drinking. It's so easy to lose everything; and I can see these people are past the point of caring. Really sad, actually.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 216
Hi all....Day 15 and feeling crappy.
Found myself in a bar this afternoon. Don't worry, did not drink. I was downtown working. At 11:30 realized I had 2 hours to kill, so called up my friend who works nearby to get a bite. Of course he wanted to go to his favorite restaurant/bar that he and I would frequent. I said sure, but told him I wasn't drinking. He was fine with it, and totally supportive.
So we meet there. We sit at the bar. There's two women bartenders that work there. Only one of them is working. I order a diet coke, no problem. We order our favorite chinese.......and then suddenly the other bartender shows up. I'm thinking, "S**T!" I didn't even like her when I was drinking.
Immediately she points to my glass and says loudly, "what's that?! Why aren't you drinking?" Stupidly I tried to make light of it and I just said, "on the wagon." Loud laughter. Then she says, "How long?" I won't bore you with the rest of the conversation but the entire time she kept trying to get me to have a glass of savignon blanc! (That was my usual) She kept making fun of my diet coke, like an idiot. I know she's young, but geez! She's also Australian. See how you guys are?
KIDDING!
It was like her mission to get me to drink today! Finally I snapped at her but it wasn't about that, just something innocuous that my friend and I were talking about, and she always butts in, all loud and obnoxious. Looking back I think she actually did me a favor because there was no way I was letting her get her way by pouring me one.
Cut to tonight, 8 pm here, and I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Low grade fever, my whole body aches, I feel like an old lady! Granted, I do have lupus and it feels like a flare-up, but I haven't really had one of those in 10 years (or did the alcohol mask them?)
I'm thinking either the stress of this afternoon either caused a flare-up, or just caused something, but I now know I can't go back there any time soon. Probably wise to avoid bars all together.
What an idiot, though, seriously. Anyone else dealt with people like that?
Thanks for listening
Found myself in a bar this afternoon. Don't worry, did not drink. I was downtown working. At 11:30 realized I had 2 hours to kill, so called up my friend who works nearby to get a bite. Of course he wanted to go to his favorite restaurant/bar that he and I would frequent. I said sure, but told him I wasn't drinking. He was fine with it, and totally supportive.
So we meet there. We sit at the bar. There's two women bartenders that work there. Only one of them is working. I order a diet coke, no problem. We order our favorite chinese.......and then suddenly the other bartender shows up. I'm thinking, "S**T!" I didn't even like her when I was drinking.
Immediately she points to my glass and says loudly, "what's that?! Why aren't you drinking?" Stupidly I tried to make light of it and I just said, "on the wagon." Loud laughter. Then she says, "How long?" I won't bore you with the rest of the conversation but the entire time she kept trying to get me to have a glass of savignon blanc! (That was my usual) She kept making fun of my diet coke, like an idiot. I know she's young, but geez! She's also Australian. See how you guys are?
KIDDING!It was like her mission to get me to drink today! Finally I snapped at her but it wasn't about that, just something innocuous that my friend and I were talking about, and she always butts in, all loud and obnoxious. Looking back I think she actually did me a favor because there was no way I was letting her get her way by pouring me one.
Cut to tonight, 8 pm here, and I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Low grade fever, my whole body aches, I feel like an old lady! Granted, I do have lupus and it feels like a flare-up, but I haven't really had one of those in 10 years (or did the alcohol mask them?)
I'm thinking either the stress of this afternoon either caused a flare-up, or just caused something, but I now know I can't go back there any time soon. Probably wise to avoid bars all together.
What an idiot, though, seriously. Anyone else dealt with people like that?
Thanks for listening
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Join Date: May 2015
Location: nc
Posts: 31
Ginamarie323. Glad to hear it. I read your post about how you felt after dining. I used to feel the same way and all these memories flood back. I would not take anything for my sober life. I am glad to hear you are on day 13 and counting.
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