InParticular

Yay Catfry!

Tres, we got your back. Keep posting

Jay, hang in there! Be firm and patient with puppy, she'll get it!

Hey everyone, just a couple days left till xmas! Hope you all have all your shopping done! I must say I've done pretty well this year, we've found some pretty good gifts.

Last night we went out for dinner, we had to sit in the lounge of this restaurant because it was so busy. I was the only person in the room without a drink. Felt pretty raw about it, but talked it out with dennis on the drive home. Figured that if I had had a drink, then I would have had two, at least. Then I would have wanted to go straight home instead of continuing shopping. I would have had another two or three (strong)drinks at home, then depending on my mood I would have either kept drinking and had a terrible hangover at work today, or stopped and gone to bed, but obsessed over the drinks I didn't have until maybe tonight but definitely Friday when I would have gotten totally drunk, and been hungover for Christmas Eve, when we have tons of family stuff planned. Which is when the guilt and depression would set in. That is exactly how it would have played out, guaranteed. With a few humiliations or catastrophes thrown in. Rinse, repeat. We weighed all that against the 20 minutes of aggravation I felt in the restaurant when I couldn't drink. SO worth it. Just no contest.

Also, I just can't believe how many family holidays I have been so totally hungover at.

Anyway, gotta go wrap prezzies.

Sleep well everybody.

Vantrina

Catfry, congratulations on hitting the one month mark!

Tres, thank goodness for SR, a place we can retreat to and keep ourselves on a sober path no matter what is going on around us. No doubt, the next few days…holidays…are going to be challenging. It is like gearing up for a race or a major event. we can do it!

InParticular, good job on playing the tape an making it through last night. That could not have been easy. I hope that over this weekend when I'm going to be faced with "drinkers in a room" that I can do the same. I will be keeping your post in mind, no doubt.

Wishing everyone a good & sober day. (Enjoy your puppy, Jay…before you know it she will be a sweet, older, mellow dog. )

This is our November gang, coasting through this sober holiday weekend:

Jay1980

Wow, this thread seems really thin lately Like everyone else I'm hoping it's just a busy time for everyone around the holidays.

Day 43 for me. Rainy and dreary out today. Going to the gym later on and then out with a friend for dinner and to see Christmas lights.

Have a great Friday!

Marine28

For those interested go to Sodastream | Turn Water Into Fresh Sparkling Water And Soda to see the various types of soda stream machines. I just like it plain and squeeze a fresh lemon or lime in the glass.

NESfan

Congrats, CatFry! Tomorrow is 30 days for me. Feels weird, I started off after Thanksgiving just resolving not to drink until December, and then I kept going...

Probably not going to be checking until Monday-ish, so I'll just say ahead of time Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Fleece Navy-dad, etc...

Tigger41

Hi guys. Posting on my iPhone. Hard to get time alone with the kids and SO. Add that my partner and needs a lot of care when she has a cold. Well not much time to post.

Good job InParticular. I'd be pretty raw about it also. Good job though

Everyone else The days keep adding up - nice to see you guys still on the boards

Jay. Are you the last guy on the Nov class? You're doing so well. Hang in there.

Jay1980

Hmmm, I'm not sure! I thought this group was going strong a couple of weeks ago and now it seems down to a handful of people.

Just got back from the gym. The Christmas Lights/Dinner plans for tonight might be postponed/canceled. Feeling a little bah-humbugish right now. Maybe some food will help.

Have a great night everyone! I'll probably be back if my plans get canceled.

Dee74

congrats on 30 NESFan

A lot of people go home or have family things going on at Xmas, I think
SR always gets a little quieter for a while before Xmas

speaking of which...I'll be away a day or two - have a great time everyone

D

Tigger41

Everyone who would like the stress and drinking of the holidays to be over please raise your hand. :wave

Jay1980

-

Tigger41

Will post tonight. Just want everyone to know I'm thinking of you all

Tres

hey there. Things are a lot quieter here. I will be posting since it helps with my cravings. Had a slight one tonight being that its Friday. Hubby asked me to pick up some OJ for him...that means he is drinking screwdrivers. Its ok, I will just have my tea.

Just tried to drink it out on our dock and enjoy the lights we have blinking on the boat but their were giant mosquitos! I had to come back in. Maybe later. It used to be great place to get all tipsy watching the sun set and watching the boats go by. Tonight I thought I will be clear headed and not hungover tomorrow to enjoy my day. I do miss that sunset drink. Oh well, I will get over it. It only led to 2 or 10 others that I didnt need, then pass out, maybe argue with the hubby and not remember it, wake up feeling like crap, and berate myself all day and be depressed.

Wow, I just talked myself out of that sunset drink!

Went rollerskating with my hubby and daughter this afternoon. What a blast. I felt like I was 12 again. They have an all night skate on New Years Eve till 0700. Dont you wonder who does that?? That would be interesting to see.

Keep posting if you can through the holiday..I need it. Thanks everyone!

Marine28

I'm waving!

Marine28

Tres- I will be posting all weekend long. I am home alone for the holidays so I will definitely need it. Going on my two week vacation to the islands in January. I want to be well into this sobriety thing by then. Talk about drinking!!!!!! I think I stayed buzzed from the moment I got on the plane till I got back home! Off to the grocery store to get stocked up for the next few days. I am going to make a cake from a recipe that says it is the simplest cake you will ever make. Well, they haven't met me. LOL!

Jay1980

I just have to give anyone who's living in a household where there is still liquor around a HUGE "Way to go!" 'cause I honestly couldn't do that. There is no liquor in my house. I don't think there's even a chance I would've made it this long if it was something I'd have to look at day in and day out.

Vantrina

…not to get ahead of myself, but tomorrow is Christmas Eve and honestly, I haven't gone without a glass of wine on that day for at least 20 years. For the last ten years I believe I have been pretty much drunk by end of the night as a result of cooking and drinking and not wanting to feel the emotions of the holiday. ((Sigh)) Am well stocked with sparkling water, soda, and juice. Not much else I can do about tomorrow while I'm still in today, right? lol…silliness.

Waving...

Tigger41

OMG Jay. I needed that laughed until my eyes teared

InParticular

Tres, was it really a "sunset drink" or one drink out of many that happened to be at sunset? And I have to ask- does your husband need to ask you to pick up his mixers for him? My bf would never think of asking me that, because he knows it would open up a world of longing for me. Seems a bit insensitive, don't you think? Just sayin'. And I can't believe you're dealing with mosquitoes; i'm lying in bed listening to pouring rain outside, a wet xmas as usual for us, yuck. It's actually warmed up a bit but I'd way rather have cold and snow than this dismal rain.

Had my last day of work today, till summer, yeehaw! God I really need a break, my body's falling apart from the labour. Hopefully i can intern as a writer this summer so won't have to go back to it full time again. We'll see.

Hey marine sorry you're all by yourself, keep checking in here, let us know how the baking's going. I made my grandma's famous cookies tonight and they flopped. Since I'm serving them to her on sat i want them to be perfect so i have to try again tomorrow till they're just right.

Merry christmas eve eve everyone!

Vantrina hang in there!

We're in this together guys.

How's your nose tigger?

InParticular

Oh yeah, Nesfan, congratulations on 30 days! Give yourself a big ol' pat on the back, you deserve it!

Marine28

Hi - just woke up after an 11-hour sleep. I think my body is recovering from all of my relapses lately. Anyway, I did two "online" AA meetings yesterday while waiting for my new appliances to be delivered and installed. I actually found them to be quite helpful and one person said the only way they were able to stop drinking was to "stop trying to stop" if that makes any sense. He said he had to focus on removing the obstacles that were causing him to drink in the first place, i.e. loneliness, anger, resentment, etc. Seeing that I have been "trying to stop" for 6 years now, it can't hurt to try this approach. The online thing works well for me, I just have to figure out to make "chat rooms" work on my iPad for when I travel. Only two weeks till I go on my vacation - can't wait to get there and it will be interesting to not spend the entire two weeks with a buzz and waiting for Noon to be able to drink. Funny that I thought it was okay if I waited till then!

My conundrum today is that my kitchen here at home has a "wine motif". Wine cork wreath, wine cork trivets, pictures of vineyards we visited, etc. They are very beautiful and I don't think I need to change the decor. Maybe remove the sign that says "I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food." LOL! I will be back later on. I am going to Home Depot to try to find a new fireplace grate for my fireplace. Nothing like waiting to the last minute on the busiest shopping day of the year........for everyone out there, Happy Holidays.