Relapse prevention weekender Dec 18
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Central America/Florida USA
Posts: 4,064
Welcome beautifulpines! You have the right idea - no parties needed! Stick home with that husband of yours, how great that you'll have a supportive ally at home. My gf doesn't drink either, quite lucky for me as well.
Melina, what a great story! You wisely picked up on the vibe, saved someone's job, and got yourself a better gig in the process. This is what happens when you are sober: things that might not have worked out end up working out. All those "50/50" scenarios that did not go in your favor when drinking, you will WIN when living sober. And it makes a huge difference. Imagine how many "tipping points" we've had in our lives that have just gone wrong for us. We know why they went wrong: we were living in denial, burying our heads in alcohol, and afraid to take action. Now that we are sober, we live in reality and make decisions. It's a huge advantage in life!
Melina, what a great story! You wisely picked up on the vibe, saved someone's job, and got yourself a better gig in the process. This is what happens when you are sober: things that might not have worked out end up working out. All those "50/50" scenarios that did not go in your favor when drinking, you will WIN when living sober. And it makes a huge difference. Imagine how many "tipping points" we've had in our lives that have just gone wrong for us. We know why they went wrong: we were living in denial, burying our heads in alcohol, and afraid to take action. Now that we are sober, we live in reality and make decisions. It's a huge advantage in life!
Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 734
Originally Posted by MidnightBlue 
On my way home. It's freeeezing. See you soon)
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Kansas
Posts: 139
I am in- I have to remember the way I am feeling right now- the fact I am not falling over, I woke up aware (somewhat) I had a great workout yesterday & dinner. The weekend will be tough, I have a happy hour tomorrow with a volunteer organization I am on. I am fairly new so I can get away with not drinking & no one noticing.
Guest
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: The Deep South
Posts: 14,636
After waking up to more email quibbling over stupid details (let's plan to plan to plan to fix this issue; and public humiliation tactics by cc'ing multiple innocent others) from the manager, I resisted the urge to hit "send" on the email I typed up yesterday. One small victory already today. Took a lot to hold back.
One funny detail -- she referred to me in third person, and so likewise, I replied back in third person. Lmao!
One funny detail -- she referred to me in third person, and so likewise, I replied back in third person. Lmao!
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,472
Count me in for a sober weekend! I'm just getting back on my feet and I have a pretty full weekend planned. I have to wrap all my gifts, change my oil and filter on the car, put on new wiper blades, clean and then I'm meeting some old friends for lunch on Sunday. It's going to be Monday in the blink of an eye!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
There is nothing nor no one who can influence me to pick up a drink. I am not going to do that again.
I quit drinking the first time in my mid-thirties as a response to getting divorced and being totally and completely fed up with my family of origin. I had to find a way to be happy. I had gotten to the point of seriously contemplating suicide as a result of how I allowed people to influence me, and the added complication of alcoholism and depression. I found a spiritual counselor and dove in. I read many self-help books and resolved to stop responding to other peoples' dramas. I renewed my faith. As a result of this, I decided to quit drinking. I searched for and found ways to deal with my inner thoughts.
Relapse. I think I never really dealt with or studied the alcoholism part in my thirties. I just quit drinking as a side-effect of trying to be happier and realizing that it wasn't making me happier. When I picked up a drink again in my early fifties, I was able to be a moderate drinker for a while - like several years. I didn't know there was a physiological progression that was occurring until I found myself upping the amounts to 10-12 a day chasing that never-to-be-found-again buzz. It had taken me about five-ish years to get to that point. Misery. Absolute dejected depressed misery.
Not. Going. Back there. I will die sober. I learned the lesson. I did the studying and understand the process. I watched myself. It isn't possible to drink again. I still think about it from time to time at nearly 22 months. I think I'll always have that euphoric recall. Thoughts are not facts, feelings are not real, I have the ability to face anything life throws at me without drinking. I am really impressed with how much easier it is to deal with little setbacks that would have seemed like huge life events when alcohol was my only solution. Things that I would dwell on for weeks or months when I was drinking now pass in a day or two at the very most. "Letting go and letting God," is now a habit.
Great post, Weasel. Every relapse on this site that I read about affects me. It's sad and I am always a little frustrated and then I'm super glad it's not me.
I quit drinking the first time in my mid-thirties as a response to getting divorced and being totally and completely fed up with my family of origin. I had to find a way to be happy. I had gotten to the point of seriously contemplating suicide as a result of how I allowed people to influence me, and the added complication of alcoholism and depression. I found a spiritual counselor and dove in. I read many self-help books and resolved to stop responding to other peoples' dramas. I renewed my faith. As a result of this, I decided to quit drinking. I searched for and found ways to deal with my inner thoughts.
Relapse. I think I never really dealt with or studied the alcoholism part in my thirties. I just quit drinking as a side-effect of trying to be happier and realizing that it wasn't making me happier. When I picked up a drink again in my early fifties, I was able to be a moderate drinker for a while - like several years. I didn't know there was a physiological progression that was occurring until I found myself upping the amounts to 10-12 a day chasing that never-to-be-found-again buzz. It had taken me about five-ish years to get to that point. Misery. Absolute dejected depressed misery.
Not. Going. Back there. I will die sober. I learned the lesson. I did the studying and understand the process. I watched myself. It isn't possible to drink again. I still think about it from time to time at nearly 22 months. I think I'll always have that euphoric recall. Thoughts are not facts, feelings are not real, I have the ability to face anything life throws at me without drinking. I am really impressed with how much easier it is to deal with little setbacks that would have seemed like huge life events when alcohol was my only solution. Things that I would dwell on for weeks or months when I was drinking now pass in a day or two at the very most. "Letting go and letting God," is now a habit.
Great post, Weasel. Every relapse on this site that I read about affects me. It's sad and I am always a little frustrated and then I'm super glad it's not me.
Guest
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: The Deep South
Posts: 14,636
You guys, I somehow found myself standing at the fridge, hands on the door handle ... just standing there lost in thoughts, mind swirling over things happening lately ... and I realized, I was having images of myself slinging open the door, grabbing a cold beer and slugging it back. And I don't even like beer. It's like that part of the brain, the primitive part, the lizard part that some of us refer to as the location of the AV, or beast, was having this entire scenario playing in my mind, there in the background, some alternative or parallel scenario, for the old me who'd handle this mounting stress by slinging back several drinks, back to back. Ugh. Just horribly ugly thoughts.
I am so utterly stressed out right now.
I don't typically think of drinking often anymore. It's that knee-jerk sort of reaction to high stress going on right now. It's definitely the old me, not *this* me.
I am so utterly stressed out right now.
I don't typically think of drinking often anymore. It's that knee-jerk sort of reaction to high stress going on right now. It's definitely the old me, not *this* me.
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
I was having thoughts like that earlier this week. Well, not thoughts, really - not sure what to call it. Just deep urges that bubbled to the surface. And it wasn't really urges to go get a drink, rather it was about escaping the very strong feelings I was having. Of course, in the past, I drank to escape at times like that. So I suppose when it comes right down to it, it was my AV telling me I should drink. Scary.
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