Newbies Nest

[Matt M.]

Good afternoon, Nesters!
What a weekend. Yesterday, that storm went all ALL day and night. This morning, however, nary a cloud in the sky! Beautiful! Our biggest gust was 65mph here on the coast. Oddly enough, the inland counties bore more of the brunt than we did. They got all the rain! 15 inches! There is major flooding everywhere. I consider us lucky. We kept power the whole time and I was able to keep busy, even baked some cakes.
Questeroo, welcome aboard and congrats on your Day 2! WE know what a huge accomplishment that is. As I just mentioned, I keep myself occupied, even after all thus time. Sitting idle is not good for me so Im always piddling around doing something. You're on the right track staying FULL, that is a great tool! We are so glad you're here! Have you used MWO before?
Tony, well done on your 7 days! You'll get no cracks from us, those are the toughest! Here is your 2 cheeked salute to the occasion! :butt: great job!!
Well, off to undo all the stuff we did to prepare for Matthew. Speaking of Matt, where are you, Matt M?
Hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday! Byrdie

I'm here in the flesh, I must have missed this post. Thank you for thinking of me, even if it was a destructive hurricane that made you think of me...I've been called worse even deplorable 😎

[Guitarista]

Yo Nesters near and not so far.

Good to see you Matt.

Thanks for the links Pav. I like all of the '12 fab things about sobriety'. #12 copied below stands out for me. Word.

'12. You find out who you are. And you are awesome. Drinking perpetually keeps us from understanding Who. We. Are. It is culprit in developing a false sense of self and a divide between who we really are, and the person we think we have to be. Until we remove alcohol from our lives, we never get to experience the true capacity and depth of self. Removing alcohol allowed me to finally get to the bottom of who I was, and finally give her the fighting chance she deserved. We are all gems, all of us with gifts, all of us perfect little stories to unfold. Removing alcohol allows our real journey to finally begin.'

Take care out there friends. Day 62. Let's git it.

[j-vo]

Evening,
Quite irritable, as I had a hectic day and night. Busy doing school work, washing dad's clothes, and son sent me an English paper to proofread. So I may be irritable, but I'm able to do what I need to do. If drinking, I'd stay screw it, and have a mess of a lesson tomorrow, not be able to help my son out, and dad wouldn't have clean underwear. Now that would suck.

Pav, I liked #7, gaining control. I wonder what that's like. I know I'll find out and can't wait.

#12, finding out who I am...another exciting yet mysterious adventure. 30 years of drinking and I don't know who I am. I'm ready for mind, body, and soul healing and finding that special person.

Off to do some work.

[okoren1]

Hi, Everyone:

LC! I loved The Barclay Marathon. Everyone - watch it on Netflix - a fun and interesting doco. I can't even describe it, but it is highly entertaining. I'm glad you had a day off. I've learned to set boundaries and I try not to feel guilty about it. I don't feel like going out as much as I used to, and I've just had to accept the fact that that's ok. I used to worry that everyone would talk behind my back, "I miss the fun, drinking, Pav. Too bad she quit!" But pshaw. I am still a lot of fun when I hang out and go to parties, I just appreciate staying home with a good book also.

I was one day after Ava, and stayed sober through the holidays with telling people that the holidays sort of made me feel depressed so I was trying to get through without alcohol which I know can be a depressant. After the holidays I told people I was feeling so great I may as well keep it up. Only MUCH later did I fully disclose what actually went down with my good friends, and even now some people just think I "just quit." But the beauty of it all, is that I don't give a (bleep) about what other people think about my not drinking any more. Some people are still so weirded out by it that they bring it up in crowds whenever I'm around. I just don't care (thanks, Lav and Byrdie!)

J-Vo So sorry about your mom. I was going to ask.

Off to help son with homework. Now THAT is a no fun evening.

Night,
Pav

Pav I agree the Barclay Marathon was interesting and entertaining. Having run a bunch of these -not the ultra's just regular marathons, I can sort of relate.

More precisely relating to the topic at hand... quitting AL, what struck me was QUIT WHINING!!!. If I ever feel a bit put-out by any inconvenience in quitting AL use, think of what these individuals go thru to train and participate in an event like this!
Thanks

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

What a day I had but it was all good.
Went to see my daughter, even changed her dressings & reapplied her leg splint like a good nurse/mom, ha ha!! I returned my granddaughter & begged her to take it easy on her poor mom, Lol.
THESE are just some of the reasons I am grateful for my quit. I wouldn't have been able to jump in & help out during this family emergency if I was still hugging a wine bottle day & night

J-vo, it's perfectly OK to feel a little irritable sometimes, we are just human. It sounds like you are doing a fairly good job of handling things yourself so be proud.

ThirdTime, you are moving right along, that's great!

Hey there Matt, G & everyone!

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[j-vo]

Morning,
It's Friday, and it was my first full week I put in at work. It was a long, long week, but it was productive. I had issues with some kids earlier in the week, and I didn't handle them as I normally would, but I'm forgiving myself for that. With Dad staying with me, it's been kind of tough. I feel so sad for him, and yet I'm grieving, too. Bright spot, though, this weekend, son is coming home as he's off on Monday for a fall break. He's been home about every two weeks with his friends since he's going to school close to home. Yes, he brings his dirty laundry home! So here's to TGIF. A Sober TGIF. Have a good one all.

[Byrdlady]

Good morning, all!
Off to a busy start here. As you may know, I'm new at the job (I've only said that every day for the past 6 months) so I get a lead on the phone. My skill level at the moment is that I feel pretty confident that I could accurately protect a Taco Bell, but this guy calls in with a yacht warehouse! It has about 10 big over head doors, windows all over..... holy cow. To say I need some help is an understatement. Everything is new to me, unfortunately....

I hope everyone has his plan in place for the weekend! It's only Friday, not a ticket to BoozeVille! Hope everyone has an easy day! Byrdie

[NoSugar]

The thought, "I wish I could drink" came to mind. But for me, it would go something like this...
I wish I could drink so ...
Sounds fucking ridiculous but so true if I say I wish I could drink. All of these things will continue, and I know there's more. There would be more, because it'll only get worse.

It's pretty normal to wish you could continue to do something that seemed to make you feel better for all those years, that "everyone else" seems to be able to do, that is portrayed to be glamorous, and that seems to be central to so many social activities.

The good news is, time away from drinking will take care of that. In fact, in some ways I cannot believe that I ever so desperately thought I needed alcohol or that quitting was such a big deal.

Time, and learning about alcohol, yourself, and its effects on you can take you through the stages of overcoming an addiction. These are the ones I've been through:

I like to drink and it makes me feel better.
I drink too much and it makes me feel worse.
I need to stop.
I can't stop.
I've stopped.
I wish I could drink.
I don't need to drink.
I don't want to drank.
I never have to drink again :smile:.

[j-vo]

Byrdie, you'll get it...give it time.

NS, and yes, time is what I need. I could write a book on alcoholism, as I've probably read a million different memoirs, quitting books, articles, posts. I know what it is and what it does. I've seen it first hand. What I also need to do is remove myself from the denial that I have an addiction and it'll never get better if I take one drink. Of course, it's never one. We all know that. I read on another thread this morning that you told somone to call or text when they think they're in trouble. I will absolutely do that. I'm not going to give up on the climb out of the abyss. I know never to leave my support group, call when I'm having a hard time, post, read, and post more. I need to continue to be honest with who I am, yet not be ashamed. It is hard when people are always talking about it, but maybe it's hard for someone with heart disease to watch others eating what they can't have. I'm sure it is. Maybe we're the lucky ones. The ones that can save ourselves from being tired and miserable all the time. The ones that don't have to waste time being drunk, figuring out when and how much we will drink, with whom, or isolate ourselves with drink. Time...it will take time to heal, and in the end, it will give us the time we never had.

[Darkest Diamonds]

It is hard having cancer.

[Darkest Diamonds]

It is hard having cancer.

It has come back

[Guitarista]

Hello nesters near and not so far,

DD, you're battling cancer? Sheesh! What's the diagnosis etc?

Byrdy, yep, asking for some support on that project makes sense. Surely there's a friendly/smart mentor in the new company who knows your potential, has done bigger projects and can get you rolling on this one. Piece of cake. :thumbsup:

Day 63 and the feeling's real good. Living sober is just the best. There are NO negatives. It is win/win all the way no matter how you look at it. Start today, start tomorrow and begin the journey of a lifetime. Breathe. Align mind and heart anyway you can. Go forth, live and conquer.

Friday aint no ticket to no boozeville see.

Have a gr8 weekend y'all.

[available]

Morning nesters

A tiring week but done and dusted. Had a night off from my course so that was good, sucks the life right out of me being out of the house for 15 hours and then having to get up to work again. Too old for this shite.

DD i am so sorry the cancer has come back but you are a fighter, dont ever give up. Thinking of you.

J, i was so ashamed of what i did drinking and those memories pop up still from time to time but they are the past although i had to work through why i drank so much to be so ashamed. We have so many emotional issues to resolve when we stop drinking and start learning to live. i used to put the "too hard stuff" back in its box to deal with at another time. Being overwhelmed is not what an alcoholic needs as it leads us back to what we are trying to stop. I have one final big issue to deal with now and of course the normal crap of emotions and then i am done with my past, completely and utterly except the good memories. I now only have a good future to live in. My son bought up something i did drunk the other day and i just said to him that i was done with the past, i have been sober nearly 3 years so now maybe he could let it go too. It wasnt an issue involving him, just my actions. That was me then, it is not me now.

Lav, i hope your daughter is doing well. Having a nurse in the fam is like having a hairdresser in the fam, just bloody handy! You are a top mum.

Today is housework day, bright and sunny here, may even wash the car and see if it is actually white.

Take care x

[j-vo]

DD, I'm sorry to hear of your condition. Know that thoughts are with you. Hugs.

Ava, I want this to all be in the past someday. I have to get the time in, and work through the stuff like you said. I really can't think about stuff right now. I'm just living day to day, crying a lot for mom. I'm not going to hold that back. If I have bugged out eyes all the time, oh well.

So a whole week at work, no time taken off. I'm exhausted, but I'm satisfied of my productivity this week.

Next, tomorrow is my cousin's wedding. We're going to leave at 12:30 to go across town to his sister's house first, then the wedding, and finally the reception. Hopefully home by 9:30, and what I'm feeling about that right now is not excitement for a fun day out. I'm feeling tired, and the idea of being out all day on a day off makes me kind of crabby. I will not drink. That I know. If I get the urge, I will make a call to someone. Socializing for all those hours...argh! Maybe someday I'll look forward to that. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, and I guess this is one of them.

[available]

Sunglasses are a great accessory J, day or night! Sit outside at that wedding and if people want to come to you let them, you may get some you time in also. You dont need to put yourself out there and be sociable, you are there, that is enough. Take care of you though you may suprise yourself and have a great night though you do have a lot going on at the moment. I still get annoyed knowing i have to do something and not wanting to, that bit never bloody goes lol.