November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

[dill]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

LBH, your day sounds lovely! (Minus holding the spider). It is really hard to change the rhythms we have woven over the years. I hear you on that one. I think that is part of my mini fog experience.

My day was just a typical work day. No excess pressures or triggers. Made it home safe and sound, although in a miniature dark mood. I am emerging from it now and am unwinding with a warm bath and some candles.

Mighty, good job on day 2!

Sooty, glad you were able to check in. Sorry your friends have been having some rough times.

Hi, PNut! Don't let the winds blow you away!

Hi Lodestar, Hope your Monday was good.

Lav, feel better!

Goodnight friends!

[Lavande]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Lav doing a last minute check in - I'm alive & actually feeling a bit better

Glad to see everyone id doing well! LBH, I wouldn't hold anyone's spider - for any amount of money
I think we are all subject to learning new life rythmns these days........can be a little confusing. I think the trick is to stay relaxed, don't give into to fleeting moments of panic. Take a deep breath, take a walk, light a candle, do whatever you need to do

Good night all, hoping to wake up without the swollen glands in my neck........
Lav

[scrubbly]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Hello Navers!!! Sorry I lost a bit track of you at the end of last week...and I don't even have the excuse that I was on the old thread, I was just a bit out of the loop in general....I do that from time to time with MWO, find myself drifting from the boards. But all is well, I'm back to thinking of "weeks sober" rather than just the "days sober" now that the couple of slips are over and done with.

LBH: You are a riot...I would not EVER have held someone's spider, and really, you must have such an approachable demeanor, because let me tell you, I can bet you the price of a DOZEN Meyer lemon candles that anyone would take one look at me and would never even ask me in the first place. Although most of my professional career has been in human resources, I am just not an open, friendly-looking person I don't think. Good on you for being open to the opportunity. Were you at the Botanic Gardens today? They have a nice Zen area....

Lav: Take GOOD care of the sinuses...my last virus turned into this wicked sinus infection that has hung on for weeks, even through the end of the antibiotics and is still not gone. It likes me even more than LBH's entomologist.. :H

Dill: I picture you walking around with that little cloud over your head....let's blow it away!!!

Lil: Sorry I missed your bday, hope it was great! :bday2:

Sooty: Sorry about your friend going to the hospital, I hope they are feeling better soon.

Lodestar, Mighty Mouse, Jackie, and 1More Chance; good to see you, keep up the good work!!!

[mighty mouse]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Good night to everyone,LBH Doing to much and getting to tired is a trigger for me too. All the similarities I read about gives me more understanding and hope for control.
I recieved a call today for a posible new job and I got so excited I thought this is great where is my wine to celebrate and calm down?.....trigger..... took a long walk until I calmed down. Looking forward to a clear morning.
Peanut thanks for the log in tip , I checked remember me.

Sweet dreams, MM

[girl_from_oz]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Thanks for the welcome and support all!

MM, funny you mentioned the celebration drink. I was just cooking my dinner and thinking about all my "excuses" for having a drink. I've had a good day and deserve it, I've had a bad day and need it, I have something to celebrate, I need something to take my mind of bad news or numb me - there's so many reasons too drink - no wonder it's hard to resist sometimes! I am resisting though. Going through a heatwave at the moment so everyone is going out for a cold beer after work. Have said no to 2 invites so far this week. Not wanting to isolate myself from my friends but I generally find Mon, Tues, Wed easy to go AF, it's Thurs onwards that I struggle with. Really want to try for 30 days AF to break the cycle and prove something to myself but if I get an invite Thurs or Fri gonna be hard to say no.

Bit of advice from the more experienced on here - when you started out did you tell people you were stopping for a while? Not sure how to approach the social aspect of abstaining for a while when the majority of my friends are either controlled drinkers or heavy drinkers themselves but don't personally have a problem with their habit like I do.

Day 2 - so far so good but getting nervous about the approaching weekend...

[lilmea]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Good Morning Mates,

MM & GFO-Have you checked out the 'toolbox' thread? It's at the top of the monthly abstenience section. There is a lot of useful information on handling cravings. There is also a good thread here in the starting out section 'Making a Plan for Success' that really has some good suggestions for making a good af plan. I bumped it for you.

As far as reasons to tell people you aren't drinking?
-On antibiotics and can't drink.
-I have to go straight home and take care of some things.
-I'm on a diet and don't want the extra calories.

I simply tell folks 'no thanks I'm not drinking tonight' I have found most people don't care or notice if I am drinking or not. I have had to make some lifestyles changes. I don't keep alcohol in the house and I really don't go to social events where there is alcohol if I can help it.

Pnut-You crazy running woman! Glad to see you check in.

Scrubbly-Good to see you checking in too.

Sooty-Sorry to hear about your friend. Hope things settle down for her soon.

Hi to Finding, LHB, Dill, Lav, Lodstar, 1more and everyone else to follow.

Have a good af day all.

[dill]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Greetings, Mates!

Well done on 2 days, Girl from Oz! Stay strong for the up coming weekend. Imagine how proud you'll feel when you can say "I made it through the weekend!" I never told anyone I am struggling with drink, except my immediate family members and a couple of dear friends. At social events, I just order what I want and don't worry about it. I don't socialize much, though. I suppose if anyone asked I would just say "I'm on a diet", or "I really don't feel like a ________ just now." I mean, I wouldn't make a huge deal of it. That's just me.

MM, I PM'd you. Did you get it? Good job on avoiding that huge trigger! Well done. I bet you will feel really great in the morning, too!


Hi Scrub, good to see you. I wondered where you had got to!

GFO, I was reading your list of "reasons" and I thought, my problem is, my most common reason was simply: I just want to. No particular reason necessary! And it was a harmless thing, for many years, just a glass or two each evening. Over time, it crept up on me though until it was very harmful, indeed!! Such a difficult habit to break. I think that's what causes the 'vague longing' I described a few days ago, and the searching "for a different sort of rhythm and structure" that LBH talked about. I wish you strength!

Soots, is there a shuffle board court on this ship? I need some distraction!:H And what about my request for an excursion to Africa, after the Bahamas? Have you given it any consideration?

Finding, I have Jeckyll and Hyde in on my "hold" list, as it was checked out already. But in the mean time, I got the Divsadero that LBH recommended and am thoroughly enjoying it! Thanks LBH!

Lil, Lav, I know you two will be checking in this morning. I hope you both have a nice day! That goes for everyone!

[Lavande]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Good morning November friends,

I woke up today feeling my strength returning - thank God for Lavan-ittude!!! I swear it pulls me thru anything

Hi Scrubs, good to see you. It's OK if you want to go play on other threads........just don't forgt about us!! Last week I was fearing a sinus event but thankfully that never happened - they are so hard to get rid of. Hope you are well now

MM, good job distracting yourself yesterday! Good luck with the job prospect!!

girl_from_oz, in the beginning I DID isolate myself because I had to!! I didn't see or even talk to anyone for weeks. I needed the time to focus on myself & my needs for a change, something I'd had never done before. My entire life was spent doing for & pleasing others being the only daughter, the nurse, the mother, etc. It was one hell of an awakening last winter when I stopped & evaluated myself & the condition in which I found myself!!!!!! If you find the need to turns down a few invites - so be it. The world won't end because you stay home this weekend! If you find the need to tell a few white lies - tell them, for your own good & well being I'll have to introduce you to my self-preservation process called 'Lavan-ittude'. Basically, do or say anything, without fear of punishment or retribution..........do what's good for you - you don't owe anyone an apology or explanation Trust me, it works

Greetings to Pnut, lil, Dill, Sooty & everyone who wanders in today!
Have a great Tuesday!

Lav

[1morechance]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Hello everyone!
still not feeling to great but hopeful. nice to hear from u pnut. u are right even if we drink you should check in. 3rd day AF and looking forward to being able to get back to my routine; yoga and meditation.
hope everyone has a great AF day!

[sooty]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Hi all you navvies out there, just another quick quickie to log in and ground myself with the best shipmates ever.
Dill of course we'll have shuffleboard - whatever it is I've never heard of it but if you want it you can have it and of course we're going to Africa - was it ever in doubt?
Lav, so glad you're feeling a bit better and hope that the virus continues to avoid your sinuses cos sinusitis is rotten.
Gotta rush, quick hospital visit then evening class - family history tonight, wonder if there are any sailors in my past?
(wish there were some in my present, especially in those sexy uniforms.... a girl can dream)
see you all later - have a good tuesday everyone
love Sooty

[mighty mouse]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Good Morning to all, GFO, I hear you on the excuses, same here. It's day 3 and I too am getting nervous. I more thing to add to lil advice for not drinking. You could have a stomach problem that AL makes worse. I heard people leave you alone. If you have people who are on your case about not drinking then they are the people to get out of your life. I like Lavs Lavan-itude. I'm 51 years old and at this age you look at whats working and whats not. AL is a toxic friendship that needs to get under control or be done with forever. Keep posting and readin posts. It helps tremendously.
Dil thanks for the PM and 1MC hang in there.
Love MM

[FindingMyself]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Lil, always fun to have someone in your home sawing and cutting on things, huh? Well, hopefully things can be remedied. Glad your new and improved approach leads to resolution.

Dill, the weekends are still tough for me. Felt down again this past weekend. Mini fog is a good way to describe the feeling although it didn?t feel ?mini? when I was in it, looking back on it?well, it did pass, as usual. Hope yours has lifted as well. Hope you enjoy Dr J and Mr H.

LadyBird, sounds like a nice day in the garden sketching, except I?m not so sure about holding a spider! I like the vision of doing even little things around our homes to make them more inviting. In general, I?ve developed some good habits that have ?caught on? since being AF. It feels good!

MM, good for you for recognizing emotions that trigger and doing something proactive to avoid drinking. Good luck with the job lead, too!

GirlfromOz, if you want 30 days AF then make it your top priority! I like Lav?s recommended Lavin-attude! It all works for me. I didn?t tell folks that I wasn?t drinking in the beginning partly because I drank alone at home, so no one would really know whether I was or not and I was doing it for me. I did tell a few people after the 30 day mark ?cause I was pretty proud of myself and, well, because no one had noticed except ME! If you have good supportive friends and want to let them in on your plan I think that?s fine, and if you don?t want to tell people, that?s fine too. Do it for you!

Lav, take good care of you!

Sooty, yes, a girl can dream, in fact my sailors are currently out of uniform :H.

1morechance, meditation helps me a lot and I really enjoy it. I keep thinking I would like to add yoga to my weekly routine, but haven?t yet. I?ve enjoyed it in the past though.

Hi to Peanut, ronaldolover, lodestar, Cyn, Red and whoever I missed!

I fell asleep on the couch at about 6 last night after work, woke up around 8, had some dinner and went to bed. I must have slept for 10 hours! What?s up with that? I think Red said she was clocking in more hours of sleep than usual lately. Guess I?ll blame it on the change of season. I?m well rested anyway.

Hope everyone has a good Tuesday.

[Peanut]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Hey gang - just a quick lunch break and popping in to say hello.
I had a nice surprise this morning - I'm down several pounds on the evil scale and that made me very happy. I think it is because I have eliminated a hell of alot of wine calories lately, and because i am getting more rest (rather tired today though, damned insomnia!!) and avoiding hangovers, I am managing a run or long swim almost daily. It's all good!!!! I am loving this!!!

Reasons for not drinking when out socializing? Mine has been "I'm not drinking right now for health reasons" and nobody really seems to mind at all. As I said before, many of my pals actually appreciate me as a designated driver that way!!!!

Must get to the library and take out some of the books you all have been discussing, as I'm almost finished my latest. Actually been crawling into bed and reading lately, instead of sitting up and smoking and drinking and reading. It feels so good, and I wonder why I did that so seldomly before!!!

Ok - I have to get back to work as I am leaving early today. Want to get one more trail run in in the daylight while the nice weather has been holding - and my dog will appreciate it too!!! tomorrow is Remembrance Day so no work - yay!!!!

Sorry not to address you all, but I've been enjoying all your stories and adventures!!!
Gotta run!!!
xoxoxo peanut

[mountaingirl]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

HELLO FRIENDS!!! :hiya:


I haven't been on in a few days. I have definitely missed reading the post from all you guys!!! I have been soooo busy, and had no WI FI over the weekend.

I was on an eleven day streak of AF but ended up going out with friends after work on Friday night. I didn't totally over do it, but I felt horrible on Saturday

Now I'm back to 4days AF. I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm still taking the Supps and it really helps during the witching hours (after work until bed time.)
Glad to be back!

Peace
~Mountaingirl

[dill]

November Navigators ~ AF -Week 2

Mtn. Girl, good job getting right back on board! Give yourself a good dusting off. Remember, it's a process. Good job on day 4!

Pnut, I'm glad you are feeling the benefits and losing a few pounds to boot! I'm just a bit jealous on that score. Reading at bedtime is really a treat, isn't it? For many years now, I just couldn't do it. Even worse, I WOULD read, but the next morning, I'd have to re-read every bit of it!:upset:

Finding, The weekends are hard because of the amount of unstructured time, I think. But, we are learning, aren't we?

Hi 1MC! Good to see you!

Soots, I am going to have to google the Cape of Africa and see what sites we can take in!
I don't know much about shuffle board, either, but I think they have it on cruise boats?

Lav, how many hens to you have? Just curious. When we had them, we usually kept about 6-12. Six was really enough though.

Lil, how's the remodelling project going?

Peace and strength.