Newbies Nest

[Nursie]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest,
Sorry I've been so brief lately. I am still here and sober. I took a second job and have also been doing more with my cooking business on the side. So I've been a busy bee! I am so happy to be sober. I feel like I am now able to think clearly and then I get all these ideas and can actually follow through! Amazing. Haha. I completely astonish myself when I am consistently able to follow through on a plan or a goal and see it through to the end.
I have said before "if I'm this good drunk, imagine what I could do sober!" And it is absolutely true. I was able to accomplish a lot while actively drinking. Went back to college, finished, worked hard, and helped family, had deaths in my family, fought cancer.... But I always dropped the ball somewhere. I would forget a promise, or be too drunk, or too hungover to follow through. Now I know there is nothing stopping me from following through. I am unstoppable. My mind has opened to another level of thinking and I am in complete awe of the world right now!
Sorry to ramble on. I'm coming up on 6 months in May and I'm practically doing a handstand!!

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

A quick second of solitude to post.
This has been a fast paced and exhausting trade show and sales meeting. One of the guys wife is here and she is pressuring me to join her in drinks. Of course I have stood my ground. Glad I have time behind me and a strong plan beside me.
All good here. Will be glad to get home Friday. Byrdie

[mario]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning nesters .

Them folks can be really annoying birdie its as if they want to drag you back down into the gutters from where we crawled, sometimes they do it unknown of our history, others because of there own guilty conscious in there own drinking habits, Just a well firmed no thanks & a drinking does not agree with me usually moves them along.

Holiday time over here, For those of the Christian faith its Easter. To celebrate the death & rise again of Jesus. There are some very interesting & moving marches, ( if there the right words) especially in the old towns here of Portugal, Tomorrow is good Friday & in Ireland they close the pubs.

That & Christmas day are the only days that the bars are closed, And believe me when I say today in the off licence's & bars you would think the world was ending because of the closure, Its a bit crazy really.

There are shouts of what will we do now, where will we go, they even organise special ferry's that run to the UK & as that's a different country you can drink away once outside Irelands zone & they be packed.

The memories of me being at the front of the queue above are laughable now, Aren't I so grateful I found my way out.

Have a good day folks.

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thanks everyone for your words and support re my recent "reminder" of the hell al can bring us. I sure am grateful to have gotten such a clear and effective reminder without actually drinking. It's so easy when those smooth temptations try to lure us back to the "positive" sides of having a few drinks. I bet nobody ever picks up a bottle again thinking they miss being curled up in a cold sweat with a turning stomach and praying for the hangover to pass. But for at least some of us here, that was - and would again be - part of the REAL drinking life. I vow to never again spend one more minute in that awful state, and this recent experience really drove that home.

Byrdie - great job keeping your solid plan by your side and resisting those drinks. I hope the rest of the trade show goes smoothly for you. Thanks for finding the time to check in here with all of us nesters

Mario - interesting that those are the only two days the pubs are closed. I would say that in my part of the U.S. many places are open 36 days a year. That probably didn't used to be the case, but now we have so many people who follow different faiths, or no faith, that the religious holidays are a bit less universal. There are exceptions to this - dry counties or even states that have different laws, but in many places I think bars and pubs will be open on Easter. Thanks for sharing your own story in reaction to my recent experience. I can't count the number of mornings I would wake up and have a drink or two as a hair of the dog so to speak. Sigh... so very grateful to be in a different place now.

Pav - sorry to hear my story took you back to a terrible feeling, but hope it also served to reinforce your own quit

Gotta run for now - I'm finally back to work with a modified schedule (due to my accident) and today, unfortunately, will be a very long and hard one. Even pre-accident today's schedule would have kicked my butt, so I'm curious to see how I'll do now. Have a great MAE everyone!

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning. Not a lot of time right now, but checking in. I've had more drinking thoughts than I'm comfortable with lately - mostly I've been seeing some "romantic drink wine" stuff here and there and think, why me? I know the answer of course.

[Lost Soul]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi all,
I hope everyone is well this evening? I have had a (nice) busy few days. I am doing all the 'right' things for me, getting out & seeing friends as much as I can. The kids are off school so we've done some nice activities like baking & craft stuff. I'm still feeling a bit down at the moment but hopefully it will pass soon. I will keep an eye on & if it really persists I might consider visiting the Dr's & discuss a prescription for antidepressants. I really would rather not & hope if I just keep doing what I am doing I will pull myself through but at the same time don't want to get too exhausted or run down by feeling crap all the time & end up not being able to manage or cope. I am not sure if I mentioned but I am on the waiting list for councelling too so hopefully that will help too x

Kensho I am sorry to hear that - you sound like you have been really busy lately and are doing so very well x I think it is normal to feel a but sad when we realise sometimes we can't drink AL like we once wished that we could, particularly when we see other people seemingly enjoying a positive relationship with AL. You mentioned recently though that you noticed how much your kids need you now & how you are available for them - which is really wonderful, I really like that too! But guess if your busy with work & family, it can leave less time for fun for you? I'm not sure if this is the case for yourself but I know I definitely struggle to find the right balance all the time - I hope you get time to relax & enjoy yourself. Thankyou & G so much for your kind words, they made me a bit teary (in a good way) & didn't know what to say. It means alot to me x

Poor you Wags, that sounded like a very unpleasant experience, I have a strong dislike & am the worst patient in the world where nausea & vomiting are involved. Though it was good it reminded you of the unpleasantness of drinking & cements a more solid level of acceptance & self belief in your quit x Did you decide to chat with your friend after your night out? Good luck with your busy schedule x

Wishing all a safe & sober Thursday
LS

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

I had a busy very day & have somehow ended up in charge of my son's dogs until next Tuesday. Just what I needed, ha ha. I now have 4 dogs, 1 cat, 19 hens & 6 baby chicks to keep fed & watered & alive thru this holiday weekend! No time for me to get into any trouble

Mario, I can just imagine all the angst related to the bars being closed. I am so grateful that we don't have to worry about that stuff anymore.

Wags, I hope your work day was not too exhausting, take care!

Kensho, it sounds like a good time to lock yourself up somewhere quiet with a guided meditation. It always does wonders for me

LS, you are doing great & everything is going to be OK. I believe that & I hope you do as well.

Byrdie, darn those trade shows - hope it goes well for you.

Have a safe night in the nest everyone & get your plans in place for the weekend - no plan = no success, be careful!

Lav

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Howdy Nesters. Almost Friday here, and I'm glad. It's been a taxing work week. I sort of forgot how hard I used to work all of the time - I would red-line it constantly. When I quit drinking, I found that that was a big trigger for me, so I slowed down. Now it's harder for me to throw myself at my work when necessary. Maybe that's why I've been craving a drink or two. I do have the urge to escape and get "rewarded" for my work. Meditation sounds good LAV, will be on that soon. Anyway, it's weird because for the longest time, I really didn't WANT alcohol much. Now I'm having actual cravings, as in "that sounds really good". Having to set myself straight because I KNOW I don't want to go back to obsessing about how much, and when, and how, and then why, and then why me.... It is better in ALL areas of my life not to include alcohol.

G! So glad you are back. Don't worry about the 200 - just glad you are counting again. Hugs friend!

LS, hang in there. Be there with your feelings. Sometimes just being willing to acknowledge and weather the storm brings us to sunny skies sooner. I was on antidepressants for 4 years at the end of high school and into college. Sometimes they are very helpful. Glad you are considering all options. Just hang in there and don't add alcohol to the mix!

Great to hear from everyone. I do feel like we are missing a few regulars though.... where are you peeps?

Have a good evening.

[mario]

Re: Newbies Nest

quick fly by, have a good day.

[Roobs]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning nesters,
A quick check in for me. Ive been feeling a little run down. I can't tell if im stuffed up because of there's so much pollen this spring or if I'm actually sick. I haven't been posting as frequently as I would like but I've been lurking and finding great support And insight in everyone's posts. Thank you all.
Wishing everyone a great AF Friday!
Roobs

[Quit wining]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Fellow Nesters

I've found that being a care partner to my wife who has Parkinson's has been more of a challenge lately. While her medications have been great physically, there is a whole other aspect to this disease that is mentally challenging. So when things got tough I turned to al as a way to deal with the anxiety. I should have known better.

Anyway, today is Day 5. Things are definitely better al free.

QW

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Fnally home!
Will elaborate more more tomorrow, but I am proud that I am so strong in my quit. I tell you, a chink in my armor this week would have spelled disaster. I spent a lot of time with problem drinkers this week and I cant tell you how HAPPY I am that I wasnt one of them. Stay strong everyone, I promise its worth it. BYrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Late but I wanted to check in & see how everyone is doing
My daughter & her family were here for dinner, just left at 10 pm, long day but a good one.

Byrdie, sorry the week was so rough. Go home & enjoy your sanity & be proud of yourself!

QW, I cared for my parents, in-laws & many other relatives thru major illnesses & dealt with the end of life issues. I know how taxing it can be, please hang in there so you can take good care of your wife. I know that's what you want to do :hug:

Roobs, Mario, Kensho good to see you checking in & being accountable.

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[ssd858]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

We had such a lovely spring day today & another promised for tomorrow - feeling grateful

TJ, geez I am sorry about the prolonged recovery for your shoulder. You must have done a real number on it, huh? I will keep you in my thoughts :hug:

Kim, I am fairly certain we have all had a number of starts & stops on this journey. I made all of mine before finding MWO, tons of them. By the time I found this website I was so seriously sick & tired of myself I decided that this quit had to be THE QUIT! I made a commitment, a good working plan & jumped in with both feet. I vowed to never buy another drop of AL & to this day I haven't. My husband buys beer & keeps it in his garage. Sometimes our son stops over with beer to share with his dad. They do not bother me, they do not drink a lot either. I kept myself home & away from people & temptations for a few months until I felt stronger in my quit. That's what worked for me. Think about your triggers & how you can handle them in the future without AL. You can do this, you need to make a good plan.

SSD, getting those first few AF months under your belt is work but the worth every bit of effort. You will definitely feel stronger & stronger as you go along on your journey. Hang in there, OK?

Thinking about your future & how you want it to look is a useful tool. Picture yourself in 2 months, 6 months, a year. Do you want to see yourself stuck in the same old rut or do you want to see yourself as a strong & healthy AL survivor? That was a no brainer for me

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

Lav - thank you so much for the support! I am really trying to picture my life just getting better and healthier with each month sober! 60 days is just 11 days away!

[ssd858]

Re: Newbies Nest

Way to go Nursie! I love the enthusiasm and the way your are using your sobriety to achieve so much!
Thank you for sharing. At 49 days your sharing gives so much hope for us that are right behind you.