Newbies Nest

[MinStar]

Newbies Nest

Thanks.. still not had a drink but really want a glass of wine. I am going to finish off dinner so I am really tempted!

[K9Lover]

Newbies Nest

Hello Nesters and welcome MinStar!

Another boring Tuesday morning for me, been at work for 2 hours and it feels like I?ve been sitting here for 2 weeks. LOL It?s definitely time to look into a job change!
I am on day 222 for this year, with so many stops and starts I can?t even keep track. All I know is that I?ve done better this year than any other, and next year I plan to have 365 AF days!

Last night kept busy with cooking and sitting down to dinner with my daughter (does it annoy anyone else that it takes 45 minutes or more to cook dinner, then it?s over in 10 minutes? Lol) Then sat down and watched Michael Jackson?s documentary This Is It?I?m assuming it was on in conjunction with his doctor being convicted. It still saddens me that he had so many demons in his life, and was surrounded by so many enablers.

This weekend it?s supposed to rain and I?m looking forward to it! Need to get to the library and get some books, I?m running dangerously low (I like to have at least 3 ?waiting? for me. What a nerd I am. Lol)

I hope everyone has a great day and stays strong! Remember that drinking thoughts are just that?thoughts, and that a craving will never last as long as a hangover!

K9

[windy]

Newbies Nest

MinStar -- DON'T DO IT.....

Finish you dinner and eat until you are completely satisfied. don't leave any room for wine in your stomach. Read a good book; take a bath; anything...but not what's going through your head. You would not be here if that's what you want.. You will be so happy to wake up in the morning with an AF day behind you.

What is your Plan?? What are your long term goals?. Write them down...hell write them down here so that you can look at them later IF this situation comes up again. Having a good plan in place and writing it down is of upmost importance. It's the key to your sobriety. Also key: Honesty. And honestly you know you don't want to do it.

Stay on here and keep reading all that you can until the urge passes. Have you visited the Tool Box yet? That will keep you busy for awhile for sure.

[FreeFly]

Newbies Nest

K9Lover;1205364 wrote:

I hope everyone has a great day and stays strong! Remember that drinking thoughts are just that?thoughts, and that a craving will never last as long as a hangover!

K9

Listen to K9 Minstar - she knows what she's talking about. It's just the AL talking! Ignore, ignore ignore!

[MinStar]

Newbies Nest

Thanks K9, CantBelieveImStillAtIt and Windy.
I have been looking through the Tools Section. Hard to do it all in one sitting with a little one. Lol- Now that she is asleep I will go back to it. I also read about making a plan- I have not sat down and thought about it really, let alone write down what I want. I'm wondering if I have not thought about it as a form of denial or as a sign that I am not ready.
The hard thing is there is a few bottles of wine in the house- I know if there wasn;t I wouldnt be thinking about it so much. I am still staying strong though!
Any tips on how you guys got your plans together? Is everyone completely AF or have some gone back to Sensible Al consumption. At the moment I just want to be AF free totally!
Tell me it gets easier! I'm sitting here alone-Hubby train delayed and I would normally make myself a drink. I am rambling....
Many thanks again guys!

[mightymite]

Newbies Nest

Hey Minstar, hang in there and just get through today. Each today adds up and you start feeling so much better. I am on day 17 af. When I first started I bought myself a notebook that was just for me. I then went on to the tools site and wrote down everything that pertained to me or really meant something to me. Then I made a list of reasons why I wanted to quit and the pros and cons. I add to it from time to time when something pops into my head. When I am feeling vulnerable I take it out and read through it. I am completely af because I know that I cannot mod. I have tried many times in the past and have failed. I am not sure how someone can mod if they have a problem. Just my opinion. I don't want to fight with myself everyday by saying, ok I'll just have one glass or just two glasses. Because that's not fun. I want the whole bottle. But to each his own. I have had ups and downs since being af and sometimes I just want that wine. But today I feel great and I think I can do this and you can too. It really helps getting your plan and tools together. And keep on this site. These people are so wise and caring and helpful.

[MinStar]

Newbies Nest

Thanks Mightymite! I hear you on not being able to mod. I think I need to go completely AF. 8.30pm and not hankering for a glass!
It is nice to know I am not alone in this.

[mightymite]

Newbies Nest

That's great! Keep it up. We are all in this together. It's a nice feeling to know you can come here and talk to those that understand.

[timpin]

Newbies Nest

Hi MinStar

Like all the others, I say hang in there. Great to hear you're not hankering for the glass of wine now. 1 to you and nil to the demon in your head, You just won your first battle with it !

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Sniff, sniff....it does a nest mother proud to see her babies helping each other...the torch is being passed! I couldn't be more proud of everyone here for sharing and helping each other. What a special place this is. This is HARD, and nobody understands unless you have walked that mile. Well done to all who have kicked AL out of their lives today. Only good things will result. If you got thru the last hour, you can get thru the next one. Byrdie

[gregorino]

Newbies Nest

Right you are Ms Byrdie - Watching our fledglings helping each other out is a beautiful thing indeed!

Kudos especially to Mighty - very nice response to MinStar!

Lilla - Awesome job on making through the first three days. Hang in there - it's a bumpy ride in the beginning, but it does gets better - MUCH better!

Mighty - way to go weathering the storm; now you are more confident and AL is weaker than before - remember how to do that!

MinStar - Welcome aboard! Hope you made it through Day One OK....come to the Nest as often as you can, tell us all about you and how your plan is coming. You can do this and we will give you all the support and encouragement we can. Just look at all the folks here who were on their own Day One just 4, 7, or 13 days ago!

Windy - Happy to hear your little one is OK and that you did not use that as an excuse to drink. You are growing stronger every day and it clearly shows! I am proud of you Girl!

Belle - LOL! Heads up the Arse Club - I love that! I bet you're gonna see that again!

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

I totally agree Byrdie!!!!!

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great day. I've been very, very busy but that's very, very good for my business. No time for AL in my life

Min Star- how about getting the wine out of the house? Give it to a friend, dump it, whatever. If you leave it sitting there it will continue to call to you. Sounds like you have a young baby ~ your priority needs to be there & being a healthy & safe Mom.

I'm stitching up a cute raspberry hooded sweatshirt with a metalic silver horse on the front. Some little girl is going to be happy receiving this shirt Well, at least I hope so :H

[gregorino]

Newbies Nest

Good Evening Ms Lav - I dont think I have told you how much I appreciate you lately. You are always here, day and night; always steady and sensible. You are the glue that holds The Nest together! :h

Hello Again Timpin - How's it been going? Where are you at now? 5 days? Tell us more!

Hello K-9! Hey Can'tBelieve!

Praire - I am big time into supplements as well. I told my doc I was an alkie and he said, "Ahh, you're just depressed and anxious- here's a script for Lexapro" I spent 10 minutes researching the drug on the Internet and tore up the script. When I first started and had just finished Roberta's book, I "thought" I needed drugs to complete the program correctly. My doc wouldn't prescribe Topomax for me, so I ordered some from an offshore pharmacy. But by the time it came, and based on the suggestion of my Nest Mum, I realized I didn't need to include that. As Byrdie said, why do a drug to get off a drug? So, I just sent the Topo back - never even opened the box.
There are aspects of this approach that I personally feel ARE essential, and supplements are definitely one - AL does indeed wreak havoc on our physical bodies (as well as on our mental capacities), and we are prone to doing much better in the initial stages of detox if we use the recommended supps. I am also a fan of cleansing - colon and liver especially. The colon cleanse will allow us to better absorb the supplements, and the liver cleanse - well, that goes without saying, right?!
And of course, we gotta have hypnotherapy - I know Lav is a big fan, but i worry sometimes that newbies skip over that one. Alcoholism has both physical AND mental components. We need to get into that subconscious, as it is the seat of all habitual behavior, and give it a good talking to! And the CD's will do just that. I think I figured that is was less than two weeks worth of my daily booze budget! Truly a bargain!

[Prairie Fairy]

Newbies Nest

I love the Hypnos. I am actually thinking about doing one of his custom 5 mixes. Know it's expensive - but if I can really improve not just the AL freedom but how I receive the world - better able to handle stressors - then maybe my subconscious can fight this on a more holistic basis.

And I can tell you - in all seriousness - the GABA/amino/Glutamine combo has saved my proverbial bacon more times than I can count. It just quiets the monkey chatter to a dull roar.

[BlondeAFAmbition]

Newbies Nest

Hi All,

Welcome MiniStar! You are on the right track and well done on not giving into your craving today. It will get easier, trust me. I was able to get a couple of AF months under my belt in January/Feb and some of March of this year then I slipped. Tried again in early summer for almost 2 weeks and then slipped again. Now I'm back in action and at 7 days...looking forward to getting into the double digits again! The support here is amazing as you can see!

K9Lover, your post stating: " Remember that drinking thoughts are just that…thoughts, and that a craving will never last as long as a hangover! really clicked with me tonight. I have had a very successful AF day today, but I did get a wave of cravings towards the end of my work day. I was hungry and getting ready to head home when I started thinking how nice a glass of red wine would be and some great cheese to go with it. I even went so far as to visualize the exact store I would stop in and the bottle I would purchase. Man, I am glad I got passed that one...it was a close call! It's really scary how those cravings creep up on us but I knew I wasn't going to drink today and that's what got me through. I will remember your words that a craving will never last as long as a hangover because it is so true! Thank you for that.

I ended up picking up some groceries and heading home. Weather was so nice that althought it was pitch black out at 6PM, I took the dog for a spin around the block, came home and did a short but intense ab workout (yes, I am going to get my flat tummy back after all this boozing for the past 20 years!), and then had a big salad for dinner. I'm moving over to a raw, vegan diet, now that I am booze free, it's easier to make healthy food choices. Oh, and as for supplements, my current daily list contains the following: a great multi vitamin that contains super foods and probiotics in one formula, (Rainbow Light Women's One), Vitamin D3 by Country Life, flax seed oil by Barlene's, garlic (Kyolic formula 100), Fish oil (Nordic Naturals), Bonita (this is a supplement with extra Biotin and other vitamins, MSM, herbs, etc., which is great for hair, skin and nails). This time of year, I also take a few spoonfuls of elderberry syrup to fend off any colds. By the way, I work in a healthfood store and get most of my supplements from free samples...whooohoooo! I want to add Milk Thistle to the list and have taken that on and off for a while. Kyolic makes a great garlic formula called Detox and Anti-Aging which contains Milk Thistle among other things. I have always taken a good array of supplements thoughout my adult life, even when drinking them away with several glasses of wine each day. But know I feel like the supplements are really doing their job since I'm not washing them away with booze!

Hope all the newbies are safely nestled in for a peaceful, sober night. We'll all be doing great in the morning waking up hangover free.