Newbies Nest

[Byrdlady]

Tony, yes, we females like to keep score! I have been amazed at the savings and the pure AL cost isnt the only thing. I used to route myself thru airports that had wine stores in the concourse! I have saved enormous amounts on ibuprofen, breath mints and Tums! Those are the intangibles. It all adds up! Its not chump change. But here's the scary part, we were putting all that AL thru our poor livers. They must be singing our praises for not drowning them anymore! Could you imagine pouring wine on a houseplant everyday for 30 years? Yikes!!
Nothing planned today, I am letting my brain rest today. Im 5 hours in to a 14 hour course on electrcial laws and statutes for Florida. I have to be licensed in 4 states to sell security stuff. Brutal. Zzzzzzzz.
Justme, this one new job is kicking my arse, I cant imagine 3!!! Hats off!
Hope everyone has an easy day! Byrdie

[Lavande]

Good Saturday afternoon Nesters,

I am enjoying a sunny & warm day here in my portion of the nest
BUT soon my grandsons will be arriving for an overnight stay & the noise begins, ha ha!

Tony, could I convince you to deliver dinner here for four? Lol
I hope your evening goes well.

Justme, three jobs is two too many in my book. Take care of yourself & I hope your daughter enjoys her stay with her dad.

Eloise, have you thought about being a travel agent? Something for the future perhaps?

Byrdie, studying anything at my age is painful. I wish you the best!

Hello to everyone & wishing a great AF day for all.

Lav

[Eloise]

I have to say Lav I felt the same way about learning Dutch at my age, but I am doing it.
I have learnt so many new things the past two years it is kind if amazing.
It certainly would have been very different had I continued to drink.

[tonyniceday]

Hello all

I'm home alone tonight and it's day off tomorrow, and my Dad is visiting tomorrow for 2 nights (which is always stressful as whatever I do in life, it's never quite good enough for him - you'd have thought I'd have outgrown that at 53 years old but it's still always there). These are three things which up to now would definitely have sent me into a bigger binge with AL than I even used to do regularly. I confess that I did take a good look at the wine rack at work before leaving tonight but settled for taking a litre of apple juice home. It's been the first real temptation in the last 13 days (oh yes, it's after midnight so it's day 13!).

I got passed it but it scares me now how close I came tonight to giving in!.

Anyway...

Eloise - I'll certainly talk to you later on in the year when we make the decision on destinations. Thanks for that.

Byrdie - 14 hours of electric laws - I think I'll give that one a miss! - Actually I believe my liver is groaning at the moment but apparently it's quite quick to recover when you quit - here's hoping. Gardening project will start tomorrow now I've found the extension lead for the strimmer! It's the dreaded "day 13" now but only another 2 more to get to my PB!

Lav - Dinner for 4? My pleasure - I'll post it on Monday!

Justme - We have some casual staff who work when we need them and when they can fit it in. I'm sure we're not alone, as employers, in being able to work staff around their primary jobs - we always try to respect that people can't always just drop everything and come in on short notice so I'm sure that if all your bosses know you are working 3 jobs that they would be able to work with that much better than if you try too hard to juggle it. Hat's off to you, though, I always look up to people who just "do what it takes" to bring the money in. Good luck with it and don't forget to schedule in some "Me Time" for yourself.

Off to bed shortly so goodnight all and thanks for making me feel so welcome in this cosy nest!!

Tony

[Byrdlady]

To vintage Girl

You know, as you begin your day 1..... feeling scared and hopeful...there's someone reading your post....who is drinking him/herself to death but afraid to take that first step....you don't realize it, but you have inspired a bunch of people today, and will continue to do so. Share your thoughts and deeds, they do more than you know. An offhand comment that Jolie made has helped me thru these 13 big days, and I hope that I can hold someone's hand and help them thru this fire pit. This is the longest I've been AF in 25 years!!!! It gets better every day and the voices aren't as loud now as they were. (the A-voices) You have come to the right place, pull up a twig and make yourself comfy, you couldn't be in better company.

When do the cravings begin to subside?

Day 13. Yesterday was EASY!!!! I'm so happy to report, that hubs was out of town and I had the perfect opportunity to have myself a high old time....but I didn't! The voices weren't as loud or as often, so day 13 was the day that I think I turned the corner. I feel good! I certainly haven't lost any weight...I am rewarding myself by saying, look, you can have anything in the world you want, except AL...now I need to reel myself in a bit and stop eating everything in sight. Finally finished off the last of the Christmas cookies I had in the freezer. For the first time in years, I feel like I'm getting control of my life, and it feels really good! ODAT! I could NOT have done it without this site.

Tony,
Day 13 was lucky for me. I reached back and grabbed my posts from that milestone. It was my Personal Best! B

[tonyniceday]

Byrdie I WILL get there but although I've got to day 14 once, I know this is the difficult time. Once we're into Tuesday and I'm at day 15 then I know that I will have overcome this psychological milestone (or mill stone). I'm really ok right now but I think I do need some cyber "hand holding" over the next 48 hours as it is a really big thing.

I am determined, it would have been easy to open a bottle tonight but thankfully I didn't. This place, MWO, and especially the nest have become very important to me very quickly. I may sound "needy" right now, but that is exactly where I am.

I'm off to bed now and I'll be back here in the morning (when I'll be vacuuming up ahead of my Dad's arrival!)

Thanks Byrdie
Tony

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Tony, it sounds like you did well working your way through some tough moments. Good for you!
Get your ear plugs ready & use them to block out any parental negativity. My dad was the same way, I totally get that

Eloise, Byrdie & everyone, have a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[Justme Again]

Hi Nest

It is a quiet Sunday morning here. My soul goes " ahhhh...".
Reading in bed and drinking tea. Will get up later and organize to make my week smooth sailing.

Tony - yes, thankyou. I will sit down with the calender and work it out till end next month. Problem is, one place wants me to take leave at my primary job, but I don't want to do that. Somewhere I do need a long vaca. On the other hand that opportunity will not be there forever. And it is good money. But I decided that I will do what I can handle. More will cost me more than the money I can make.
Good luck with your dad. I enjoy your posts and excited for you to reach day 15 and beyond!

Lav, Byrdie, Eloise... till later.

[Eloise]

Hey guys... afternoon here already with stormy skies. We had a nice family outing this morning and I had a bike ride in the afternoon.
Now time to settle in to do some more painting.
How goes it there Tony?
I know what you mean about your dad. Talking to my dad was always a trigger for me. At least if I had a glass of wine I cared less if he hurt my feelings.
I didn't think I could ever be around him without drinking, but guess what? I did it!
Actually drinking made me react even worse, he loved to wind me up. Now I do not allow it.

I hope you are doing okay over there?
And Justmeagain I hope you have a day of rest today!
A bit tired here today, better paint though as tomorrow I go horseback riding again which means not art in the morning.

[Byrdlady]

Tony, I see a trend here, I, too sought my mother's approval and NEVER got it. She passed in 1984, but her legacy lives on. I have come to accept how she was and try to understand where she was coming from. She was unhappy and frustrated (and she was a carrier).
In most lists you see about contributing factors to Alk'ism, child abuse is usually in the top 3. I believe that. Abuse comes in many forms, too. What children hear from their parents matters.

Im cleaning out a curio cabinet today, fragile glass stuff, UGG. Hope I dont break anything.

Its a beautiful Sunday here today, hope to get out and enjoy it! Byrdie

[tonyniceday]

Hi all

Lav, Eloise, and Byrdie - of the 4 people who have made any comment about the parental visit, 3 have expressed similar experiences now or in the past...Yes Byrdie I think that qualifies as a "trend". It's been ok so far, Dad insists on staying in a local hotel (despite us having a perfectly adequate guest room!) so we are eating in the hotel BAR (for God's sake) tonight. When he offers a drink I'm going to tell the truth, but not the whole truth, and just say I'm on medication (true) and that I can't have alcohol with it (also true). He does not need to know any more than that!

It's the first time he's visited since we opened the restaurant and I gave him the guided tour and he was actually impressed - that's a first!

Anyway, getting through day 13 quite happily other than that, it's been raining so I couldn't strim the garden or I'd have ended up with a mud bath.

Hope you are all having a great Sunday!

Tony

[Eloise]

Sounds like you are on track there Tony, great.
I think you can handle dinner in a bar, in your line of work best to get used to saying no firm & often. Practice, practice, practice! :victorious:

[tonyniceday]

Hi all
Eloise - dinner was fine - not as good as our restaurant though!!!! I managed to deflect the alcohol with the medication line - and guess what, my own father never even asked what was wrong with me... Oh well!

So it was J2O for me with the meal and being in the bar didn't concern me at all. I don't like to say that people notice things but I know the staff there and one of them did say "What? not a large Shiraz?....Bloody cheek - anyone would think I'm an alcoholic!!!

It's just after midnight here again so just into day 14 which is equal longest I've gone without a drink in 22 years, and I've only done that once, a couple of months back. I'm still on that tight-rope but this time tomorrow and I'll be in PB territory and I might even give myself a pat on the back!

Tony

[Lavande]

Just enough time left in the day to say hello & goodnight!
My grandsons finally left at 9:30 pm - what a weekend, geez!

Tony, there's just no pleasing some people. This concept is tough enough to accept as an adult but a child? What do they understand? I firmly believe that's why we grow up & end up self-abusing, one way or another. Glad your weekend went well.

Greetings to all & sending wishes for a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[tonyniceday]

Morning nest

Off to do the tourist thing with Dad today - and it's raining - deep joy!

Justme - hope you have a good day - thinking about your 3 jobs makes me feel tired!!!

Have a good day everyone - catch up again later