One Step at at a Time - September 2016

[Lizann]

Haha cross post Skendall. Anxiety and alcoholism, who knew? I am keeping it on my DVR just in case for future reference

[NoraC]

I missed it but there is an article in people that I have to read.

[aihfl]

SK, thank you for the info about Elizabeth Vargas. I knew she had been an alcoholic and been in treatment. I'll have to watch it on Hulu since I missed the broadcast last night. We have a meteorologist here in Orlando who is a recovering alcoholic. He was on the ABC affiliate here when I first came to town and used to give the weather reports blotto and used to slur outrageous things on air like, "Time to roll grandma in off the front lawn," or suggest "internal alcohol rubs," once even pointing at the state on a weather map calling Florida, "that pointy thing." Obviously he was let go, but he recovered and retired from News13, the local cable news station here and now does the weekend weather on the CBS affiliate.

There was a condo board meeting I tried to attend yesterday. Apparently the board president lives in Miami and I was told by a staff member that this was a closed "phone meeting." Of course this is highly illegal, so I reported it to the Division of Condominiums and Cooperatives at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. I also gave them a form requesting copies of the minutes from the two most recent board meetings and the most recent balance sheet and cash flow statement. They have 10 business days to get it to me or the state starts fining them. I live here and I'm not going to tolerate lack of transparency.

Since fall is around the corner I went over toward the coast yesterday to kayak on the Indian River and see the bioluminescence yesterday evening. After the weather starts cooling down it will go away until next summer (the water has to be above 80 degrees and yesterday was hot and dry so the bioluminescence was strong).

Hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.

[SKendall]

I think the thing that resonated with me was that she would die for her children, but couldn't stop drinking for them.:sad:

Red, I am going to move to TX to be with family. I love the PNW and will come back for part of the summer, but nothing compares to Vivian. I've been on a high since I came back and I smile just thinking about her.

[NoraC]

Off to bingo. Ill be back..........

[Lizann]

Happy Sunday morning. Spent most of yesterday just taking it easy. Too hot and humid to do much else. Hubby and I went to see "Sully" yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Spoke to CJ and joe last night. They're doing ok. They start work today on his property. (Sigh).
Mark is leaving this afternoon on business till Thursday. So grown up going on business trips. Anyway off to church in a bit. Have a good one.

[NoraC]

Happy Sunday all.

I didn't see the Elizabeth Vargas interview. But, that line about would die for your children but couldn't stop drinking. Ouch - that hit home.

SK - you seem so much happier now that you decided to move to Texas. I'm so happy for you.

Liz - how are you doing? Are things better at home now?

Pauly - been thinking about you so much.

Love & hugs to everyone. I am home alone with Mom. This NEVER happens. So, I am enjoying some peace & quiet. I hope that everyone is having a fantastic weekend.

[Lizann]

Yes Nora, things are better here at home. No kids home for a couple of days, but like you I am enjoying the peace and quiet. Erin was here for a bit. Believe it or not I started downloading pictures for our 2017 calendar. The kids always loved it and I suggested I wouldn't do it anymore. Well they want it, so I'm doing it. Plus getting ready to do the Christmas cards too. Who knows what's gonna happen when CJ and joe get back so I want to get an early start. I think CJ and joe want an engagement party so we need to squeeze that in somewhere. Well I'm working 5 days this week, 10 hour days. Off to read a bit and watch some patriot football.

Hope everyone is doing ok, it's been a little quiet here. Sweet dreams

[NoraC]

Liz - 5 - 10 hour days. Yuck! Our building at work is going to be closed on Friday - they are tenting it Thursday afternoon. I'm hoping to get out of work by around 3:00. Go home, get Scott and take off for 3 nights down by the beach again. I can think of 100 practical reasons why we shouldn't spend that money on something so frivolous. But, we have decided that our sanity is pretty important. :harhar:

I hope that everyone is ok. Catch you all in the morning.

[aihfl]

I went to my old AA meeting tonight out of morbid curiosity since I had to weed wack the lawn at my old apartment one last time before the landlord returns from her overseas trip. I wasn't going to say anything, but the topic was "Why are you here?" I very honestly said I didn't really know why I was there, and that it was probably morbid curiosity. I went on to say by and large I don't like the people there, I would rather be around people with whom I share common interests, not common problems, that I haven't been to a meeting in four months, I don't miss it and I still haven't drank or abused prescription drugs. Later as we are going around the room a man looks right at me and says, "if you don't love this program, just get the FUCK out." I really shouldn't let people get under my skin this way, but on my way out I told him (he volunteered he's served a lengthy prison sentence) that he was clearly a shitty person when he drank and drugged and clearly he's still a shitty person, then address the room as a whole and said "fact of the matter is, unless people call you "doctor" at your day job or have "esquire" or "CPA" after your last name, I AM better than all of you." I feel sorta bad about saying that last one, but God forgive me, it felt soooo good to say it. I had a bad feeling when I walked in. I should have never gone. As it is, I'll never ever ever ever go to another twelve step meeting again. Ever.

[Lizann]

Aihfl this is why I hesitate to go to meetings.

Nora, go, just go. It's never a waste of money when it's for your sanity. You deserve it! :hug:

[NoraC]

Liz - I forced myself to go to meetings several years ago. Some meetings were good and some were bad. But, it was never going to be in my comfort zone. I knew it wasn't the answer for me. Youu have been doing great and I still think talking to a good therapist could be helpful. It's private and if you are like me, it's easier to open up that way.

[NoraC]

Sorry it was a bad experience , aihfl.

[aihfl]

Liz, unless you want to be in a room for a hour with the true dregs of society including convicted felons, give AA a pass. The entire organization is rotten and it was from the very beginning. Bill Wilson was a womanizing scumbag who himself was tweaked on nicotine, caffeine and LSD. Yes, you heard that right. He thought LSD could be a cure for alcoholism. ANyone who tells you it's not a religious organization is full of it. It's roots were in a Christian organization called the Oxford Group, which had nothing to do with Oxford, they just took the name because they thought it would give the organization street cred.

Nora, I wholeheartedly agree with Liz. Sometimes you just gotta get away even in your own town.

[Rusty]

Good Monday Morning Friends,

I am in a rush to tie up a few loose ends before I leave for Omaha.

Liz-Women For Sobriety (WFS) is an alternative to AA. They don't have 12 steps. Instead, the group has positive affirmations, which I think is a very soothing and compassionate alternative and yet empowers women to feel strong in their quits. AA so stresses powerlessness, NEEDINESS, which I think can lead women to feel much less confident and more isolated than ever. A longtime sober woman I know suggested WFS to me in 2008 after my family confronted me. We don't have any meetings close to where I live but when she was in rehab at Hazelden in Minnesota (where Chevy Chase has just checked into this week), she said they offered WFS as an alternative to people who were not comfortable with AA.

Aihfl-sorry you had a very bad experience with AA. I know it has helped many people but openmindedness is not one of its strong suits on many levels...religion, medication, etc. Thank you again for the time you are taking to share your experiences, helpful sobriety tools, books, etc.:welldone:

I saw the 20/20 segment with Elizabeth Vargas. Very well done. I was moved by her admission in an interview with a woman in recovery who is also a renowned sobriety expert, and Elizabeth tells this woman, "I think I am an alcoholic," and the woman says, "I am so sorry!" Elizabeth said she felt such relief and felt this women's compassion for her because most people would have said, "UGH....you're an alcoholic...ew...what a loser..." or something like that. I so agree. The People Magazine article is outstanding as well. I also saw The View interview in 2014 with Barbara Walters where Elizabeth is talking about how she would try and hide her drinking problem at ABC, and that nobody there knew, and Barbara Walters blurts out, "We all knew," and Elizabeth is stunned and hurt and says, "No you didn't!!!!!!!!" In that People Magazine article, there is a picture of Barbara and Elizabeth and the hurt look on EV's face was when Barbara said that. Barbara should have kept her mouth shut and not humiliated her like she did. EV talked about that in another interview...saying BW's statement did humiliate her. Poor thing.

I have to run so big hellos to Pauly, Nora, Skendall, Glassie, Mama, AG, TMH, NS, Techie, et al. Happy Monday!