itsmaria

Coz that's a good list of things to do, thanks. --That is pretty neat about the birds! Maybe you can get some pics of them.

TC- I love that 'the google'. I might start using it!

Fallow ice cream is a good plan, it's one of my vices for sure!

Karen good luck with the smoking. I quit years ago....it was hard it took me a few tries. I joined a forum specifically for people quitting and that helped me. I don't ever think about cigarettes now. I remember feeling like that would just never be possible, and it is.

I'm feeling better I guess. The reason- eh there were real things I was grump about, just nothing shattering. Then everything I tried to do yesterday went wrong- went out to two shops to try to pick something up, both closed. Lost my alcohol worksheet. I had made a worksheet and written down triggers, reasons to drink > and are they true reasons, reasons not to drink, strategies. Just a bunch of stuff. But it seems I lost it, so I have to start over.

Honestly some of it is the boredom and loneliness just catches up with me. It's probably not a coincidence I want to drink this week and my workload is light. Sometimes my workload is very light and this is one of those times. And then I start to feel like I could be drunk all the time and it wouldn't matter. Just check out.

But I got my hair cut today so that gave me something to stay sober for, and though my workload is light this week I do have meetings the next two mornings. So that will help me.

Also baseball is starting (one of my very very favourite things) and although I guess a lot of people drink with sports, I never liked watching baseball drunk. So maybe that will help me too I dunno.

Take care all

venuscat

Sober sport is just the best.
Huge Australian Rules Football fan here....I remember wondering how I could ever enjoy it again.....well it is way better sober.
Plus I remember the games.

Glad you like your haircut love. ❤️

Coz

May 2020 class mates

It sounds like lots of us aren't into small talk. Credit to you Karen for staying tuned in and being able to listen! I try for a while, but then my brain disengages with the conversation and heads off on its own tangent.

Maria - great that you are hanging in there and feeling a bit less grumpy. But to be honest, you are sounding a little vulnerable. I guess you know that we all have crappy days where nothing goes right and all the little things add up and start overwhelming us.

I do hope you find your alcohol worksheet. As a thought, why don't you start a thread here on SR to store it? It will be easy to find if you need it, might help other people and you might get suggestions you hadn't thought of before. I have my 'go to' list as a thread here - although the content is embedded in my mind anyway - the challenge is using the list before drinking.

Boredom and loneliness are challenges for the majority of people during this pandemic. Don't let them be a reason to drink, but rather fight them with some new tactics that work for you. You are obviously a smart lady with many skills and talents. Find company to beat the loneliness and try to accept that it is likely to be more cyber than physical for a while yet. Beat boredom with your exercise and maybe pick up on a new hobby or interest. Baseball will be a real help for some of the day, but you might need something else to fill your days - dunno what will work for you - learn a musical instrument, something arty, reading, start a new online course, take up sudoko.......

Anyway, please hang in there and remember that this a place where you can download thoughts and problems, get support, keep you busy in slow times and where you should come before picking up a drink (so great that you have been doing this!).

So anyway, how's the hair looking? Did you change it much?

Take care of yourself, enjoy work being a bit quiet, work on ideas to deal with boredom and loneliness, and keep staying sober!

Coz

Karen - thanks so much for the idea of a sign for my sand pile! I am not artistic at all - very left brained, but I do like trying to get my right brain functioning from time to time.

Thinking about your lethargy and it sounds like your body is asking for down-time. Your change of diet will probably take a while for your body to adjust to. Have you had some blood works done? It may be that you are on the deficient in some of the 'energy' vitamins and minerals which can be remedied with some supplements or additions to your meal plan. I am very low in the vitamin B space from too many years of heavy drinking and the doc suggested I will need injections every three months forever. I did one initial course of injections, but haven't gone back again - I hate needles. Despite being told it is the best way to up my vitamin B levels, I am sticking to the oral supplements, although I am pretty slack at taking those too. Might be worth seeing your doc if the lethargy persists.

I am with you on the giving up smoking. I did plan to quit by the end of June, but to be honest, I didn't try very hard at all and still smoking. I borrowed Carr's book twice, but haven't got past chapter 1 yet. I do want to quit, but I am procrastinating on doing so. My excuse at the moment is making sure I have got sobriety under control first. Smoking is giving me the opportunity to down tools and have a break. Without smokes and alcohol, breaks will not be the same. Also concerned that I will go through the grumpy, depressed and other withdrawal symptoms which will challenge my sober resolve. So yes, all excuses, but .... one day (soon). I like Maria's concept of a forum for smoke quitters. SR works for me with alcohol, so maybe a stop smoking forum will be useful too.
Also thought I'd share a few images of the passion fruit and tomato trellis's finished yesterday. I still need to make another tomato one, but from trying to retrofit the tomato to the trellis, I have learned that it would be much better to have the trellis in place BEFORE planting tomato seeds - quite challenging the way I've done it!



for now. Time to start my little job list for today.

venuscat

I grew up with passionfruit in our garden.....such wonderful memories. And it is my favourite fruit.
Love your pics and your trellises love.

I also still smoke. Not much but I do. And I am sure there are tons of threads here re quitting smoking.....I know I must stop completely.
I tend to quit everything (bar alcohol) in easy stages, so in the end I barely even miss whatever I am giving up. s

Dee74

There's a whole forum Suze

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/nicotine-smoking/

Sober369

I've checked in on that thread before, it wasn't posted in much back then but maybe now it is, I'll try it again. I totally agree with waiting until you are ready Coz. I think it would be a bad mistake to quit if it was going to lead us back to drinking, then of course we would pick up the smokes again, too.
I wanted to write more but am so sleepy, I think I'll save it for tomorrow. Hugs to all.

Coz

Thanks for the link to the quit smoking forum Dee

I just had a look - not much action or support available there. The last post was weeks ago. A quick internet search has found another site which looks similar to SR but dedicated to quitting smoking. I'll have a read on the quit train site and maybe join there as my support base for giving up the smokes.

A rainy day here, so inside jobs mostly today.

Hope everyone is OK. Has anyone seen Mystified, Og and Didit around SR? WL - are you OK? - not like you to be absent from this thread for this long.

Dee74

thats the thing tho - I keep sending people there and they decide it's not busy enough - catch 22

D

Coz

Oh of course Dee. Maybe I should start posting and see if it attracts others - worth a try.

Dee74

no, I don't get kickbacks for posts LOL
If there's another site that serves you better thats the main thing

D

Sober369

Good morning all! I slept so well last night. I remembered my dreams for the first time since I've been sober, I think. They were long and complicated but nice. I feel better this morning.
I miss all our people, too, Coz. That's got to be the saddest thing about getting to know folks on SR, is that they sometimes disappear without any notice and we have no idea if they are in awful trouble or just busy. I've done it before myself, and with me I was drinking and too ashamed to admit it. I promise this class that if I decide to leave for any reason, or if a few days pass and I haven't posted, I will come here and let you know something. Say, Hi, I'm alive, if nothing else.
I was doing much better at taking vitamins a few months ago. Now, I am so worried about going into shops. I will go online today and order some b vitamins and magnesium. I have one a day's for the basic stuff.
I do have an appointment with my Dr. coming up in a few weeks. I need to see about health insurance today, too. So much to do, and so much time!

venuscat

I buy all of my Vitamins online love. ❤️

venuscat

LOL.

You girls are hysterical.....no one is posting there.....so there is a way to change that. s ❤️

Sober369

Truly, Venus! And Dee. I think I will post there and see what happens. If nothing else, I can keep a record of my efforts.
Maria, I'm so glad you're feeling some better. These are hard times, especially for newly sober single people. I'm sending a big cyber hug.
Coz, I love your tomato trellis! I may try to build something similar. I have my veggie garden right in the middle of my front yard because that's the only place with enough sun, so having it look pretty would be really nice. It's actually a mess right now, which will give me a new project.
I hope everyone is having a great day!

Coz

Hi all

Karen - great that you will keep posting here - even if it just a quick note. I'll do the same. Reading and posting on SR is important to me in this early recovery - it is getting me through and I am constantly getting new ideas on tactics to make this work - not to mention great ideas on what to cook and what to do! My recent entertaining BBQ and making the pardalote palace sign just a couple in the last week.

Also a good idea to check in with your doc to see if there is a reason for feeling lazy other than the "so much to do and so much time" procrastination (loved that line and I can so relate to it - I need deadlines or work on the 'tomorrow will do thinking').

I thought of you when making dinner last night. I was experimenting in the kitchen and made a vegan Thai green curry salad. Even hubby (very much a meat consumer) thought it was great and wants it again tonight. I might convert him into being a vegetarian yet (but unlikely).

Really hope to hear from more of our class mates soon. I think I will have to take up your suggestion of joining in another thread while I need to make the extra commitment to sobriety and to get and give support. I'll also try posting on the smoking thread. I did a bit of reading on the other site and there is some good stuff, but also some stuff that I didn't like (drinking whiskey to relax concepts and similar) - the SR one will most likely have a greater proportion of those quitting smokes and alcohol - even if it is just you and I!

Happy sober days to all.

Sober369

Happy sober day to you, too, Coz. And Venus and Dee and Maria.
It's late here and I'm off to bed. I felt really good today.
I agree we should join another thread as well as this one. I post daily in the 24 hour thread and sometimes in the One Year and Under. I like monthly threads, too, though. I suppose we could go see what's up with July. I will try the quit smoking thread tomorrow, too.

Fallow

Hi all hope you had a great day! I felt really good today. Very peaceful.

It does seem like a lot of folks have moved on. I still plan on posting in this thread if possible. This trying to post in a class daily has helped out a lot. I thought I would post daily for each new month initially, but that seems difficult. I started feeling on a different wavelength. And I couldn't keep up with everyone.

I am going to try to use a computer here soon so I can post better. This phone is not cutting it.

Good luck to those trying to quit smoking too. I quit smoking over 6 years ago. I did it when my son was born. One of the best decisions I have made. I don't miss it at all anymore.

Coz

Hi Karen

You'll probably notice that I have started a thread in the smoking section and have posted in the One Year and Under. I am still a lot attached to our May class, so will always keep this as my no.1 daily thread, but also start using the other ones too. I don't think I'll join another monthly class - I do read in the June and July threads (and sometimes some older ones), but I like the idea of being in a class where we all quit around the same time and where I feel comfortable and kind of know everyone a little.

to all our class

Fantastic to hear that you felt really good today - that is excellent!

It's a bit dreary and wet here and my motivation levels are very low. I'll keep plodding with my new tomato trellis and try to get some plants in the ground when there are some breaks in the rain. I could easily have a do nothing day though. But, I am feeling pretty good and happy to have been sober for 75 days. It is getting easier as the thoughts and cravings for alcohol are lessening, and some of my thoughts are really positive. I thought this morning, when feeling really lazy, that a few drinks and doing nothing would be nice, but immediately decided that a drink would taste foul and I couldn't think of anything worse to consume. Most happy with that!

Coz

Hi Fallow

Great to hear that you are feeling good today too! I hope you keep posting here. It would be so nice to keep our class and share our journey together. I have become quite reliant on this thread.

And now I know that you have a bit of an interest in birds, can I ask why you choice your avatar picture? Very cute.

We have a few people in our class that are ex-smokers. I hope to join the ex-smoker club by the end of next week (it was going to be the end of last month, but decided the timing wasn't great with the holiday planned - staying sober had to take the priority so delayed the smoke quitting. But it is time to get serious about it!

for now....