Newbies Nest

[Byrdlady]

Moss,
you have been posting more lately and after each one, I found myself saying, GOSH, she really has it going on! You ARE someone that we look to for straight shooting and sage advice! You are someone who is getting this right!!
Sober people have sucky days too.
You will never have two bad days in a row, either. When does it get better and you dont think about it any more? As you might guess, that depends....it took me many months....one day I got to the end of the day and realized, HOLY THIT, I haven't thought about AL all day! THAT is a good feeling and that day will come! We didnt get here overnight and it takes some time to work our way out. I promise it is worth it.
XXOO, t

[abcowboy]

^^^^:hug::hug:^^^^

[NoSugar]

Moss, I've frequently marveled at how committed to staying sober you are in the face of some really tough life challenges. I think you should feel so good about how you're handling all this and being the one that everyone else can rely on. You are their pillar of strength :hug:

[daisy45]

Moss, just by posting what you did you are already a pillar of strength for Newbies. Hope you feel a little lighter soon.
Day 3 done and the fog is lifting.
My motivation to quit was to be a better me, for my children and health, but as time has passed I have entered into a dangerous zone where I can see serious potential damage to my health. Maybe I am one of those people that has to get this bad or this scared to stop.
My last days drinking have been done so hoping I would survive until tomorrow, yet I kept on drinking and doing it again, even though I had parts of my body numbing.
I have read up on nerve damage caused by drinking and am hoping the vitamins will help.
It has gone now but I want to build myself up again healthwise.
I do believe that if I continue I would do irreversible damage or worse.
Guitarista, your post hit home with me.....everything good stops when I drink.
And, on the flip side, everything good begins from day 1 onwards.....getting better each day....this I do know and I am grabbing it. Life is a gift that I have wasted for too long.
We all deserve better. Our friends and family deserve better from us, and in doing so the ripple effect of being our better selves spreads to others.
So grateful to feel this way today.

[Evan W]

Moss.... Everything will be Alright... No lie! :hug::hug::hug:! Praying for you! Stay strong!

[Suek]

Hugs from me too, Moss! :hug:
You ARE an inspiration!!! Things will get better!!! They always do! Hang in there!!!

[KENSHO]

Sitting in a coffee shop while my dear daughter finishes her lesson. I came here because alcohol has been on the brain the last couple days and I'm hungry/tired/very stressed. There is a brewery across the street and it is very tempting. My rational brain knows no good can come from drinking, so I'm stuffings my face with a huge chocolate chip muffin instead, and taking this moment to read and post. I felt pissed off watching a thirty-something girl that could have been me walking into the brewery...

Why do I want alcohol? It allows me to escape. From stress of any sort. Going to try some deep breaths relaxation.

What motivated me to quit? I hated that I couldn't control it. I hated that I wanted it so often. I hated lying to myself and others. And I was terrified of health consequences. I felt certain that I was setting myself up for cancer of some sort.

Thanks for the posts. Sorry for your challenges Moss, hang on for a better day tomorrow!!

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Boy the nest has been busy today!

Hello & welcome wiseowl, glad you decided to join us. Stay close to the nest, read & post every single day like your life depends on it because it does!

Welcome back coco! Settle in & stay awhile

Moss, the one thing that really has helped me thru high stress times is remembering & truly believing that we just cannot control situations & other people. The only thing we can control is ourselves & our thoughts. Are you familiar with Eckhart Tolle, 'The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment'. Tolle's writings have helped me immensely :hug:

Fin, Lizann & everyone beginning, make a good plan, make a strong commitment & take it one day at a time! It worked for me, it will work for you as well!

Wishing everyone a safe & cozy night in the nest!

Lav

[daisy45]

Lav, I read that book a few years ago.....time to have a re-read. It was that book along with others that helped me get my first foot in the door of sobriety by coming here 4 years ago.
Thanks for the reminder.

[little beagle]

Cowboy it's good to take this time for yourself. Maybe it is selfish, but in a way that people are happy for you.
Mr. B you have it this time. :welldone:

[okoren1]

Has anyone tried these supplement products for managing cravings?
https://www.declinol.com/?gclid=CPLL...FaGPMgodsy4AyA

Fin

I am a staunch believer in L-Glut for cravings. In my early AF days (first 30-60 days or so), when I still had to deal with REAL AL cravings, I would carry around 1,000 mg capsules of the best quality L-Glut I could buy, and when a craving came on, I would discretely open up 4 or 5 of them, put the powder under my tongue and within minutes- craving gone. In fact I would take as many of them as needed to kill the craving. It's an amino acid and you can't overdose on them. (Well I guess you could overdose on anything if you took enough, but you get the point).

At home, I would use L-Glut from a jar and simply spoon it in. I read that the manufacturers need to add something, I believe it's a form of corn starch in the capsule form, and in the jar version, it's not needed. I had much better luck with the jars. The capsules were simply more portable and convenient. Again my advice, go to Vitamin Cottage or similar and get the best you can buy.

Good luck.

[okoren1]

Boy, the nest has gotten busy lately!!! And the New Year resolution newbies haven't even landed yet.

Quick question: Why is it that subsequent Day 1's are harder to come back from vs. an initial Day 1 quit?

I hear all the time around here how progressively dreadful they are, but I don't think I have ever heard why?

I have never had a second Day 1 (thank the Good Lord), so I don't have any personal experience. AND, in fact the really heart-wrenching story's that are relayed here about successive Day 1 episodes has sufficiently scared the hell out of me, to the point that I don't want to ever have first hand experience. But I am curious, anyway???

[narilly]

Okoren, I am not sure why but I think it's because your brain develops a memory of AL. So when you quit and then start again your brain remembers how much you were drinking when you quit and you end up drinking that much again even though your tolerance is probably not as high as it was when you quit. Then your relapse is worse than it was when you originally quit.
Lil B also mentions something about kindling.

Hello wise owl, welcome.
Nice to see you Fin
Xx Daisy.

This gal is tired so I am off to bed.
Mossy, you are awesome.
G, loved your music post.

Goodnight

[Guitarista]

Moss, I've frequently marveled at how committed to staying sober you are in the face of some really tough life challenges. I think you should feel so good about how you're handling all this and being the one that everyone else can rely on. You are their pillar of strength :hug:

And Mossy, you can rely on us. We are YOUR pillar of strength.

[Pavati]

Hi, All:

I love a busy nest. Thanks all of you for your congratulations. And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Fin - welcome back. A weekly massage is a brilliant idea. Meditation, and physical well-being. Welcome back. Don't you build boats, too? There's so much to see and do - no time for alcohol.

Lizann, Cocoflo, Daisy - VERY glad you're back, too. Ava and I had success quitting the beginning of December. There's so much commotion going on, there's not enough time for people to see if you're drinking or not. There's also so much commotion going on that you can say NO to parties and such. Really. I found not drinking to be a great excuse for myself to say no and stay home to take care of myself. I now realize that I was learning to set boundaries that I didn't set before. Saying no has been a big part of growing up for me.

Turnagain - What kept me sober through those doldrums of 3 - 6 months was the acceptance that I cannot drink (I got that by reading all of the stuff around here), and by being willing to listen to successful sober people. I just did what they told me to do - used my support group, slept well, exercised, took one day at a time - and believed when they told me it would get better. It took a farking long time, but it did get better.

As for when "it" is over? I guess it never is. I was hit HARD by the feck its (can you tell I've been conversing with Ava?) one week before my year anniversary. I wanted to be "normal" and have a beer after work; "normal" and have a drink with my friends. The good news is those moments come less often and with less intensity than before, and are offset by a life made so much better in so many unexpected ways, that it is easier to get through.

One way it is better... I had a serious personnel problem at work - a probability that some technical aspect of an evaluation I screwed up might have meant a large headache for my bosses - and I STILL fell asleep. I didn't perseverate. I didn't cry. I didn't feel like I am a bad person. I knew a) what was done was done, and no amount of worrying about it would get it changed; b) I could face the situation with a clear head and work to fix it; c) I am a good person and very good at my job, and I made a mistake. I had no idea how much more I would be able to like myself when I quit drinking - I didn't know how much I didn't like myself, nor how hard on myself I was. Another tally mark on the side of how life is better with alcohol.

And if you're tempted to think "just one," remember these words I took from 3June - If only one, why not none? I NEVER wanted just one...

Take care, Nest.
Pav