A very moving song- HTH (Hilltop Hoods- lived near me in the Adelaide Hills).-
'Into the Dark'. About a bloke struggling with his young son having leukaemia. True to life. My youngest was not breathing on the birth table- 3 minutes resus. Truly the worst 3 minutes of my life. He is great- a very smart, with it young man.
Shell- this might sound like a crap in your flower bed. Well that is exactly so. It is great your family are supportive and stuff is good. Your sober- stuff is good. Complacency can creep in. The relax, well I am okay now- I can handle 1 drink. You mentioned perhaps looking into going back to AA meetings in the future.
Are you justifying or rationalising not going because you think about it here? Relapse and pink cloud go hand in hand and then the crash back to doom is all the more devastating. Sobriety is a lifetime- right here, right now labour. It will slip away - do not take it for granted. You think your family is the most important thing in your life. You know this. What will happen (perhaps) over a number of years is family will no longer be there when they are needed. Every family has it's breaking point. Sobriety has to be my top priority. Ever on alert.
If you loose your sobriety- you may in time loose your family. I found out the hard way- waking up in hospital after being nearly dead several times- booze, burns. The first thing I was told (1 year ago) after waking from an induced coma was my (then) wife had refused to be my next of kin to give permission for life saving surgery to begin. Breaking point. I have not seen my 2 adult sons since then either.
So there is the potential rain on your parade. I would suggest to you the best time to go to a meeting is when you do not want to or if you are so relaxed you do not think you need to. Perhaps they are exactly the times when you need to go. PJ

Welcome aboard Spartanman. Join the crew of missed "learning opportunities". The old "just a few, to relax" trick....oldest trick in the book, hey?

You are definitely not alone there spartan.
Soldier on mate. Push through it!

Off to work. Will check in later. Well done to everyone. Including ME!

Thanks Steely and Miramira !

So happy for you Mira, off to work sober, it feels so good. I can remember going to work with hangover, filled with anxiety and paranoia. So good to know we never have to feel that way again.

Thanks for sharing Phoenix you have done the hard yards and I wish you a beautiful sobriety. It's so very pretty, and I failed to see it. My eyes are opening.

My mom lives by Hudson. :) just chiming in

Spartanman- I was listening to a comedy recovery meeting online the other day. The guy said that when he was a kid- one time he got his what'sits caught in the zipper of his pants after peeing. It hurt - a lot. His brain learnt from that and he never suffered that pain since- even into adult hood. So the child learned stuff and grew.
Then he turns to booze. The first bad experience- Falls, blackout, embarrassment, shame, nausea, headache, vomiting- sick days from work. That kind of thing.
He then reflected- did I learn from that first bad experience? NO- had to try it again (infinitum) just to make sure the first experience was not just a fluke.
Talk about an alcoholic brain. Even stuff like watching one of those dramatic music- RBT cop shows. The suspense builds- the guilty driver is way over the limit and is going to goal. The alcoholic me thinks- ha! What a loser. I've never been caught! Vigilance is the watch word, huh?

Phoenix, that story made me laugh. Well, I made it through the gauntlet for day 1 and will be going to bed sober tonight. Hopefully I can get stubborn about this. Hope everyone has a good night / morning (for you Aussies).

I have so many posts to catch up on! It was a very long day at work today and tomorrow will be even longer, but I didn't drink. I was very anxious at work but decided to pick up some fabric for an apron for my granddaughter. Wandering around the store was relaxing and the anxiety just passed.

I did consider getting some wine on my way home but got stuck in construction traffic and missed a turn that would have taken me by a liquor store. Pretty sure it was Divine Intervention!

I'm going to get my jammies on, make some tea, and read here a bit. I hope everyone is having a great, sober day!

Moving on to Day 4 :-)

Welcome Maggie!

So happy you're back with us, Cornpone. Of course you're welcome here...you're going to love it!

Great sober day to everyone.

Please note, I'm having problems with my computer so if I drop out or something believe me, I'll still be sober.

That was awesome! It reminded me of a song we used to sing in Girl Scouts, "Kookaburra Sits in The Old Gum Tree". Such great memories!

Day 1 and I feel damn terrible! Please spare a thought for me.

Optimist I remember that song from Girl Scout camp!!

Having kind of a rough shift at work. The cravings are really bad tonight. But I also work at a bar and a few friends came in to drink and they aren't aware that I'm not on the wagon. sigh. I promised myself I would have zero alcohol today and I'm determined to stick to it

So good to see everyone here! :grouphug:

I've been trying to be (and stay) active.....exercise, for me, makes all the difference (as much as I don't want to admit it!) :vd

I think I'll read some of my new book Rising Strong~ haven't gotten far into it, but so far so good.

Thanks everyone for helping me stay sober another day! :tyou

Sober32 I am on day 2 and am extremely familiar with the pain you're going through right now. get through the night. focus on things that calm you. stay busy. if you're having physical problems with withdrawal, go to the ER.

Welcome sober32 :)

D

Thanks guys, i've managed to find something I feel like watching on Netflix.
Managed to have a piece of toast and glass of milk for a late brekky also.