Peeling away the layers - Weekenders 30 April - 03 May 2021
 

I can relate my Sober Recovery journey similar to peeling an onion.

Deciding that alcohol and I didn’t get on, took me many layers of the onion to reach that decision. I guess that could be vision, looking to the future without booze....but how, it had been my life for a long time?

The next layers I knew I needed help, this was too big for me to do alone, I needed a plan...a road map.



Peeling more layers, meant one day I could be free of alcohol and the chains it had wrapped around me....Released

My next layers peeled away to reveal ‘What Next?’ How did I keep sober? How could I do this and make it work for me? Keeping doing what I needed to do to get it right, to get me on the sober path, going one way....Iteration



Finally, peeling the layers of the onion brought me results. I know I had to stay on this sober path for my happiness, my sanity, my free of alcohol life. I knew I was thankful every day for being released and getting my life back......Daily



We are all different and there’s a format to suit as all, the layers can be peeled off when you’re ready for the next layer. It leads to what we all want....Sobriety





If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes. (We’re here all week too!) :)

Great post Mags - thanks :)

D

Thanks Mags, I'm IN.

I'm calling SHOTGUN!

Robbie yaay Shotgun :You_Rock_

Thanks Mags, I'm in.

I’m in!! Thanks for the opener Mags x

i struggled hugely yesterday to keep on the right path but managed to stay sober by the skin of my teeth. I am so grateful to have woken up with a clear head. I had an appt at the alcohol service yesterday for an assessment and talking about alcohol for an hour really had me craving afterwards. But I got through it and intend to stay sober today!

I am going to spend some time today writing out a plan and remind myself of some of the sober tools I have in my toolbox.

Hope everyone is well xx

thanks Mags :tyou

hang in there Manta - glad you were able to see the alcohol service. I hope you can come up with a plan that helps you. :)

Thanks Mags, I’m in for a sober weekend!

Love the OP Mags. Thanks and I'm in !

Well done Manta. I'm glad you puleld through.

Hello Andy, Robbie, Dee, Sober53 and my countryman Reid :)

See you all at the weekend with some music and photos...

salutations weekenders
Vincent

Count me in to Mags, Great Post Thanks :)

I’m in.


Great opener Mags! Thanks

hang in there Manta

i bumped my post IT happened to me.

looking forward to that again. Mentally in it this time.

❤️

I'm in! Thanks, Mags.

Peeling that onion... I'm still working on it. I feel like I've been released now, and I have my daily habits to support my sobriety. I guess maybe I'm working on roadmap and vision now. What do I want the rest of my life to look like? What's my vision? And how do I get there? As I move into the retirement part of my life (still a few years away, but I am thinking about it already), how do I stay engaged and refreshed? How do I prevent boredom and unrest, which could lead to stinkin' thinkin' and drinkin'? It's fun to think about. For the first time ever, I feel like the world is my oyster. I feel free to decide how to BE in the world, and sobriety will give me opportunity to realize my vision, whatever it is (and it can change along the way).

In!
Thanks Mags for an interesting opening post. I never got as far as developing a plan for how to stay sober. I just knew that I had to have a plan or method to get sober (and fast because I was killing myself in nightly instalments) I was craving whisky most of my waking hours and knew I either carried on for year or two at most and die or I stopped. Once all the layers of self deception were burnt away I knew what I had to do. Desperation lead to inspiration.

Welcome to Weekenders Paddy123!

Good to see you Free2Bme

Well done Manta, it would be great to start your new job with some sober days behind you.

https://youtu.be/xUPVVLxVX9w

I am most definitely in.

Me too, love the framework, it will be something to reflect on this weekend!

Good to see you Truthbetold and Grateful :)

Saou, I felt pretty much the same. There is no question that I feel as though my life was saved when I quit. Still watching some of my contemporaries that are continuing down the same path I was on, some in the earlier stages, and some possibly even more advanced.

SO glad to be back and sober today. :)

I’m in for the weekend!
 

I’ve been Mia this week whilst my partner and I work through issues caused by my drinking and my mental health. It’s a slow process but it’s so worth it! I went to my first AA meeting on Tuesday and I’m being referred for CBT so I feel I’ve started my sober journey. I’m 11 days sober but I know the weekends are hardest for me I would love to check in and help support others as we get through our days xx

welcome Jo43 :)

thank you Andy! x

Welcome from me too dear Jo! :)

And so well done for jumping in with both feet. :)
How did you like the meeting? xx :hug:

Welcome to Weekenders Truthbetold76, Jo43!
https://youtu.be/6S8bMWJHUD8

Thank you! You too! Love your bird picture. I am a bird watcher - another good idea for the upcoming weekend (will remember those that I saw, sober, another advantage as well!)

.
One Tip I use is to put an Onion in the Freezer for ~15 Minutes before cutting it. Skips the Tears. This seems to work.

When peeling back the metaphorical Onion Layers leading to discovery and processing of Variables that allow for permanent Sobriety, I figger that tricks similar to Onion freezing are useful to consider, and use. So, I did. Letting neither obstreperous People, nor Current Events, live Rent-free in my Head was yuge. I summarily dismiss a crapton of stuff that - ultimately - doesn't matter. Besides fostering my precious Serenity, this leaves me more Personal Reserves to deal with the few, truly-important things. On any given Day, try to remember what perturbed you exactly 1 Year ago today. For me, this trick separates the Wheat from the Chaff re: what to sweat. Or not.

After the stellar Sunrise today below, I went to a Doc to get singed with Liquid Nitrogen that burns away lil Sun-caused Skin Scalies indigenous to us Terminally-White People. Then, the Dog Park in a different Town for MesaPup. Looked up a different Bagel Shop to conduct a rigorous comparative Taste Test against Bagels already bought elsewhere. This bit of safely getting out and about helps return normal fun to Life, so it was a bitchen Day at 82 F [28 C] Degrees in blazing, high altitude Sun.

Thanks, Mags. Kewlio stuff...


https://i.postimg.cc/05TrVYZW/Sunrise-29042021.jpg

Count me in for the weekend! :thanks

Count me in too. :)

I like the onion analogy. I felt like that the first year or two, getting deeper into my psyche and finding out who I was sober.

I'd never heard of the onion in the freezer trick. I'll remember that! :)

I’m in. Thanks Mags! This is my 20th sober weekend!

Planning to garden, get a massage, see my granddaughter, do some baking and laundry 😉🌻.

Hope everyone gets some enjoyment this weekend and stays sober💕

Good Morning Weekenders

Good to see you Joe, welcome to Weekenders:wave:

Hi CBS62 Congratulations on your 20th sober weekend. :c011:Sounds like a good weekend ahead. :)

Grateful, I love the birds too. I try to take pics but only use the camera on my phone. This is a woodpecker taken through my front room window.

Hi everyone, in for sober weekend number 3. Working today and tomorrow then grandson is staying over on Saturday so it’s a busy mine for me!