Newbies Nest

[paulywogg]

Re: Newbies Nest

Another thing people don't realise is that drugs do not leave the body in an even manner. There is a rapid removal during the first day then a lull until the fourth day (when you have been crashing) then further 'blips' depending on the individual and their metabolism, state of health, fat etc.

That is why people sail along for a few days then have an AWFUL day as more toxin is dumped. They get disheartened because this dumping makes them crave to stop the feelings that go with it but it is a GOOD thing.

Treat these bad days as GOOD things.....they are simply showing you are shedding toxins....provided you don't drink you will NEVER have to relive that particular days again!

I've felt this..usually its been after 100 days for me for some reason, its a definite physical/mental feeling

[Quit wining]

Re: Newbies Nest

[MENTION=23019]tonyniceday[/MENTION]

Thanks Tony for recognizing my Day 7. I haven't been posting on Roll Call because I've reached this plateau many times. I'll wait to post until my count is higher.

Yesterday I went to a dinner party where al was flowing freely. Actually, I took my last bottle of wine as a gift so my house is now booze free. I was pleased to see that no one at the party who was driving consumed any al. And, I didn't really miss it.

Today is Day 8 and it's going well.

Hope everyone has/had a great Monday af!

QW

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

QW, Congrats on your 8 AF days, great job
Now you can count AF weeks as you move forward, nice.

Ann, so sorry about your difficulties but good to see you back. Stick around now & let us know how you are doing.

Hello & welcome Susie! Glad you decided to join us in the nest. Checking in here frequently helps you keep your commitment strong. Kicking AL out of my life was the best decision I have ever made. Living life without fear & regrets is awesome

kuya, nice to see you as always!

Wishing everyone a safe & comfy night in the nest. Let's get that Velcro out & apply as needed!!!

Lav

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Great going QW! Congrats on 8 days!
Welcome, Susie, we are so glad you found us.
Be sure to check out the Tool Box for hundreds of tips and tricks to help you. Stay close!
Ann, thinking of you and hoping you had a better day today. Do whatever it takes to get sober...this is the battle of our lives.... this is a fight we MUST win. I know you can do this.
Wishing everyone an easy evening. Byrdie

[TJAF]

Re: Newbies Nest

Came across this article and it really has me thinking. I've never thought of myself as someone who was lacking deep seated human connections. I came from a loving environment and I've got a loving family; In fact, I've never been fundamentally unhappy, but this article really has me scratching my head. Wonder what you all think.

The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think | The Huffington Post

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Ann - I am so sorry for your pain. I am glad you're back - I have thought about you and wondered where you were. Hugs to you.

Welcome, Susie. And welcome back, Kim. Great to have a quit buddy. Mine's around here somewhere - hanging out with her kids, being annoyed by her mom, and generally cracking someone up with a great joke. I know I wouldn't want to let myself down and drink again but I REALLY know I wouldn't want to let Ava down. I know she has a brick with my name on it... Exchange emails, call, text, whatever you're comfortable with - and support each other BEFORE you drink! You got this. Jump aboard, Neo.

TJAF - I saw a talk on that subject. I believe I have a lot of human connection, too. I think I was a perfectionist and a pleaser, so maybe that was isolating as I wasn't always "real." Food for thought.

Lav - a day alone sounds luxurious. I have had a lot of guests and things to do lately. Thank goodness tonight is a night off - peaceful and quiet.

Hi, Kuya!

Good night, all.

Pav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

QW - congrats on your 8 days so far! Keep up the great work!

Ann - Welcome back! Sorry to hear about your relapse but you probably know you're in company here who understands why you're feeling shaky. Strap yourself back into this nest and hang onto your quit with all you've got!

Susie - Welcome to you as well. Glad you found us. This is a great group and community, loads of support, ideas, stories, resources. Be sure to check out the tool box (link in Byrdie's signature, as others have mentioned) and check out lots of threads. Hope you'll keep coming back here.

TJAF - thanks for the link to the article - gonna check it out as soon as I sign off here.

Kuya - good to see you!

[Neo]

Re: Newbies Nest

I got this. 10 cans is my limit to otherwise AL anxiety. If I drink 15 and then full blown effects come. I class 1 can which I did today as no diff to 1-10 . Eating well and feeling positive .Some work needs to be done this week on my part

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Taxes done and submitted! That always feels good. Our first year married so filing jointly - we decided to hire a tax preparer this time, especially since I was not in good shape to take on this task due to my car accident. Glad to have them done and at least a little money coming back this year.

Tax day reminds me how far I've come with my AF work. Three years ago I had just gotten dumped by someone I had been dating for a few months. I got dumped via a text message of all things (really crappy thing to do to someone, btw). Even though I totally agreed that the relationship was unhealthy and we were ill-suited for each other, it still hurt to be tossed to the curb like a bag of garbage. I was drinking day and night this time 3 years ago - barely sobered up long enough to get my taxes done and sent in. I had to mail them for some reason, can't remember why, and of course due to my drinking I did so on the last day possible. The saddest part was that I had to wait and sober up enough to drive to the post office, and I was in such a bad place that this was a real challenge. I look back at that in astonishment that I let myself fall so low. I also look back and can see so clearly how far I've come, how much I've accomplished in terms of turning my life around.

That horrible tax day was just a couple of weeks before my 2014 quit when I first came to MWO on my old account which I can't access anymore (Wagmore). I made it around 140 days in 2014 before I blew my quit. This time, my final and forever quit, I've got close to double the days under my belt already and there's no way in H-E-double hockey sticks I'll blow this quit. No way. I hate thinking back to how I was, but it really helps me appreciate and not take for granted where I am today.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me turn tax time from the depths of a sewer to a celebration of almost 9 months AF!!!

[kuya]

Re: Newbies Nest

Came across this article and it really has me thinking. I've never thought of myself as someone who was lacking deep seated human connections. I came from a loving environment and I've got a loving family; In fact, I've never been fundamentally unhappy, but this article really has me scratching my head. Wonder what you all think.

The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think | The Huffington Post

Chasing The Scream was one of the best books I read last year. highly recommend.

The obsession with the substance, and abstinence from it, keeps people focused on the wrong issue. It is our emotional world that drives us to drug, not addiction to the drug itself.

[mario]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning nesters .

Great to see Ann, Susie, struggles,Pan,hybernova well done on your 8th day QW,

Great to see the nest exploding out with folks posting there fears & thoughts.

Since I put sobriety into my life, I have been taken out a lot of good things. I can describe it best as quite satisfaction ,I feel good, I feel right with the world, on the right side of the fence. As long as I put sobriety into my life almost everything is I take out is good, The satisfaction you get out of living a sober life is made up of a lot of little things, You have the ambition to do things you never felt like doing, So make sure you get the most of your new life it will spurn you on to even more ...

Have a good day folks & remember don't quit quitting .

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Afternoon nesters

Pav, i am hear and yes really damn busy. I always have a smile when i used to think i would be bored out of my brain when i stopped drinking. Life seems to carry on at a rapid pace with me chasing behind it. Having you as a quit twin keeps me centred and balanced. It would break my heart to let you down and thus the reason, one of many, why i wont drink. I remember early in our quit wanting so bad to drink but then thinking of you and saying to myself "well if Pav has not drank then i am not going to let the team down by doing so". Seeing you post everyday made me post and slowly slowly those days rolled on till nearly 3 and a half years later we are still rolling on day by day.

Welcome all the newbies. All i can suggest is to get rid of all the al in your house, leave your ego at the door and listen and learn to the oldies. I always thought they did it easy when they stopped drinking as they sounded so happy and confident. The happy and confident comes with time away from al and yes we did go through all the shite of giving up al. I am glad i listened and learned and i am still learning now. I still need to be accountable and even if i dont post as often as i would like i always log into mwo in the morning and its open through the day. I owe so much to the people on here for helping me when i thought i was just a drunk.

My mother arrived tonight, i cant say my excitement level is high but i have no real expectations on how long the visit will last. could be 3 days, could be 3 weeks. The man is meeting her on Thursday so i may be single by Friday!

The weather is cooling down a lot, winter is a coming!

Take care. x

[Susie45]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good Morning all - thank you so much for the warm welcome! I woke up this morning feeling very happy that I didn't drink last night. Day 1 is always hard. I feel good about making the decision to join this site and commit to a sober life once again. WQD helped me tremendously with my past sobriety and I feel that MWO will be the same. So THANK YOU! I will check in daily and get my daily dose of sober reading. It helps.
Day 2 is here. It's back to work for me after a week vacation. No hangover, no regrets! Good day everyone!

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Came across this article and it really has me thinking. I've never thought of myself as someone who was lacking deep seated human connections. I came from a loving environment and I've got a loving family; In fact, I've never been fundamentally unhappy, but this article really has me scratching my head. Wonder what you all think.

The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think | The Huffington Post

TJAF and all - I just read through this article and found this author's theory to be very intriguing. One of the basic premises is that chemicals are not at the root of addiction, but instead, social factors such as isolation are. I think there is a lot of truth in this. I do believe that our brains change chemically when we use (especially when we abuse) certain substances, but it seems plausible that emotional, social and environmental factors still significantly impact the behaviors that go along with addiction.

Interestingly, I heard a story on public radio yesterday about a new program here in the U.S. that treats addicts at home rather than through a residential immersion approach. They typically work with people for a year or more, in contrast to the common 30-day in-patient programs. The whole premise of this new program is to help people recover in the environments (and by changing the environments) in which they became addicts in the first place. Apparently the new program has a significantly higher success rate than the residential programs, and it ends up costing approximately the same as an intensive 30-day program. Only a few insurance companies have agreed to cover it thus far, but it sounds like that could increase as they demo further success.

Has anyone else had a chance to read this article? Thoughts???

[Orimus]

Re: Newbies Nest

Wags - watched his ted talk on the same issue (Johann Hari: Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | TED Talk | TED.com) and found it enlightening. From reading on the biochemistry of love, attraction and human bonding in general it seems to me almost as if the substance addiction (there has been a call to classify love as a positive addiction) hijacks pathways that were intended to reinforce human connection and bonding. Mr. Hari's call to re-educate addicts to connect and form bonds with others seems well targeted to kick the hijacker out of our head. I don't think it is completely the cause or the answer but I certainly see the quality of our social bonds, which themselves can be effected by a myriad of influences, as a major contributor.