Nofearnobeer

Well , I mowed the yard yesterday....

Not a biggie deal , at least for most ..

When spring hits , and I pull out the yard equipment , the beer starts flowing...Something about Spring air , lawn power equipment and the smell of grass that just gets my pulse goin and the beer flowin..

At least , that's the way it has worked for at least the last 15 - 20 years , until yesterday...

I know yesterday I mowed the yard completely sober for the first time in at least the last 10 years...

Yesterday was also my 5-month sober mark..

Sobriety is still weird as heck to me , but at least "I'm Not Dead Yet!" ..

newpage119

Hey Nofear,
I am about the same point as you, around 5 months.

Did a TON of yard work over the weekend, though not quite mowing the lawn here....
Of course the first thing that came out of my AV when I finished, was.....wouldn't a nice cold beer be great right now??? I laughed and had a non alcoholic drink....
BUT the spring air DOES bring out that little devil inside! Stay strong!

Nofearnobeer

Oooooh Lordy , ya got that right Newpage....That cold frosty image quickly got shoved into my hand in the form of a luke warm Mt. Dew.. lol....

SereneEdition

Well done - both of you. And congrats on 5 months!

I used to reward myself too for a day of hard physical labor with beer - I think it was partially my body wanting some sugar.

Now a lemonade with fresh mint hits the spot!

LBrain

both of use two... be careful
last year yard work was a huge trigger for me... except I never waited until I was finished to pop one open. It was my fuel.

If you find it overwhelming, take a break. Log on here and say hello. I logged on a lot last year when the 'need' to have a cold one came over me.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Nofearnobeer

Thanks for the input LBRAIN...At least I am not the only one who ties yard work with a well chilled Pilsner...

heartcore

No fear - I associate most any kind of work with a cold beer in summer. My relapse last summer was all about beer in the cooler while prospecting (which is also thirsty work).

As spring rolls in, I am flooded with drinking images. I'm at eight months now. I've found that it is far easier for me to be sober in winter than summer (I was sober all the previous winter also - for 6 months). I feel confident in doing all my "winter things" sober.

So, good on you for making it through mowing!! I recognize that I'm approaching my true sobriety challenges, & might need to build extra sobriety supports through the summer...one of my besties is coming to town to stay with me this weekend for a mountain bike race he does. He's my beer buddy, and last year was the person I broke my sobriety with. I have plans to hike & to take a kayak class this weekend, so I'm trying to fill the space. I'll likely be needing more support than usual as we move into summer! It's like my AV rolls out of hibernation, stretches, and looks around for action!

Hang in there! We can do it! It's thirst - plain & simple!

Ruby2

Well done on five months. I used to drink while I was gardening. I still feel twinges when the seasons change but it's manageable. You're doing well.

ScottFromWI

I associated everything with beer. Spring yardwork? Drink. First snow? Drink. Big shoveling job? Drink. Fall colors? Drink. Awake? Drink.....

I definitely understand the associations....and I always had at least a 12 pack or more on hand for yardwork days....but remember that it's simply your addiction each time trying to trick you. Some good suggestions here - spend a few minutes on SR, take a walk, read some old posts, a sure way to snap you back into logical thought processes.

Dee74

Congrats on 5 months nofear

D

PedroChavez

That's just what I was thinking. We had our first really nice Spring day here today and I did a whole lot of work out the back, fixing the roof on the greenhouse and on the shed. I really felt I deserved to relax with a glass of booze afterwards. I guess I'm going to have to unlearn a whole bunch of associations with alcohol, one at a time.

vendetta

Congrats on your sober lawn care. I mowed my yard last week sober for the first time in years. It's funny how hard such a simple thing can be. I know that feeling of association.

I have to mow it again today cause the rains coming in tomorrow. Shew this week is much harder then last for me. In fact that's the reason I jumped on the forum.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Soberwolf

Congrats on 5 months

PurpleKnight

5 Months is fantastic!!

Gonnachange

Just saw this thread. Yes, having a beer after yard work in the hot sun is an association for me also, but not today. Cold glass of club soda was my beverage of choice.