Good Morning class of August. Wow, just read through all the posts I've missed since the previous time I was here. Seems we've got some new members. Welcome! And hello to the rest of my class. I'm doing well, glad to be working towards that 1 week mark. Congrats to everyone here, no mattere what day you are on. Being here, and reaching out, being supportive of each other makes this work. So glad to be a part of it. Wishing all a happy, sober today.
Go team August!

of course you can do this! your part of TeamAugust! 😉

Good Day Everyone,

Start of day two for me today. Read some great posts yesterday that had gotten me inspired. Have been changing a few of my routines lately that hopefully have helped.

1) Am giving up soda and replacing it with water. Other than common sense, I read on here yesterday that the sugar can be a trigger, and I have been wanting to kick the empty calories anyways. Also backing healthy lunches and trying to track calories.
2) Bought a pedometer which hopefully will help keep me active, and make me feel that much better if I am active all day.
3) Bought a few hopefully inspirational books on addiction. Should have them any day. Hope to read them in the evening when I am normally trying to find excuses to go drink with my friends.
4) Just focusing on being organized and productive on work. Once I get the tendency for my mind to wander, it starts thinking about the wrong things.

Good luck everyone, looking forward to reading more about your successes tomorrow!!

Choobie- Oh no! A bat!? At least its a mammal I 'spose... :)

Sage-I love the movie too but prefer the first one :) Heck when I make it to a year I might just get him tattooed on me!

Restless - Rain once every six months? Enjoy it. I love the rain we get it a lot more in my neck of the woods.

Welcome newcomers and congrats to those who are hitting milestones!

I can't remember who said they were quitting smoking along with drinking, But I'm 7 days cigarette-less... My lungs feel like they are clearing out. It can be done! Bad thing is is that drinking and smoking go hand in hand, If I pick up a beer I am sure to start smoking again. I really don't like either activity so lets stop together eh?

So it happened last night.... my first drinking dream. I was at my old job and my co-workers were being very judgmental towards me (which was true to form in the waking world). I knew I was drunk because I kept falling down and couldn't focus but I was trying to hide it from everyone. It is always such a relief when you wake up from those and realize, nope, I am still sober!

I work at a pub at night while I go to school for nursing during the day. I was offered a shot last night and turned it down! yay me! :) Its amazing how now I am noticing "normal" drinkers, who have one, maybe two beers and then drinkers like me, that have 12 or more and make complete asses out of themselves.

"Isn't working at a pub a huge trigger?" you ask? at the moment no, but as soon as I am out of my CNA class I will leave it to go work at a hospital, where there is absolutely no booze. Funny that my past 3 jobs have accepted and even encouraged drinking.

One more thing that I just have to share, The other day my high school art teacher came in to the pub with a friend. I wasn't sure it was him as its been 12 years since graduation, but he recognized me. This man was the ONLY reason I made it through high school. I had so much social anxiety back then and was a total misfit.. (until I turned to drugs and alcohol and found friends that did drugs and alcohol) It absolutely made my whole week. "Katie!" "You are loved" Your work was genius!" He still lifted up my spirits 10 years later. :_) yes I got choked up.

Have a good sober day everybody. The kids and I are heading to the wading pool and then back to work I go. wish me $$

Good morning #TeamAugust ! Starting out day 8 tired, but hang-over and regret-free thank God! Nothing a strong cup of tea won't cure :) I can get used to this great feeling of waking up clear headed and feeling healthy !
Sorry I didn't have time to read all the recent posts from the past day or so but I see many of you have recent mini-milestones so CONGRATULATIONS on that and also WELCOME and WELCOME BACK to all those who have just joined we ar a great supportive group !! Happy Tuesday, Hugs, Chris

Day 9! IOP (first- and last ever!) starts TOMORROW. Wish me luck, all!

Eager, day two for me too, great job! I went almost 30 days and fell apart, trying hard to just let it go and move on. Calichris, you are right on with enjoying the clear head and no regrets. Nothing beats that, makes your entire life so much less stressful. Stay strong today. I have read so many recovery books, they certainly help you stay strong. My key is going to be reaching out to you guys before I listen to that voice that tells me I am fine after a few weeks and why not just moderate... Man that cycle is one that ends in the same place every time. Enjoy your strength today all- will check in tonight and get ready for day three tomorrow!

Ah, day 15. Had a long convo (via text) this morning with my best girlfriend who is approaching her 1-year mark. She is such an inspiration. We've been friends since 1995 almost 20 years! Wow. She and I tried alcohol together back in high school, I got drunk and spilled sweet and sour sauce on her parents' white carpet :e136: and covered it with a rug.

She was reminding me that alcohol has been a problem for me for much longer than I was trying to convince myself that it was. I binged in college (who didn't, right, it's a rite of passage? Right? No.), found whatever friends I could to drink with after that, met my husband at a bar in Tijuana (no regrets, there, though, he is really the absolute best!), and finally graduated to more "socially acceptable" drinking - i.e., wine every evening and all weekend long. So, truly, my alcoholism has been around and apparent since I would bring my own giant bottle of vodka to parties 15 years ago. How sad is it that I truly thought I only really started to have a problem when I drank every day.

Well, enough of that depressing ****. Day 15 is here, and it will be a good and sober one! Have a great day everyone!!!

Congrats on 2 weeks Penkins!:c011:

Good luck with IOP Hobbers!

BBF nice job saying NO last night. That's how we do it here.

Hang in there CaliChris. I am sleeping great but also have been feeling tired when I wake...but sober and rested at same time so its easier to push through it...will get better and thanks so much for your kind words about my list yesterday.

Rest of the team... I've read your posts...TeamAugust just got so big in the last couple of days...welcome and keep posting!

Checking in on day 9. I still need to plan out my day. I work from home so hours are flexible. If I don't plan it out then I risk the AV planning it for me. Hope to go for a long bike ride, read my mystery novel and cook a healthy dinner. I'm also trying to keep an end of day routine: bath, bed, book.

Had a fantastic day with my kids yesterday. We had a dance party in our living room. I was having fun and dancing all crazy. My kids were laughing and I think they were a little concerned if I was sober but they knew because they always knew when I drank. I would slur my speech, reek of wine, and my eyes would give it away. Yesterday I smelled clean, was drinking iced tea with lemon and had clear bright eyes. I'm also finding I'm more articulate and quicker with jokes now that my brain is healing. I never needed to drink to dance...been dancing since I was 4 years old and taught dance up until a few years ago. When I was drinking really heavily I realized that I hadn't danced at all in almost a year. I feel like I'm starting to discover my old self again and I like it.

ZERO idea what to expect from IOP- I have never done it, and no one seems to be able to give me any/a decent answer.

Thanks for cheering me on though!

Morning all!! This august class is awesome!!!! I hope everyone has a great day. I'm off to get the kids ready for school next week. Yay!!

Hello all.

Gave this a shot in July and failed. Going to redouble my efforts.

I hope you let me join this class. Day 1 is today.

I'm sick if telling my kids I love them and thinking "but not enough to quit, apparently" in my mind. I don't want them to not have a dad around.

Hoping this is my last day 1 but of course worried it will just be like the other 100 times. Got to try though.

Thanks

I loved IOP.

You get a ton of support from people going through similar issues but you also still have your freedom as opposed to inpatient treatment.you take turns sharing where you are at in sobriety, if you have had triggers or cravings and how to deal with them, basically how your day is and usually each session there is a sobriety topic that either the leader or the group will decide on (dealing with family, work triggers, meditation, AA, sponsors, relationships, codependency, time management, stress reduction, etc) There were always one or two people who annoyed me or would hog the discussion but just focused on the positives and sometimes those people ended up helping the most.

I would do it again if I could.

That was super helpful man (lady?).

Thank you.

Good morning all. Today is day 1, and I know that I will not drink no matter what.

So far feeling pretty good.

Exactly! Loving team August. A quick read and post got me through the door and it was actually an amazing meeting with an inspiring speaker. The recovery journey moves in mysterious ways :-)

Congrats on your two weeks. The going got tough for you and you stuck with it. Great attitude !

Welcome to the group. I just joined a few days ago and everyone here is so nice and welcoming. :)

Welcome TXAlchy! I can relate with a lot of what you wrote...

I'm on day 1 too, and also a dad.

I thought something very similar a few days ago about my kid.

You can do this!

You are welcome. I saw your post in the Newcomers Thread about IOP. You are right, most of the time people do not just go to IOP or inpatient treatment and then stay sober. Recovery is not a straight line. The sooner I accepted that the easier it was to let go of trying so hard to be perfect. There is no magic cure for addiction so in my opinion just because there is no guarantee of instant sobriety...it is still very helpful to have additional education and support about what you are going through. I was able to successfully stay sober 2-4 months after IOP and inpatient but I also had some major life changes when I relapsed. Not making excuses because there is every excuse and no excuse to drink but I'm not talking about every day stress...I had huge traumas to deal with it.

Everyone is different. I still use many of the tools I learned in IOP and I know they are helping me to stay sober today. Instead of looking at the failures I look at the successes and what I know helps me. I learned a lot about the importance of scheduling your week, having fun in sobriety, PAWS, and relapse prevention. Even if it is not perfect, my life is definitely better than it was and even with my slips I still have had way more sober days than not since treatment and support groups like AA and SR.

It is not perfect but it is the best we have. Take what you want from it. I think it is best to be open and positive. Good luck Hobbers!

Thanks Cristina and FacingFuture. I'm a bit of an emotional mess today (probably withdrawal in part) but mostly feeling okay. I know I'll feel physically better in a few days. Of course, once I start to feel better then I seem to forget everything I know to be true and wind up back at square 1.

I'm hopefully that with some help I can avoid that this time.