Newbies Nest

[Baclofenman]

I'm An Alcoholic: My Name Is... | I'm An Alcoholic: My Name Is... | Channel 5

You may not be able to view from the States if not let me know and I will try and get you a link to a uk IP address

Regards


Bacman

Edit: Try THIS link - Copy and paste the URL from the link above into the box and it should work - Let me know if not

I just watched this - Very good documentary indeed - Nice to see CH5 making good programmes in amongst the shite that is "celeb" BB

Regards


Bacman

[daisy45]

Tomorrow morning at 9.15am on channel 5, The Wright Stuff are discussing who thinks that social media can be as great a help for problem drinkers as going to an AA meeing in person.......this should be interesting.
I want people to get the message....drink sucks....and on a selfish note, I want some sober friends!

[Lavande]

Good morning Nesters

Very cold but sunny in these parts, that's OK with me.
I am watching my granddaughter today & hsve been upnsince 5 am. Apparently there isn't much downtime in retirement, ha ha! I remain grateful for this special opportunity & will not mess it up!

Greetings to all & wishing for a wonderful AF Thursday for all.

Lav

[Byrdlady]

G-Man, this past week, I've not only had H.A.L.T., but also M.P.O.F.S.A.T. (Mad, P*ssed Off, Frustrated, Sick and Tired!) But I am happy to report, as MAD and frustrated as I got...at no time did I consider AL as a release valve. Choking coworkers, YES, drinking, NO. You can't imagine the change of thinking this is (or maybe you CAN!) Drinking AT a situation used to be my calling card! I am so happy that I have learned the coping skills needed to navigate thru all these feelings. It only came with time and distance from AL.

Kensho, I'm so happy to hear about your 40+ days and the differences you are feeling. Funny thing, I used to drink to fit in and be part of the crowd....to FEEL like an adult, but you nailed it when you said that you finally feel grown up. I do, too! I feel as if I have grown beyond needing to fit in or conform to drinking. It is a real blessing. I see folks in their 40's and 50's trapped in this cycle of drinking....thinking that it makes them feel young and 'with it'. Being on this side of it, I can tell you, I feel younger and MORE with it now than I ever did when I drank. It held me back! Who knew?! Keep up the great work, I PROMISE YOU, it only gets better! Growing up is a good thing!

Kuya always said that she believed our emotion growth was stunted at whatever age we became dependent on AL. When we finally quit drinking, our emotional age has to catch up to our chronological age. Quite a grand canyon in my case....but I think I finally caught up and it feels good!

I went to the dermatologist yustaday and was showing him a freckle on my chest to check...he didn't see it so he handed me the mirror to point it out...I said 'Why is my skin so red??' he replied, "Liquid lunch?" I burst out laughing.....I said, 'That's funny, I don't drink at all!!!" It just came out, I didn't have to think about it! At the same time, I also shudder to think of how many times I DID have a liquid lunch and the after-lunch people could tell! UGG!

Hope everyone has an easy day! Byrdie

[Overit-still]

Busy

Good morning! Just flying by again. Everyone sounds great. Bal-trying to watch, I think I need to update my flash something or other. Anyway, staying busy. :checkin:

[JackDanielsGirl]

Hi guys,

Just checking in to say all is well here. Don't have to worry about not being busy while daughter is on her 7-on, my son had to come home from NM due to a bunch of crap, so I will have company. YAY! I love spending time with him but at the same time I am sad for him because he wanted to stay and work. He will be going back in a few weeks.

Having a couch party with the kiddos today before the dreaded 7-on.

Staying strong with you all,
JDG

[j-vo]

El, thank you, and you know the drill in teaching. But I've been using some good coping skills like this morning, I decided to go to coffee club with some people. I need to just giggle a bit in the morning before getting serious, although serious teaching is not my thing. :yay: I'm more like this. Maybe it's the grade I teach, as they're bouncing off everything and each other, literally.

So, in coffee club this morning, someone was talking about a woman we'd worked with for many years. I knew she was a heavy drinker. Well, apparently after retirement, she didn't slow down. Someone said they see her all the time leaving the state store with a bottle. It doesn't surprise me, but it made me really think about several things. She's wasting her retirement, losing precious time to enjoy and do things. She has ropes and chains all around her, as she is not letting herself free from booze. It's sad to think about and I'm thinking about it because I never want that to me be. She has grandchildren, too, and I bet they don't stay with her alone. Thought of you Lav, how blessed you are to have that opportunity. Yeah, that was on my mind a lot. I wanna remember this.

Byrdie, I think you need some bakin' therapy this weekend.:hug:

Have a good day.

[Eloise]

Yeah, I hear you about the retired teacher. Shame really and sad. I had my SIL as a role model re: how I do not want to lead my life down the road. I do not mean this in a mean way, just being a bit too honest.
I know i have said this before. It is really hard to up and stop drinking, we all know that and you really do have to get to the stage where you do not see any other solution. At least I did. It wasn't like my life was falling apart either. I could have gone on pretending that I drank, so what?
I am now really relieved everything didn't have to collapse entirely for me to wake up.
Image if I was drunk walking Eli in front of the tram!!

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Back in my own home in front of a toasty fireplace. I had a great day with my granddaughter & am grateful for the time with her.

j-vo, I imagine the guys at the state store figure I just dropped dead or something. I suddenly & completely stopped going there just about 7 years ago. Oh yeah, I am a grateful granny
You can plan nice things for your retirement sans AL!

El, quitting before you hit bottom is a blessing so hang onto your quit
Enjoy your freedom, your new place, your animals....everything!

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[NoraC]

Hello nest!

I have a question for you. How do you handle it when you are out and there is a champagne toast? My son is getting married next month. I have thought about just requesting sparkling water or something. I also thought about just toasting with my coke or ice tea or whatever. I also thought about just lifting my champagne glass and not drinking.
I definitely do not want it to be a big or noticeable deal that I'm not drinking. Some people know but it's not something that I want to discuss with anyone. I want to celebrate my son's wedding - not dwell on the fact that I don't drink.

So, I thought I would go to the experts. How do you deal with these type of social events?

[j-vo]

I'm no expert, but I truly believe no one would even notice. I would probably have sparkling water put into the champagne flute. I think I would be more interested in what the mother of the groom was wearing and her pretty matching shoes. How exciting for you Nora!!

[Byrdlady]

Nora, I have hit this one several times. On New Years day, our neighbors cram a glass of champagne into everyone's hands, I raise the glass and toast and then sit it down. I dont pretend to sip it, just sit it down. I actually noticed several people doing that! I was at an anniversary dinner for a department store and here comes the champagne....UGG, I thought! I took the glass, rasied and clinked it, then got rid of it. The first time it happened, I paniced! Once you see what a big deal it isn't, you will feel better. No one really pays attention at all. After that toast at the fancy dinner, one guy at our table said, 'Oh, that champagne is terrible!' I thought, 'Man, am I glad I didnt blow my quit for bad champagne!'

Edit: Jvo, sparkling water would be excellent, but in my cases, it happened so fast I didnt have an opportunity to make a switch!

[NoraC]

Thanks j-vo. I am excited! And, that's what I thought - nobody is going to be looking at me for the toast. They're going to be watching the newlyweds.

[NoraC]

Byrdie - thank you. Want to know what's really silly - but, I didn't know if it was bad luck to toast and then not take a sip. That's why I was worrying about what what was in the glass. Didn't want to jinx their wedding. :rotlf: But, seriously, I'm glad that it's ok to raise the glass and then just put it down out of my way. I'm sure that I can ask hubby and he will move it for me. He's not much of a drinker anymore so I doubt that he will drink either.

I know that this is a stupid thing to get hung up on. But, I just want to make sure that everything goes smoothly.

[available]

Hey Nora, i just had my nieces wedding and my son mentioned to a waitress that was assigned to us that i did not drink and to serve me only af drinks which was just lovely. suprisingly i got the special attention! When toasting my niece i had a champagne glass with sparkling water in it. did the sniff test first to make sure also. There are some people who dont drink but they were few and far between at the wedding i just attended.

I did get overwhelmed with all the al but a walk outside settled those being denied thoughts. Mind you all the drunk people annoyed me no end.

Each occasion is different with regards to al, once we have achieved the 1sts then the 2nds are always much easier.