sthlondonab

Evening all

Sorry I have been MIA today. Lack of wifi for my usual morning post. This week has been a long slog. Huge amount of work and I clocked up a 55 hour week. But do you know what? Not drinking has allowed me to step up calmly and crack on and do everything to the best of my ability prior to my trip.

Nice to see all the posts. Pink congrats on your move and the dentist. Light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going super girl!

Scooter - your plan with the calls sounds good and I am sure you can support your brother.

Well I am definitely in need of Bedforshire but going to sleep nice and relaxed. Not passing out because 'work has been tough' I fly to Lithuania tomorrow afternoon, going to go to Morning AA.

So as soon as I arrive over there our plan is to find a local bar or restaurant to watch the Eurovision contest as it will be a good atmosphere. Drinking didn't even cross my mind when the plan was made. I just want the atmosphere and the contest on TV and to see how seriously the rest of Europe take it and how they party! I think it will be lots of fun! It's great to not worry about the bottle any more. Hope it continues!

ScooterBoo

So much for my plan - my brother called once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and I did not answer either time. I never turned on the volume on my home phone so have no idea if he called that. I just didn't have the mental energy to deal with it. I cannot stand listening to the horrible things she says to him. I think he is emotionally battered and unable to make a decision.

I am watching the Red Sox and turning in early. I will read the posts and respond tomorrow.

My best to all of you!

determined99

Out of bed sleepy heads! Shining smiling sober Saturday is waiting for You!

Man, sober energy is awesome. Yesterday I went to the gym, had a play date with my son and a friend, cleaned my roof, gutters and driveway, back yard, garage and my closet. Got a bunch of things ready for the free vintage shops. Went to health food store, got my car detailed and came home and cooked a pot of vegan chili. Enough to freeze for five nights. Then, went outside and lit fireworks for the neighborhood kids. Comparing this to the old days is laughable.

Give a check in and a holla today, let us know what you are up to like our own little holiday weekend thread. This is the official opening of the so called fun in the sun with alcohol adverts. My AV is putting on the bikini as we speak. But.... I know what the sexy AV looks like in the morning and it ain't pretty!

"Let's put temptation on the un-enjoyment line." Henry Rollins

Power and energy are the words of the day.

Love.

sthlondonab

Hey all

Good morning! Super sober Saturday.

I got to my AA meeting which was a really good one and about helping others. It helped me as I find some people in AA are very much people who throw the book and ideas at new people and say AA is the only way. I find this very uncomfortable, it's an interpretation that doesn't sit well with me and can come across as cult like. I think people should find their own path, with ALL the information and support available. I got some much softer perspectives from others today which was useful. I think I am doing just fine helping others and working my programme in my way.

Now I am having my Starbucks then away to the airport.

Determined I agree, sober energy is phenomenal. You can also recover so much more quickly from a tough week. Yesterday I was drained. Seven hours refreshing sleep and I feel great. How we used to drink to to oblivion forget the week just doesn't make sense to me now. It was making everything worse.

pinklinzangel

Determind, awesome post! Bloody he'll you're productive, you should be damn proud if what you've achieved! Sober energy is better than any energy i have ever EXPERIENCED! Today i have hoovered the whole house, changed the bed, changed the kitty tray, cleaned the downstairs windows in and out, had a quote for the bathroom tiling, done a tip run, shovelled one cubic metre of gravel, and filled my brown wheelie bin with gardening off cuts! Woah. Short break, then onto the next cubic mere of gravel! This time last year i would still be in bed! Ha! Rock on Determind, you totally inspire me 😊

London have a safe journey, your a a meeting today sounded good! Enjoy the shopping at the airport, take advantage of some nice aftershave and over priced chocolate and enjoy your weekend away, and don't forget to fill us in on Lithuania, I'd love to visit some time!

Scooter, keep strong about your brother, we are here for you. Enjoy the red sox game, I've never seen one!


Right, back to work in the garden! Happy Saturday people! Xxx

pinklinzangel

Drink of the day, britvic 55 apple. Ice cold. Lush! Xx

ScooterBoo

Checking in - - same old, same old.

I am putting one foot in front of the other and a smile on my face.

Lucky for me, this is a very busy weekend on the Cape with plenty to keep me busy.

Let's keep on keeping on.

Ultramarathoner

Great energy Team. Sorry as always about yeh situation with yiur brother Scooter.

My 15k was fantastic today. I acheived my goal of not getting caught in a faster pace group than I wanted to. I had plenty of energy at the end and passed a bunch of folks diluting the last 1/3 of the race. The corse was very hilly which I was used to from my training at home.

Let's keep calling on our past successes to help us through any difficult times. Keep that memory bank full.

pinklinzangel

Awesome trail ultra! X

rah555

Hi everybody! Been off for a bit...unfortunately I am still struggling. I've been trying moderation and seem to do well for a bit but then have occasions where I overdo it. The occasions where I over do it are less than before but I don't want to have any when I over do it. Pretty frustrated. I read through the posts...glad to see you are all doing well and are still hanging in there.,I'm not sure what to do from here.

Grateful11

Hey everyone!

Having a wonderful day today. The sun is shining and it is finally warm here! My son and I biked about 20 miles to the Botanic Gardens, hiked around the gardens, had a delish lunch of grilled burgers and refreshing coca-cola and watermelon juice blends to drink. We had so many great conversations - it was a perfect day. Grateful to be sober to have the energy to do all this with my son. You are right on Determined.

Grateful for:
a beautiful, sunny day
being fully present with my son
having wonderful, respectful relationships with both my teenagers
beautiful, tree-lined bike trails
cold-brewed iced coffee
all of you here on #TeamAugust

sthlondonab

Hey all

I am here in Vilnius. Haven't seen any of it yet as I arrived very late and then watched the Eurovision show in the hotel. I am looking forward to some exploring.

Ultra you just inspired me to take a treadmill run before breakfast. That way I can sample a carb heavy breakfast with no worries ha ha!

Glad I am here. It made my 55 hour work work worthwhile and now I can relax.

Great to see the check ins.

Rah - it's good to see you. I am sure you can figure out a plan of what to do next. I know moderation is an emotive topic. I had to put the stuff down and go a day at a time. Keep going, you will work out a way. You deserve freedom from the worry.

Dee74

Welcome back Rah

Do you think you're near the point where you might accept that you can't help but overdo it?

D

rah555

Yes. I don't know why this is so hard. You would think that it would be easy but there are so many thoughts that go through my head. What really bothers me is that on those occasions where I've overdone it I always had the choice to order soda instead of another beer. The thought just doesn't seem to cross my mind. I guess by the time it comes to make the decision my judgment is already altered. I have been doing better but not good enough. To get things right I need to come to terms with the fact that I cannot drink at all. There are so many reasons why i shouldn't drink....not good for my body, not good for my mind or emotions, not good for my relationship w my husband (although he is my partner in crime), time lost, time that could be done doing something positive, etc. Like I said, seems like not drinking should be a slam dunk.

sthlondonab

Good morning everyone

It's 7:20 in a sunny Vilnius, Lituania and I am having coffee and getting ready for my day. Sober and happy and enjoying my experience. Later I am taking a bus to Riga in Latvia for the next part of my trip.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend

Catch you all later :-)

restlessanon

Anyone else in AA and find the fourth step really hard to understand? I am struggling with how to approach it. I have read the big book and made a start but wasn't sure so I checked out the forum on here. There are a lot of different opinions on there! I will ask my sponsor when he gets back from holidays. I'm just keen to make progress, I still feel like my recovery is very fragile, that I'm not much different and have been having some seriously intense cravings this last week even though they had been gone for ages. I thought it might have been being overtired and stressed again, falling back into my old lifestyle now that I am back driving and pushing life at a million miles an hour again.
Hope all is well and you all enjoyed your weekends.

determined99

Happy sober Monday!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. AV stopped by a few times, didn't answer. I will say that if you let the temptation pass, and you are around people drinking, watching the behaviors will certainly remind you that you are missing nothing. It is totally an illusion. We just never noticed because we were numb and thinking we were having fun. Actually, we were incoherent, loud and a bit annoying. Why I used to drink in the middle of a hot beautiful day I am still trying to figure out...

Good to see you rah! I think the key is giving yourself enough time to realize that you actually enjoy being sober more than drinking. You can still do all the same things. Your personality adjusts a bit and folks get to know rah as just a cool chick that doesn't drink. It can happen. You can do it. We can certainly help.

London, you sir simply rock.

Ultra, way to kick it dude!

Scooter, grateful, pink and the rest of the gang, a big tip of the hat and a morning howdy do!!

"Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing." Matt Biondi

Knb, blackbird, and anyone I may have missed, give us a shout!

Mosh.

ScooterBoo

Good morning,

London, Grateful, Ultra, Determined, Pink - You are all doing great and are a great inspiration.

Choobie, what's up? How is the arena coming?

Rah, I agree with London - I had to stop drinking completely. I am honestly petrified that one drink will bring me right back to where I was, and I have come way too far, with the help of this wonderful team, to go back. I don't even consider moderation; I know it won't work for me; if that worked for me, I would be a normal drinker and not an alcoholic.

Restless, I do not belong to AA so cannot help.

Cute? Knb? Blackbird? others? Like Determined said, give us a shout! We care and wonder how you are doing.

Choobie

Thanks for asking, Scooter! The arena is coming along gigantically. The trenching is done, the assessment to rebuild the street in front of my home has been charged, and now they will rip up the street, alley, and finish up the building. We know that things will change in some way when it is finished. We can't move right now, and our property value will be extremely affected by the change to the neighborhood. All I can do is count my blessings and hope for the best!

Restless-just stay sober! A day at a time. Cravings pass and are something to get through. As long as you don't drink, there is time to get through it. Keep it up!

Rah, I think we don't realize we are in a trap until we try to break free. It took me awhile to realize how much suffering drinking caused me-both the struggle to moderate and the constant disappointment with myself. I feel so much better now that I'm free!

Great job, Ultra! Hope you are having a relaxing weekend!

Wow, London-your trip sounds amazing! As usual

Yay, Pink, for your internet connection and your presence here!

Sounds like a lovely day with your son, Grateful! Thanks for sharing it!

I've had a catch up weekend-very rainy here, so lots of laundry, grocery shopping, etc. Getting the family ready for the summer ahead. It's nice to relax, I'm looking forward to the feeling of being prepared for week when I lay my head down on the pillow tonight.

Hello to everyone - yes, please check in when you can!

Grateful11

Hey everyone! Quick check-in as I worked all day yesterday and off to work this morning. Looking forward to some down time later. Will write more later.

#nosausages

Hugs.