Newbies Nest

[Yogamom]

Newbies Nest

Hi all, just wanted to stop by. I am doing well....just too much family stuff sucking up time to post much. Happy Sunday to all.

[See the Light]

Newbies Nest

You go Daisy ! Make this time the last time..keep kicking it hard ever one else!

[JWP]

Newbies Nest

Good morning everyone!

I made it through the party and back home without a drink. Yay!

As it turned out, I arrived an hour after the party officially started because I opted to take a nap in the late afternoon, and it thew off my timing. Now I'm glad I arrived "late," because as someone here pointed out, people were busy in conversation and no one offered me a drink. So, I arrived around 8 and literally snuck out the back door at 9:45 (I didn't want anyone to give me a hard time about leaving early). In my circles, we call that the Irish Goodbye. I plan to become a pro at the Irish Goodbye.

I didn't drink anything at the party, not even water. I just kept a small plate of food in my hand the whole time.

As for the headaches, I do stay extremely hydrated. I drink water all day long. I think my body is just used to the 3x weekly infusion of alcohol and the sugar that comes with it. I ate some jelly beans at the party and that seemed to help. I also slept from when I got home at 10 until 10 this morning, and that was nothing short of awesome. I'm finding that I've been really tired at night with no sugar/alcohol to keep me awake.

So, day 4 down! Day 5 (today) should be easy because it's a school night for my kiddo and Sunday's are always busy for us.

Best to you all,
JWP

[blackflag]

Newbies Nest

Well done jwp! Loving the irish goodbye haha.
I too am more tired and sleeping better than I have. Plus now there's no "excuse" to stay up late and then coincidentally go to bed the second the last can is down my neck.

[Ginger999]

Newbies Nest

Hi JWP, I saw your post about headaches and I wanted to chime in. I had headaches the first month after I quit AL. I would wake up with a headache in the morning and go to bed with one at night. I started taking a magnesium supplement and that seemed to help. I still wake with a headache once in a while. I never ate sugar before I quit AL either and I've really struggled with sugar cravings. I'll take that over the AL any day. After nearly 130 days the cravings are getting better. Hang in there.... You may run into some things that might make you say, "what the hell" but don't give in. It gets so much better!!

[KENSHO]

Newbies Nest

Checking in! About to go for a run with my chocolate puppy, though it's a bit hot out for me.

I wanted to say how nice it is to fill my time with productive things. I have been wanting and needing to re-organize things in the house to make them more functional - especially with two kids in elementary school. They come home with SOOOOO much stuff, and they have so many art supplies, etc. My home office is a wreck too, and all of our file cabinets are spilling over.

In the past, I would be super motivated to work on these things on weekend mornings, but by the afternoon, all I could think about was drinking. I would take a shot before grocery shopping and then continue to take nips through the evening - needless to say I never got very far in the organizing.

I have already made progress with the kids stuff, and I can't wait to get to my office. It is so nice having a brain 100% of the time, not just a partial brain in the middle of the day - after the hangover and before the next drink. What a more functional person I am!!!

SARAH - it comes down to whether you want to quit. I looked for someone to tell me unequivocally that I had a problem, but it never came. In the end, I made the decision BY myself and FOR myself - I just got tired of asking the question and tired of a whole list of things that AL was doing to me, even though some of them seemed subtle at the time.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend. Keep the positive mindset -- attitude is key!!

[LavenderBlue]

Newbies Nest

Hi all; only had time to jump into rollcall this morning. Nothing exciting, just needed to go grocery shopping/pet stuff shopping. It's a beautiful day out though, and it's really nice to be able to enjoy it sober instead of being cranky that I "have" to go out and do things. It's also very nice not being paranoid that cashiers and other customers are onto my secret and judging me.

Cravings on and off the last few nights, but I think a lot of that has been being bored. Some of the things I used to be fine doing all night just aren't holding my attention and I have to remind myself that if I'm bored I can do something else. I'm also having to watch my eating; now that I'm settled out a bit I'm being less timely with my meals. I really can't be doing that - the other reason I wanted to make sure and take care of groceries today.

Sarah42: I guess for me, I'm just confused what you want? You've asked for what we think and everyone has pretty much said, "Yep, sounds like you're right and you should probably quit." I understand the arguing in your head about it, done it myself, but I'm not sure what else we can do? Would it maybe help to start with just setting a goal for 30 days? I know it's been easier for me to figure out what I really want the longer I stay AF - seeing positive changes made a big difference for me. It's only a thought, though.

Daisy - Nice! Happy to see ya in here!

And...darn; I'm going to have to be quick here, too, 'cause I just realized I'm starving. Time to shovel food into myself. :P Hope everyone is having a great day and thanks to everyone posting!

[Fin]

Newbies Nest

Day 5 and just did my first mountain run of the season. Super slow, but man...AL Sundays would have never allowed for this simple pleasure. So far so good!

Hope all's well. Be good,
-Fin

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good evening everyone,

Sober harvesting & mountain runs, sober parties ~ nice
Congrats everyone for hanging in another day. You'll never regret doing this, promise!

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[Cherokeer]

Newbies Nest

Wow, a 100 days AF. A group of us were kayaking down the river today, all drinking except me. My husband and I started discussing all of the benefits of my no longer drinking. How much happier I am. How much better our marriage is. How I have dropped 20lbs without even trying. How much life is just amazing and so worth living now.

He asked if I would ever be able to just have a couple of drinks sometime in the future. I said what would be the benefit of drinking? It tastes like crap and makes you feel like it the next day. I was truly in a pit of utter despair when I was drinking. Every now and then at the beginning of an outing I get a twinge of "I wish I could" but at the end of the evening every time I am so glad I don't drink anymore. That alone is so telling. At the end of the night I am feeling good and everyone else is grouchy, slurring their words, and falling asleep. Again, I am so grateful that is not me.

My husband actually said to me you had all the ear marks of an alcoholic but weren't one. I said I am an alcoholic what makes you think I am not? He said you decided to stop drinking one day and did. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. People kept bringing my husband aside today asking them if I was still not drinking. I guess I am an anomaly. They just can't believe someone can decide to stop drinking and stops.

I thank God for MWO. It would have been much harder had I not had this place. I found caring and support and it has made all the difference in the world. Thank you friends and a blessed AF night to you all.

[NoSugar]

Newbies Nest

Congratulations, Cherokee, on 100 days! You have gone at this with as much determination as I've seen around here.

I've had the same thought as your husband - if we (finally!) can just decide not to drink, what is going on? Were we really addicted?? (I think we were/are ).

I've been reading this book, http://www.amazon.com/How-Your-Mind-.../dp/1401921485, and think it describes at least part of the answer. Reading and participating here bit by bit changes our brains. With repetition (reading and writing) more and more healing connections are made. When a post is specifically directed at you, it is even a more powerful "jolt", or at least that is how it felt to me. This doesn't discount a spiritual element because those are healing beliefs/actions as well.

How else have so many managed to stop an addictive behavior without drugs?

Anyway, you've worked too hard to get where you are to have what you did reduced to a hankering you had one day :H. Keep doing what you're doing -it's working!

[Cherokeer]

Newbies Nest

Thanks No Sugar! I just purchased the book and I will set abut reading it. I truly believe in the mind / body connection. I didn't realize how completely jumbled my emotions, thought processes, and decision making abilities were by AL. Like I had been held hostage by AL. Every day I feel my power and dignity returning.

[Pie]

Newbies Nest

So happy for you Cherokee! Well done, and I hope your power and dignity continue to increase in the days ahead.

[Cherokeer]

Newbies Nest

Thanks Pie, life has only continued to get better and better.

[okoren1]

Newbies Nest

Cherokee, I offer my congrats as well. And I appreciate your taking the time for the reflection. As you say..." I guess I am an anomaly". Isn't it simply wonderful to be able to make that statement in this context? Great work!