Newbies Nest

[Byrdlady]

Quick check in from Charleston.
Struggles are temporary, PUSH thru and you will feel like a shiny penny! Little victories lead to big rewards! Do whatever it takes to get thru this day AF!!! Byrdie
Edit to add:
Well done, G, :thumbsup::congratulatory:

[Starfish1]

GMAN :sensational:

Lav, I was up early, due to a hungry baby animal around here. I am keeping my dtrs dog here at my house while she and her hubby are vacationing. She has a 4 month old goldendoodle. ALL PUPPY. I am not used to this. My dogs are both elderly and we have our routines. This baby is throwing us a curveball.

On a sad note, we have a close family friend who is experiencing some terrible health issues. I am so very worried about her. She is almost at death's door and was sent to the emergency room yesterday by her doctor. She sat in the ER (in a chair) in terrible pain from 3 p.m. until 1 a.m. After that, she was finally put on a gurney, but still not in a room. My heart breaks for her. She has not complained once. I am praying hard that she can be helped and feeling very sad for her and very depressed that I have spent so many years doing harmful things to my body. We should never take our health for granted, folks.
Have a great, sober day everyone!

[KENSHO]

Thanks MYWAY, LAV, BYRDIE!

We get reception on the river. We are pretty removed - is there anywhere without cell reception? Oh ya, often my house good I can check in here. I was not expecting last night to be so hard, though my thinking needs an adjustment. I usually clinged to knowing that I felt better without AL, but lately I've been feeling yucky. I've wanted ANYTHING to feel better. BUT I do listen to you here and I know it IS temporary. What worked last night was eating and drinking my AF drink, and I felt much better by 7:30 or so. Not sure what I need to do to refocus, but my thinking has romanticized AL lately, and I know this is not good.

Way to go G!! Keep rockin' till you reach a century!

Sorry for your friend Starfish. (((Hugs))) to you.

Going to go brew some coffee. Thanks for bring here all of you.

[Starfish1]

Thank you, Kensho! I'm sorry I wasn't around last night, but was very tied up trying to stay connected with the friend (remotely). I am so glad you made it through. Each time we make it through a tough one we get a little bit stronger! Eating is absolutely the best thing you can do. Byrdie says we should eat til we are "Thanksgiving" full. Eat until you can't eat another bite. It works like a charm, every time.

[Quit wining]

Happy Saturday Fellow Nesters! Hope everyone's weekend is off to an AF start.

And to my fellow Canadians on MWO, Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I have lots to be thankful for - a wonderful family and two amazing grand babies, good friends from coast to coast and a lot of friends I've never met face to face, here, on MWO. You have been an inspiration! And, 49 days AF.

There have been lots of struggles over the past several weeks and there were days I signed on here about 10 times, just to read what my fellow nesters were doing, were going through. And you helped me through the struggles. Thank you for that!

So I wish everyone a safe, AL free weekend and a very Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks!

[Pavati]

Hi, Everyone:

There is a thing called the pink cloud effect - where the first few weeks of a quit you feel euphoric because you are so glad to be rid of that beast. Then when you settle in to your routine of not drinking, and life comes along anyway, that can often be a time for relapse - the initial part of feeling good feels so good that you forget what you need to do to stay sober even when you feel bad.

I had an extremely flat (down) period between 3 and 7 months sober. I had dreams, cravings out of no where, and often thought about alcohol. But because I had taken alcohol OFF the table, I knew it wasn't a choice for me. I closed my eyes and like Matt suggests remembered the worst I ever felt from alcohol. It is amazing how I can conjure that up so quickly and thoroughly. I also read and posted here - to find out that such a down/flat time is expected and many old timers were able to say "me, too." I had to suspend disbelief and be willing to just follow those ahead of me, doing what had worked for them in order to stay sane without the booze. I share that experience in the hope it can help one of you feeling flat and "why me-ish." Me, too.

And now being able to drink alcohol isn't on my wish list either. SO very happy to say that. Yes, I still get longings, and even the occasional "why me," but I have honed my tools to be able to get out of those increasingly less frequent times with ease.

Mr. G - you know that I am with you in the lacing up the shoes as a very important tool in my kit. 10 blocks or 10K - fresh air and exercise are key.

Happy SOBER Saturday.

Pav

[gingerspice]

Hi lost soul ,sothankful , Mr V .Relapse is like a thief in the night ,it can sneak up on us out of nowhere , despite all our best efforts. In response we have to get back on the horse and power on, use it as a learning curve for the future . like Byrdie and Pav have said we have to take the option of the table , it really is a mantra that does work. I got into new habits and routines , it was the only way for me to cope. I understand about being lonely I do not have many friends,a real introvert, and I used wine as a friend until I had to wake up to the realty that I was addicted, and had to deal with it. The situation with loneliness is still there ,but I the only way I have got round it is personally to accept who I am ,and to make the best of all I have. I always have tried to be like other people and acceptance of being me has helped me.
well done Mr G -hobnobbing with the stars now !!
To all who are struggling ,you have come so far ,don't let the wine witch take any more of your time , just forget her and move on .
star take care will send a prayer for you and your dear friend

take care all x

[LostSoul33]

Thanks all! I definitely have a lot to sort out but being clear minded helps, big time.

Just got back from the gym and heading out to get my nails done, pampering is always fun. Will check back in before I go my AA meeting tonight.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[available]

Morning nest,

Busy here and loving the warm weather we are getting now.

Mr G a huge congrats on 50 days. Change your mindset and it changes your life!

Kensho think of what al gave you. I know it gave me nothing in my life to be proud of and to make me want to drink again. It gave me nothing but pain, anxiety, shame, guilt, lack of motivation. You can do this and who really wants to post another day 1. Hitting the repeat button is not an option for me. Even in the early days the thought of starting again and going through what i did was motivation enough to just deal with my thoughts one day at a time.

Yesterday we went house hunting, somewhere further out of the city. My mother will be moving in, she is 79 and is too far away from me now. I have a love, hate relationship with my mum, either love her to death or she drives me insane. She is always right and i always feels guilty i have done something wrong. The house we are looking at is about 40 steps to a pub. I have already told my children if i get really stressed to keep an eye on me. Even now i know in advance that this will be a very big adjustment and temptation to escape will be right around the corner. We havent even put an offer on the house yet but my radar is up and plans are in place. We alkies are sneaky people when we start planning to drink (as per Matts post yesterday) so i am getting prepared mentally to deal with this added stress. I refuse to drink AT anyone now and i dont plan on losing MY sobriety for anyone.

Mr V good to have you back. Can i ask what got you to have that drink?

Today is my sons 27th birthday. I nearly lost him to cot death at 6 weeks of age, i nearly lost him to ICE addiction over 2 1/2 years ago. I am so grateful to have him today.

Off to see Robert today, his pain levels are pretty bad now and it is very upsetting to see but we enjoy our time together. He has started having a scotch at night for pain relief and each time he asks me if i mind and if i a tempted he will not have it. I have a chuckle that someone in so much pain still thinks of others. This is a man who has not drank for over 20 years but he says it helps.

Off to make a breakfast for my son and to bake a cake. I cant say enough how good my life is now without al. I am so glad i listened to the oldies and took this journey one day at a time.

Take care x

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Great to see so many checking in with positive reports

Mr G, yay for your 50 AF days :welldone:
The creatures of the sea are blessed to have yo looking after them!

Ava, is there any other way you could take care of your Mom? I only ask because I'd really hate to see you overstressed & making big changes in your life. You already do so much to take care of your family & Robert. Back in 1985 I actually built an addition on to my home so that I could take care of my Mom. Unfortunately she passed away after only 6 months & I was left with my Dad for the nest 12 years. We never got along - ever! It was rough & likely contributed to my looking for peace in a wine bottle - I had never done that previously. I'm not saying that something like that would happen to you but your story brought up the memories.
I'm sorry that Robert is uncomfortable. Perhaps he should talk to his doc & get adequate pain relief.

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest! Chilly here, good sleeping weather!

Lav

[LilBit]

Here's one for you, Lav. Now you can dress up Stella for Halloween. What will they think of next?

stella.jpg

(Listed as "Princess Lay-a" and "Hens Solo")

Way to go with the 50 days, G Man!

Having a great sober weekend. We put on a neighborhood garage sale and these two old ladies admired and waffled and fussed over the wool coats I had for sale so much that I just gave them to them. Totally worth the smiles.

[LostSoul33]

Good evening everyone,

Wanted to keep myself accountable and check in one last time before bed. I actually went to 2 AA meetings tonight. I had to identify myself as a newcomer and that helped me meet other people. The group was young and really friendly. Just like here in the nest, people seemed to be genuinely happy-- what a thought!? Cant wait to get to that part.

Congrats, G on day 50!

Ava, good to have a plan in place. I, too, live around the corner from a bar that has gotten me into trouble. My plan is to tell the bartenders not to serve me-- they know I've been trying to stop and we are on friendly terms so I think that may be the best way for me, for now.

[Eloise]

Okay folks, back in the Netherlands at Grandma's. I swear all those signs and folks, young and old, drinking everywhere was a bit much. Shopping is great in Ghent though, food good too. Had some nice sushi and the archicteture amazing.
Dungeon in the castles made me a little anxious. Happy to report all is well and I am Happy to be beer free!

[Mr Vervill]

Quick check in before a long day at work today. Day 4, but who's counting, as G-man says.
I went to an Octobrfest last nigh with my wife and friends, a previous planned event, stupid, yes I know. I knew I didn't want to drink, but the AL voice said, you can keep it to one or two, setting myself up to drink. When I arrived, my friends asked me if I wasn't going to get a beer. I said no, I wanted to eat first, and that's what I did, and I kept eating, carrying a water bottle. After that, no said anything else, no pressure, and I'm not even sure that any one noticed I wasn't drinking. One of the couples we went with are light drinkers, usually only have one or two. Last night each only had one beer, so we sat together and chatted. a good time was had by all. The best part, I really did not feel as if I was white knuckling through the event.
Peace all,
V

[Lavande]

Good Sunday morning Nesters,

That's great news Mr V! Learning to maneuver thru life without AL is what we have to do. Turned out not to bet as difficult as I feared it would be - go figure!!

Eloise, glad you had an AF trip too!

LS, you are coming up to 2 weeks soon - good for you!

Lil, what some people do with their chickens is borderline bizarre, haha!! Thanks for the lovely picture
Glad you enjoyed your yard sale & made some people happy!!

I have my daughter & her family coming later so I'd better go haul in some provisions. My 4 year old granddaughter loves broccoli & potato chips, LOL
Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav