Newbies Nest

[Fat fella]

Newbies Nest

Happy Mother's Day to all you mums out there, from a 15 day AF dad. Ginger, well done on your 7 days and believe me, 14 will feel even better next weekend.

How's it going Dila?

[Petrelhead]

Newbies Nest

MAE everyone. Monday morning here, another week starting here.

Has anyone heard from Dream? I'm missing those coffees and that puppy

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

I had a lovely day working on my new garden beds, got some real sun on my face & arms ~ nice

Ginger, awesome on 7 AF days :yay:
Keep going, you are going to love the results

Hi Petrel - we are missing Ms Dreamy aren't we? Hope everything is OK.

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[Ginger999]

Newbies Nest

Home from all the Mom Day festivities. Had a great AF day! Hope everyone else had the same. Thank you all for being out there in cyberspace. :0)

[Icanwithoutacan]

Newbies Nest

Happy Mother's Day nester
Moms..... I will never know how I made it through this vacation sober and had a great time but I did! Really blown away by it in fact

[Bohdi1]

Newbies Nest

Hi guys,
Can I join u all again...
I m trying again for the umpteenth time.
But a very serious effort this time. All AL has been removed, stocked up with veges, vitamins, hypnosis....
I have a lot of stress in my life at the moment, but I had th "aha" moment.... When u realise AL makes it worse.
Thanks for listening.

[Bohdi1]

Newbies Nest

Also I was Bohdi before and could not reset my password after being absent for a while, so now I'm bohdi1.
Thanks everyone

[DreamThinkDo]

Newbies Nest

Hallo Nesters!

Had a busy weekend - nice busy, not crazy busy, and feel really energised for the upcoming week. Here's a extra-large coffee to get you going:



Jane, you did the right thing in reaching out to your mum, but we cannot control how others act and react. And don't you just love getting herograms from Byrdie - they are so special!

Bohdi, keep that lightbulb moment at the forefront of your mind: Al really is not a Bandaid and a kiss from mum that take all problems away. Stay close and use the butt velcro!

Nice to see you posting here, Ican - and well done on a sober holiday!

Petrel, I did not fall out of the Nest - I sometimes really struggle to get into the thread :upset: Puppy is fine (and very naughty!) but so sweet. My cat seems to tolerate her playfulness, but I do hear cat hisses from time to time!

FF and Dila, the two of you seem to have a nice momentum going - keep it up!

Ginger, I hope you are very proud of your first AF weekend - now that youknow it can be done, the next one should be a lot easier!

Rahul, I agree that our Al-free universe is sooo much better than the other one. Nice that you spent some time with somebody where you were not confronted with drinkers and drinking - it somehow reinforces our understanding that people can - and do - have fun without Al. How much longer will you be in Germany - another week, not? Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Meshell, I didn't really believe the long-timers here when they said that they hardly think about Al anymore, but, like with so many other things, they were spot on tight. It does take a while to get there, but you will, I promise.

Jvo, it sounds as if you had a lovely trip!

We've had so many public holidays recently (this is our first five-day workweek since Easter). It's going to feel like a really long week, I know, but I'm well rested and actually looking forward to it. Hope everybody will have a good - and an AF - one too!

[Petrelhead]

Newbies Nest

Dream, I knew you wouldn't fall out of the nest. Glad to see you back.
It's evening here, so that coffee is looking good for tomorrow.

[Sarah42]

Newbies Nest

Hi all! I hope you had a wonderful Mom's Day! I'm a little 'down' today so I choose not to say more tonight...except I LOVE YOU ALL!

Cya tomr!

Love, Sarah

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Good Morning, Nesters!
Glad to see everyone up and around!
Hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Mother's Day.
Dreamy, so good to see you....Yes, I remember when I was brand new, the old timers would swoop in and tell me how wonderful being AF was....not only did I not believe them but I also held resentment towards them...how was it THEY could do it and I couldn't? Why didn't they stick around and tell me how to do it? Well, one of them did....her name is Lav. She picked me up, dusted me off and kicked me in the pants when I needed it. Gratitude doesn't begin to describe my feelings for her! I have seen each and every one of you mentor others here, too, and it is a wonderful site to behold! Hang in there everyone! Let TIME work for you! Do whatever it takes to get thru THIS DAY AF!! Hugs, all, Byrdie

[Samstone]

Newbies Nest

Dream, now that's a cup of hoe-joe!!!

[Dottie Belle]

Newbies Nest

MAE all,
Sun is out and the storms are gone. That is how I feel about being AF. It was truly taking one day at a time and working toward weeks then months. My life is so much more calm and I can plan activities that I know I can attend and not have to worry about how/where to fit in the AL....
It does get easier just be a little patient and take good care of yourself.
The sunshine is the best reward.

[j-vo]

Newbies Nest

Hi NNer's!

I agree with Dot, in that the storms go away and the sun comes out. We still have to deal with daily things that we don't wanna do, but it's much easier when the weather is nice and we're feeling great.

I've had a lot of long stretches of AF time since October. A few slips since then. But what I feel this time is different. It's a feeling of acceptance of me, a person who can no longer drink alcohol, and if I do, I have a bad reaction every time. I don't want to put myself through that anymore. I'm on day 43 and getting so much AF time in really clicked with me this time. I can't explain it, but the more time you put in as Byrdie explained, the better you'll be. It's hard to take someone's word for it, and yes, we have to experience it ourselves, by taking one day, one hour, one minute, one moment at a time. It takes time, persistence, listening to the long-termers, reading lots, posting lots. Was in church yesterday and they spoke about Endurance. We have to endure the difficult times, get through the storms, and it's not always easy. We have each other to lean on when the going get tough.

Ican, glad you made it through your vacation AF and had a great time!

Bohdi, yes, that "aha" moment is what it takes. It also takes not forgetting that moment, or those moments that led you to that moment. Do you journal? I think it's a great tool.

DTD, I might be able to do backflips after drinking that cuppa!

Congrats on your 7 Ginger!

Lav, do you have a big garden? What do you plant?

Jane, glad you called mom. You did the right thing.

[Fat fella]

Newbies Nest

Well day 16 is almost in the bag. feeling pretty good at the moment. i don't kid myself it wont get worse again before it gets better, but for now, today, I feel good. Is there a Dila out there anywhere?? Come back and let me know how you are doing. I hope you are also ok.

DTD that is one major cup of wake up.