One Step at a Time - August 2015

[NoraC]

Welcome to the August 'One Step at a Time' thread. I have been taking step after step and then falling back several steps. This month, I want to focus on continuing to Step Forward! Everyone is welcome here and I appreciate all the wonderful advice that I have been getting. Thank you all for being here!

[paulywogg]

Love it Nora

[Dottie Belle]

Great start to August Nora!!!
Went to my friends house for her mothers 92nd birthday. We had soup and yummy ice cream cake.
Dave called to ask me out to dinner but told him I was busy but would meet him later at the dance studio for their open house party. So that is what I did. Had a good time with him.
Still trying to get Jerry on my page but he insists that if I dont want to not date anyone else and commit to a relationship with him that he wont date. Well so be it because I enjoy Dave and Paul is nice too and my friend John from 30 years ago asked me to lunch. I know Jerry is lonely and wants someone to be with him but I am just NOT ready for that. I send him a long email tonight trying to explain things but I think the only thing he wants to hear is that I love him and want to be with him forever. Well it is too darn early to even think about that and I am having fun with the other fellows. My life so I get to make the rules.
Here's to a safe, happy and sober August!!!!

[paulywogg]

Morning all,Dots,its way to early for Jerry to expect so much,sheesh it hasn't even been a year since you lost hubs,if he doesn't understand that its not your problem, I worked out like a fiend this morning, feel shaky low blood sugar,must go find a food!! Hope everyone enjoys this lovely Saturday

[NoraC]

Pauly - way to much energy for me this morning. Ha, ha I am just about to roll over and go back to sleep.

Dottie - sorry about Jerry but you need to enjoy yourself.

Had a horrible nightmare last night. I had hidden some bottles and the whole dream was about trying to get to them to get a drink and to keep hiding the bottles.
I would have to say that it's a nightmare about the way I've been living for months. Thank goodness that is over!!

Have a great day everyone. I'll be back after my nap.

[Dottie Belle]

Morning
Have not heard from Jerry today. Doubt I will. Sad I do like him.
Going for a walk with Paul later. He lost his wife a number of years ago. So he gets it and is moving slowly. He still works but that is OK. I like having MY time.
Have a great Saturday!!

[blue1]

Great start to August Nora!!!
Went to my friends house for her mothers 92nd birthday. We had soup and yummy ice cream cake.
Dave called to ask me out to dinner but told him I was busy but would meet him later at the dance studio for their open house party. So that is what I did. Had a good time with him.
Still trying to get Jerry on my page but he insists that if I dont want to not date anyone else and commit to a relationship with him that he wont date. Well so be it because I enjoy Dave and Paul is nice too and my friend John from 30 years ago asked me to lunch. I know Jerry is lonely and wants someone to be with him but I am just NOT ready for that. I send him a long email tonight trying to explain things but I think the only thing he wants to hear is that I love him and want to be with him forever. Well it is too darn early to even think about that and I am having fun with the other fellows. My life so I get to make the rules.
Here's to a safe, happy and sober August!!!!

I know that's right Dot!!!! Good for you!

[blue1]

Pauly - way to much energy for me this morning. Ha, ha I am just about to roll over and go back to sleep.

Dottie - sorry about Jerry but you need to enjoy yourself.

Had a horrible nightmare last night. I had hidden some bottles and the whole dream was about trying to get to them to get a drink and to keep hiding the bottles.
I would have to say that it's a nightmare about the way I've been living for months. Thank goodness that is over!!

Have a great day everyone. I'll be back after my nap.

Awwwwwww glad it was a dream....keep up the good work Nora!

[blue1]

Hey guys!

Happy Saturday!

As I was reading through this post...all of a sudden I felt sad😞

I took a minute and tried to figure out why...

I think it's because I'm the only one drinking on this thread....all you guys are doing so good.

That's weird right???

Am I jealous of sober folks?😀Hahahahaha

This is a new feeling.....hmmmmm

Have a successful day guys!

[NoraC]

Hey Blue.... This thread is for EVERYONE. But, did you feel sad because you want to try AF for awhile? Because we'll be right here supporting you.

I was in a bad place. Drinking to numb myself, to sleep, to avoid everything. I am tired of not remembering the evening before. Trying to pretend that I remembered conversations or things we did. I am tired of waking up feeling guilty and shaky. Spending hours waiting to come out of it only to do the exact same thing that night.

I can't think about not drinking tomorrow. But, today I am not going to drink. I already posted on the Newbies Nest roll call and Another 24 Hours.
I am back to one step at a time. I have it tattooed on my foot for goodness sakes. I better start reading it!

So, that is my story..... We are here for you whatever your choice is.

[mama bear]

Happy August all! Blue, I drink, but not to excess anymore. Just letting you know I get it.
I slept in, had the carpets shampooed, went to the store and flopping till date night. I think we are going to try a new pizza place.
Dots, you are right. Take things at your own place and it sounds like you are tying to be a good friend. That's all you can do.
Nora, keep on trying babe.

[Rusty]

Good Afternoon, Friends,

A busy day today and off to a wedding reception at 6:00 PM.

Nora and Pauly-great to see you posting on The Army Thread..lots of great support there!:happy2:

Mama-great to see you! Have fun on date night with that cute guy you're married to. ;-)

Blue-sounds like you are making great progress.

Liz-I miss you and hope you had a great time at the Patriots' training camp and a relaxing weekend with your family. :-)

Dottie-thanks for kicking us off into August. Good job on the guy front. Can't think of which guy it is...gosh you have had so many lately. ....hahahah LOL. Just kidding...the one who is clingy/possessive. You are smart to run the other way. You don't need a pathetic guy.

Off

[Dottie Belle]

Thanks everyone for the voices of reason.
Spent the day with Paul. He lost his wife 5 years ago to early Alzheimers. He spent all his money to take care of his wife now working to try and catch up. Very admirable IMHO.....and he is nice and polite...4 years older. We went for a walk at the local park then to lunch. He was here with me and the 5 crazy dogs and he had one sleeping on his lap....he is a good man. So that is my excitement so far.....
Church tomorrow then another birthday celebration for my BFF's mother with all the family tomorrow night. They are my second family so men be damned for this....
Have a great evening

[blue1]

Nora- I didn't respond right back cause I needed to think about what you said. And no I'm not ready to be totally AF. I'm a all in kinda girl. If I ever decide to be totally AF I'm in for good.

I think I felt sad cause I miss my moderators....please don't take this the wrong way....all of you guys are great! It's just that I had been talking and bonding with them for almost a year until I wasn't able to login.

I guess I had a mourning episode...I PM'd a couple of them but I guess they're not on here anymore or maybe they are totally AF now....

I never really posted anywhere else except the long term moderators thread so...this is different for me but I'm enjoying you guys a lot.

That's it in a nutshell.

Plus I perimenopausal and didn't have a monthly for July lol....my emotions are probably off a bit lol.

Mama- I know that you drink sometime but you don't really talk about it...not that you have to...

Hope you had a great date night with hubby....what did you guys do?

Hi everyone else!

Have a successful day guys!

[All done drinking]

It's just that I had been talking and bonding with them for almost a year until I wasn't able to login.

I guess I had a mourning episode...I PM'd a couple of them but I guess they're not on here anymore or maybe they are totally AF now....

I never really posted anywhere else except the long term moderators thread so...this is different for me but I'm enjoying you guys a lot.

Hi blue1

I couldn't log in either and had a crisis situation where after 7 years of "trying" to moderate, I knew I had to quit. My former name is Eve11 and I was a very avid poster and believer of moderating first to see if that was possible for folks who didn't want to quit. Pull up my Ruby Tuesday thread, look for my name. You will see a ton of posts. I was drawn to this board (MWO) because it was open minded to whatever the poster here determines their "way out" to be.

Of course, I really, really believed that I could moderate and I was actually pretty good at it with only drinking two drinks (sometimes only 1) every week. 3 weeks out of the month were very good moderation. But as I honestly recall, at least one week a month I went over my limit. So, that would mean a hangover, embarrassing my husband because I had slurred speech, picking a fight with a teen son because I didn't have the tolerance for his BS when I'd had a few, etc. The last episode entailed 2 blackouts and passouts within one week. The first bad episode was bad enough. Then I told myself and hubby the "lie" that I would never drink more than 2 again and 2 nights later I was finishing off the bottle of wine that was only supposed to give me 2 drinks and sneaking gin and tonic after that in a coffee cup. "The next morning I was in crisis and I tried to log in as Eve11 to share with the folks who know me that I was all done drinking. And guess what? Couldn't log in. So, I composed a new name to go with my new lifestyle and came back to MWO with a new mental attitude.

My belief in being able to moderate first (if one wants to go that route) is it does create harm reduction. One is really paying attention to their drinking habits, trying to modify them, really being more observant, and hopefully not getting into trouble with the stuff. So, I did have 7 years of harm reduction and avoiding some of the things that could have happened if I hadn't been more diligent (like getting a DUI, or really ruining a relationship with drunken comments/actions). So, you will figure out what works best for you in your own time. Perhaps you can be more of a mentor on the mod board and encourage others trying to moderate so that you will get the moderating support you need there although folks here are very nonjudgmental and have welcomed you with open arms. You are certainly gaining good information from them and they are gaining insights from you.

Have a good day/week...

Addy (All Done Drinking) :love: aka Eve11:hug: