Newbies Nest

[KENSHO]

It only gets better Rednose! Keep going!! You will never regret it!

[narilly]

Rednose, just don't drink today, you can do it.

Like Kensho says, you won't regret it. You WILL regret drinking. I am the same way. I have this 'urge' to drink tonight but I will regret it SO much and I don't want to come on MWO and tell everyone I drank.
Be strong. We are all in this together!

[Guitarista]

Greetings y'all,

Good plan Narilly. Staying connected here is a positive step, and we know our moods/feelings change at some stage and our cravings do move on.

There are NO negatives in being sober. None.

Good work Rednose and Ican. Stick with it friends, you are doing this crazy thing called getting sober. Is it crazy to want to take back our precious lives? Noooo. Is it crazy to keep running on the hamster wheel, existing not living? I can only answer for me, and the answer is a resounding yes.

It does get much easier for me to manage my booze issues the more time i put between now and my last drink. The body and mind slowly adjusts as i work my simple daily plan and routine. I am in the maintenance phase now, so i just need to check in on my thoughts and how i'm feeling in the morning and throughout the day.

Self repair and self care are my priorities above all else. It has to be otherwise i am no good to anyone. From my sobriety and good health, everything flows. Noticably better relationships, noticably better at work, noticably better me all round.

Positive and enthusiastic talk, shoulders back walking tall and proud, shiny hair, relaxed vibe, i smile at strangers easily, fat and puff disappeared, a real sense of purpose and direction has now emerged...... It all falls into place somehow if i do what i need to do each day and be careful with my thoughts and actions. This is becoming an unconcious habit/routine and a lifestyle.

Stick with it if you are struggling. Focus on where you want to be, set sail, chart your course, and go for it. Because you are worth it and you can do it.

L8tr, Yo! G

[narilly]

Thanks G, you the encouragement helps me so much. Hey I bet you are walking tall and proud, that is great!
I am leaving work now to walk home...was waiting for it to warm up BUT since I can't wait here until May I guess I will go home now. It is a balmy -11C in Calgary.
Actually, its not that bad. I have all my gear on so its ok.
Right Cowboy? Us Canadians know how to stay warm.

Anyway, thank you for all the help and I will be back soon.

[See the Light]

It is a balmy -11C in Calgary.
Actually, its not that bad. I have all my gear on so its ok.
Right Cowboy? Us Canadians know how to stay warm.

Tim Hortons I would assume? :happy2:

Have a great, safe, positive AF night all...the weekend is here..enjoy

[Elvis]

Ican, I'm a big advocate of NA beer as well. I'm not ashamed to bring my own six-pack to a party if I know people will be drinking. Don't be afraid to have a NA beer in your hand at a party or whatever. Cover the label or pour in a glass if it makes you feel better, but no one really notices , and if you have a bottle in your hand (or any NA drink actually) no one asks if you want a drink, and if they do, you can just point to your drink and say, I'm good. Also, I don't think I've been to a bar or decent restaurant yet that doesn't carry at least one brand of NA beer, so even if you don't see it on the menu, ask. Also if they serve mixed drinks, they will have things like grapefruit juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, etc., so you can ask for that in a fancy glass.

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Just busy today with work & am still at it actually.
Being self employed is good but sometimes you have to kick your own butt if you want to get ahead

No plans of drinking for me this weekend & I hope everyone else follows suit
Wishing everyone a safe & cozy night in the nest!

Lav

[blackflag]

Hey everyone, been a busy day / night but just checking in before bed. Gigging earlier on, amazing how well I can play when I don't need to worry about balancing on my drum stool! No awkward questions either, think the guys were just happy to get my share of the free beer.
I am a bit worried about fielding questions about this though, but I guess I'll muddle through.

First sober Friday in months!

I'll be back tomorrow.

BF

[narilly]

Way to go Black, it's just the beginning! When I first quit I found Friday's the hardest. I had such a habit of drinking on Friday and being hungover most Saturday's. Once I broke the habit I found it a lot easier not to drink.

You are working hard Lav, hopefully you find time to rest this weekend. I plan to have a couple of nice days off. We have a curling bonspiel this weekend and dinner tomorrow night. No booze for me though! A bonspiel is like a tournament for those non curlers out there.
Have a great night!

[MossRose]

Red, Black and Ican- so good to see you all doing so well.

Nar - I don't know a darn thing about curling, but it looks fun. Have a great, sober time tomorrow.

It's been a rough day here.

Love to you all.

[available]

MR hope you are ok and your brothers results were positive.

my mum has not got all her results back yet so i am ringing her daily to just listen. My friend Robert has his surgery monday week and he is petrified now. Its hard to know what to say but just being there for them is so important.

On a positive note i have a job interview on Monday, closer to home, less pay and hopefully less village idiots to work with. If i dont get it then it wasnt meant to be but i will be clear headed with nothing to hide.

[MossRose]

Ava - fingers crossed and prayers said that your mom is ok. I've said it before - you are a very good friend. I hope Robert's surgery brings him the peace he deserves.

Unfortunately the news was not good here today. The path report won't be back for days, but the surgeon already told my parents that the cancer is back. Well, that is misleading. Actually, the first round of treatment was unsuccessful. There is still a chance that my brother could beat this, but it will require the removal of his voice box, and more chemo. A PET scan is being scheduled. If the cancer has spread to his lungs, then it's over. There is nothing more they can do. It's now my brother's choice. I tried to call him tonight, but it went to voicemail. So I assume he just doesn't want to talk yet. It's been a rather crappy day.

edit: good luck on the job. "Less village idiots" hahaha

[available]

Oh MR i am so sorry to hear that about your brother. We can only be positive for them and be there and its draining for us also to be the strong ones. I always think to myself there is always someone worse off than me but when it is close to your heart it is so damn hard.

Robert is a hard one, his surgery is for quality of life but its a huge operation and as time has gone on he has gotten weaker and is in more pain. He could die during the surgery or a short time later or he could have years. He is looking at his mortality at the moment and feels so lost and scared, just like your brother i could imagine.

We will get there MR and we are sober and i know i would not have it any other way. I dont want a pity party with al which is what i would done a year ago. I know i am strong enough to deal with all this crap clear headed. If mum has cancer it will be life changing for me as she will move to be with me but we will deal with that when it happens, she is my mum and i love her. (yes Lav, how things have changed for the better)

[Icanwithoutacan]

Gosh that is hard Moss. Thinking of you
Good luck with the interview Ava
Thanks for kind words all.
I don't even know how I am typing this sober. I mean tonight was a CLOSE call for me. I listened to the Bubble Hour relapse episode this morning while I cleaned my house, stayed in touch with MWO throughout the day, and read recovery blogs throughout the day. I really did not want to drink tonight because I have been feeling so great this week. Then as football game time approached the damn BEAST started whispering....
"You won't be a part of the pre-game party" my answer was to show up as late as possible to that
"Everyone else is drinking, you should be able to also" my answer was to think, it won't be just one for me
"She (the friend I cried to last week about my drinking depression) won't care if you have just one" my answer,"I can't let myself down by drinking in front of her"
"Your husband doesn't know you are trying to totally quit, he thinks you are going to try to moderate again" my answer when my husband asked if I wanted a beer? I took a sip of his! I know this is not the thing to do....I was just totally petrified, like a deer in headlights. I took one small sip and said maybe later. I don't know what happened. Anyway, I made it through the hour without drinking anymore than that sip but the desire was ungodly. I didn't do perfectly, but I am very proud and happy to say I am tucked in my bed, sober, and WE WON the game.
I know that if I had not cried/confessed to my friend last week, I would have drunk a beer. So, it does say something about making ourselves accountable to others. Thoughts?

[available]

Ican job well done. You didnt drink though you had a shit load of arguing going around in your head. You did not give in to al. A sip, well that is all it was. Dont beat yourself up as you won the battle tonight and you will keep on winning. I remember those days of the internal fighting and how mentally draining it was but i also remember how proud i was that i achieved what i thought was impossible and that was to not give in. You put all your plans in place and just because you knew you would drink and you didnt want to, you planned your strategy in advance. That shows that you honestly dont want to drink and you will do everything in your power to win.

I am totally accountable to my family with drinking. When i first stopped i told them under no circumstances let me drink, now as time has gone on i have told them not to listen if i tell them i can have one or two now and i can control it. The more support we have on board the more accountable we have to be. It helps me enormously.

I told my daughter today that in 16 days it would be a year and then i said to her "remember when i was telling you that it was 16 days since i had a drink". I was so proud of those 16 days and so was she.

You won your game tonight and you won over al Ican. Two victories.