Newbies Nest

[mylife]

Newbies Nest

Hello Guys!

Byrd, what a great post. It's so inspirational to hear about people doing great with this site. It appears your cravings are already beginning to subside!! Good job.

I agree New/ Jolie and Byrd -- I just let myself basically have anything except AL. So far I haven't gained weight -- I haven't LOST but I haven't gained, so that's a good thing.

[dancingon]

Newbies Nest

Good for you byrdlady.
I find that eating healthy also gives a feeling of control and combined with the lack of alcohol tends to result in weight loss, although we're all different. Good on you for conentrating on the alchohol first, but you may find that now you have a measure of control you can tackle food, as long as you don't go overboard and feel deprived.
I've been tracking my food through weight watchers, but next week is going to be a challenge as I'm away at a conference. They always provide healthy food options, but I'm not sure I'll have the time to track and work out what I'm eating. The proof will be on the scales the week after I guess.

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters!

Very happy to read so many positive reports
Looks like I had myself a 5 lb. Christmas - oh well :H
I feel the food control resuming though, thank goodness!

Wishing everyone a comfy & cozy AF evening!
Lav

[Bean]

Newbies Nest

Hey everyone
Have been flying past the nest but not posting lately - busy busy....and the days just flash past! I'm now on day 35 or something (have sort of lost count - how cool is that?!). It tells me I am not spending every day obsessing over not drinking.

Had a little heart to heart with my ex yesterday over some of his recent behaviour that had been upsetting me. It was great to be able to approach the situation with a completely clear mind, everything was easily resolved and there wasn't all the angst and drama that would usually go along with that kind of conversation and booze would previously been involved. Feel like I am growing emotionally on this AF journey and that's an excellent thing.

Also I am going to Vegas at the end of March for a long weekend and I was able to pay for the ticket straight up because I saved $300 this last month by not drinking! Wooo hhoooooooo!
Happy Days.

[mylife]

Newbies Nest

Good evening nest! Glad to hear everyone so positive!

Have a great AF evening all!

[vintage girl]

Newbies Nest

Hello everyone! Day 3 for me and it's so great to see all the positive stuff happening on here, it is so encouraging! Any tips for sleeping better anyone? Have a great Thursday!

[mylife]

Newbies Nest

Good morning all.

Vintage, the sleep gets better and better the number of days that you go AF. There are different periods of time that it takes in the beginning for different ones of us, however everyone agrees it just gets better as your body chemistry gets back to normal!

Some of the suggestions I have heard are melatonin and I personally recommended the hypnosis CD's a great sleep and relaxation aid!

Have a great Thursday everybody!

[Jolie]

Newbies Nest

Birdlady - :goodjob: I know exactly what you mean - came home from work the other day - no one home - used to be the perfect time for me to sneak that 1st glass of wine. The urge passed and on to making dinner I went. It seems like if I can get over that initial urge, I'm okay for the rest of the night. Glad to hear your "lucky" day 13 was easy!

Bean - missed you! Amazing how much money we save - huh? Vegas sounds fun.

Morning to Lav, mylife, blondie, dancingon, neworleansgal, anyone I missed. Hope everyone is having a great day.

VG - Personally, reading in bed has always made me really sleepy but I also try to have a cup of chamomile(?) sleepytime vanilla tea (tastes great) before bed as well. I have a cd that plays soothing music to the sound of water/waves that also helps me. I hope your sleep improves - that has been one of the major improvements in my life is getting a good nights sleep! No more 3:30 a.m. wake up calls with voices screaming at me - "YOU DID IT AGAIN STUPID!"

Hope this helps - you may have to experiment for a couple nights until you find something that really works for you. (forgot - a couple of nights I remember taking 1 tylenol PM but I wouldn't recommend doing that on a regular basis).

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!

:wave:

[mylife]

Newbies Nest

Hi Jolie,

I agree, sleeping without the 3:30 a.m. alcoholic anxiety voices waking me up is the best!!

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good morning Nesters!

Good job on the savings Bean - isn;t it amazing how much money we spent on AL???
Enjoy your trip to Vegas for sure!

Greetings mylife!

vintage girl, my sleep difficulties started long before my drinking career began. I think that was half the reason why I drank so much. Anyway, I found an herbal prep called Mellodyn which helps a lot. You can try Melatonin, valerian, that sort of thing.

Jolie, waiting out those drinking thoughts really works! Just waiting 30 seconds & distracting yourself is all it takes Good job!!

Greetings to mm, hill & all to come.

Hope everyone has a fantastic AF Thursday.
Lav

[BlondeAFAmbition]

Newbies Nest

Mornin' Nesters! On my side of the nest it is the sun has finally come out for the first time this week! Whilst there is still a few snow flakes blowing about, it is bright and cheerful. I was getting a bit melancoly yesterday with the bleak weather, even though I always try to find a silver lining. But I am a Leo and ruled by the sun, so when it's out of my life for a few days, even that starts to get to me. It really has an impact on my engergy levels...like, yesterday, all I wanted to do was curl up and read a book in bed (which I did), and today, I feel like tackling some cleaning jobs around the house that I just couldn't get into yesterday. And I really believe it is due to the sun being out today! Tomorrow is back to work for 5 days so I have to take advantage of my time off today.

Vintage Girl - On Sleeping, I second what Jolie mentioned in her post...try a cup of herbal tea in the evening after dinner. The one I like is also Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime, now available in the Vanilla flavor or the original one, I like the vanilla better. They also have one called "Sleepytime Extra", which I believe they have added Valerian root, which is an herb to help relax you and help you sleep. The regular one seems to do the trick for me so I haven't tried their beefed up version and I don't feel I need it. There are other sleep assisting herbal teas out there, so maybe you can find one you like. I think that drinking a cup of tea as part of a ritual to get your body ready for sleep is also important. Like, if you get into a routine that lets your body prepare for sleep, you should be able to fall asleep in 15 to 30 minutes. For example, after dinner (don't eat too late in the evening...try to finish eating by 7PM or earlier), read/watch TV/come on MWO/Have a cup of tea, take a warm bath or shower, do something relaxing. These are all signals to your body that you are getting ready for some rest and it should help you fall asleep better. So try getting into a ritual and set the tone for the evening that you are mentally getting ready for a deep sleep and see what happens. Good luck!

Jolie & Mylife-we must be birds of a feather, "nesting" together...as I, too, value the fact that I don't wake up in the wee hours of the morning hating myself and dealing with the dread and anxiety that I caused myself from drinking the night before. What a relief that I don't face those nights anymore.

Bean-Your post on how it was wonderful to talk to your partner with a clear head, not a "drinking" one totally hits home with me. Now that I am embarking on my 27th day (I posted yesterday that I was on day 25 and I had lost count...I was really at 26, yay!), I feel that the AL is really out of my system and my way of thinking and approaching things in life is so much better with a clear head! I, too, don't think I could have done it without this site.

I hear many of your posts about the weight concern. I know I have mentioned that when I gave up AL, I also started a pretty strict low carb diet. I have lost about 6 pounds...can't seem to get past that. I am in good physical shape and some would even call me skinny (I am tall, 5 ft 10in) and wear a women's size 8, although I am a proud owner of a large pair of size 6 jeans. that fit pretty darn good..lol) and although I thought the weight would come off quicker without AL, I have noticed so much less BLOATING now that I am sober. So I encourage you all to take a look at that...your stomachs are probably much flatter now without AL bloat, as are your faces. I find that pants fit better around the waist without the extra water retention drinking AL used to give me from excessive dehydration. So don't beat yourself up about not losing the weight, you are doing what is most important for you right now, giving up AL. If you really want to loose a few pounds, make a few minor changes in your diet, like giving up a few sweets every day and adding a little exercise to your daily routine and over the course of a few months, you'd be suprised what it can do!

Have a great day everyone!

[dancingon]

Newbies Nest

I agree Blonde.
My stomach goes down within days of quitting. Less bloating and maybe your liver settles down a bit.

[hillsidetime]

Newbies Nest

Goodmorning everyone, I hope you are well. Hi there Vintage girl, Mylife, Jolie, Lave, Blonde, Dancing, and all who visit; happy Friday.

This weekend is a men's hockey tournament that I host, and play in. Yes, re-living my youth, trying to score like Wayne Gretzky, it is lots of fun. I am a little stressed, and filled with extra-anxiety. It was a result of drinking, and making really bad decisions at this tournament last year, that landed me in Rock bottom (nearly ending my marriage, and with that would go the chance to live and be with my kids each day ). It was the final straw that broke the camels back. I am not going to drink, it's just that the old demons of guilt, regret, remorse, - "how could I be so stupid" - keep visiting me. The good news is, that I will be a much better player this year. I am in great shape, no poison running in my veins, so I will make better decisions on and off the ice for sure.

Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend everyone,
Hill

[vintage girl]

Newbies Nest

Hi everyone, and thanks for the tips re sleep issues. I do have some camomile in the cupboard and I had a cup last night and read Allen carr for a while. Slept a little better.

Good luck in that hockey tournament hillside, it must be wonderful feeling the way you are now compared to this time last year. It must have been awful for you at the time, but those events made you turn your life right around. 3 days to go till your one YEAR sober, that is truly amazing!

I hope everyone has a good weekend, I am not going to say the weekend is going to be tough as it is always associated with drinking for me. I am just going to take it a day at a time. So, Happy Friday everyone!

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good morning Nesters!

Haven't seen the sun yet today

Hill, good luck this weekend! Have fun & be safe
You just keep telling those demons to shut the f___ up - don't listen to them!
The past is history, you can't change it but you are now in full control of the present!!!

vintage girl, what's your plan for the weekend? Are you concerned about a special event or just filling you time? The Tool Box is a great place to go if you need ideas!

Greetings to all who drop in today.
Time to get some work done.

Lav