Gonnachange

Thanks SW. Keeping focused on the important stuff.

Yeah, I saw that you bought some more Ox cheeks for tomorrow; I've never had them. Heck, I don't think I've ever heard of them and I don't think they are sold over here. To that point, I did an online search and without exception every website that had a recipe or offered them for online sale had something to do with the UK. In about two weeks two friends of mine from London are coming for a visit and I'll ask them about it.

Soberwolf

Ask any butcher for Ox cheeks guarenteed they sell it its beef GC its just known in the uk as Ox cheeks

Any butcher should sell it or be able to get hold of it

Ask a butcher GC im only saying this as i know you will love it so rich so tasty and very affordable

Gonnachange

SW, thanks for that tip.

Gonnachange

Had a couple of close calls last night, but I dealt with them. We have no social plans tonight, so other than urges I should be okay. Later today I'm going on a 6 mile run with my wife that hopefully goes better than last Thursday's asthmatic disaster and after that I have a few hours of yard work. Finishing that may be my biggest trigger of the weekend because I've been known to have a nice cold beer after outdoor work like that. Not today.

SoberLeigh

Keep powering through, my friend GC. Every challenge helps to build those sober muscles to which Dee so often refers.

Gonnachange

Thanks SoberLeigh. Part of it is just breaking old habits and associations.

It was nice to see you post from a day or so ago. Hope you're continuing to get better.

Soberwolf

Afternoon GC

Gonnachange

Howdy SW.

I had some shaking in my hands earlier that my wife, not me noticed, but otherwise I'm feeling fine. We got our run done; the loop turned out to be 5.5 miles, and I've gotten some yard work done. Both my wife and I need to go to a hardware store so we're going to take a walk in a short while and take advantage of the sunshine and 80F/27C weather that made the run harder than it should have been. The walk is about 1 mile/1.6km roundtrip.

Gonnachange

Haven't posted in this thread for a few days for no particular reason although I have been spending time at other places on SR. I'd characterize the days since I last posted here as okay, meaning I'm a long way from being where I want to be both mentally and physically, but slowly getting there. Unfortunately the one big exception to "okay" was that I had some drinks Monday night. I just did; there was no trigger that I was able to identify either concurrently or retrospectively and I think it was a matter of me temporarily moving away from my mantra of, "I do not drink.". I also stayed up later than I normally do. Yesterday I was back on track. I did have some cravings which is still my norm and in some ways it was an odd day. I'll admit that as I went to bed on Monday I did not have high expectations for the following morning; fortunately I was wrong.

I woke up early and full of energy to do some work before a breakfast meeting and after doing some more work when I got back to my office I went for a great 4 mile run. And it still wasn't 11 AM! The feeling of being energized and focused led to an incredibly productive day; I plowed through stuff I had been putting off the past few days as I'd been feeing lethargic and unmotivated. That's not a good thing when you own the company. There's been some carry over to today as I've gotten a good amount of work done this morning as well as having my best weight lifting session in over a week.

To be clear, perfectly clear I hope, I am in no manner implying that my actions Monday night had anything to do with Tuesday or today. My belief is that there was no causation. I'm writing as someone reporting the bad (Monday night) and the good (Tuesday and today) because they happened and I intend to keep my mantra of "I do not drink." in the forefront of my thoughts. In fact when I was at the gym this morning, huffing and sweating with muscles that were tired, I reminded myself of how much better of a feeling that was than how I felt after a couple of drinks Monday night. As in better in every respect. On my drive home I made a mental list of the pros and cons of drinking, one of the tools in my toolbox, and as always there is only one entry on the pro side: NONE.

SoberLeigh

I love the honesty and perspective of your posts, GC. I am glad to be a part of your journey and look forward to your "one year sober", "five years sober" posts.

Gonnachange

Thanks SL. It would be very nice to write those words one day.

SoberLeigh

You will.

Gonnachange

Thanks for the confidence and support, as always.

Soberwolf

Good stuff GC

Gonnachange

Thanks SW. I truly appreciate the time that you and SL, among others, take to spur me on.

Gonnachange

Shutting the office down early so I can meet a friend in Manhattan. There will be no alcohol involved. Although we've downed many a glass of scotch and pints together over the decades he substantially cut down on his drinking a couple of years ago and for all I know has completely cut it out so there's no chance of us going to a bar to hang out. It's going to be an evening spent catching up with a long time friend and filled with some good times and a good dinner.

I'm looking forward to waking up tomorrow with a clear head and going to the gym for a solid workout.

SoberLeigh

Have a great time, GC.

Soberwolf

Have a nice dinner in Manhatten GC

Gonnachange

Thanks, I did.

We had sushi for dinner and other than that we spent hours just walking around the city. My drink of choice was water and there was no mention of alcohol other than my friend mentioning that he has pretty much given up drinking. Since I wasn't going to suggest that we have any we both stuck with our waters and honestly it wasn't anything I really thought about. Going to a bar was never a consideration and the question of doing so never came up because it didn't fit in with the agenda of either of us. As I expressed in my previous post I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to meet the day's commitments; I've already gotten a coupe of hours of work done and later I'll be at the gym slinging some iron.

Tonight I'm going to a bar with my wife to see a friend's band play, but I'm not concerned that it's going to be a test of my resolve or give my AV an opportunity to overcome my sensibilities. I'm going to go, listen to music for couple of hours, and then we'll come home. I know I have a looooong way to go, but I've been on a roll the past few days am looking forward to building on that momentum.

Della1968

We all have a long way to go Have fun tonight!