CarolD

I consider those daily early morning AA
meetings were the solid foundation of my
recovery.
It made my day go smoother to begin it
"the AA way"!

Blessings

Shaneo20

So true Carol. The support early in the day really helps to stay positive.

NOMOMERLOTMAMMA

Shane, you are doing great! :-)

Shaneo20

Hi everyone, this is the 5th day(danger day). I say this because it is Friday. If I can make through this day and the weekend it will be a huge psychological milestone. I slept soundly last night as I did the night before. The alcohol must really affect my sleep patterns because the past two mornings I've been surprised to find my bedding is hardly disturbed, whereas the blankets are usually all over the place when I go to bed drunk. My ex said I was a chronic snorer and really talked in my sleep so hopefully this has also subsided. I still have thoughts about my ex, which is understandable, but my mother says it's natural to "look through rose coloured glasses" and not see the relationships problems. Gradually I am focusing less and less on her but I know there will be good and bad days. Anyway enough rambling, everyone have a good day and stay sober.

Cheers,
Shane.

needtobefree

I hope you have a good day, you're getting there - well done :0)

collinsmi

congrats on day 5

paulmh

well done on day 5. It's just another day.

Dee74

so Shane mate,
greetings from a fellow Aussie
how you doing ?

D

parentrecovers

good recovery going on! k

Shaneo20

G'day Dee, I'm going great. Missed out on posting for day 6 because I went and saw family. This is day 7 and I've never felt better. This is the longest I've been without a drink for YEARS. I am absolutely amazed at how well I am sleeping. I honestly thought I had to drink myself to sleep and that is what I literally did for years. After the withdrawals however the insomnia has completely gone and I sure hope it doesn't come back. This will be my first day of church since 2001 and I must admit I'm a bit nervous. I had a meeting with the Pastor through the week and he seemed like a nice bloke. I think I'll try a few different church groups if I don't feel comfortable with this one. The church is part of the Pentecostal movement and I'm a little bit apprehensive about the "speaking in tongues". The Pastor said it is a minor part and doesn't occur every service. Other than that the up-beat nature of their worship appeals to me, so I've just got to give it a go.

Thanks everyone for reading,
best wishes,
Sober Shane.

Shaneo20

Day 8. Church was OK but a little different. I'll keep going back and if I don't feel comfortable I'll "shop around". At an AA meeting last night I met a bloke who seemed pretty keen to sponsor me. He's been sober for 6 years and has sponsored a fair few people. I'm looking forward to starting the 12 steps and I know I need a sponsor for this. Each day gets a little easier but I still find that throughout the day waves of happiness and despair occur; thinking about the ex plays on my mind.

Cheers,
Sober Shane.

Dee74

good to hear you're doing well, mate.

D

Pilgrim

Hi Shane. the mood swings are normal and I sympathise. So many changes can happen early in recovery and relationships are almost always affected. Just when we need someone close to us, we often find ourselves alone. I am only now starting to develop some real relationships in AA and I miss my AA mates at the moment really badly even though I am on a vacation.

I found that eating had a big impact on the way I felt. Good food and nutrition with supplements is really important apparently. Have you read what to expect during PAWS (Post Acute Withdrawal)? I think it is on a sticky on top of one of these boards. The mood swings are described there.

Good to hear about your 8 days!! Keep going.

Tazman53

Shane glad to hear you are doing better and hanging in there. A sponsor is really the key to working the steps and also for general help and guidance, keep in mind though that sponsors are not perfect and if you have issues with one there is no rule that says you can not choose another one.

Oh yea ask your sponsor how one would go about getting a Friday evening meeting going, beleive it or not starting a new meeting is not difficult at all and I am sure you are not the only AA person there that would love a Friday meeting.

parentrecovers

sending you encouragement this morning, k

Pilgrim

How are you doing today Shane? Day 9!! Same as me.

Shaneo20

Thanks everyone. This is day 9. I felt awful yesterday afternoon, sort of like I was really hungover and had the depressive thoughts, lethargy and absentmindedness that goes with it (perhaps due to PAWS, thanks Pilgrim). I told myself that the best thing would be an AA meeting even though I'd been to one that morning. I was ready to go but for some reason I thought "not tonight" and went to work and visited this forum instead.

I was online for about 15 minutes and decided that I would ring my mate to get my beanie that I'd left at his place. Well the first thing he said to me was "have you seen your cat lately". I said "no" as the cat ran away 2 months ago. He then told me that his friend had seen it around at my old house. Sure enough I went around and there he was. This completely altered my mood. I'm sure I wasn't meant to go to AA that night. The loss of my cat has been one of the factors contributing to my despair, along with others such as work equipment failures and the split with the ex. Getting my little friend back (Smokey) has really reinforced that things WILL get better. Unfortunately he has been a little roughed up by a dog in the time he was missing, but it isn't too serious (abscesses from bites that are getting cleaned by the vet and a course of antibiotics). Thank you everyone for reading and supporting me.

Best wishes,
Shane.

Dee74

so glad you got your cat back Shane.
Yeah life without booze still has its up and downs, particularly in the early detox stages, but keep yr eyes on the prize, and you'll be fine, mate.

D

Pilgrim

Yay. I know what you mean. I lost my cat for a few days and it was horrible. Here's to Smokey!!!!!!!!!!!!

DKS

Congratulations on getting your cat back! What a wonderful feeling! Hope Smokey heals and feels better really soon.