Newbies Nest

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Awesome Choices! SO glad you didn't drink! Way to examine it and accept your craving. Congrats on your anniversary (and your thoughtful husband!)

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy anniversary Choices! have a great day with your precious family.

Mr V. You're doing a great job. Just keep it going no matter what, no matter who. We only have to get through this day as a wise woman said. I know for me it's important to keep growing and living. Not in a way where i take on too much like a high achiever, but in a way where i am still challenging myself with things i'm interested in and like doing, people i like meeting. Gentle ongoing growth is what i'm going for.

Big wave to all.

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Way to go Kiwi, yeah that would freak me out too, thinking about drinking again. Keep coming back, it helps to talk.

Choices, I am SO glad you didn't drink too. Hope Orientation is good, hang out with non drinkers at school!

Pav, thank you. Enjoy your live music tonight. It sure is great that you can enjoy it without drinking. Pretty nice.

Wags, thank you for telling us that story of relapse. That really helps me and keeps me on track. I appreciate your sharing.

Mr V- keep coming back! Yes I agree, the stories here have been good.

Hi Kensho

It has snowed about 25 cms here over the past 24 hours, there is a weather warning too. 1/2 of the people are not at work because they could not get in- my boss got stuck in her driveway. Since I walk I am here at work but will be leaving soon. I almost need snowshoes to get back home!

Have a great night everyone and don't drink.

[jvo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Evening Nest,

Nar, do you ski to work, like cross country? I've been complaining about this long winter. Do you want in on the whining with me? I want spring!! I'm sure you miss your dad so much Nar. You were the apple of his eye. How beautiful.:hug:

Byrd, 850 mi is tiring! That didn't even include your work meetings and stress on top of the driving. Hang in there. Hope you got good sleep last night and hear good news from your meetings. Fingers crossed.

G! Get it! I'm getting it, too! Wait. I better not say that too loud. Hubby will misinterpret...

Choices, good decision not having any al around the house. I don't have any either. You wrote it out. It doesn't matter if it was lost. You got it off your mind and that's what's important.

Mr. V, have you read the relapse thread! Might be a great place to visit. I think there are two threads on this. I think keeping our tools alive is so important with any amount of time. Any of us are one drink away and should have a healthy fear of that, but we can't live in fear from day to day and we don't have to with our support group and using our fav tools.

Kiwi, glad your mood is coming around. How long have you lived in Auckland? And you're from London?

Pav, I hope you enjoy the band tonight. I know, it's hard to do things like that on a weeknight but having less sleep due to a good time is a whole lot better than less sleep due to a hangover. I hate hangovers and I love good sleep. I loved #11 also. And yeah, same as you, I'm like, yeah right, but sometimes I can feel it in my gut that it could become real just like it is for you.

I had to go to a baby shower after work today. Food was good. I got there about 10 minutes late on purpose and by the time I walked in, everyone had their glass of wine or beer. No one had more than that, but with at least 20 woman, I bet a few went home to have a few more. I ordered hot tea as it was so cold outside.

Hi Lav, NS, Ava, Kensho and anyone and everyone else that is keeping this Nest alive and literally keeping me alive and well.

Have a nice night.

Jvo

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning nesters

Well TFIF is all i will say. hopefully a nice quiet weekend where i will go and see my son who seems to be doing well. Trying to get information out of him (doesnt listen) and a mother who is 99% deaf is near impossible but i have found out he has an angiogram in a week or so and then goes to see a specialist. The drs are unsure of why he collapsed but maybe due to an underlying infection.

Wags thanks for your story. i think for me i have to be accountable daily (on here) and just be able to be open and talk if i need to. Bottling my feelings does nothing good for me i have found out so i have learnt to open up more and to ask for help if i need it. i am not superwoman and never was, i just thought so. Proud of what you have achieved Wags. x

oh Nar i hope you stay warm in that weather it sounds pretty damn cold. its humid and warm here, enough of a reason to keep me inside with the fan on.

kensho, the most favourite part of my day is when i get home from work and Mads runs to the door and greets me and then runs to the lounge and jumps on it and waits for me to sit down and pat her. she is 15 in March and each day is a good day to have her with me. never in my drinking days did i have time to sit on the lounge and say hello to her, i was too busy heading to the fridge for a wine.

Mr V, i went through a funk at around 8 months for awhile, thinking "is this it, this is forever" and i think once we get our head around forever then we feel ok. god forbid we went back to day 1 and relived that nightmare but at 8 months its like, well i am serious about this non drinking, wow! Life does get better and better, believe that one Mr V. keep plodding along as you are.

take care x

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Available, this is the best place to UNBOTTLE I know! Bah!
Wags, I wonder if you would tck that post about relapse either in the tool box or on NS’s valuable thread Relapse in Retrospect. It really belongs in BOTH spots. Im glad JVo asked you the question, valuable information for all of us.
Work was nuts, Im with Ava, TGIF!
Hugs to all, Byrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Chilly day around here but nothing fell from the sky, yay, ha ha!!!

Choices, happy anniversary to you!

Mr V., like Ava mentioned we do go through a period of 'Is this all there is?' I think it's completely normal & I personally think it takes about 8 months or so to completely clear our systems of that nasty toxin. Incredible, huh? This is a good time to start your plan for the path you want to follow for the rest of your life

Ava, I sure hope your son is OK. Sounds like further testing is in order.

Hello to everyone checking in & wising a safe night in the nest for all!

Lav

[Choices]

Re: Newbies Nest

I just got back from orientation. It was night and day compared to my last school. But I feel really wound up. A real trigger for me. I’m happy but high strung? I think? I had lunch with a handful of friends from my old school and I just could feel myself getting more and more excited and less grounded. I came home and just crawled into bed. I’m hyper. I also found out that another credit doesn’t transfer so I may need to take two courses this term. That’s ok with me but now I have a funky nervousness. I emailed admissions to see if I heard correctly. So, I guess I’ll wait and see.

I just need to calm myself down and relax. I’ve got 20min to do that before school pick up. Last night and right now I’m trying to ease up on myself for having these feelings (other than the calm zen ones). I keep trying to remind myself, I’m sober and that is good enough right now. The rest is a bonus.

[NoraC]

Re: Newbies Nest

Choices - you are right! Being sober is good enough! And sending you good calming thoughts. :heartbeat:

[little beagle]

Re: Newbies Nest

I just talked to Narilly via Facebook and she ask me to post and let you know I'm still alive and sober. I am. Both. I read you post J-vo. That #11 turned my whole attitude about drinking and not Having to drink around. It became a celebration for me. Not drinking. Enjoying my freedom. I've also spend a lot of time getting to know myself lately.

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ok so I thought Lil B passed away, I just spoke to her on Facebook. So I don’t know what happened but it isn’t Lil B that passed away. Thank goodness!! Glad your alive Lil!, :hug:

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Haha! Hi Lil B

[NoraC]

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Some good reading here the past few days. Thank you all for sharing. Feeling a little in no-mans land here, 8+ months in. Maybe PAWS, but the stories on relapse really help. I don't want to go back to where I was, ever. Onward.

Hang in there. You are doing great and oh it only gets better. :hug:

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Great to see you Little beagle!

Lav, i read with interest your thinking that it takes around 8 months before we start to see our system cleared of the toxins of AL. I feel my body/mind is still repairing itself. I am taking a step back today on self imposed expectations to get certain things finished. I'm going to remember i am healing from a lot of punishment, physical, emotional and mental and so take it easy on myself and back off a little on personal expectations. I'm still doing my daily work to maintain sobriety, that will never stop. If i do only that daily self care practice each day and nothing more, then that's good enough for now. Just some thoughts. #donttrytodotoomuch!

Take care out there.

[Choices]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi me again. I am kinda better. I did some meditation after I posted last. I also left the kitchen a complete disaster after dinner because the task of cleaning up was beginning to overwhelm me and I was feeling sorry for myself, because I think I was actually tired? I decided the dishes can wait.

I also had some elderberry cordial left over from last weekend and sparking water so made myself two very refreshing special low sugar AF drinks. Those really helped! Mostly I’ve just been drinking water, coffee and herbal tea. All good, but it was nice to have a more special drink that was AF.

I can tell I am going to really need to work on staying sober each day as I am feeling a bit vulnerable on that front. (It is not feeling as easy as it did in the beginning). I am so grateful that I have 35 days under my belt starting back into school. I can feel the pressure of the work ahead and I need to be sober from here on out. I think I quit on my break and it was a good time to do it because I didn’t have as much pressure. Now reality of my juggling act of school and family life is coming back so I will need to stay strong. It will be worth it.

I found out I do need to repeat a course. So I will be taking two classes. I think I am ok with that? But I feel a bit freaked out. Deep breaths. I am confused by my mood swings. One of the perks at my new school is I can see a first year graduate naturopath for free. I think I will do that first thing and get advice on how to manage that. Also my free counselor from the other school can no longer see me for free anymore because the new school isn’t affiliated with her, but I can pay a student rate of $20 bucks a session. That is such a relief to me! That I can continue to see her.

Yep, I am definitely going through some type of mental withdraw. I am glad I can post here. Thanks for listening.