2013-LET'S DO THIS!

[Struggles 106]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

COLD BEER

It is so easy to slide into the thinking that a beer with friends would be "fun".
I was watching the Food Channel with the guy who goes around to different places eating . Most of the places show people sitting around eating barbecue and drinking beer, or eating wings and drinking beer, or eating anything at all and drinking beer.
I actually got a tad wistful, thinking if the "fun" I've had doing the same.
I really believe that once you face the harsh reality of what drinking makes you become it is way harder to lie to yourself. Way harder to stop at the pub and hang out. It is for me.
It's similar to how I feel about sugary and fatty foods. Having extra weight makes it hard to justify eating junk. And knowing that you cannot drink, just KNOWING it makes it hard to justify PRETENDING you can have a beer.
Oh yeah it might work today, or tomorrow, but let it in and you will be consumed before you know it.
That is how it always happens for me. One or two becomes 10 or 12 and very dangerous situations.
SO there you have it, the concept of being accountable to myself.
Saturday will be 30 days. I intend to keep on truckin'

[FlyAway]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Imagine if that guy traveled around and filmed people eating barbecue and then filmed them all lighting up a crackpipe. Could you imagine the backlash from that? Yet since it's alcohol, it's okay. Nevermind that it's still a drug, alcohol is "different." Yeah right.

I love it in Jason Vale's book where he says that if someone told us they didn't have a drug problem, they only used heroin on the weekends or when on holiday we'd all think they were nuts and had a drug problem.

[Struggles 106]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

HEY FLY

I KNOW! IT would be like " Oh you're not shooting up anymore? How come?"
I do WISH I didn;t have this addiction, but I do and that is just the way it is.
Acceptance and not denial

[kuya]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Those films of BBQ and beer are a lie!
This is not my opinion, this is a fact, at least based on statistics in NZ.

In 2011 the consumption per capita for those over 15 years old was 2.1 units of alcohol per day.
This is for EVERY adult, male and female. This is DOUBLE the healthy limit for all women.

Since not every adult drinks and lots drink limited amounts that means a huge swathe of the population are unhealthy drinkers.
Remember we are talking about an entire nation that is SICK with alcohol.

Some weeks ago I was driving to town on a Friday evening and oncoming drivers were flashing their lights at me. Several Kms later I saw why...... A police ' booze bus' was stopping motorists!

How sick and drunk is a society when potential drunk drivers are 'warned' by other drunks. They have to have had a drink problem to even consider flashing a stranger.

The people on this forum are not the sick ones ...... We are the mentally healthy ones.

As I say in my signature ...... A lie is a lie even if everyone else believes it

[NoraC]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Hi everyone.

Bad day today & boy did I start thinking about drinking. i came home & took my antabuse instead. Thanks for being here everyone. It helps!

Kradle - thanks for what you said about my journal. Very nice of you.

Fly - I'm going to look up Guitarist's thread. Thanks for mentioning it.

Ann - You sound great. Very positive.

:wavin: to everyone. Going to go chill for a while.

[FlyAway]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

kuya;1445261 wrote: Those films of BBQ and beer are a lie!
This is not my opinion, this is a fact, at least based on statistics in NZ.

In 2011 the consumption per capita for those over 15 years old was 2.1 units of alcohol per day.
This is for EVERY adult, male and female. This is DOUBLE the healthy limit for all women.

Since not every adult drinks and lots drink limited amounts that means a huge swathe of the population are unhealthy drinkers.
Remember we are talking about an entire nation that is SICK with alcohol.

Some weeks ago I was driving to town on a Friday evening and oncoming drivers were flashing their lights at me. Several Kms later I saw why...... A police ' booze bus' was stopping motorists!

How sick and drunk is a society when potential drunk drivers are 'warned' by other drunks. They have to have had a drink problem to even consider flashing a stranger.

The people on this forum are not the sick ones ...... We are the mentally healthy ones.

As I say in my signature ...... A lie is a lie even if everyone else believes it
2.1 units per person, huh? That is a hell of a lot of alcohol considering it's per capita! I agree with you, our society is sick.

NoraC;1445305 wrote: Hi everyone.

Bad day today & boy did I start thinking about drinking. i came home & took my antabuse instead. Thanks for being here everyone. It helps!

Kradle - thanks for what you said about my journal. Very nice of you.

Fly - I'm going to look up Guitarist's thread. Thanks for mentioning it.

Ann - You sound great. Very positive.

:wavin: to everyone. Going to go chill for a while.

Nora, way to go! It seems like the Antabuse is really working for you.

[Kradle123]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Happy Wednesday everyone ..kids are in the kitchen..killing each other

Fly I almost forgot I posted over on Mr. G's thread. I actually made a thread when the pressure got very intense. Been meaning to update it but now I'm here..ummmm. Well, I do love Mr. G.

It's so funny Ann as I was just breezing thru one of my local outdoor mags and an article describing a great hike over in the west cascades ends with a photo of an ice cold...Stout beer...the association between sport and drink is pretty powerful.

Jason vale made a great point that AL is the only drug you have to justify NOT taking...

Kuya are you certain that wasn't a speed trap people were flashing their light for? I know here on some roads drivers will flash their lights to warn of a speed trap in the opposite direction...that just seems so...crazy that sober drivers would warn drunk drivers ...
Still, it is a crazy place out there sometimes...

HI Nora. I'm so sorry you are having a tough time, I actually am too. I will pull up a chair and vicariously take an Antabuse because I really want to fricken drink right now...
Discovered today that my friend who attacked my twins while completely shitfaced is putting one of her twins in that disgusting iiT Factor...she and I haven't spoken since August so she doesn't know what's happened...I texted her husband tonight...we'll see.
Shit...The iiT Factor...the gift that keeps on giving:upset:

:l:h

[NoraC]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Kradle - I've heard you mention that before. What did your friend do? Were the girls hurt? I think that's really bad.
Anyway - yep, pull up a chair & take an AB. I had already taken on one on Monday but decided that I better get another one in my system just to make sure that I didn't decide to skip it for the rest of the week.

[kuya]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Kradle .... It is a large bus marked to identify it as the 'booze bus' as everyone refers to it as. After work drinking here is common and Friday night is obviously the worst.

Why would I not know what it was?????

And I doubt that those flashing me were necessarily sober and if they were THIS time they were empathising with drinkers more than the effect of drunk drivers on ALL our safety

[Change]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Ann Carolina;1445241 wrote: It is so easy to slide into the thinking that a beer with friends would be "fun".

Nah, replace it with a cold soda water and some fresh lemon or lime. It'll do you the world of good

Day 10 i think. So far, only one close call and an incling this morning or arvo (can't remember which). Suspected the craving was associated with my body craving carbohydrates, so decided to do a little experiment and eat some protein for lunch. After a cat nap, i headed out for the gym and so far so good, no more cravings.

Concentrating on the positives: more stuff ticked off in my diary. Beginning to set some short and medium term goals and feel a little more motivated. Will ramp up the goals when the weather gets better (heatwave today). Looking foward tonight (although a little lonely): vegie parma and salad for dinner and some good DVDs! How sad.

[Struggles 106]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Day 18

HI All

Here we are at day 18, total day 29 for me. Feeling great.

Something interesting happened last night. My bf was there, and I had received a delivery of a new music system I ordered, so I was opening it and in a great mood. I don;t know if he thought I was drinking or what, but later he said "WHat are you drinking?" I was on the computer and not paying a lot of attention and jokingly said "whiskey". Which I never drank anyway.
THen he says "What kind of whiskey?" BY then I looked up and said "What? I'm not drinking whiskey, I was joking. It's diet coke."
Not being one to discuss feelings or anything like that (him) I was surprised when he said "I'm glad you're not drinking." I was actually stunned and I did want him to elaborate so I said "Why? Because it makes me so stupid?" And he said "Well, you know...you get..."

This may seem mundane but it meant a lot to me. He is not the type to say much like that. He actually said he was glad twice, and I know he meant it.
More ammunition against the dreadful alcohol.

Have a great weekend everyone

[FlyAway]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Yippee Ann! You really sound like you're coming into your own. For some reason I thought you and your BF split up. Did he ever give you a hard time about alcohol in the past? My husband never said a word about me passing out on the couch night after night. In fact, he went out and bought me a big bottle of vodka after I quit. Don't know if he missed his drinking buddy or what.

I just checked my drinking calculator and today is day 335! I love my sober life.

[Kradle123]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

HOLY COW FLY!!

335 :yay: You are almost an entire year!:l. That is spectacular:goodjob:

Can't wait to get there too. Still struggling over here but no where near where I was when I started out for real last May. :h

[FlyAway]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

Kradle I started and stopped and farted around quite a while before it finally stuck. Somehow I eventually got to the point where the idea of drinking repulsed me and the idea of never drinking again became appealing. And overall, once I finally became okay with the idea of never drinking again, it has been pretty easy. I think getting to that point mentally was the key for me.

[Frequent Traveler]

2013-LET'S DO THIS!

FlyAway, your last comment is to a T how I am feeling about the whole thing.