Originally Posted by dorothyparker
(Post 4034079)
Are relapses made of these black thoughts ? I believe so. All I can say is that going back will only cause misery. Hang in there. Best, W |
Originally Posted by Like2Hike
(Post 4031950)
We're leaving this morning for a week of camping. Liz, I'll post some pics if we do any frog gigging. Tastey morsels they make on an open fire. I hope everyone has a good week. On a similar topic … W, I betcha that if you placed that youth rifle thing-y and, let’s say, a children’s book about Matisse and his use of gorgeous, bold, primary colours side by side, the smart boy would go for the art every time. I have a decent collection (of books, not firearms, obviously) that I would hap- hap- happily lend. All in the spirit of developing a well-rounded young man, of course. |
Originally Posted by woodhead
(Post 4034174)
DP, I believe so. All I can say is that going back will only cause misery. Hang in there. Best, W |
Originally Posted by LizG
(Post 4034190)
Could someone please send me a link to a Southern-English / Standard English dictionary? I have never looked up so many things on the internet-s since joining this group. :-) Am I correct in assuming that the outcome for the frog is not good? … sigh … but it never is with you campin’, huntin’, fishin’ people, now is it? On a similar topic … W, I betcha that if you placed that youth rifle thing-y and, let’s say, a children’s book about Matisse and his use of gorgeous, bold, primary colours side by side, the smart boy would go for the art every time. I have a decent collection (of books, not firearms, obviously) that I would hap- hap- happily lend. All in the spirit of developing a well-rounded young man, of course. The boy will definitely get his share of art and literature as those activities outrank hunting and fishing in my and my daughter's households by a good margin. We are not entirely uncultured down here. However, the outdoor activities and game cookery are the activities we southerners tend to emphasize as they romanticize and set us off from the more bland parts of our nation. You are correct, though - the frog does not fare so well when it's gigging time down here. Best, W |
Originally Posted by woodhead
(Post 4034269)
Liz, The boy will definitely get his share of art and literature as those activities outrank hunting and fishing in my and my daughter's households by a good margin. We are not entirely uncultured down here. However, the outdoor activities and game cookery are often the activities we southerners tend to emphasize as it tends to romanticize and set us off from the more bland parts of our nation. You are correct, though - the frog does not fare so well when it's gigging time down here. Best, W |
Originally Posted by LizG
(Post 4034291)
I'm razzing you, of course. You've mentioned you're a prof, so I assume there are loads of books beside the gun cabinet(s). The boy will get the full experience, then, redneck-shack-related and otherwise ... Excellent! My brother-in-law is an enthusiastic hunter & takes great pleasure in grossing out the bland city folk at family gatherings. I am familiar with your tactics, sir. :-) |
Hi, Dorothyparker. That's when my relapse happened--when I was going through a prolonged black cloud and I couldn't see my way out mentally or spiritually--plus I was really tempted to drink on top of everything else. I had a general attitude of "WTF?" I was spiteful toward the Lord because I didn't feel that he was doing his share to keep me in a good mood. So I relapsed--and it ended up blah and depressing, and I got compulsive all over again. With grace, I manged to stop the madness. Now I have 27 days instead of five months. When you all are having your 6 month anniversary party, I'll be sitting quietly on the sidelines, watching. (I'll be celebrating vicariously. I won't feel bad. In three days I'll exceed thirty days). |
Originally Posted by Gilmer
(Post 4034424)
Now I have 27 days instead of five months. When you all are having your 6 month anniversary party, I'll be sitting quietly on the sidelines, watching. (I'll be celebrating vicariously. I won't feel bad. In three days I'll exceed thirty days). So no watching by the sidelines, please! :c033: When I celebrate 5 months on the day you exceed thirty days, it's a group victory, 100%. Ups, downs, relapses, victories, milestones, disappointments and everything in between. L. |
Originally Posted by woodhead
(Post 4034308)
Good for bro-in-law! Books actually became a space problem around here, and I've given tons of them away. That problem is now solved with the Kindle App for the iPad - I love it, and am never without a book to read. |
Originally Posted by LizG
(Post 4034579)
Books became a problem around here 3 years ago; we moved into this house 3 years and one month ago. And still, with books up to the rafters and stacked on every horizontal surface, my first thought is, "Rats, W. lives in AL ... too far to go pick up some potentially giftable books ..." What is it with us -aholics? Nothing is ever done in half measure, huh? |
Sorry I've been out of the loop: went on vacation with the family. To catch up with a few debates: okra is food, not snot. Fried pig skins are an abomination (sorry Wood), and some southerners eat green things without, as Paula Deen would say, a stick of buttah. I'm a fan of kale and Swiss chard, myself. :) Reeny, I do believe the dark nights feed the beast that leads to relapse. Hang in there and feed the light and the joy in you instead. When I'm struggling, that's what I try to do: make the conscious choices to grow the good in my heart and in my spirit. Gilmer, I'm with Woodhead. You'll always be a part of our group, and your posts (the ups and the downs) have been an important part of our journeys. No sidelines...just celebration for each of us working on a better today and a brighter tomorrow. |
Whoops, I think DP made the note about the dark moments--sorry for that. Too much catching up in one day! |
Originally Posted by Greensleeves
(Post 4034944)
Gilmer, I'm with Woodhead. You'll always be a part of our group, and your posts (the ups and the downs) have been an important part of our journeys. No sidelines...just celebration for each of us working on a better today and a brighter tomorrow. |
Thank you all for your support, SR friends. The dark days are part of it all, I know, and we shall hang in there together. Stay with us Gilmer - was that the reason you left for a while? Alcohol solves nothing but, as you say, dp, sometimes it just seems like a good, one off (ha!) alternative to treading the righteous path! |
Hi, Reeny. The reason I left for awhile is because I got too obsessed with SR 24/7 and my husband blocked it for my own good. Then a couple of months later I went through a dark time and relapsed for about ten days. Now my husband sees that SR is good for me in moderation, so I go to the public library for up to an hour a day to check it. I think that works well. |
‘just returned early from a lunch potluck organized by folks here at work. I completely forgot that alcohol is served at these events. The boss has always maintained that as long as people aren’t turning cartwheels up and down the corridors, a little bit of booze at noon hour is fine. OK, deep breath, move to the coffee / tea / pop, Liz. The last potluck was in December; I quit in January, so never noticed that the coffee / tea / pop area has always been directly beside the alcohol, so now I have to pour myself a cup of coffee while standing centimetres away from the red wine. I admit it was a bit of a white knuckle moment, not because I was tempted to drink, but because I found myself in the presence of wine and was completely unprepared … Lesson learned: I need to be a bit more attentive to social events, i.e., register the fact there will be alcohol & be mentally prepared to tough it out a bit. Meanwhile, gotta pull myself together 'cause I have to teach tonight … & the students deserve me at my best. :tired: |
If I go into another nosedive, though, I will press to have SR totally unblocked in my house so I can get back the 24/7 access! When I'm needy, I'm needy, and SR is just the right combination of supportive and challenging. |
Yes the dark nights are hard and the triggers too but last Sunday, it was more a mixture of wanting to self-destruct, like, I felt that stopping drinking wouldn't erase all the bad stuff I did so I might as well just be a total all out drunk. It was this weird illogical thinking and Liz and Wood, you said it, there seems to be no half measures with us... Gilmer, please stay around, this might not console you but your relapse made of these similar black thoughts makes me want to avoid doing the same. Well for today at least. Today I will be the listening gentle person I am sober not the enraged, rebel, eccentric person I was drunk. I too am super grateful for SR. (I would use a smiley that smiles with a tear, is there one ? ) |
The way I look at my 'bad stuff' now DP - everything I've been through, good and bad, bought me through to who I am today. My friends have forgiven me whatever trespasses I made, most people don't even remember me as a drunk. It didn't happen overnight but it did happen :) You've come a long way - if they are some who insist on reminding you on who you used to be, then that's on them not you. D |
Originally Posted by dorothyparker
(Post 4036626)
Yes the dark nights are hard and the triggers too but last Sunday, it was more a mixture of wanting to self-destruct, like, I felt that stopping drinking wouldn't erase all the bad stuff I did so I might as well just be a total all out drunk. It was this weird illogical thinking and Liz and Wood, you said it, there seems to be no half measures with us... |
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