Good vibes on their way.

You are almost done with this challenge. And you will be soooooo much stronger as a result.

Inspirational you are. :)

Free owl - I work with a very heavy drinking business culture. People bring cases of beer to internal meetings and pass out bottles of wine for people who made their goals. Once I made a joke in one of these meetings, 'I hope no one here is an alcoholic with all this booze around.' I got blank stares as if I'd just told everyone did you ever see a spotted unicorn. What I've learned is this, a lot of self proclaimed type A business people are completely ignorant of any and all social or medical problems. Their complete narcissistic world view looks at people with problems as weaklings to be trampled with social Darwinism might. It saddens me that our society has not evolved enough to be sensitive to those individuals not like themselves.

Someone posted on a thread that when you look at alcohol look at it as if it was labled "Rat Poison". It is funny that it stuck in my mind like that. Now everytime I see a bottle of booze, can of beer, someone drinking, even an advertisment, I see "Rat Poison" and think YUCK, why would anyone drink that crap! That stuff is meant to kill you or make you extremely sick. Then I recall how sick I use to become and how I would promise my body that I would NEVER make it suffer from the poison called alcohol.

Yeah Tang.... I have seen similar things. And honestly, I think a part of that reaction is a deep-down awareness in many of those people that they themselves have a problem.

I am frequently the youngest guy in these rooms.... and when I look around, nearly EVERY one of my colleagues are overweight. Their bellies are heavy and distended. Their eyes sag, their faces droop, their skin is more wrinkled than it ought to be.

Even the younger ones - when you look closely - walk around in bodies that testify to their lack of physical fitness and their sacrifice of sleep and joy. Their lives revolve around work, and work revolves around drinking. It's a cycle that draws them in and alcohol becomes a sort of fuel to sustain it. Maybe they're not "alcoholics"..... but hitting the bar every night of the week for several hours to guzzle back 3-8 drinks (or more) and then go to bed and get up and do it all over again? Well, even if that's NOT alcoholism.... what way to LIVE is that?

I got eight good hours of sleep last night. I'm going to hit the gym and make a raw fruit and green smoothie for breakfast and head out for the day's events.... as these upcoming days go by, I know that I will watch many of my colleagues become increasingly weary and beaten down. They will fuel late nights with booze and fatty foods, go to bed having taken in thousands more calories than their bodies require, wake up early and bleary from their escapades the night before and only make it through to the next cocktail hour by ingesting great volumes of caffeine. Some, I know, will slip away to their rooms or one of the many 24hrs a day bars to have a quick drink to keep them going.... some will reek of alcohol all day long.

I will observe this from a place of knowing that we all know quite well, and I will keep on reminding myself of the many reasons I want to stay right where I am; in sobriety.

Thanks for your help.

:ring

Stay focused...
 

FreeOwl...Great observation! I use to see drinkers as "HAVING ALL THE FUN"....but, in truth and being of sober mind, being intoxicated is not real fun. The high doesn't last. The laughs are chemically induced and the moods are false. Even personalities are masked. That's not the kind of people I like to be around or person I would like to be. Sometimes it is good to see what you don't want so you can concentrate on what you really want out of this wonderful life we have been given. :c011:

came up to my room for lunch break. Nearly four hours of execs speaking on stage today and I noticed some commonalities among them;

A noticeable paunch bursting around their midsections
Double and at times even triple chins
Fading or total absence of musculature
Skin coloration that just doesnt seem healthy

Are they alcoholics? Well who knows... maybe some of them are. But I personally know a number of them and I do know that they drink frequently, in some of their cases - every day. So whether alcoholic or not...even the ones who I've only ever seen have a few beers; it's clear to me that alcohol contributes to some things that I don't want.

I want to be healthy. I want to have a long life to be able to be doing active, outdoor, fun things with my kids for a long, long time. Hell... I want to be doing active, outdoor, fun things with my grandkids.

Anyway, it was a refreshing thought. As I sat there having occasional images of these leaders doing what they do to be leaders and feeling a little tug of doubt or concern that I'll never be 'them' because I don't drink and therefore won't be one of the club...... It was really nice to be able to realize that maybe I won't be part of the club or one of them, but I don't WANT to.

Then again.... maybe I'll be a leader of leaders and be that fit, healthy, skin-glowing, well-balanced, non-drinking example of a different way.

:)

And Vegas ticks on....

You will make a great leader! Heck, you are already a smart, observant, positively terrific person! I'm proud of you...☆♡☆

Thank you Chloe!!

Made it through another day and evening. Feels good and encouraging.... Perhaps I can be a role model for those like me one day, who might be out in the audience wishing there were someone to look up to in leadership who embodied healthfulness and lived a choice of sobriety.... someone who could make it through his presentation without a reference to drinking.... someone who made a decision to take another path.

:)

anyway... it was a good day. I had some incredible sushi, green tea and water. And now I'm gonna work on a project for my girlfriend and go to bed.

Vegas on a Friday night.

:ring

I heard the owl call my name
 

FreeOwl, This world needs more peoplle like you! When I was young I was given a poster with pairs of bare feet facing in one direction and one pair of bare feet facing the opposite direction. At the bottom I was told it read, "I like your, you're different". When people meet you they will be attracted because you are different. There will be something irrestable about how your eyes sparkle, how you carry youself when you walk, how clever your mind is and how well you communicate. It will be because you are fully alive and fully in tune with everything. So rare...so different..so YOU! I like you, stay different and you'll make a difference! ☆♡☆ ChloRo :tyou

awwww shucks.... that made me smile big!

also it's really funny you said that thing about the feet.... I took this photo for my mom this morning after my run up and down the Vegas strip at 6am;

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...roovn/feet.jpg

It's another sunny beautiful day and as I stood in a patch of that sun, listening to birds sing, feeling energized by my run and the grass underfoot... I was grateful for so many things.

Not the least of which that I was not any of those drunks, homeless folks, or drunk homeless folks I passed along my run today.

:ring

10:26pm on Sat night in Vegas... and I'm going to bed. Sober.

:)

Many others are out whoopin' it up.... and I got a few emails and text messages for parties and soirees....

But I just went to the gym, ordered a nice fat room service steak and watched a movie.

Tomorrow's gonna feel great.

:)

Glad to hear you had another sober night! I was looking forward to reading your post this morning and it made me smile. Sounds like you are in control there in the crazy world of Vegas...kuddos to ya! CR

went out to a team dinner this evening with a dozen colleagues. At a place with 135 beers on tap. The ladies were drinking moscow mules.

I drank water. Had a really great ahi salad. Had a really great time. Nobody so much as mentioned a thing. I noticed two others at the table were also drinking water.

Now it's 10 and I'm going to bed.... I know many, many who are just getting started on their night's drink-ventures.

I'm glad that tomorrow morning, I will be well-rested, sharp and clear.

Just three more days of Vegas!!

Keep the good juju flowing friends.

:ring

Congratulations to you free owl. If you can spend a week in Vegas on business and not drink, you have this SOB beat. Proud of you.
My wife and I were scheduled to go to Vegas this coming weekend for my 60th birthday.
She bought as a surprise two tickets to see Faith Hill and Tim McGraw on March 1 at the Venetian. My Day one is Nov 12/13. I decided after Christmas that I did not yet feel safe with this trip. I have been to Vegas 30x + and every trip was an excerise in over indulgence.
Not ready for that test yet. Not a healthy place for me.
I still have these 2 $200 tickets. Do you want to go to the concert. I can courier them to your hotel. Any offer of compensation is up to you? Hate to see them go to waste. Tried to sell them on Stub Hub but no luck yet.
PM me if you are interested and congratulations on your strength.

wow!! awesome offer but I'm flying out and back HOME on thursday morning and frankly, I don't wan't to spend a single day more than I have to here!!!

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill would be a real good show!

Sorry you're gonna miss that, but I totally understand making that call. I wouldn't be here if it weren't a work commitment.

You're doing amazingly well Freeowl-be proud of yourself :)

FreeOwl, Love the picture of your feet...barefoot in the grass...I would take a picture of mine but, it's Wisconsin in Feb! Burrrrr....I do have an x-ray (haha). My brother is podiatrist and I broke my ankle once. Not as pretty as your feet! Love your posts♡ CR

lol... ahhhh c'mon Chloe.... you can do it!

Here are my feet back in Michigan;

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...n/snowfeet.jpg

hahah!!

Happy Monday!!!

Great day to be sober!

:ring

OK I will take a picture. Not sure how to send it...help me out! Nevermind, the snow on my deck is 2 feet high. I sank! That was refreshing. Now I should join the Polar Bear Club...

hahah!!! Snow Swimming - YouTube