ubntubnt

A quick check in, not too much to report. Work, healthy living, lots of walking. My three closest ex drinking buddies all off the booze for January so that has made things a little easier for now. No real cravings to be honest at the moment. I have a two week business trip coming up in mid January so my immediate goal is to get to that point ok. I will be travelling with my boss and I have told him I have given up drinking so that should keep me honest while I am away also.
Stay sober everyone, now that the dust has settled on the holiday season lets just get into a rhythm and bang out those sober days.

Nowwhat11

18 days in and still truckin'. Some thoughts as I read posts:
1. I love the App "Since", it tracks your days since whatever and it is great to get that affirmation.
2. To those struggling with the daily "do I or don't I" I really recommend anti-abuse. The thought of getting ill enough to crap myself or whatever helps make the decision easier or at least delays the amount of time for me to decide whether to start again.
3. I find that my commitment to the gym and eating well helps me a ton. Whenever I binged, I binged on everything. I would stop the gym or at least working hard in the gym.
4. Every day does get easier. I struggled spending time at home with my kids in the beginning but I coped with them more easily when I was at least buzzed. Happier at home now.
5. I have not removed myself from all drinking situations and I am amazed that I can manage it. I may not be the life of the party anymore, but people seem to like me just the same. I don't get into the why of it... I live in area where everyone is riding 100 miles on the bike each weekend, or doing Crossfit, or hitting the slopes. It's amazing how many people are actually not drinking or certainly not getting drunk. Never noticed it before.

So a little over 2 weeks in and it continues. I want to thank everyone here. I may not interact, I may not thank each post, but I do read many of them and the both the struggles and successes are a huge help to me. The fact is that it can be done and has been done. Why not us?

ubntubnt

thanks for posting NW, pretty similar experiences to me. Its nice to count the days and see them increase and switching focus to the gym/fitness gives us a more healthy outlet to focus on and keep us straight.

eleven

This is day 21 for me. I made it three weeks!

Happy to be here and looking forward to sharing more in time. For now I am grateful to read your stories and thoughts and gather strength.

leasha24

Just checking in. At the airport on my way to Florida to run in the dopey challenge at Disney world this week. Had a pop at the airport instead of my normal drink (or 2 or 3...etc) before boarding. This trip will be a good healthy way to start off 2016 and looking forward to having a fun and sober trip

Vinificent

Sleep is my escape, I look forward to it hours before bedtime and worry that might be unhealthy....? [/QUOTE

IMHO too much sleep is not unhealthy, especially during this difficult time we are all experiencing. I have not yet got to that point but I am actually looking forward to it! I spent YEARS unable to sleep without alcohol - not only before bed but during the night to pass out another couple times - and I am so grateful this morning that I only woke up ONCE and managed to get back to sleep within an hour 😴
Give yourself a break and rejoice in that you can rest naturally and peacefully 👍

Vinificent

Good Morning! Day 7 starting for me. Still struggling with sleep and still needing a "vitamin A" and melatonin to get to sleep, but only woke up once during the night and was able to get back to sleep within about an hour. Hoping to fall asleep naturally tonight and save the sleep aids as a last resort, as my prescription is getting low and would likely have a hard time getting a refill. I know it's not optimal to need sleep aids but it's a million times better than alcohol!
Good day to the class!

Jenses

Congrats ubntubnt! Great work

Jenses

Nice work! I know The pre-boarding drinks can be tempting so great job breaking another habit. Another big win under your belt

ubntubnt

Agreed, good job flying sober. Flying is one of my biggest triggers. A few beers before flying and another half dozen wines in the air. A sleep and arrive as if nothing happened. an opportunity to get drunk without anyone knowing. If I were to write a list of the things that have happened to me while drunk flying or in airports it would number over 40 or 50. I once missed three flights in a row and spent two days drinking in an airport. The airline threatened to blacklist me for life if I didn't make the next flight.

ChickChick

Just popping in to say good morning.

CuteNGayYay

Good morning everyone ! Day 12. Was listening/watching to Kelly Clarkson yesterday.m the song/video for "people like us" really resonated with me. Take a look/listen if u have time. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWbMz_aBlMU Have a great hump day all!

BobbyLight

Leasha: That's going to take getting some used to for me. Flying was always about drinking as much as I could

Day 9 for me, so just wanted to check in. Yesterday was lunch with my brother and dad, and my relationship with them was always about alcohol. Only my brother showed up and we had a nice sober lunch and chat. My dad didn't bother to show up or call or anything. I do not have a good relationship with him to begin with and I am thinking it'll just get worse no that I no longer drink. He is an alcoholic 100% and I've been worried about having to deal with him now that I am sober. Trying to stay positive about the whole thing, but I guess in the end it'll be what it is and it's not my fault. Thanks for listening.

brach123

Hey all, I hope you are enjoying your day sober.

I'm 16 days free from alcohol today and had a positive day. I went to the addiction clinic for them to check on how I was getting on, it's part of my court order for my DUI. I was happy to report that I was doing well and felt a lot better than some of the other poor souls looked that were there for help.

I had a wonder around town also for a short time, I was a little nervous for a moment as it is the town I'd been drinking on my last few binges. I guess I was worried if I was going to be ok, but I reassured myself that I've been doing well and that I just need to keep grounded and focused on what I want (i.e. sobriety and recovery). I think anxiety and worry about my ability to not drink has lead me to give in many times in the past. My lack of self belief has definitely been a trigger actually, I did well again today though and I would imagine my self belief and strength will grow the longer I am sober.

Anyway enough rambling! I'm looking forward to a chilled evening with a movie. Have a nice day guys.

MissPerfumado

Good morning ... it's Day 25 for me. Sleep does take time to sort out clearly. After the first week sober, I was sleeping better, but last night awoke 2-3 times in the night and at least once had a bit of trouble getting back to sleep.

Flying was the No. 2 trigger that I wrote down in my plan (No. 1 being on my own at home in the evenings). There are some airports I've travelled through with the vaguest memories of how I got to the gate and boarded the plane, because I was either so hungover or had several glasses in quick order.

Cute, I enjoyed the Kelly Clarkson song and video - thank you. I guess there are a few of us who have always felt that we don't belong in the black & white conformity that the world expects. One of the things I have been adamant about is that sobriety does not mean losing my individuality. Drinking may have helped give me the confidence to do things my way but the independent streak in my personality is not connected to drinking. I see choosing sobriety as being consistent with that - I am doing this for myself and for my own good. But I will still be independent-minded, unafraid to speak up, even iconoclastic, because that's me, not alcohol .

Brach, round here there is no such thing as rambling! As Jenses will tell you! Enjoy your movie and good on you for heading back to a place that made you uncomfortable and facing your anxieties.

Have a great day everyone.

MissPerfumado

Hi guys. An important postscript to my last post: I don't know how I could forget it but alcohol was actually robbing me of my prized "self-confidence" and "outspokenness".

In the 2 months before I quit drinking, I spoke in public on three occasions. These were before my peers and before well-regarded persons in the business community. On all three occasions, I had strong heart palpitations, hyperventilation and severe flushing in my face. These were from sustained heavy drinking. People would have thought from looking at me that I was an anxious, nervous public speaker when I actually used to enjoy public speaking.

Alcohol was taking from me one of the key qualities that I had spent time nurturing and was proud of.

So no thanks for that, alcohol. The real "me" is returning to me.

strongtoolong

Well I've been out of full time work since May and it is really getting to be a crisis for me. I received unemployment until August and after that I had to borrow money and let many of my bills become delinquent. Today I was so anxious I stayed on job boards all day and revised my resume. I've also been putting some of my valuables for sale on Craigslist and eBay. I guess it's because the first of the year and of course another month's worth of bills are now due.

I can't believe I still have not found a job and I'm really wondering if my resumes sent are getting through to the right people. I've literally sent hundreds. I've borrowed so much I don't feel that I can ask my sister for more especially right after the holidays.

I really don't know what I'm going to do if something don't come through soon. I'm just feeling really bad today and wanted to let it out!

Dee74

Wishing you the best strong - hope you find something soonest

D

ubntubnt

. sorry duplicate

ubntubnt

hi STL, I worked in the recruitment business for many years. I have to tell you that in recent years the effectiveness or emailing or posting a resume has reduced dramatically. Recruiters don't wade through stacks of CVs anymore. They rely on automated matching tools that match CVs online to profiles and they rely on personal contacts and referrals. Thats why companies like LinkedIn is replacing traditional job boards. Sending in a resume to a recruiter is now almost worthless, unfortunately.

My advice is to narrow your focus to no more than 10 companies and work to build connections with them, write articles and other things that show your knowledge and relevance to them and then request a meeting with a recruiter there. For example, identify how you could improve an aspect of their business and send some suggestions to the relevant manager copying HR. That kind of thing.

As an example, the last time I switched jobs I send many, many shotgun applications and have one reply out of hundreds. I then decided to write a book as a personal project that I had wanted to do for some time and I interviewed the CEOs of a number of companies as part of my research. At the end of one of these interviews I was offered a job though I was not looking for it. It was my dream job. In my experience this is now how hiring decisions are being made increasingly these days. Good luck wit your search.