Newbies Nest

[Eloise]

Going to a bon voyage party this evening.
At a French family's house, could be tricky.
" oh no thanks, an herbsl tea or water would be great!"
mais comment c'est possible pas de vin?!
" I stopped drinking ages ago, I feel so much better drinking tea!"
Is that good?

[Starfish1]

That's excellent, El! Just keep practicing that all day long and eat A LOT before you go.

[Byrdlady]

A quick check in this morning!
Star, last weekend's Extreme Cookie'ing just about did me in. I really got hosed on that one, but it was my own fault. I told my friend how much $ I had in the ingredients and the shipping, she said, 'Don't worry, I will certainly pay you for your time!' So I boxed them securely up, all 84 cookies in an individual bag, and they arrived, not one crumb out if place. Ingredients were $70 and shipping, $14. I got her check yesterday for $100. My time was worth 16 bucks! A dollar an hour! I spent ALL last weekend on those and 3 trips to the store. This was my own fault, let MY stupidity be a lesson to all! Spell it out up front!! It sure taught me the value of a dollar! In a cruel twist of fate, I decided to upgrade to Windows 10 on my personal laptop and it really went haywire. I had to take it to THE GUY. The bill? $100.

This weekend I am sorting pictures! Hopefully, this wont cost me any money! I at least want to get them into proper decades, organized in photo boxes! We 'll see how that goes!
Hope everyone has an easy day! Byrdie

[Eloise]

Or no thanks I prefer sparkling water.

[Starfish1]

That stinks, Byrdie! I've had people do that kind of thing to me over and over again. And usually, it's the kind of people who have PLENTY of money and that you think would be generous. I guess that's WHY they have plenty of money...penny pinchers!

Happy sorting!

[Starfish1]

El, would it be rude and inappropriate for you to bring your own beverages? That way, you could indulge in something you really look forward to drinking and not have to "settle" for something else.

[abcowboy]

Happy Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Byrdie!

[Eloise]

El, would it be rude and inappropriate for you to bring your own beverages? That way, you could indulge in something you really look forward to drinking and not have to "settle" for something else.

Well... not sure. It would be sensible though so maybe I will! We have so much flavoured sparkling water in the house at the moment... yeah, good idea! Thanks.

I hope Dutch sees this... I was just listening to a rebroadcast of the Bubble Hour: How to Talk to Family and Friends about...
they talk a lot about PAWS in this broadcast and they laugh a lot too.
If you have time maybe listen to it Dutch? They have so many good points and a light hearted attitude which I think you could use right now?

Happy week-end folks!

[Eloise]

A quick check in this morning!
Star, last weekend's Extreme Cookie'ing just about did me in. I really got hosed on that one, but it was my own fault. I told my friend how much $ I had in the ingredients and the shipping, she said, 'Don't worry, I will certainly pay you for your time!' So I boxed them securely up, all 84 cookies in an individual bag, and they arrived, not one crumb out if place. Ingredients were $70 and shipping, $14. I got her check yesterday for $100. My time was worth 16 bucks! A dollar an hour! I spent ALL last weekend on those and 3 trips to the store. This was my own fault, let MY stupidity be a lesson to all! Spell it out up front!! It sure taught me the value of a dollar! In a cruel twist of fate, I decided to upgrade to Windows 10 on my personal laptop and it really went haywire. I had to take it to THE GUY. The bill? $100.

This weekend I am sorting pictures! Hopefully, this wont cost me any money! I at least want to get them into proper decades, organized in photo boxes! We 'll see how that goes!
Hope everyone has an easy day! Byrdie

Talk to her!! She has been planning a wedding, maybe it is a mistake?
I cannot imagine she is going to give you a 100 bucks? That is 1.19 $ per cookie. Impossible.
Either way you have nothing to loose! If she says too bad so sad you loose a friend, who wants a friend like that anyway? Not me.
:furious:

[Starfish1]

Good thinking, El! You are right!

[Quit wining]

So I spent a few hours here yesterday, was encouraged by not only the successes but was also pleased to see I wasn't the only one relapsing from time to time.
And what did I do? At the usual time before supper, poured myself a glass of wine. Poured another to have with supper and then had two more through the evening! Same old, same old.
Today will be different I hope. I'm disappointed in myself to have given in yesterday. I'm now out of wine and will not be going to the store today.

[KENSHO]

It's funny. When I got used to not drinking, it was fairly simple to keep that going. When I got myself used to drinking for special occasions again (there are special occasions whenever you need one), not drinking seems weird. SO, makes sense just to get back in the habit of not drinking.

We have another tempting evening, with all family and two birthday celebrations at a fancy restaurant. Then there's the weekend with the friends that drink like fish. Then there's my 40th birthday exactly one month away. That's the problem with "special occasions" - they are all the time.

But, I've told myself time and time again that I'm happier NOT drinking, so that is what I will do. Actually, I would be happier being able to have one drink every week or so, but it just doesn't work out that way for me

So, just as I did last night, I will have fun without alcohol and wake up feeling like I slept well!!!

[Starfish1]

Good plan to keep it out of your house, QW! I know, if I have any in the house, it sings to me.

You were probably hungry yesterday when you started drinking. That is a real trigger. I have been trying to eat a light snack before I even start preparing dinner because I am usually already hungry when I have to start cooking. That is not good. So, instead of torture myself, until the meal is finished, or even worse, take a chance of drinking instead of eating, I go ahead and take care of my self and my low blood sugar before it gets out of hand and I grab for that quick fix (liquor!)...That may be a quick fix at the time, but it is the absolute worse solution to a simple problem.

Glad to see you back today with new resolve. And yes, I have relapsed too many times to count. This one's the one, though.

[Starfish1]

Hey Kensho,

Cross Post...

You are right in saying there is always some kind of "special occasion" or temptation around. We just can't get away from it, can we?

I really feel for you that your family are all big drinkers and that these birthday parties are "family celebrations". It may be simpler to just beg off tonight, if it weren't family. But, thank goodness, you flexed your abstinence muscles last night and strengthened your resolve and that was great. Each time we do this, we get stronger. All you gotta do tonight is rinse and repeat and think about how great you will feel tomorrow.

You can worry about the weekend with friends and your birthday later. All you gotta do is get through this day.

See, Kensho, if you drink tonight, you may be taking the first step to another big relapse...if you drink tonight, then why not just keep drinking all week long and thru the weekend so you can drink with your friends?...and then, well, you birthday is just one month away, so why stop now? You will be tempted to drink away the next month and THEN start over again...It's a rabbit hole, Kensho. Steer clear of it and you will be much happier. Don't you agree?

[Londoner]

Just a quick check in. First weekend not drinking at all in ..... goodness knows how long.

Everyone else was drinking around me tonight - trying to look at things from a different perspective now - yes, the rush of drinking will numb me out for a few hours, but it will detach me from everything else for the next week. Sure, I'll feel isolated and lonely for tonight - that's nothing compared to a life long of isolation because you lock yourself away after drinking.