I am so impressed by the way so many of you all stayed sober this weekend through some trying times. So proud, cowboy, Gilmer, and a number of all of you. If you all can make it through that w/o drinking, well I can too. There is such a touching and unique commitment to each other here. You really feel the vibe and the strength of helping each other. Great support.

Courage, good for you! Gilmer, I think your prep plan is great and smart. I am so impressed you made it through your weekend sober when all of that popped up for you. I'm so glad you came here for support, it was certainly here! Gleefan, you have such awesome ideas. You and Carlos are very humble indeed and there is a lot of quality in that.

I'm thankful to all of you because I think you helped me stay sober through a pretty irritable state last night!

Happy to report after a good night's sleep, I feel remarkably better and am working on kicking out some chores this morning.

Good luck, thank you for your honest and awesome posts. I love reading this thread and the posts. Really good vibe here.

Love, Aly xxoo

I just wrote the above post thought I lost it. Glad I didn't.

Just checkin in sitting at work waiting to clock in.
Woke up super negative not wanting to be at work today. Ever since my first job at age 19 I've never truly enjoyed work. I've always wished I didn't have to work full time. Just kinda a bummer mood today not wanting to have to talk to anyone at work. Blah!

hi Undies---just checking in to say hi!!
It was a wonderful 3 days of vacation and enjoyed the Holiday
catching up on all the threads. Hope everyone is doing well.
Babs

Oh and BF I have those days too. In fact it helps me to
be able to read everything here at work. I'm very lucky that way.

Time for a lunch break.

Glee, I so get this. With me for my first coffee assignment I took it even a type A step further. I took the pot home so that I could scrub the years of stain and foul odor out. Haha, all that I heard was how weak the coffee was. Humility pie!

Although, I've not been to a meeting yet where a "brand" name outside "dollar store" cookies were not appreciated. Good luck, barista-babe!

((BF)), hope your day improves. Are you going to take that test again?

((ALI)), glad you made it thru your difficult time. I agree with you, people on this thread make me happy. :)

Siesta, I must admit to being a "guy" here. I finished reading your post and all I could remember was that you squeezed in a quick nine with hubby (be still...etc.). Now that is one lucky dude!!

Courage, I'm with Gilmer...very nice gesture. However, a pic of you in one of those robes does make the mind wander.

Cowboy, nice call, that bud was not for "PowerAid Man".

WooHoo, there is BABS!!!

tata

oh man, i just read my post...Siesta, many on this site may not have as clean thinking a mind as I do. I was only referring to the fact that you golf with your hubby, period! I'm a little bit embarrassed.

Aly - This thread is a real pick me up. I'm glad you were able to ride our good vibes through your irritability last night.

Courage - I hope the graduation ceremony went well. On the other end of the academic spectrum I'm currently planning a PreK commencement. I'll be skipping the party after the party at the bar with my coworkers this year.

BoozeFree - Do you like what you do for work? Your irritability will pass, and before you know it you'll be home listening to great music with your pup.

Siesta - You seem to be reaching a certain level of peace with your step daughter's situation. I see you trying to support her dad the best you can. I'm also glad to hear that work is going so well for you. It takes a lot of patience to train new employees, but when you have the one or two who get it right away, it can be rewarding.

Babs - Good to see you here, my dear. How did you spend the long weekend?

Cowboy - Way to go on saying no to your drink of choice. I can relate - folks need to see me pass up vino with their own eyes, as well, over and over again in many cases. They only saw the happy, sociable, dare I call it "moderated" side of my drinking. It can be hard to pass it up but it feels good to keep a clear head.

Off to play a rousing game of Doggie Where's Your Bone. :)

Cowboy, way to go! That was a great story. You have such a way with words. I could just see you out there, under that big sky, NOT drinking beer.....

BF, something that helps me when I want to rip everyone's heads off is envisioning their horrified reactions if I actually did! I think of the most inflammatory remarks I can, and it brings me such joy to imagine their shocked faces! The merriment of that totally dissipates the actual bad mood!

I hope the workings of your actual work day are better than the anticipation of it.

Siesta, I'm sorry to hear about your stepdaughter's not doing any better. She doesn't sound as if she's in a place where you and your husband can help; however, it would be good to send her little humor e-mails and headlines, just to keep your foot in the door with her. Keep sending small, occasional messages that you care and keep her in mind. Someday when she hits bottom she may appreciate your simple, unconditional kindness.

Aly, thanks for cheering everyone on! Holiday weekends can be hard, and big congratulations go to all the Undies who stayed sober through Memorial Day! :c011:

Boozefree, good for you to getting to work despite a negative attitude. I hope the day got better than it started. Some days you just have to trudge through and feel grateful for any spot of brightness, or at least to be able to say at the end that you did no harm. :hug:

Babs, I'm glad you enjoyed the weekend sober!

Siesta, it sounds like you're very valued at your work. That's wonderful! I like Gilmer's idea about maintaining a non-intrusive, non-enabling level of communication with your step-daughter.

Carlos, few people really look good in a cap and gown. ;)

abcowboy, good job on refusing the beer, and I'm glad your friend the farmer didn't push you. He sounds like a good friend.

Gilmer, how are you feeling after your big night?

I went to the commencement and said nice things afterwards to people's families, so that was that. I just realized that this was probably the first commencement I ever attended sober. It was a little tacky of me not to wear the robe etc. but it was the best I was able to do this year. I really don't like ceremonies. Commencements, weddings, funerals -- funerals are the best, because you don't have to smile. They all give me the heebie jeebies! :eek:

Gleefan, I missed your post on the PreK commencement. Do they wear itty-bitty caps-n-gowns? Sounds sweet! :)

Thanks everyone for the kinds words. Work was ok. Just kinda in a funk.

Carlos not sure when I'll take that test again. I'm able to apply again now but there's been another twist. There's now 2 tests involved and just don't feel ready at this point in time. I really just want to get some solid sobriety down and feel healthy before tackling it again.

Gonna go lay down. I have kinda a gnarly stomach ache

BF - I used to be like you towards work, 40 years in the construction industry, the freezing cold, extreme heat, back breaking work, shoveling trenches.... why did I choose to be a tradesman!! Then one morning I woke up and realized that I am very good at what I do, and I now look forward to the challenges that each day has in store for me.... passing on my knowledge and work practices to my son and my helper.... and for the most part, I love to go to work now! It's just like getting sober, if you dwell on the negative, there'll be no time for the positive to shine through!

What a great thought, Cowboy!

Cowboy thanks I needed that. I suppose I better get my butt to work then!

Had a crazy intense drug dream with old friends in it and even an old supervisor from like 7years ago and involved lots of coke. I never did do any in the dream but it felt so real. Hate those dreams!

Over slept and running late so gotta get going

Cowboy---I really like your thinking.
Hello Undies have a great Day everyone.
Babs

Hi Guys

Wow, so much to catch up on, I will never remember everyone so advance apologies for my forgetfulness.

Regarding the anxiety situation, DG will tell you she went through a similar thing, and the longer she has been sober the less anxious she has become. I wrote something in the past about it, along the lines of anxiety being a necessary emotion in our primal past, it kept us from getting eaten, but we need to know when to hide in our caves and when to force ourselves through the door. If you give anxiety an inch it will take a mile. Eg Glee; you talk about driving making you anxious, when I taught I had a pupil who's mother began getting more and more anxious behind the wheel, and eventually would only drive short distances and only roads she knew well. She became more stressed each time she had to go out. I got her daughter to talk her into a few lessons with me, and worked on her psychological approach, so positive preparation etc. she did get better but was still self inhibiting. I suggest pushing yourselves to do more of the things you get anxious about, they become familiar and you become less anxious about them.

Glee, I had to buy the best coffee, the nicest cakes and cookies etc and wash up tidy away and leave everything pristine. That way I would be needed, and people would be glad to have me around.

Siesta, oh for a quick nine with my hubby, I wouldn't last 18 it's been about 8 months for me. Carlos, go sit in a sand trap until you can think clean thoughts!

BFree I doubt there is anyone who didn't get that swathe of depression when they first began working and realised that this would be it for the next 50 years. Unfortunately, without winning the lottery or marrying a rich man, this is it, so be sure that you have a job you are happy in, or work towards it, because work takes up so much of your waking day, that it affects every other aspect of your life. You only live this life once, so you want to enjoy it. If this job isn't exactly what you want, you now have a great opportunity to set your mind on what will fulfill you. If I had been sober at your age, I would have reached for much more than I did.

Cowboy, I hope the powerade was supplied by the same guy who brought the beers?

So many stories of temptations avoided this weekend, Gilmer, I would have been on the porch with the cigar and the beer. And I would have spit further, cussed louder and drank more than anyone there. Now the only difference is the beer. I'd still spit cuss and smoke the cigar!!

We went on a walking jazz tour on the last night. It included a free drink at two venues. Cocktail, beer, wine, coffee or coke. I got them to make me virgin cocktails at both venues. The first were really imaginative and it was gorgeous, the second just poured juice and soda together and stuck a slice of orange in the glass. Hubby had several cocktails during our trip, ( well, you have to don't you?) and I really envied him. Not the alcohol, remotely, just the variety of nice looking drinks to choose from. I have decided to open a bar in Boston and call it "If You Must" it will be a virgin cocktail bar, but for those who just can't go without ( if you must) they can have alcohol in it. Happy hour is only for the virgins! It will have everything any other bar does, sports tv, music, but proving fun can be had without booze. Of course, this utopian bar will only ever live in my head, but I will still be serving anyone who comes along!

Gilmer, I bought the crisps, they are sitting on the unit here in the hotel, haven't opened them yet.

Friends, I have to go and work of some of the lard I have ingested in NOLA, before meeting for the first time another SR friend from my March class thread. So exciting day today too.

And yesterday I saw my first pelican. I have so many things to cross off my bucket list, I will have to think of a new one!

Last word on anxiety; look in the mirror. See the amazing, strong person in front of you? The incredible person who stopped killing themselves with poison? The fantastic person who is giving love and support to so many friends here? The wonderful human being who has chosen to live a better, fuller happier life? That person will throw their shoulders back, their chest out and say 'I can and I will' ant they will walk tall and proud because they can and they. Every day. And I am proud to know and care for every darn one of you.

Cowboy, like I said before , you have a great way with words. You made my day already and it's just 8:00 AM!

BF. good grief! I had one of those awful dreams last night, too, and it was about one of my old supervisors, too. It involved lots of hideous confessions on my part and went on and on.....

Gosh , Toots, what an inspiring post! I'm going to do just that: look in the mirror and say, "Well, done, Woman" ! What a warm, lovely person you are.

Lol Carlos! No need for embarrassment. I knew what you meant but thanks for the laugh!