Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

[BoozeFreeFox]

Conversely, your next day will never be as good as you think it will.

What the heck is the point of all this? Well, sometimes I think the reason we drink is that we just have a bleak outlook on our future. I brought up a thread the other day about "if I don't drink, what the hell fun will my night be? Tomorrow is really going to suck (to the point where it is going to be awful, and somehow I just will not be able to tolerate it), so why not get drunk. Or, "today sucked so bad, I deserve to drink tonight".

For some reason, I think we tend to paint a bleaker picture of our futures than will actually play out. For example, I was on call at the hospital last night, and it was just HORRIBLE. I knew I would be up all night working my tail off doing very unglamourous things. Then I get a call from my wife--my youngest son has a fever, and can't go to daycare tomorrow. Great, now I won't even have a CHANCE to get some sleep (my wife had to leave for work as soon as I got home). To top it all off, she calls me at 11PM asking how to set the generator up, becauser the power is out. OMG!! I was thinking "OK, the AF string stops at 6".

Well, some angel drew the line for me and helped me out. The night eased up a bit and I actually got a couple hours of sleep, got a huge cup of Starbucks and headed home feeling pretty good. The power was back on, and the neighbor kids had spent the night to keep warm. Well, they were playing, and being good to the point that I could even run for a while on my treadmill. I've had a lot of experiences in my life just like this, and I've had the converse also--things are looking good and then go to hell in a hand basket.

Here's my point--as Albert Ellis would say, we all need to stop "awfulizing" things. Even if bad things happen, we'll likely still wake up, function, and eventually feel OK. Alcohol will NEVER make things better. Conversely, when things are going really well and you feel celebratory, WHY ON EARTH wreck it with an hour of "giddiness" followed by 18 hours of doom and gloom?

Oh well, I hope you get my point. Life waxes and wanes. Don't attempt to make its highs a little higher, while really lowering and prolonging the lows with BOOZE!!!

Sorry, this is mainly a post-call rant, but I'd also like to share that I'm planning AF day #7, instead of a "pitty party".

BFF

[Rocky]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Point well taken BFF

We need to look at the bigger picture not just the current monster staring us in the face.

Thanks for that. And congradulations on #7

[Java]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

I am with you BFF, today is my #7 AF day as well, and I am with you, I have always found a reason to have it before, and i must have an angel on my shoulder because in the last seven days even in my low moments there has been some little thing that has made me sit back and say "you know what, i feel better without it, and you know what, just not right now, i just not ready to give in"

Victoria

[wwbarb]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

So true. We really have to work hard to look past all of the crap and see the good stuff that lies beneath it. If not, create some good stuff. If you "awfulize" instead of "beautify" it's a choice. You are not a victim, rather, the perpetrator.

Nobody said this was easy, but it's worth it.

[lucky 2.0]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

I think my angels are delighted they can take a break from having to watch out for me all the time and protect me from me. They have spared me from the following:

* DUI's and worse
* Breaking bones when falling down
* Burning down the house when passing out with food in the oven
* Protected my health
* Being assaulted (long story)
* Dying from alcohol overdose

I am glad to give them a well-deserved break.

[Rocky]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Good job Lucky...Hope I can do it

[AAthlete]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

I agree - to me it seems to be all about rewiring our brains. It is so damn easy to FIND a reason to drink... We need to remember the reasons WHY NOT to have a drink (I know each of us has our own list).

As other posts have mentioned, I tell myself, "sure, you could have that drink, but...."

Do you want to wake up feeling like crap again;
Do you want to beat yourself up mentally again;
Do you want to waste that workout that you did yesterday;
Do you want to disappoint your family again;
Do you want to spend a chunk of change on booze again;

OR

Do you want to wake up and start the day with a smile on your face and a clear head;
Do you want to go get that killer workout in so that you can up your PR in that next race;
Do you want to spend quality time with your family;
Do you want to keep saving for that special vacation/item you want to buy;

So, what choice will it be?

[Rocky]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Good stuff AA... Kep on Keeping on!

[Accountable for Me]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

You sound like a very smart person BFF. You raise great questions here! Your contributions and insight are much appreciated.

Congrats on your 7 days.

[southernbelle47]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Ahhhhhhhh....the bumps in our road...I recieved this this morning and thought I would share it here. I also got one on attitude...going to look for it now.
:l to all
Nancy

"Don’t curse or grumble about the obstacles in your path—look at them as character builders. Find a way to move them, or pray your way through them. Call to mind the words of the great American educator Booker T. Washington, who said: “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People are surprisingly generous with advice, especially if you take the time to befriend them first. And remember to be thankful. You may meet a mentor who’ll en­courage and support you for years to come.

The main thing, however, is not to throw in the towel when you encounter bumps in the road. Remember, when you’re traveling up a mountain, it’s the bumps you climb on."



“Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment, you can grow more surely toward the stars.” - Brian Tracy (1944- )

[southernbelle47]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Here it is! ) Nancy

Attitude
>>
>> There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
>> looked in the mirror,
>> and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
>>
>> Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
>> So she did
>> and
>> she
>> had
>> a
>> wonderful
>> day.
>>
>>
>> The next day she woke up,
>> looked in the mirror
>> and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
>>
>> "H-M-M," she said,
>> "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
>> So she did
>> and
>> she
>> had
>> a
>> grand
>> day.
>>
>>
>>
>> The next day she woke up,
>> looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her
>> head.
>>
>> "Well," she said,
>> "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
>> So she did
>> and
>> she
>> had
>> a
>> fun,
>> fun
>> day.
>>
>>
>>
>> The next day she woke up,
>> looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her
>> head.
>>
>> "YEA!" she exclaimed,
>> "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
>>
>>
>>
>> Attitude is everything.
>>
>>
>>
>> Be kinder than necessary,
>> for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
>>
>> Live simply,
>>
>>
>>
>> Love generously,
>>
>>
>>
>> Care deeply,
>>
>>
>>
>> Speak kindly.......
>>
>>
>>
>> Leave the rest to the Creator, And have
>>
>> A Blessed 2007
>>
>>
>>
>>

[Java]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

that was wonderful, thank you for sharing!

[BoozeFreeFox]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

...addendum

Some of you may be saynig "Good for you Fox, I'm glad things always end happily for you". Well, they dont. Despite being a physician with a rewarding job that earns me a nice living, I'll bet that I go through the same cyclical emotional courses that everyone here does. Hence, on an absolute scale, I would bet that the proportion of my time that is "happy", "bored", depressed", etc..., is no different than all of yours (read the book "Stumbling on Happiness"--it is NOT a self help book, but is really fascinating and fun to read). I, like all of you, have lived through extended periods where it seemed like that little angel would never show up.
Sometimes your days start poorly, then you fear the worst, and reality provides it. Why use booze to accentuate the badness even more?

Conversely, when things are looking up, why not fully live through those good times and see them to their proper ending, instead of dashing them as soon as they start?

Case in point: I've actually WON several marathons (local, small, low-key ones) and have felt ON TOP OF THE WORLD. Each time, that (natural) euphoria was snuffed out by early the next morning because I chose to celebrate my win with (lots of) alchohol. Unfortunately, I'm probably too much of an old dog to win any more. I would however, like to see my good times after successful races run their proper course, just to see what the heck that is like.

Conversely (I've used that word a lot), I'd like to see an awful stretch (day, week, month) run its proper course and extinguish itself without sinking to lower lows than were necessary.

Oh well, talk is cheap, but venting here sure seems to set my mind on a proper course.

Thank you for your support.

BFF

[irishlady]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Oh Nancy, I love that story about the hair....Always look for the positive...

[Accountable for Me]

Your next day will never be as bad as you think it will.

Diseases are diseases... addictions are addictions..... doesn't matter who you are or what you do.