Dee74

If it's like my GPs office they see a lot of things Gilmer, way worse than you described.
You'll be fine - hold your head high

Hope your Dad's dizziness can be treated effectively

D

Gilmer

Thanks, Dee.

Saskia

Gilmer, what Dee said -- I totally agree. Doctor's offices are usually so busy that they are highly unlikely to remember. They get lots of that every day. And last but not least, we all lose it at times so welcome to the human race :-)

A side note - I went out to lunch with a friend today and she couldn't believe how different I looked and behaved. She said that I positively glowed :-) I had noticed that over the past week my energy levels have dramatically improved. What a wonderful bonus to being sober for awhile!

Gilmer

I am glad you're really starting to reap the big benefits, Sass!

gleefan

Hi Undies,

I hope everyone is having a nice start to their week. I know that I will have a wonderful week because I don't drink. When I drank, my life was small and hard. I woke up to do intense exercise to burn off my hangover, then planned my next drink. Friends, work, and family were nothing more than things I endured while I waited for my next drink.

But in sobriety, I'll have a great week. I'll work out a few times this week, make some healthy meals, make a few treats too, enjoy time laughing and playing with my boys, connect with friends at hockey, do my best at work, explore my spirituality at a couple of AA meetings, connect with two or my close normie friends over frozen yogurt, meet up with a couple friends in the program for dinner before a meeting, call my sponsor, work on the 1st step, connect over the phone with a couple of friends in recovery who live far away. I'll connect with people, live my life, make mistakes, laugh, think and feel.

Sobriety offers a life full of possibilities. If you're not feeling them, dig deeper until you do. I promise they're there, waiting for you to notice them. This week I'll work my recovery by making decisions, taking action, and moving forward.

Gilmer - It's not easy to face people who we've hurt. Are you planning to address it with the staff or let it stay in the past? I think either approach is ok, and I'm confident that no matter what you choose, you'll handle it gracefully.

Sass - I'm glad to hear that sobriety looks good on you. I hope you're finding some of the peace, joy and freedom sobriety offers.

Drake - Glad to hear you're hitting your stride. It sounded like a lovely day Saturday, filled with all the great things life offers. Sobriety is amazing.

BeFree - It sounds like you're awfully close to drinking. What peace, joy and freedom do you want to guard by not drinking? What steps are you taking to keep recovery close?

Toots - Good to see you here as always.

Carlos - She's a lucky lady to spend a gorgeous day on the lake catching up with you.

Have a good start to the week, all.

Gilmer

Well, Glee, I plan to walk humbly in there with my dad. If the very sweet receptionist (my victim) is there, I'll say hello and give her an extra nice smile. Then I'll sit down and continue being quiet. No dramatic mea culpas--I'm sure most of them couldn't identify my face.

Saskia

Good morning, Undies!

Glee, yes, I feel really good! I am feeling energized and think some of it is due to staying sober and some due to not isolating . which is also due to staying sober :-) . All those IOP and AA meetings are keeping me around good people and that's a real gift.

BF, I hope the AV is quiet for you today!

Have a lovely day to all!

IWLSAST

Good Morning Undies,

Glee, thanks for the positive post about the wonders that sobriety offers. For me, there is nothing about not drinking this week that makes me feel sad or feel like I'm being punished and can't go out and play.

Fact is, not only am I able to go out and play, but I'm certain to focus on my play date. As a kid I could live in the present so easily. In addiction, I found myself living in the past and planning the future ALL too often (especially that next drink!). I had no time for the here and now. Little did I know some 16 months ago that getting sober could restore the kid value of present tense.

Gilmer, I was just talking last night with someone about a potentially embarrassing situation. For me, now, I find those confrontations less imposing since I have been working on humility so hard. I think I gave MY interactions with others a greater importance in their eyes than they did. If and when I get angry or upset in the future, I hope that I can approach it with my new found humility in tact...just another gift sobriety has offered.

Sass, wow, what a great complement that your friend offered you at lunch. The most amazing part, as long as we stay sober and work some type of program it does seem to always get better. Sure, we may face many of the same adversities outside addiction, but our sober tools can really help to keep them in perspective. Haha, I loved it when the sky was falling...such a great rationalization for an over-beverage. Congrats on your steady progress.

BF, I'm with the concussions that AV may be creeping up a bit. I'm joining the Toots nag team in hopes that you find a few new sober social activities. Try one this week...I'm telling you, the glass blowing is the bomb! It is getting near the holidays and I know the place I go offers cool holiday themed projects. I never did Halloween, but I bet they are teaching how to make something scary?

So Toots, will you be wearing those spurs in box-pak mode today? I'm guessing they are for special occasions?

I have a few more weeks that I must continue making lemonade until I can just hop in the car and go buy some. Aside from the normal daily stuff, I plan some major progress on my business plan for the island this week.

Well, time to put a serious start on the day. First up, a fresh air walk accompanied by some bad a** jams.

Enjoy the day, undies.

Carlos

Neverthought

Hey Undies.....

a lot of valuable input from all of you. You're tough to keep up with Undies! And tough managing two threads as well. I read your comments very day though. I just read and take it all in when I have little to say.

It was a nice weekend, although too much on the warm side for me. I can't wait for that bitter crispness of fall weather again. We put up Halloween décor yesterday and my wife and son are happy now. I ended up doing most of the work, which is a challenge during NFL Sunday. That's the only day of the week during the season that I ask for some time to myself. So, my son and wife were bugging me and I was a little short, but I did come through.

Well, (5) weeks today. Had a few flash-backs of drinking over the weekend, which is natural for me....just have to derail those thoughts very quickly. The AV loves when you open up to that thought, and long enough to persuade....

I've fallen for that trap many times. The thought just wins you over, but not if you whisk it away immediately. That's the key for me and I truly believe it's a learning process for me and for others with that same mind-set. I'm getting better at it though!

Not much else to say.....family is doing very well. My son started 1st grade this year and is tearing it up. This past May, we had him tested ...IQ and ADHD. The results came back with mild ADHD....IQ=very proud (lucky) dad!!

I still don't buy the whole ADHD though, but at least he's on the smallest dose of meds possible and I even struggle with that!

It's unfortunate for him though, because part of it, is that he's just very inquisitive and active. His personality (much like mine) makes him stand-out. And apparently, that's not acceptable behavior. And at this point our only (and maybe best) decision would be for private school, but we'll see how this year plays out.

As I've learned to say with every obstacle in sobriety......I'll deal with it!

Have a nice day Undies.....

Gilmer

Congratulations on 5 weeks, NT!

That assessment of your son probably means that he's destined to be a leader! That's they way I always looked at things with my kids! They all grew up just fine, ADD-ADHD or not.

I got a call from my oldest daughter's preschool one day saying that she had punched every other kid in the class! She is a perfectly lovely and productive member of society today!

School years are from hell. Life improves so much when they are out of high school and fending for themselves!

michaels_w

Hi all,

Just checkin' in. I missed a few days here. Just giving some much needed extra attention to the family. I'm glad that everyone's doing well. I loved catching up. I'm especially glad to see that I'm not that much nuttier than y'all. lol.

I really appreciate all the kind words. The curve balls in recovery never seem to come when we expect 'em. It's always when I'm just cruising along, and then "bamm". Right up side my noggin.

I surprised myself, this last incident, with how I coped. First off, I did not go "chemical" on myself or others. Second, I didn't go "postal" either. Back in the day, wow. I'd have a two'fer. I could easily multitask at going chemical and postal, in a flash.

I'm getting the feeling, lately, that this stuff just might work. I just feel different lately. I still try to keep it in the 24, so as not to get ahead of myself, but I do feel different. It's better, for sure.

It's amazing, what following others' examples in recovery does for a person. Thank you undies. I mean that, from the very bottom of my heart. Or, is it the very heart of my bottom. lol. Either way, I appreciate you all, sincerely.

As for the family, things are looking up. My daughter went back to school on Friday, after being out for that week. We held our breath over the weekend, but she got up this morning, with minimal coaxing. Now she's on day #2 of her return. Staying in the 24, "Just for Today", really applies here, as well.

My mrs. mw, and I, are starting to refocus our energy on our marriage, as well, to try and see if we can get a little better at that. I think, maybe, we've sort of lost sight of our relationship, focusing so much energy outside of it. We're gonna try to get back a little balance. We tried secular counseling, which was alright. Now, we're gonna try it from a spiritual counseling approach. Again, just for today, we're gonna try.

So, thank you again, y'all. (I must've had some kind of western-themed dream, last night, or something.) lol.

mw

Neverthought

Well, not only did you help by making my day.....but I got a few looks in my office for lol...

funny stuff!...and I feel your wisdom!

How many children and how old now?

Thanks for lightening my mood.....Last year was brutal....

Gilmer

The "enforcer" is now 28, happily married, and the excellent and patient mother of two small children herself.

The "psychologically disturbed" one is now 26, perfectly well-adjusted and doing well, and is the one who can always crack me up just by looking at me. He's not "disturbed" anymore (and he also gave up drinking).

The compliant one who never gave us any trouble is now 25, happily married, and owns two wildly spoiled dogs.

The serene one has now dropped out of college and is living with his brother and working night shift stocking shelves at Wal-Mart. He is 19. He's still serene, which is perfectly fine by me. I didn't finish college till I was 53!

The youngest is 16. He, too, does everything that we could possibly expect of him and more. He has actual extracurricular interests! There is a snag, though--he does tend to nag and continually tells me that I'm a less than excellent driver. He would drive himself, except he prefers to listen to tunes in the car, and he's not allowed to drive and listen to music--so suffers the consequences with me behind the wheel!

michaels_w

Aren't sixteen-year olds great to raise, gilmer? The "joy of my world"...some days. lol.

Gilmer

The older one Hated. My. Guts. when she was that age. The younger one was much nicer. Now i'm very close to both of them.

BoozeFree

GF and Carlos thanks for the support regarding the AV. I must say I actually woke up today and the past 2 days of that nasty AV have finally left. Stil keeping my guard up but feel much more at ease today.

Last night I decided to get out to keep distracted and went to my aunts to hang with my little cousins. Ate pizza and played some video games with them and slept great last night. Just what I must of needed.

Refocused on sobriety and moving forward!

Neverthought

I love your descriptions of your children. They sound like great kids.....you must be very proud. You all sound like a tight-knit family.

My interpretation....my life is on the other side of the spectrum.

Sometimes I miss knowing that we won't have the bigger family or even (2) kids. I'm too old (pushing 45). My son often asks for a brother....ugh...that's a tough one to explain. It's a tough economy and a tough market in my field.

...I couldn't be happier though.

I'm the only engineer in our department that doesn't have a degree (not one credit of college)...totally hands-on...I paid my own dues though.
Married at 32.....Child at 37.....Only one super-spoiled child. He's very mature for 6 because he spends a lot of his time with adults. That's now our headache!

Two different paths, but here we are, right? Alcohol doesn't discriminate...

SparkyMcSparky

Always so positive when your child shows how non-prejudiced and even-minded they are.

You must have been a proud Mom.

Shameful admission - I once told my daughter to pop a guy in the face when she was in Grade 4.

Gilmer

NT, I was an only child, and I like to flatter myself that I ended up OK (or maybe not...)

Dee74

Time for part 39

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...part-39-a.html