Mags1

Welcome to the Weekenders



I’ve wrote this before, but thought it’s a good reminder for us, not just in alcohol but in many things, even Zumba.



Baby Steps. What are they exactly?


I heard the term many many times when first sober here on SR.


I read that Baby steps are like mini-victories. I tend to agree.



For us, the victory could be a day without alcohol, or half a day without alcohol and even an hour without it.



In fact, if you’re like me and want to rush to the end result pronto!, then baby steps can be useful to steady myself and think.



I bought a Zumba DVD a few years ago. It was pretty easy the first part so what did I do? Yep, straight to the last part, the hardest exercise. What did I do? I caved. Never watched it again, far too difficult for me.


I didn’t carry out my baby steps on something new. I thought I had it sussed.


This can happen so many times with our sobriety. We think we’ve got this. Sometimes even to the part where we think we’ll be okay for an odd drink.



Walking the baby steps ensures we strengthen our steps and we don’t miss a step so we can be sure-footed and not off balance.



I read the following paragraph which I think sums up how important baby steps are.



Do you know the story of the struggling butterfly? The story goes that one day a man saw a cocoon. There was a small hole and he could see that the butterfly was struggling to get out of the cocoon. He decided to help it and cut open the cocoon so that it could be freed. When he did this, the butterfly died.



The parable is that the butterfly needs to struggle within the cocoon, building its strength so that its wings are strong enough to fly. Bypassing that step, doesn’t advance the process.

Scientifically, the butterfly goes through less of a struggle to build strength but there is a process by which it needs to send important fluids to its wings to expand them for flight.



Being accountable daily was so important in my early days of sobriety.



Sharing my days, weeks, months and eventually years strengthened my baby steps to aid me to be sure footed on my Recovery Road and be aware of any bumps and pitfalls on the path.

If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!)

[img]blob:https://www.soberrecovery.com/a281c174-25c7-4640-ae97-231239d68f9b[/img]

MidnightBlue

Thank you for the thread, Mags!

Baby steps - that's something that is hard for me to do because I feel like I am slacking) I think I need to practice baby steps in learning to make baby steps

Shotgun?

Mags1

Absolutely shotgun, Midnight!
I have a problem with baby steps too.

Reid82

Thanks Mags.

Robbie64

Thanks Mags

I'm IN for my 3rd consecutive sober Weekender thread.

Dee74

Mags

D

andyh

thanks Mags

Willow00

Thanks Mags
I like that story about the butterfly. We need the struggle so that we emerge stronger .
So our battles with the AV will help build our sober muscles so that we are stronger to resist temptation.

Kaily and Manta I hope you’re both ok

biminiblue

Baby steps are for babies.

I mean, great start to the thread.

Can't sleep. It's 3:30AM here. I really need to get out of the house. We're on day 8 of smoke lockdown. I'm going to take a walk as soon as it's light and I really don't have a choice but to pray it doesn't hurt me to be out in it. The smoke numbers are only in the red right now: "Unhealthy," instead of "Hazardous." I've got to chance it. I'll lose my mind if I don't.

Rain? Please? Do your best rain dances for us.

"Well it's not always rainin', there'll be days like this"

Mags1

Bim, love that song.

Mags1

Take care when you go out a Bim, I know you will.

Cityboy

Something to filter the smoke Bimini, like a mask or buff, and flush your eyes with saline or something when you get back.

At first, making it home without stopping for beer every day was a step.

Erica375

Baby steps. Good reminder. I tend to want to get things done RIGHT NOW, so of course I get frustrated and give up, and nothing gets done.

biminiblue

yeah, the only filtering mask that would do much good (or so I read on the Public Health site) is N95s. I don't have one. I'll try a bandana.

MidnightBlue is in the house.

Mags1

Hi Erica, good to see you.

MLD51

I'm in.
What a great OP. I think a lot of people, and maybe especially alcoholics and addicts, are looking for instant gratification. Baby steps are a difficult concept for people (like me) who want that quick solution and to get to the finish line quickly. I have had to work really hard on the baby steps mentality. I used to try to get it all done - everything in life - all at once. That led to so much anxiety and stress, exhaustion, feelings of failure. Which made me want to drink. It's one of the pillars of my sobriety that I try to break things down into more manageable bite-sized chunks now, and also that I say no to things I can't or should not try to do. I still sometimes find myself taking on too much all at once. I get overwhelmed and anxious and lose sleep at night - all unhealthy things for my serenity and sobriety. But I'm working on it.

SoberLeigh

Love your OP, Mags, especially the references to the needed struggles of the butterfly. Thank you.

Wishes for puddling rain:

saoutchik

I'm in!

Thanks for a timely O.P. Mags. Baby steps come about once a baby has overcome its instinct to crawl about on all fours. Us addicts have to overcome our instinct to prop ourselves up with ethyl-alcohol or other intoxicants. They have to be done in order to grow.

Great track bim, it reminded me of this one with a similar title which I'm pretty sure I posted once before, a couple of years ago. Anyway, it features Matt Monro singing - one of us by all accounts but Frank Sinatra said he had the greatest voice he'd ever heard which is quite an accolade. It also features the Italian Alps and a Lamborghini Miura, I mean what more could anyone ask for?

https://youtu.be/KQIRbV_noi8

Mags1

Saou, I love this song, his voice and the scenery.

SoberLeigh

Thanks for the music, Sao and Bim. Very, very nice tunes - oh, to be so gifted!