Newbies Nest

[narilly]

Ava, 11 months, way to go!!! Holy Moley, you are amazing! This is a bright star in your rough week. I really hope your mom is ok. That really sucks. Hey, two dates? Same guy? Whoa! He sounds nice.

Elvis, Daisy, don't drink! Glad you are here. STL's puking pumpkin pictures were a good visual on how booze effects us. I just finished reading 'Parched' by Heather King, she talks about the physical symptoms she was having from drinking. Daisy, maybe it would be good for you to read. Actually, it is good for any of us boozers. (Ex-boozers included)

Byrdie, your night sounds fun. Ya, I bet some people are hurtin today. I am so glad it's not you too.

Pav, glad you were able to watch the Giants win and stay sober, you too J-Vo.
G, you are sounding good., you too Kensho's and Matt.

Well, back to cooking butternut squash soup and roasted veggies.
Love being sober!

Oh, Howdy Cowboy

[daisy45]

Gonna look for that book tonight Nar...thanks!
Elvis, one day I was in my living room. My fingers went cold and numb. I took a panic attack and really thought that was it. I prayed so hard for God to get me through it. My girls were in the next room oblivious. I swore if I made it I would stop drinking. I didn't that night purely through fear, but back at it the next!
Byrdie, even today after a shower and slapping a bit of make-up on I was thinking those thoughts....look normal, act normal, sure give it another go.....
Made a healthy fish dinner instead and stuffed my face. Ok again!
So day 2 done...I like to start on a Friday as it gives an early accomplishment getting a weekend over ....added bonus Halloween.
Hey j-vo....need to pull out all the stops now! Yes, we will do it!

[Guitarista]

Pavi!

Congratulations on 11 months booze free!

Bravo friend. You are such an asset and a pleasure to have around here. Thanks for all of your contributions. G

[Guitarista]

Thank you for all the valuable posts. Drinking alcohol didn't start off as a disease for any of us, but over time, it evolved into that. We became addicted both physically and mentally over time. Over time, we used it as our medicine. And it slowly started stripping away all the good stuff in us - physically and mentally. We stopped caring about ourselves and important things and people in our lives, and we ceased being who we were meant to be. The thing that is so clear to me is that it's going to take time to heal, distance between me and al (a big one) learning new habits, leaning on your circle of support, tools, and honesty with yourself. Addiction is serious. And I never really thought of it as a serious thing, until I started to really think about it. But as I'm trying so hard to overcome these addictive behaviors instead of opting out of difficult feelings the easy way, pouring al down my throat, I know addiction is a bitch. Like Pav said, learning ways to settle down, different ways to please your brain; it needs to become a habit. It can't become a habit if we don't do it over and over again. When we hit a wall, we have to practice these new behaviors, over and over. Choose the right way over and over. One day at a time. Until so much distance (Byrd) is between us and al that we don't have to think about it so much, so that most of the time, it's not hard to choose the right thing, and little by little, we gain our value back, we build that new life. We start to like ourselves, and then maybe love ourselves. Tools. Support. Time. Distance.

Great post J-vo. I think you've nailed it here. Right on! G

Hiya Daisy. Keep up the great work!

[Byrdlady]

Pav! Another witchy woman!
:witch:
11 months is just awesome! We spotted you for a winner the moment you first posted! I am so glad you keep one foot in the nest, it is a wonderful place!! Thank you for everything you do on these boards! Keep up the great work!! We are all SO PROUD of you! Your fan, Byrdie

[MossRose]

Hi all. Been a fine weekend so far. Spoken to many friends on the phone and spent time with a dear friend today. OMG - I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I need to post about that in the gratitude thread.

Byrdie - your post made me recall a memory that still makes me laugh. Many, many, many years ago before I was an alky, my ex-husband and I had friends over. I decided to drink margaritas for the night. So I bought a bottle from the store. Like you said, everyone was imbibing and having a good time. They got loud, I got loud. They laughed, I laughed. What a fun night. In the morning, my ex asked me where the tequila was. I said, "I didn't buy any tequila - I thought it was in the mix." hahaha - there was no booze in the margarita mix. I had been AF all night and didn't even realize it. I had a great time. So, I guess that should have told me something right there. You can definitely have a good time sober. Today, I would know the difference, but back then not so much.

Have a great weekend, nesters.

Edit: Pav, congrats on 11 months.

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Chilly & damp day here - Brrr!
At least we get to set the clocks back a hour tonight

Great story MR

Wishing everyone a safe & cozy night in the nest! Congrats to everyone celebrating wonderful AF time today!!!

Lav

[available]

Hi nesters

Pav happy 11 months, 30 more sleeps for you and 29 for me. I remember both of us coming on here with our day 1's, man were we in a bad place. I am just truly lucky to have had a quit buddy to follow along with, for you i was not going to fail, i could not let you win. I love a challenge and we are doing it. Are we done? Of course not, that is the joy of being an alky it stays with us forever and the journey never ends but we just get better and stronger each and every day. Congratulations my friend, you are the best!

Oh Matt i meant to say my thoughts are with you with all you deal with and others on here daily. I know when i started work in the hospital i work at (secretary) that i would see things that would stay with me forever and i have but i have also seen great things, people that i never imagined living coming back in well and happy. If you need help go for it, you are not weak for seeking that, you are human, well most of the time! Hugs to you.

MR i think of you when i am dealing with all my crap at the moment and i see how strong and how you are handling it, that keeps me in the know that i can do this sober. I am all for thinking "if she can do it then i can too". Thanks for sharing Moss i truly appreciate it and i hope with all my heart that "dragon lady" is fine and lives to breath fire for many years to come. She is already threatening to move down here with me! Thats enough to drive anyone back to drink but we will deal with that at a later stage but she does cook!

Nar yep a big two dates, god i will be married before you know it and will have a bunch of alkies from all over the world at it, what a party that would be! This time i am not in a hurry and he appreciates the non drunken emails, not like last time i saw him! Dont understand why he did not appreciate them. They were the ones i was too ashamed to open when i woke up hungover so they were deleted oh but he remembers them! He is away for 3 months so that means more sober time for me and more growing. i like that thought and if it will be it will. God where has lunatic linda gone!

Elvis, Jvo and Elaine, one day at a time is all we can do. We are not saving the world, we are saving ourselves. I have no regrets of doing nothing for 7 months while i healed myself. That was my priority and still is although not so much anymore. I gave myself time and i will keep doing so and thus far it has worked for me.

Where is LavB and London? Never good signs sadly if ones back away from MWO although i live in hope!

Have a great day/night everyone. I know i am slugging it today. Work tomorrow and then a public holiday for a horse race, the melbourne cup on Tuesday, but i am taking it, i would have a day off work for anything!

[Mr. B]

Hope everyone had a good Halloween. Had rough long day on Friday and today had this 8 hour motorcycle training I had rescheduled as I was getting high and couldn't attend. Anyway I'm doing the things I need to be doing. Hang in elvis. Good job on 11 mo. Ava.

[frances]

Hi all - keep hanging in there!

Just had a good night out at a friends - two ladies were drinking wine and one said 'if I have some you'll have some' - I just blew it off and didn't really respond. Then I was asked once the bottle was out and I hesitated a second but said no, none for me. I was driving a group of teens so was going to use that as an excuse if I needed to. Felt a slight bit weak and really it was only about peer pressure. yes, at 49 years old! I didn't want to seem like a bore. But gladly got past it and didn't drink and - - I knew this anyway - noone cared and they never do!

Stay strong everyone!

[Pinecone]

MR, I loved the margarita story too. It reminds me of how much pure fun I had as a teenager with my friends before any of us drank. I'm sure a lot of us were like that. We used to laugh like crazy for hours, and I'm pretty certain it would have been annoying to watch but man those were some fun times. We never drank a drop them. And when we started to, it wasn't as great...the pathos was creeping in. Life was better before alcohol and oh my god so much better after alcohol. Putting some AF time in and I'm feeling so much more like "me" not like I'm gone like I did when I was drinking.

[KENSHO]

AVA, I love your statement. "We are not saving the world, we are saving ourselves". What an empowering endeavor - the most important in our lives.

PAVATI, huge contragulations! I always love reading your posts, thankful for your words.

I seem to have no trouble telling people "I don't drink" now. I know it and I believe it and I am happy with it. That said, there are instances where I want it - if I smell it, or if I'm in a bad headspace. But I DON'T want what it does to me, and I know even a sip will take me there. Instead, I spent time with a friend today that I never seemed to "have time for" - went hiking and left the kids with the men. What fun! Hubs griped a bit at first, but we've done our share while they watched football and went beer-tasting. Social situations used to make me nervous, but I just tried to stay in the moment and I enjoyed every minute. She's a gem.

Yes, where is LAVB and London and FIN? Come back! Miss the insightful posts from you all - you will be welcomed back in whatever shape you are in.

Happy sober Sunday all.

[MossRose]

Totally off topic, but we turn the clocks back tonight. I know this is supposed to be the easy one, but it's the one that makes me crazy. So if I start acting weird, forgive me. I hate the dark. And it's coming... (Lav - probably the first time we have ever disagreed about anything. LOL)

Mr. B, Kensho and Frances - hang in there. You are all doing so well!

Pinecone - your post was a time-warp for me. Yes, I remember those days of pure joy, laughing about absolutely nothing. So much fun.

Ava - sending prayers for the "dragon lady." You are the best. You have a lot on your plate right now but you have proven you can do this. Keep knitting.

[jane27]

Ava & Pav, :sohappy: for your 11 months! Xo

[Lavande]

Good Sunday morning Nesters,

Hello & welcome back SF. Glad you decided to do the right thing for yourself

Well ~ there was no extra hour of sleep for me just as I predicted. My dogs never, ever get it, never! LOL
It's a brisk 39 degrees today & windy. I'm going to have to do some work on the chicken house door today because I know the wind is getting in there & ruffling their feathers

Wishing everyone a great AF Sunday!

Lav