Back home after a great outpatient group.
Even spoke with the clergy about the situation with my SO.
I feel 10 lbs lighter! (Though, I think I've actually gained a few sweet-tooth lbs in this past sober month, lol).

I'm so happy to see anyone even at even just one week; the sober times keep building - way to go! :c011:

That's it really. Just wanted to stop by and wish everyone well.
I'm winding down for the evening - just waiting for my hair to dry before bed meds and then sleep :)

Blessed be all!

WW

Welcome to the April thread of 2010, lil,chicklet. :welcome

I remember starting to feel soooo much better around 12 or 13 days sober , what a feeling !

Glad you're here .

Keep up the great work !

Hi all, thought I would check in, hope everyone is doing ok. It's been nearly 3 weeks since I last had a drink. I still get cravings but nothing that I haven't been able to cope with. They seem to come when I am stressed or depressed but I guess thats normal. I feel pretty confident that I won't drink again while I am pregnant, but I do find myself thinking about after the baby is born, though when I get those thoughts I try and just think about today, I'll worry about then when it gets here.

Pink cloud
 

Yes...That thought did cross my mind too, yesterday, wondering if I was experiencing it. I don't know TBH!

I don't feel 'excited' about my sobriety, just grateful.
And I'm not going to worry about it as it might never happen.

Have a good day everyone x

Welcome Sax :)
D

Hi folks,

I'm still here and I'm still sober.

I'm still having a hard time shaking the sadness of losing my friend, but it feels like he wants me to and start appreciating the joy I have in my life.

So today is a day of gratitude for me in his honor.

Day 17
 

I hope everyone in the class is doing well. Today is my 17th day sober.

I packed up my beer glassware this morning.

I drank nothing but high alcohol (7-8%) craft-brewed beer (micro-brews), and had a different "correct" type of glass for each style of beer. Boxed 'em up and put them out in the shed. I'll figure out what to do with them later.

I told the first person (other than you guys :)) that I had stopped drinking yesterday. Went something like this:

Friend: "So you are not drinking today? I figured for sure you would be out back with a beer, the weather is so nice..."

Fool: "Nope. In fact, I've decided to quit drinking. I'm an alcoholic."

Friend: (puzzled) "Why would you say something like that? You're not an alcoholic."

Fool: "Yea, I am. I've tried to quit drinking many, many times, and I couldn't."

Friend: "You just need to cut down. Maybe just have a few beers on the weekend only?"

Fool: "I've tried that. I've tried everything. I've tried setting limits on when I could drink....How much I could drink....etc. That does not work for me. I've had my last beer."

From there, we had a good conversation about where my head is at on this, and my reasons for quitting. Once she realized I was serious, she became very supportive.

Also saw my doctor yesterday (routine) and discovered I had lost 5 pounds. I guess not consuming 1.5K of beer calories 4-5 times a week will do that. :c031:

Oh, btw...My friend's name?

April.

How weird is that?

Whenever I try to tell someone I'm an alcoholic, they always say, "You're not an alcoholic. Maybe you should just cut back / set a limit for yourself / drink on odd days of the week..." whatever. I think denial is a team sport, personally. It takes almost as much support to be a drinking alcoholic as a recovering one.

Rev

kyb -- You mentioned sleep got better and then worse after quitting. Same here for me! I think I have sleeping issues regardless of booze. It's annoying, but I comfort myself by knowing that at least the sleep I'm getting now is mediocre quality sleep instead of mere unconsciousness.

kim -- You mention snipping at your husband and he is okay with it because he is glad to have you back. I was thinking along the same things last night: I've been quarreling tons with my boyfriend but it's almost better to have these sober quarrels than to have meaningless "good times" drunk. At least we're actually connecting and paying full attention to each other instead of being in a haze. (And our quarrels are LOGICAL now instead of totally insane.) And he is constantly telling me he likes me better this way, a HUGE help, since I've had my share of friends and lovers who told me I was more fun drunk (which, if even slightly true, was because I became dependent on alcohol to lower my inhibitions and forgot how to be "myself").

Day 18 here. I'm pushing through the last days of the semester and will then have several weeks off, which is both a treasure and a daunting prospect.

It's Cinco de Mayo; be careful out there! :supernan

Yea, the only symptom, if that is indeed what it is, of my detoxing from alcohol is that my sleep patterns are totally screwed-up.

I've had periodic bouts of insomnia my entire adult life. Some last just a couple days, others drag on for weeks.

OMG!

How long have I been gone? Maybe two days, but it feels like two weeks reading through all the posts! Couldn't catch up fast enough once I started reading :-)))

Topspin: AbFab on the 30, congratulations!!

Bartender: I'm feeling you when you say your friend is still there for you, I experience the same with my friend J. I just feel his presence and it's very comforting.

Kyb: Maybe your wife is waiting for you to say something or maybe she's unsure about what to do next? I think if you want her support (do you?), you shouldn't be afraid to ask for it, IMO.

Stayinfree: Love that you are pampering yourself, that is so positive.

MyGray: How wonderful that you are able to fully engage with your kids, love those moments too.

Little Chicklet & Saxony: Welcome!

Kimbr: Way to go girl and good luck with that job!

Rev:I think looking up at a huge pile of rocks and thinking about moving it in one go would discourage anyone. How about picking up one stone a day? It'll get you there in the end. I was always an all or nothing kind of person, that ended up in a lot of nothing. After I had my son I had to accept that it's ok to do "some" ironing, "half" the dishes, stop and get back to it later...

My job is absolutely hectic at the moment, but I manage and have a bring-it-on attitude, because I'm sober. Some others at work are handling things with the old and tired, I need/deserve a drink strategy and i'm just happy I don't need to go there.
So today was madness and when I went to pick up my son, my mom told me he was very naughty at practice and again back at her place (he was still sitting in the corner when I got there).
We had a talk about everything that happened and then they kissed & made-up. My mom is also a recovering alcoholic (coming from very far) and what I found so touching and beautiful was that she was holding back her tears when they hugged. It showed me that her true feelings are coming through again and aren't being blocked anymore. She used to let him get away with murder and now she is setting boundaries and demands that they are repected, however difficult it is for her. I am soooooo proud of her today and I made sure I told her!

If I didn't fill out a whole page by myself...I'll try harder next time :lmao

Andi

Love reading this thread ! Everyones experiences .....meeting lifes' challenges and opportunities sober . Yesssss !!!

Decided my 10 mi bike rides were getting way too much like work, so backed off today on the pace and went for a 15 mi route. Turned out a lot more fun than I expected. And felt sooo relaxed later on the way down to work tonight.




This is Exactley how I've started feeling this past week. It amazes me how some of our experiences are so similiar in these first weeks of sobriety.

Gives me even more confidence that SR really is working !!!!

Oh Andi, that is so precious about your mom and your son! Made ME tear up!!

I don't know if I'm in the euphoria of sobriety and maybe I'll slow down soon, but I've been going like crazy around here, cleaning, going through junk that needed to be sorted and either tossed or organized. Me and the hubby help run and own an offroad event that is being put on next month and I found myself these past two days just snatching jobs from people saying "I can do that!" "I can do that too!" LOL I'm actually looking forward to calling people to make purchases, get permits, insurance, food ordered, etc. Been FOREVER since I was willing to sit on the phone for any length of time let alone with enthusiasm about doing it as a volunteer. It's relieving others of some of their workload since I have more time on my hands than most of the other volunteers.

Dr visit today went ok. I go next week to do my fasting blood work. He wants me on Wellbutrin but I took it once before and wasn't overly thrilled. He thinks I should try again since it's been almost 3 years since I tried it and last time I was given Lexapro at the same time, which he didn't agree with. Good news is my BP is back to excellent! I've lost 10 or so lbs.

I love love love this thread, everyone's updates are so encouraging to read. It's really helpful to have this thread to come to and read and post.

Good Morning Aprillers.
Hope you are all well today.

I'm 8 days sober today.

Excactly one week ago this morning, I got up to the worst withdrawal symptoms ever. I dragged myself into work with the tremors, shakes, feelings of such despair and doom. Absolute craziness. I had crossed a line. The line for me from I'm not THAT bad, to YES I AM THAT BAD. Very scary.

Anyhow I have gradually got better as the days have gone on and I am so happy to be sober. What a great feeling to wake in the mornings and really enjoy my coffee, to be able to taste again. And to be free from the fear of 'what did I say/do last light?'

Life is good, hope it is for all of you too xx

Day 14
 

EXACTLY how I feel this time around after many, many "dry spells" where it felt that I was holding off having my next drink for as long as possible, rather than accepting things a day at a time.

Awesome. This is Day 14 for me; two whole freakin' weeks! Yay me.

Hi guys,

Still here and still sober.

Slowly finding peace.

Day 18
 

2 weeks is outstanding. Well done, mate.

I visited Australia almost 30 years ago when I was in the USMC. Found it to be a very beautiful place, with friendly people. Always wanted to return.

I totally can relate to "...it felt that I was holding off having my next drink for as long as possible, rather than accepting things a day at a time."

Well said. Man, have I ever been there.

I've posted before about how this attempt at sobriety feels so different from my previous habit of stringing a few days of non-drinking together whilst waiting for a convenient excuse to crack open a beer, and lie to myself about how I didn't have a problem.

I honestly don't know what has made this time different.

Maybe it is the fact that I have accepted, deep down, that I am an alcoholic, and the only way (for me) to deal with alcohol is 100% abstinence, end of discussion.

I do know that reading/posting on this forum has helped immensely.

Here, I can be accountable. Here, I can learn from others who are in the same boat as I am.

Today is my 18th day sober.

I am just 11 days away from the longest stretch without alcohol in my life in nearly 3 decades.

I feel good. Real good.

Keep your heads up classmates, and thanks once again for helping a fool find his way.

Day 12
 

Hi April Folk,

I'm enjoying reading about your collective experiences with sobriety. There's a lot of wisdom here.

I'm really depressed. I don't feel like this when I'm in the midst of a drinking cycle, which no doubt accounts for the lure of inebriation. I've had depression for over a decade and I'm very familiar with the treatment modalities. It's just that sometimes none of that stuff works. Neither, for that matter, does alcohol.