:scared:..day 8..feelin' great!!!lol ozy..

..but i've been here before..so this time i will obey..

'The Law of Addiction'..

...Not one sip..just for to-day..

Hi Junebugs!

Just checking in to say that everything is going well here. Doing my darn best to stay really really busy. I hope everyone else is doing well this evening.

Go on Crystal,
What an amazing feeling to have your confidence coming back. I worried sometimes that I thought mine was gone forever. I knew I was done when a close friend saw picture of me from three years ago and said, "That doesn't even look like you!"

If that isn't a wake up call I don't know what is.

I gained 30 lbs in three years from drinking every single day. Binge drinking. I would try and lose weight but of course that wasn't happening because I was consuming an extra 1000 calories a day, or maybe more?

Lost 10 lbs so far and looking forward to tackling the next 20. Man this feels great. It's hard as h*ll but feels pretty d*mn good.

MelindaFlowers-

I, too, gained about 18 lbs from all the extra calories (1000+ per day for a while). In the three days since I stopped drinking, I've lost about 5 lbs.

It's really amazing how the body can right itself after a long bout of abuse. When drinking I was bloated, was constantly on zantac (antacid), and felt full all the time.

It's hard, but hang in there!

Melinda... You seem to be doing really great. Did you contact an AA group finally?
i posted about myself struggling last night. Today is an 'easy day' for me. i know I will not drink at all, and will see how I face tomorrow and the studpid equation WE=fun=drink.... If I go through the WE without a drink I know everything will be easier but prefer not to think about it now.

I feel you Melinda. Packed on 40 pounds in the past 5 years. 375 ml of whiskey = 900 calories. Plus 8 beers = 1240 calories for a total of 2,140 alcohol calories 5 nights a week (average). Add a Dagwood sandwich or some leftover pizza to that and I was popping down well over 3,000 calories per binge. (Then there's the next day - Hangovers like sausage and bacon more than salad.)

I want to get very strict on my diet and exercise regimen in the next week or so, but on day 4 I don't feel too bad having a little bowl of ice cream in the evenings because I know I am still WAY down on my calorie intake. :)

Oh yeah - DAY 4

My first day 4 since February. And I was a miserable puke about it then. I'm still feeling pretty good about this sober run. Yay, me!

Severian-

Congrats on Day 4! We share a sobriety date. keep it up!

Hi Severian!!

Since I've become sober I have been allowing to eat pretty much whatever, whenever I want. Any treats we can give ourselves will help us to not drink for today. I've been drinking lots of regular Coke, juices, etc.

Oh I hear you about the hangover cravings for food. I know some people can't keep food down after a heavy night. Boy that was not me. Maybe it also helped me to tolerate the food because every night was a heavy night for me.

During the last six months of my drinking I would wake up around noon, looking and feeling like h*ll, scrounge around for my keys and rotate which drive through to go get hangover food. This always meant a huge hamburger, fries, and enormous soda.

Right at the beginning of the hangover I could drink a 32 ounce coke in probably two minutes, being so dehydrated and all. I would do this everyday. I didn't quite make it to the point of drinking in the morning, but I would binge on junk food.

Now when I wake up my breakfast is a bowl of cheerios, milk, normal stuff.

But my tip of the day is treat yourself to anything but alcohol.

Loving Sobriety/Hating Insomnia
 

Hello June friends,

My only major withdrawal since getting sober has been bad insomnia. I've been able to sleep, but the sleep comes around 6 am. I set my alarm for noon, so I don't sleep the entire day away and the cycle continues.

One day last week I drifted off into a wonderful slumber around 5 am and woke up to my dogs barking (they sound like they are having panic/heart attacks when there's a knock on the door). It was the air conditioning people! Agggghhhh. So I answered the door, big bags under my eyes, and was forced to wake up. But isn't there such a difference between tired-face and hungover-face?

Anyways, I have a job interview in 4 hours and I have not slept a wink. Something about me though is that I was exactly like this before I ever drank. Sleep never came easily and the anxiety high at night if I have something big the next day. Like today!

I will end this with my motto I've used while battling the sleep demons:

I feel better with little or no sleep not hungover than I do with lots of sleep and hungover

Wish me luck!

Hi Wilde,

No I have not yet checked out an AA group. I think I will, maybe today. I will just make sure to drive about 30 minutes, which I don't mind. I enjoy reading everyone's stories here so much. It would be interesting to try it face to face. I think I would enjoy telling my own story too.

Now you've got me thinking about going today. It's 5 am and I haven't slept yet so I hope I don't sleep through the whole day.


Thank you for the reminder!

Melinda,

I just wanted to say that I hear you on the insomnia. It's why I became an alcoholic! I hope you're able to get on a regular sleep schedule soon!

GG

Morning group.

Good morning everyone :)

Is this bad? I woke up today honestly surprised not to be hungover. It was a good surprise, anyway!

I also can commiserate with the weight gain. I've gained 30 pounds in the last two years. In the last three days I've lost some bloat which makes me feel a LOT better. I'm not trying to diet or restrict myself. Like many of you I was consuming one to two thousand extra calories when I was drinking. And that's NOT including the taco bell!

Better to wake up and remember you didn't drink than wake up and remember that you did.

Day six, class! I, too, am always surprised when I wake up without a hangover! And without having to instantly review the memories of the night before..and what time they stopped. Without having to check my cell to see just what I'd texted the night before. And it's GREAT!!!!! :)

Weekend's coming up, class! Make sure you all have a set plan for how you'll fill your time! Make it something different than what you'd do while drinking...mix it up. ;)

Wake up on Monday, extrememly proud of yourselves! We CAN all do this!!!!

Day 1 for me.....again....sigh.....

It has been a battle but I will finally win this war.

I relate so much to all your stories. I've gained about 25 pounds in the 7 years I've been binge drinking.

I am so damn sick and tired of waking up feeling like crap. Sometimes when I'm doing shots at night, it's like dejavu of the night before and the night before that. Every day is the same. Wake up sick, clean, take care of the baby, make dinner, get hammered...day after day.

So, this is day 1. I'm 15 hours sober.

P.S. My husband is a heavy drinker as well, so I'l have to tell him to drink in the garage or something tonight. If he comes home with a bottle of rum and plops it right down on the kitchen counter, how can I fight that?

That would be like cooking up a spoonfull of heroin, putting it in the needle, setting it infront of the heroin addicts and saying, "go ahead. Don't inject it."

IrishEyes, if you grabbed that bottle and poured it down the drain he'd never sit another one in front of you again. :)

:a213:

Day five nearly over! Had no withdrawal symptoms and have been sleeping quite well. I put quite a bit of weight on too with all the wine I was drinking, so hopefully I should lose some of that. Just want the atmosphere at home to improve. I really dont want to drink ever again, it just isn't worth the heartache it causes.

Hey June bugs!
Start of day 4 for me! Feeling great!! The struggle has been getting a little bit less everyday. And my anxiety has improved heaps - i've found myself saying about decisions I have to make 'Just think about it when you need too'. I get heaps more done (cleaning the kitchen before bed - who would have thunk it?) And waking up feeling refreshed. Felt like I was getting a cold for a few days but my immune system managed to fight it off. My body feels like it's finally doing the work its supposed to do without me pumping all that alcohol in for it to deal with!

Has anyone heard from traderjane lately? It's been a few days since I've seen her on this thread.

Happy sober friday, and I know that we're all strong enough for the weekend - hell i'm working saturday and sunday so I'm not even thinking of it like a weekend!

Lilyrose

:dance8:

Hi everyone. I am so excited to see a June 2010 group. Makes me feel like I am not alone. Day 1 (for the third time in 2 years) coming to a close. Laura, when I read your post about how you would come home from the pool and have a glass of wine - that's me. I have two young boys at home and around 4:00ish I start to get the "itch". It was getting to the point where I would STRUGGLE to take one night off a week. And unlike my husband, I am not one who can just have one glass or one beer and be done. Anyways, thank you all for your strength, and I am so happy to be a part of this group!

I am a failure this far in the June group. I hope to be a reliable member before the month is out- meaning I hope to be sober in June for the long run :(

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Only if you quit trying.

I am glad you are here CSCS. I know for myself that I can't go this alone. Welcome to the June Group (or Junebugs..LOL). :c012:

I'm a newbie and a Junebug.

And this fits me to a T:
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow that fills me with fear and dread. I already had blood work done 10 days ago, and we're going over the results tomorrow. I am certain to hear how my drinking has affected my health. I'm also certain that I have to discuss my drinking with her. I'm so ashamed, and I dread having to admit my problem with wine.

Hun the moment you start thinking of yourself as a failure is the moment you become one. You're not a failure because you're still here. 2 tries or 20, you're still on the path to sobriety and that is what counts!
:grouphug:

Welcome cscs :)

I hope all goes well at the Dr, livefierce - I was terrified too but my results were much better than I expected - in fact they were pretty good :)

and sleepie, no one who keeps coming back to try again is a failure :)

D

Waking up this morning was truly a gift! My spirits are high and my boys seem to be responding to it. I LOVE seeing them giggle again. Day 2 and feeling good!

Thanks for the encouragement, Dee. Every time I remember that I've got an appointment in X hours, a wave of anxiety hits me. I logged back in hoping for some support or encouragement, and there you were!

My start date was June 14. New to this all and looking for support.