Newbies Nest

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Evening nesters

Hump day for us aussies today thank goodness. And we are supposed to have a day of 19 degrees celcius on Friday or some day. i may even break out and wear a dress. how exciting.

Hey Frances, happy to see your face back, not so much about the drinking but these are trying times. You can do this, its doable.

Pauly are you working now? I feel for your hubs cleaning that house, i know the amount of crap i collect over the years. Yes, i am up and down but plodding along. I have my sobriety and still not smoking so i am grateful every day for that. It will be nice to wander through the shops again and sit for a coffee if we get out of lockdown on 14th September. I will be popping down to see mum just in case they close us again.

Hi Shades, lovely to see you.

Nar, berry fruits are so expensive. a tiny tray of them for a big price.

Kensho, happy birthday to your daughter.

i went to the drs today with regards to my arm as its giving me unpleasant pain and some numbness. Nerve damage apparently and offered me Tramadol. Oh says addictive self, that sounds nice, sober self says no just deal with the pain.

I have a new nurse starting work on Monday who will take some of the workload off me and i am so looking forward to that and i will venture out and meet her on Tuesday and see my other doctors. I am a bit excited.

Other than that nothing to report. take care and stay safe

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Well the smoke came back and is around depending on the wind. One close fire is getting under control, one is moving toward a town. It is all such a mess.

I just finished reading another sober memoir - The Night of the Gun by David Carr. It was well written - I recommend it. But he decided to drink after FOURTEEN YEARS sober. He was cleaning up after a party, poured some old drinks into a glass to clean up and ended up drinking it!! On his reflection, that relapse had started four years prior. He started getting loose and complacent. Making comments, etc. It is ALWAYS good for me to hear those stories - that's why I continue to show up here every day. I really, really, really don't want to drink again, and I know being intentional about sobriety and being part of a sober community is one of the ways to actually stay sober. Thanks for being here everyone!

Happy SOBER Hump Day.
Pav

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest.

Sorry you're having arm pain and numbness Ava. I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet and legs and it sucks. I have not been eating gluten for about a month now, and it is gone... Maybe something in your diet is making it worse. Anyhow, it's not fun. Glad you will get a break with work soon. I also dream of shopping normally again.

PAV, your friend is an interesting case at near 80, did you say? I just remember not being able to wait to numb my brain each night. Now I am so glad to have my Witts about me. I have a brain scan tomorrow to check for MS. What I really want now is a fully functioning brain - not a compromised one. So glad I'm not adding alcohol to the mix. We are definitely feeling your pain ... our city was ranked top 5 worst in the world for air quality yesterday.... I'm praying to the rain Gods here.

We seem to have a squirrel problem. Our neighbors have bird feeders that they get into, and the other neighbor feeds them peanuts. So they've become little terrors, eating long strips of bark off our trees, and such. Now, one comes onto our front porch every night and poops. Every. Single. Night. Little shit. Trying to figure out how to deter it. We've tried animal statues, and vinegar spray. Another little challenge to work on.

I'm convinced that these little adventures are the secret to life. Someday, we will look back and say, remember during the worst of the pandemic 2020, when the smoke was terrible, the kids were schooling from home, my work was slight, a large percentage of our nation believes in unbelievable conspiracy theories, and that damn squirrel wouldn't stop pooping on our porch? Gosh, if we can endure this, we can do anything, right? And they are just a part of the journey. SO I'm embracing them as part of life... albeit the part of life I am excited to move past.

Anyway, I'm sober, and surviving this craziness, and looking for the positives and opportunities that come from upheaval. They are there!! I'm going to walk my pup. Hi Pauly and Narily, Byrdie, G, Frances, Shades, Wags, NS. Where's LC? Hi to everyone reading and not posting.

[frances]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi all - thanks for the welcome back and the words of advice. Day 9 in the books, planning to hit double digits today :-) Pav, you're right, saying 'I hope to stop drinking' is not the right attitude. I know I'm hedging and I don't know why. And Kensho, I don't really have goals and that's probably part of the problem too! Quite honestly I have a very hard time saying forever and I'm sure you all have heard that a million times. My join date (2008!) says a lot, doesn't it. How stupid to just go on for years with the same problem over and over again.

Unrelated, or maybe it is related somehow - Work is getting to me; I'd love to make a change but at my age (mid 50s) it's not easy - I need to decide if I want something completely different (which is what I think I want) and how to just bite the bullet and do it. We still have kids dependent on part of our finances (we pay for their college), so the practical thing would be to wait until that's over. But part of me thinks we could manage anyway and that I should just go ahead with a change. First I guess I just need to figure out what I want that change to be. I don't really have a passion that I can turn into a job. Anyway...I've been thinking like this for a couple of years now and just can't seem to get traction on it.

Pav, that memoir sounds good and that's crazy about going 14 years and then drinking again and recognizing that it started so much earlier!

Hope everyone has a good day - I'd better get back to work now!

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Un Hung Wednesday everyone.

I just finished reading another sober memoir - The Night of the Gun by David Carr. It was well written - I recommend it. But he decided to drink after FOURTEEN YEARS sober. He was cleaning up after a party, poured some old drinks into a glass to clean up and ended up drinking it!! On his reflection, that relapse had started four years prior. He started getting loose and complacent. Making comments, etc. It is ALWAYS good for me to hear those stories - that's why I continue to show up here every day. I really, really, really don't want to drink again, and I know being intentional about sobriety and being part of a sober community is one of the ways to actually stay sober. Thanks for being here everyone!

Thanks for that reminder Pav. We all have to stay vigilant.

Frances, you will get to double digit no problem. I know what you mean about 'forever' , that can be very overwhelming so just take it one day at a time. AA does have some good advice!

Ken, those darn squirrels are such a nusiance, it is funny that one poops on your porch, lol. The numbness in your arms (Ava, Ken) hopefully you both figure that out.

Yeah, I have the same curse Lav. I seem to be getting bigger everyday. My daughter is going to school on Tuesday for Respiratory Therapy and after she is gone I know I won't be eating as much 'bad' food.

Dont drink today everyone.

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hey Nesters!
Kensho, I bet it’s scary to be testing for MS. I hope and pray that isn’t the issue. I hope you can find the cause and it will be easily fixed! Thinking of you.
Ava, that is a darn shame about your arm, I never heard of such. I hope it resolves itself.
Pav, stories like Alan Carr’s scare me to death. (And yuck, drinking other people’s leftover drinks). Support is the absolute key to getting, and staying sober. Thank you for that reminder to stay vigilant.
Frances, it is overwhelming to think, NEVER AGAIN, just take it in small bites. All you gotta do, is get through this day.
Hot as heck here. I stepped out to walk the dog and we both came back and collapsed on the sofa. Like breathing water.
My heart goes out to the folks in the gulf region with that hurricane coming. What a mess. 2020 has been one for the books.
Hope everyone has an easy day. Byrdie
PS. I’ve lost 10 pounds but my hard pants still won’t button, WTH?

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Had a nice lunch break with 2 good friends today. Applebees does a great job keeping everyone spread way apart, masks & gloves on the servers, all good
I don’t ask for much but it is great to get out once a month to connect with the people I worked with for so many years.

Ava, enjoy your nice weather & I hope the changes with staff at work make things better for you!

Pav, thinking about you in that smoky area & pray for some rain to clear the air & douse the fires.
I’m about 11 1/2 years into my quit & I hope that staying connected here helps me stay on my plan. I have no desire to drink & I intend to keep it that way.

Kensho, I hope you get some resolution to your complaints. MS can cause many different symptoms, the first usually being visual problems I believe. My nephew’s wife is managing her MS with her diet now after trying several harsh drugs with little relief. Gluten free may be the best way to go.

Frances, a brand new career to go along with your new quit sounds like a plan to me. Do you have any ideas at all? Would it require you going back to school yourself? Lots to consider! Keeping your quit will only work to your own advantage.

Narilly, your daughter Will have a rewarding career, that’s for sure!
I know my age has a LOT to do with my current weight situation. I’m trying to pay attention to it but I’m not going to kill myself trying to lose the extra pounds either. There’s just no way to make your body work the way it did 25 years previously, haha!

Byrdie, watching the track of the hurricane is scary! It’s going to hit the gulf coast then make a right hand turn back to the east coast traveling northward. SO that means we will see some effects next week I imagine. UGH! Maybe we should start baking cakes ahead of time

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Lav

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Kensho - I hope the scan is negative, but whatever it is I know you will face it head on. Thinking of you.

Frances - that's the paradox of sobriety, or at least it was for me. I had to think both forever AND one day at a time. When I first quit I had a planned vacation 8 months away that I was worried about. From advice here, I sort of took that out of my mind and focused on each day as it came. I never thought "I might drink on that vacation," because I had to take alcohol as a choice off the table, but I also didn't obsess on it and think about how much I didn't want to say forever. You got this! An new career is ALWAYS tempting me because even though I love what I do I am always checking out what else is there. Ultimately I stayed put, but no reason you can't look??

Byrdie, 10 pounds is amazing! I lost half of my Covid gain which was about 5 pounds, and I am about my usual weight (I had gone a little under the usual). My pants aren't buttoning either and I just am figuring that my figure had changed. Just plain thicker around the middle. Such a bummer, but such is life. Hard to go shopping online for me - I need to try on about 100 things to find one I like, but if this persists I'm going to have to do it.

Happy SOBER Thursday. For me this week is flying by.

Pav

[paulywogg]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning nesters, Pav sad story about the guy who drank after so long, it is crazy to look back and realize what was leading up to a relapse, I know in the past I started joking about it more, fantazing about it more, staring at commercials longer etc, now I stay vigilant but it's not a constant on my mind cuz thinking of not drinking tends to get me too damn focused on alcohol too! Hope your air clears up and you guys get some relief, Narilly, you're tiny girl! I don't see any extra weight, Byrdie, it's too hot for hard pants anyways haha, 10 pounds is awesome tho, not like you needed to lose it either, Kensho hope the scan goes ok, maybe it is something in your diet that just angers your body, I know I have a few yet eat it anyways grrrr, Frances, who cares about your join date, you're here you're trying, I've been here since 2012 and only recently had a good stretch then blew it when Las Vegas shut down, I was sooooo acted about being unemployed that I drank to soothe myself but it didn't help at all! Made everything bleaker and sadder, now the CDC says not to get tested without symptoms, not quite sure what's going on there? Anyhoo waves to the gang and wishes for a fabulous (that's right) booze free and carefree day for us all!

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Well my diet and weight don't change but my clothes don't fit right. It looks to me like all of the collagen that held me together MELTED :eek-new:.

I'm almost out from under the pile of work that was waiting for me. My brain is toast but it was worth it to truly enjoy my time off.

Kensho, I hope you get a clear scan. MS is sometimes hard to Dx, especially because you need multiple lesions. We used to tease my BIL that he had Singular Sclerosis - his vision was affected once in a way that suggested MS but it never happened again!

Take care, NS

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Dealing with heat & excessive humidity - still. Doing my best to ignore it by staying inside in the AC as much as possible so I don’t melt.
As soon as we get some more tolerable weather back here I will start walking with my dog again.

Hi Pav, Pauly, NS & everyone!

Not much else happening so I’ll wish everyone a safe night in the nest!
I don’t think we have any nesters living in the hurricane Gulf coast area but I am hoping everyone there is safe.

Lav

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Pauly, I feel that. Sometimes I think I should just stop thinking about it but then I read stories like that and it keeps me here. He said sometime along the way he stopped going to meetings and stopped thinking of himself as an alcoholic and started thinking of himself as someone who doesn't drink. An interesting distinction. I know we all do it differently, but as I said, I really, really don't want to drink again and I can see myself getting a tad complacent sometimes...

And on that note - happy SOBER Friday. I am meeting a couple of friends for an outdoors, distanced pizza dinner. This is a BIG drinking crew - I love them but like to leave early when it gets sloppy. I'll report back in the morning...

Pav

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hello Nest. Lovely morning here, and I can actually see a little bit of blue in the sky through the smoke. The blue jays are screaming though. I've learned they make a diversity of noises, and some of them are really nice. But they can take their screams elsewhere!

Thanks for the perspective on the "multiple" lesions NS. I had a lot of myelin basic protein in a saliva test, which means I'm shedding it. How much and whether it has scarred is the question. I do not have significant motor disturbances - more visual, hearing and sensory - which can all be explained by celiac as well. We will see!

Frances, we had in common that we never drank HUGE quantities of alcohol. For me, I finally realized that the fact that I was having an internal struggle with it anyway, was the motivation I needed to quit for good. It felt harder to initially stop because I thought I was on the "line" of having a problem (so I spent a lot of time bargaining), but I now believe that it really isn't about quantity at all. In fact, on some other facebook forums, there are plenty of people who have significant inner struggle and drink less than I did. It's about NEEDING alcohol to cope. I'm not sure where you will land, but 2 years and 9 months in for me, and I am absolutely free from those inner struggles and internal fighting. At first, it felt like I was losing a lot, but now, my life is full and happy and real. I don't miss it.

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Kenso, in a million years, did you ever think you’d be able to say you don’t miss AL? I sure didn’t. It is a freedom I never thought possible, but it was achieved one day at a time. It was hard at first, and I sure did my share of bargaining, too. It was worth it!

I have a built in soap dispenser at the kitchen sink. I ran out of soap and was dreading crawling under the sink to refill it. I cleared everything out from the cabinet and got it unscrewed behind the sink. Filled the bottle (of course, the squirter tube dripped soap in the bottom of the cabinet). I was putting everything back when hubs walked in. He said, “Don’t you know you can fill it from the top?” Just take the squirter off and pour it in Ugg!

Africa hot here. Man! Not much going on and no drama, which is a-ok by me! It’s only Friday, not a ticket to BoozeVille! Byrdie

[deedoo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi all,
Hanging my head in shame that i,ve fallen off the wagon and i am back again on day 5. Couldn't think of a better place to come back to. I got to cocky and felt I didn't need this place but I think the regular check ins helped keep me in line. Hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me around.