Newbies Nest

[Guitarista]

Congrats on 7 days free of poison LS, LC and JK! That is a huge achievement not to be underrated.

One badass, kick arse trio. :thumbs:

Wags - 166! Oh yeah!

[Byrdlady]

Wow! Look at all the success we are having!
LS, LC and JK, these are for you!
:butt::butt::butt:
The worst is behind you!! GREAT jobs!!!
Wags, reaching goals is what its all about! I had a real problem with Day 12, that is the day I fell repeatedly, then that last time, I made it to Day 13 and Ive been like Forrest Gump ever since! Run, Forrest, run! Well done!
Nursie is sporting a new set...of months! We are SO proud of you!
Everyone here is such a treasure! What a wonderful nest we have at the moment!
Keep up the hard work everyone! No matter what and no metter who! Hugs, Byrdie

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

I second what Byrdie said - CONGRATS to all the prize recipients today :welldone:

We all deserve a better life without the burden of AL. Every day AF is a good day

Awaiting the start of a snowstorm - the first of this winter season.
Wishing everyone a safe & warm night in the nest!

Lav

[BelleGirl]

Hi everyone...just popping by to say hi and congrats to all that made milestones today. Byrdie, I forgot about the moons!!! hee hee...
Keep up the good work everyone. Made it through day 3 (well almost, but I ain't crackin' now).

See you laters

[KENSHO]

Hi Belle! Great work on your 3 days - that's HUGE! Keep up the good work!

Hi Roobs and Wags and everyone. People are sounding positive; great to read.

Lav, we had a major snowstorm today and the kids had a snow day! They were thrilled and had a fun day. I worked my little self away and I'm very fried. I told my husband that if I were a drinker, tonight would be a drinking night. But who am I kidding, every night was a drinking night. I have to stick close here when this level of stress hits me so I remember what I am doing!

Congrats on 60 Nursie, and 7 Lifechange!! You should try writing if you feel it helps you LC. I just do it to download when I have strong emotions - whether it makes sense or not. I find it interesting that alcohol and "numbing" work their way into my writing often.

Keep thinking positive thoughts people. I may want to escape this stress, but I don't want to be a drinker, that's for sure! The thought crossed my mind earlier that "I could drink" - but I didn't because I don't drink (to quote PAV).

[wagmor]

LC - So happy to hear you feeling so strong with your 7 days - it's very rewarding when we know we're doing the work, isn't it. The project with the public speaking sounds like a good challenge. What did you decide to do?

Pauly - hope you get some good rest and feel less tired tomorrow. At least it's still way better than being hungover, huh?

Maddy - thanks. Your comment made me realize that I just had my first sober thanksgiving, xmas and new year since 2010. Hadn't thought of it that way - more milestones to celebrate in retrospect Hope you enjoyed your soak and read

Pav - sorry to hear you've got such a bad cold - hang in there and I hope you feel better pronto!

Jkm - you hang in there too - you've got your full week to ride on, and they just get better from here on out!

Roobs - thanks so much for your message. Fur friends can be the best, can't they? I've had some excellent ones throughout my life, and they've gotten me through some very hard times. I also agree with your advice regarding diet/calories - early in one's quit isn't the time to worry about cals, and the weight and puffiness usually start to drop off once your body adjusts to it's new "normal."

LS - Hang on tight on that roller coaster - you've got your first full week and the strength that comes with it

Byrdie - it's interesting how so many of us seem to have certain personal day-hurdles. I love your reference to Forest Gump! (I usually channel Dorie from Finding Nemo - "Just keep swimming...")

Lav - Hope you had/have a warm safe night in the nest yourself (as you always wish us) in spite of your pending snow storm

Belle - Great job - you'll be getting your first moon before you know it!

Kensho - sorry to hear your snow day was so stressful, but glad you still didn't drink (because you don't drink, of course - I'll have to borrow Pav's mantra too )

Whew - the nest is really hopping, which is so much fun but also so motivating. Thanks everyone for your kudos. I know Day 166 is just another day in many ways, but I'm super excited to get past where I fell last time. Now it feels like the skies the limit!!!

[lifechange]

Hi Nesters,
So nice to wake up in the morning to such a great group of people and posts!
As usual, I'm running off to work so I will check in again and respond this afternoon.
Big hugs to you all..

[Guitarista]

Have a beaut day LC.

Was just reflecting on this time of year, xmas, a new year upon us. Xmas may be over now, but the sentimental angle is huge and sure is played up in mainstream media, with billboards, ads, t.v. radio, bars, street decorations, family get togethers, romance, love. Nice stuff mostly for me, but it is very, very easy to begin to take a different darker view of our place in all of this. Aside from any loss of loved ones that may or may not have occurred around xmas, i see there is a lot of expectation of participation and putting on a smiley face no matter what's happening inside us. It's an emotionally charged time of year, and i can see how easy it is to fall for the melancholy that is also present in the celebrations, and just go under and drown in a sea of overwhelming commitment and pressure, worrying that we are not worthy. Self created pressure of course, but pressure nonetheless. I am thinking of our friends who haven't checked in for awhile. A lot of us made it through, but i think we've lost a few too. I wish you happiness and peace wherever you are, whatever you're doing. And i hope you are safe.

[Jkm123]

My 7 days would have been Saturday but im back to day one so no matter. Sorry guys but im here and im workin on it.

[lifechange]

Jkm, it's great that you've hopped right back in to the Nest and are ready to keep on working! I'm finding it is taking a lot more work than I thought it would mentally to keep myself on the ball, focused on my goal of not drinking. Do you have a plan of action? How are you feeling about the upcoming weekend? Stay close!:hug:

Super post, Gman.. I am also really missing some people and hope that everything is ok.. and if not, that they choose to come back soon.

I'm so early on in my quit but am already feeling so much better. This last time I drank was the scariest ever because I felt like I was very close to the point of not giving a f*** anymore. Of truly hating myself. Now I still don't want to look in the mirror due to alcohol related skin issues.. but it's clearing up slowly.
Do any of you have experience with doing liver detox? I bought a tea and am trying to eat quite healthy (mostly).. and am going to make an appt. with a homeopath. Looking at my skin and hair, I think I need some help!

Wags, love what you said about the sky being the limit! That must feel really good to get past your personal hurdle day. I think the most I've gone continuously without drinking is around 4 months. 30 days is my first goal. And to be honest, though I'm basically taking it ODAT, I am looking forward to having a whole year under my belt. I love reading about all of you and your firsts.. and now that I think about it (at least in the state of my mind I'm in at the moment) it seems almost like a fun challenge to find different ways to deal with our old, "normal" celebrations. I did do New Year's! And I have decided to do the event.. very scary and way out of my comfort zone but a couple of my co-workers will be with me and we have a few weeks to prepare. Let's see!

Byrdie, I also loved the Forrest Gump reference.. I will keep that as a visual! Don't walk, Run!!!

So I think I'll be here constantly this weekend.. I've got such a lucky one! All on my own with the cats until Sunday afternoon to do whatever I want, whenever I want.. which means staying inside and hibernating! Bliss! I do have a goal of packing my books, cd's and taking the Christmas decorations off the tree..

Hope you're all feeling strong for the weekend! Plans in place!

[paulywogg]

Hello nesters,Jkm,just get back to it,that first week is a bitch to get through! This last quit I didn't think I'd make it past day 3 but being a veteran at quitting I knew what to expect and just held on for dear life,Wags,lack of sleep,sickness,anything is more tolerable than a freakin hangover! I went to work sick as a dog once and my coworker asked me how I got through, I said"I've worked while going through alcohol withdrawal anything else is a cakewalk!" Do not miss that crap at all,congrats on all the milestones everyone, day 1 or day1,000 is still an achievement wishes for a peaceful, positive AF(of course) day

[NoSugar]

it seems almost like a fun challenge to find different ways to deal with our old, "normal" celebrations. I did do New Year's! And I have decided to do the event.. very scary and way out of my comfort zone but a couple of my co-workers will be with me and we have a few weeks to prepare. Let's see!

This might sound kind of crazy, LC, but I actually missed the challenges after 'not drinking' had become my new normal. I like self-experimentation so figuring out how I was going to handle different events and situations and then executing my plan was very engaging and rewarding. That's not to say I want to relive that excitement :egad: but you can look at the first year as an opportunity to challenge yourself, prepare, succeed, and benefit from the pride and self-confidence that will give you, making you even more determined to live the unburdened AF life you want and deserve. xx, NS

[Orimus]

GMAE all. Back at it again - back to the day 1, day 2, almost day three rotation. Did make it through New Years day sober but Monday was a mess and of course I was all over facebook talking out my a*! along with a few texts that I shouldn't have sent. I think I had a few yesterday just cringing at the thought. Time to get over it.

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not born yet. Only today can I make a difference. I guess day 3 is my hurdle day.

[wagmor]

Orimus and Jkm - Glad you got right back in the saddle and in the nest. You can do this. Starting over on day one isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a stronger quit. For me, I found that it was helpful to reflect back and figure out at least one thing I would do differently in order to make the new quit stick. Do either of you have "one thing" you're going to adjust or add with regard to your plan?

Hugs to you both. Sending you AF strength!

LC - Congrats on deciding to do the presentation!!! That's awesome. Sounds like you've got good prep time and good support, so why not go for it! I've always found that facing these kinds of challenges and emerging on the other side brings waves of feeling god about myself, proud of myself, and that those waves ripple out and impact other areas of my life positively. I hope that is true for you as well.

A friend once shared a quote or saying with me:

"Everything you want is on the other side of fear."

I try to remember this when I'm up against deciding whether or not to do something. I know fear can be a protective mechanism to keep us from doing some stupid things, but it also seems to pop up when the risk is only perceived and isn't truly real.

Have a great day/evening everyone!!!

PS - J-vo, Daisy - I hope you're both doing well. Even if you aren't, I'm thinking of you, lots of us here are thinking of you both. Please check in when you can. :heartbeat:

[Jkm123]

There's a saying about fear that I love, fear is a mile high and a mile wide and paper thin...