November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

[mountaingirl]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Greetings Lodestar, No, you did not misunderstand..... I quit al and cigarettes at the same time but I was never much of a smoker. For the past several years I would drink around 2 to 3 nights a week and always wanted a cigarette when drinking. So smoking was no biggie for me to quit. Al has been MUCH harder of course! That's not to say that I won't want a cigarette again, and if I do I will probably smoke one, but for me I really never wanted one unless I was drinking al.

If you are a regular smoker then I would assume it would be very difficult to stop both at the same time. Keep on keeping on and it will all fall into place eventually Let's hope for our sake that eventually comes sooner than later :h Hope you have a restful and peaceful night-

[ladybirdheart]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Thanks, Finding, for describing your former nightly routine with alcohol, it was not self-indulgent at all, in fact it was all about me! :H It really helped me untangle a bit, and although like Dill, I usually discovered that I had indeed toddled off to bed, I think this was only because Lord Bird Heart was around and I albeit unconsciously pulled off some facade of normalcy; when I was alone I would end up all over the place. The weather was beautiful today and after I finished up a report I started on the first of two big winter garden projects; I am tired but in a good way, and as I have been thinking about mushroom soup since Lav made some last week, I made a pot of pure comfort. Thank you, Lil, for helping me think about what might be looming in my periphery, I need to put a name on it other than what I fear. Good to learn about you MySong and Mountaingirl. Goodnight everybody, awake or asleep, if we are alcohol free we will get better one of these days. Love, Ladybird.

[Lavande]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Evening November friends,

I'm smiling reading all the positive vibes here today - that's just terrific

For those of you attempting to quit smoking I wish you STRENGTH! I waited nearly 2 months after going AF to quit the smokes..........it was soooo hard! I feel ridiculous saying that but it's true! Apparently my attachment to smoking was much, much stronger than it was to AL. What's up with that anyway? Be sure you guys check in to Quitnet.org They have an online program similar to this one. I get on there every morning & pledge to remain smoke free. I still dream about the stupid things.........ugh!

It's almost 10 pm, my grandson is arriving at 6:15 am - it's going to be one long day tomorrow
Take care everyone!
Lav

[Emmy]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

:l Its so great seeing everyone so full of exciting encouraging words today :h

I love this time of year and I am so grateful that I have found MWO:l

Like Lav, I too quit smoking before I tackled my AL abuse ... Throwing away the smokes were easy for me, Al is seeming to be more of a challange :l

[Emmy S]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

WOO HOO , I finally got into DrinkTracker , I had to sign in as Emmy S ~~ wish I could of seen all those ZERO'S from the end of SEPT thru OctSober .. ;-)..... btw , its me Emmy

[scrubbly]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Oh my, this ship is getting full! It is grand to see everyone here! I imagine myself roaming the various decks, visiting with all the new folks, popping in on the regular passengers, from steerage to the upper cabins, it seems that we are all tucked in and doing splendidly!

Captain Sooty is navigating well, Dill seems to be first mate, would that make Lav the Cruise Director?

Bahamas here we come...

:beach:


Tomorrow I wake up to double digits again, it will be day 10 for me. Somehow that is quite comforting to get back to those stats. I had four months of solid sobriety behind me before I slipped up when I was overseas at the end of September, and I want that kind of time behind me again. We can do this gang!

[redhibiscus]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Dill, lilmea and Findingmyself,
Appreciated your responses to the sleep issue. I is so important to REMEMBER and be grateful. I have found in the past if I drink, its because the crazy thoughts start and I forget what it was like. How can we forget when it is so terrible in every way? That is the insanity of addiction, I think. So, I will continue to remember and be grateful for all the good simple things and never take them for granted again. Findingmyself, I never thought before about the cycle or as you put it about what all the "stuff we put ourselves through in a single evening." We did and it was a horrible pattern.

Lilmea, the money issue is big. I noticed that we have been spending much less but I wish I could figure out the exact amount. I am guesstimating around $800 a month, with all the going out to eat, drinking, stupid choices, etc. Wow, that is alot of money and such a waste. Thanks for that focus.

[redhibiscus]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Here's another post because last night I was had a meeting to go to and no time to get online. So this morning I am catching up.

It is great to learn about all the new people who have hopped on our ship. I am feeling inspired by all the interesting topics, support, encouragement and AF time that I am reading about. I'm hoping that this group can continue to work together on this journey as I have noticed that others have connected in the past and keep in contact.

My work situation is going better this week. I think it is important for me to understand that things do not always stay horrible. I get really down sometimes and have a hard time finding my way out of negative thinking. LBH, you too have shared that at times your focus becomes dark and it is hard to find your way out of that type of thinking. I know that for me, negative thinking, self-pity, etc., can lead to drinking again.

So this week is better, I too love fall, and I am looking forward to having time off starting Friday. Have a great busy Hump Day AF.

[Lavande]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Good morning November friends!

Hi scrubs - congrats on hitting double digits again, it does feel good
I'll give the Cruise Director job a try but I'll have to do some research first, this is my first cruise!!

LBH & red - the negative thinking, self-pity trigger was a huge one for me too! I worked on a program called Habit Busting to break that nasty habit before I joined MWO. It really helped me a lot. I also renewed my membership to To Do Institute (Naikan - Japanese Psychology practice of incorporating Gratitude in your life). There are a lot of things out there you can do to boost your morale. You just have to do them!!!

Greetings to Dill, Sooty and absolutely everyone about to check in - have a great Humpday!
Lav

[dill]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Ahoy, Mates!
Red, I am so glad your work situation is improving. I thought, as I was reading about it the phrase "this too shall pass" really can help put things in perspective during the rough times. I don't know if I have recommended this book before, and if I am repeating myself, please forgive me, but this book really helps me deal with anxiety and other difficulties in life. He talks alot about the temporary nature of things. All things. Anyway, the book is A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. It is best to get the audio version.

LBH, Like you and Red, I appreciate Finding's reminders of the insanity that we took for "normal" just a few short weeks/months ago. "How quickly we forget!" But, LBH, your follow on comment was SO REAL and HONEST. It was the bigger part of the story and the one I left out: "I think this was only because Lord Bird Heart was around and I albeit unconsciously pulled off some facade of normalcy; when I was alone I would end up all over the place". That says it all. I didn't have the self-honesty to put that into words. Thank you. Some day, when we are feeling brave, we ought to share some of the things that we did or places we "found ourselves" when we did manage a day of drinking by ourselves.

Scrubbly, I am so happy to see you back in double digits! Your story about going 4 months AF and then the difficulty of climbing back on board after your slips on your vacation is also a helpful reminder. Thank you.

Emmy, congrats on Drink tracker. I have never been brave enough to do drink tracker. I'm glad you are on the boat with us. It's a good thing it is a big boat!

Lav, have a fantastic day with Matt! I get to have one this Saturday with my Matt. It is supposed to be nice weather, which is important for a 4 year old! We can get out and explore the woods.

Lil, How's it going with your visit with your daughter? I always enjoy when I get to see my daughter, which is pretty rare.

For part of today's on board entertainment, I will now present one of my favorite poems. I can't resist, because it is ship related.

The Winds of Fate
Ella Wilcox

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life:
'Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Set the sails, Mates!

[lilmea]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Good Morning all,

Just a quick check in before I start breakfast.

Red-A positive attitude is just an absolute must for me. I actually put signs up for awhile that said "Think Positive" How funny is that? I'm glad your getting a little relief from the stress at work for a while.

Lodestar-Congrats on 5 days. In the beginning I counted days because it felt so good to pile up those af days. But I don't do that much anymore. I do try to keep a general idea of where I'm at and seems to work.

Mountaingirl-I wish I had stopped smoking before I stopped drinking. I actually think it would have made it easier to go af as I always smoke more when I'm drinking.

LHB-It was nice to see you checking in last night. Have you got your sea legs yet?

Sooty, Dill, Lav and everyone else who checks in...have a great af day.

[lilmea]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Hi Dill-cross post

[mountaingirl]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Good morning and Happy Wednesday Lav,Dill, Red, Lil, Scrub, Emmy and LbHeart :hello2

I hope I didn't miss anyone! If I did I apologize, I'm learning I hope everyone had a restful night and is bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning!! (yeah right)

Have a great Wednesday guys.

[FindingMyself]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Morning Navigators,

Busy day ahead and not much time to post, just wanted to check in, say hi, and wish everyone a good day.

Will see you at the other end of the day. Full steam ahead Sooty!

[sooty]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 1

Hi shipmates its 4p.m. here and I just realised its humpday - gosh I nearly missed it and you know its my favourite day!
Dill to answer your question of about 20 posts ago my evening class on monday is beading, then on tuesday I'm doing family history and I'm joining a ladies choir next thursday evening!
Since I retired (september 2008) I find, particularly in the winter, that its nice to have something to do in the early part of the evening, hence I'm signed up for classes that keep me busy till about 8.30 - I don't want to be out any later than that, its just that the winter days can be long if the weather is awful and I can't get out.
Its fab to see everyone on here and I'm in a rush again - I'm off out again this evening - meal with old colleagues so I guess I'll see you all again tomorrow. Bonfire Night here - fireworks will be going off all evening!
Keep up the good work gang, I'll stay longer tomorrow
loads of love
Sooty