Newbies Nest

[KENSHO]

Checking in on plane before take off back to home. Since when do they pump humidity into planes? Looks like a movie set with vapor overhead... Crazy but a great idea! I had z few moments this trip, but not anything intolerable. Ring smacked in the face with the stress of returning to work tomorrow will be more if a test. I look forward to catching up more with reading and send good thoughts to all.

[LavenderBlue]

Mr. V - I wound up dropping AL and soda at the same time, so that was a lot of liquid calories I got out of my diet, for sure! It wasn't an insta-weightloss but definitely helped. Once I started feeling more secure in my quit, though, I started really looking at what else I was eating and it made a huge difference in my health. Like Lav said up there, it's all about metabolism and I definitely wasn't losing all of the stuff I packed on with just cutting out AL. I was eating like I was still 19 and in an active job when neither of those are true anymore. I definitely wouldn't have *cared* if I was eating well or not if I was still drinking, I put it on between depression and drinking, so dropping the AL was the keystone to the rest, definitely.

quest - Welcome to the Nest! The old timers here have excellent advice, my advice is to definitely listen to them. Stay close here, read and post a lot, and check out the Toolbox (https://www.mywayout.org/community/sh...24253-Tool-box) which also has great tips. Byrd reminded us all a bit ago that it's important to have a PLAN for how you're going to do your quit, but for some reason I can't seem to find her post now to link it.

LilBit - When I was a kid I read ALL of the Dr. Dolittle books, I loved them so much! The movie was cute, too.

Hanna - So glad to hear you guys are trying a therapist, I wish you great luck and hope you have one that works for you! I know it's got to be super stressful, but hopefully having some help will make it easier to know where you're both at and how to move forward. And don't worry about what you post; I know I tend to avoid the Nest sometimes when I don't feel helpful towards anyone, but you never know what you'll say that will help someone. Plus being here is good for *you* and we all want to see you succeed.

Woke up late today, it's weird that I still struggle with that when I've been going to bed earlier but I guess I've got to accept it takes time and just keep trying.

[Healthybutempty]

Hello, hope everyone is having a great day

[available]

morning nesters

Well woke after a crappy sleep to a torrential downpour, this weather is really putting it on for my last day of work!

500 days for me today and it is just unbelievable. I dont really count now but try and weekly put it on roll call for accountability. This time last year i was preparing for a holiday to Thailand also and there was nowhere in my al fuddled brain that i would ever even contemplate making it to 500 days. I was adamant that when i returned from holidays and turned 50 that i was going to have a "couple" of drinks. I didnt of course and a good dose of the flu also helped. Now i am turning 51 when i am on holidays and there is totally no thoughts of having a "couple" of drinks to celebrate, not that i could ever have a couple. Even with the ups and downs at the moment would i ever put al in my body.

Quest welcome and pick a quit day. get rid of all the al in your house and make a small plan to help you stay sober. Eat what you want and sleep when you want. Glue yourself to here and post and post some more. Be gentle on yourself and avoid anywhere with al like the plague. After 2 weeks it does get easier once the al is out of your system.

Hanna, maybe hubs is worried also about what you will say, it takes two, remember that and good luck.

Off to see Robert early this morning and then spend some time with him before i pick mum up off the plane. i am looking forward to seeing my ma (believe that lav?), as she is me! How life has changed my relationships since al has not been involved. The man i am seeing is meeting mum on Thursday. I had the choice of not seeing him or him meeting mum so may as well bite the bullet. Never a dull moment.

Take care everyone.

ps: still no packing, maybe tomorrow! I have my passport covered!

[NoSugar]

Congratulations, Ava! And thanks for being so willing to share All you've learned here.

I hope your counseling session went well, Hanna.

[Elvis]

Good job on 50 days Overit! Good job on 500 days available!

I'm jealous of all you people who lost weight when you quit! Not me. And now I have to go to the gym...

Welcome questeroo. I'm not clear if this is your approach or not, but for what it's worth, one of the times I tried to quit (before joining MWO), I started tapering days by only drinking 6 days a week, then 5 days a week, then 4 days and so on. It took me 5 months to get down to 2 days a week, which usually turned into all day marathons on Saturday and Sunday. As hard as I tried, I never could get myself to get down to one day a week. You can probably see where this story is headed. I felt like a failure and I felt as if I let myself down and eventually I was back to everyday drinking. The answer, for me, is all or nothing. Once I accepted that and eliminated all alcohol from my life, and put a good solid support system in place, is when I had the most success.

[daisy45]

Well done Ava.....you so deserve everything that those 500 days have given you!
Listened to 2 podcasts today...one on shame...it was just ok, then Gifts in sobriety, which I would recommend. Finding these talks so useful...keeps my head in sober thinking.
I can't say I haven't thought of a drink but I know I am doing all I can to maintain this. I actually walked about 4 mile today just so I could listen to the whole talk.
Went food shopping today.....fridge full, so lots of cooking to do in the next couple of days.
Hanna, hope you find some answers....the serenity prayer would help in your situation. Thinking of you.....

[Byrdlady]

Another week, another f'up. 7 days blown. trigger = my wife. Not to blame her mind you, it's all on me. After working in the yard yesterday and helping to clean the house, she rewarded me with a Gin & tonic on the back deck. Sunny, warm, and a feeling of accomplishment, I really didn't think, and drank it up. Fail.
Worst is, I'm drinking today. Sorry.
Really gotta get back in the tool box and work on this

Thanks for the support here.

Hey Mr. V!
If I may offer up 2 points of observation. The first one is the MORAL LICENSING LOOPHOLE. What's this? It's when we give ourselves permission to do something 'BAD' (eat potato chips, buy something extravagant, or drink AL) because we've been 'good.' We reason that we've earned it or deserve it, or that some good behavior has to be offset by something bad. We are Alkies, the LAST thing we need as a reward is AL. It's the ultimate punishment if you think about it. Which brings me to my second point. As a card-carrying Alkie, I can honestly say I never took a drink without thinking about it. I WAS AWARE. VERY. AWARE. I bet you were, too. Addicts know when their fix is coming.

You've been at this a while, I know you know how to quit this madness. Accepting it and LETTING GO to the fantasy of 'just on special occasions or weekends' goes a long way. Please get your support system in place (your wife) and let her know so she doesn't derail you inadvertently. If you are like me, there just comes a time to stop bullshitting yourself and get this monkey off your back once and for all. There is NO better time than right now.

Available, congratulations on your 500 days!!! AND a birthday thrown in for good measure! I'm not sure there are enough icons to celebrate all the things you have going on! Bon Voyage!!!! :hug:

Byrdie

[Pavati]

Hi, All:

I read back but am late for the next thing...A very busy week.

Way to go, Overit - you sound so great an happy. 50 is the new black...

Ava- 500! We're half way to our Aug. 2016 meet up. Wouldn't it be fun if I could make it to Oz to celebrate?! I hate flying, too, but found it to be tolerable with a good book and holding my son's hand/arm (a few bruises for him, and I'm all ok!)

Kensho - We'll be glad to have you back.

Welcome, Questeroo. I recommend the toolbox, too. A great bunch of resources.

Lil - You make me laugh. I hope your competition is going well.

Jane - I appreciated your post to Londoner. I looked back in my journal for the time before I quit and the number one word was fear. It was everywhere, and deep down in my core. It turns out I had nothing to fear by quitting - and everything to fear from continuing down the path I was on.

You got this, Londoner - you really do. Look at my picture - you have had the power all along...

Off to go out with the family, sober and serene. Happy Tuesday!

Pav

[jane27]

Hanna, I hope your session went well, gave you a better sense of where he's at, and that its where you'd like him to be.
I'm exhausted from renovation repair work we are having done because of the flood we had. Every wall that gets cut open, reveals a new set of problems, but its coming together so nicely. I have to pick a paint color tonight and scrub a pipe down/ fill the bathtub up with water and see if it leaks. I have been doing a lot of Paul Bunyonesque heavy lifting. Hubs gets back from business trip tomorrow night and I really want to surprise him with some revamping I did. I'm on day 5 of the master cleanse, feeling loopy like Chrissy from Threes Company and day dreaming about food so much that I feel like a raincoat wearing pervert. Life is good though. Guitarista, I missed your day 100. Every time I began to write a post, I got pulled away by a house issue. Fat congrats to you. I enjoy reading your posts and admire your positive attitude as well as your generosity in supporting others. Here's to 100 more! :hug:

[daisy45]

An interesting comment from the Gift of sobriety talk today...' I found that everything I looked for in drinking actually came to me through sobriety'. Not the exact words but you get the picture.

[MossRose]

Hanna - best wishes to you with the counseling. I know it's scary, but it's a start. You can't fix it until you know what's broken, right? I'm so relieved to hear that you have support in real life. MWO is great, and I owe my life and sanity to the people here, but reaching out to a few trusted people in my daily life is what finally pushed me to shore. It was a combo platter, and it works. Hang in there. Sending hugs and love.

Ava - 500 days!!! I remember when we started off together, and I am just so proud of you. In fact, inspired. Have a great vacation.

Mr. Vervill - I can't add much to Byrdie's post. It's spot on. I don't know if I ever viewed AL as a reward, but I did that with cigarettes. I used to smoke as a reward all the time. It was a very hard habit to break. But I did it. You can too (with AL). Hang in there.

Londoner - just go for it. That's all I can say. Just go for it. We'll be there every step of the way.

Good day here. Just got off the phone with my friend in TX. He drives me nuts, but makes me laugh. He truly is one of the good ones.

[Guitarista]

Guitarista, I missed your day 100. Every time I began to write a post, I got pulled away by a house issue. Fat congrats to you. I enjoy reading your posts and admire your positive attitude as well as your generosity in supporting others. Here's to 100 more! :hug:

Thanks Jane! Glad to hear the reno's looking positive even though it sounds a big job. :dancin:


Hiya Daisy. I am so much more confident with much more courage living sober. I can actually do all those things and big idea's i had when i was drinking, and i had a lot of 'em. :happy2:

[MossRose]

G- your posts always make me feel like dancing. Or cheering, or something

[Guitarista]

Dance like no-one's watching Mossy! Or something like that....

Ava, holy smokin' jumpin' juniper tree's. 500 days!! Wow, great stuff my friend!

This means our compadre Pavati is a few hours away from 500 too! Bravo friends!