Newbies Nest

[Eloise]

Just start over Need to Quit.
If you drank yesterday let yesterday be in the past.
Put that one mistake behind you and think of yourself. Be selfish. Worry about you!
In the beginning I used to do nice things for myself non-stop. Every week, every month until I wasn't quit so surprised at my ability to stop drinking anymore.
23 days af was a fantastic start. Make a new goal starting today, this time make it 46 days?

[Overit-still]

Good morning! A long overdue check in. Of course I fell off the wagon,, or should I say jumped off. Anyway, 17 more days of my super super busy season at work. Have been battling some health issues that now make me afraid to take my Antabuse pills so guess what, I'm doing this freestyle! Day 2. I can't promise anything. Just wanting to start living again. Happy to see all the familiar faces. Off to work.

[NoSugar]

I just hate the idea that I'm only as good as my last sober day. All the work I've done down the drain? That can't be true.

It's not true, N2Q. You're a good, worthy person everyday. Alcohol is the problem. You didn't choose to become addicted but now you're choosing to get past it. I bet you learned a lot about yourself and your relationship with alcohol during your 23 AF days. That time was not wasted! Now take what you know and move forward with confidence, pride, and excitement for what lies ahead. All the best, NS

[available]

Morning nest.

Damn i hate the finish of daylight savings. The good thing is i go back to work tomorrow so will at least be up early enough and it is daylight and i can nap today when i want still.

Laeot great work on your 17 days. We all had our ups and downs, it is how we approach them to stay sober that helps. I had awful anxiety and depression when i drank and of course blamed it on everything except al. now i have mild anxiety on occasion and can work my way through it and figure out why. Self medicating did nothing, zero and zot for my anxiety. Keep on here and keep posting. You are doing so well.

NTQ what got me about your post was the "to have fun" comment. I always thought al was fun too but to look back now and see how it was destroying my life, well nothing fun about it at all and the more time away the easier it gets. Staying away from temptation is always a good plan in the early days too. Not a great idea to put an alkie in a boozefest and see where it ends. We know where it will end deep down in ourselves if we look. Alcohol is poison to an addict, the further i get away from al the more i hate it to the core of my being for what it does to people. I truly think of myself as one of the lucky ones to be and stay sober as it is such a difficult and hard road in the beginning but the end result is wonderful and i have never regretted 2 years and four months of my sobriety. Well now i am 2 years and 4 months sober that is!

Hi Overit and welcome back. Stick on here and dont wander off, i learnt that we cant get sober by ourselves, we need the support of the ones that have come before us and we need to listen and learn along the way. Sorry to hear about your health and hope everything goes well. Now i have stopped drinking my health is 200% better than what it was. Sometimes the body tells us in ways that it is time to stop the madness that we put it through, we just need to listen.

The good news is the table is half sanded,well the top of it so definitely a productive week off and i started cooking again, something i stopped a few years ago when grapes seemed to be my only form of nutrients! Still learning on this sober journey what its all about but no hurry for me!

Take care x

[Need to quit]

Available, You are all so right. I should not have dropped myself into the middle of the drink fest yesterday evening. It was completely premeditated and I did not want to miss out. The whole town shows up for the last day of the ski season and I just love the social time so much

[Need to quit]

I am not posting about relapsing for sympathy however. I do love that social time and I don't like feeling left out. I live in a ski town, it is constant drink fest and I hide away a lot at my house drinking tea and take my dog for lots of walks in the mountains. I have been meditating and breathing and trying to let go. Luckily this is now off season, I have a long history of not drinking this time of year. I am taking this very seriously. I think the common thread for my relapses is wanting so desperately to be normal (whatever that means). To fit in. Jeez you'd think I'd be over that by now. I do have friends who don't drink or don't care to. My husband doesn't drink (barely) We haven't kept Al at the house in years. Not drinking is so routine that I "forget" that I can't. I forget that the monster lives in me. That is why on this stretch I had been focusing on viewing Al as poison and trying to untrain my brain of all the unconscious, untrue positive associations I have about it. I will continue to work 🌷

[Pavati]

Hi, I'm here!

NTQ - stay in with your tea for a while, but soon you'll be able to enjoy that party without alcohol. It might be two years, but I can attest to the fact that things I NEVER thought I would enjoy without booze are actually a lot of fun, especially I was past that "why me" phase. It will come, but take care of yourself in the meantime. There will always be a reason that you can't quit - birthdays, anniversaries, spring, summer, winter and fall. Those are the same reasons not to drink, gratefully. It is all in the spin.

I am starting a new work venture that has me quite busy, but in a good way. I am not in danger of drinking - I don't drink.

Pav

[available]

NTQ we need to prioritise what we really really want. For me sobriety always will be my first priority now that i live it. As we are away from al more we learn to accept we dont drink and we can enjoy ourselves just as much as a drinker (or thought they did). Al is a drug that is so widely accept in society that it is scary really as it can and does do so much damage to not only the alcoholic but family and friends also.

Oh i am not a sympathy giver NTQ. to me drinking is always planned. God i planned my life around it for years with the last 7 to 8 being horrendous. You came on here and said you drank, you did not want sympathy that is plain to see, i think what you want are ideas on how to seal those holes in your sobriety stints so you are sober forever.

Sometimes when my kids have friends around i feel left out as i was the life of the party, well i thought i was. Sure i would like a drink with them but my drink to a normal persons drink are two totally different things. My monster is just waiting patiently for a time to present itself and this is why i work daily on being sober and its being on MWO. I dont want to relapse and this is why i protect being sober so much.

You need to realise that you can be sober and have fun. I wished i had realised that 30+ years ago when i started drinking. Lav, Byrd, NS,Pav, and all the long termers say time makes it easier and now the ski season is over there is lots of time for you to keep working at your goal and I have a feeling you will do it.

[Byrdlady]

N2Q, I live in a beach community and Al is absolutely everywhere. 'Eat, drink and relax' is what our signs say. I thought it would be impossible for me to quit in this environment but guess what....I did! I only thought everyone drank here because I wanted to believe that so I could justify my continued use. The truth is, we can do whatever we want to do. I want to stay sober forever, so that is my mindset. I would love to be normal....I woukd also love to ge rich and thin....that aint happening either. We are not normal drinkers but over time THIS AF life will become normal to you! That is the goal and it will happen!

We have all beaten ourselves up for choosing to drink....my date below would be a year longer if I had gotten my act together the first time. Accepting the past and moving on is all we can do! Hugs to you. B

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Busy day for me today so I'm just checking in to wish everyone a safe night in the nest!

Overit, glad you are back. You know what to do & staying with us is essential. I hope the health problems are not too bad.

NTQ, please just start again. Whether you know it or not you have learned a lot during your AF time. Go back to your plan & make some adjustments. Plan to succeed & you will!

Laeot, I could have been the poster girl for anxiety - crippling anxiety really. That's gone now & I will never invite AL back into my life. I highly suggest some meditations or recordings dealing with anxiety. I used the MWO hypno CDs & they really helped me out big time.

Hi to Pav, Byrdie, Ava, NS & everyone checking in.
Have a peaceful night one & all!

Lav

[Lavande]

Good Sunday morning Nesters!

The nest is open & ready for business
Have a great AF day everyone.

Lav

[Pavati]

Happy Sober Sunday, nest.

I had a drinking dream last night. I am not a fan, but they do give me the chance to "experience" what it would feel like. NOT GOOD. Another reminder to stay clear of the booze.

Off to exercise, work, and hang with the family.

Pav

[Byrdlady]

Good morning on a Sunday morning! I'd have been half in the bag by now in the old days....blessed relief to be unsaddled with that pull of AL!!!
Happy Sunday to all. Byrdie

[KENSHO]

Hi Everyone! Busy weekend here! Laeot, NTQ, Overit. All I've been feeling lately is that staying drinking is staying stuck. I was stuck in my relationship, stuck in my head, stuck with personal growth, stuck. Hanging on to alcohol kept me from moving on in my life to experience all the gifts I was not in a place to accept. It takes some faith that this is true, but once you surrender and trust that your life will improve, then you can relax a bit and let the ride happen.

Several times a day now, things happen and I think to myself - "that would never have happened 2 years ago...". Once you shut the door on alcohol, a whole bunch of new doors open that you didn't even know were there. That's why it takes faith, because you don't know what door will appear. But you have to trust that they are there, and with some time AF, they become in view, then you get to them, then you open them and your life improves in ways you never imagined.

Not drinking for 118 days is the best decision I have EVER made in my life, and I intend to keep on this path to keep opening doors to the new and amazing things that life offers me.

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Kensho, that's the way to think - positively!!!
In time,mwhen certain things happen you will find yourself thinking (with amusement) - oh yeah, that's when I used to drink but I don't do that anymore! That's progress

Wishing everyone a safe & comfy night in the nest. I am still waiting for our cable service to be restored after last night's powerful storms. Thank goodness for borrowed wifi

Lav