Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

[ntcentral]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hi All, It seems like a couple of days since I checked in. I'm still hanging in there, with more or less ease. Last night was tough because it was Saturday night and the girls were out and it was just my husband and me. Ordinarily, we would have had a bottle of wine out on the back patio and enjoyed the evening (followed by whatever else I happened to find in the house). Instead, we drank alcohol free beer. I couldn't sit still so I watered the lawn while I drank it, even though we have a sprinkler system and it has been raining like crazy here in the midwest. Whatever works, hey?

Loppy, I'm thinking that today is Day 47 for you (?) Hope you and the rabbits are bouncing around and enjoying life.

CS04, how's the baby and mama life? I hope you can find time to get out to yoga. The more I do it, the more I realize how much I appreciate the mental angle of it as well as the physical. I find it very calming. Moreover, I enjoy simply being in the class, which is much better than say, watching a yoga video. The yoga instructors down here tend to be very centered and very earth-mother-like, and I find that calming. I also enjoy moving through the various yoga postures in quiet unison with everyone else in the class. That too is calming. It's almost an extra bonus that my back is becoming a lot more flexible. I once read somewhere that, "You're only as old as your back", and I believe there is some truth to that. Did you find any good tips in Allen Carr's book??

Speaking of Yoga, Onemorechance, did you make it to your class the other day? Have you racked up some more days?

Hi Peanut, sounds like you are staying on that wagon and doing well. Way to go. It is hard to believe that somewhere in North America it is cold because down here in the midwest it is very hot, not to mention very wet. Yesterday was a nice day, though, and it promises to be another nice one today.

We're having an open house today for the general public. Let's hope that some potential buyer drop buy. As soon as I log off, I have to start cleaning and try to make this place look as if no one lives here...not easy to do with two teenage girls racked out upstairs. Their rooms are seas of dirty towels, scattered laundry, cosmetcis, and fragrance bottles. I feel like I'm running an upscale YWCA.

Have a great AF day everyone, NTC

[CS04]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

I need some words of support, guys -- need to try not to down a few beers this afternoon at in-laws. We're leaving soon. So far been a decent AF weekend with AF beers (and a moody hubby). Will check back!

[jessie]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hi everyone,
Ihad my granddaughter sleep over and spent the whole day with her. It was such precious hours.
Glad to hear that you are all doing well. I has some wine Fridaynight but not enough to get a hangover. So I don't feel guilty about it.
LVT, you are teasing us. Whether it is a cork or a screw top, once the bottle is open is must be finished! Leftover wine ????
Love to you all.
Jessie

[Peanut]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Sunday Morning - Hello!!

Didn't get on this thread - or any other - yesterday. Kinda busy, doing something - not sure doing exactly what though. CS04 - you can do it!! You have had rougher seas to get through so far, you can get through today!!! Bring the AF beer with you - don't even let them know what it is!!! Was hubby moody because he didn't have his drinking buddy??? I think that's a pretty hard thing for some! Goodluck today - keep us posted on how it goes!

NTC - selling your house? Moving houses? Moving cities? Best wishes with that, and with getting those teenage daughters to get their rooms clean. I have 2 of those (not living with me anymore), and wow - are they slobs!! My boy isn't exactly a clean freak, but compared to them, his messes are nothing, and he actually cleans up after himself when asked to (even cleans his room on occasion without being asked to!)

I had a successful saturday night. We went out hashing (the term used for running a hash run) and it was 10km - I am really feeling it in my bum cheeks! It was pissing rain the first half of the run and cold too - got totally soaked. Part of the run is to stop for a "beverage" at some point along the way, usually beer, so I had one of the walkers carry an AF beer in his pocket for me, so I had one of those. The last run a couple weeks ago I forgot, and I was hot and thirsty when we stopped and all there was was a case of beer, so I just suffered! ha! At the pub afterward, I had another AF beer that lasted a while and was fine - I do get tired without the alcohol to keep me going, but I try to remain patient and wait until my pals are done so I am not being a party pooper just because I am not drinking!!! I don't want to not see my pals just because of my stupidity in getting myself into this predicament in the first place. I really think the Topa is helping me actually (placebo or not, I don't care - the point is, I am not craving and can sit around with beer drinkers and drink the AF stuff or soda and lime with no problem!) I have still, however, left implicit instructions with my friends - no wine within 100 yards of my house!! Don't trust myself yet with a cool bottle of Chilean or South African in the house yet, even for visitor, so I am not having visitors at all!!!

OK - hello to everybody else. This thread has thinned out - where did everybody go?!?!
Onto Day 15 for me - the halfway mark for me and for a few others too! The sun is desperately trying to shine out there - I'm rootin' for it!
xoxo Peanut

[Evie.Lou]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Cs04....Think before you drink...let the world(especially in laws)see how great the sober you is....Hope those were words that you wanted to hear...Evie

[Rusty-576]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hi all; I am sorry haven't posted in a while. I am sorry to hear of all the storms and flooding you all are having in usa hope things stop and start to clear up for you.
Peanut: i think we are in the same place if I remember hope you weekend was AF, it really is quite amazing how the tired that I felt, just like a zombie I suppose.
Today is day 15 I am finally alive agian I already got all of my chores done and have time to do some quilting, what a change.
Alcohol has caused a lot of problems in my life I just hope all of my doctors test come back ok and I will get my life back the way it was before Al. If this finds anyone who has had convulsions after trying to be AF, maybe some one can tell me what happened to them. That happened to me in March and am just waiting to get my drivers back. I never knew that if something like that happens your licience is revolked automatically.

[Peanut]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Rusty - I too have been super tired this past week. I have some Melatonin now, so am hoping to get a bit more sleep, even though my sleep has slowly started to improve. That's really too bad about the convulsions - sorry, I don't know anything about that, maybe somebody else can respond to that. How long before you can get your drivers licence back? Which doctor tests are you waiting on?? I am going to try get to the clinic for the tests my doctor lined up for me - maybe first thing tomorrow morning, like 7am if I can drag my sorry ass out of bed really early.
Congrats on your day 15 too - we are half way to 30 Rusty - it feels pretty good too, doesn't it. Let's hope the fatigue lightens up this coming week and we find great energy and productivity - I could use it!!!
Peanut

[CS04]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hi everyone,
Things were fine at the in-laws today, though I hemmed and hawed though about having 'just one.' I did have a sip of hubby's beer with dinner, but that was it. The in-laws themselves aren't even drinkers, it's just that it's there and it's offered and it's available and it's habit. And I'm glad I didn't start drinking at 2:00 in the afternoon because I would be absolutely shit-faced right now.

Mary, I can totally see how you would white knuckle it thru a social occasion, then drink alone once home. It would have been sooooo easy to do that tonight.

Rusty, what caused your convulsions --something AL related or not? Are you in Canada? I have never had convulsions but have had issues with vertigo -- not AL related, but did had a major spell once while driving.

Rusty and Peanut, my sleep was a little bit better over the weekend. Hope last week's god awful fatigue is behind me. I am trying to go to bed BEFORE I am totally exhausted.

NTC, glad hubby is doing the AF beer thing w/you. Allen Carr's book is OK -- i think it's one of those where you have finish the whole thing, chew it over and then decide where you are with it. Some I agree with, some I don't. Much of the message is "AL is poison."

Peanut, you're going to have to explain what a hash run is!

Evielou, thanks for your strong yet simple words of support!

I'd better finish up here and get to bed. Talk to you all tomorrow.

[Thankful]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hi, everyone!!

I'm sorry I have not been on the boards in a while. Seems when I log on, I don't have the time to do all that I would like when I'm here.

Just wanted to let you know that I think about all of you everyday and hope that you are all accomplishing what you want. I hope to be able to get caught up with everyone this week.

Stay strong folks!!! There is nothing like Sober Living!!

Love, Me
:l

[LVT25]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Thanks, Thankful! With summer finally here I am pretty busy too. Once I get on here it's at least an hour, and some days I just can't afford it. I think it is so great that there is a "circle of life" here--as we heal, we give advice, as new members heal, they give advice and so on....takes a little pressure off the "seniors" (even though we still need their infinite wisdom)!

This week I am helping to teach vacation Bible school in the mornings, so unless I get up really bright and early (which I will try-it is easier AF for some reason :H) I might not be here much. On MST I'm usually behind anyway!

I downloaded some music and made a cd, so I'm anxious to get out and start walking too!!

Hope you all had a great weekend and Happy Father's Day--I sure miss mine!:h

[ntcentral]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hello all, this is a very quick check-in just to catch up with everyone's posts. Sounds like people made it through the weekend. I consumed about a six-pack....of AF beer yesterday. Actually, it was probably more like three cans of the stuff. I dad wanted the real deal since it was a hot day and a little stressful because we had an open house. The good news is that the AF tasted pretty good. Have a good day to all, NTC

[Peanut]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hey gang,

I have a few minutes before leaving work to catch the bus home, so I'll jot a few things down here quickly. I suppose I could walk home, but I went for a good run at lunch and will swim tonight, so I think that will be enough exercise for today. And, the vertigo was quite minimum on the train bridge stairs - still there a bit, but quite manageable. I tried the melatonin last night too - not sure if it worked - but I did fall asleep fairly quickly, although I was quite tired. What a change from my May sleeping!!! Wow - I was totally miserable back then!!!!

NTC - you liked the AF beer yesterday? Any bites at the open house?? Did alot of people go through?
Thankful -nice to hear from you again!!
LVT - sounds like you will have a busy summer ahead with vacation Bible school!!! And walking is good exercise - enjoy your new cd!!!

OK - CS - a hash run!!! An explanation!!! Hash House Harriers - there are groups in cities all over the world - dubbed the "drinking club with a running problem" - running group that follows the hares and hounds kids game format (an old engish game??) where a "hare" sets a trail (we do it with dots of flour" and the pack of "hound" (us runners) follows the trail. There are false trails, check backs, check points, etc. and best of all, a hash hold, where there is generally a cooler of beer or other beverages, sometimes we stop at a pub for that, and then a final "circle up" little ceremony with "down downs" (cups of beer) and dirty ditties, punishments, etc. It is really fun, but alot of beer is consumed!!! Alot of hashers who decide to quit drinking also decide to quite hashing, as you can well imagine!!!! Not me though!!! Thus - I bring my AF beer with me!! I just love hashing, and really don't mind being the designated driver at all! We are a pretty small group anyway, and have become quite close. Look up Hash House Harriers on the web and you can get info on it. I have hashed in other cities, even when I was in Syndey, OZ, I went hashing -might even find a hash when I am in Hawaii, just for fun!! Meet alot of people that way!!! So you can see why I failed when I had to go to the Red Dress Run in Edmonton last May - I just couldn't go without drinking some beer - it was so near the beginning of my AF days - my resolve just wasn't strong enough back then!!!!

OK - I have to run catch my bus!!!

Happy monday to you all!!!
Best to you all in your Sober Living Goals!!!
xoxoxo Peanut

[Peanut]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

By the way - that red dress run in Edmonton in May (yes - not sure, but close to 200people, all in red dresses - hilarious!) - something like $35,000 was raised for Cystic Fybrosis. Not bad for the goofy running club!!!

[ntcentral]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Good morning to all. I went out with a non-drinker friend last night and she was so impressed with my new-found sobriety. I drank club soda while she talked about my former AL-fueled escapades. I found myself squirming. It's kind of like when you get a new haircut and lose weight and your friend then decides to tell you how awful the last haircut was and how fat you really were.....I had a, "Do-I-really-want-to-know-the-truth" kind of reaction.

Peanut, the Hash run sounds like a hoot. What happens if you get lost??? Especially after a few beers, I can imagine someone foraging through a woods somewhere, looking for the way back to the starting line. The open house went well---managed to get the place clean despite having the two girls at home--and many people went through. We are going out of town on Thursday, to Canada (your neck of the woods), so the agent will be hosting another open house this weekend. Cross fingers here.

LVT, how's the vacation Bible school? Are the kids enjoying it? I imagine half the job is keeping the little critters busy and out of mischief. How are you feeling these days?

Evielou, thanks for the information about the book. Before I got serious about going AF, I was reading a lot of books. It was kind of ironic. I would read a chapter in the morning and then get snockered at night, only to read another chapter the next day. Go figure. But hey, here I am on the band wagon so maybe they helped a little. How are you doing?

Rusty, are you quilting? I imagine that is a very satisfying hobby, one that keeps your hands busy and serves as an outlet for creativity. Hope you get your driver's license back soon, as I'm sure it's an inconvenience not to have one, to say the least.

Thankful, hello! Busy is good. It'll keep you out of trouble!

As mentioned above, I'm heading out of town at the end of the week. This will be a test of my AF determination as we will be having husband's family reunion. Everyone on his side of the family is a very moderate, even light drinker (big contrast to my clan). I'm hoping that no one quietly whispers to him, "what's the deal with NTC? She's not getting blitzed." I would find that mortifying. On the other hand, that's preferable to the alternative , "She's getting blitzed--AGAIN."

Hello to everyone else,
Have a great day all, NTC

[Larisa]

Days 1-30: Hello Sober Living

Hey, guys, mind if I join in? I think I'm right along with some of you - day 15 for me. I thought it was interesting that some of you are feeling exhausted - I cannot seem to get enough sleep! I'm getting 8 hours and still struggling to stay awake driving to work! I'm going to hit the elliptical at the gym tonight and hope that helps. I took a 3-hr. nap on Saturday - maybe sleeping too much?? It just feels soooo nice, after all that time!

I don't know about the rest of you, but 15 sober days in a row seems like a miracle to me. But then, even one sober day does! Wherever each one of you is, congrats, and I'm glad to be here with you.