Newbies Nest

[Overit-still]

Re: Newbies Nest

[QUOTE

I hope Over-It checks in soon! Glad you’re here reading, Lifechange.[/QUOTE]

HERE I AM!

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning Nesters!
i've missed so much in the past couple of months.. Over-it, congratulations on over 60 days now! and i missed sober anniversaries for Pav and Ava, Kensho, Lav, Byrdie, NS must be coming up? or i just missed it.. i'm sure i completely missed some and i'm sorry for that.. the milestones are important. i was thinking of you all.. as i did check in, albeit infrequently.

i got off track upon returning from my trip to Phx.. i actually drank there as well. Not much, but any amount is too much. and when i got home i was soooo sad, jet-lagged, depressed.. i fell into a terrible binge which was very difficult to pull out of. F***!
i wanted to have 30 days before i signed on here.. but now at 22 day, i feel i need the support of the Nest. Tuesday was the first day alcohol came to mind as a way to deal and i was all alone in the afternoon.. but i'm pretty sure i don't have another quit in me. as i thought of drinking an innocent small beer, i immediately thought, "no.. you can't do it again.. that was way too difficult to do again".. sigh.. i don't want to let myself down anymore. not the girls, not my friends, not work or my colleagues, not my super nice partner.. i'm on the right path now and just taking each day as it comes.
thank you for still being here..xx

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest. I posted the other day and it is not showing. I guess you lose one from time to time!

G, it's great to see your pictures. Those old churches are really special, and old buildings in general. They have so much embodied energy - they just feel powerful whether you are a religious person or not. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks to you all for the support regarding kids. I can only do the best I can do, and they are their own people I guess. I appreciate your thoughts. I am seeing my son really love HS swim. It does feel like a good team / group thing. He loves that he's earned a parka and jammer shorts with his name. I loved HS sports and am so glad he's involved. Now if we can get him into a routine with the school work he doesn't want to do...

LC, I'm sorry you drank. It takes you to the same place every time. It can't be an option moving forward if you want to quit for good. Do you want to quit for good? We are here for you - this is a very hard thing. Keep at it

Hi Overit and Steady. Good to see you.

Lav and Ava, I admire the wisdom I feel from you both. SO happy you have been here to lend support.

Where's Byrdie?

Off to work...

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Dealing with a ‘wintery mix’ of precipitation today, ugh. I am ready for Spring.

Steady, always good to see you!
I understand the anxiety issue, I had a real good case of it myself once upon a time. Relationships can be so hard sometimes, been there & done that too. Keep checking in with us so we can gently remind you why AL & anxiety don’t mix. I have moved so far away from the anxious person I once was & will never allow that to happen again.

Overit, what’s going on with you? Thanks for checking in.

LC, 22 days AF is wonderful, good for you! We have wondered about you & hoped you were OK.
Get yourself determined to make this your final & forever quit. You won’t be sorry!

Kensho, since Ava & I both have grown kids I guess we can seem motherly, haha! I stick around the nest mostly to lend a hand, when needed & maybe be an example of a (mostly) happy person living a post-alcohol life . Support your kids & trust them to make good decisions for themselves as long as they are reasonable, Lol

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

Lav

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good to see you, LC. I hope you stick around. I know I've nagged you about this before but it seems like when you stop your daily commitment, you drift away. The regular reminder of where you've been and don't want to be again really helps. Please USE US!

Flying was fine. It is nice to be in a warmer, sunny place. But -- it is hard to remember to be careful. Everything seems so normal!

3 nights of fancy events starting tonight. The truth is I wish I were a normal drinker who could use wine as a social lubricant but I'm not so I won't. I know I wouldn't over-drink in front of other people but I don't want to risk setting up the craving cycle. Too hard to escape that again.

Yesterday on the plane I listened to the first half of a fascinating book about addiction, Never Enough: Amazon.com
Highly recommend!

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

The older chickens are generally fatter & slower than the younger ones, Lav? Just like people!

NS, the truth is that I would like to use wine & such as a social lubricant too. Especially with several nights of fancy events in a row. I wish I could. But, truthfully, the drinking was the part of fancy events that I looked forward to. Really the only part: it eclipsed everything else. Better for me to learn to live without such dependency.

Hi, Overit! Lifechange, you have three weeks under your belt! That’s a great start. Yes, trips home can be very destabilizing -especially if you don’t have enough time under your belt when you go. That won’t be the case next time!

I’m leaving tomorrow to go visit D3 & her husband a state or two east of here, for her 29th birthday.

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nesters,

Yes, I'm really ready to make this my final quit. I felt a bit of a pull yesterday, but I was just exhausted and suffering a shopping trip with my eldest to find her dad a present.. at some point I just said, i have to get out of here NOW! and that worked fine. I ordered the book you recommended, NS.. looking forward to reading a book about addiction and the brain! I'm heading to Phx again next Saturday with my guy for 2 weeks.. it's been planned for ages and will be more of a vacation rather than family drama. I told him 3 weeks ago that I'm never going to drink again and that he shouldn't bring alcohol into the flat.. he knew before that I didn't drink but didn't understand the severity of my situation.. I also have the girls on board again and they're cheering me on. The thing that feels different this time is I really don't WANT to drink. Up until recently I always wanted to drink, loved drinking but just couldn't or shouldn't.. I'm really just working ODAT right now. I've been writing my day on the inside of my wrist each morning with a permanent marker and refreshing it when it washes off and that's become a nice reminder of where I am now..
We're all very sad and afraid/concerned here about the invasion into the Ukraine.. the 11th graders at our school (my daughter this year) always have a 3 week trip/student exchange to Moscow in May.. needless to say, they won't be going this year. I sure hope solutions are found soon.. f******* wars..
On that note, sending love and hugs across all oceans to all of you.. all the way over to Australia, Ecuador (are you still there, G?), the far reaches of CA.. do we have Nesters in other countries?
:love: xx

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

MOrning nesters

Well i made it through the working week. I swear i am losing my patience with the new PA, she is nice but i think is a bit of a hyperchondriac. Tells me how busy she is and then asks me if i want a hand with work when i mention i am flat out. She is doing my head in and i am getting annoyed with her a lot. trying to disengage from her is hard but i have to for sanities sake. I am still annoyed that they didnt take my advice and employ the person i recommended, who is a fantastic worker and plays well with others. oh well, i am grateful i work at home.

LC glad to see you back, i certainly dont have another quit in me and i know if i started again i dont think i would be on here again, i would be off with my ex bestie becoming besties again. Good on you for asking for support from everyone, it makes it easier when those cravings come for someone to say NO. all you can do is ODAT, and realise that becoming sober is a journey with no end unless you drink. My anxiety was awful when i drank, now i have the control over it and very rarely have it badly. if i start to feel anxious i remove myself. At the moment, i cannot watch the tv due to the war, my daughter has anxiety as well and i think with our overthinking we have built a bunker (this weekend ha ha), stocked up on food and water and want to find a gun (god knows what one gun would do). Walk away from what any situations that fuel anxiety until you are ready to walk back into them.

My son just broke up with a woman that was older than him and a drinker, she was a nasty drunk but lovely when sober. told me my son had anger issues and was his fault. I know my non perfect children have many faults but his was not anger. Al just causes so much pain and heartache, he really liked her and they were happy together. he has moved back with my mother which will make her happy to have control over someone again and then when he gets another woman, the narcissism will start. Sometimes i wish i had control over everything but nope, only me.

well i had best stop procastinating and get ready to go and buy my mother some chooks.

Slo, glad to see you starting to live your best life, Lav, i think my chooks are still rather young, they run quick and i dont. Hope you are doing ok Wags, lovely to see you STeady and only you can work out your best life and how you want it. G, hope your trip is going well. Kensho, you will survive!

take care xxx

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Woke up to a scene from ‘Frozen’ today - everything had a thick coating of ice. Except the roads. Fortunately the 71 degree weather we had just yesterday warmed up the roads enough to keep them from freezing overnight. Had my car inspected today, oil change, tires rotated, etc so i’m good for another year.

NS, Keep your phone handy so you can check in if you’re feeling wobbly. I know it’s a completely normal thing to have a glass in your hand at those events. Have a glass of sparkling water in your hand instead. Enjoy the west coast, nice place to visit.

Slo, yep chickens age just like we do, haha! Enjoy your visit with your daughter, sounds nice!

LC, making a strong commitment to quit & stay quit helped me out a lot. Whenever I thought about drinking. I remembered the promise I made & didn’t want to let myself down anymore. It really helped
Me a lot. I hope your new friend is helpful in maintaining your final quit. Another trip coming up sounds good, stay focused on that too.

Ava, I hope the weekend brings you some mind peace. I don’t miss dealing with difficult people at work, it’s so tiring.
Sounds like your son may have made a good choice deleting the older woman. He doesn’t need that nonsense. Nasty drinkers only get nastier if they continue to drink. Hopefully he won’t have to stay with your mother too long, Lol

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Think about donating to help ease the lives of those in Ukraine if you can :hug:

Lav

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

I’m having a really nice visit with my daughter & son-in-law! I like being here. It’s fun to see what an eye for harmonious yet quirky & eclectic decorating that she has, in their first home that they purchased almost a year ago.
[MENTION=23208]wagmor[/MENTION], I love Wordles! -now that I found the classic, original one. What I don’t like is the frequent & long advertisements though.

Each little twig & branch on the upper half of every tree here is coated with ice. It’s really quite beautiful.

I wish they would have taken your recommendation for who to hire, Ava. And it would’ve made your workdays flow much better too.
Good for your son for leaving a relationship with a big red flag on it. Now your mother will be looked after again too.

LC, how frustrating that your daughter’s 3-week student exchange to Moscow has to be cancelled. There have been enough cancellations of those kinds of trips because of Covid. It sounds like you have a partner who will be supportive of your quit.

Sending good wishes to all in the Nest for a great AF weekend!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Chilly but sunny here today & that’s OK.
We went to see our granddaughter for her 11th birthday & had lunch with them. It was nice & we had a call from our son while we were driving home inviting us out to dinner with him & the two boys. Such a full & unexpected day, grateful.

Slo, so glad you are enjoying your visit with your daughter. These are the reasons we keep our quits, right?

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

Lav

[Quit wining]

Re: Newbies Nest

Three years ago today I quit drinking and this time it finally stuck. I just wanted to say thanks to my buddies in the Nest for helping me get this far - Lav, Ava, Kensho, G’man in particular. Couldn’t have done it without you and my buddies in the Cafe!!

QW

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

evening nesters

Lav, how true, we can now do anything we want sober, the world is our oyster! I hope it warms up soon for you.

QW, congratulations on 3 years, a wonderful achievement and thanks for the cudo's.

Slo, how nice you can get to see your daughter for her 29th birthday, i hope you had a lovely visit.

Yesterday was nice, i picked up the chooks (for mum) and took them down to her. she was really good and looks well. i think her not drinking has made her look younger also. My son is good, his ex keeps telling him she will get help (dont think its for her drinking, as she doesnt have a problem) but for her anger. as i said to my son, these are all related and good luck. Mum was happy to see me so life is smooth for the time being. Never a dull moment.

Having a quiet day with the fur babies, cant believe the weekend has gone so fast.

take care xx

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Nice day here but still chilly. Spring is within reach, can’t wait

QW, a big CONGRATS to you on your 3 years AF :welldone:
The hard work is done, now you just need to maintain & that’s quite easier, honestly. Very happy for you!

Ava, glad your mum is good & she now has her very own chickens
I sure hope your son is ready to protect his mind peace. That woman friend like she has some real issues.

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

Lav

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Congratulations Q Dubbya! Great milestone, and great to be on the sober path with you amigo. :black::llama:

LC, great to see u back, Congrat's on ur sober time. Sorry for late reply re your question. I left Ecuador a few days ago, now in Bogota Colombia. A big city of 7 million plus people. I walked through Santa Fe barrio today. It's noted for it's cheap accom, ladies and fella's of the night, drugs/boozed up folks struggling to get through another day. It's struggle city. There is many a man/woman pulling a big heavy cart as you'd see behind a horse, full of various materials. I saw a lot of 'junk', recyclable stuff in the carts pulled from wherever they can be found. Cans, bottles, metals. From abandoned buildings, of which i saw many in Santa Fe, street rubbish, etc. Tough way to make a living.

Then one bloke hauling a big cart packed with goods, gave me a big toothy smile when we locked eyes. No complaints. Now there's a top attitude.

Big waves to evabody. Here are some pics of Bogota. I forgot my phone for pics of Santa fe.

Today's office La candalaria bogota 27222.jpg

Bogota building la candalaria 2022.jpg

bogota street scene la candalaria 2022.jpg

bogota south street scene 2022.jpg