Sober369

Six years is amazing! Yay Suze!!! I am so happy for you, and for all of us that you are here.

venuscat

Thank you! Just so much. 💜💜💜💜💜💜

nmd

Congrats on six years Suze!

nmd

You missed nothing, lol.

I usually avoid anything in mass media relating to alcoholism or addiction, because at best they don't get it, and at worst they can be triggering. Short format media is looking for simple answers, quick fixes and headlines. It doesn't reflect the hard work and life changes that go into real success.

venuscat

Thank you dear nmd. s xx

nmd

I think it is in the US with regards to non-discrimination in the workplace when getting treatment. You can get fired for poor performance related to addiction though. So I think you could probably take what is called FMLA (family medical leave act) time to get treatment. FMLA is unpaid leave, though some employers allow taking leave credits during FMLA (vacation or sick leave) Our protection against being rejected by insurers for pre-existing conditions is pretty tenuous though. We have it today for health care, but that could be gone tomorrow

My experience talking to Canadians about sick leave, maternity/paternity leave is you guys have it good compared to the US.

TiredCarpenter

Congrats, again, on six years sober Venus!

venuscat

Thank you. 💜

So how are you this morning?
I know it is not your favourite time of day. s xx

TiredCarpenter

I’m having quite a nice peaceful morning. It seems I broke through the cloud of grumpiness I had suffered for more than a couple of weeks. PAWs? Workplace stress? Covid stress? Probably all three.

I’m teaching from home again. Stress is down a lot.

I find myself smiling lately.

I hope your injuries are healing up ok Suze. I can certainly relate to the challenges of dealing with aches and pains.
So frustrating.
It sounds like you are getting around much better lately. That is good.

So good to hear from everyone lately.
It is really nice when our thread is busy.

Willow, Hope, WL, nmd, dig, didit, maria, Karen, Dee, and everyone that pops in now and then: Have a good, sound sober day!!

Sober369

TC, I'm so glad you got through that and are working from home again. Especially with virus cases increasing. But, it's great for stress, too. I'm grateful beyond words that I don't have to go in right now. I think that feeling of gratitude makes things easier for me, too.
I've been in a kind of funk recently, too. I have not quit smoking. I put it off for a bit. I'm thinking of setting a date today.
It's more than that, though. I had plans before, and they all seem to be put on hold recently. I am ready to get back into it, but maybe it's time for a new plan.
NMD, I agree with you on the media's take on addiction. They seem to miss the point a lot. I'd love to see some sober people, who have a lot of experience, put together something more real. Meanwhile, there's us! There are some great videos on Youtube, too. It's mostly the bigshots, like netflix and big channels, that have it sensationalized.
I just got "Obamacare". To replace the insurance I lost. The hospital bill was like 25,000 dollars. Ridiculous amount. I didn't even eat their food, and they didn't help me much at all. I was more like in a holding cell while being taken to hospital appointments, like the MRI and such. Fortunately, my "Obamacare" will pay for all but about 3,000 of it. Of course, that may all be gone in a couple of weeks. I am grateful I had it while I did though! Even though I had to wait over a week after my stroke to get treatment. What if I couldn't wait? I would be searching for any job I could get right now!
Just thinking 'out loud'.
Suze, I hope you feel better today. I hope we all do. I sure miss Coz!

dig12

Suze!!! Congrats on the milestone. So nice to read about these milestones. They mean so much to not just the person reaching them, but to the entire SR community as well. Well done

dig12

I'm going to throw a topic area out here -- I'm struggling internally with getting back to regular exercise. I do play baseball and hockey. Baseball in the summer is intense because I play usually for two teams so it's a good 3-4 games a week type thing. Hockey is once a week.

But now as the AV's cloud has subsided, I want more and I just can't get a workout in the gym mentality going -- mainly because I don't know where to start or where to even look for something simple to start out with.

Any good sources for basic "getting back to it" workouts? I have searched the "Google Machine" and it's all quite overwhelming and dare I say... gimmicky? I don't need the silver bullet here, just a chat among SR friends to see how others battling addiction have managed to overcome and get back to exercising.

Thoughts?!?

venuscat

Karen honey.....I think it's time for new plans.
Maybe start by making a list of thigs you have always wanted to learn/do but didn't have time.
And then you can tackle them one by one.

Very glad the health insurance was able to help you....that is pretty amazing.
Just FYI if you want a new PT job, you could sell health insurance or be an advocate or something.
It is crazy hard here to understand and navigate. s

I miss Coz as well....a lot. ❤️

venuscat

dig ~ although I am the wrong person to address this, maybe I am also the right person.
Because I believe the key is putting on comfy clothes, getting some music in your ears (not for me, I like the sounds of the birds and life) and going for a walk. 20 mins. Then 30. Then 40. Then 50. Then by the time you get up to an hour you will have all of the motivation you need for the gym or whatever workout you want to do. s

And thank you so much....I keep thinking about the fact that Dee was 6 years + sober when I got here....to SR.....and how that number has stayed in my head all of this time....I guess I was waiting for it in order to feel safe.

Sober369

That's so inspiring, Venus. That Dee had six years when you were a beginner like many of us. Wow!
I will make a list of things I've wanted to do. I love lists, and they're helpful.
If I could get around the social distancing issue, and someday we all will, I believe, I would take dance classes for exercise. Social stuff, exercise and happy times all rolled into one! But, until then, I am with Venus on the put on some music and dance at home.
I was going to take up walking, but I'm afraid of lose dogs. A fifteen year old was mauled recently in a neighborhood near me. So sad, she likely won't live. So, at least for now, I am sticking to the dancing. Yoga is amazing, too, though I admit I am not following through with that right now. Maybe it will go on my list.
I got my voter registration card! There was a mix up and I didn't know for sure that I would be able to vote. Now, I plan to risk all and go out to vote. If I get there and it looks sketchy, I will leave. They are allowing people to openly carry firearms.

venuscat

Nick did a postal vote....it might not be too late to do that love, if you are worried. s

That is so horrible about the girl attacked by the dog.
In Aus, there are huge fines for people who allow dogs out on their own, and that dog would be put down.
Probably the same here. Just awful all around.

Maybe you can put a treadmill on your wishlist Karen. xx

TiredCarpenter

Exercise.....what’s that?

Willow00

Willow00

Dig I’m struggling with exercise too. I keep making half hearted attempts at walking and yoga, all of which only seem to last a few days before I stop again. I’m eating my way through the pantry and fridge too, so I really need to do something about it.... I decided (again) that I will start again on Saturday with a new routine of walking every morning. Today and tomorrow are too busy with work (I know it’s an excuse, but I will have a better chance of starting something on a day that I’m not overwhelmed with work). So Saturday is my new exercise regime start date. I’m going to walk for a minimum of 30 minutes and do a minimum of 10 minutes of yoga. Not necessarily in that order, but every day.

Karen that’s so awful about the young girl and the dog, how tragic. As Suze said, there are strict laws around dogs here, but every now and then an incident occurs, usually involving children. My Mum got her leg torn apart by a dog once when she was out walking, it was so awful. She ended up in hospital, but they sewed her up and she was ok, although psychologically scarred as well as scars on her leg. She was in her 70s. The council went to the house but the people had done a runner with their savage dog, never to be seen again. I hope it never got a chance to bite anyone else. Mum always carried a walking stick after that but was too afraid to walk for some time afterwards, and she didn’t ever really regain her confidence to walk alone. I was relieved that she joined a seniors walking group after that, for safety reasons.

A wish list is a great idea Suze, I think I’ll do one for myself too. I just did a postal vote here too

Nmd I think the health care system in Australia is pretty good, as is the leave situation from work. I think we actually are very lucky to have good support here, especially compared to many other countries.

I think Coz is away for 5 days from Sunday, so hopefully will be back soon....

TC it’s great that you can teach from home. I personally would love to be able to work from home. I would actually prefer to retire lol but that’s probably at LEAST 10 years away yet.
Speaking of which..... I must go and get ready for work...

itsmaria

dig12 what kind of exercise do you want to do? Cardio or strength training? Mix? Yoga? I exercise a ton. I think the key is to find something you enjoy.

Movement of any kind is good.

I do cardio and strength training, both with weight and body weight exercises. Sometimes I mix in core specific.

Deadlifted 95 lbs today. My pre covid max was 105lbs. And I squatted 70 lbs today, pre covid was 80. Could probably squat more but we don't have a squat rack.

I LOVE heavy lifting. I don't do it every workout, just sometimes.