Coz

One day at a time is a good way to do RAL. Also great that your drinking lots of water and eating healthy - I am not good at the latter in the early weeks of sobriety - I resort to sugar in many forms which is better than drinking, but also results in the sugar highs and lows which are quite exhausting.

I am feeling a lot better today than I have all week. It seems to take longer to get past the early physical withdrawal symptoms each time - I think it is referred to as kindling which I'd heard about, but am now experiencing it. Another reason to make sure that I make this sobriety attempt really work this time. I was feeling really confident last time, but then I caved in when having a particularly awful day. It really wasn't worth the short term relief.

So, I can still say the first three days are the worst, and the first week is still pretty tough, but I am going to feel so much better in another day or two.

Hang in there and lets all get to the start of everything getting easier and better!

venuscat

Hello love.
Onward together. s xx ❤️

venuscat

Welcome to the group dear Amadan! ❤️

venuscat

listae honey ~ I mentioned that I was like you, food + alcohol went hand in hand.
And I also had to learn how to eat after I stopped drinking.
Basically, I planned it out as if I had a kid...toast and coffee or porridge or something in the morning, lovely grain bread in the freezer so I could always make a healthy sandwich for lunch and eggs, tomatoes and cheese in the fridge so I could make an omelette for dinner.

That's all I did for a while. Until the booze triggers went away and then I was free to eat or prepare other dishes.
Not sure if that makes sense.

Jewel honey, and all of you.....good morning. ❤️

Jewel72

Good morning to you too, Venus!

Coz, I know why I return to the drink. I get overwhelmed with life/ my responsibilities and I crave an escape. Even though I know it’s temporary and painful in the end, wine has been my escape for far too long. The weekdays are especially challenging while husband is at work and my responsibilities are always calling. I know that’s life, but I don’t seem to handle it very well!

This new school week/work week will be a real test for me. But when I get through it, I will feel hopeful again. Like I can begin to repair and rebuild.

welcome back RAL! So glad you’re here.

Enjoy the day/afternoon all. See you tonight.

ReadyAtLast

Hi Coz, I'm glad you are starting to feel better. It really does get worse each time. It's 2pm here now and I would not normally be drinking at this time anyway but I am starting to feel ill. My head hurts. I will take a painkiller and more water and try and rest.

Hello Venus, great to see you again and be back here. I hope you are keeping well.x

Thanks Jewel-great to see you. I can come up with so many reasons why I think I drink. I don't have a horrible life but if I have a bad day at work I want a drink.Then again if I have a good day at work I want a drink. I just love that initial feeling. But I don't want to live a false life anymore. I shouldn't need to drink. I need to re-learn how to live sober and not in a fog.

Amadan

Thanks!

ReadyAtLast

Welcome Amadan.

7pm here now. Just eaten. Feel horrendous and will go to bed soon. Hope everyone has got through the day

Caramel

ReadyAtLast - hope tomorrow and the days ahead will be brighter for you.

The healing has begun.

ReadyAtLast

Thank you Caramel, nice to see you again I hope you are doing ok.

10,22pm. In bed sober. Can't remember the last evening I didn't drink. Feel like I won't sleep but at least i won't have a hangover in the morning.

Take care all,x

venuscat

Goodnight dear RAL. s
Hope you can sleep love. ❤️

Backtogood

I started mid September and was proud at not drinking most of the month. It's hard cause my hubby drinks every night. (Excuse, but real) I joined October and I'm excited to be part of this group. I am however, struggling sooooo hard for my first (again) day. I felt so powerful and awesome when i did have days behind me and now i just feel weak. Powerless.

Dee74

welcome RAL

yeah I craved an escape too Jewel but drinking just became another kind of prison.
Funny thing was, when I forced myself to face problems or stress sober, I found out how capable I really was

D

Outonthetiles

Welcome back, everyone joining the class. For those on day 1, you can do this. I want this class to be incredibly successful for everyone. Like I always say, if I can do this, anyone can.

Phil71els

So far October going well. No thoughts of drinking. It repulses me at the moment. To realise how close I came to completely ******* it all up again. How stupid. But I am looking forward not backwards. Onwards into the great October unknown sobriety our weopon against the evils of alcohol. I am ready for the fight!!

venuscat

But you are not weak at all...you are here, asking for support to change. That is strength to the max in my books s

Coz

I get it. So many of us just want to stop the world for a little while to recover. Only problem with that is that it doesn't stop - just us. Then we have to re-land on a spinning surface and try to run backwards on the treadmill to catch up on what we lost (or fix it) and then forward again to catch up with everyone else. Result - exhaustion and need of another escape. Solution - find other ways to escape that don't send us backwards where we end up in a silly cycle.

As many on SR with a decent amount of sobriety, life no longer has real highs and lows, just a mundane in the middle. If we can find peace, calmness, happiness and a purpose in that zone, I'm sure we will live a much better life.

Can you find a way to reduce your responsibilities and share the load a bit more? I quit my job to remove one of the big stressors and responsibilities in my life so I could focus on my recovery. It sure helped with recovery (but not so much in the finance space). Alternative is to have a good think about what you are responsible for and what you might be able to just leave without it resulting in higher stress levels.

I really hope you can work this out Jewel. Having got past the three month mark, life was just so peaceful and calm. I want that back again.

venuscat

I don't feel this way dear Coz. Not at all. Life has far greater highs than it ever did while I was drinking.
I don't know who said this, but it makes me sad.
The colours are brilliant love.....the wine goggles blurred them. Now they are iridescent. s xx

Coz

RAL - I hope you have made it through day 1 OK. I know it isn't easy or nice, but keep thinking ahead to day 5 when you will feel much better. Keep up the water and good food. I've also recently found out that green tea is really useful in helping to repair all sorts of things us drinkers do to our bodies, and it is also thought to help in reducing cravings! So green tea is now my 'other than water' drink. It's also OK cold with ice and a slice of lemon for when a kettle isn't handy.

Keep up your ODAAT and add another day to your count.

Outonthetiles

Life totally opened up for me again after I got sober.