PurpleCat

Well, that was fun (not). I had to stop by a store to buy some wine for a gift.

Had to tell my brain NO! in no uncertain terms.

lilymaz

You won!

Off to bed, safe and sound. Hope you all stay safe and strong for the rest of today/night. Till tomorrow fellow Augustians

Surrender2win

I have wine in my refrigerator still left from the weekend... I will be dumping it down the drain as soon as I get home. I don't even know why I kept it??

I feel a little better this afternoon, but still not very productive. Hoping tomorrow I will get some actual work done.

Stay strong everyone!

teaorcoffee

Off to bed as well.
PC - thinking on that, I might try and get some emergency presents in to avoid having to get wine for people.
Good idea Surrender.
See you all tomorrow

AwkwardKitty

Teaorcoffee - I buy stuff in the sales throughout the year (dotcomgiftshop is my fave for quirky reeeeally cheap stuff in the sale) and keep a box of emergency gifts!

Productive day for me, mostly a good day except for the row with my mom (see othet post)... I went out with my husband and son and treated us all to some amazing waffles and ice cream. Have done loads of housework I'd been neglecting for a while and booked my sons 2nd birthday party! Had some cravings and wobbles - my 'danger zone' seems to be between 8 and 10pm but I have kept myself busy and now am sitting down with a cuppa, admiring my new shoes (a pressie from the husband) and getting some ironing done.

Tomorrow is day 7 and I shall be taking the little one to a teddy bears picnic which I am looking forward to doing with a clear mind.

Keep up the good work, everybody!

Georgie123

Hi there,
I'm new to this site. Been alcohol free for a week and wanting the strength to continue. Thought being in contact with others, aiming for the same thing would help. I feel so much better mentally and physically but I'm still drawn to the idea of having a drink and keep picturing a large glass of wine or a cocktail. Socialising for me involves drink, all my friends drink. The lure of a pub on Friday, people chatting, smiling, people in good spirits is powerful and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to break the association with 'good times' socialising and not drinking, it's all I've ever know as an adult.

However, what I hate and I'm well and truly sick of is the hangovers, the shame and disgust at drunken behaviour( I'm a vivacious, first-one-up on the dance floor, flirty, last man standing kind of drunk) in reality, I'm shy, have really low self-esteem and self-worth. My head,when drinking,is constantly fuzzy and my hands a bit shaky, especially when ive had a heavy night. I'm just so over it and want so desperately to break the cycle.Anyway, I won't ramble on anymore...thanks for reading and look forward to reading your stories

Jezzi

Hi Georgie! I have those concerns too. My only real friends I hang out with are my aunts, mom, and cousins and when ever we get together there is ALWAYS alcohol involved, and its always fun. I guess it's about learning how to have fun without wanting it. We can totally do this, our health and sanity is worth it!

determined99

Goodnight team August! Great work staying strong today everyone.

determined99

Welcome Georgie!

MNVikes4life

Hey everyone!

Today is day 2, I binge drank hard on Monday night until very late so I am still feeling hungover, sad, regretful, etc. UGH. I can't wait for this feeling to go away...I still know that nothing is going to take me back to alcohol....nothing. I will not give in. I can't wait to get to know people here and hope to find success with all of you

Dee74

Welcome to Georgie Islingtonite, Thomas, StartingoverNW and anyoen I may have missed

Congrats to the milestoners.

I have to be honest, I stayed out of beer gardens and wine shops for a long time.

I knew from past experience that I could be sober in those places, but sooner or later I'd confuse abstinence with control and think 'one little beer won't hurt...I'll just sip it...probably throw half of it away...'


I understand that everybody's different - but for me I really had to put clear distance between who I had been and who I wanted to be.

I'm glad I tread carefully for a few months - I think it's one of the reasons I'm still sober today.

D

Deniselarkin

I am back and needing support. Started November 2014 and was sober for 11 months . In October of 2015 I had 2 drinks .and after December of 2015 I have been drinking on and off. I will go for 2 or 3 weeks and then drink. I want to stop compleatly. Today is day 2 for me.

PurpleCat

I love how British some of you sound! I lived in London in the late 80s-early 90s and you are making me remember how much I loved living there!

The wine was a planned gift for my husband's nephew and wife. They live on the east coast but she's from Michigan, and they're all Michigan wines. I just should have bought them last week instead of waiting. Alcohol is all around me all the time, so I've learned to deal. The voice was just particularly active today - still is because we are heading to a family reunion weekend out of state tomorrow. Of course there will be drinking involved, but at least most of them don't drink like my husband does and I used to.

Welcome to our new Team August members!

AwkwardKitty

You can tell I'm British because literally every other post I make mentions me having a cup of tea 😂

There's no problem on earth that can't be solved by a big mug of tea

MNVikes4life

Day 2 for me as well, stay strong

PurpleCat

I remember when we were moving back to the States, the guys packing up our stuff wanted a break for some tea. Except that my pots were already packed. I offered to microwave the water.

You'd have thought I had three heads, they way they looked at me. They went next door and borrowed the neighbor's electric kettle.

Tonight was tough. I spent a lot of time being annoyed at everyone around me, which is, of course, counterproductive because all it does is make me unhappy. However, it's bedtime now and I have brand new freshly washed sheets that I bought at Costco earlier, and a new My Pillow (which better be worth what I paid for it!) that I also got at Costco today.

Good night (or good morning or good day) all!

Deniselarkin

Thanks for the support, I did well as long as I was checking in. the support here is wonderful. You stay strong as well, we can do this.

Dee74

Welcome denise

D

MNVikes4life

Well its nearly 11:3 0 local time and made it through a really tough day without alcohol. On to day 3 tomorrow, hopefully feeling better.

Plenny

It's good to see you all posting so much and to read all of your stories.

I'm finally winding down after a really long day. Very productive but, long. I'm preparing for an ambitious project that starts tomorrow. I've challenged myself to take the next step in a skill I've been learning for over a year. Trying to maintain some zen confidence and just paddle right through the experience till the end. I'll explain later, I just don't want to psych myself out or talk it up too much until I cross a milestone...

Funny thing happening right now, I simultaneously decided to give up eating meat when I stopped drinking. I usually think that stopping multiple habits or practices is a recipe for disaster, but in this case I just really wanted to. I felt heavy and tired and I just wanted to stop eating meat. Eventually I think I'll cut out the dairy too. I'm currently weaning, so I'm eating fish. I feel healthy, I feel like my body is working well, and I feel lighter. I think this could be a good distraction.

Hey, if I am going to be an addict, I should be addicted to something that will benefit me or contribute to my health right?