Class of December 2012 - Part 7
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,057
Tazzle, hate to say it but grin & bear it -- or don't grin, but bear it. Better to lose your temper than your sobriety!
Newlifeforme -- I think after the first 3 months the novelty starts to wear off and so does the cushion of the early sober days' mocus. I'm thinking more clearly but don't have practice yet in thinking in positive ways, if that makes sense -- maybe a better way of putting it is that my habitual negativity is sharpened by physical sobriety, but not relieved by very much spiritual growth.
Anyway, Newlife -- welcome. This is a good group to trudge, dance, run, bike or trudge the path with!
Newlifeforme -- I think after the first 3 months the novelty starts to wear off and so does the cushion of the early sober days' mocus. I'm thinking more clearly but don't have practice yet in thinking in positive ways, if that makes sense -- maybe a better way of putting it is that my habitual negativity is sharpened by physical sobriety, but not relieved by very much spiritual growth.
Anyway, Newlife -- welcome. This is a good group to trudge, dance, run, bike or trudge the path with!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: long Island,NY
Posts: 22
Thanks Dee I agree . Thank Courage, yes I agree maybe Its the realization that this has to be a lifetime choice . I have quit many times before the time before this was in 2010..I only made two months . I Actually was on here posting for a bit then and it just read my old posts. It was a real eye opener to read where I was then how I feel right back into the drinking. I have to do it this time . Life doesn't stop and I have lost so much time already. I too need to work on being more positive .
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,057
Hey Newlife -- I just looked at your old posts & you were looking into AA a while back. Also I see you're on Long Island. Just curious, did it work out for you? I know there are a lot of meetings on the Island as well as in the boroughs.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: long Island,NY
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by courage2 
Hey Newlife -- I just looked at your old posts & you were looking into AA a while back. Also I see you're on Long Island. Just curious, did it work out for you? I know there are a lot of meetings on the Island as well as in the boroughs.
Actually I have been in out patient counseling (much better then the past experience)for almost five months. It started out as group but now they wont let us have coed because of the new director. I work as a care giver and I work insane 24 hour shifts . I cant make womens group so they give me one on one. It helps make me accountable but really the difference in me is I now don't view drinking as an option. My anxiety is so much better now with out the drinking! When I am done with the program I will use that time to go to some AA meetings which I am looking forward to trying. Also , been interviewing for jobs in the city so hoping to make a move to brooklyn by the summer . It will be a lot easier transportation wise since I no longer drive due to my drinking. I have a friend from group who suggested some good AA groups near me =)
Guest
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,097
Hi Newlife,I think at 3 months the newness wears off,mentally I felt awful,I had underlying depression though which anti-ds have massively helped me with. At 5 months now I feel not drinking is more 'the norm' rather than thinking about it all the time. (I didn't have major urges in the beginning either,it's more when something bad happens I wanted to drink. I think by now the habits are changing. As Dee said life's got ups and downs. I look at it that my life isn't perfect but it wasn't before anyway and it's a hell of a lot better than it was 
HOpe things improve for you Tazzle,you did good staying sober
5 months for me today.Have a great day everyone.x
HOpe things improve for you Tazzle,you did good staying sober
5 months for me today.Have a great day everyone.x
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 320
RAL - five months!!! Wow! Way to go, you're a star 
Hi all! I feel like a bad friend who comes over at dinner time and never shows up during the hard times - I need to get here daily
I'm cleaning my study as we speak though, so once it's clean I'm sure I'll be more inclined to actually enter the room where the computer is.
A quick hello to you all - I'm hoping everyone is well.
I've been stressed a bit lately, super high blood pressure which is really disappointing - it's higher than when I was drinking :/ It's annoying because I'm eating better, losing weight, even doing some exercise and in general much healthier than I was in December.
I got some sleeping pills from the doctor and I think I like them a little too much. I take one and it's like being 10 beers down and all hazy. The part of me that knows best says to get rid of them, but I didn't realise how awful my sleep was until I've started having decent sleep (waking up feeling like you've slept is so good), so I dunno. I caught myself thinking of them on the way home from work looking forward to the 'stoned' feeling rather than the good sleep. It's not a good thing to be thinking, and a bit of a step back, but I am glad to be able to acknowledge it at least and to write about it here.
Luckily it was only a script for 7 and there are only 3 left, so I figure I'll finish out the packet and just not ask for more again. I think I have been able to recognise the effect well enough to realise what they are to me. If I need sleeping tablets again in the future I'll just stick to the ones that are more subtle, rather than the 'knock you on your butt' ones.
Dee - good to see you back with the muppets glad you are feeling better. I hope you are well, I think this is the second time you've been out of action since this threads been here :S Much love to you.
Hi all! I feel like a bad friend who comes over at dinner time and never shows up during the hard times - I need to get here daily
I'm cleaning my study as we speak though, so once it's clean I'm sure I'll be more inclined to actually enter the room where the computer is.A quick hello to you all - I'm hoping everyone is well.
I've been stressed a bit lately, super high blood pressure which is really disappointing - it's higher than when I was drinking :/ It's annoying because I'm eating better, losing weight, even doing some exercise and in general much healthier than I was in December.
I got some sleeping pills from the doctor and I think I like them a little too much. I take one and it's like being 10 beers down and all hazy. The part of me that knows best says to get rid of them, but I didn't realise how awful my sleep was until I've started having decent sleep (waking up feeling like you've slept is so good), so I dunno. I caught myself thinking of them on the way home from work looking forward to the 'stoned' feeling rather than the good sleep. It's not a good thing to be thinking, and a bit of a step back, but I am glad to be able to acknowledge it at least and to write about it here.
Luckily it was only a script for 7 and there are only 3 left, so I figure I'll finish out the packet and just not ask for more again. I think I have been able to recognise the effect well enough to realise what they are to me. If I need sleeping tablets again in the future I'll just stick to the ones that are more subtle, rather than the 'knock you on your butt' ones.
Dee - good to see you back with the muppets
glad you are feeling better. I hope you are well, I think this is the second time you've been out of action since this threads been here :S Much love to you.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 320
Oh, and a funny thing at work today - chatting with a lady who is cutting down alcohol for health and she said "I only drink 2-3 glasses of wine a night, I don't drink a lot" and my immediate thoughts were*: "wow, 2-3 glasses - that's actually a fair bit, that's like 15 a week before the weekend even starts". Of course I didn't say that, I was supportive and told her about HALT and tried to let her know that I took her seriously without letting her know about my history. She asked where I learnt HALT from and I just said "Oh I pick up a lot of these sort of things". Haha!
*On further reflection, my immediate thought was "Take that number and at least double it" but I don't know if that's just me being jaded since I used to do that, say "Oh I only have two or three after work to wind down". They didn't need to know I meant six packs not cans haha!
It was good to see a perspective shift though It's funny with alcohol - it's so OK to drink large quantities. I get REALLY sick of certain people at work who go on about how much soft drink I have during the day (2 cans normally, sometimes 3 or 4 on a really bad day), but then the same people have 4 cups of coffee minimum and talk about going home and drinking a bottle of wine or two. I know I need to cut out the soft drink, but when they start on me I think "If you know what I've already given up...". Ah, it takes all sorts I guess.
*On further reflection, my immediate thought was "Take that number and at least double it" but I don't know if that's just me being jaded since I used to do that, say "Oh I only have two or three after work to wind down". They didn't need to know I meant six packs not cans haha!
It was good to see a perspective shift though
It's funny with alcohol - it's so OK to drink large quantities. I get REALLY sick of certain people at work who go on about how much soft drink I have during the day (2 cans normally, sometimes 3 or 4 on a really bad day), but then the same people have 4 cups of coffee minimum and talk about going home and drinking a bottle of wine or two. I know I need to cut out the soft drink, but when they start on me I think "If you know what I've already given up...". Ah, it takes all sorts I guess.
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,057
Hi all,
Good on you, Taz, for creating a better day for yourself!
Hi Alice -- you're not a bad friend -- it's always good to see your posts.
Ready, how's it going up in your new home? I love to think of all our class, in their REALLY different places, all over the world, going through so much the same things.
Last night my son called in an angry & emotional state and brought up a bunch of issues that he blames on me, or on his upbringing. He's struggling to cope with a lot of uncertainty and change, and I fear his alcoholic mother didn't help him develop great coping skills. I'm trying to be supportive of him. At the same time this really raises my own feelings of guilt about the past. But I'm far behind on work (again, sigh, LOL) so can't write more.
I hope everyone has a peaceful day.
Good on you, Taz, for creating a better day for yourself!
Hi Alice -- you're not a bad friend -- it's always good to see your posts.
Ready, how's it going up in your new home? I love to think of all our class, in their REALLY different places, all over the world, going through so much the same things.
Last night my son called in an angry & emotional state and brought up a bunch of issues that he blames on me, or on his upbringing. He's struggling to cope with a lot of uncertainty and change, and I fear his alcoholic mother didn't help him develop great coping skills. I'm trying to be supportive of him. At the same time this really raises my own feelings of guilt about the past. But I'm far behind on work (again, sigh, LOL) so can't write more.
I hope everyone has a peaceful day.
Recovering ostrich
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 2,551
Courage, I went to a women's step meeting a while ago and a girl was sobbing about her kids. And you know what the old timers said? A) put down the baseball bay you're beating yourself up with. B) you're kid isn't locked in a closet, starving, having to hold your hair while you throw up, etc. all kids have their issues and the big joke in life is that one day, they will go to therapy to complain about us. Even non drinkers experience that. Don't feel too guilty.
Alice, sorry about your BP.... And I'm a soda drinker too. Eek. But everyone here knows that I have up drinking. Not that I tell anyone I'm in AA, but I had to say something..,, I was a party girl. I said I quit for my health.
Have to get back to work. Meeting tonight and then bed. I'm still really tired.
Alice, sorry about your BP.... And I'm a soda drinker too. Eek. But everyone here knows that I have up drinking. Not that I tell anyone I'm in AA, but I had to say something..,, I was a party girl. I said I quit for my health.
Have to get back to work. Meeting tonight and then bed. I'm still really tired.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: BC
Posts: 410
Morning all, just a quick check in. At home moving stuff around for the carpet cleaners that should be here shortly, then off to work. Hockey didn't go so well, my team got swept in 4 games out of the 1st round so not overly happy with things today. Time to blow it up and rebuild. Oh well, its just hockey and the sun is shining today so its all good.
Hope everyone has a good Wednesday.
Hope everyone has a good Wednesday.
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,057
Hey, all --
Send some of your sunshine this direction, Gonzo! We've got rain today.
Thanks for the words re the kid, Tam.
Had to get up before dawn today on a work thing, so expect to be longing for my bed by the time I get home. I'm a little weary already.
Have a great day everyone!
Send some of your sunshine this direction, Gonzo! We've got rain today.
Thanks for the words re the kid, Tam.
Had to get up before dawn today on a work thing, so expect to be longing for my bed by the time I get home. I'm a little weary already.
Have a great day everyone!
Recovering ostrich
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Posts: 2,551
Howdy all! Are we a quieter class than others? Lol
Courage, yuck on the rain. We had that over the weekend and now it is cool and sunny.
Gonzo, sorry about your hockey team.
Hi Taz, TT (where are you?), NewLife, Napster, Alice, Dee, cat, marria, grandma and anyone else I missed.... I feel like I'm missing a few. Eesh.
Work, work, work. Need some time off, I'm getting to that, 'I can't stand anyone and get the heck away from my desk' place which is no bueno. Lol oh well, I have 5 days off at the end of this month and then a little more than a week in August. Off to bed soon, I am beat!
Courage, yuck on the rain. We had that over the weekend and now it is cool and sunny.
Gonzo, sorry about your hockey team.
Hi Taz, TT (where are you?), NewLife, Napster, Alice, Dee, cat, marria, grandma and anyone else I missed.... I feel like I'm missing a few. Eesh.
Work, work, work. Need some time off, I'm getting to that, 'I can't stand anyone and get the heck away from my desk' place which is no bueno. Lol oh well, I have 5 days off at the end of this month and then a little more than a week in August. Off to bed soon, I am beat!
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,057
Originally Posted by Tamerua
Howdy all! Are we a quieter class than others?
October 2012: 19 pages in last 6 months or about 3 pages per month
November 2012: 12 pages in the last 3 months or 4 pages per month
DECEMBER 2012 (YAY DECEMBER): 12 pages in the last month
January 2013: 5 pages in the last 2 weeks or about 10 pages per month, but note that evidence is based on just 2 weeks-- in the previous month alone, that class had 25 pages.
My conclusions: 1) We're not a particularly quiet class; 2) there's a direct negative relationship between time since joining a class and level of activity, possibly related to members dropping out and members getting busy leading sober lives.
Another thing to look would be at level of activity in the first month: did we start out quieter or less quiet than other classes?
'Night, all!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 320
Originally Posted by courage2
I couldn't resist looking into this question a little. Using as a rough proxy for quietness/activity the number of pages on a thread, I found these trends among the most current threads in the following Classes of:
October 2012: 19 pages in last 6 months or about 3 pages per month
November 2012: 12 pages in the last 3 months or 4 pages per month
DECEMBER 2012 (YAY DECEMBER): 12 pages in the last month
January 2013: 5 pages in the last 2 weeks or about 10 pages per month, but note that evidence is based on just 2 weeks-- in the previous month alone, that class had 25 pages.
My conclusions: 1) We're not a particularly quiet class; 2) there's a direct negative relationship between time since joining a class and level of activity, possibly related to members dropping out and members getting busy leading sober lives.
Another thing to look would be at level of activity in the first month: did we start out quieter or less quiet than other classes?
'Night, all!
October 2012: 19 pages in last 6 months or about 3 pages per month
November 2012: 12 pages in the last 3 months or 4 pages per month
DECEMBER 2012 (YAY DECEMBER): 12 pages in the last month
January 2013: 5 pages in the last 2 weeks or about 10 pages per month, but note that evidence is based on just 2 weeks-- in the previous month alone, that class had 25 pages.
My conclusions: 1) We're not a particularly quiet class; 2) there's a direct negative relationship between time since joining a class and level of activity, possibly related to members dropping out and members getting busy leading sober lives.
Another thing to look would be at level of activity in the first month: did we start out quieter or less quiet than other classes?
'Night, all!
Thanks for posting this.Hope all are well. I'm cruising along OK today (in my up and down cycle haha!). I had a thought today which I thought I'd share - driving along and listening to a book about introverts and the traits they share, a random thought popped into my head "I like me". Not grammatically amazing haha but nice to see that, I'd never have thought that about myself 5 months ago.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 569
good am all. Our weather is settling into the high 80's- low 90's. So I walk to work in the am and ride the bike in the afternoon. Hubby and I have to figure out our walking schedule, either early am or later in the evening ( my vote ). I seem to be having trouble kick starting the weight loss which is depressing, I do know I need to increase the water intake, for some reason I have slowed up on that.
Looking forward to camping the end of the month, I am getting a bad case of cabin fever for sure. I have Search and Rescue training tonight, found out last night I am teaching it, SUPRISE! sigh,, oh well will figure something out.
does anyone make fruit or vegie type smoothies/drinks with a blender? I haven't made any, but I do like them and think it would be a great kick to the old diet. So ready for any ideas on this.
Stay strong my friends!!
Looking forward to camping the end of the month, I am getting a bad case of cabin fever for sure. I have Search and Rescue training tonight, found out last night I am teaching it, SUPRISE! sigh,, oh well will figure something out.
does anyone make fruit or vegie type smoothies/drinks with a blender? I haven't made any, but I do like them and think it would be a great kick to the old diet. So ready for any ideas on this.
Stay strong my friends!!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Olde England
Posts: 528
Had a good long weekend, seems like a distant memory now though. Trip to Hastings was good but long, aching like anything by the time I got back, not the most comfortable bike in the world that blue one, settled the issue of which bike to take to Italy but now have some work to do on the Triumph asap and move house too. Weather’s turned here, blustery and rainy and set to get worse, looks like we’ve had our 3 days on sunshine till September.
Run to Hastings review in local paper.
Hastings Mayday Run - Heart Sussex News
Couple of pics from the weekend
Ready – go to photobucket.com and create an account, you can then upload pics and once you have, on the right hand side of the screen there is a box with “links to share this photo” the IMG option at the bottom of the list, click on it and it’ll auto-copy to your clip board, then you can paste it into your post and lo – the pic will appear on your post!
Sorry to hear about the family and work stress Taz, *hugs*.
Hi Newlife4me – welcome I agree with others re the novelty of not feeling like death and not really knowing what day of the week it is does wear off and the hard work of finding out who you are and what you’re capable of starts – I vacillate wildly from being really upbeat about the future one minute to being 2 clicks away from resigning on email the next minute after I’ve realised I’ve not done something on time or forgotten about something, it’s like my AV pops up with “see, you’re sh1t at your job and now miserably sober – why not just get drunk and feel happy again (been ages now hasn’t it, you’re allowed some fun once in a while surely?)”
Hope the BP starts to settle Alice, good that you’re being vigilant on the pills front, if I was still in touch with my pot smoking mates I’d be in the kitchen baking every night! Hear what you’re saying on the others drinking front, its almost worth saying something like “2 or 3 glasses, jeez, that’s going some!” just to see the reaction :o)
Liking your day planning Courage and I agree with Tam, there’s no point beating yourself up about stuff you can’t possibly change, you’re doing the right thing now hey!
Good luck with the move Gonzo, only 2 weeks tomorrow before we get the keys to our new place.
Run to Hastings review in local paper.
Hastings Mayday Run - Heart Sussex News
Couple of pics from the weekend
Ready – go to photobucket.com and create an account, you can then upload pics and once you have, on the right hand side of the screen there is a box with “links to share this photo” the IMG option at the bottom of the list, click on it and it’ll auto-copy to your clip board, then you can paste it into your post and lo – the pic will appear on your post!
Sorry to hear about the family and work stress Taz, *hugs*.
Hi Newlife4me – welcome I agree with others re the novelty of not feeling like death and not really knowing what day of the week it is does wear off and the hard work of finding out who you are and what you’re capable of starts – I vacillate wildly from being really upbeat about the future one minute to being 2 clicks away from resigning on email the next minute after I’ve realised I’ve not done something on time or forgotten about something, it’s like my AV pops up with “see, you’re sh1t at your job and now miserably sober – why not just get drunk and feel happy again (been ages now hasn’t it, you’re allowed some fun once in a while surely?)”
Hope the BP starts to settle Alice, good that you’re being vigilant on the pills front, if I was still in touch with my pot smoking mates I’d be in the kitchen baking every night! Hear what you’re saying on the others drinking front, its almost worth saying something like “2 or 3 glasses, jeez, that’s going some!” just to see the reaction :o)
Liking your day planning Courage and I agree with Tam, there’s no point beating yourself up about stuff you can’t possibly change, you’re doing the right thing now hey!
Good luck with the move Gonzo, only 2 weeks tomorrow before we get the keys to our new place.
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