Class of February 2019 Support Thread Pt 3
 

Continues from

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...pt-2-a-20.html

D

Hello everyone,

I start my first post in the new thread in sunny Barcelona! Lucky me. Spending the night before I clock off to sleep catching up on all your posts.

Congratulations Evoo!


Foie and Canguy well done on making it through those 'moments'. My god is the AV strong when on holiday so I can relate. There is a lot of questioning about whether I should stay completely sober, as in just have one glass of wine etc, but just how badly I am craving alcohol over here just goes to show that yes I DO have a problem. Not that I don't know that... just that the AV tries to convince me otherwise whenever it can. But I am determined to stick with this, no matter how bloody hard it is. I just keep going back to the simple words of my therapist,"You have to quit alcohol." A licensed professional wouldn't say that for no reason, whatever my AV would say.

Addy I'm right there with you experiencing these 'feelings'. Without drinking, you really have to sit with them don't you? Sobriety is hard work, but well done us for not being cowards and doing it I say!

I'll share some benefits from my sobriety I am starting to experience so far...

- My anxiety levels are no longer chronic and are getting better everyday.
- I am noticing how much money I would be spending had I been drinking.
- I feel better about myself with everyday I beat back the urges.
- My brain feels more active, in a good way, thinking of things to do and ideas.
- I have some seriously bad life stressors at the moment, but I feel like now I can deal with them, instead of avoiding them.
- I am focusing on spending time with my family instead of just looking forward to getting away and getting drunk.
- I did some work on an essay I'm writing and it's starting to flow, where as before academic work would have always sent me into a stress overdrive.

To everyone here let's keep it going. Have to say this site and you guys are being the counterweight to my AV. Peace.

.....Barcelona.
That'd be great.

Great that you are doing it without a drink light and dark. Not easy.....travelling is sort of time out of the bubble, always tempting to decide the normal rules need not apply. But, as we all know, the 'one glass' thing isn't feasible. Its just not what we want. I dont want one glass. I want several. Then I want to hole up somewhere and really finish the job.

Can relate to many of the benefits you list there. Anxiety figures in a lot of the posts here. Thinking about how that my drive a lot of my behaviour when drinking.

Just visiting my old class to say "Hi!"

Heading to Barcelona in July to catch up with our daughter that has been living in Europe on an extended working holiday.

Hope all is good with you Februrians.

Congratulations on all the milestones! Today is 19 for me.

I have been struggling with depression the last few days. I haven't wanted to drink and I haven't had any cravings really but the depression is still around. I have been dealing with this for about 2 years and I was hoping it would magically disappear when I quit drinking. I am grateful that I have had several good days so that's an improvement. I do work with a doctor and a therapist to help with this but it rears it's ugly head on occasion.

I just feel numb and sad. I don't want to leave my apartment. Taking a shower sounds exhausting to me. I will get out though. I will make myself. I know it will help to be around people. I hate when I have to pretend to be okay when I don't feel okay.

I won't drink because then I will just be depressed and guilt-ridden along with feeling sick. I'd rather just be depressed. I'm just focusing on how my body feels so much better even though my brain doesn't.

I'm going to call a friend. Put my money where my mouth is and ask for support.

xoxo

Hi, fellow groundhogs! I'm excited to be a few days away from my longest sober stint and taking extra precautions to not get too comfortable. I will say that I'm down 21 pounds and more every day, so it's nice to see my poor body recover from the crap I've been force-feeding it.
I'm super jealous of anyone travelling! Especially to Europe. When I win the lottery...
Hope everyone is feeling happy and strong!

Thank you for all the kind words guys. It's definitely been tough lately. I am just trudging forward and doing the best I can. It's not easy but the most important thing is not to drink! It can't be this hard forever, right? (I hope not!) And it's not the NOT DRINKING part that is hard. It's the anxiety and the FEELINGS! Ugh. Oh well...I am just going to keep fighting. Nothing worthwhile is easy, right?

Anyway....today marks 1 month sober! Yay! I hope Dee is right about it getting a little better after the first month. (hoping and praying)

Wow what a great post L&D! I have a lot of the same benefits of sobriety that you have! The one I DON'T have yet is the anxiety relief. My anxiety has actually gotten WORSE! I am hoping once the weather breaks here (it's ZERO degrees :scared:) and I can get regular exercise outside in the fresh air that will help!

Keep shutting down that AV! We know how that story will end all too well and it won't be fun! I don't know about you but I don't want to start all over and go through that crap again! No way! Keep posting!

Exactly! I NEVER wanted 1 drink! lol. I don't think I every had 1 drink! What's the point??? :headbange lol

OMG! Me too! It's so cold and snowy here! I can't stand it for a second longer!!! :a043:

Hey James! I did't know you left. Bummer. Where'd you go?

Congrats on 4 weeks!!!

I totally relate to the quitting thing! Easy to quit everything else but..... :dee

Hang in there 360! I know how you feel only mine is mostly anxiety. Have you tried taking a brisk walk? That really helps me!

Hey Lipstuck! Youve lost 21 pounds of weight? WOW!!! Amazing! What's the secret? Just not drinking?

Morning G'hogs

FG......no donuts but want drinks, yeah, I know......I like dark chocolate. Allow myself a 100g block on the weekends (yeah, I know.....sad life, lol). 2400 kj in one of those. A 6pack of standard beers is 3600. (Tho maybe not in the US)
Would I sit and eat a block and a half of chocolate? No. But beers? No worries. Crazy.

Good to see u here again JS......drop in occasionally ok?

Addy, 360, you both sound like a combination of struggling and determination. The determination will win out and you'll find a better place soon. Alcohol cannot help in any way.

Is Canuck still here?

Busy day for me......have to go out and talk to real life other people. Meetings.
I try to avoid but it goes with the territory.
Later...

I don't take well to cold like that and just when I left home it got around that temperature so I am glad I got away. Flying back now tomorrow and back to the busy busy life of deadlines and work, yay!.James, you will love this city if you haven't been before, it truly is amazing. I haven't been out of Dublin in a good few years and now I realize how small the city really is, definitely need to get out more, use these pennies I'm not drinking away on it might be an idea.

So many good milestones guys, really is great to hear :)

360 you're doing the right thing by reaching out. It can be the hardest thing to do when depression comes a knocking, but getting support is the best thing for it. We're all here for you too as you know.

Addy anxiety really is a pest isn't it. Wish it had an off switch. I know exercise helps for me, but I really need to start taking my own advice on that!

Canguy yeah the anxiety thing is how im fighting off the urges to drink a lot. I just think back even to my moderating days and think how anxious I was. So when I want to have a drink I think of this as an experiment in a way, to say no im seeing how not drinking affects my mental health. I still do suffer though and it is a trigger in itself.

I am treating this as more than an experiment of course, but sometimes i need to tell white lies to myself to fight the av's rationality. Also I tell the av that any doubts I have about going sober I can bring up at a meeting when im back, but for now, regardless of where I am, i'm staying sober. Its worked so far.

you are so right about alcohol not helping in anyway. Its a depressant and it depresses, simple as. Also man do I get bad hangover anxiety, its a fear that sticks with me all day. Do I want to experience that again? No thanks!

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