Newbies Nest

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning Nesters,

so I finally got a bit of reprieve from the awful cough and was able to sleep a bit last night.. even in the supine postition! The things I have taken for granted..:happy2: I was at my limit yesterday and was about to give up on the homeopathy.. it's something I've never done and don't fully understand, but I have a couple of friends who have had very good results with chronic health problems... I called my doctor and she had me try something different (this was the 3rd attempt) and I noticed a difference quite soon afterwards.. this morning I feel better.. but let's see. I think I've decided not to take the trip.. I was very sad about it yesterday, but it's really important for me to get a good handle on my health.. after so many years of not taking care, plus the operations last year, my body needs extra help.. and now I have the time (thank my work and colleagues!) to do it. I feel like the stress of the flight and the conference (even though it might be a good stress) would most likely set me back. so... I'm also relieved to have made the decision.

Crusader, good job working through that craving.. and now you get to celebrate being on day 14.. 2 whole weeks!:welldone: I was happy not to get up until 430 this morning.. have you always been an early riser? I am naturally, but usually not before 530-6.. you are soooo lucky to have a fireplace.. how cozy!

Lav, how are those cute little chicks doing? are they already outside? What do you do with the chickens if a big storm comes along?

Pav, great video.. so true, isn't it? It's difficult to do at times, but most people just need a bit more kindness. Thanks for the reminder..

Big shout out to G-man, Nar, Choices, Wags, Ava, Byrdie.. everyone else stopping in today..
Let's make this a good Thursday.. xx

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

evening nesters

Wags even now rarely i fang for a drink but i know i wont have one, its just a thought. when i worked at my old job the SO would ask me if i wanted a drink and i would say "yes a bucket of wine please". for me acknowledging i have that feeling is important but not as important as not acting on it. i will always be aware that i will come across situations that will give me that thought but like you, i have the tools in place to move on. logging on here is a priority when i have those thoughts, god forbid i could ever post on here i had drank. how many heart attacks would that cause!

today i took my shitzu "poppy" to the vets for acupuncture and my fingers are crossed she can get pain free and start walking properly. the vet was gorgeous and explained everything, we are putting her on Gabapentin as she has been on long term steroids which are not working, bloods taken and acupuncture given. she was very very thorough and i walked away broke but happy. she will go weekly for a month and see what the results are. Mads is doing really well with all her issues and we celebrate her 15th birthday in 2 weeks.

Glad you are feeling better LC. your sickness bought back memories of how i just got drunk when i was sick, well i had a day off so i had to make full use of it. what an awful way to try and get well. Look after yourself.

Nar when i drank i could buy 6 bottles of wine from Aldi for $10. Alkie heaven i was in and i thought they tasted just fine. oh god how disgusting it must have been. I must have saved over $16,000 since i stopped drinking and i have saved $1300 since i stopped smoking. i will be a millionaire soon!

Well time for me to watch Im a Celebrity. Mind boggling tv i must say.

take care x

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ava, I can see how acknowledging the point that you feel like you "want" a drink could be useful.. facing it full on and in full honesty.. yes, a BUCKET.. is my reality and no, I won't act on it and, actually, really don't want it.
Glad to hear about little Poppy.. I was thinking it was Mad's getting the acupuncture.. I hope you have success with that and that she's feeling better soon.. where did they put the pins? Did she lie still for you? What a honey. xx

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Yes, Ava, how do they keep Mads still with the pins in her?

Nothing much to report. Wags, I get those thoughts occasionally, to (not very much, though, any more). NS would say to not give them power by thinking about them too much - let them float on by and focus on the next thing. At least I think she would say something like that. I AM a NoSugar scholar...

Hope you're celebrating, MoonKing, and feeling well.

J-Vo - We're here for you!

xo
Pav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ava - I really like what you wrote in your last post - about having the thoughts and not acting on them. I'd never really thought of it that way - like instead of trying to get to the point where I no longer HAVE the thoughts of drinking, it's more about acknowledging that those cravings or urges or whatnot will happen and my job is just not acting on them. A subtle reframing perhaps, but very powerful for me right now. Like "oh, I don't have to get to a point where I NEVER have this thought or urge, I just have to not respond." Somehow that seems easier. Phew...a sigh of relief you've given me! Glad to hear the acupuncture appt went so well yesterday - fingers and paws crossed for both of your furkids AND for you!

Gman - thanks for sharing your thoughts as well - very helpful indeed. Noticing the thoughts and stepping back from them to consider from a rational perspective - I know this concept has come up countless times here in the nest and elsewhere, but for some reason your words (like Ava's above) made different sense to me this time. Guess I'm on a particular part of my Upward Spiral path where it's time to revisit these concepts but from a different vantage point! Thanks friend.

Crusader - glad to hear you rode out your urge as well. Yes, it might be easier this time. And also yes - stay diligent and never take your quit for granted. Al is lurking and watching for the slightest toehold I can get, the slightest crack in our quits that it can wedge itself into and try to pry us open. Even where I'm sitting at almost 600 days I'm aware that I can't let down my guard. It's nowhere near the intense level of "on guard" as at the beginning, but I sure better keep my wits about me cuz al is truly a trickster. Enjoy your new day and your longer quit.

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

What if we acted on ALL our thoughts??? :beast:

Ideas to do crazy, violent, destructive, dangerous, totally inappropriate things pop into my head daily. Some might seem fun and others definitely NOT!

My response is usually to think how weird it was that I thought that but it somehow doesn't seem personal, just as bizarre dreams don't really seem to say much about me. I'm not a believer that dreams reveal the real person. It's almost like those aren't my thoughts and I certainly don't have to do anything about them.

It is totally normal to have the idea to have a drink. For one thing, we did it for years and for another, we're surrounded by it and by people who are acting on those thoughts. But, I ignore that one just like I do the idea to drive as fast as I can or to say what I really think in a work email ...

[Crusader]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good Morning and Happy First of the Month Day to all.

It is a glorious day 14. I made it through yesterday and the feeling of doing that trumps the agony of defeat every time. Waking up feeling good versus feeling like hell will never give you regret. It’s empowering. We all know we don’t wake up saying, ‘I wish I had taken ‘that’ drink. Ha, ‘that’ drink and drink and drink...We do wake up being grateful we didn’t succumb to the temptation.

After four days of not getting enough sleep, I slept through the night. I needed that. I’m not sure when this fatigue is going to find a grave to go to, but I’m working on it. This winter weather I will bet is part of the explanation as well. It’s been a more gloomy winter and all the other hardships my body has been through. There is much more healing to be done.

Lifechange, I guess you’ll have to define early riser? Lol At this stage in my life, I definitely like to go to bed earlier and get up earlier, but not at 3:30 a.m. If I can sleep through the night, I have no problem with a 6:00 wake time. It boils down to how fast I fall asleep and stay asleep. I do best with eight hours. I feel hungover (without alcohol) if I do not get enough sleep. As our bodies change either through abuse, neglect, or age, our needs can change. Stay tuned...later today, I will do some reading on neuroplasticity and repairing our brains. Mine has been very abused, and I’ve noted the damage for quite some time. I’ve already started doing daily learning exercises to get the sparks flowing so to speak. The fire is in a wood stove with a clear glass front window. I do enjoy it! It does make an early morning better. Nice to hear you are starting to feel better.

Wags, AL certainly is a trickster. I’m not new to the tricks, so I do have that knowledge in my corner, but even so, that other voice of habit likes to give it the all-star try.

A good day to all!

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ideas to do crazy, violent, destructive, dangerous, totally inappropriate things pop into my head daily.

Okaaaaaaaay.....:congratulatory:

No worries friend Wags. My experience is similar to the others re drinking thoughts. They come, sure. But i don't have to act on them. Phew! Now that's a relief.

Congrats on 14 days Crusader! Wowza!

How are you going there LC?

Have a great MAE y'all.

[Jod]

Re: Newbies Nest

I do not know why that posts looks so strange. I'll figure it out later. :egad:

It is a formatting error.

If you have pasted the post you need to ensure it is pasted without the formating from the original included.

[Crusader]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thank you, Administrator.

It must have been the change in margins to keep it all on one page. Good to know. Sometimes, I type my messages outside the forum and paste to avoid being timed out. Is there a way to expand the log in time?

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Howdy howdy feathered friends!! I’m alive... it feels like an eternity since I’ve checked in! I am slammed at work still with no end in site. But I took today off. A little recovery.

I got news that a prominent designer in our area is dying of pancreatic cancer
It was a slap of reality to me, as I’ve suspected her an alcoholic for some time and it puts in perspective that I don’t want to end my life that way. Not with something I could have prevented - or at least NOT exacerbated.

Off to a work event tonight. I think if you all often and look forward to catching up soon

[abcowboy]

Here’s a tip [MENTION=24140]Crusader[/MENTION], make sure you "check" the "Remember Me" button when you log in and you won't get auto logged out

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Road trip went well. It rained cats and dogs the whole time, I dont like driving in that. Had a good meeting, glad to be home, I got home after 5 which woukd have put me in a snit/panic in the old days. I needed to start my drinking no later than 5. What a slave I was.
Do whatever it takes to break free of this addiction, whatever pain you have initially will be rewarded manyfold if you hang in. Byrdie

[Crusader]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thank you G. Feeling pretty good today.

Thank you, too, abccowboy. I'll click on that next time I log in. I'm going to post some links,if I'm allowed to, over in the other thread. I did some reading in Paulyville and in the cafe and they may help. I'm slowly reading more about neuroplasticity and such. It makes a lot of sense as to why each quit is harder and to why the sooner you stop the abuse, the better the hope is for recovery. It may be another tool to use against that habitual voice or the one that this science explains.

Onward to day 15.

Night all.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

CONGRATS Crusader on your AF 14!!! That's a milestone for sure

Reading all the posts got me to thinking/remembering that initially we deal with cravings then urges. Eventually the urges turn into thoughts & we learn not to act on those thoughts. Then finally the day comes when we realize "I used to drink over this or that" & promptly forget about it & that's success my friends Once we completely remove AL from our lives keeping the bast*rd away is not so difficult. We can do this!!!!

Byrdie, glad you are home safe!

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav