Angela1234

Anyone have any advice for a newbie coming into her first weekend sober?

How have you gotten through it?

StevenT

The first thing I have to ask is are you doing it alone? Besides reaching out here, of course.

Dee74

Hi Angela

I stuck pretty close to SR for my first couple of weekends...it can be rough at times but it's not impossible by any means...and it gets easier...

you can do it!

D

Anna

My advice is to change your routines.

Stay away from places and people where alcohol is present. Get outside and do something energizing and enjoy your weekend.

OklaBH

im going to Kansas this weekend for a football camp & im making an hour by hour schedule for myself Sunday. Im realy not that worried about the weekend. The last "few" times I got sober the weekends werent to bad after awhile.

Michael66

Hi Angela

I had lots of gardening jobs planned, and I made sure I wasn't going to need to go to the shops to buy anything.

Chrisy

welcome, I am so happy you are here.

IndaMiricale

I found love and kindness in the rooms of AA.

tomsteve

the main way i got through it was extreme pain. mental, emotional, and spiritual pain. but i had( FINALLY) gotten it from my head to my heart that alcohol was the common denominator in all my problems and if i took another drink, i would prolly kill myself. so i went to AA meetings, got the Big Book, started reading it( i was in a serious fog and not a whole lot was sinkin in, but i kept reading) prayed like crazy, and didnt drink one minute at a time.i made it through that 1st weekend and everyone since.

OCDDan

my Doctor got me through it with something to calm me down.

LDT

Distraction worked for me. I would ( and did ) plan a weekend full of activities. Do something you would not normally do. Be spontaneous. Stay away from your old stomping grounds. Get a pedicure. Get a massage. Bake a fabuous batch of cookies. Get a haircut. Walk in the park. Go to a bookstore. Exercise. Check out a farmer's market....or a flea market. Go to a show. Come here for support.

Just stay sober. Good luck!

Saskia

Angela,

I don't think there's a magic formula for getting through the weekends but preplanning ideas can help. My plan is to take care of myself because I *am* worth it. That will include eating in a healthy way, drinking lots of water (helps me with the cravings) along with a little lime seltzer, logging on to this forum as often as I need to, reading some of the book suggestions I've read about here, doing some physical exercise (walking most likely) and snuggling with my tiny long-haired cat, Lucy.

I suspect that will easily take up the weekend, especially when I add in cleaning, relaxing, etc. Sometimes putting up signs with encouragement on the refrigerator, mirrors and wherever else you will see them frequently can help.

And, if I need to, I will find an AA meeting to attend.

CactusJill

I agree with the others. Stay busy and try not to do anything that you associate with alcohol! Do something fun that you always wanted to do before but never have.

Go to meetings as well. I found meetings to be a real lifesaver in the first few weeks.

CarolD

I use AA for my successful recovery...there are weekend meetings
in most areas....

All my best

crewisms

Distractions worked really well for me, too, and that was just last weekend :-). I'm still in a fog, so please forgive my memory, Angela -- but did you happen to post in the Class of May 2012 thread? If so, stay with us. If not, please join us right now before the clock strikes midnight! SR is a wonderful forum, and the May 2012 Class has helped me tremendously this first week, as I'm sure and "Class of" here in SR would. Lot's of love and support here :-)

oldsoul1122

I've been using Rational Recovery...if you go to the site there is a "Crash Course" that's only a few minutes long. It helps me tremendously. I also have the book. Sober here since April. Keep in touch!!

jobei

I took a week off from work and got down with some good food and this site. I got a lot of support from people here and it REALLY made a difference. Watching movies helped too. It was winter still so I didn't go outside much. I had pretty severe withdrawals so just relaxing and attempting to sleep a lot was key for me. It was very hard but like all things it passed in time. I thank god today for that.

instant

The storey you tell yourself about what you are going through is important. I read the Big Book. I spent a lot of time on SR. I went to bed early. I acknowledged I was in withdrawal, and battened down the hatches.

The storm passed and I gave thanks.

Sapling

AA meetings for me too. When I quit I had lost everything...And my health was not very good. I was menatally, physically and spritually shot. I drank myself into a corner where I had no other way out but to quit. The problem with me is...I'm a lazy alcoholic...I like to do things the easier softer way. Get great results with the least amount of work. So I failed at the few half assed attempts that I made to quit before.
I went into a rehab so I could detox safely...And not die in the process....And that's where I was introduced to AA. I didn't even know what it was....But I went to a meeting while I was there and I saw people that were happy and hadn't drank in many years...I'm talking 10...20...30 years. These people knew a way to live without alcohol...with a smile on their face...And what they liked to do...Was help other people starting out and scared...Like me. That just clicked for me. I figure there is a reason so many people use the program of AA...And remain sober for a long time...A lot of them for life. And that is....It works. So I guess I just got tired of looking for an easy way out...And took an openminded look at something that works. Did I have to put some effort into it and do some things I didn't like or want to do to make it work?....The answer to that would be yes. But I've learned a few things from it...I know I havent had a drink in 11 months...I'm happy for the first time since I was a young kid...I mean really happy...Not hiding behind a drink happy....And I'm helping someone starting out right now...Probably scared...Like I was....Just by telling them how I did it. 12 steps to freedom. My first couple months I stayed real close to AA on weekends...At least 2 meetings a day on Saturday and Sunday....I was safe there. This may sound like a lot of work to do....Believe me....If there was an easier way to do it for me....And make it work.....I would have found it. Good luck to you...Just don't drink today.

Angela1234

Thank you everyone! Tonight I'm going to make an "agenda" so to speak for the weekend. List of things to do which will also include a list of "emergency" tactics if you will. I will post my plan for you all tonight thanks again!