thomas11

I'm in the US and its a big day, right? Well, many (or most) working folks had a short day Friday, no work Saturday Sunday and Monday and now today is FINALLY the 4th and tomorrow its back to work. I did pretty well keeping myself occupied over the weekend and for the most part yesterday. But today is lasting forever. Its just too much time off and too much waiting for the big day. In my drinking days this would have been a perfectly timed holiday....5 day bender. Anyway, a bit bored so I thought I'd post.

Dee74

If it's torture it's a torture pretty easily fixed Jeff

If you can't think of anything else to do, posting to a few newcomers helps pass the time

Share the joy, man
D

soberclover

If you think this is torture, just remember what it was like to drink and deal with everything the next day. Now THAT was torture. EVERY day it was having to deal with the chaos of me having made the decision to have "just a few" because I "wasn't going to go overboard today". And those days are now gone for me. It is more important to me to NOT have those type of days and to have peace and serenity instead. (Not that everyday is Peace and Serenity, but at least it isn't dealing with the chaos of my drinking.....)

Mattq2

Yeah I know what you mean Jeff, sometimes things just don't seem right. Spare time is not something I handle very well. I guess we are just living life taking the good with the bad my friend. We arent drinking though😀

AnvilheadII

well, you could be here with me and my very unsettled 10 year old dog and moderately disturbed 8 yr old dog with local fireworks going off. we are now to the point of the day where we get alcohol fueled idiots and combustibles......be glad you aren't one of those. both dogs are hiding in the bedroom. it's a gorgeous day and we are all "stuck" inside....for the benefit of the pets. have about 6-8 more hours to go.

let's get thru this jeff. actually July 4th is not THAT historically relevant...July 2nd was the day the resolution of independence was ratified, and not officially signed until August 2nd. most of that drinking thing you think you are missing has NOTHING to do with our nation's history....it's just another excuse to drink.

Anna

You're doing great, Jeff!

thomas11

OH yeah, my wife and I have been watching the people walking to and from the lake. Many of them look pretty wobbly (some just plain wasted) and tomorrow will likely be very rough for them.

thomas11

Hey Anvill, thanks for the history lesson. I'm going to have to look into that. Damn, nothing they teach us is the truth.

My 5 year old golden retriever is a basketcase. People lighting off fireworks on the lake, I'll have to lay down with him tonight so he doesn't have a stroke.

silentrun

What about it is torture? I'm always careful to monitor my self talk when it comes to drinking. I don't say I quit drinking; I escaped a very dangerous cycle. Even now if I let myself think I'm missing out it plays hell on my mind. Remind yourself of all you have accomplished and feel the joy in that.

skipper123

at least you will not be tortured tomorrow with a hangover and a ton of guilt!!

AnvilheadII

same thing here, jeff....fireworks on the lake. i took a nap earlier with the dogs as they find the bedroom the safest central spot in the house.

Jules714

I'm willing to bet, come tomorrow morning, you are going to feel a real sense of pride for having gotten through a long weekend without trudging down the path of alcohol that leads to a dead end.
Plus, rested and refreshed. And bares repeating; PROUD!

My poor dog too has been cowering and shaking with the fireworks. It's almost 11 PM now here, so I think it's a wrap. Entirely too many cookies were consumed by us both this evening. 😉
J

least

What's torture is what my dogs are going thru now with the firecrackers going off constantly.

Delilah1

This is exactly what I was thinking as well. Imagine how awful tomorrow would be if you had been drinking for the past five days.

Steely

Well done Jeff.

Ariesagain

Another fed up dog owner here who can't WAIT for these four days of noise and stupidity to be over. This and New Year's Eve are my least favorite holidays for just gratuitous noise and booze everywhere.

Bah humbug.

2muchpain

How ya doing today Jeff? John

notgonnastoptry

I find these days annoyingly long, too. It makes me question myself and what's my problem. I usually don't crave, but I'm realizing my triggers are social experiences that I'm too impatient to get through. Yesterday, the thought of about 7 hours, sober, BBQ-ing and watching fireworks bored me even though I was with family and my kids who love this stuff.

Instead, I just kept yawning and waiting for it to pass by. I'm also on a diet and so I knew I wouldn't make good food choices (and didn't), etc. I was reclusive in some respects before, but now I'm more so than ever.

I get mad at myself because I read here how much people love life now. I do love it, too, but long gatherings for me are made better by getting drunk.

thomas11

Doing great John, thank you for asking. My stomach is kind of in knots as my house will be listed and "live" by noon tomorrow (Central time USA). I was just feeling bitchy yesterday and was fed up with the festivities. haha.

thomas11

I understand. I think I'm in the same boat. The association of a good drunken episode and these holidays are inextricably linked for me. I am told that will change eventually, but hasn't yet. I wouldn't go back, and yes I agree that the sober is life infinitely better, but it is different. I've said before, sobriety for me is not simply the same life without the booze, its a different life altogether.