Newbies Nest

[PanhandleKim]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thank you Byrdie - you are right about not eating my calories. Kind of looking forward to trying to get some good nutrition. Also looking forward to getting to know all you better. Thank you so much!!!

[mario]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning nesters & a very happy & safe St Patricks day to you all.

Welcome pan, your in a good place here, keep posting keep reading.


Its St Patricks day In Ireland, & elsewhere where there is an Irish community, which is a lot of places round the world. For me & my family years ago St Patrick's day was just one thing and that's alcohol, Lots n lots of it.

That's what St Patrick's day was all about, even when abroad the day was always about the drink & how much we could get it into us. Sure its great craic getting drunk & not remembering it ?? St Patrick's day for me was also an another excuse to go out on the drink as no one would question you, And as its on Friday this year that would have been Thursday,friday,saturday ,sunday Sure what else would you be doing ??

I remember the first St Patricks day I was sober, it was the first milestone I had to get over on my new very hard journey, Everyone around me was going of to houses for dinner & drinks, the whole country was in the pub, So I planed ahead, I borrowed my Mothers car & drove from Dublin to Cork on the motorway, I just drove straight down, it be about 4 hours of a journey,

I stopped had a tea or to in a deserted country & roads, turned around & drove back, and that was my first plan put into action & I beat the beast that day, I remember I was very happy waking up the next morning & feeling great with an extra buzz of energy into beating this monster, And everyone else around me started to take me more seriously in my determination that I wasn't drinking anymore,

I mean if an Irishman is determined not to drink on St Patricks day, he must be taking it seriously. So here I am on my eight St Patricks day free from my addictions & demons,

A pround Irishman drinking my green Tea, Slainte.

Have a good day everyone...

[Neo]

Re: Newbies Nest

I would be sober for life if the only alcoholic drink I could have was Guinness lol
Plenty of good food into me today. Feel good considering 2 days ago I had 16 cans of VB . Still a bit red from that session, my face goes really red when I drink heaps

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning from Virginia!

Welcome @PanhandleKim! If there’s one thing I learned, both in getting sober and being content, and in going through it all again, it’s that taking care of myself is important. Eat! All the things! Or at least enough of them to avoid being hungry!
[MENTION=22857]Neo[/MENTION], I went to rehab recently and it was a no smoking (and no caffeine!) facility. Thought I was going to die. (Not really. It was okay.) But according to them, though I haven’t seen the research, it is beneficial to stop both smoking and drinking at the same time. Sadly, I started smoking again about 30 seconds after I left, but some people have continued to abstain… Good luck!

@LostSoul, I have a pretty boring story, too. It just sucked to get sucked into the bottom of a bottle again. I was hopeless and desperate to get out.

Lavande, Thanks. I’ll be around, for sure. Love all the people who are participating and stacking up days and focusing on being WELL. J

Love your signature, Mario. :welldone:And the sober St. Patty's days.

I’ve got a busy day with my parents and some other relatives coming. Looking forward to being sober for it, despite the fact that they aren’t my favorite relatives! Hope it’s a good AF day for y’all, too!:hug:

[frances]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning all - stopping by for a quick check in. So happy to have this place to come to to help keep on track.

Kensho - I noticed you haven't posted for a couple of days - that's unusual - everything OK?

Stay strong everyone!

[ssd858]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Friday and St Patrick's Day to all!

This is day 21 for me. I first logged in here in Fall of 2015 and this
was my highest number reached. It has been harder this time for certain! Both physically and mentally. My brain is beginning to clear and I am getting more sleep.

It is great to see so many of the same people here with many reaching such amazing numbers and being so supportive of each other. I have been reading for the past few weeks and am committing to come on each day to read.
Thank you all!

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Everyone! Quick stop in! I shared that alcohol makes anxiety worse with my husband and he absolutely didn't want to hear it. Hmmmm.....It amazes me that people defend their ability to use alcohol with everything they have. He is nowhere near the level I was - but he definitely uses alcohol to self-medicate when he does use it. He got mad that I was "judging" him - and I had to correct that I was only sharing information I knew, as people do who love each other.

It was two years ago today that I said I was having my last drink. It took a couple more oopses, but I got there. We all can - with the commitment to deal with the discomfort in the beginning, and the knowledge in our hearts that we cannot be truly happy while drinking.

Strong day to everyone!

[ssd858]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Everyone! Quick stop in!

I shared that alcohol makes anxiety worse with my husband and he absolutely didn't want to hear it. Hmmmm.....It amazes me that people defend their ability to use alcohol with everything they have. He is nowhere near the level I was - but he definitely uses alcohol to self-medicate when he does use it.

He got mad that I was "judging" him - and I had to correct that I was only sharing information I knew, as people do who love each other.

It was two years ago today that I said I was having my last drink. It took a couple more oopses, but I got there. We all can - with the commitment to deal with the discomfort in the beginning, and the knowledge in our hearts that we cannot be truly happy while drinking.

Strong day to everyone!

Had the same conversation with my husband. He does not want to believe the connection. He also doesn't believe the connection between alcohol and some of the mental and sleep issues I have had in this 3 weeks. In his support, maybe he doesn't suffer the same after effects I do. He definitely can moderate his drinking better than I.

[scottish lass]

Re: Newbies Nest

TGIF - so checking in again. Sun remains out - been a lovely week, but rain on the way for another week - was supposed to be heading over the hill but looks like snow will prevent that!
Alll good here - halfway through a dry march and the days keep coming - can't complain about that!
Nothing much to report - we are hanging in here....

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy St Paddy's all,
Hope everyone has an easy evening. TGIF!
Busy day at work, some day I hope I learn what Im doing. Hugs to all, Byrdie

[PanhandleKim]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ending day three of being AF. I had a few wobbly moments but have gotten through it so far. I also went and bought some of the supplements recommended by MWO and am hoping that will help also.

Neo- glad to hear you plan on eating well and taking care of yourself today.

Ne - thank you for the welcome and advice.

Congratulations to all who have celebrated another day being AF.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters & Happy St Patrick's day.

I'm not a bit Irish myself but still like the traditions & culture (sans alcohol)

Sitting here with my green tea too Mario - slainte!
I have fond memories of my visit to Ireland. Traveled from Dublin to Galway & saw everything in between

Welcome back ssd, gald you are here & congrats on your 21 AF days, yay!
Daily visits helped me keep my focus, it really helps!

Kensho, I had so many issues with my husband when I quit, it wasn't funny. Now, after all this time he rarely has a drink & keeps it in his private fridge in his garage, ha ha! I wouldn't touch that beer for anything anyway. They need time to adjust but they do eventually come around.

Actually looking forward to some rain tomorrow to melt all the ice & snow hanging around. It's sad to think of Spring arriving on Monday with all this leftover snow hanging around, ha ha.
Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning Nesters,
I'm feeling happy to be waking up sober on this rainy, cold day after St Patrick's day.. I hadn't even realized it was. More importantly is to remember to call my stepmom today on her birthday!

Just read back after a couple of days and want to congratulate Nursie on 131 (more now) days! And Roobs on 120! I hope you both found nice ways to celebrate..

Welcome Pan! Well done on "getting through" those first 3 days.. I haven't been the best example of coming and posting each and every day, but I do think it is one of, if not the, most important tools to staying sober. Having the connection/community to share struggles and get advice. Good to have you here..

Byrdie, that was a great post on acceptance. Thank you.
and Mario, I was wondering how you managed that first St. Patrick's day.. great idea to drive away from it. Sometimes I lock myself in to avoid situations.. which works but doesn't always leave me feeling so great. To go somewhere else could be a good solution..

I've been dealing a lot with blame lately. Thinking back (almost always a mistake) and feeling "wronged" by 2 people in particular. I'm usually pretty good at bringing my mind back to the present.. but yesterday was difficult. This morning it hit me (once again) that if they were to blame, I was just as much to blame.. regardless of what other people were doing, my drinking made me a person who couldn't listen, reason, empathize, see reality, take care of myself.. I was in a completely codependent relationship and I was in it because I put myself there and allowed myself to stay. There isn't anyone to blame.. we were where we were and did what we could. Now, as long as I stay sober, I have the chance to do things differently. I'm excited about the possibilities.. but finding it so important to stay in the moment. One day at a time. It takes time and patience to live in the moment and sometimes I wish I was a year into the future, feeling strong and very happy in my sobriety. But it is about the journey as well, isn't it?
I read an article yesterday about odat that I liked and found inspiring..
Six Years Sober, But One Day at a Time | The Fix

Big shout out to SL, LS, Ava and Pav, Neo!, Pauly!, Lav and Byrdie, SSD (great job on 21 days!), Francis, Eve, and to everyone flying or stopping by today.. wishing all a relaxing weekend..:hug:

[mario]

Re: Newbies Nest

Just a quick hi n bye here, talk soon.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ssd858, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that not giving up on quitting makes all the difference. (Don’t quit quitting!) I love that the brain fog is lifting. I’ve been seeing my therapist for a couple of years now, and when I saw her yesterday, she got teary-eyed and said the difference was remarkable! It’s nice to have that positive feedback, even after (this time) only 40+ days. I hadn’t relapsed when I started seeing her, or wasn’t in full blown relapse anyway, but the last year has been… ugly. Keep it up! :hug:

Kensho, managing relationships is so hard, isn't it? My husband, who also has alcoholism, but didn’t relapse and has been sober for 6 years, is being a knucklehead. Driving me crazy. (Worse than that, actually.) It’s not the first time I’ve wished for a disease like… cancer or something. As bad as that sounds, at least people don’t pass judgment or deny the reality or any of another dozen things that makes it so hard to communicate and actually stay sober. Sounds like you handled it well, though.

Panhandle, congratulations! Hang in there. Keep checking in, if it helps. I know it helps me.

Lifechange, I liked that article. Thanks for posting it. I’m not a huge proponent of 12-step programs for everyone, (though I go to meetings and do the work) but One Day At A Time is like Mindfulness before it became a buzzword. Ya’ know? Hope you feel better and get out from under the blame game soon.

I’ve got a busy day with relatives in town. I was really dreading their arrival last night, especially without booze to blunt the awkwardness, but had a really nice time. Who knew? So thankful to wake up after a good night’s sleep, without a hangover and NO GUILT. Yay! Cheers to another day just like it.

Thank you to all of you who keep coming back and help us all stay focused. There are too many to mention by name, but I really appreciate your commitment. :love: