Newbies Nest

[JackDanielsGirl]

Newbies Nest

Morning all,

It gonna be a great AF day! You know as I lay down last night I though how wonderful it is not to be afraid that my fam might stumble upon my stash and pour it out, or having to get up in the middle of the night for a nerve calming drink when insomnia struck.

AF life is really good and it gets better day after day.

Proud to say my first AF holiday in many moons, and 3rd WE in a row. Whoop Whoop!

WE are kicking AL but! Go MWO team.

Good to see G, Hadit, Glass, SS, little beagle, un, Tess 2, and anyone I missed.

Be on guard, as days sober tick off, AL is doing push ups and trying to find a way to convince us that just one is ok, we all know that is a lie. Don't fall for it.
JDG

[thelaststraw]

Newbies Nest

Yes, be on guard. As AL knows when it "has us in it's grip" it pretty much doesn't waste energy trying to get us into it's control because we were already there.

But, for us who don't want it around anymore, it works harder to get us back into it's control. It will stop at nothing to convince us to come back into a relationship with it.

Be on guard. Maybe think of the way a person whom you want to "break up with" tries harder to get back into your good graces when they messed up so many times (lied, cheated, abused, stole, ....) that you'd had enough and told them to get out of your life. They were not good for you and you wanted them to leave you alone. Well, they do whatever they can think of to win you back....I have been there....it's a real torment.

Well, AL the creep is the same way.

Be on guard.

-S-

[Destiniey]

Newbies Nest

Thanks so much for the well wishes......each and every one mean soooo much!:thanks: The most important thing is a support team and I have definitely learned that here! Looking back through my old posts I realize that I NEVER want to feel like that again! I will definitley share my journey so that I can hopefully help anyone out there that is suffering from this nasty demon I call the "beast". :devil: I never thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel but a good friend on here (K9) once said to me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train Ha! I am living proof that life is a much better place sober!
Keep up the good work everyone! I am heading off to my AA meeting where I am the topic leader this morning!
Happy AF Saturday to everyone!

[Donehere]

Newbies Nest

Good morning nesters, bad news, my computer is still a pain, good news day 10AF.
I was at my 3 1/2 yr old granddaughters first soccer practice, boy was it cold, we had frost. I had to leave for I started coughing, see I have a lung condition that is rather rare, so when I cough I just want to be alone. When that happens I also want a glass of wine to literally drown my sorrows of self pity.
Right now it is easy not drinking for I cannot afford to, but I have a settlement coming soon and I am afraid I do not have what it takes anymore.
As I have said, I have no problem stopping,it is the starting I cannot stop. After 10 days why do I think so much about drinking. The other times I quit I was not so focused on AL, mind you I thought I could moderate and used excuses to start. I know if I truely wanted to drink I would, but I do not wish to (I think)
How do we know, and why am I wrestling with this so much.
thankyou nesters, I would like to say welcome to all who are also new and trying to stay on this steep, icy road that swings and throws nasty curves at us.
I also never thought about marinated food, that is one thing my family and friends would not do, we all are our own Liquor Control Board, I wish mine was on permanent hiatis.

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Good Morning, Nesters!
It's a beautiful day in NC today! Nary a cloud in the sky and the weatherman has promised temps in the mid 70's!

I found that one of the best ways for me to fill the vacuum of time was to put myself in the service of others....I know this sounds sappy....and no one could be more cynical and sarcastic than I....but I took a couple things that I like to do and shared them. I baked cakes for neighbors who weren't expecting it. I took my dog to a couple nursing homes...I offered to take some neighbors to drs appointments. It was small stuff, but it took me outside of myself and made me feel good. It's easy to throw a pity party with all this extra time on our hands, so if you can give some time to someone who has it even worse, then so much the better. It got me over the hump more than once. Nowadays, I don't know how I did all that....like anything else, the time is absorbed and you adjust to the new routine!!

Stay the course eva'body!!! Don't give in no matter what and no matter who! Guard your quit as if it were a pot of gold!! Happy Sattidy! Byrdie

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Donehere, it sounds like you are in the BARGAINING stage of grief with regards to AL. Ending this relationshipwith AL is traumatic. You go thru all 5 of the stages of grief when giving it up. Anger. This is what brought you here. 'I'm NEVER drinking again' I can't believe what I've done to myself! 'I can't believe I'm in this situation!"
DENIAL. I don't really have as bad a problem as these other people....look how much they drink and they're ok! What was all the fuss about?? I must have been over reacting! Surely I was!! BARGAINING. Maybe I'll try to moderate! If I can just drink on weekends, I'll be ok. I don't think I was actually that bad, I'll make some new rules and everything will be ok. Even if I drink a little, I will never go back to how bad I was.... DEPRESSION. This is where the gravity of the problem sinks in...you've been a while without AL, and yes, things are better, but the pull of it's still there. Will this ever go away? Will I always have to fight this hard? Is THIS all there is???? And finally, ACCEPTANCE. This is where you want to be. You KNOW that you cannot drink normally. Ever. And that's ok. Because AL takes you somewhere you never want to go again. It makes you a different person...an addicted person. Someone who lies and sneaks around...someone led around by the short hairs by a bottle. You accept that this is the way you need to be to LIVE! And that's ok. It is no longer a battle of IF or WHEN....you take that choice off the table. There is a wonderful PEACE in your mind about it. Acceptance takes some time to get to, but it's worth it. Work thru these stages, and stay the course. You will never regret it. Byrdie

[psytrancer]

Newbies Nest

Day 10

A hearty good day to all from Montreal. It's a damp, cool overcast spring morning at +9C, so the heater is cranked up, hot coffee is at the ready and I'm here to perch in the nest for a bit for my Day 10 AF check-in.

All continues to go well. Several improvements since my Day 7 check-in are that the intense dreams have stopped, the insomnia is all but gone and a more youthful face with bright eyes smiles back at me from the bathroom mirror in the morning.

My prayer for myself and for all of us today is for presence - for the power and ability to let go of the past and the future and stand in the moment and create a life worth living - complete, whole & unbroken.

[Tess-2]

Newbies Nest

Good Morning All, (Well, it's about 9:00 on Saturday morning in this corner of the world.)

Lots of chirping in The Nest this morning, which I love. We are Team MWO!! :boxer:It takes a team to beat alcohol.

I laugh at Jennie's post about germs being sterilized by the alcohol in our bodies. I can just picture it: germs invade our (previously) drunken bodies, begin to float in alcohol, and quickly retreat to feed on someone who is sober. Too funny!! :H Hey, I'm not a doctor (far from it), but this "chain of events" seems perfectly logical to me :exclaimation:

My life is also at an in-between stage: I've finished my studies, will soon graduate, and then be off to work. In the meantime, I sometimes struggle with filling the hours. I was so accustomed to ALWAYS needing to study. There was always some darn paper to write or project to complete by the deadline. So... I've become a bit of a MWO junkie. But I can certainly think of worse ways to spend my time!!

Stay safe this weekend, Dear Nesters. Drive safely. Be aware that many folks are partying and then getting behind the wheel. So dangerous!!

Tuesday morning will be so much fun when we can chirp about being sober and safe and happy and triumphant over alcohol. :rockon:

[halo]

Newbies Nest

Hope everyone is having a wonderful memorial weekend!
I have been reading all the posts and am finding such a remarkable strength and clarity from everyone's posts: from the new newbies psy's reflections to jenniech's list of memorial day activities she is going to enjoy AF! Thankyou all for taking the time to share.

Last night, a friend of mine told me that he mentioned to a wife of one of his friends that I have decided to stop drinking (we both have busy, busy children (is there another kind:H) of the same age), and that it has been almost three months. He told me her response was shock and she said , "is she crazy, I could never do that, I would never want to do that, I need wine to relax after a busy day." When he told me her response, I realized that I would have said those exact same words before I found the MWO and began my AF life and I realized since I began my new AF journey, how far I've come in regards to my attitude and relationship towards alcohol.

After reading Byrdie's stages, I am thrilled that I may be finally entering the acceptance stage, thanks to the nest and the montly AF thread. Both have been incredibly helpful, and have made me realize that AL use and abuse does NOT have to be the norm (the norm that society perpetuates).In fact, we do have the power to make a different,better choice, no matter how difficult.... :l

[NoSugar]

Newbies Nest

Hi, Halo.

Isn't it crazy that we thought we drank to relax? I am so much more relaxed now, it's unbelievable!

I'm glad you and so many others posting here today are doing so well!

:h NS

[Dottie Belle]

Newbies Nest

Afternoon all,
Been working hard on de-cluttering today. Went through all the boxes in the dining room that I have been accumulating from my folks house. I have a small keep pile and a huge give away pile...the shelter where we got Annie and Penny is having a huge sale next weekend so most of this stuff will go to them to help the animals.Since I cant keep everything I think mother would be please with where her stuff is going....
Just a quick check in while having a salad..glad the weather is nice today too..
Dottie

[FreeFly]

Newbies Nest

Evening nesters. Quick fly-by to say hi. Hi! Happy to report Friday & Saturday have been enjoyable AF

[hadit]

Newbies Nest

no sugar, It is the thing I have probably noticed the most! I am much more relaxed and on an even keel.None of that roller coaster, frantic life I was leading. I am just letting it play itseLf out and looking fwd to EACH AF DAY and my new life. Good to here from you DAY 18 today,i think, to relaxed ha ha to care to much!!:l:l

[jenniech]

Newbies Nest

A very close friend of the family passed away today. When I was 18 and my dad abandoned my mom and I, Nick came into our lives. He was my mom's best friend, boyfriend for a while and just always there. He was only 1 year older than my oldest sister (my mom was quite the cougar )
Anyway, he was only 57. A chronic alcoholic. He died a slow, horrible death.....over the past year that is. Today his heart finally gave out and he died of a heart attack.

So, I just found out about an hour ago and the FIRST thing that I wanted to do was have a drink.
Shit.
I won't but I really want to........I hate AL

[JackDanielsGirl]

Newbies Nest

Oh Jenniech I am so sorry for your loss.

Good job on resisting that temptation, that is the first thing I did when my brother in law passed and I watched him die the same slow agonizing death. Ironic isn't it?

Now I think how could I have done that, consoling the family and having AL on my breath. I was such a disrespectful person. So glad I finally ended that life taking relationship with AL.

Hang in there and try to remember He is no longer suffering (don't help our Pain), and if I start again will I end up like that?

Lots of love and prayers for you and your family.