Newbies Nest

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Morning all!!!
Cherokeer! 100 Days is EPIC!
:finger:
Here's your One Fingered Sal-ooooot to AL!! GREAT JOB!

Pie with 60 days!
:bust:
We are bubbling over and bouncing around with glee over your pair!!!

Rooni,
Busting a personal best with 50 DAYS!!
Daevid,
50 days also....what an accomplishment!
:crowned:

OKOren,
30 days is newsworthy! Thank you for that beautiful 30 day speech (Tool Box) what a ride, huh?
:goodtome:
7 days to Londoner and Kailey!!!
:moon:
Moons all around!
GREAT JOB everyone! EVERY AF day matters!!!! Keep em rolling!
XO, B

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Ours is not to ask the reasons WHY, ours is but to do or die......

[abcowboy]

Newbies Nest

Morning friends! Raining and cold here, harvest will be stopped for a few days, they are actually forecasting rain mixed with snow today!!

Wow! Congrats to all the milestoner's!! :goodjob: Each of you should be proud of your individual achievements, and showing yourself and others that it can be done! Recovery is a group process, sharing victories and troubles is very important to both ourselves and those who are supporting us! I used to count days, months, etc, but I don't anymore and I'll tell you why.... I would have been a year sober in November except for a one evening drunk in January, right back on the wagon the next day and seemingly sailed through the next seven months till a couple of beer one evening in August to celebrate that I now had enough sober time to show me I could be a normal drinker. No big drunk, just a couple of beer, but those two beer and what they made me feel like, calm, relaxed, in a good mood, also showed me that I could never trust myself again....when would one or two beers never be enough again? I knew in my heart, that if I truly loved those around me and myself, the only way to know for sure, just don't ever pick up again!! Looking forward to the rest of my life sober, all the parties, social gatherings etc that I would have to attend af is too much for me.....but one day at a time isn't....that, I can get my hands around! So, I went and found my 24 hour coin that I got in my first AA meeting, drilled a hole in it, and put it on my truck keyring. Every morning when I get into my truck, I'm reminded that I just have to get through today....

We all have to do what works for us, there is no such thing as the wrong way to get and stay sober. We should also share what works for us, so that the newbie has as many options available to help them decide when and how they can get and stay sober. I have heard people say that they got sober all on their own and I call bs to that! Somewhere along the way someone encouraged and supported them! So when I hear or read stories of someone struggling, I don't preach about a sober way of life, I tell my story, what it's done for me, and offer all the help and support that I can. After all, we are just one drink away from being a drunk again, which drink will it be? I know I would never play Russian Roulette with a loaded gun, and that is just what a can or bottle of beer is to me....

And so to all my nesting friends, let's start our new week with a firm resolve to get through each day by helping and supporting others, because that is a way that we help and support ourselves..... Oh, and one other thing, let's stay away from the bad stuff eh!

[See the Light]

Newbies Nest

Congrats again Cherokee, Pie, Rooni , Daevid, Okoren, Kailey and Londoner! Great post abcowboy...thanks for adding your story. GMAE everyone else. Stay strong and AF today

[Fin]

Newbies Nest

Great post, Cowboy. Thanks for that. After two years of off and on again, I hear you. I'm also beginning to appreciate that the internal battle is waning which each passing day - that battle between night and morning guy. That battle wastes an inordinate amount of daily energy. It's incredible how much more room there is in our daily lives to begin recognizing, or perceiving that living life sober is the way our species has evolved to most effectively enjoy our world, our families and friends. I feel happy today. Of course having a little Bill Monroe for breakfast doesn't hurt to kick the day off right:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEhEQOljqHo[/video]]"Kentucky Mandolin" - Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys - YouTube

Being good,
-Fin

[okoren1]

Newbies Nest

abcowboy- interesting perspective.

"I used to count days, months, etc, but I don't anymore and I'll tell you why.... I would have been a year sober in November except for a one evening drunk in January, right back on the wagon the next day and seemingly sailed through the next seven months till a couple of beer one evening in August to celebrate that I now had enough sober time to show me I could be a normal drinker. No big drunk, just a couple of beer, but those two beer and what they made me feel like, calm, relaxed, in a good mood, also showed me that I could never trust myself again....when would one or two beers never be enough again? I knew in my heart, that if I truly loved those around me and myself, the only way to know for sure, just don't ever pick up again!!

Appears to me that you didn't allow the wheels to come off and totally derail your forward progress because of a couple of "slips" over what sounds like a pretty long AF period. Not a lot of drama, you simply learned a lesson or two and immediately got back on your sobriety path. Nice.

I do faithfully count (I'm a "numbers" guy) and achieving a variety of forward goals is highly motivating for me. And, when I quit, my decision to myself was/is "irrevocable"...absolutely no wiggle-room, zero tolerance. Makes my life so much simpler.

However, as we've all read here slippages do occur with some and I like your attitude about it. Thanks!

[Samstone]

Newbies Nest

Fin
how can you not feel good after watching Bill? Glad you're doing well. Just got back from a fiddle fest. Maintained and enjoyed a good time. Woke up each morning tired BUT not hungover. Played with a group of friends and one sitting by me was drinking bourbon. Wow the smell was extreme at times. Had not smelled that in awhile, glad it did not come from me. Grateful for each non-hungover morning.
Sam

[Fin]

Newbies Nest

Samstone;1703233 wrote: Fin
how can you not feel good after watching Bill? Glad you're doing well. Just got back from a fiddle fest. Maintained and enjoyed a good time. Woke up each morning tired BUT not hungover. Played with a group of friends and one sitting by me was drinking bourbon. Wow the smell was extreme at times. Had not smelled that in awhile, glad it did not come from me. Grateful for each non-hungover morning.
Sam

Nice! Well done, Sam. One of these years I'll make it out there for that festival. Mike Compton also does a Monroe camp in Sept. I think it was last weekend in TN? Right now I'm working with Mike Marshal via the online Academy of Bluegrass. Have you check that out? Very-very cool...

Chops,
-Fin

[KENSHO]

Newbies Nest

Thanks for the strings this morning FIN! Loved it.

So happy for everyone hitting pretty numbers here! Way to go. CHEROKEER - love that 100!

Besides doing some organizing in my house and life, I have been researching nutrition quite a bit. I've always been kind of a health nut, but eliminating AL from my diet has made me even more aware that what we ingest impacts EVERYTHING: energy, skin, strength, stamina, thinking, coordination, overall fitness.... Our body is a machine and what we fuel it with absolutely correlates to its performance. I started a cleanse today - the first cleanse in 10 years that I will do while not ALSO drinking. Such a funny thing I was trying to do by "cleansing" but still pouring poison into my body.

Though I think food is one of the great pleasures in life - I am really considering how grains/sugar/gluten, etc. affect me. I'm not into eliminating foods if its unnecessary, but I have felt positively fabulous when I've eaten fewer grains in the past. I would like to know if that is because of the glycemic index on them, or the gluten, etc. And to take them out requires some work making sure there is still well-rounded nutrition. So that's my current "personal workload" - thank goodness I actually have the energy and clarity to do it!

Thanks as always for listening, and keep up the great work everyone!!!

[NewStartNow]

Newbies Nest

Day 7 and made it through the weekend! Question - how do you learn to love and accept yourself? Ever since I was a child, I remember thinking I was somehow less than others. I searched for love and approval in all the wrong places. Now in my 40's, I still struggle with self esteem. I know this is at the core of my problems, but I just can't seem to get to that place of peace and happiness. How have others changed these negative thoughts when they are so ingrained?

[okoren1]

Newbies Nest

Well, NSN, I think you've certainly made a good start in that direction (of improving your self esteem) by going 7 days AF!!! Most of us had lousy self esteem problems because of our drinking (especially the morning after). So, I would think that already you are starting to feel at least a little better? Hard to address some of your deeper, past issues, but you are on the right road.

[peppersnow]

Newbies Nest

Congrats to everyone who hit milestones recently!! Kensho, Roonifred, Pie, and Cherokee...absolutely loved reading your posts this weekend about that 100 days! Way to go, woman.

NewStart and others...keep it up, it gets better. I was exhausted and slept like a rock for at least the first 2 weeks, going to bed by 8:00 some evenings and sleeping up to 10 and sometimes 12 hours whenever I could get it until about day 15. That goes away, as do the headaches. But sleep is what your body needs right now to begin the healing process. You know how when kids become teens and are about to go through growth spurts, they suddenly begin needing lots more sleep? That's exactly what's happening with your body when you first quit, except the sleep is about beginning the repair process.

Cheers to all of you - hang in there and have a great week!

[KENSHO]

Newbies Nest

Hey NEW START... hang in there. Removing alcohol is a great way to respecting yourself - you will notice the confidence building the longer you abstain. Another great way to address the negative self thoughts is to start replacing them with positive ones - as often as you can. Tell yourself good things about yourself, and after awhile they start to become things you wholeheartedly believe. And the more good things you do for YOURSELF, the more you realize how important you are. Becoming AF is an exercise in taking care of yourself first and foremost. Welcome here and congrats on 7 days in your AF journey! :h

[Ginger999]

Newbies Nest

Kensho, I'm sure NoSugar will chime in here about the importance of removing sugar and other refined carbs from your diet. She is a wealth of information when it comes to this topic. I've learned so much from her on this AF journey. She shared a link a while back and I found the information on this page very interesting. Sugar and Alcoholism. Have a read when you have a moment.

[See the Light]

Newbies Nest

For sugar cravings, I’m guessing you all probably already knew this, but not only is L-Glut good for AL cravings, but it also supposed to help with sugar as well (my wife has started trying this for about 4 days so far using the same L-Glut chews I do and she said it has been helpful). When I first quit I was taking these chews but still wanting some sugar (I went on a small ice cream run initially to help with the AL cravings) but no longer crave the sugar or the AL as much..I still take 10-15 grams per day. Link below…



Help for Sugar Cravings: L-Glutamine