Newbies Nest

[Justme Again]

Getting there - do something that would be a treat to yourself. We abuse and neglect ourselves with AL, not even to mention the emotions and negative self talk.
Delicious foods and AF drinks and something kind and caring for the weekend.

[paulywogg]

Hello nesters, Nursie,congrats on 31 days,Ann on 51 I was so spacey yesterday that I totally missed your milestones,everyone is doing absolutely wonderful(myself included) let's keep the roll going, have a great AF day all

[madonmehndi]

Nursie congrats on 31 and well done to everyone else however many days/months/years and thank you for being here to help me stay sober, I have found this board and everyone on it a lifesaver this past month and I couldn't have done it without you all

Not having a great day today, feeling lonely and wondering if I am doing the right thing with all the Christmas Alcohol adverts everywhere i look, go and listen, it is very trying!!

[NoSugar]

Not having a great day today, feeling lonely and wondering if I am doing the right thing with all the Christmas Alcohol adverts everywhere i look, go and listen, it is very trying!!

You don't need alcohol to be ok, Madonmehndi. You are fine as you are. Your feelings will change over time, with or without a drink. Adding in the drink only ensures you'll be feeling disappoint, guilt, and regret! By choosing not to drink, you'll be feeling relief and pride :smile:.

Quitting drinking opened my eyes to the brilliance of advertisers! I now see those alluring ads and am so glad not to be part of the brainwashed masses. They manage to make consuming poison appealing and almost imperative! How messed up is that???

[Pavati]

Hi, All:

Sorry I forgot, too. Congratulations, Nursie! This IS it. Keep it up. (now here's the scary part - as I type that I can't remember if I already congratulated you - no sense looking back, I'll just congratulate you twice if that is the case). Ann Carolina - congratulations to you, too! Reading about the physiology of blackouts was terrifying to me also. I didn't read it until I was off the sauce, but I put it in my bags of tricks which keep me armed with a heavy fear of drinking. I REALLY, REALLY do not want to go back there. REALLY.

Getting There - My husband and kids gone was a party time for me, too. I change it up now - still the Pav movies and good takeout, and now I add ice cream instead of booze. To make it through this weekend, you really should get all of the booze out of the house. If you are tempted to drink, one thing you can do is post here in the nest - people are usually around. I found that MWO wasn't quite enough for me, and saw a therapist for a while as I was quitting. Being accountable to a person in person seemed to be important to me. If your husband is tired of the drunk you, can you ask him for help? Although given what I hear around here, drinking buddy spouses aren't always the best support after a while. Anyway - welcome to the Nest. You don't have to worry about lighthearted or down in the dumps - we're all over the map here.

Madon - All of those adverts are merely illusion! Imagine the end of the party, you're drunk, you wake up at 3 in the morning feeling anxious, sweaty and full of regret - did you really say that? do that? act like that? Then imagine the next day - you put off that thing you've been planning so you can sit on your couch, eating junk food and feeling sorry for yourself. Well, I don't know about you, but that would be my day. Those advertisements are BS! Go watch some YouTube videos about the realities of drinking - not glamourous at all!

Thinking more about Mario's Christmas party post - I am SO grateful I don't drink, especially this time of the year. It is hard for me to get out and do, do, do, when I think biologically we were meant to stay inside, build fat stores and stay warm by the fire. One thing that is key for me this time of year is making sure I have my own transportation to or from parties. Inevitably, someone wants to stay longer, and I have to make sure I have an exit strategy. I made the mistake of not having that once, and regretted it immensely as I had to hang around and feel miserable for an hour.

Happy SOBER Tuesday, all. Take care of yourselves, and don't drink no matter what.

Pav

[madonmehndi]

Thanks folks, I know that they are just an illusion (love that song LOL) and that I don't actually WANT to drink again, its just my stupid AL brain malfunction kicking in, I have been looking up yummy mocktails to make and going to make sure I have every ingredient I need to hand so I can make them (will probably be the size of a house after Christmas what with those and my new found sweet tooth LOL)

[madonmehndi]

HI everyone! You all seem like such a good group. I have posted a bit in the past, but it seems if I don't interact I slip up and fall into my bad habits. Habits include hiding bottles and drinking in secret. Then buying stupid things online I DON'T NEED. I hate that life but I just can't convince myself that it would be much better without AL. How sad is that?

I'm on day one here as I blacked out at a Christmas party Saturday night. Then I had to have several drinks yesterday to ease the shakes and guilt. YUCK. This isn't normal, and I know it. After all the drinks this past weekend, I am sure I have the resolve to stay away for the week. But my husband is going out of town this weekend and that means 'party time' for me. A bottle of wine or two, a few beers and a movie. But I don't want that for me this weekend. What if I hurt myself? Any ideas to stay away from the booze is appreciated. I have to quit, my husband is sick of me. I would be too.

Thanks all who share, and I hope all is well with you. God bless

Your story sounds so familiar to me, any time my DH is out on a night out it is my licence to get trollied - not good!! He is on his works xmas do on the 22nd and I am determined to stay sober and have a great night to myself, going to watch girly movies, drink mocktails and eat a load of crap LOL! Hope you are doing ok today

[gettingthere]

Hi everyone! So much good advice, thank you all! I just took the Antabuse like some of you suggested. I figured 'better safe than sorry' and since no one forced it down my throat, it is ME doing this on my own! Lol! I am so silly

I plan on watching 'The Crown' on Netflix this weekend, getting Thai or Indian takeout (my husband likes neither, so I always have it on my own) and I will have plenty of ice cream on hand for emergencies!

I will be here on MWO as well. Maybe I will try and chat with whoever is around!

Thanks Nursie, J-vo, madonmehndi, Lavande, Byrdlady, Pauliwogg, Struggles and Pavati (hope I didn't forget anyone): I plan on having some quality me time and talking with you fine people.

Have a great day! (or what's left of it!)

[Guitarista]

Hi nesters near and not so far.

All the best with the antabuse GT!

Now Maddy! 'Tis 31 days for you friend? Huge congratulations on a month off the booze. That is just sensational! Keep it going. :welldone: :yay: :spin:

[Overit-still]

Getting There-I am on antabuse and when I first quit (been at this a few years) it's the only thing that keeps me sober. After a while I can skip to every other day and eventually not take it (after 2 months or so) when it has become ingrained that NOT drinking is my new habit. I do keep it on hand after that though and when I get in a situation or an event that would make me want to drink I pop just one and that gets me through. Now as to why I keep going back to drinking? That's because I'm an alcoholic that lies to myself that each time could possibly be different. It's a mind issue with me. Good luck to you this weekend.

[Struggles 106]

Hey GT- that is great! Imagine how you will feel after the weekend with not one second lost to drunken shenanigans!
I'm always around to chat if you feel like it.
I was invited out for "a beer" by a lovely friend at work. I wrote back " I no longer drink beer" he said "Really??" So I said TRUE MAGOO- don't ask me why, a silly response for sure. I love the guy and used to go out for a beer with him,but alas,no more of that.
He would have 2, maybe, and go home. I would have more and then who know what would happen!? I just can't risk it anymore. I don't want to wake up dead LOL

Peace to all

Ann Carolina

[Lost Soul]

Hi all,

Big congratulations to Nursie & Ann on your special milestones x
I'm still AF & picked a good & bad time to quit. Winter is cold & long & wish I could hibernate through it... so if I hadn't chosen to quit when I did, I think I'd be drinking a whole lot more over the next few weeks. So glad I'm on 24 days still ☺
Good job over it & getting there - I'm glad antabuse has the desired effect - alot of what works for one person doesn't for another so whatever works for you!
Its great reading all your posts, they are very positive & certainly keep me feeling sobriety is achievable.
I've been getting AL thoughts these last two days a bit & have just reminded myself they can come but I don't have to give them any power & let them go again.
It's funny how you can plan to keep yourself safe but something you forgot can trigger a memory & catch you off guard? For me, putting up my Christmas decorations, (which I do every year sober with the kids) but this year I was reminded how I boxed them up last year after I'd had some wine & they were a bit messy.
In any case, all the normal stuff I have to to at this time of year would be not helped if I was drinking so I'm glad I'm doing it with a clear head.
Thank you all so very much for helping me
Wishing all a safe & sober Tuesday
LS

[paulywogg]

LS,I think most of us used to get buzzed to put up the Christmas decs,its been mentioned by a lot of us,my mom text me the other night saying she was having a few putting up her decorations trying to get into the spirit, weird how we're all so alike and do the same things haha,hope everyone is having a nice night/day

[KENSHO]

Hi Lost Soul, congrats on 24 days! Winter is hard - just think, you will be feeling so great for warmer weather!

Madon and Gettingthere, food is the ticket - and any other indulgence besides booze. Movies, baths, reading... it all becomes our go to when alcohol is not an option. Good plans!

I am positively glad I am not drinking. However, I am going through a tough spell with work. I am not as able to handle the stress of a hard day and then cooking dinner and being everything for my kids and husband. Alas, maybe no one should do as much as I was doing. BUT, I feel like its been hard keeping up the pace with my projects. Feeling down about some delays I've caused - and the thought crossed my mind that I could just go back to a drinking mess to deal with it. God, these thoughts never seem to amaze me. Some cheap thrill is not going to help me deal with a damn thing, silly booze voice. Has anyone else found it a little harder to keep up the stamina with workouts or difficult schedules? Maybe I've just lowered my tolerance, as i should have all along. No one should have been doing all I was doing, but then I still have to make a paycheck. And I still want to be great at what I do....

Rambling! The point is that I will not drink. And I need to keep close here. Thanks for listening!

[Byrdlady]

Madon, once you get some distance between you and the sauce, you will begin to see those AL ads for what they really are: POWERFUL SELLING with big money behind them. Hells bells, I never drank brown liquor but Ive seen ads that make it look SO sexy and alluring, with crystal clear ice cubes and strong, handsome men holding the glass. Same with beer, never drank that either, but on TV they show it in slow motion going in to a frosty mug...Im thinking what the heck is THIS all about? Its about BIG BUSINESS! Like NS says, they are packaging poison and they do a VERY good job! Dont be fooled, they are selling an addictive drug that has caused nothing but pain and destruction for millions of people for hundreds of years! What good does AL do for anybody? Once you get that distance, you will be able to see who they are targeting, and how well they do it.

Ann, did I congratulate you on your 50 days? GREAT JOB!! Here's your llama. :llama:
Hope everyone had an easy day! Byrdie