Sober January!

[NoSugar]

Sober January!

I will be happy to have a year behind me, Halo - the first of the rest of my life .

I don't know if any of you have seen the Ladies on a Mission thread but it would be fun to have you all posting there, too, if you're interested. (Guys are welcome too if they are on a mission to get AL out of their lives but so far only Mr. G. has waded into the estrogen pool). The more the merrier and there truly is strength in numbers.

[halo]

Sober January!

Gardener;1608617 wrote: I'm in, back again and ready to be done with AL. Looking forward to joining you guys here. Day 1, I feel so excited to have recovered the mindset to get back up and keep fighting.

Nice to have you back Gardner, I am back with the fighting spirit as well. remember to read and post! Let's start 2014 off right, an AF January is on the horizon!

[Gardener]

Sober January!

Hi Nosugar, I've missed you guys too. Its nice to be back. I've kept up with you on the forum, glad to know all is well with you and that you are always here for all of us.

Here we go Halo, arm in arm, let's make January and 2014 AF.

[bkyogagurl]

Sober January!

Such an awesome thread.. Keep posting cause I love reading.

I ran 5 miles today for 5 days sober
:yougo:

[spuddleduck]

Sober January!

bkyogagurl;1608647 wrote: Such an awesome thread.. Keep posting cause I love reading.

I ran 5 miles today for 5 days sober
:yougo:

wehey, well done bk. I hope you're in training to run 30 miles when you hit your 30 day af.
everyone is sounding so positive, looks like it will be a good month here (and a bad month for booze companies cos they will be losing valuable customers.... yeeeehaaa)

[NoSugar]

Sober January!

Gardener;1608642 wrote: Hi Nosugar, I've missed you guys too. Its nice to be back. I've kept up with you on the forum, glad to know all is well with you and that you are always here for all of us. Here we go Halo, arm in arm, let's make January and 2014 AF.

Hi, again Gardner.

Since you've come back, you must really be wanting to get free. You'll never regret it!

How have you changed your plan this time? I know I sound like a nag but I repeated the same failed experiment too many times. You've got to change a variable.

If you post your ideas, you could get some feedback and maybe make it even stronger. I'd be happy to help you if there's anything I can do. (And that goes for anyone who is ready to kick this soul-sucker out of their lives!).

[Gardener]

Sober January!

Hi Nosugar, I do so want to be free from AL and its hold on me. I am in my late 50's and know its only a matter of time before I start having health problems.

You could never sound like a nag to me, I really appreciate your input and I need all the help I can get. My biggest temptation has been social situations. My husband and I belong to a couple of clubs and a wine/dining group. So there are lots of meetings and dinners. Its tough because some of these folks are friends we've had for years, and many are clients of mine. I also have a cooking club that meets at my house. So I guess you could call me a career alcoholic :-). I've been very successful in setting up my life to feature my favorite pastime, drinking!

Soooo, my plan is to bow out of as many engagements as possible. At least for 9 0 days until I'm stronger. I can drop a few clubs as it is a new year and I'm not fully committed yet.

I had 33 days AF in July last year. I did really well on my own and at home with husband. The socializing was my undoing.

I'm also trying to drop some pounds and plan on letting that be known. I'd rather eat the calories is going to be my new mantra.

So, that's a plan besides posting here and pmming my buddies I've met here.

Sorry for the biography, but I'm trying to express myself more, sometimes I hold back too much.

So thank you, any suggestions are appreciated.

[Dottie Belle]

Sober January!

Gardener I am right there with you on this one.." I am in my late 50's and know its only a matter of time before I start having health problems. " ticking time bomb

[Gardener]

Sober January!

That's right Dottie, we know better, don't we, have said that to my kids. Should take my own advice. I am making an appointment for a physical in 90 days. Need to test for life insurance policy, hopefully I will recover and don't have liver issues.

[Pavati]

Sober January!

Hi, Everyone:

Welcome back, Gardner. I have found success in social events this time around by committing to being alcohol free one day at a time. I wake up in the morning and say to myself - I will not drink today. If it is a day with a social situation, I assess my mental strength (to decide to go or not). I have found after going to SEVERAL social things I thought would be terrible without alcohol, that social situations without alcohol are not so terrible after all. I get a pang when the first beer is poured but other than that have been fine sipping my water. I still talk, laugh and have fun, and then I can drive home and feel great in the morning.

Let's all link arms together for a sober January. Wahoo!

[NoSugar]

Sober January!

That wasn't a biography, Gardener, that was an Amazon review of one :H (this written by someone who often is terribly verbose...) . It seems like people have the greatest success when they open up - I know that helped me because I've spent my life revealing only the "good parts". It was quite a relief to put down that shield.

Using the 'on a diet' approach could help in social situations. As much as possible, I'd avoid those as much as you can until you feel strong and committed to your quit.

Our town is essentially "closed" today due to the cold. Hope all of you are staying warm and sober on this January day.

[Gardener]

Sober January!

Haha, our schools are closed and there is no snow or ice on the ground, very cold though.

I will be dropping as much as i can at least for the next 3 months and more if necessary. Stay warm everyone.

[Gardener]

Sober January!

Hi Pav, great advice there. Assess strength before social event. The last quit, I was over 30 days, went out with friends, but earlier had argument with daughter and was upset, bam !

I'm going for the very minimum of outings, this is a good time of year for that. I want to have at least 3 months AF under my belt before getting back to normal, sans AL. I just don't want that messed up life anymore.

Thanks for the welcome Pav, you have done so well with your quit.

[skullbabyland]

Sober January!

So glad to see this thread is so active. And great to hear that a bunch of us are on the AF! Yes, let's protect our quit and assess our strength daily (or multiple times throughout the day).

I woke up a bit dissatisfied with my slow progress on a couple other things in my life- slower than I'd like- but I remain grateful that above all else, I haven't had booze. I am protecting my quit and that's good enough when all is said and done. Anything else is secondary for me.

Have a great Monday, all

[skullbabyland]

Sober January!

Also... I too am taking stock of my physical health. I'm 38 this year and it's past time I began making lasting changes. I don't want to have problems at 60, at 55, 50, 40, 39, etc.

I know health challenges will come with getting older as it will to all of us... I can accept that, but I sure want to try to be healthy and strong as possible... Plus, having always not given a shit about physical health for my adult life, I'm finding that I, for once, want to find out what it feels like to be strong and active, while I'm still able... we are all capable of amazing things if we are dedicated. I like this quote-

"No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training…what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" – Socrates