Newbies Nest

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

:yay: the gang's all here

Hello & welcome Ginger! Glad you landed in the Nest ~ it's a safe place to settle for a while!
It doesn't matter how many times you've tried before.......you're here now!
Be sure to make yourself a good plan, don't just try wing it it! Going to AA is a good start. Look in our https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...box-27556.html for lots of great ideas. Why don't you give the MWO book a reread too? Stay in touch, let us know how yuo are doing.

Byrdie, you probably bake as many cakes as I do loaves of bread ~ very therapeutic

Windy, you are doing great!!!

Sunni, I think the but of sun I saw this morning went north to your house
Glad your barn roof is done!!!!

4me, hope you are enjoying cooler temps today! Wouldn't it be nice to live in Monterey????

mama bear, glad you are with us too! Just keep going, OK?

I think the change of seasons could be responsible for some of the lethargy around here because I'm dragging my tail too this week (just a little)

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Lav...besides AL, I LOVE bread!!!! Wow, I didn't know that about you. I am not what I consider a baker, into that catagory, I lump bread. A sub catagory is cakes, I guess...but I am a hack. I use the box mixes with one great exception...I add a heaping tablespoon of light brown sugar into each cake no matter what kind and it gives it just that little something extra...I dabble in decorating, but have neither the skill nor patience to really pursue it. I just plop some frosting on it, hope for the best and never look back! I've been seeing on tv a new kind of bread mix in a box...all you do is add water, and everything you need (or don't kneed) is already in there, you just let it rise and go for it!!! I used to have a bread machine, but the real estate on my counter tops got too precious and then the closets got too tight, so off it went to the Goodwill shop. If I'm going to do it, it must be simple or I will lose interest! The bread machine was an ordeal and then you had to wash all those parts....Nothing smells better than bread in the oven!!! I should run out to the store and see if I can find that mix!!!
Mama Bear, I'm so proud of you for going into two big weeks!!! The worst is over as you well know...now it's keeping the pledge to yourself and turning the Monkey Mind (thanks Lav) off! Protecting our Quits is job one!! That's all we have to do...at all costs!
Now that my mouth is watering over all this talk of bread...I will settle in for the night. If anyone needs me, I'll be over here in the kitchen portion of the nest....MindPeace to all tonight! Byrdie

[mylife]

Newbies Nest

Good evening Nest!

Mama and Sunshine GG - Believe it or not - I felt a little groggy all day from all that sleep. I'm sure my body needed it but I didn't realize it had something to do with 2 weeks sober (I'm into my second week AF as well). I don't remember that from other times. Anyway, I think I feel back to normal now - whatever that is!!??!!

Byrd - I have a bread machine - It also took up lots of counter space so it's been in a closet and comes out maybe once a year. It tastes great when I do get around to it - so I'm all for whatever easy bread recipes you can find! Tonight I ate a bunch of chocolate - mistake! At least bread would have been better for me, I think?
Lav - you have had one awful weather of a summer! I thought PA was supposed to be beautiful rolling green hills! That's what I always imagined anyway.
Greg - nothing like painting to get a workout! And up and down a stepladder to boot! I thought of Chapter 2 this weekend as we watched loads of people going out on Sailboats. It looks gorgeous, but like a lot of work!
4me, Windy, Lolab - you all sound like you're doing great! Maybe we'll get a big group of us up to 90 days here! (And beyond I hope!)
Welcome Ginger! You came to a great Nest.

Hope you all have a fabulous AF evening!

[mimi911]

Newbies Nest

Would love to give each one of you a personal hello but I am exhausted after returning from a trip and a long drive home.

Appreciate all the hello's, personal messages and encouragement. Today is day 2 and I really wanted to stop and get wine on the way home but I decided not to. I guess that is a victory for today.

The desire to drink is strongest when I am exhausted. Nothing sounds better than to sit and relax with my wine. What do you do in a case like this?

[gregorino]

Newbies Nest

Greetings Fellow Nestlings!

A bit of fall air finally creeping into Central Florida. AHHHHHHHHH!!

Summer can just get too long and wearisome. I wanted to go to Montana 6 weeks ago!

LoLab - Hello! Brilliant of you to recognize where you have gone astray on previous quits. Mistakes can sometimes be educational! Stay strong and get to that Lucky 13!

Hello Ms. Byrdie - God, do I love bread! Fresh, warm bread...sometimes I eat it on the way back from the store! And now that I wake up sober on Sundays, I can be at the bagel shop at 6 AM and get those while they're still soft! MMMMMMMM!!

Ginger - Welcome back. Maybe MWO didn't work for you THEN; but this is NOW. Read back for a few dozen pages - you'll see how well the Nest is working for so many of us. Plus, if you read for 30 or 40 minutes each night, you won't be sitting 'round thinkin 'bout drinkin! Get the abstinence CD's, get the supplements, and workout at least 6 days a week. Hope to see ya back real soon!

Windy - You sound like you're doing really well. Keep up your quit!

Sunny - DONE with Chapter Two? OMG!!! Like, are you ever "done" with the horses?!! It's a labor of love, and the work will never be done. Ever! There will always be things that break, and improvements to make. I just wanted to get her as purty as I could since she's new to us! Who else would be crazy enough to put on 6 coats of polish!!
BTW - You seem to be doing really well and a steady part of the Nest - Keep that going Girl!

Mimi - What to do about exhaustion? 1. Take a hot steamy shower until the tank is emptied. 2. Have a nice sleepy time tea and curl up with a good book. 3. Make a gratitude list. 4. Outline the screenplay of the fabulous Day 13 you are going to have. 4. Listen to one of the abstinence CD's - you'll probably fall fast asleep, but that's OK - your subconscious will still get the message.
Any one of those ideas will work for you - I know they all worked for me, and exhaustion was always a fine excuse for bringing AL home with me.
You can do this Mimi - be committed to all the reasons that brought you to the Nest in the first place - surely any one of those will easily outweigh the illusion that it would be nice to have AL in the house. That's just AL talking - not the real you! Tell AL you're done - you had your relationship, but now it's over - time to move on!
Stay close to the Nest!

Well, gotta run - many things on the to-do list and not nearly enough time to do them!

Good Night Nesters - Stay Safe!

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters!

Running a bit late myself tonight but what can you do??
Busy, busy week for me

Byrdie, I have never used or even seen a bread machine :H
Somehow or another, after mutiple failures I managed to turn out a half decent loaf or bread (when I was a youngster of 20 something) & have just stayed with it ever since! It sounds stupid but baking bread just makes me happy As I mentioned before I give it to anyone who walks in, kind of a door prize I'm into making healthy stuff these days but I still love making all the special holiday & seasonal breads too. Oh, and bagels - yum!

mylife, Pennsylvania (parts of it) does have lovely, rolling green hills but they just happen to be saturated these past two months - geez
I have a special fondness for dark chocolate myself these days!!!!

greg, you are one busy guy! Glad the monkey is off your back now huh??

Mimi, listen to everything greg just mentioned!
The CDs were key in helping me learn to relax without AL. I'm now enjoying some primordial sound meditation to help me unwind after a long day. You just need to change habits, I did & you can too! I know you have good reasons to boot AL out of your life, just like I did.

OK, I wish everyone a safe night on the Nest!

Lav

[Tx Ellen]

Newbies Nest

I am back in the thick of things again.

I had a dr appt where I exercised for two weeks and also didnt drink. My bp was down 20pts. I was doing the happy dance and havent exercised since, and, of course have drank every night since. I am a mess.

I did finally get the CD's. I am leaving on a 10 day vacation on Friday and am planning to put them on my phone so I can listen. I am going alone to the Smokey Mountains, and that is as good as any other place to begin.

I had a lap band last year and only went from 340 to 298 in a year. I do not think my lack of progress was primarily AL, but it was definately a contributor. In Nov I am doing a revision to a gastric sleeve. Because the weight loss is so much in the early months they say no AL for 6 months as fat is apparently also metabolized in the liver. SO GUESS WHAT. I HAVE TO QUIT DRINKING AL. I have no choice now It is almost like a person with cirosis who can no longer drink.

I am having surgery on Nov 21 and am supposed to be AF for 2 weeks prior. If I cant get past 7 days how am I going to do this.

I really always thought of my drinking as an activity, but need to wake up and see it as an addiction.

[Tx Ellen]

Newbies Nest

How do I do it? How do I string together days, then weeks and months? I am really surprised this additction is as rooted as it is in me. I used to think it was a casual event to pass the time pleasantly. How wrong am I?

[Tx Ellen]

Newbies Nest

Just me again!
I am trying to transfer the CD's to my iPhone and it isnt working. Can this be done? If so, how?

[mauritiusdodo]

Newbies Nest

Good morning all, i am just popping into the nest for some inspiration, just ordered the Jason Vale book and planning to read it as soon as it arrives, not been doing too well with not having a plan and I am hoping it will spur me on!

[Lavande]

Newbies Nest

Good morning Nesters!

Ellen, I'm sorry you are having so many problems staying motivated!
You really need to be honest with your Doc about your AL consumption. You are putting yourself in danger of some serious complications with your upcoming surgery (where the anesthesia is concerned). Our liver processes virtually everything we put into our bodies.
Have you ever considered a residential rehab program? Maybe it's something you should think about now that you've realized how difficult it is for you to quit on your own. We all just want you to be safe
I don't have an i phone - maybe someone else can help you with that situation. Anyway you listen to the CDs will be beneficial.

Mauri, why haven't you made a plan? The Tool box is full of help - you just need to read through it & pick & choose ideas you think will be helpful to you. Identify yuor drinking triggers - what exactly is it that makes yuo drink? Run through the HALT acronym......do you drink when you're Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired????? When you start paying attention to these things you begin to see a pattern! Then you can choose alternate, healthier activities to replace drinking!!!!

Have to run & get my busy day started.
Wishing everyone a great AF Humpday!!!

Lav

[lolab]

Newbies Nest

good morning everyone. Thanks so much for all the warm welcomes and welcome backs...


Even after 30 plus days back in Feb/March - I never conquered the sleep thing and it started showing up physically through lots of achiness all over my body along with extreme fatigue from lack of sleep. Actually, I'm still not sure which caused which....did my sleeplessness cause the aches and pains? Or was I unable to sleep because I hurt so bad? Anyway, I drank again and not excessive at first, but it did block out the pain.

I'm getting some aches back again now being AF for 10 days and I do wake up with stiffness and pains in my body plenty of times during the night...

I'm eating right and taking supplements and trying to not work out to any excess - going to incorporate some nice yoga and stretching to try to help - and so far my arsenal of calms forte, calcium, nerve tonic seem to be helping somewhat with the sleep. Last night I did take an advil even though I hate taking them.

I think because this time I hadn't been drinking as much as I had early in the year things kind of leveled off more quickly for me - I am hoping. It was very frustrating to quit for the recommended 30 days and then start to feel worse every day...:upset: (I apologize that I deleted some of my first posts - my kiddo was going to do some "computer cleanup" and I was afraid he was somehow going to discover me....:-( )

I have the Jason Vale book, as I was lurking on that thread but I'm not far into it yet. The concept isn't new to me, as I read The Easy Way to Stop Drinking.

Ellen, I think the first few days are so hard. That voice is constantly telling you that you want a drink...but it really is amazing how fast it calms down....it doesn't go away - it wait for me to get a little stressed - but by day 4 or 5 I felt much more capable of standing up to it.

Another thing I noticed is that last time, I was probably white knuckling it to some extent. I kind of went overboard with "substituting" drinks and constantly needed "something" to drink...(selzer with juice) - I don't think I was addressing the "habit" of drinking. Now I drink when I'm thirsty - and I've broken my habit of always having a "drink" somewhere = usually vodka and water - somewhere on the kitchen counter. I don't want to be able to drink like "normal" people do - I've been stopping and thinking through things when I'm tempted.

yesterday, things were getting to me, and I was thinking that I actually wanted to get that "dull" feeling in my head and my body....so I stopped and thought it through. Everytime I actually "get" that dull feeling after a drink, I don't want it. It takes away my motivation and clarity and even though I know I don't want it, when I take that first drink, there's something that keeps me from stopping. It's very scary.

Epecially when that first drink can come in the morning on a weekend. I know I'm settng myself up for a long day even as I do it...there's no coming out of it. And it also makes quitting and the next few days really really hard. Once I have that drink, I want to continue, and when I continue, by the next day, the best way that my AL brain can think of to feel better is to drink again and avoid the responsibility of life.

ah well, enough rambling for today....it helps me gain clarity - I just hope it might help someone else....

[gregorino]

Newbies Nest

Yes Ms. Lav, I AM most grateful to have AL off my back. He was just sucking the life out of me...I was just a shell of a person who showed up for work and then showed up back at home and had nothing to contribute to anyone because all I ever did was drink, drink, drink. I don't want to be that guy anymore.

Ellen - You have more than enough GREAT reasons to kick AL out of your life forever. I think 10 days in the wilderness without any AL around will be life-changing. I put my CD's in my laptop and copied them into iTunes. Then I made playlists in iTunes, and then synched my iPod so that the playlists were there. I have an android phone, but would think the same approach would work for an iPhone as an iPod. HINT: Put the sleep CD into a playlist by itself. Then, at night, you can go to settings and turn on the repeat function. Then start the sleep playlist and it will go all night. Now, all that time spent sleeping is also being used to re-program your noggin, and that's where AL lives - in your head! You need your head back, Ellen...Tell AL to get lost, you're through with his crap! Wishing you the best, stay close to the Nest.

Hello Mauri - Welcome to the Nest! Stick around and amazing things will happen. People are kicking AL out of their lives forever right here every day and you can too! Like Ms. Lav sez, make a plan and WRITE IT DOWN!! Something about putting things in writing....read it every morning and again at night. Get the abstinence CD"s and start an exercise plan ASAP. Go to the health food store and get some L-Glutamine and take those to ward off cravings. Drink quarts of water daily. Read and post and read and post. If I can do this, then I know you can too. Turn the page on the chapter of your life that's filled with AL. He's never done you any good and he never will. Time to start living a REAL life. Stick around!

Off to the gym - it's cardio day -WHEEEE

See y'all back in the Nest tonight!

[gregorino]

Newbies Nest

Hi LoLab - We cross-posted....catch up with you this evening- promise!

[lolab]

Newbies Nest

thanks Greg - looking forward to it...your story is inspiring. I've been lurking. :-) and lav, love those chickens! :H and thank you for the links. :l

and Byrdie thanks for the baking suggestion - I will keep that in mind for when I finish all these projects that I have started as part of my "keep busy plan" hahah!