Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

[IamMary]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Hello, and well done JC, 6 weeks already, that flew!

Hope your Aunts new place is nice and she's happy there. Old age is a funny thing, affects everyone so differently.
Wonder how Satz's mammys doing...

Rant alert (from the world out here only): sick of one way conversations with certain people. Ive actually given up trying to engage now because as soon as the conversation is not relevant, eyes glaze over. So I'm will nod politely and say 'really' in all the right places. Maybe send them a summary text at the end of the week. :rant:

[JackieClaire]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Thanks for the kudos, loves. Thoroughly recommend it but make you sure you're well into your alcohol free time.............think I let it go on too long but it only really dawned on me recently how addicted I was when I was getting up in the middle of the night for a ciggie.

Just had SIL and our two nieces here bringing me more pressies...........lovely girls 17 and 19. 17 year old destined for Cambridge later this year doing something very clever......

Is it not the kind of occasion when you just say...........'That's nice' now and again. Texting was invented for this kind of situaton

[IamMary]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Which was more difficult JC, cigs or booze? Now that you have a good bit of distance from the fags??

How's your Aunt?

[kuya]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

I hope you don't need it but just in case JC get in some melatonin (online from Biorecovery is cheap as chips).

When I was a couple months into my quit I got really, really low and melatonin (which I had from way back) snapped me right out of it in hours. It was blind luck and desperation and was on the morning I had booked an appointment with the doc for antidepressants.....took the pill at 9am and by the time I saw him it was like a lightbulb had been switched on and I was fine again after a full week to ten days of ever deepening misery.

[kuya]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Which was more difficult JC, cigs or booze? Now that you have a good bit of distance from the fags??

FYI for me Mary fags were by FAR the worst!

[IamMary]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Yea kuya, a lot of people say that. The initial cold turkey was probably worse on the fags (had to ween myself off the gum too ffs!) but then I just drank more wine.
I'd be 100% confident to say I'd never smoke again. I'd love to have the same confidence with AL. If I am honest.

[tonyniceday]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

I'm not sure what to think about quitting smoking...I know I'm not ready to right now, and as I have said in the nest it is actually a part of my quit plan for al to go outside and have a fag if I want a drink so now is definitely not the right time for me to stop smoking but I intend to in due course.

I've been thinking about it a lot since the conversation in the nest and I think the other side is that I am actually smoking less since quitting Al. I've noticed that I'm not smoking a full pack every day so that every 3 or 4 days I don't need to buy any...I think that the 2 are therefore linked partly.

Also I think that when I do quit smoking it's far less likely that a friend who smokes will say to me "oh go on, just have one"!!!

[kuya]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

I'm not sure what to think about quitting smoking...I know I'm not ready to right now, and as I have said in the nest it is actually a part of my quit plan for al to go outside and have a fag if I want a drink so now is definitely not the right time for me to stop smoking but I intend to in due course.

I've been thinking about it a lot since the conversation in the nest and I think the other side is that I am actually smoking less since quitting Al. I've noticed that I'm not smoking a full pack every day so that every 3 or 4 days I don't need to buy any...I think that the 2 are therefore linked partly.

Also I think that when I do quit smoking it's far less likely that a friend who smokes will say to me "oh go on, just have one"!!!

Oh so true..... rarely does anyone push you to smoke nowadays.....unlike booze.

Unlike you my smoking accelerated dramatically when I quit drinking. I was a smokeaholic who also drank.

Like you Mary I can say with certainty that I will NEVER dare you ouch a fag again, but less certain with booze, sadly.

[satz123]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Yea kuya, a lot of people say that. The initial cold turkey was probably worse on the fags (had to ween myself off the gum too ffs!) but then I just drank more wine.
I'd be 100% confident to say I'd never smoke again. I'd love to have the same confidence with AL. If I am honest.

Oh so true..... rarely does anyone push you to smoke nowadays.....unlike booze.

Unlike you my smoking accelerated dramatically when I quit drinking. I was a smokeaholic who also drank.

Like you Mary I can say with certainty that I will NEVER dare you ouch a fag again, but less certain with booze, sadly.

Girls girls girls .............. what is this ?? :egad:
As Tony said it is the blase way people say 'just have one' to alcohol - it's more difficult.

I am such a stubborn cow and so PROUD and thankful I've been able to stop drinking and smoking - and constantly feel sorry for those who do - I'll never do either again.

[JackieClaire]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Morning lovely AAAers

Which was more difficult JC, cigs or booze? Now that you have a good bit of distance from the fags??

Crikey, missus that's a difficult one..............I could be glib and say I was ready on both occasions..........but I don't think it was that. With the drinking 2008 into 2009 was a series of planned drinking with big chunks of sober time in the middle..............but things like an emergency dentist trying to give me those anti-biotics that make you violently sick when you drink and I asked for something different and he replied .................its not my fault you're addicted to alcohol......made me feel so ashamed. I made a complete tool of myself at one of Uncle's 90th birthday and a cousin .........who'd been in and out of re-hab like I'd been in and out of Tesco rang to tell me. Loads of things piling up. I'd go to AA come straight out of a meeting into a pub and down 2 double vodkas and pretend I was sober when I got home............I got to the point that my life had no point.........I had to give up or I would die either from the alcohol or by my own hand...........I chose life.

Alcoholism doesn't get better..........I was dying mentally and physically. Now I love sobriety. Embrace it, know that we're the lucky ones to get out of the Hell hole.

The no smoking has been coming on for ages............I've had multiple chest infections over the last 5 years, I use inhalers but as stubborn as I was with drinking I had decided that I was going to be one of those auld biddies that smoked into her dotage............well bit of a shock there...........went for a spirometer (think that's what its called) and found out the risk of me getting COPD was huge...........in fact I was borderline. Did I want to end up like my next door neighbour's mother hefting about an oxygen tank wherever she went or give up the fags............now I'm not going to say I love not smoking............I kind of miss it.....the sneaky fag outside where the best gossip is keeps coming to mind....but I can walk for miles now, I no longer stop for breath half way up the stairs, I can run for a bus and that's just in 6 weeks.

I had a month on the champix before deciding that my moods were all over the place and ditched it, didn't use the patches, got a spray thing and an e-ciggie that comes out in emergencies..........which is not very often because I can never find the blessed thing and by the time I have its not worth it.

Anyway I'm not sure what was easiest............both were going to kill me prematurely.

But the thing is I don't feel deprived of either which I used to in previous quits.......hope that made some sense.

[mario]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

I in an awful hurry here so just a quick hi & bye,

[IamMary]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Morning.
In the hairdresser, so on my phone. I won't attempt to multi quote :happy2:

Great posts this morning..

Satz.. I've no intention of drinking and when I visualise myself in years to come, it's without al. But, those romantic thoughts still linger. And you and kuya said it, no one is going to push a cigarette on us, we can be publically proud of that achievement.

And maybe it bacause I didn't make a fool of myself at my uncles 90th! That I didn't have the same rock bottom as you did JC, that the window has been left open, ever so slightly. I don't want to go back to those days, ever.. that's why being here ever day keeps the memories fresh and keeps me grounded and grateful.

[stirly-girly]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Alcoholism doesn't get better..........I was dying mentally and physically. Now I love sobriety. Embrace it, know that we're the lucky ones to get out of the Hell hole.

Good morning Troopers and Happy Saturday!! inkele:

What Jackie said about the drinking. The dying both mentally and physically part. God, I am so glad to have that nightmare behind me. It's just so frigging tiring when your whole day, indeed, all your thoughts centre around that first drink, if you've got enough stashed away, when can we leave this party so I can get smashed in private. Oh, the list goes on and on. All of that is gone and will NEVER be part of my life again. As Satz said - I know I will never drink again. It's as simple as that and literally it is. AL has no place in my life, in my body. Period. I lived in the hell of being addicted long enough to know that I will never go back to that again.

Jackie - huge congrats on quitting the smokes. I know you have tried before and I think you weren't ready, as you said. This time, it sounds like you've made up your mind and as we all know, that is a big part of quitting. Great job!!

KTAB - I have had a few drinking dreams myself but funny enough, I wasn't drinking in them, just trying to hide the bottles - both full and empty. Each time I woke up feeling so horrible from the dream but also so bloody relieved that that is no longer part of my life. Things are just so, so much better without the hassle of AL, in every single way.

Mario-man - a belated Happy Birthday to you and best wishes for many, many more to come.

Satz - hope your studies are going well. I'd love to know - have you learned any of the Greek language? Will you be able to wow the locals on your next vacation in Greece?

A big Hello! to the rest of the army!! Wishing you all a great day!!

[IamMary]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Just to add.. every little story people share, that dentist, sneaking into the pub.. Mario checking for all his bits the next day, Tony able to feed Scotland in this kitchen without wine.. adds another little brick of determination in the wall (of freedom).
Stubborn rocks Satz.

[IamMary]

Re: Join the Army Against Alcohol - April 2017

Crossed posts Stirls, good to see you. Hope your not working too hard!!