SunriseSky

not a strong physical one, but it's my trigger time: after dinner, kitchen cleaned, husband at a game, son occupied with friends and me sitting on the balcony with a cool glass of Chardonnay. I can't leave the house for any length of time because the kids are here but I could manage the 3 minutes drive down to the liquor store. Decided to come here first and stay here...Any words of advice would be appreciated.

Dee74

Hi SunriseSky

I'm glad you posted - sometimes talking with someone else can focus us
Doing something different can help too - changing your routine

there are some great suggestions here too
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html

stay with us!

D

Leana

I had a very similar "trigger time", the day was wrapping up and I wanted to relax. The key for me was filling that time doing something else but when you're a mom- going to a movie or calling friends or even going to a meeting don't always work with the schedule. Is there anything you've been putting off? I repainted the downstairs of my house. Stripped the wallpaper and painted, the whole thing myself. It took me weeks but I didn't care, I did a little bit at a time and kept at it. Today I am still sober and I have freshly painted walls!

jaynie04

Think the drink through.....the reasons you came here in the first place.

The "cool glass of chardonnay" is our addictive voice marketing at it's finest. Friday night, kids are all set, reward time...usually a big trigger for a lot of us.

Good for you for coming here first....that is taking action, that is how all of us get and stay sober.

I identify a lot with the triggers listed in your first line....I promise you the more distance you put between yourself and the bottle the easier it gets. I would not have believed that four months ago.

The craving will pass, they always do, and every time you pass a hurdle you build more sobriety muscle!

dirk626

Hi Sunrisesky. I'm only on day 7 myself so I don't know how credible anything I have to say is, but if you don't drink you will be very glad. Think about how good it will feel to wake in the morning refreshed and rested. Think about the way your children's hair smells when you tuck them in and say goodnight. The craving will go. Occupy your mind with the things you will be able to accomplish with a sober life.

jaynie04

Leana...if I read that someone wearing a Sober Recovery tshirt is setting up scaffolding to repaint the Sistine Chapel I will know it's you!

SunriseSky

Dee, Jayne and Leana Thank you. I just started a load of laundry and I'm going to scrub the bath tub after I spend a little more time on SR. Thanks for reminding me that my AV voice isn't MY voice. My voice is telling me not to drink.

Thinking the drink through right now - i know it will lead to me sitting on the couch semi-oblivious to what's going on with the kids downstairs and definitely passed out once my husband gets home. Part of the reason why these evenings are so seductive is that he's not here - I can get as hammered as I want without him seeing what's going on. I know that if I do that, I will wake up feeling awful tomorrow a.m. And I know I can't avoid the hangover with just one glass - I never have just one glass.

Beginning to feel stronger.

Thank you!

SpeedRacer

Thank you Sunrise for posting. I, too am in "trigger" mode as the new routine feels uncomfortable. I like to remember why this is important to me and what's the worst thing that would happen if I don't drink tonight. For me, anxiety, boredom, constant chatter in my head. These are all things I feel I can handle tonight. I do my best not to think about getting through tomorrow,or the weekend, or next week. Just a few hours tonight means great success to myself. I have faith in time, the new routine will be the norm. Keep up the good fight!

SunriseSky

Thanks, Dirk. Great suggestion. I'm thinking about how good my kids will feel when mom's not tipsy when she says goodnight. I'm going to plan on an early morning walk. That's extra motivation for avoiding the hangover. And your 7 days is more than I have this month, so a big Congratulations and thank you again.

SunriseSky

Speedracer - you are right, the worst thing that could happen to me tonight is a little anxiety and boredom. I. Can. Handle. This. Just get through a few hours of unpleasantness and I get to shout my success to the rooftops.

Thank you!

ZeldaFan

Tonight was a rough one for me as well. When I got home I was having a super strong craving. I got on here like you did and spent a few hours here until I passed the 10:00 PM threshold that seems to be when my cravings start to subside. We can silence the AV and by doing so tomorrow morning will be so, so, so much better! Let's make this a sober night and a hangover free Saturday

happyhour

looks like someone is going to wake up tomorrow with no regrets...oh yea, and not feeling like dog poop.

SunriseSky

Ok Zelda, I'll be thinking of you tomorrow a.m. when I wake up feeling great!

Thanks for the encouragement, happyhour.

SpeedRacer

You literally should. It feels good in a strange way.

ZeldaFan

SunriseSky, I'm sitting here enjoying my coffee hangover free this Saturday morning/early afternoon. Hope you had a good sober morning as well!

SunriseSky

Hi Zelda, My first thought this a.m. was of you! Congratulations! I'm so glad you checked in. Unfortunately my experience last night was a mixed bag. The cravings continued into the evening and I started getting really anxious so I took 1 mg of lorazepam, an antianxiety pill, which calmed me down, but I couldn't sleep. There was no Chardonnay in the house so I poured a small glass of the cheap sherry that I use to cook. Took a couple of small sips and it tasted just awful so I threw it out. Then I found a small box of red wine (my husband's) in the pantry, opened it up, poured a glass, took a sip and it tasted awful too. So the bad news is that I slipped but the good news is that I didn't slip bad and when the booze finally hit my lips, it was quite repulsive.

My other mistake was logging off SR to read a book. I should have just stayed on all night.

So this morning, I'm not hungover, just ashamed, and feeling like I let everyone down. I'm really glad you made it through. Thanks for your support through all of this. I'll try to do better tonight.

ZeldaFan

You didn't let me down! I actually think you turned a corner by tossing that booze. The fact it was repulsive to you is a good thing. Remember that and the feeling you had after trying to drink it the next time your thought process goes there. The important thing is you didn't poison your body and you made it through the night into today without the ill effects of doing so. This is a marathon not a sprint. You stumbled but you didn't fall down so just keep on moving forward! Put those shameful thoughts out of your head and enjoy your sober and hangover free day

ZeldaFan

Also, I tried drinking sherry a couple of times because Frasier drinks it on the show and I thought it would be classy. It was one of the most repulsive liquors I have ever tasted, haha!

dirk626

I see your night as a victory. You threw out the wine you had poured! When is the last time you did that? Some of the things I have read ask you to draw attention to the first drink you ever took. Did it taste good? Hell no! We choked it down for various reasons until we acquired the taste. I think you have a new tool to use when a craving hits. Focus on how bad that drink would taste if you took it. Keep up the fight and believe in yourself.

SunriseSky

Hey Zelda and Dirk, Thank you so much for the support and encouragement. I'm actually a little teary right now....so grateful to you... Thanks from the bottom of my heart.