Dee74

last part here:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-part4-20.html

D

Cauliflower

Good morning.
I usually say up and atter, but I like Up and Atom!
Atom Ant is awesome.
He can be my hero (isn't that a song)

I have been sick with a cold all weekend, which is alright, better then a hangover. It was a long weekend for us Canadians, so today is our Monday. It snowed yesterday!! So weird, but it's already melted. I went out for lunch and shopping with my sister on Sunday, and it was a great day. Loved every second of it, and I bought some shorts. I will have to wait for the weather to get back to warm sunshine before I can wear them.

I am at day 28 today! I had to count on the calendar...twice. I am very happy with my progress.

Everyone seems to be doing good. RE: the dizzy spells, do you drink coffee? I sometimes get dizzy and lightheaded if I over do the caffeine.

amp123

Well done on 28 days Cauliflower! You're at the same stage as me and Incontrol. We're on day 29! 1 month coming up. If nothing else I am so thankful for this one month of clarity. Like grabbing a breath after swimming under water! Hope it's the first of many!!!

Cauliflower

One month, eek! It will be amazing, I think I will book a spa day on my 1 month sober-versary.

On Saturday I actually told my husband that I quit drinking for good after he suggested that we go to the lounge and have a drink with some friends. I told him sure, but I'm not drinking. He asked me if I am quitting forever, like never ever drinking again, and I said yes. When he asked me why, I told him I was afraid. I was afraid of becoming physically addicted, and losing all control over my life and my health. He is proud of me, and said , "Good for you! If you can't handle the alcohol, then it's best to not drink at all." He's the second person that I told (the first being my sister). I feel stronger, and I have more will to stay sober now that I have to stay accountable! Another weight has been lifted, whew.

PS:We didn't go to the lounge. I guess he figured why bother! And I am glad that I didn't have to fight off the AV for the sake of listening to a cheesy bar band!

SwimKim12

Cauliflower, congratulations on sharing your sobriety with your husband and sister. I am glad that you have that support. And congrats on almost one month! It's such a great feeling. The hard work is paying off!

EJP

Day 41 here.
I've been having serious cravings the past couple days. And upon waking this morning, I found myself in a foul mood. Ugh.
I know it will pass. I'm going to spend the day outside working in the garden to take my mind off... everything.

Congrats on the milestones!

amp123

Cauliflower: i think it was easier for me after I told my wife (who obviously asked what was going on on day 3) and also my mother when it came up in conversation. She was worried my serious problems with depression we're making a reappearance so I had to tell her I was feeling anxious because of giving up drinking. Anyway, feeling I could then share and get support from those key people in my life has been a very important part of the process for me. "Coming clean" with those around us helps a lot, I think.

amp123

EJP: 41 days is a massive achievement. There are always going to be days to enjoy and others to tough out. Stay strong, mate!

OMD

Bet you'd have been in a worse mood when you woke up if you been drinking the night before. Enjoy the day, because you didn't

Best wishes
OMD

OMD

Just a quick check in. Sitting at an airport and normally I'd have tucked into at least a bottle of wine by now. As it is, I'm surrounded by people drinking who don't look particularly happy doing so. And that was me, always about to start having fun in 15 mins.

It's extremely weird observing this scenario completely sober and I'm not saying I'm ecstatic, but for now at least I am quietly happy with how things stand, even though my flight is delayed (deep breaths). The reason is that the AV is not making a particularly strong case as to why I should have a drink right now.

Stay strong everyone, we're all doing great!

I have decided not to drink tomorrow. Please regard this as an early check in here (pardon the airport pun) for tomorrow morning, and of course, ahead of ZaB for once

Best wishes

OMD

Incontrol15

"Always about to have fun in 15 minutes". Now that is funny. So true! Or thinking the fun kicks in after the next drink.

And yeah...funny you mention observing other people. Just kinda looks sorry more than anything.

OMD

Well I'm not exactly out of the woods yet to say the least and alcohol has broken or severely damaged so many things for me that I'm by no means in a position to comment on others but yes I did actually feel a bit sorry for one guy in particular that I noticed. He looked stressed and unwell and was drinking heavily on his own. Could have been me today, I suppose is what was at the back of my mind. There's no glamour in booze, when faced with an image of oneself like that.

OMD

amp123

Hey guys, I'm doing this without AA and as you've probably noticed, I lean on SR pretty hard. Yesterday I downloaded a sober chat app for my phone and everyone on that is like, get to AA now, there's no way you can do it alone...

Thing is I feel pretty good about the way I'm doing this and really comfortable with the anonymous format here. It's like we're friends who just don't happen to have met. I don't know...what are your views on this?

Thanks!

canguy

'Fun in 15 minutes', very true Incontrol. Also for me, it is always the first 4 or 5 drinks that are the fun......the rest after is just what followed.

Congrats on your 4 weeks Cauliflower....and to EJP on 41 days, great waypoints to reach.

Today is 50 days for me. I've done 7 weeks.

While I'm pleased at this the next week is going to be the hardest for a while. This morning I take my guest to the airport after a stay of 5 weeks. She's been drinking most nights but not wildly, and after the first few days, hasn't pressured me to join her.

Back on my own again is going to be a major trigger. To be honest I found myself a couple of weeks back planning a binge....time off etc. Now I've arrived at the point it's not on and I'm reasonably confident I can get through the rest of the week and the upcoming weekend.

I've made some commitments to be at meetings for the rest of the working week including postponing a monthly day off that so conveniently falls due this Friday. Likewise weekend. Have got a short distraction project to do over the upcoming week.

Very much want to make the 8 weeks / 2 month mark. A few days beyond that will be 60 days. Make that and think about 90.

So I'll be hanging around here a bit.....

canguy

Amp.....AA not available or attractive to me either.

SR is terrific support. I often feel I don't put enough into it as other's seem to do. Being in this thread is very different to the monthly class where so many come and go. You get a chance to 'know' people better here.

Incontrol15

No AA here either but here's the deal. It's easy to just fade away here. I promised my self if I can't do this with the awesome support I'm getting now, I'll HAVE to do AA. Or be a life time drunk.

I do try to attend one here and there. And by that I mean I attended one.

Viperidae

Posting from Whole Foods. If there is any day I've really wanted to drink, it's today. I have no friggin idea what I'm doing with my life. It's been a failure. I am waiting out the danger zone to race home and get my anti anxiety. I think I have become even more sensitive to coffee. Anyway. I'll probably be in here for a good 45 minutes while I wonder in a daze.

Best thing to happen this week in The States was that biker shoot out in a Texas bar. Unbelievable. The Wild West is alive and well.

Viperidae

Well I made it home and put a sweet potato in the oven. Pork chop and peas to come. Rather be drinking today. But I'll have to wait till tomorrow on that one. I feel like a totally raw nerve. But I felt like that every 72 hours and drank my face off 3 weeks ago. Then I could not get out of bed for 24 hours, literally.

AA: There is a point they have about not being able to do it yourself. I seriously wish I had simply given in to AA years ago. I do know people that have used it to real success. I give those people all the credit in the world. And I praise AA for being there. No method that saves some people can possibly be bad.

Some people go at it hardcore for a year, 2 meetings a day, or 2 years 3 meetings a day, and then they back off and are ok. Their own statistics admit a terrible track record and a massive decline in their success rate from a 'not great' 25% to an abysmal 5%.

There are things I dong like about it, but why get into it...

Maybe I'll go to one and see what happens. A few years ago when I first seriously started trying to quit my psychiatrist said, 'are you going to AA or are you one if those prople who think you can magically do it by yourself?'

I asked, 'why, you don't see people do it on their own?' He pretty much answered NO. maybe he's seen one in 10 quit without it.

Time to put in pork chop. Back later, need you guys today.

Incontrol15

Sorry it's a tough day there Johnny. And you're right. At the end of the day, if you drink, you'll just feel worse.

Mmm...sweet potato and pork chops. Man am I hungry. 8pm and finally on way home.

Little rough today. Really, I should say much easier today. Sweats, little down and slightly anxious. When I get that way, I keep paying attention to it. Makes it worse. My focus becomes internalized.

Going forward I'm going to try various techniques to free myself from being self absorbed. I'm sure I'll find something. It's since passed, as I knew it would.

Lily123

Sweet potatoes are delicious

I feel (for myself) attending AA is taking full ownership that I have a problem. This is probably why I haven't gone. I guess maybe there's that lingering denial. I like the online aspect because I feel that I am more open than I would be in a meeting. It's always available anytime. I know meetings of some sort are going to be necessary to maintain sobriety. It's just a matter of getting there...

but I think there are people out there, that have support in other areas, that would be fine without it. But what do I know lol