Newbies Nest

[Dogwood Blossom]

Newbies Nest

Good morning all. Day 4 for me. Got up this morning and went for a run with a friend for the first time in awhile and I could feel it! But it's great to feel the discomfort of physical exertion rather than the misery of a hangover! Hangovers SUCK! :xxx:

Good for you Hitting40 on being totally there at your meeting. It feels so good to not have to hide. You to AllanKay!

Iama - I struggle with sleep whether drinking or sober, but I can guarantee that once I get a few days behind me, my sleep will be better! When I am asleep, it's deep and not fitful like with the AL!

Good to see so many on here. I pray for everyone a blessed and AF day!

LET'S DO THIS! :cheering:

[Dogwood Blossom]

Newbies Nest

Alcoholic - You know there's only one way to get past the withdrawal and that's to put one more day behind you AF! One day at a time. I'm sorry you feel so bad but it is going to get better!

[Starfish1]

Newbies Nest

Happy Tuesday, Nestmates

First of all, a big ?Hats off? or should I say ?Hats on? to Running Courage! This is FANTABULOUS! You have fought the good fight and won a whole month of the sober life- what a prize (besides a stunning hat)! :wd: Thank you for your example and thank you for being a part of this nest. RC, you have added a dimension to the nest that I have never seen before and I have really enjoyed getting to know you. I hope you stick around a while!

To all who read the ?Seven Monkees? letter and commented upon it ? I am glad you found it worthwhile. I just can?t get it out of my mind, honestly and I am going to read it again today. It has helped me realize a few new things about the process of getting sober and has reinforced other thoughts that I have heard, right here in this nest. I think I will get a lot of use out of this information and hope some others do also.

Belle Girl- my thoughts and prayers are with you- thanks for keeping us posted. You are doing great!

Dottie- I am so happy you are feeling so much better. I think your little doggies are so proud of you they keep wetting their pants!
ops!:

Kuya- I too am enjoying the benefits of your medical expertise. I am definitely learning from you. Thanks

Allan- So proud for you and so happy. Wow! Is your life turning around or WHAT? Way to go!
:rockon:

Blondie- so glad to have you back in the nest with us. I have always enjoyed reading your positive posts. You always seem to bring out the best in the nest! Welcome home!:l

To all the rest of the gang (old and new)- Thanks for being here! No matter if we are on day 1 ( a whole gang of you), Day 30, like RC or ?ancient? like Lav, Byrdie, Lolab, K9, Belle, etc?.you add an immeasurable value to this nest and I don?t know what I would do without you!

:h Star

[Dottie Belle]

Newbies Nest

Morning all,
Star that was so funny....
Off to run some errands...must get ready for back to work tomorrow..bleh....ugh...
But I am doing better so maybe I am over that hump at 16 days...I know it will not be easy but I do think doable with the support I get here and at home...dh is not drinking either..he can take it or leave it and is supporting me in this....he is a good fellow most of the time...;-))
Back later
Dottie

[Dogwood Blossom]

Newbies Nest

Oh yeah, congratulations Running Courage! WAY TO GO!

[iamaquitter28]

Newbies Nest

Lolab I did go out this morning and get L-glut and some tryptophan. I am hoping between the two things will get easier. The little voice in my head is already trying to convince me to hit the store and it's only 11:15 am here. This usually doesn't happen until later in the day. I am trying to fight through. My plan for today is to change my way of thinking and trying to remember why it is that I decided it is my time. I am going to make a list of those reasons and read it over anytime I get that craving. I am having a really rough time right now though.

[lolab]

Newbies Nest

hey iama - different things work for different people and at different stages along the way...at one point it became really helpful for me to go with the thought for a few minutes...."ok...so I go and buy some...I KNOW I won't have just a little like I keep telling myself...and I won't wait until later tonight - so the damage is minimal...like I keep telling myself...I will open it right when I get home "just to have a little"...."

so follow the scenario through in your mind. What are you hoping to get accomplished today that you know that you won't, if you drink. I would think " well, if I got some vodka or wine, I would open it when I got home - I would have a drink...it would be gone sooner than I'd want it to be...so I'd have another. In an hour, I'd be feeling kind of fuzzy - doing that walking in circles kind of thing around the house...not really getting anything done, that I wanted to do. I'd start dinner prep late - I'd feel funny aruond my son wondering if he could tell, and if he asked me to take him anywhere which he probably will, I'd either risk driving drunk or make up something and he'd be upset. I'd sit around - not get anything picked up - not do any laundry - - not clean up the kitchen after dinner - not paint the bathroom - not visit my SIL i n the hospital - just waiting until bedtime so I could end this day. Then I'd wake up for sure in the middle of the night. My cold would be worse because I drank - and probably snored- I'd feel guilty and have an awful headache - and about the time I fell back to sleep - (unless there is AL left and I go down to drink some more to try to go back to sleep) it would be time to get up. I'd go downstairs to a mess - have to make lunch - feel like crap - look like crap - have to take my kid to school - come home and either start all over again - or waste yet another day feeling like a pile of sh!t.

Usually by that time, i can stop myself from going down that road.

Sometimes complete avoidance of the thought is what works? And sometimes it's seeing it in all it's disgusting detail...

[Starfish1]

Newbies Nest

Hey IMA. I know about the early cravings. I would hate to tally up all the "liquid" lunches I have had over the years. Is there anyway you could go ahead and eat your lunch right now?
Can you just have a nice big lunch and get so full you can't even think of drinking? I promise that will help! Let me know how it goes- I am pulling for you!

P.S. How come it seems like we talk about LUNCH all the time now? And everytime I bring it up, I feel like my post is X rated! LOL

[Sharky]

Newbies Nest

Hanging in Day 3 and feeling great. Awesome work out this am which really helps my mental state - gain confidence. Good luck everyone today!

[RunningCourage]

Newbies Nest

iamaquitter28;1393568 wrote: Lolab I did go out this morning and get L-glut and some tryptophan. I am hoping between the two things will get easier. The little voice in my head is already trying to convince me to hit the store and it's only 11:15 am here. This usually doesn't happen until later in the day. I am trying to fight through. My plan for today is to change my way of thinking and trying to remember why it is that I decided it is my time. I am going to make a list of those reasons and read it over anytime I get that craving. I am having a really rough time right now though.

Hey iama (and everyone else!), don't know if this will help, but when i first came here determined to change my relationship with AL, i thought about those famous folk i admire / like and started making a list of all those who were t-totallers.

You see, i have a bad habit (although it can also be applied positively) of trying to reflect others' lives in mine if i think their lives are 'attractive' in some way. So for example, i sued to smoke and drink a lot in bars, and as a young man in their early twenties actually relished the low, hoarsey throat the following morning and feeling bedraggled. I mean, if Jack Kerouac and Tom Waits lived like this, then hell, so should i. I want to emulate them.

But that's a load of croc. Because i aint them. I'm me. Sure i admire, them, but i don't need to pretend to be like them. So i researched folks i admire who are sober, for whatever reason (cos they're sports stars; cos it just don't do it for them; because they've lived the drug and drink addled live and decided sobriety's a bit more fun)...

Some of these folks, for me, are Tom Waits, Anthony Hopkins, Ewan McGregor, Andy Murray, Tilda Swinton... there are more. And sometimes it helps to think, well, they can lead highly fulfilling lives without the need of AL... Well, no reason why i might not be able to do so also...

RC

[Fin]

Newbies Nest

iamaquitter28;1393568 wrote: Lolab I did go out this morning and get L-glut and some tryptophan. I am hoping between the two things will get easier. The little voice in my head is already trying to convince me to hit the store and it's only 11:15 am here. This usually doesn't happen until later in the day. I am trying to fight through. My plan for today is to change my way of thinking and trying to remember why it is that I decided it is my time. I am going to make a list of those reasons and read it over anytime I get that craving. I am having a really rough time right now though.

'
Hang tough!!! You CAN do this. The list is a great idea. I have an old post I go back to where I summarized the positive changes that I've experienced AF. Works wonders. My challenge today / tonight is that I have my fist gig where I'll be 100% AF. I normally need 2-3 IPA primers before getting on stage. Holy shit, this is gonna be a wild ride but I'm totally psyched and up for the challenge. Being totally sober, I'm sure I'll play better...I mean, I don't want this to happen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr4zEd__wjo&feature=related[/video]]How Not To Stagedive - YouTube

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Fin!!! Don't stage dive! At least that other guitarist looked down to check on the poor guy...

I had a list of my Post #'s...where I said how awful I felt after a tumble, and that if I had a do-over, I'd sure take it. It helped me many times.... If nobody else's words could talk me out of it, sometimes my own words could. There is just one thing that taking a drink will help...the addiction. Lola is referring to Addiction Head...Dick Head, for short. This is the head that will tell you anything to make you cave. "Have you lost weight?' Let's celebrate! ' You just completed 2 days! That's proof right there you don't have a problem!' 'What was all the fuss about??? You ARE controlling it!' This is Dick Head at its finest. Don't fall for it...it IS a trick. Dick Head is smart....but make no mistake...he IS the enemy. Anything your mind tells you that is contrary to reaching your AF goals is DH. I had a very long relationship with him, so if you have any questions...

Star, you are killing me....LUNCH!!! It'll never be the same for us!!! XXOO, B

[allankay]

Newbies Nest

RC, that is so strange but that is exactly how I felt when I first started. I really like Gerard Butler. And like me he didn’t have a full blown dependency on alcohol but every time he drank he either embarrassed himself, blacked out or did something dangerous. I too could go without AL for days, even weeks, however, the first time I get a chance I would drink until I passed out. There was never a 1 drink scenario for me.

ALLAN

[Alcoholic]

Newbies Nest

Ima: I also had to resist the alcohol aisle this am while getting a salad for lunch at a grocery store.

[iamaquitter28]

Newbies Nest

Thank you all for your kind wisdom! I hope that one day I can reach the 30 day, or even 15 day mark. It is such a struggle and no matter how many times I fail I know I'll get this eventually. Alcoholic, I'm so glad that you passed that aisle up. That is a huge step in the right direction for you! Congrats. Lolab and Byrdie you ladies are amazing! I envy you. All of your wisdom and support is beyond words so thank you! RC, I am terrible at watching TV shows and wishing that that was my life (not that my life is bad). I watch these families carrying on with their normal days and never once picking up a drink or falling down drunk. I'm jealous of TV families, LOL. Everyone else, I hope you are making it through today with a smile on your face and no AL in your body!