Newbies Nest

[Byrdlady]

Gosh, Jane, that IS from the archives!! Thank you for dusting that off! Miraculously, EVEN I got this after repeating the same mistakes! Thank you so much, Jane, for the kind words! All you gotta do, is get thru this day! Xoxox.

Edit to add: Congratulations on 150 days, Gman!!! Outstanding!!!!! :spin: Keep up the great work!

[JackDanielsGirl]

Evening folks,

Quiet evening here daughter at work and son at friends house. I thought I would hop on here and read a while. Lots of good posts and if catch up on recent ones, the older ones have tons of good info as well.

Have a safe and sober night in the nest.
JDG

[TJAF]

Gosh, Jane, that IS from the archives!! Thank you for dusting that off! Miraculously, EVEN I got this after repeating the same mistakes! Thank you so much, Jane, for the kind words! All you gotta do, is get thru this day! Xoxox.

Edit to add: Congratulations on 150 days, Gman!!! Outstanding!!!!! :spin: Keep up the great work!

Byrdie congratulations on your soon to be 5 year anniversary. Hard to believe that when I joined MWO you were sober for as long as I am now. At that time it seemed lke you were sober forever. Enjoy this wonderful day.

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Finally, no kids in my house for an overnight, ha ha! Love having them but I need a break from time to time

Byrdie, we are going to have to find you an enormous cake for your 5 year AF celebration :welldone:
I remember how tough it was to get you going but you sure have done the work!!! I am so happy & so proud of you!

G, 150 AF days now! Awesome work & I am happy for you as well.

j-vo, I've watched all of our parents & grandparents go thru that slow decline. I feel for you :hug:
My husband & I have each lost a brother in the past two years as well, it's not easy. I am grateful that none of them are suffering anymore & have found peace.

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest. Stay warm, it's heading down to 12 degrees tonight here, BRRRR!!

Lav

[Matt M.]

Gosh, Jane, that IS from the archives!! Thank you for dusting that off! Miraculously, EVEN I got this after repeating the same mistakes! Thank you so much, Jane, for the kind words! All you gotta do, is get thru this day! Xoxox.

Edit to add: Congratulations on 150 days, Gman!!! Outstanding!!!!! :spin: Keep up the great work!

Your MY hero....Seriously.....

[Lavande]

Good Tuesday morning Nesters

It's a freezing 12 degrees here - oh my!!!
Wishing everyone a sunny AF day, make it a good one!

Lav

[Byrdlady]

Good morning, Nesters!
While tomorrow will be among the happiest days of my life, I can't help but look back and remember that today was among the WORST! My husband of 24 years (at the time) sat right here and told me he didn't want to be married to a drunk! He left the house with a handful of clothes and I sat here in disbelief! This man who had put up with my crap for so long had finally reached the end of his rope. I thought our marriage could endure anything but I was shown how wrong I was when AL became a factor. I don't remember my last drink, but I remember going to bed that night a sobbing mess....my dog knew something was wrong, she was crying, too....I had never seen her do that before. That night I had to choose between trying to get my hubs back or totally giving in to AL. I KNEW it was either/OR, I couldn't have both. Believe it or not, it was a hard, scary decision! (Unimaginable how that could be the case) I made a decision that night never to drink or buy AL again. I didn't know HOW I was going to make this stick, but by gosh, I was willing to learn. I had to check my ego at the door and walk in with my hat in my hand. I had to listen to LAV!!! It was MWO or rehab. What it really came down to was choosing to live or choosing to drink myself to death.
It was a slow process to earn my hubs' trust back. I know sometimes he is still fearful of what MIGHT happen with me and AL. I tell him, as I tell all of you.....all I gotta do, is get thru this day.....
So far, so good. Byrdie

[Overit-still]

Good morning everyone!

Byrd, love your post, both of them but your insight back to this particular day and what led to your decision to get sober.

I started out this morning at the gym. I DID NOT WANT TO GO and the only reason I did was because someone was returning something to me that I made a big deal about getting it back ASAP! How could I not show up? But I did and I LOVED IT! I always feel so good when it'd done, just not when I get up at 4:25 AM.

I hope everyone has a great day. We're swimming in the rain here but we need it!

[JackDanielsGirl]

Morning everyone,

Brrrr it's cold here! Not as cold as Lav's neck of the woods. Staying in, warm and sober.

BIG congrats to Byrdie! You are such an inspiration to all of us. You are my hero. You give me hope that this is possible and you have given me such great advice over the time I have been here. I pray today is one of the best ever for you.

All I gotta do is get through today.
JDG

[Eloise]

okay so a little off topic, but here goes.

We meet an old school mate of my husband and her sister today. They were clearing out their mother's house as she has gone to a home now, she is 86.
The two women are 55+ and gorgeous. One of them reminded me of the ladies in the British sitcom who are drunk all the time. She kept asking "what time is it?"
"Shall we have some wine?" it was 3:30. She has been living in London for years mostly alone. What a character. I had mixed feelings. I thought 'oh this one knows how to enjoy herself.' She was dressed to the nine, looking gorgeous and what is even better ? She seems kind hearted!
I thought for a split second 'shame I can't join.' Then I remembered the ugly lure of drinking wine. The fun, the glamour, the carelessness.
Ah. Then I felt good.
Good to be free of it. Good not to feel left behind.
Good to know I will still have a clear head in a few hours time.
Being a non-drinker is really liberating, isn't it?!!

[j-vo]

El, I think I may have panicked a bit, and that situation shows the difference between being sober 3 months as opposed to your 20+ months. Big difference. Putting time and distance between alcohol and us is key in stabilizing this condition/disease, or whatever. One day at a time.

[KENSHO]

WOW, I've missed a lot.

PAV, hugs. Sad with our furry friends. Almost feels harder with them than people...

QuitWINING, where are you? Please check in when you are back from Mehico...

REDnose, here is on the right path. Glad you came back!

LILbit, keep riding that sober wave of goodness friend! You sound great!

Overit, triathalon? You might inspire me. Haven't done one in two years, and I feel it!! AND, as you said, I have NEVER regretted a day in the gym!

GMAN, way to go on 150. SO good to hear your success - shake it good tonight, huh?

JVO, I always love the perspective that we get to CHOOSE to live our lives. So many others don't.

BYRDIE, you are such an inspiration. Thank you for being you!!

So many here are writing about how nice it is to wake up early and pounce on the morning - love it! If only I were a morning person... but at least mornings are NOT filled with hangovers.

I returned last night from a nice long weekend in the mountains. It snowed almost 20" while we were there, and it was lovely! I had a few trying moments. My mindset is a bit off right now - I've had thoughts of "I'm not so bad" and "I can just stop again" - you know, the old standbys. Trying to view these as just thoughts, and not truths. But I found myself wanting to escape with my husband over the weekend. I didn't ask him how he felt, but I still feel a little disconnect with him at special occasions like big games or nice nights out. This feeling comes and goes with me, but for some reason this weekend, I wanted to get schnockered. I remembered that each and every time I have tried to "go back" to enjoying alcohol, I don't. We were watching a movie with people doing shots and I caught myself saying out loud "Sometimes I miss my drinking days." to which my husband looked at me like I was severely exaggerating. Two problems with this... 1. I really was romanticizing, and 2. He still thinks I'm a goodie goodie just trying to be perfect - that my "problem" was almost made up. Or at least that's how I took it. Or maybe I'm putting words in his mouth because I am thinking bad thoughts.

I have also noticed that I've been very "prickly" lately - easy to annoy. Is this just that I'm not putting up with shit any more - or that I am truly very irritable? I wish I could be less this way. I find myself on my family's case more than ever - what's up with that?

Anyway, after several days of feeling very strong resolve, I'm waffling a bit. Time to bring out the guns and know that that one dreamy drink is nothing more than shit in a glass. It would be SO much easier if those around me agreed.

[moni]

Today has been challenging. My first day of temptation. Certain things triggering them. Deliberately avoided the store on the way home from work just in case. Dinner was whatever was in the fridge thrown together.

[crocster]

WOW, I've missed a lot.

Anyway, after several days of feeling very strong resolve, I'm waffling a bit. Time to bring out the guns and know that that one dreamy drink is nothing more than shit in a glass. It would be SO much easier if those around me agreed.

Shit in a glass is an excellent way of thinking about it KENSHO! I had some meditation tapes a while back that took you down to trance and then got you to associate something like that with booze. Aversion therapy. Obviously they didn't work for me then but your phrase will be forever in the back of my mind now when I think about AL.

[Marylou123]

Byrdie Eve

Hi Nesters -- I feel like a kid on Xmas Eve except it's Byrdie Eve!!

Happy sober birthday eve Brydie. You are my hero too - I'm so excited for your big day, so very, very blessed to know you, and so grateful for your words of wisdom (which I personally, would love to have on a calendar!). Hugs - Marylou