I hope everyone is doing well!

Best wishes for a great and sober weekend!

Hi guys, remember and spread the word of this thread to class mates and newbies, it's too important a thread, too supportive to allow to fade. I've been here a while now and seen it dip and then get busy again, let's get these posts buzzing!

Hi folks.

I had a great time at a family wedding last night. I was so grateful to be sober, especially when Mr. Troy's ex wife tried to draw me into a nasty gossip session about other family member's. Having my full wits about me made sure that I didn't engage with her.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

Toots you are correct! I will need to stop by more often!

LOL Helen....Good for you! That's the best feeling, isn't it! I love when I can tell someone's trying to stir up crap & not give them the satisfaction. Nicely done! :biggthump

Here is a pic I took at Goat Yoga today....it was so much fun! :)

http://www.upl.co/uploads/BrownWhite-goat1501457732.jpg

Erm, no Purp. You don't just get to say that and disappear! Wtf is goat yoga?????? And where is my nearest session!!!
In Spain we have goats near our house, maybe I can get them involved. Do we do downward goat???? I need answers!!!!!

I think it's something to do with lying down and letting goats trod all over your body. Ouch!

Haha I had to google it afterwards, and yes Helen, that is about it! Baby goats using people in yoga poses as climbing apparatus! Looked at a clip on YouTube Very cute. Of course, then I got sidetracked into another clip of cute goats, then one of tiny anima.s, then one of horses...... No idea where the day went! :lmao:

Ok then....I'm not flexible enough for regular yoga. Goat yoga sounds odd and smelly, to each their own lol.

So glad I stopped by - I might've missed goat yoga! I've heard of dog yoga - but goats are a new one...

Hope you're all doing well. I'm still sober - even with a weekend in Paris when I was surrounded by people drinking. Thanks to a translation error, I did accidentally order a desert which turned out to be fruit drenched in a glass of pinot noir (not a reduction - just a glass of wine poured over it like wine / fruit soup) - just picked out the non-drenched fruit and left the wine, much to the waiter's confusion!

x

PS - Helen, just read your post about drunken memories surfacing and I really hope I can get to the point where I can stop feeling ashamed. Even though I'm no longer drinking, I still cringe and beat myself up over the things I did while drunk (even small things) and worry about what I might have said / done but be unable to remember. Ugh.

LOL ~ I didn't mean to disappear on ya! Sorry about that....yeah it's quite a different experience from regular yoga....I honestly didn't get much exercise done with all the distractions, but it was really cool. I get along with animals better than with people, so for me it was therapeutic. Here is a pic of one of the babies:

http://www.upl.co/uploads/Baby-goat1501630665.jpg

SSOH I know what you mean.....I'll have flashbacks of something I can't believe I said or did, then I'm like wait a minute, that was like 10 years ago! And the worrying too....because I barely remember anything!

I hope I didn't come across as judgemental about the goat yoga. It sounds intriguing and more power to everybody who's exercising. I can't even touch my toes w/out bending my knees, but I'm slowly trying to get there.

I'm staying for a few nights in a hotel by Niagra Falls and there's tons of live music going on which I'm really enjoying. I'm getting a couple of diet cokes and maybe a some food. It occurred to me that it felt more natural to relax for hours if the beer was flowing. Anyway, all is well :)

I really want to try goat yoga now - have just been googling for classes in my part of the UK. None yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Agree that animals are incredibly therapeutic - it's a more pure friendship somehow, and they don't judge or pressure you to drink! Do you say "Ramaste" at the end? (sorry!)

Lol, SSOH ~ I guess it's still kinda new....I was surprised to hear that there was a local session so I signed up. Hope you get a chance to try it too!

No worries, JCNY....Niagra Falls sounds really nice; I've never been there. Glad you enjoyed the music! I'm hoping to stick with coffee Saturday for the show I'm going to :)

SSOH just 'kid'ding eh! Haha

JC you didn't sound at all judgemental sweetie. I guess I associated beers ( or drink in general) with relaxing, because I would rarely drink without it becoming a 'session' . Where as soft drinks were more a case or rehydrating, a little like eating, something I needed to do for my body but nothing to linger over. It takes repeating new patterns over and over to overlay the older ingrained ones. But it does happen.

I find some days I am more flexible than others, some days I feel 40 some days I feel 80. The more I stretch the more flexible I feel. I would love to try goat yoga but TBH, I'd probably be just as happy sitting on a bail of straw in a barn having baby goats climbing all over me without the yoga part being involved. I'm sure it would be just as therapeutic!

I love that some people take dogs and cats into old folks homes for the elderly to stroke and cuddle. And my mum and dad swear Molly is better than antibiotics as a complete cure-all!

Purp, it is hard to let go the mortification and shame of our past actions. I guess I'm just glad my memory is not so good and Facebook didn't exist when I was out doing the worst of my drinking! The longer you are sober, the easier it gets to understand our alcoholism as an illness that changes our brain chemically, which affects our personality. It doesn't excuse our actions in the past, it doesn't wipe the blame away, but it does make it easier to accept that were are no longer the person we became. And as long as you never drink again, you will never be that person again.
Also, we are often more judgemental of ourselves than others are, things we recall and are embarrassed over, others may have either forgotten, forgiven, or remember as hysterical.

I'm in! lol. There's a video going around of baby goats in pajamas and I just want to be there!

Woke up this morning in my own bed which is always nice after spending time away. Having my coffee while I plan my agenda for the day. I have lunch out with a group of fellow women retirees from my workplace. The first few times I did this luncheon after quitting drinking I was really worried about how I would handle not drinking but it is becoming second nature now; I really don't give it much thought.

Have a good one everyone!

Goat Yoga. I continue to learn so much on this thread!:hmmm:

"As long as you never drink again, you will never be that person again." - I really like that sentiment, Toots. A good one to hold onto - thanks!

Hope your lunch was good, Helen!

x