Newbies Nest

[madonmehndi]

Hi all, I am day 8 today and had a real revelation yesterday about my drinking, really feel like I am in the right place this time, my head is clear about what I need to be doing and thinking and I feel very positive and excited about a sober life!!! Quick question, how do I add myself to the Newbies Roll Call?

[j-vo]

Madonme, select and copy the last roll call post and past in your post then add your name. Glad to hear you're feeling good!

Had a major drinking dream last night. The details disgust me. Shame, remorse, regret, and all of the ugly feelings that come after a night like that...I was relieved to wake up and realize it was just a dream, but a dream that can come true if I pick up that first drink. Even the next morning in my dream was awful, looking for any bottles I could slip into my bag before I left. It was a feeling of desperation, and to boot, I was hiding from my husband, hoping he didn't catch me doing what I was doing. A reminder of what can and will happen if I drink. No thank you.

Have a good Sunday or Monday.

[Marathon]

Thank you to all for the welcome back & encouraging words! Very much appreciated.
Byrdie, you are so right...the charade is too much. Trying to keep up with life, drink and then hide the drinking is just too much work, especially when I'm not functioning well due to drinking.

Just me, I can't even tell you how many times I have tried to moderate. It just does not work for me, so I need to accept that I cannot drink & move forward. Large groups are tough for me too, I really get anxious at those sorts of things. Tough call, when the kids would really like you to be there.

Happy Sunday!

Best,
Marathon

[Byrdlady]

Good morning, Nesters.
Hopefully, a lazy Sunday here.
It is such a blessing to be able to look forward to a relaxing day, knowing that AL will play no part. I dont have the restless, anxious feeling that weekends used to bring. How did I get this MindPeace? TIME. I am stymied at how clouded our judgment gets when it comes to Al. How irrational our thinking becomes and how AL makes us believe that IT is our only solution. Do whatever it takes to get thru THIS day AF. Hang in, it is so worth it. Byrdie

[KENSHO]

Good morning. Going out to plant some bulbs so they come up in the spring. I"m taking my kids out with me - soil is such therapy. I'm hoping for a productive week ahead doing the thing I can't live without - creating.

Have a positive Sunday and get as far away from alcohol as you can. Leave it behind and never look back.

[abcowboy]

Howdy ho nesters! Just popping in to say how great it is to see all the new names posting, the Nest is a happening place! I expect to see lots of posts in the coming days/months because that's how we get by day by day, support! So be sure to be here everyday, supporting others and supporting yourself. it really only takes one day at a time, so make the commitment to be here every day and those one day's will add up!

[Guitarista]

Let me wish y'all a hearty good monday morning from down under land. i can tell you the world is still here and still revolving. I have noted with some astonishment that it doesn't revolve around me. :applause:

Must be day 93 but i never been one fo countin. Ukulele sounds fab Ann! What's the tuning again? Different to a mandolin isn't it? I have a uke and tune it all sorts of ways for fun. Break a string now, ya hear?

Have a bewdy out there.

Lil bit, where are ya and how are you friend?

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Feeling cozy in front of a nice fire - 'tis the season!

Funny G that I was just asking Byrdie about Lil the other day. I miss her creative posts.

Welcome back Madonme, glad you are with us & congrats on your AF time Stick around now & keep us updated.

It's been a drama free weekend, yay. Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep I've been missing. I find it very difficult to get rest when someone has turned up the stress & there's nothing I can do.

Wishing everyone a safe & cozy night in the nest!

Lav

[daisy45]

Quick check-in before bed. Had the laziest day.......out to dinner with my girls then jammies on and feet up in front of the telly and fire....was just what I wanted!
All good and looking forward to day 7 tomorrow.

[j-vo]

Getting ready for bed. Sober and all is well. Night nesters.

[Nursie]

Hello Nesters!
I attended the banquet last evening with my husband and settled in with a nice ginger ale with cherries. I mentioned before that this event is a big drinking event, but now I am thinking I may have been mistaken?? Because everyone seemed quite reserved with many not drinking at all! So last year when I was 6 or 8 glasses of wine in I must have thought everyone was drinking.
It's really hard to realize that I was always the drunk eat person at every function I can remember.
But! I had a lovely time and felt very proud to be my true self.
My husband was beaming from ear to ear and I felt very close to him all night.

Today I had a bad pang of craving though. It's always those unexpected moments right? We were helping some family move and I came across a box to move that was filled with bottles of liquors. (I suppose the contents of their bar). I immediately thought ohhhh! Look!! I imagined opening one and taking a swig. I ached for a moment and then I remembered: I am allergic to alcohol. It is no good for me and I can't drink it. Those are the scary times for me, when I'm not expecting it and it pops up.
Early night for me tonight. Tomorrow I start a new routine of waking up an hour earlier so that I can be mindful, write in my journal, read here, and get some extra things done around the house.
Trying to make small changes that will add up to a better version of myself.
Talk to ya tomorrow!

[Justme Again]

Morning All

Here this whole new week starts and a few things to do different.
Do not buy chocolate!! Nesters, I have gained and my pants are a bit uncomfortable !! Last night I ate carrots and apple, because I craved something sweet, and it tasted great! Will try this week without chocolates.

Nursie - I have flash backs of gatherings where I was on the booze cruise before I got there... cringe!! It was so normal then. It is a strange experience to view gatherings and myself in a new light.

I like to wonder why nobody stopped me. It takes the responsibility away from me. After a couple of months sober it becomes a bit easier to see that it is incredibly difficult to tell someone their drinking is problematic. I heard through the grapevine that family members were scared to talk to me. It annoyed me. Proof that they were distorting things!

Looking with a clear head at things is difficult. I was convinced I was right!!!

Have to put it on the back burner now. Monday has to start, but know I need to look at it. Maybe apologize and just get the fuck over with it? Will see.

For now : Monday and no chocolates!

Till later

[j-vo]

Nursie, glad your evening went well, and the icing on the cake is that your husband felt good about it and you.

Just me, no chocolate?? I'm not ready for that just yet!!

Long week ahead and it starts now. I'm ready on this Monday morning. No regrets or remorse from this past weekend, and best of all, no hangovers. I may have a lot on my plate this week, but I'm going to take it one moment at a time. Drinking does not fit into my busy week.

Have a good Monday.

[Byrdlady]

Nursie, I so identify with what you say about my past thinking. I used to believe that all the parties I went to were drunk-fests. Alas, it was just me. Goes to show you how powerful our minds are, making us believe we are just one of many doing it. When we go out to eat now, (depending, of course, on where we go) I notice that only about half the people are drinking. When I first quit, it seemed like eveyone could drink except me....that is far from the case.
We went to lunch yesterday at an Irish Pub. Sunday afternoon, just after 12, a guy pulls in and goes up to the bar and orders a beer. He drank it, and left. This set me to thinking. Even I, in my fullest drunken glory, would never go out to a bar by myself and order a drink in the middle of the day. #1, I'd go buy a supply and take it home so I could drink in peace and get the job done without driving. #2, it was too expensive to drink in bars, a good glass of wine costing almost as much as a meal. #3, who drinks just one? Funny how one little incident like watching that man made me think of all that. I said to myself, clearly, he doesn't have a problem...but then, I don't know that...maybe he was rotating bars like I used to rotate liquor stores, so the clerks wouldn't think I was an alkie. Shaking my head....only someone with an AL problem would put so much thought into such an innocent act!

Anyway, enough rambling, off to the salt mines! Next week is Thanksgiving! GADS! Byrdie

[wagmor]

Haven't been posting much lately - been feeling a bit quiet, but I'm still here in the nest going strong and sending you all strength.