Newbies Nest

[Guitarista]

Yo Nesters from the wilds of not only my mind, but of Oz. Day 7 and rawkin.

Byrdy, I bet you can fit EVERYTHING into that purse.

Lilbit, yep, the 'you look great' comments and fun fact and byproduct of getting sober sure are an added motivation I reckon.

Morning meditation done, Superman power pose executed for 2 minutes combined with focused, relaxed breathing. Am I ready for anything? You betchya cottonpickin yellow cotton socks.

Take it easy out there and love yourself a little. G

[Byrdlady]

G, I can wage war from my purse!! Need a ride? Hop in! Ehehe.
Me'n the Nesters would like to give you the ole two-cheeked salute for those 7 days!! Here you go! :butt:
The worst part is behind you! We are standing by you check to cheek!! Well done, G! We are super proud of you!!! Hugs to my favorite Masked Man! B

[little beagle]

Yesterday we had 5.25 inches of rain in an hour. It was suppose to be a 100 year event.
I was really stressed about shopping when I first quit drinking. Tgst alcohol isle. Well those bottles of cold beer use to talk to me. So I imagined all the alcohol as coild up poisonous snakes. It really worked as I am terrified of snakes, poisonous ones, well forget it. I still cringe walking down that isle. And yes, sometimes it's unavoidable. One store puts their nonalcoholic beer in the cooler, at the very back of the store. And my husband drinks NA beer which I purchase for him upon occasion.
I find visual pictures like this really help me. My NA voice is a monster with one eye. I viviously stab him in that eye when he natters away to me about how nice a beer would taste. Well visually it works for me. He limps off, blood oozing and I am no longer thinkinf of a drink, but feel a rush of victory instead. I have defeated him once again.

[Guitarista]

G, I can wage war from my purse!! Need a ride? Hop in! Ehehe.
Me'n the Nesters would like to give you the ole two-cheeked salute for those 7 days!! Here you go! :butt:
The worst part is behind you! We are standing by you check to cheek!! Well done, G! We are super proud of you!!! Hugs to my favorite Masked Man! B

Thanks Mam. :happy2:

Hiya LB. You rawk!

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Well, almost everything is back to normal (whatever that is) after Tuesday's big storm. I hear some folks in a neighboring county are still without power, that's awful.

G, Congrats to your on your 7 AF days. Now turn them into 7000!!!

LB, you seriously had THAT much rain THAT quickly? Geez!!!
I'm with you on the snake thing & we have good old Pennsylvania black snakes around here, ugh. I see them a few times a year. One crossed my path on my driveway last week & all I was doing was trying to get to the stupid mailbox. Even my dog stopped to watch the thing slither clear across our path, eeewww

Lil, one of my dogs is a 'hider' of things. She stockpiles treats & things in her crate, ha ha! So you didn't impress the cat? We have one like that too/

My brain is not fully functional from having two nights of poor sleep. I hope to get that fixed tonight.
Wishing everyone a safe & restful night in the nest!

Lav

[Pavati]

Hi, Peeps:

I would be embarrassed to take a picture of my purse. I just fished out an old folded piece of paper with gum inside. Many months old. Who knows what's in there? I would win that $50 from Monty Hall (if I may be so bold as to age myself with that reference - we'll see who gets it).

G - Make this one stick. 7 to 7,000. Go, Superman.

Ava - So glad you can be there for Robert. And who doesn't like a little stress relief now and then? It will keep you warm, too. I mean cuddling, people.

Byrdie - you hit the nail on the head as usual. Alcohol-caused anxiety is THE TRUTH. It is so hard to realize when you're in the middle of it, which is why that "plan" you always talk about (and Lav and NS, too) is so important, so you know what to do.

Lil - I love that side effect. So many people tell me how great I look (well, it has slowed down as the transformation becomes part of who I am now...)

Goodnight, folks.

Pav

[fairydust]

Hi everyone, :newhere: looking forward to getting to know you all yesterday was my first AF day (of many first days) and I found it surprisingly easy, I am not under any illusion however as I have tried so many times and failed, it will be strange to have my second day on a weekend, I am hoping if I can get through the whole weekend AF it will spur me on and give me the confidence I need to continue...

[Lavande]

Good morning Nesters,

Dogs were up early for some reason so I had no choice to get up as well.

Hello & welcome fairydust, glad you decided to join us!
Great on getting day 1 out of the way. With a good plan you can succeed in taking back control of your life. Be sure to look in our https://www.mywayout.org/community/sh...24253-Tool-box for good ideas.
Stay close to the nest this weekend, we'll make sure you get through

Pav, keep looking thru that purse. You may find that winning lottery ticket stuck to the bottom, ha ha!

Wishing everyone a great AF Friday!

Lav

[Pie]

Morning fairy dust. I started my quit on a Friday, in part to get the first weekend out of the way while my resolve was very strong. Enjoy your sober weekend!

[Byrdlady]

Good Morning, Nesters!
G, I feel as tho we've shared an intimate moment...when a girl shares the inside of her purse with someone....well....there's a bond!

Fairydust, I'm so happy to see you here! With that first day under your belt, day 2 will be easier! By tomorrow this time, you'll have DOUBLED your sober time! There is 7 (or so) years of history right here on this thread, so if you find yourself with a few hours of free time (and WHO DIDN'T in the beginning?) read back and see how all this works! We take it a day at a time around here, no sense in borrowing trouble from next week! We're glad you're here!

So it's Friday! Just another day of the week....it's not a ticket to Boozeville! We never wake up on Sattiday and say, "DAM, I wish I'd gotten drunk last night!" No regrets! Hugs and strength to all, Byrdie

[LilBit]

Day 7 for the G Man! Adding my own not-unsubstantial moon to the parade. Many congrats to you, G. With that first week behind you, nothing can stop you, now.

LB, great use of imagination, picturing the AL as venomous snakes. IRS agents and Justin Bieber albums can also serve this purpose if the snakes' deterrent impact needs a boost.

Pav, and other members of the audience, show me a Double-Mint Gum wrapper with the letters 345 printed on it or a half-eaten apple in the shape of Abraham Lincoln's head. Thank you for that trip way, way down memory lane, Pav. I LOVED that program as a kid!

Wishing you some good sleep, Lav -- the kind where you dream about Ryan Reynolds -- and hoping the dogs sleep in, too.

Welcome, FairyDust! Staying incredibly busy helped me make it through the first few days, i.e., planning all sorts of fun and satisfying things to do or just getting tons of sleep. Or both! Please keep posting, as that really helps, too.

Byrdie, I love your use of the term, "Sattiday!" My sister always says that.

As for me, I had one of those awful dreams last night in which I had downed some champagne while on vacation, and then awoke SO relieved to find myself still firmly in my quit. 'Making Snickerdoodles this morning for a friend whose husband has Stage 4 cancer and has lost his appetite. I know Snickerdoodles can't change the world, but maybe they can make this one little piece of it a little better.

Happy Friday, everyone!

[peppersnow]

Good morning (from here) Nesters - Congrats G on 7 days, and welcome Fairydust!! When I first quit, I remember thinking, "I'm afraid I'm different and don't have the willpower that these people do". What I've learned is that alcoholism has nothing to do with who you are...it's not a reflection of your strength of character...not a reflection of your moral code...it has nothing to do with the person you were born to be. It's a disease that tricks your brain into thinking you can't live without it, and what lots of us have found out is, that's just total bullshit. The fact that I believed that lie for so long and let it brainwash me makes me angry today, and it will for you too after a sustained quit. So if you find yourself believing there's something inherently wrong with your willpower, or that you are weaker somehow than most people, just remember not to trade drinking booze for drinking that Kool-Aid. Anyone and everyone CAN quit.

[LilBit]

By the way, I think what prompted the dream about slipping was watching Denzel Washington's flim "Flight" before bed. Has anyone seen the movie? It's a great study in the power of addiction. I first saw it when I was still drinking, and found it highly disturbing. Now, on the other side, I find it encouraging.

One of the most poignant scenes involves Washington's character, "Whip" spending the night in a hotel room before a hearing, in which, his AL abuse is a pivotal factor. Knowing that he is early in his quit, his advocates have all the AL removed from the hotel room's minibar. I won't spoil it by saying what happens next. 'Worth watching, for sure, but tap your Pav-ruby red slippers together before bedtime and remind yourself three times, "There's no place like sobriety. There's no place..."

[Matt M.]

Good Morning from an Africa Hot Texas.

Welcome Fairydust!


Tackled my flower bed yesterday, which was highly ignorant. My OCD was in full affect, so what started as a simple clean out turned into a complete flower bed overhaul, 👎. With the heat index well above 100° F, I thought I was going to have to start an IV on myself ( although challenging, I have done it)

Other than that Hell yesterday, I have been a bit stressed lately. With nearly a year of Sober life behind me, I still find myself unraveling the financial cluster fuck that I and I alone created.
Opening and maxing credit cards out in efforts to hide my drinking. Spending and ultimately depleting any and all savings. Getting behind on regular bills etc,etc
This is all a product or result of my addiction. As my addiction progressed over the years my problems compounded and progressed in unison.

I know these problems were not made overnight, so I have to be strong and know this will take time to fix.
Still very disheartening and humiliating to be going through this, when things are as good as they have ever been at home.
Without sounding like I'm throwing a pity party,
I'm not sure how my wife does it? The ramifications for my actions are still showing up.

Proof that the sooner we quit Al and start seeing it for the Poison it is the better....

Really enjoyed reading back the last couple of days, hope everyone has a great day. ..

Stay Hard my friends!

[jane27]

Hi nestmates,
Packing for the *BIG* family vaca that kicks off tomorrow. Our first vaca away with extended family ...all under one roof for a week. Roll call includes us & the boys (16 & 20), BIL/SIL & 2 kids (2,3), MIL, FIL & MIL's health aid. You could say I'm nervous!

Historically(before sobriety) everything about traveling was an extra huge drunk. I mean MASSIVE. From the minute I'd start to pack,(regardless of the time of day naturally) the booze would flow freely; Cause of that is divided between: 1) packing anxiety and 2) wanting to ensure a solid buzz during travel time (No fear of flying involved in that). I am thankful that I don't have to deal with liquor management logistics, and I'm not craving AL- bust just thought I would share how totally reckless an event the going away process has been for the greater part of the last 2 decades. Anyone else experience this?

Wishing everyone strength & a great weekend. Hoping I'll be able to check in and post a bit while I am away. xoxoxo