Great photo TP

Stream thank you for reminding us of TPs post about the difference between happiness and pleasure. I thought a lot about that when TP first shared it a few days ago. I've been trying to remember to consider with which different situations fall ever since.

Classical, Instant - congrats to you both!

Instant, it's kind of cool to reevaluate your career as your mind grows clearer. I hope you do find yourself inspired to take on new challenges again. I've managed to push ahead and intiate new projects and challenges to tackle. The last couple of weeks has seen the first of the rewards, which really makes me smile. They are tangable and set and so contribute to my happiness category as opposed to the fleeting pleasures category!

PaddyB - Are you here? I see you signed on. Talk to me. I am back at day 3 right now. Sure would appreciate it if you would partner up and we could push on to a day 7.

Hi Stream

Yes my friend, i am still here and did read about your blip, how you felling right now?. i to again failed over the weekend, but still trying. i felt full of guilt Monday morning and sick to my stomach, i am classing this day my day 1, 22nd of sept. you are a strong person SW, you got back on the horse and didnt carry on

Hey Paddy and Stream - you guys will kick some butt this week. I have SUPER faith in you. :)
I'm in the mountains right now missing my babies stuck at a conference. I wish I was home, but all is ok. Doing homework and ready for bed, sober and happy!

Happy end to a Wednesday all my friends. I'll try to stop in tomorrow!

Thanks Sb, Its 4.18 am here and cant sleep god dam it, Sober and Happy i like that:scoregood

hugs to all :grouphug:

D

Sorry paddy, I can't sleep either! Miss my monkeys and just want to go home. You would think I would be so excited to sleep without interuption!

Stream and Paddy...we can do this!!!!!!!!!

Nice to see you posting Squishy..sorry to hear you are missing your babies...I know what you mean when you think you should be able to get a full restful sleep but our kids wiggle their way into our hearts and lives and we miss them so much when they are gone...sleep deprivation and all :c043:

Morning all. Sorry I havent posted for a couple of days I have come straight on here this morning to set this right. I do read every day but dont post sometimes for varying reasons, mostly cos I am in bed and too lazy to sit up and type, I am busy or perhaps sometimes I just have nothing to say or that I feel I can add. I try and hit the thanks button but do sometimes forget.

Stream thank you so much for your honest post about your weekend - it really took me back to when I was in exactly that place (well not in your garden shed but you know what I mean) many many times before. Thing is I did that after joining this site in Nov last year and then I disappeared with my tail between my legs to return again under a different name. I didnt have a strong connection like I do with this thread but alot of people had given me their time to try and help me and I am ashamed about doing that now. You are very strong and showing your great character by still sticking with it and pushing on despite how low you felt after the weekend. Its also great how you have asked Paddy to team up and now the two of you can do some boot camp on that AV.

Classical what you are doing just sounds awesome could this be the start of the next "Harry Potter" style craze? I do hope so. I certainly have no doubt that your venture is going to be amazing and successful and think we are all in the midst of a rising star.

Bee im glad to see you posting again. And Squishy - you have my full admiration holding down a career which means you have to travel and having young ones to care for as well. I bet you can juggle? Tuesday also we need our girly count. Speaking of which how are you doing Katie?

Jim I am also having alot of stuff from the past coming back to me - stuff I had completely forgotten.

Anna - I realise the dream I had was a common theme - I put it down to me currently doing step 4 and then step 5 is sharing all this with another person or my sponsor - having to completely bare all - my deepest and darkest secrets. Annoyingly some stupid and embarrasing things I did many years ago have come to mind recently and now I feel I will have to share them - I wish they had stayed forgotten! I dreamt alot last night and there was a drinking dream - lots of effort going into obtaining and hiding booze, only drinking one pint of cider and then realising I have to go back to day 1 (in the dream I was at 6 months sober) so trying to find the rest of the booze to get drunk but not being able to get away with it cos I was with my Mum and she wouldnt leave me alone so I could sneak a drink.

That dream has also reminded me of what hell it was most of the time just trying to organise my life around the drink. Obtaining it and hiding it.

Its odd although my energy is returning I feel almost like I am back to feeling how I was in my first month - not the cravings but the type of sleep, dreams and emotions I am having. Maybe the depression that set in put everything on hold for me mentally and now I am progressing and healing again. I really need to get this step 4 and 5 completed!!!

Hi guys. Tough days just don't get to me like they used to. I can see a bigger picture and I have surprised myself by not getting tangled up as much as I would have even a month ago. The amazing thing is "I feel" that there is still a way to run with this, and that I can develop myself further, and be more relaxed but doing better.

Yes the weekends can be tough , but some of those Mondays were a Hell I do not want to revisit.

Congrats Warren and good luck today - you dont need alcohol to enjoy the music dont let that AV take any of your senses away from you - you deserve to enjoy it for what it really is - not masked by a cloud of alcohol. Tell the guy you are on antibiotics or some other white lie if you have the slightest fear of saying no to a drink with him.

Congrats Classical!

Start of day 4 for me. Paddyb post me a note. Counting on your support to help me through this weekend.

Morning Classmates

Have a great time tonight Classical. Looking forward to hearing about it :) Congrats on the 100 day milestone.

Pumpkin- I can relate to your drinking dream. I have had too many to count. The hiding and planning my life around booze has affected me more than I realize. It is comforting to know that others feel the same way as I have.

So proud of you Stream for getting right back in the saddle. Congrats on day 4.

Good morning, everyone!

Glad to hear everyone is doing well.

Pumpkin min - Your step work will inevitably stir your subconscious which will most definitely provoke some detailed and wacky dreams (if you think in a Freudian sense, which is what I learned). I have had a few of the sneaking/hiding drinking dreams too. They suck, till you wake up and realize you didn't do it :)

Squish - glad to hear all is well for you and I'm sure your reunion with your babies will be a great event! Enjoy the mountains! Jealous!

CLASSICAL!!! The time is here!!! Enjoy every minute today, the symphony and just everything. You are a strong strong man. You will shine. I think it is so cool how we have all been on part of this journey with you. And I am in the same boat as you - NOTHING makes my husband happier than me being sober. Now, if I can just get him to realize that him accusing me when it's not happening is extremely counter-productive, we'll get somewhere...he can't have it both ways, y'know?

So, this is day 6 of no smoking (and not drinking). I CAN'T BELIEVE how different this has been from the last time I quit smoking. I feel like Classical with his quitting drinking in the beginning - it's been so easy???? Well I'm certainly not complaining. I miss the act of it but the minute I think of it, which isn't that often and usually at the same times of day, I pop a nicorette and it's over. So weird how things can be so different in different situations. 3 years ago when I quit it was sheer hell.

I've been in the gym every day this week. Hope I can keep the momentum going. Feels good. I'll be around this upcoming weekend to hopefully help all of us to stay strong.

OH - TP I loved that picture too!!!

This week has been extremely steady, low-key and quiet. THere has been no conflict with my husband and everything has been extremely predictable. These weeks I find it very easy to be in control. It's almost boring - but I enjoy it being boring because it means I'm ok. Last night there was a TV show on and every scene had people drinking wine in it. I had to shut it off and snap myself out of the romance of it.

Great thursday to all!!!

Hey SW, just logged in at work, and yeah i am joining you on this, i am day 1 here bud and will not drink tonight and we will get over this weekend together mate. Hang in there

Paddy and Stream its great to see you working together to get through this weekend. It might really help you both to do this together. I will be here for you too as much as I can.

Im just passing the time until my Thursday evening meeting - we should be discussing step 5 tonight unless there are any newcomers in which case they will do step 1. Step 5 will be of interest to me as I am dreading doing mine and it will be good to hear how others who have done it got on with it.

Tuesday I reckon we are nearly all in the same boat there with the realisation of how our lives became consumed with the planning/obtaining/hiding of the booze. Its mad to think alot of the time I didnt realise it was like that and I thought it was normal. I was so totally in denial. It really is complete insanity but so hard to see that when you are trapped in the cycle.

Do/did any of you do the thing where you went to many different off licences/shops to get your drink so it didnt look like you were buying so much to each shopkeeper? Ive got 3 very close to me and used to alternate them every time I ran out (which was often), I've even been to two different ones in one day. I bet they all wonder where their profit margins on booze are going now ive stopped.

Anna well done quitting the ciggies - its something I need to start thinking about - not yet though - insane as it sounds I dont want to quit enough yet so I know it wouldnt work. Fortunately im smoking alot less - I pretty much chain smoked whenever I drank. Ugh.

Classical - one big HUGE Squishy hug to you!!!! What a wonderful day!!!:c029: You will be just fine tonight - its a day like any other you have encountered the last 100. You have survived vacations and dinner parties - you will be just fine!

Stream and Paddy - Cheers to you - another notch in your week. Make it through the waves and enjoy the beautiful fall with a nice cup of tea!

Love to you all
Squishy