Hi friends, celebrated one year on june 28th. Never been on forums b4 but loving this one! Needed something new to go along with this next stage of my recovery. Excited & nervous but its all good!

welcome cope :)

D

Welcome Cope!

Well over, I nailed three straight days of all-day business meetings. That's a first in oh, YEARS. My husband picked up a lot of slack at home and I rolled with things as they came.

Booze made me brittle. I couldn't handle unexpected things. Mostly because I was so nauseatingly anxious and was fighting internal negative battles inside as well as outside. Does that make sense? Sort of like always having one arm tied behind my back. I was one negative comment away from spinning out of control.

Silly example: My niece is coming to visit Monday. Used to be I would be freaking about the house being in PERFECT ORDER as a control coping measure. Now? Well, hope she's OK with a little dog hair. I'm going running and then to the lake to have a nice day with my husband and my friends.

Booze isolated me so I could spend time beating myself up.

Glad to be here in community in the bright happy light of LIFE!

you said it well fran, i do relate

Welcome cope35 and congrats on your 1 year! Glad to have you here!

I can so relate frances. I'm so glad you can enjoy your time with your family and friends.

R&A, love the Elvis!

Welcome, Cope. Congrats on one year!

Well, my cold seems to be winding down. Had the best night of sleep all week. I rarely catch a cold (especially in summer), so this one has really thrown me for a loop.

Itchy, I'm in Milwaukee and we're just not used to the triple digit heat. I have no idea how "ya'll" put up with it down south.

Welcome Cope!
:welcome
As I said earlier, we don't let just anybody in here. You have to have passed our rigorous 365 part test, which you did! Congrats!!!

Amen R&A, Instant, and Frances!

FBL! We don't! We hide inside! I love talking to people who tell you that they love the weather here and can't stand the cold! If you drive down any street in any subdivision you won't even see the kids out playing! There are poor folks down here who there are fan drives for each year and I don't know how they survive. We had our A/C go out and my wife was working so I was home with the pup, with all the windows open and in the shade of a giant tree she came home to find me almost passed out with heat prostration. I remember everything and did not pass out but I thought I was OK and my mind wasn't working right. I would literally die if I had no access to A/C. Then on the flip side the winters are very humid and the 30 degree weather feels like 10 degrees in Colorado. I am dressed to go out and cut the yard which takes several hours including the weed whipping along the front and around the house and buildings. I used to gauge my chores by the number of beers it took. Just the mowing with my old 38 inch Zero turn was a 12 pack job. Washing the car was a six pack job and the truck was an all day 12 pack job. I now pay to have them detailed once a year inside and outside hand waxed. Folks here do that for 75 bucks and do a good job! The rest of the year we use the automated car wash for three bucks to knock the dust off. Our vehicles are all under carports now since last year. I am tired of cracked dashes and faded paint on the roof. I drink beer when I mow now too, root beer that is. And Iced Tea. But mostly coffee.

I am so grateful for all of you. My little chat before I go out, my reading in the mornings, and sometimes when I can't sleep my late night companions to read. Sometimes I even have things to contribute.

Itchy,
Confession..... I'm one of those that hate being cold. Reeeeaallly hate it. But even I have my heat limits. So far this LA. summer.... :( ..... ( p.s. Agreed on the winters here although I do love it in the fall and spring.)

It's great to be up on Sunday early, just after rain, contemplating the options with a cup of tea

Sunday?? Whoa! I had to think for an Instant. (I know unfamiliar ground! and pun int.) [It's a two-fer RZ!] Australian! Like Dee and OMG! Rosco! Hey Rosco are you OK?

LDT, there are no cold weather clothes here. I used to be assigned to Colorado where I taught some courses when military and many years in Europe. The Southerners would all tell me they could not stand the cold in winter at those places. I finally figured it out when I borrowed a Southern friend's jacket when the temp dropped 40 degrees near the summit of Pike's Peak. Man that was no better than a hoodie and it was a nylon shell ski jacket looking jacket. Next time you have to go where it is cold, but a layered setup there not here! Cable knit sweater and a flannel shirt for under that. Then under that a good turtleneck or failing that, because turtlenecks are not for everyone, at least a good thick long sleeve T-Shirt/undershirt. Then you can peel out or put back on depending. However that is just the substitute for the Southern habit of wearing one shirt with no undershirt. Over that you wear a heavy coat or parka. Whether you think you need it or not. You can leave it in the car if you don't but if you do you won't have to drive home. Except for Columbia and other real ski gear, you aren't getting much down here in the way of real winter clothes. I have proven it to friends when they said that up there with just a coat swap for a few minutes. Poor planning on their part is no reason for freezing my axe off! In mountain country we kept emergency food and water in the vehicle at all times, as well as a heavy coat for each person in the vehicle. Yep we all kept a box in back packed to survive a sudden blizzard and a vehicle problem or snow blockage or avalanche making us spend the night.

I know TMI. But once I figured it out, I try to pass it on to any of my friends from the South who haven't had the experience.

I agree with you on the two weeks in spring and the two weeks in late fall that are beautiful. :lmao

Seriously, if you want a shock spend a couple of weeks in San Diego out on the strand or Coronado or right on the coast. Not inland ten miles, on the coast. It never gets below 65 or above 75 maybe 80 occasionally year round. Ten miles inland they have the 100 degree heat too maybe 20 miles but you get the idea.

Am I right R&A or what?
:c033:

That sure does happen. Today it's only about five degrees warmer in those inland areas, but sometimes the gap is several times that... Go another 20 miles over the mountains and drop into the desert, it's even more dramatic. Tomorrow SD is supposed to be 77, with Borrego looking at 104!

Hello everyone!

Welcome Cope!

It's Saturday night...10:42 pm and I'm laying in bed as I type this. Interesting evening for me...just thinking about the confluence of triggers I would have enjoyed in the past.

1. Last day of the month and it fell on a Saturday of a long weekend. I work in high end retail and we had a huge month that ended today...great reason to celebrate!

2. Had to work the Saturday of the Canada Day long weekend....need to make up for lost time...get my drink on.

3. Came home to a party. We had two other couples and their kids over for a BBQ...beer and wine was in abundance!

Despite all these so called triggers I never had a thought of drinking. I am rock solid in my sobriety.

The only thing that bothered me a little was that I noticed that our friends weren't drinking that much and I was worried that they were doing it in deference to me or something. Is that weird?

Anyway...happy to be going to bed early...big run in the morning...14.5k.

Good night everyone!

Ooops, I was remiss in failing to welcome you as well, Cope!

Well said, TP. Reading your post made me realize how true that is for me—if anything the old "triggers" are just reminders of how grateful I am to be free of it all. :)

Ditto TP!
:scoregood

glad to see you getting out a bit itch (W.A.) lol

TP I have been amazed by how little many people drink. Seems there is little point to alcoholic beverages.

Whoah that took some reading!!

congrats on one year Rossy!

Welcome aboard the Overs Cope. Join in and enjoy. :)

What a great weekend. I asked Weeman as was dropping him back to his dads, what was the best part of the eweekend for you? long pause, then... " Ummmmmmmmmm, well all of it really Mummy" :c031: the snow was a little icy to roll into a snowman, so we broke chunks and built a snow statue, that still had room for the carrot nose we brought from home! :winter3 Taboganning was fun, :abcz: hiking back up the hill countless times was less fun! And what was NO fun at all was being smashed into from behind by another woman going full tit in a sledge. OUCH!!! I cursed very loudly and may have even dropped the F Bomb..oops. Now I have a huge black bruise and its blardy painful.

The scenery was spectacular, and I was soo proud of Weeman because he was terrified about riding the big chairlifts but did it anyway.....and had fun in the end. The neighbouring volcano, Mt Tongariro, looked amazing covered in snow....beautiful blue skies, sunshine no wind........... PERFECT. Have a look at this link for a pick if you fancy National Park, Tongariro Crossing, Mt Ruapehu Accommodation, Whanganui River, 42 Traverse - Gallery - Category: Whakapapa - Picture: Whakapapa 1

OK, I'm gonna collaps on the sofa as am happily exhausted. have a wonderful rest of your weekend.

Hey gang, got a rare Sunday off!!! Gonna see my favorite band Dream Theater tonight, so pumped up for that. Just have a meeting this morning and the rest of the day will be spent cranking tunes in preparation!!! :headbang:

Instant,
I sometimes wondered if there weren't a lot of folks who are recovered alcoholics, and almost alcoholics. By that I mean folks who saw it coming and stopped after one time going overboard.

RZ, was slow here. You've been on the night shift?

Manz beautiful place to go. Glad you guys had fun! Great pics.

Keep up the great work guys,thanks Manz :-)