dustyfox

Willow and biminiblue looks like you are already enjoying a sunny Saturday morning - it's the end of Friday night here, a sober one, and the prospect of a glorious sunny bank holiday weekend in the UK. This evening I felt bored of my home made ginger spice drink I have been drinking by the gallon for 14 days. As I will never drink alcohol again I want to buy myself something nice, an alternative to celebrate my two weeks sober - I hate sweet fizzy drinks, so I am thinking Lime and Soda with mint and ice -or maybe a cinnamon tea - and some dark chocolate with orange and almonds - thinking ahead to moments where I know I will crave alcohol and planning how to deal with it helps me. Also sending thoughts and prayers to Captain H and his family . Happy sober Saturday to you all.

Willow00

That’s a good plan dustyfox, to have alternate drinks and snacks available ready on hand for when cravings strike. I’m going grocery shopping today so I will pick up a few treats for myself too

Purplrks3647

Hugs and good thoughts your way, Captain....Hope things take a turn for the better for you & your family

Thanks Mags ~ This week's subject is a major reason why I need to stay close and focused on recovery. I know how easy it could be for me to slip back into it. I get those thoughts all the time!

Tomorrow morning is an appt for my second jab....preparing for side effects so I'm glad there's not much planned, and it's a holiday weekend so I have an extra day to recoup if needed.

biminiblue

Dusty, I'm west coast US. It's now 5PM where I am.

andyh

well, I've learned something today. I knew about getting to bags the front seat, but I never knew the origin.. thanks Bim.

Hodd

Sounds like a good plan, dusty. Two weeks is a brilliant start. Yes, those cravings will come, but it sounds like you’re ready.

I was out yesterday early evening in a UK town centre. Understandably after the various lockdowns, a lot of people were heading out for a night of drinking, but they all looked so unhealthy with beer bellies and just out of shape. And just imagine the hangovers this morning. Meanwhile, smug me is up and about before 6. You’ve got a lot to look forward to, dusty 🙂,

Mags1

Good Morning Weekenders

Aellyce, great pics, a lovely place to stroll round.

Bim, I didn’t realise there was 8 hours difference in our time zones.

Purps all the best with your second jab.

Sun’s out, looking like a good day.

Mags1

Hodd don’t miss the Saturday morning hangovers either. Enjoy your early morning.

Willow00

It’s a lovely Saturday afternoon here but I’m feeling incredibly lazy. I really should go for a walk but I don’t know if I can summon the energy…. Too much busy all week I think, and I’m flat out getting off the couch today.
I did go shopping this morning and stocked up the fridge and pantry with goodies

I’m trying to be healthy but there’s still leftover birthday cake in the fridge so I might have to eat some

Hodd

I don’t want to sound too middle class, but I’m going to yoga soon. 🤪

Yoga - or any form of exercise - with a hangover would never happen.

I lived/worked abroad for a long time and went back recently on my own to visit a friend. I took pictures of a great Saturday market right outside my old apartment and later showed my wife. She said she went every Saturday whilst I was still asleep. Ouch!

Robbie64

Morning Weekenders

The sun is just starting to break through the mist we've had all morning. It looks like it's going to be a lovely day

Captain, I hope your mother and father are getting better

dustyfox, I would love to have some dark chocolate with orange but the calories are horrific! The local Co-op sells a bar of dark chocolate with orange and while it looks lovely, the amount of calories in the bar is completely eye opening - 100 calories in 2 squares and there's 10 squares in a bar. A couple of pieces would be fine but I know that I would eat the whole bar in one go...

Grateful, when I first started posting in the Weekenders thread I also wondered what "shotgun" meant. I had to look it up.

Hodd, enjoy your yoga. It's one of the best forms of exercise and is a lot harder than some people think. I should do it myself as I can't walk long distances like I used to due to achy legs and I sometimes find going to the gym to be a bit boring. I love the story about the Saturday market!

anxiousrock

As always, thank you for this thread. It truly helps! I am sitting here going on hour 8 of work and honestly, just craving a drink when I'm done. The weather is nice (although, it's 4am), I'm stressed, exhausted and honest to god so sick of this pandemic.
but, I will not give in!

Hodd

Hi Robbie, thanks. It was in Germany where we lived for about five years. It was five years of going places that served alcohol. It wasn’t all wasted, but I obviously wish I could have that time again.

I’ve got friends up your way (Newcastle) and went many times to drink heavily. On the most recent occasion, I brought my wife along and popped into various pubs to meet my friends as they got ever more drink, and looked around Newcastle. All the times I’ve been and even stayed with a friend for a few months whilst studying a course there - I didn’t know Grainger Market existed! We had a great morning at the market and by the river. A sober Newcastle - like anywhere - is much nicer.

Get back into yoga whilst we’re allowed to. It’s relaxing mentally but as you say knackering physically.

Willow00

Lol Robbie, I would eat the whole bar of chocolate too.

I just ate some very rich cake and now I don’t want any dinner. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and my Mum said not to eat sweet stuff before dinner because I would ruin my appetite ❤️

Canadian Koala

I went through all the possible drink combinations in the last four years and ended up with just two: plain still water and San Pellegrino, the world's best sparkling water in my book.

Have a good day Weekenders! ☼

Robbie64

Granger Market is near a whole bunch of pubs too! When I was having a day out in Newcastle and drinking the market was the last place I wanted to be with all the crowds of people that got in there. Similarly there is a market down on the quayside, by the River Tyne, every Sunday morning. The amount of times I intended to go there but never did because I was hungover...

Similarly, for 9 months back in the 1980s I lived in Notting Hill in London. The area is famous for the Portobello Road market on a Saturday morning. Despite living just a 5 minute walk away from the market I never actually made it once as I was always hungover. The closest I got was going in the pub right at start of Portobello Road "for a quick mender" and then staying there all day. What a waste. So many beautiful places but sadly most with the same memory of seeing the place through a drunken blur.

Willow00

So this weekend thread is very timely.
I really have to watch out for the AV. I don’t want it to trip me up again. I am going to a birthday party in 5 weeks time and today the AV thought it would be ok to have a drink that night to celebrate. Like it wants to start planning ahead Noooo AV, go awaaaay! It is NOT happening. I just made it through my own birthday without drinking and there’s absolutely no reason to drink to celebrate someone else’s birthday. There’s absolutely no reason to drink whatever! I have to stay on guard.

Cityboy

Happy birthday Willow. I see nothing wrong with occasionally having some rich cake for dinner instead of actual food

Willow00

Me too Cityboy

Willow00

Thanks Cityboy
It was on Thursday and we went to a pub for dinner (not arranged by me. I wouldn’t have picked a pub, ugh. Next year it will be fish n chips at the beach…) I stayed sober and I took the leftover cake home