Slip Up
 

Well, yesterday was not a good day for me. I blew off a networking event because I wasn't feeling particularly good about myself and instead of working to build myself back up, I just wallowed in my bad mood all day long. To make matters worse, I drank last night. Saturday would have been 30 days straight. I view this as a "slip" and I will not let it turn into a "slide."

I feel bad about what happened, but I am trying to learn from it. I think I take myself too seriously sometimes and then I get down on myself.

I hope you feel better soon. I like your idea about not making it a 'slide'. And learning from it. It might help to plan what you could do differently if something similar happens again.

((((Ethos))))

What are you planning on doing to help with your self-esteem? I know that was a big one for me, still is, but it is much improved with all the work I have done on it.

[QUOTE=LaFemme;2942687]((((Ethos))))

What are you planning on doing to help with your self-esteem?


Like I said, sometimes I take myself too seriously. I need to just go into a situation riding high on my positive attributes. I need to be better about not letting others bother me when they make comments and such.

Good to know you are quickly getting back on track
alcohol is just so destructive....:yup:

Agreed!!!! You know it was just a reflex to have a bad day and grab for the bottle. Honestly though, I didn't even enjoy it. I drank and thought about it and came to the determination that it just plain wasn't fun. Next time I have a bad day I will realize "its just one day" and it too shall pass. Maybe I will go eat something bad, rather than reach for the bottle!

ice cream, pizza, cheeseburgers, french fries, cheese cake, waffles with whipped cream, fettuchini alfredo....

Ethos, did you plan that "slip" or was it unplanned?

If it was unplanned, how are you going to plan for the next unplanned slip when you don't know how to plan for it since you won't know (in advance) when and how it will come?

And if a slip was an accident, how do you prevent it from becoming a bigger accident - accidents imply lack of control (otherwise they're "planned events" and not really accidents)... yet you're claiming to be able to control this accident and prevent it from growing.

No reply is really necessary.....just wanted to give you a couple things to think about. Reality is, if you're a real alcoholic, playing chicken with your condition is a deadly game. Make sure your decisions are grounded in reality and fact rather than hopes and dreams.

;)

best of luck to you.

--ps..... is it possible that it wasn't a slip at all and you're a chronic alcoholic and have not choice BUT to drink after periods of being dry?

LOVE the Slip vs Slide terminology--

I can relate to bolting from the networking event; and yes, it's true, the more you expose yourself, the more comfortable you will feel. I've been there, though. It was a vulnerable feeling for me. Just remember you have just as much to offer as everyone else in that room, and you deserve to be there, too.

My therapist tells me there's no such thing as an accident. He's a very wise person and I hate him for it. This implies I have some accountability for things that go on in my life. I don't much like that. Guess I don't have to like it....

Sorry you drank yesterday, Ethos. I hope you're better today.

Much love.

deconstructing the myth is good, but drinking is not...stay close.

A slip is just that, a slip. I used to way over analyzed http://www.mazeguy.net/silly/spin.gif my slips until I learned that they were were desires to to drink. Wither I was aware of them or not made no difference. I drank and that's all there is about it. What I could do to prevent that slip from happening was to become aware of my actions in the first place. Nothing happens by chance or out of the blue when it comes to putting alcohol down ones neck. I had to learn how to be aware of what I was doing. Without that awareness...well...who knows what I'm doing, especially me. That's crazy.

So get back to working a recovery plan, slips happen and they can be prevented. Its not uncommon to have a relapse in recovery. It can be a learning experience at best. So pick up and move on down the line to a better, brighter alcohol free future. :) You will conquer this alcohol problem with patience, persistence and practicing a better way to live.

" Nothing happens by chance or out of the blue when it comes to putting alcohol down ones neck. I had to learn how to be aware of what I was doing. Without that awareness...well...who knows what I'm doing, especially me. That's crazy."

Great post Zen! Good luck this weekend Ethos! What the mind can conceive, and believe, the body can acheive.

How many "slips" did I have? 100's? Too many!!

Learn from it and I really like what DayTrader had to say!

ps Take a second and read purplemania's story of recovery on this Forum to see what a "slip" can mean.

Dave