New Life Weekender Thread 29 September- 02 October
 

Hi Gang - welcome to this weeks Weekender Thread :)

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/58/0e/d2/5...eb1b4c52e5.jpg

several times in the last couple of weeks on the boards I've mused about the fact that some people can give up alcohol and thats all the need to do...

while for others, giving up the booze was simply the first step in many of doing what they had to do to stay sober and happy.

For me, sobriety was like the tide going out, revealing all this driftwood on the shore...

recovery was me picking up all the driftwood...

I had to build a sober life I loved, one I didn't want to escape from, in order to stay in recovery.

what are some of the things you guys have done to build a new sober life you love? :)

D

While I'm committed to seeing the Weekender thread continue , I can't commit to writing a weekly blurb - just not enough hours in my day I'm afraid.

I think it would be much better anyway if you guys were to take turns in doing that - this is your thread after all.

If anyone's interested in writing on a topic for any given weekend let me know, otherwise we'll go to plain vanilla for a while - 'welcome to the weekender thread' style.

D

Shotgun!

Thanks Dee.

Att least it is possible to address issues when sober. Drinking just makes it worse.

That was early)

Thank you, Dee!

And congrats on a shotgun, Sao)

Morning guys.xx

I'm in and it's so true - I'm re-addicted to my Cross-Trainer and it's hard to balance on it if drunk, so it definitely doesn't fit my new lifestyle :)

When I quit, everything pretty much came to a halt. All I did- all I could do - was work, eat and sleep with enough time in between for SR. My kids are grown (but still at home) and my wife understood what was going on, so I was in good position to reset. This was not planned, it's just how it played out. I slowly came back to life and started new routines. Over 11 months later and I'm still building. Thanks for the thread Dee. And congrats on shotgun Sao, you finally get to call it for once!

Well I'm traveling for work and broke my sobriety. I know why I feel innadecuate I feel like a loser and I just went out to drink by my self tonight . It was bad I wander around the hotel and got lost. I'm still drinking and need to wake up soon. I'm so sorry but I knew it was going to happen I can't be around this people sober. I am a loser my coworkers are better than and that's a trigger. I cannot be find oit

I'm in for another sober weekend!

I was one for whom quitting wasn't enough. I went to treatment, started AA, and began the long journey of learning to live without alcohol. That meant looking pretty hard at myself. That wasn't always fun or easy, but it has been so wonderful at the same time. I actually feel good about myself now - first time in my life.

To support my sobriety, I still go to weekly meetings, read about recovery, I have sober friends, and I have activities that do not include alcohol, like hiking, going to movies, reading, stuff like that. Nothing special, just things I enjoy. My life isn't exciting, but I'm content most of the time and at peace. Oh, sure - I have down days and sonetimes wonder if this is all there is, but then I remind myself that what I have is actually a lot, and that I'm one of the lucky ones who was able to quit and life an honest, authentic life without a substance taking my best self away.

I’m in! Thanks, Dee! :)

My drinking was just a symptom of the selfish mess that was me. The drunkard part was just the visible tip of the massive iceberg beneath the surface.

I drank from boredom: to get sober I had to add new activities and and apply myself in doing them. I had to take responsibility for my actions and reactions. I did my best to offer them up as acts of worship to my HP, especially the tasks I considered horrible drudgery.

I committed to total honesty. My alcoholic life consisted of sneaking and hiding from the scrutiny of my loved ones; as I developed my character in sobriety I wantyto be unafraid and unashamed to be me.

And I was dependent on SR for understanding my struggle and supporting me in my slow but steady efforts to transform myself into a functional person.

SAH, you’re not a true loser—you’re just depressed because you drank again.

Comparing to others can be deadly, as you have discovered. Keep in mind that all we see of other people is the side that they want us to see, the side that they think is respectable. Most people are very messy inside. Sometimes the more outer confidence a person exudes, the more secret mess they’re hiding.

Most people are less secure than you think.

Bad situations are made even worse by our drinking.

Dump the rest out, don’t buy more, and get right back on the horse. You were doing very well this past week, and you can do that again, and more.

Maybe make a list of “What Good Qualities I’d Like To Have”. Work on developing them one by one.

Examine yourself throughout the day. When you catch yourself doing something negative to yourself or others, stop yourself and do “the next right thing.”

I recommend joining the September 2017 class here and posting daily. And for you, face-to-face support might be a good idea. Have you tried AA?

Clearing driftwood.

I spend a lot of hours at a local beach and in my drinking days I used to bring home small driftwood pieces with the thought of making them into some beautiful thing. When I got sober I decided I didn't need to have a pile of driftwood in the dining room any more, and I wasn't going to turn into a sculptor - AND there is always more driftwood at the beach. That's one of those little comforts in life.

Lots of stuff got cleared. It's amazing how much more positive my thinking and my decisions are these days. Thanks SR. :)

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3313/...b27_z.jpg?zz=1

(I didn't make this^^)


SAH, I'm sorry to hear you are drinking, I hope you learn to love yourself at least enough to stop this slow suicide. We all have feelings of insecurity - drinking doesn't fix that, it just makes those negative thoughts stronger.

I'm in for another sober weekend!
thanks for opening the thread, dee.
yes, changes are necessary when we quit. For me, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. I ended up with two volunteer positions, which give me joy and I look forward to every weekend. Boredom is dangerous. ..all that time that was wasted sitting around drinking or recovering. Life is so much better now.

Sah stop being so hard on yourself. Being on a business trip is not easy, results are expected and the pressure to appear successful creates even more inner turmoil. I know it's easier to say than to do but you will feel an be better if you stay of the sauce. Good luck.

Still at work here:(

I'm sorry you are struggling SAH -you are not a lose and you can make this right by getting rid of the booze right now-

I think i'd delt with some of the driftwood inexpertly as a spiralled into drinking ,

I think there was more to deal with once the tide went out to , especially in the classic areas of resentments and frustration .

When i look out now i still see stuff to deal with , it's ok though i'm in a decent place . life gets served up in day sized chunks because thats all we humans can deal with ..

Have a good weekend sober attainers and maintainers .

m

I really like that bird tho Bim :)

SAH - you're not a loser - you've been doing really well lately. The plan for today has to be no drinking - I reckon you can commit to that :)

D

Thanks Dee ~ I will join you all this weekend! :tyou

Sorry to hear your having trouble SAH. You know drinking is doing you no good, but you don't need us to tell you that.

Huge hugs to you SAH XXX