hpdw

Talk about all or nothing .
I had to make a start to the interior of the house and when I got going I didn't want to stop . Here's what I've done .......
Wallpapered front living room wall emulsion other 3 and white satin on skirting's and doors .
Emulsion large hall , stairs , top landing , white satinwood all skirting's and doors /frames .
Emulsion kitchen ,back porch ,white satinwood doors and skirting's.
Emulsion bathroom , tile an area around bath , white satinwood skirting's and door .
Emulsion two bedrooms , white satinwood skirting's and doors .
Lay new flooring in kitchen and bathroom .

I feel like I've wanted to clean and paint now that I'm sober . Its like I wanted to cleanse the outside of me ( my immediate surroundings ) as well as working on the inside ( my head and body ) . Its like I see this as a way of making amends to my wife giving her a clean fresh house .

I have one bedroom still to do but I need a rest as I think I've crashed .
I hurt everywhere ( I have a touch of fibromyalgia ) . I'm exhausted .
Here's what's bothering me , I have done almost nothing for 2 days except for light fixtures and fittings , picture hooks , curtains etc. and I feel guilty , I feel anxious because I am idle but worst of all I felt like celebrating my handwork with a few beers . I say felt as in past tense as I am now back on my shift roster of 4 nights on .

When I do the third bedroom in 2 weeks ( my son is going away for a short break and that's the room to be done ) I worry after that I will have too much spare time and start to thing the wrong way .

I cant DIY and decorate for ever and I have no big outside work needing done so I need to be extra vigilant as winter approaches .

Thanks for listening to this .

Mags1

Hi Maelstrom, nice work on your diy!

I found I had lots more time when I stopped drinking due to not being passed out with booze.

When I found this site I didn't understand the recovery part of sober recovery. I'd stopped drinking but then I had to learn to live again, almost.

A good plan, for when any cravings happen , is a must. Having the right tools to help us achieve sobriety is a must and get us through the hard times.

You're doing great, by the way.

hpdw

Thanks Mags ,

Your right , boredom can take us back out .

I did feel a bit sorry for myself on Saturday because my AV was saying REWARD REWARD and quite loudly too . A Chinese take away was my reward .

Kaily

You can come and decorate my house if you like lol.

PurpleKnight

Sounds like a great project!!

Sobriety brings time, but rather than fearing it we can do all the things that we put off while drinking or having hangovers on weekends.

You'll find another project after this one!!

Kallistia

You are not alone in that at all! My first weekend sober I compulsively redecorated, had a mini panic after seeing how much I spent and the "can't afford it" mentality started yelling at me - but the money spent redecorating worked itself out on the money not spent drinking. It was my reward for not drinking. I kind of look at my place like "I want a beer, but I really like having all this stuff and there's more stuff I want" - I use it as another reminder of why I don't need THAT reward.

Soberwolf

alphaomega

I used to drink bottles of wine and decorate.

It was always a surprise what I would find in the morning. Everything was slightly off kilter.

Rar

I didn't spend a lot of money decorating, but I admit during my first week I did purchase some items to give some rooms a different look. I just felt a need to make changes.

hpdw

Thanks for your support and experiences .