Newbies Nest

[Orimus]

GMAE all!

Madon – Good for you for taking your fate into your own hands. You can’t control DH or anyone else, only you. Otherwise you’re just giving them YOUR strength which never leads to a good place. The dynamics have changed and DH needs some time too and as Mario has already said hopefully sense will prevail.

Pauly – In regards to the grocery store I know that feeling of dread. I hate cooking but I have to force myself every once in a while to look up some new, simple recipes otherwise I just slip back to take out. If your feeling dizzy I know for me I check my blood pressure and pulse - sometimes I just need to eat though. If you keep getting dizzy I'd check with your GP soon though.

LC – I’m not as far along but I know the feeling. It’s a beautiful, sunny Sunday and the only thing I managed to do was take a drive. Now I’m back home and staring at the walls but I have no energy or inclination to do anything. Just hanging here on the site and reminding myself to just relax and absorb the here and now – but I keep looking outside. Breathe in/Breathe out

Quiet sunny Sunday. Focusing is a bit of a challenge right now and sometimes I just feel a little bit distant if that makes any sense. Went to bed early last night but was up and down until after midnight so that didn't work. (and that was with the ZzzQuil) The rest of the day is just leftover pizza and movies, really not feeling up to anything else right now. Maybe that dreaded grocery store once the pizza runs out.

[paulywogg]

Orimus, I just started using chia seeds so I googled and I guess they can lower blood pressure causing dizziness, my blood pressure already runs low/normal so that's probably the culprit, weird though I think

[NoSugar]

Hey, Nest. Finally home after an unexpected time away. It's such a gift for that not to be so stressful because of interference with my nightly drinking ritual. I'm so grateful to be done living a lie. I think that, more than the alcohol itself, was killing me.

I reminded myself that I don't drink no matter what and no matter who,

You, know, LC, this is IT in a nutshell. As soon as you make it non-negotiable, the struggle can be over. There will still be challenging times but they no longer are worsened by indecision about the best course of action. That has already been decided. You just have to relax as much as you can and wait for those those thoughts and feelings to pass, which they invariably do. xx, NS

[Byrdlady]

Hey nest, back home at last. 2 loads of laundry going and finally some time to catch up with my best friends.
As you may know, I was planning to be out of town Wednesday night, but learned Monday that my boss was coming in the next day. During my almost 5 hour drive to my destination, I called every person on my prospect list and finally lined up two little meetings. So we had a full day Wednesday and a good meeting on Thursday morning. This is only the second time Ive worked with my new boss. We took a former customer of mine (and his wife) to dinner Wednesday night. The former customer was the only one who drank! He asked me if I would have some wine so he wouldnt have to drink alone and I declined, I said, 'Look, Im not even drinking Diet Coke, and someone will need to cut me off this water, too, or I'll be up all night with that! We all agreed that getting older wasnt for sissies. Glad to see my new boss doesnt drink much at all, so that's nice.

Got home Thursday afternoon and Friday morning we left to visit my step daughter for the weekend. Went to dinner and they each had two glaases of wine. (And YES, I AM the AL Police). That was $24 worth of booze! Dang! I had a $3 salad and water. AL is big business that was a big chunk of the bill! I tell you, if NOTHING else, being sober is more economical! I am 2188 days sober today so at $10 a day, thats enough to buy a car! Not just that but can you imagine filtering all that thru my poor liver? Makes you think (and be thankful).

Glad to be home and catching up here. I can see where it would be very easy to slack off. I notice when I dont participate (even if I read) I dont feel connected as much. Its like anything else, you get out of it what you put in to it. This isnt a spectater sport!

So good to see everyone.... do whatever it takes to get thru this day AF! Byrdie

[Pavati]

Hi, All:

Good to see you checking in, Overit - and I'm glad you're sober. What else is going on?

Nar - I LOVE waking up un hung and savoring a delicious cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. What a gift we have given ourselves?

CONGRATULATIONS, Cowboy! What an amazing milestone. Speech, speech.

Byrdie - Isn't that funny? I am the alcohol police, too. Really I look around because I am so curious when someone only orders one glass of wine and doesn't finish it. I NEVER drank like that. If I only ordered one, I made damn sure I sucked it dry, and I NEVER left any on the table. "Are you going to finish that...?"

Pauly - I get dizzy all of the time - I always think it is allergies/sinus stuff. Hope you feel better.

So lovely to have a three day weekend here in the states. I think my friend and I are going to do a coast cleanup - MLK day has become a day of service around here. We'll see.

Missing you, Ava, J-Vo and SL (and Jane). Hope all is well.

Happy SOBER Sunday.

Pav

[daisy45]

Daisy!!! You sound very well.. I'm so happy that you've found someone in "real life" to talk to. That is something I would like to have here. Busy with the Grandkids is great.. can't remember if you mentioned whether or not you've been getting some swimming in? Exercise is another thing I haven't been so good about lately.. I'm just now (not today!) feeling like I have the energy to do extra things again.
Alcohol is so hard on the body, isn't it? I know when I was younger I could do it all..exercise, work, whatever, hungover and feeling like shit (ughhh..). But after years and years of abuse, forget it. And this last, my very last terrible bout of drinking left me down and out. I could clearly see that I was destroying myself.. now, 16 days later, I'm almost ok physically.. and I know mentally I have my work cut out for me for a while but I'm ready for it..


xx

Hi LC,
Doing great here. Exercising a lot! Either swim or gym or a walk daily with Sunday off. I am so happy I eventually took that step to see an addiction counsellor.
A few different things this time....opened up to family outside of my 3 daughters, counsellor, alcoholism movies, daily exercise, proper saelf-care, varied podcasts every other day....found some great ones.
Every hour I spend talking with my counsellor gives me something new.....to do and think about. Digging deep and so surprised at how much it helps. Why not give it a try? The hardest part was walking in the first day.....now I have no problem....look forward to it.
Also have my AA cousin on board.....like she says, there is no shame in finding youself with a drinking problem, but it would be a sad shame to do nothing about it.
Every single person here is doing something about it.....that makes me happy. Our day will come when we help someone just like we have been here.
Glad to see you on board again.....we're doing it !

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Glad to see everyone reporting in & doing so well

Glad you took the snow off my hands Wags ha ha!!
I know we will get some here eventually but I can wait.

Daisy, you have a great routine going & obviously it's working wonders for you, yay!

Byrdie, glad your trip was good & the weekend as well.
You are so right, our livers must be grateful that we have saved them so much work over the years!
My older brothers were/are such big drinkers & I simply went along with them. I am so grateful that my kids never showed that much interest in drinking, they're smart.

LC, you are moving right along with your plan & that's great. Keep checking in with us, you have our support!

Wishing everyone a safe & peaceful night in the nest!

Lav

[Lost Soul]

Hi all
Byrdie 2188 days!!! That is AMAZING! Sounds like you had a hectic week & glad you are back chilling out a bit & sharing your love in the nest :happy2: I think cloning is a great idea to be fair, though I'd probably allow my second self to catch up on missing sleep!
Having a grand weekend, amidst rain & wind so gardening has been avoided - although I'm probably being too optimistic mid-January...what planet am I on? There was a bun sale in school Fri & silly me forgot about it & didn't send in money - so had a baking day today instead.
Thankfully feeling ok & grateful for you guys x
Wishing all a safe and sober Sunday
LS

[Nursie]

Hello Nest!

Byrdie you are so right about interacting here. It makes me feel connected to something bigger than me when I check in here every day. Some days I can linger longer than others. Some days I have to read for hours just to feel ok. But I always have to check in, and read, and post in order to touch the ground. This is home and you all are my home base.
Alive, how are you making out? I'm rooting hard for you!

Sounds like we all had pretty good weekend? Did I tell you guys my stepdaughter moved back in with us? So far so good. I am enjoying her very much! 18 is so much better than 15. At one point the stress she brought into my home was unbearable. Now she and I are both in a much healthier place. We both are trying to be healthier so we have lots of fun grocery shopping, cooking, and also making fun of my husband lol. This happy home could not be possible if I were drinking.
I am happy that I am a non-drinker. Boy I too am like the alcohol police! When we go out I see how much everyone is drinking too. I can spot the alkies like me in a nanosecond, and the rest of the people really don't drink as much as I always thought. I was the one who was drinking the most. I was the drunkest person at every function. I was. But I am not anymore and my God it feels good.
Safe night in the nest all!

[Roobs]

Hi nesters,
Byrdie, you're answer to your client asking you to join in a drink was so great. When I was reading your post, I got worried, "oh no" I thought. It made me realize that I might not of handled that type of situation well. in the past, something like that would have derailed my focus. Some days I feel really strong and proud of my sober ways but other times I feel timid and weak. Thanks for sharing that. A big fat congratulations on your 2188 days and all the $ you've saved!

I too, watch and take notice of how people drink ALL.THE. TIME. I try not to judge just observe.

Orimus, if you're not currently exercising maybe it's time to throw in a little exercise Tomorrow ? I know it's sounds horrible but it's so important to have that endorphin kick. Brightens the mind even if only for a little bit.

Daisy, I want what you're having. Sounds like you've got a great balance going on. So happy for you!!

Happy AF Sunday everyone!

[lifechange]

Super quickie fly-by on this freezing cold UnHung Monday morning..
Let's make it a good week!
Will check in with you all this afternoon..:hug:

[mario]

Good morning nesters,

That's great to read byrdy & I love the way you calculated 10 dollars a day & what you saved, Using my own days I going to copy that & share it at my next meeting :-) thanks.

Just like to say that when we change our lives for the better its not just about stopping drinking, its about starting to go uphill as when we were drinking it was, for us here, all downhill & gaining speed as the weeks,months,years went on ,So we either are going up or down & we all know which way we want to go, don't we ! It is in the daily strivings that perseverance counts, Are you ready to persevere in this new life ? I know you all are :-) lets do it together.

Have a good day all.

[Lavande]

Good Monday morning Nesters!

It's a chilly 20 degrees here but the sun is making an appearance
Nothing big on my book today & that's OK. I'll be heading out for some exercise as soon as I feed & water my dogs & chickens.

Wishing everyone a terrific AF day ahead!

Lav

[NoSugar]

I came across an interesting article that really resonates with me - I think many women fall into this trap. We're the lucky ones who are getting out:
For women, heavy drinking has been normalized. That’s dangerous. - The Washington Post

[Rusty]

NoSugar-thank you for posting the link. I just breezed through the article and it's astonishing but I can see it happening...given all the ads that romanticize drinking. Have you seen the HBO documentary, "Risky Drinking?" It chronicles the lives of alcoholics, both male and female. It's excellent.