Newbies Nest

[KENSHO]

Newbies Nest

Way to go Lav2! I think that is amazing you contacted your dad to help. I can tell you mean business. Way to take control and tell AL who's really in charge. Great work!

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Momo3 and Lav2, don't forget to EAT. EAT until you are FULL, this is the laser guided silver bullet to fighting off Dick Head!
Let me go find something that I found helpful when all those chattery voices were telling me those lies....be right back.
Found it:
Addict thinking.....this is priceless!
Originally Posted by Sober Visitor

JUNKIE THINKING: One drink won't hurt.
RESPONSE: One drink will always hurt me, and it always will because I'm not a social drinker. One sip and I'll be drinking compulsively again.

JUNKIE THINKING: I only want one.
RESPONSE: I have never wanted only one. In fact, I want 5 or 10 or 15 every day. I want them all.

JUNKIE THINKING: I’ll just be a social drinker.
RESPONSE: I’m a chronic, compulsive drinker, and once I drink one I’ll quickly be thinking about the next one. Social drinkers can take it or leave it. That’s not me.

JUNKIE THINKING: I'm doing so well, one won't hurt me now.
RESPONSE: The only reason I'm doing so well is because I haven't taken the first one. Yet once I do, I won't be doing well anymore, I'll be drinking again.

JUNKIE THINKING: I'll just stop again.
RESPONSE: Sounds easy, but who am I trying to kid? Look how long it took me to stop this time? And once I start, how long will it take before I get sick enough to face withdrawal again? In fact, when I'm back in the grip of compulsion, what guarantee do I have that I'll ever be able to stop again?

JUNKIE THINKING: If I slip, I'll keep trying.
RESPONSE: If I think I can get away with one little "slip" now, I'll think I can get away with another little slip later on.

JUNKIE THINKING: I need one to get me through this withdrawal.
RESPONSE: Drinking will not get me through the discomfort of not drinking. It will only get me back to drinking. One sip stops the process of withdrawal and I'll have to go through it all over again.
JUNKIE THINKING: I miss drinking right now.
RESPONSE: Of course I miss something I've been doing every day for most of my life. But do I miss the pain of drinking right now? Do I miss the worry, the embarrassment? I'd rather be an ex-drinker with an occasional desire to drink, than a drinker with a constant desire to stop doing it.

JUNKIE THINKING: I really need to drink now. I'm so upset.
RESPONSE: Drinking is not going to fix anything. I'll still be upset; I'll just be an upset drunk. I never have to have a drink. Drinking alcohol is not a need, it's a want. Once the crisis is over, I'll be relieved and grateful I'm still not drinking.

JUNKIE THINKING: I don't care.
RESPONSE: WHAT IS IT EXACTLY THAT I THINK I DON'T CARE ABOUT? Can I truthfully say I don't care about my pain? I don't care about having a hangover in the morning? I don't care about what I'm doing to my liver, lungs, kidney, and heart? I don’t care about all the people I’ve hurt. No, I care about these things very much. That's why I stopped drinking in the first place.

JUNKIE THINKING: What difference does it make, anyway?
RESPONSE: It makes a difference in the way I live, the way my heart beats, the way I feel about myself. It makes a tremendous difference in every aspect of my physical and emotional health.

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

K9, so happy to hear about your new job - Yay!!!!

Kensho & Mo3 - a little stress & anxiety won't kill you - we just think it will. We don't have to soothe ourselves with AL. Good old fashioned herbal teas & meditation work wonders, make them your new habits

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[little beagle]

Newbies Nest

My new habit has been coming home and having a fruit slushy. A great way to stay hydrated in this heat too.

[Pavati]

Newbies Nest

Hi,

Mo3 and Kensho - great job in posting and asking for support during the cravings. There is a post about urge surfing in the tool box that is quite helpful. I hope you're both tucked safely into bed by now (although I realize I don't know where you live).

Lav2 - telling your father was a brave step that will pay off in the long run - he will be a great support for you.

Good on you for your new job, K9.

Must. Go. To. Sleep. Very. busy. day.

Pav

[KENSHO]

Newbies Nest

Thanks Pinecone, Lav, Pav. I'm not drinking. I'm just trying to understand why I want to so badly and fix it. Sometimes I should just stop thinking and let it be uncomfortable because it always passes. Nighty night, made it to day 10.

[LavenderBlue]

Newbies Nest

Checking in late, but still going over here - I guess that makes me into Day 3 now! I'm doing a lot of reading about healthy ways to handle emotions. I always thought I did great at that, but I'm realizing I mostly just bottled them up inside and then drank later. I need better ways of coping. Had a bad moment today when my mom asked me about my job hunting (which I've completely put on hold while I sort this out). I wanted to be mad at her, and then I dialed back to being super pleasant because I know she's trying to help...and then I wanted a drink. But I sat with it and remembered it's ok to set the boundary that "I can't focus on that right now." She's not sure what I need right now any more than I am and that's ok, it will work out. I'm trying to remember that I don't have to be perfect; and especially right now the most important thing is to stay AF.

Byrd that was a wonderful post, thank you for finding it! And I'm eating way more than I thought I would. O.o It's nice though to feel hungry for things instead of just eating 'cause I know I have to at least try.

More thanks and good thoughts (and also congrats!) to everyone else on here; you guys are showing me daily that I'm on the right track here and I'm definitely not the only one trying to make it work!

[Daevid]

Newbies Nest

I can't remember feeling this good in a long time. I have energy, I love going to work, I love being with people.

Stopping drinking started my life and finished my asthma too!

[Petrelhead]

Newbies Nest

LavBlu, sounds like you're doing really well in the early days of acute withdrawal. Should get easier. Well done.

Hi Daevid, sounding really positive. Stay with it. Even if you have the odd flat day, most days will be generally great.

Well, it's Friday night here in Australia. The toughest witching hour of the whole week for me. And when I got home from work, having a wine seriously crossed my mind. But I had a few herbal teas (cool and rainy here) and watched a movie with my son. All good!

[wagmore]

Newbies Nest

KENSHO;1693423 wrote: Thanks Pinecone, Lav, Pav. I'm not drinking. I'm just trying to understand why I want to so badly and fix it. Sometimes I should just stop thinking and let it be uncomfortable because it always passes. Nighty night, made it to day 10.
Kensho, I think this has been a big part of the learning for me too - essentially getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Nice job reaching double digits!

LavenderBlue;1693426 wrote: Checking in late, but still going over here - I guess that makes me into Day 3 now! I'm doing a lot of reading about healthy ways to handle emotions. I always thought I did great at that, but I'm realizing I mostly just bottled them up inside and then drank later. I need better ways of coping.
Great job getting to Day 3 LavBlue. Yep, this was and still is also part of my learning (perhaps all of ours) - developing better ways to cope with all sorts of things. You'll get tons of ideas here, and you'll start to find the ways that work best for you. I've had great success with CBT (Cognitive Based Therapy) - basically changing the way you think about things.

jane27;1693427 wrote: Nice going Kensho. Every rough bit you pull thru is money in the bank.
The sober days adding up make you stronger by default. The rough bits you tough it out thru- those make you wiser. Xo

Yes to this ^^^ - completely true. Trust in this during the rough patches and it will totally pay off.

Daevid;1693472 wrote: I can't remember feeling this good in a long time. I have energy, I love going to work, I love being with people.

Stopping drinking started my life and finished my asthma too!

Daevid - It's great to hear you are feeling so good. I remember you had some rough days at the beginning - excellent job riding those days out and hanging on, as you are now experiencing the good stuff.


Petrelhead;1693493 wrote: Well, it's Friday night here in Australia. The toughest witching hour of the whole week for me. And when I got home from work, having a wine seriously crossed my mind. But I had a few herbal teas (cool and rainy here) and watched a movie with my son. All good!

Great job Petrel - onward and upward!!

[little beagle]

Newbies Nest

Kensho and LavB this too shall pass. The extreme urges will pass and you will be so much better. I'm sending strength.
Good job with the teas Petrel.

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good morning Nesters

Happy Friday to all & I hope everyone is nailing down sober plans for the weekend.
The weather is nice here, I will be outside as much as possible
Ignore those drinking thoughts now & you'll see that they come less frequently, honest!

Wishing everyone a terrific AF Friday!

Lav

[KENSHO]

Newbies Nest

Happy Friday Everyone. Such inspiring big numbers on Roll Call! Way to go!!!

I'm looking forward to my "reward" at the spa today. I did some meditation last night and it really helped - I worked late but woke up so energized.

Hugs to all - keep on fightin'!

[See the Light]

Newbies Nest

The glamorous side of AL

Good Morning and congrats to everyone also fighting temptation and staying AF…

So I had to be picked up from work yesterday after having some dizziness, blurred vision, bumping into walls, etc. over the last few days ( I posted some of this yesterday below). I fainted at home last night after dinner, so we went to the emergency care center.

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...ml#post1693256

They suspect from some tests that I am now pre-diabetic (which did lead me to be at least mildly hypoglycemic..thx Turn/ NS) with a high chance of becoming fully diabetic. I have an appt. with my doc this evening to run other tests. They also suggested that my liver appeared to be shot or close to it, but that was not that much of a surprise. I’m glad I have been able to stop drinking this time for this long…just wish I had stopped earlier. That’s the beautiful thing about AL..it’s the gift that keeps on giving….

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

jane27;1693410 wrote: Lil, I'm hooked on watermelon slurpees from 7/11. They're sugar free too

Congrats K9!

I wish I hadn't seen this!
:lalala:

Sugar free you say???

Good Morning, Nesters!
Once you get over a rough edge and feel good it's important to remember WHY you feel so good! Your reward is to keep feeling good!! Friday is just another day! Boost up your plans for the weekend so 'YOU KNOW WHO' will stay outside the door! Don't give in no matter what!!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend....me? I'm off to the 7-11......(swoooooosh) Call me Tail Lights! xo, B