Newbies Nest

[JackDanielsGirl]

Morning all,

Good day here. A while ago I talked about the hubs and telling me its ok to drink. Well he has decided to have 1 or 2 in the evening and that is perfectly ok with me. It has caused me to realize I am making progress. The first night he had 2 and last night he had 1 and I did not want any. Hard to believe for me. Not so long ago the left overs would not have lasted through the night but there are still 3 in the fridge and I have absolutely no desire to drink them.

So see, this is possible and its true what Byrdie says time and distance make a huge difference.

Have a blessed and AF day,
JDG

[KENSHO]

Safe driving Byrdie. Your company is hard core, it seems. Enjoy a quiet 4 hours!

Good work JDG. Remember that cravings come and go, so be sure to have a plan for when you DO want those leftover drinks. Happy that you are feeling positive!!

NS, great article. Glad to see more mention of alcohol as a drug. I would love to see more attention to a longer list of consequences, other than just nausea and vomiting and poor behavior. There are really significant health repercussions that reach all parts of our bodies.

Time to get started with work today. I'm still behind, but trying to be calm and just believe it will all get done!

[NoSugar]

Glad to see more mention of alcohol as a drug.

I agree, Kensho. It bugs me to read or hear things like "addicted to drugs or alcohol" ; we should face the truth and drop the "or alcohol". And while 'alcoholic' carries a certain stigma, in many ways 'drug addict' is worse and the fact is, an alcoholic is just one type of drug addict.

Just like people who come to be addicted to opiates after taking them for actual pain relief aren't considered as "bad" as heroin addicts or people who get pain killers illegally, being addicted to alcohol is singled out, likely because it is legal and so commonly used. Society sure doesn't want to demonize something that a majority of its members don't want to give up.

The fact is, opiates, alcohol, and several other drugs are highly addictive drugs in a certain percentage of people. And they are misused by an even greater number. They are the problem. Misrepresenting them, as is ubiquitous for alcohol and was done by the medical profession regarding the addictive potential of pain killers for the last decade or so, is just wrong in my opinion.

Off my soapbox now :smile:.

[Laeot]

Hi all .. Day 6 drawing to a close here.

Thought of losing my licence has put the fear in me big time....

Still sober ..

[Guitarista]

Yo Nesters. W'dup.

Gr8 work on 6 days Laeot.

A free 21 day meditation program has just begun from Oprah and ol Deepak Chopra. These are worth a crack.

http://www.chopra.com/21-day-meditation-experience

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

I hope you have arrived safely at your destination Byrdie

Great job on your 6 AF days Laeot. Tomorrow expect a visit from the prize patrol!

G, tune in & enjoy those meditations!

NS, I was on the 'Pain Management Committee' at the hospital 20 years ago. It was up to us to educate the docs on the best ways to handle opioids & recommend alternative treatments & therapies for their patients. Our efforts fell on deaf ears most of the time. At the same time I was jumping thru hoops trying to get my Dad's personal physician to do a better job handling his severe pain due to PVD. It seems to be an all or nothing situation. Society has made AL use completely 'normal' yet we all know drinking poison is not normal. If anyone has any great ideas on how to change human perception - speak up now, please!

Wishing everyone a safe & comfy night in the nest!

Lav

[Pavati]

Hi, All:

Aqua - I went through a long BLAH period dry during the first year after I quit. Blah. Blah. Blah. I felt sorry for myself and sort of felt like "what's next?" I feel great now, although my emotional ups and downs that I have had all my life have not gone away. There is a lot of information about that - Google Pink Cloud effect.

LOVE your stuff, NS.

I had a CRAZY day. I have taken to coming home and when I go to my room to change my clothes I take a 5 minute meditation break. Just sit, breathe and unwind. It REALLY does the trick - honestly similar to what I used to head to that first few sips of a drink for. Brings me to the present and allows me to be here for my family more completely.

Off to dinner with my family.

Night.

Pav

[Lavande]

Good morning Nesters, happy Hump day to all!

Hoping for some warm sunshine here in my portion of the nest. I'm itching to get some gardens started, we shall see.
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF day!

Lav

[JackDanielsGirl]

Morning everyone,

Busy getting everything ready for a trip back home. Yay! Ready to see my children.

Lav - Talking to providers about pain control about someone who really needs it is a lost cause. I got totally disgusted trying to convince my docs that some really need it and some are just seekers. I had one surgeon who actually prescribed a beer 3 times a day to prevent withdrawls, instead of addressing the problem and getting the paitent some help.

Have a wonderful day,
JDG

[KENSHO]

Blizzard here! Kids and husband off. I'm in my office trying to get some work done because the deadlines on this project are C-R-A-Z-Y right now.

I really wanted a drink last night. When I get very overwhelmed and overworked, I just want to escape it. Along the same lines as you mentioned PAV, while driving home I thought about how to get that "check out" without alcohol. I asked myself "what is it that you are wanting to achieve by drinking?" And the answer was "to not feel this stress for awhile". SO I told myself NOT to feel the stress for awhile. Knowing full well that it would be there later, I decided to just ignore it for the evening. I didn't stay up late working, and I slept in because schools were cancelled, and here I am, refreshed and ready to tackle the piles in front of me.

Finding other ways to check out is where it's at.

LAV, I think more and more people are realizing that alcohol isn't all its cracked up to be. And when (fairly) sound-minded people such as ourselves don't drink, it makes others think. We are leaders, breaking the status quo to have a happier life. People notice stuff like that. And I read somewhere that college kids are drinking less now than 10 years ago. I hope someday people see drinking like smoking.

[Laeot]

Hi all .. Day 7

Longest stint since my 6 months back in 2011..

Keep strong ...

[Byrdlady]

Laoet, around here, 7 days gets you a prize! :butt:
Great job!
A grueling day in training class today. Tomorrow will be customers and a 4 hour drive home. Tonight is dinner with the group. I wll have no trouble saying 'No thanks'. My sobriety means everything to me and is my #1 priority. I will preotect it.
Stay strong, everyone! Byrdie

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Congrats on 7 AF days Laeot!!! :welldone:
Stay on plan now & keep letting those days pile up - that's how we roll around here

Kensho, I hope by the time my grandkids go to college no one on the planet is smoking or drinking anymore! Wouldn't that be nice, huh? I'm glad you thought things thru yesterday & made the right choice!

Byrdie, wishing you a safe trip home tomorrow!
You are the hardest worker.

JDG, I had no qualms about retiring early. I ran out of energy trying to do my job & advocating for patients who were unable or afraid to speak up for themselves. No, the docs don't always know best.

Wishing everyone a safe & peaceful night in the nest!

Lav

[Lavande]

Good Thursday morning Nesters!

Where is everyone?
Have a great AF day one & all!

Lav

[JackDanielsGirl]

Morning,

Awful quite here.......Great day with the whole fam planned.

Have a great day,
JDG