freein14

Present, Happy birthday! Hope you've had a good day. Fingers crossed for some good news about the job, well done for being so proactive.

Just want to say how much I admire those who are breaking the cycle of addiction in their family histories. It has to be top in terms of lifetime achievements, I can't think of anything else that can equal it in terms of the benefits to ourselves, or benefits to our possible descendents.

I'm off to bed now, see you all bright and early tomorrow.

Upward2Enlightenment

Nevermind......

freein14

UP, what's up?

Upward2Enlightenment

It's just life free .....

freein14

Ah, that old chestnut!,
It can be crazy can't it?

Hope things settle down for you soon.
Hugs from me.

Present4614

I know, that's why we're here. Taste was not ever a factor for me - it was down my gullet before I could even taste it.

I read something awhile back about "surfing" the urge... have you heard of that? Here's a cut and paste from an article:

The 3 basic steps of urge surfing:

Take an inventory of how you experience the craving. Do this by sitting in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in a comfortable position. Take a few deep breaths and focus your attention inward. Allow your attention to wander through your body. Notice where in your body you experience the craving and what the sensations are like. Notice each area where you experience the urge, and tell yourself what you are experiencing. For example, “My craving is in my mouth and nose and in my stomach.”

Focus on one area where you are experiencing the urge. Notice the exact sensations in that area. For example, do you feel hot, cold, tingly, or numb? Are your muscles tense or relaxed? How large an area is involved? Notice the sensations and describe them to yourself. Notice the changes that occur in the sensation. “My mouth feels dry and parched. There is tension in my lips and tongue. I keep swallowing. As I exhale, I can imagine the smell and tingle of booze.”

Repeat the focusing with each part of your body that experiences the craving. Describe to yourself the changes that occur in the sensations. Notice how the urge comes and goes. Many people, when they urge surf, notice that after a few minutes the craving has vanished. The purpose of this exercise, however, is not to make the craving go away but to experience the craving in a new way. If you practice urge surfing, you will become familiar with your cravings and learn how to ride them out until they go away naturally.

I only read about it, I never tried it. Sounds a lot like meditation, which is what I do when I'm having cravings. You will get through this. I like to think of Dory in Finding Nemo: "just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

SolitaryThinker

Still here and reading, I hope everyone can get past their urges today <3

Present4614

It is really interesting. First my therapist worked with me to pinpoint the underlying issues which caused me to start using in the first place. There is a lot of trauma in my past, so we are going through each trauma issue during each EMDR session (once a week) and she has me talk about it to the point where I feel the strong emotions associated with that experience. During that time, she has me holding paddles in my left and right hands and the paddles vibrate alternately left and right while I either talk about or think about the traumatic experience. She has me continue until the feelings start becoming less intense. I am not sure how it works, but somehow the alternating vibrations cause your left and right brain to process the trauma and make it feel distant and not painful anymore. It's hard to explain... it kind of disconnects the intensity of the memories. The doctor who invented EMDR wrote a book about it - her name is Francis Shapiro (sp?). My understanding is that it is different for each patient. Some people have great success (like me) and for others, it didn't help as much. My son, who suffered from severe social anxiety, underwent EMDR for a year and he's a totally different kid now. I think it is worth trying if you can find a therapist trained in it. If you do try it, I would be interested to see how you fare... let me know.

Applekat

Happy birthday, Present!

I'm sipping on my own sparkling water right now.

Up, hope everything's OK. As OK as it can be, ya know?

Just picked up How to Train Your Dragon (#1) for the kiddos to watch - well, at least the 4 year old. Not sure about the younger one. And then maybe we'll take her to see #2 in the theater. I just love the movie theater, but we don't go much at all, since kiddos. So now I'm looking forward to occasionally go as a family.

SolitaryThinker

A lot of interesting stuff here...I just need to apply it

SolitaryThinker

Well I'm working for 4 more hours, then going home and gonna hang on here and watch some tv...I feel run down and wanna re focus myself on doing the right thing....actually looking forward to the doctor cause I need antibiotics now

Present4614

Get some rest ST. Being sick when you're already down is the pits! Take care and go to bed early

Dee74

Keep fighting Luc. I know drinking dreams mean a lot to some, but I never looked for any meaning in them.

Just know I've had lots and I've never drunk on them You can do this.

ST I can't count the number of times I did well somewhere not drinking and then came home and drank.

That inner addict is pretty relentless.

I'm sorry for your domestic situation. We can't change others, but we can change the way we react to them.

Maybe thats something to think on - what other things could you have done in response to that situation?

D

SolitaryThinker

Thanks y'all, and dee absolutely, that's what happened it was a poor reaction to a situation that was stressing me out, and booze was the main theme of the problem you know?
2 and a half hours of work left...this heat is brutal with a cold

Adnamaeel

Hi folks, I'm sorry I've been scarce the last few days. Even when I don't make it onto the forum though, you are all in my thoughts.
Lucrezia and ChickChick, I hope you both make it through the night without booze. I know you have the skills to pull it off. I think we get stronger every time we resist an urge.

Present, happy birthday! I really hope you get the job you just applied for. I have a number of friends who work as public defenders, one focused specifically on death penalty cases for several counties, and all of them are wonderful and dedicated people. I think that kind of person will be much better to work with than your current boss. I have a lot of admiration for how open you've been with your kids about your family history, breaking the silence and spilling the secrets will go a long way toward breaking the cycle.

Up, I really hope you're ok. I love your inspirational posts. We're all here if you need to process something.

Solitary, I'm sorry yesterday was so hard, but it's over now. Let it go and move forward from here. Your 2 1/2 months still count for a lot, they haven't gone anywhere. You are not responsible for anyone's behavior but your own, even your mother's. You've mentioned saving up to get a place with your fiancée, is it possible to move on that a bit sooner than planned? No matter how much we might love our families, sometimes their dynamics become toxic to us, and the best way to save ourselves is to move on. The best thing you can do for anyone else is to take care of yourself. I really hope you do.

MariahGayle

Happy Birhday Present & congrats on 2 months! Really hope you get the job.

Hope all is good with you Luc & Chick Chick - Having the same strong urges this afternoon after leaving work, but managed to get home without stopping to get any & am going to change clothes & head to the gym. Extremely irritated that it has to be this way.

DancingDiva

Mariah- good for you! Fighting cravings AND going to the gym? Fabulous!

Happy birthday Present! You've given yourself the fabulous present of sobriety - the best gift ever!

Hang in there Chickie, ST, and Luc - you can do this!

I'm finally starting to come out of this illness - the flu is no joke. So many people are sick right now, it seems odd for June. I've been feeling pretty low, both physically and mentally. My friends who are sick were posting on Facebook about how amazing their SOs were by taking care of them. I had no one to take care of me, bring me soup, make a Kleenex run to the store. I had to crawl to the store myself. I'm sure there's something to be said for independence, but being alone while sick blows.

End of pity party! I'm grateful to finally be recovering, and grateful for no cravings. If you're struggling, please just keep swimming. We are all behind you

Dee74

Time for a new thread guys

Join us here

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...part-13-a.html

D