Class of April 2014 Part 16
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Long Beach, NY
Posts: 2,317
Thanks y'all! Yea UP it absolutely is a habit...the withdrawals only are the first few days...for me it was a few factors that made quitting a no brainier, first, my apartment is strictly non smoking and my apartment is connected to the business my landlord owns, so I have to keep going downstairs in the street, I got sick of going up and down within a day and a half....next they were making me gag and I was getting very little pleasure from it anymore, and finally my brand of cigs were 11/12$ a pack and I was getting to the point where a pack wouldent last a day anymore...that's about 320$ a month and my rent is 1400$, that's a pretty big chunk of it...so yea, those three things together is a pretty good carrot dangled infront of my face...
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Long Beach, NY
Posts: 2,317
Hey up, I have a small trick I used to get past the cravings, I'm not sure if you have a health food type store around your area, but you can order them online if u wanna try...they sell all natural flavored toothpicks, if you smoked menthol then the mint ones and if not they make cinnamon flavored ones with a nice bite, they helped me and various of my friends deal with cigarette cravings, totally worked....
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Too far up North
Posts: 284
I did not make it through Thanksgiving. Once again feeling down and discouraged. I am sorry. I feel like a broken record. It would be easy to just give up at this point because I'm so tired of disappointing myself and starting over. But I can't do that. I guess it's not easy for me to just say "I'm done". I guess this is a struggle for me. I can't let these slip ups get the best of me. I have improved and I think the quicker I get up from these stumbles the stronger I am. In the past I've had the mentality of "oh well I've already screwed up." And then I end up going a couple of weeks drinking here and there before I decide to try again. I'm not going to let that happen. There's a voice that says "obviously you don't want it bad enough, so why pretend?". But I am at a much better place than I was last year and years before. I just wish I could stay sober forever with no interruptions. It seems my journey has been off to a rocky start.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,315
Hi Mariah, Hi Sol....
Full support from me....
Take it easy on yourselves.....
In pain, have been since Friday afternoon.
Swelling and a dull pain right inside the leg!
Pain meds just make me really itchy!
Sleep hard to come by....
Brother rolled into town on business for a few days. Showed him my charts of 28 day blocks ticked off on the wall.
He can't believe it.
Made me really proud of myself to see my little brother see that......!
It's the hardest but the best thing I've ever done!
Hang in there you guys, the wheel turns.
stay tuned...................
Full support from me....
Take it easy on yourselves.....
In pain, have been since Friday afternoon.
Swelling and a dull pain right inside the leg!
Pain meds just make me really itchy!
Sleep hard to come by....
Brother rolled into town on business for a few days. Showed him my charts of 28 day blocks ticked off on the wall.
He can't believe it.
Made me really proud of myself to see my little brother see that......!
It's the hardest but the best thing I've ever done!
Hang in there you guys, the wheel turns.
stay tuned...................
Formerly ScrewdUpInDe
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: In the Nightmare in my head
Posts: 5,329
Sorry to hear that soli. Please don't give up on yourself.
You either Mariah. Don't be too hard on yourselves.
Hope you feel better soon obo.
Been a rough day but I'm holding fast.
Take care of yourself Fools.
You either Mariah. Don't be too hard on yourselves.
Hope you feel better soon obo.
Been a rough day but I'm holding fast.
Take care of yourself Fools.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 361
I was going back and forth about confessing about this and well, if I can't be honest anonymously I guess I can't be honest. Being in an atmosphere where literally everyone had their own shot glass was not the best situation for sobriety. I totally faltered. It's certainly not the worst I've ever been. But I just don't like it and I feel like I'm drinking to pretend I'm a normal person rather than drinking or not drinking because of my own feelings or actions. The AV is totally running this show. I'll be happy to get back home.
Formerly ScrewdUpInDe
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: In the Nightmare in my head
Posts: 5,329
You are stronger than the AV rocks. Just have to determine the best way for you to beat it.
Also, we are not here to judge. We are here to help each other in what ever way we can. You can beat this!
Also, we are not here to judge. We are here to help each other in what ever way we can. You can beat this!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,804
ST, I was wondering how you were getting on in your new place. You sound great. I'm looking forward to some photos once you're sorted out there. Great work on your clean living, this is a great step forward. 
I'm back home from my visit to my brother, and pleased to say that I remained free from alcohol. However, it was more challenging than I thought it would be. I have such a strong association with visiting them and drinking, I was surprised how often the AV reappeared.
My brother brews his own beer, and I had a bit of chuckle when I went to bed surrounded by his stash of empty (clean) bottles. I felt like this was the gremlin trying to mess with my mind. Gremlins seem to slink off if they're not taken too seriously. I ended up having a good night's sleep!
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, that was another little association broken down in my mind.
Mariah and Soli, hope you don't mind me digging a bit, but is there a reason why you didn't check in to SR when you noticed the AV attacking? It really does make a huge difference to give yourself a bit of space between the impulse and the action. If you can notice that bit of space, then there's more chance that you'll see an alternative, more helpful action.
Hope everyone's ready for a great start to the week.
I'm back home from my visit to my brother, and pleased to say that I remained free from alcohol. However, it was more challenging than I thought it would be. I have such a strong association with visiting them and drinking, I was surprised how often the AV reappeared.
My brother brews his own beer, and I had a bit of chuckle when I went to bed surrounded by his stash of empty (clean) bottles. I felt like this was the gremlin trying to mess with my mind. Gremlins seem to slink off if they're not taken too seriously. I ended up having a good night's sleep!
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, that was another little association broken down in my mind.
Mariah and Soli, hope you don't mind me digging a bit, but is there a reason why you didn't check in to SR when you noticed the AV attacking? It really does make a huge difference to give yourself a bit of space between the impulse and the action. If you can notice that bit of space, then there's more chance that you'll see an alternative, more helpful action.
Hope everyone's ready for a great start to the week.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,804
Sorry Rocks, I'm so slow at posting I missed your last post!
Those thoughts you have about drinking to feel "like a normal person" are familiar to many of us I'm sure. But please believe me that those thoughts aren't based on truth. How can we be the people we are truly meant to be without fully functioning frontal lobes - the very part of our brains that makes us human.
It's taken me 7 months to feel that sobriety is "normal".
You'll get there too, just keep moving forward.
Obo, hope you have a more comfortable night with that knee.
UP, it's time you had a good night's sleep too! Hope things ease up for you soon.
Love to all the Fools team, wherever we are on this journey, we're doing this together day by day.
Those thoughts you have about drinking to feel "like a normal person" are familiar to many of us I'm sure. But please believe me that those thoughts aren't based on truth. How can we be the people we are truly meant to be without fully functioning frontal lobes - the very part of our brains that makes us human.
It's taken me 7 months to feel that sobriety is "normal".
You'll get there too, just keep moving forward.
Obo, hope you have a more comfortable night with that knee.
UP, it's time you had a good night's sleep too! Hope things ease up for you soon.
Love to all the Fools team, wherever we are on this journey, we're doing this together day by day.
Administrator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,444
Sorry for those struggling...for those who may have forgot this link it's a good one..
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html
If you're still surrounded by madness Rocks there are some good tips here:
Crying Out Now: Thanksgiving Survival Guide
I think the worst thing any of us can do is throw in the towel, even temporarily...
when you think about it we all live in a world of drinkers and yet we manage to be sober...
aim to be sober for the rest of your time away from home Rocks
D
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html
If you're still surrounded by madness Rocks there are some good tips here:
Crying Out Now: Thanksgiving Survival Guide
I think the worst thing any of us can do is throw in the towel, even temporarily...
when you think about it we all live in a world of drinkers and yet we manage to be sober...
aim to be sober for the rest of your time away from home Rocks
D
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lowcountry
Posts: 2,762
Originally Posted by Dee74 
I think the worst thing any of us can do is throw in the towel, even temporarily...
D
Whenever I think of the possible outcomes, ...they're all pretty dim. if things went *well*,..it just reinforced my illusion I could magically drink "moderately",...woo-hoo
I guess in the end, the fun and games part of it ended with me getting beat up enough to know it was over, ...for good.
Obo,
Glad to hear your surgery went well mate,...
That swelling and pain will be a distant memory at some point. Keep the faith !
What a turnaround ST !!!!
Congrats to you and Up for kicking the monkey off your backs. 320 a month is an impressive windfall too.
I arrived back in town this afternoon after a wicked day out on the interstates, ...busiest travel day of the year,... was out at 5am to miss a good part of it at the outset but the last 3 hours were testy. 3 hours to travel 100 miles !???
On the bright side, Thanksgiving in Tenn. was wonderful and had a fun Birthday weekend hanging out with the three little angels who call me grandpa.
Made it back for work tonight on time, ...so it's all good
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,804
Thanks for those links Dee. One of the comments on "how to survive thanksgiving" mentioned reframing "I don't want to drink" in to "I want to stay sober". I thought that positive spin was a good idea. Focusing more on what we want rather than what we don't want.
Tops, it's lovely to hear you had such a great time with the grand kids. These will be special memories for them as they get older.
I now have 8 people to cater for at Christmas, my brother and his wife are also coming down. It will be the first Christmas ever that the family have spent it together (as adults). I'm so happy that we'll be together this year, I'm afraid next year my Mum may not be so mentally alert, so this will be a lovely memory. Please don't think I'm expecting it to be magical like in the films, I'm fully expecting a few rows, the odd piece of food being thrown around, and at least one person not speaking to another. It is Christmas after all!
My goal is to stay sober, that one thing will enable me to bless my family, just that one thing is all I need to do. I think it might be easier to ignore the AV if I'm busy trying to be the "hostess with the mostess". Catering for everyone will be challenging enough without knocking out my ability to think clearly.
Sorry to ramble, can you guess that I'm a bit apprehensive about the festivities?
Hope everyone has a great day.
Tops, it's lovely to hear you had such a great time with the grand kids. These will be special memories for them as they get older.
I now have 8 people to cater for at Christmas, my brother and his wife are also coming down. It will be the first Christmas ever that the family have spent it together (as adults). I'm so happy that we'll be together this year, I'm afraid next year my Mum may not be so mentally alert, so this will be a lovely memory. Please don't think I'm expecting it to be magical like in the films, I'm fully expecting a few rows, the odd piece of food being thrown around, and at least one person not speaking to another. It is Christmas after all!
My goal is to stay sober, that one thing will enable me to bless my family, just that one thing is all I need to do. I think it might be easier to ignore the AV if I'm busy trying to be the "hostess with the mostess". Catering for everyone will be challenging enough without knocking out my ability to think clearly.
Sorry to ramble, can you guess that I'm a bit apprehensive about the festivities?
Hope everyone has a great day.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,444
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