Sober (AF) September Challenge

[neart]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Thanks so much, Molly!!!! :l:h I am chuffed, and even more so after your lovely message :thanks: I hope you don't get transferred - I'll have fingers crossed for you x

[Anjicia]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Good morning all its a nice mild sunny one. Going to tackle the garden while its nice out both back and front need it badly. Witchy don't feel bad about slipping i did it so many times and usually my excuse was stress loneiness or bored etc any excuse really. AA is not for everyone Molly so only go f you want to not for any one to pressure you. It helps me as it gets me out and to listen to people and sometimes share. I'm not really doing the steps just now i'm just trying to stay sober odat. Oh hope all goes well at the meeting today and you get to stay where you are Molly or else some where you will like. Change is tough at times and especially when trying to stay af so hope things go well. Neart choice and others well done on not caving in under difficult circumstances and glad your weekends turned out to be nice and fun despite everything. I love Galway but memories of going to trad sessions and drinking were fun at the time but i didn't know i had a problem then. But i also have other nice memories of day trips to Connemara and the Aran islands. I love Galway it has so much to offer than drinking in the pubs. Tonight i'm going to a small family dinner party. My nephew and his German wife are over for a week from Hamburg where they live. There will be alcohol but being a monday it won't be a mad night as some of our family get togethers can be late with lots of drink if its a weekend or holidays such as christmas. I'm not planning on drinking so hpefully i'll stay strong. I had a bad day yesterday with cravings to drink and i felt so down. If i had the money for wine i think i would have went to the offie but lucky i was broke. My brother and his called for a while in the afternoon and we had coffee and cake. I felt better after they left and went for a short walk. just relaxed last nitght did some reading and watched tv. Sorry if i didn't get to mention everyone its a busy tread but thanks to sunbeam for starting it. I wish you all a good af day.

[Sunbeam]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Witchy,
I hate to hear people beat themselves up about having a drink after ___ days. All AF days count toward your AF permanant freedom, we just don't know how many it takes. You are here, still working on the problem with the support you need. Probably all of us hated drinking before coming here, and kept on drinking in spite of it. I used to pray, "please God help me!" He answered my prayer by helping me find this site, but I still have to do the work. I would not say that those with the initially longest AF time are the most successful at staying AF. So just keep trying, if one strategy doesn't work, try another. I feel like meditation and other relaxation strategies are the most under-used here, so maybe go down that road? Take good care of yourself.

The down side of AA is discussed in Allan Carr's book, How to Stop Drinking. Certainly AA has helped many people, but we alll need to make our own choices, find our own path.

[Peacefull]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Happy Monday to all my MWO friends,

30 days for me today, wow!! I feel stronger than I have during the past two years with trying to quit. As I mentioned before I too have a couple of friends that put on the peer (beer lol) pressure. We are in our 40's for crying out loud, like it was said though, it is their own insecurity so I need to get over my ppl pleasing and stand up for myself. My very close friends do not pressure at all, maybe that's the difference eh? the others are really "party" friends.

Well, off to start my Monday,

[anon]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Well done Neart what a clever clogs fancy getting a FIRST You must feel so great:goodjob::goodjob:
Sorry you are having a tough time Witchy It is such a hard road we are travelling but we just have to keep getting back up and learn from our mistakes as we all have done failure over and over again.
Firefox hope things are ok for you and you are able to stay strong
Molly I understand the feeling that everyone knows what is best for us BUT go with your gut feeling. I have learned that from this site.
Have a great day Enja, peace, SJ, JC, Sid, Tippy,Dewdrop, Sunbeam, firefox, tired, Doggy
Sorry I have probably missed loads but I am only human--I think
BTW I do not live in Liverpool but over the water /Mersey in the Wirral

[anon]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

30 days Peace WELL DONE!!!!!!

[Hippy Chick]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Witchy, keep your chin up. Dont give up. We are all here for you.
Peace - 30 days is great. Well done.

Nice to see/read so much activity. I am off to bed now as I am knackered.

See you all tomorrow.

Hippy

PS Anon - I asked if you lived in Liverpool as I lived there for 6 months about 20 years ago when I was back packing around the world. I met some people from Edge Hill while I was in Greece and stayed with them for a while. I went to the Wirral a couple of times when we were looking for antiques. Hope you have that lovely Scouse accent although I couldnt understand it too much of the time!!
Hip

[anon]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Hi again--Hello Hippy I have been to Perth Have you been to Liverpool??

[anon]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Crossed Post That is so weird!!! I know Edge Hill and yes Scouse for Dinner tonight

[tired of this addiction]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Hello everyone! Witchy, hang in there! you are back and that is what is important. I know exactly what you mean about not being happy even when buying the bottle, but we do it anyway. This road is not an easy one, but it is easier when our heads our clear and we have each other to lean on.

I am on day 20 today and still feeling good. I made it through the weekend long out of town wedding without even a craving. However, as beautiful as the wedding was without AL it was pretty boring. Everyone was else was drinking, dancing, laughing and I just sat and took it all in. I am not complaining, I am just still too new into this to be able to let myself loosen up in that kind of enviroment. Hopefully I will be able to get over that as time goes on. If not, I have discovered sober people watching is actually fun!

Congrats to everyone who has hit their milestones, there are too many to list but I am excited for each of you!

I am reading "Drinking...a love story". What an insightful book! If any of you havent read it yet, please do. I am only half way through it and it has already opened my eyes to many things that I was afraid of even thinking about and/or discussing.

Have a great sober Monday everyone!

[Spinning J]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Hiya Team Sober September! Congratulations Firefox, Dewdrop and Peace and your 30 days AF! Great stuff. Day 36 for me and I had a good day Hope you are feeling better Witchy. xx

[Dewdrop]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Evening all,

I am going to make this a quickie tonight as I have a few things to get on with, had a really busy day at work and a bit tired. My goodness it has suddenly become quite cool now and you can feel the nip in the air, autumn has certainly arrived as we head for October.

Well done to Peace on 30 days and to Tired for 20, we have come such a long way this month I wonder how many days in total we will have accumulated by the end of the month? And huge congratulations to Neart you deserve a bit pat on the back my girl!

I am feeling good today and have lost 7lbs so far without even trying, I had my hair cut last week into a short style and a colleague told me at lunchtime I look great, better than she?s seen me in ages. However Thursday is going to be a difficult one for me will post more about that when I?ve time, I?ll have my plan in place though and take it odat.

Hope you all had a good Monday

Dewdrop :h

[anon]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Nighty night another AF happy day. 1st day without cravings Day 23 Yippee!

[mollyka]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Just a quick dip in - just in from work and am going to bed soon. Peace, well done you - I said it yesterday and I will say it again - this thread is incredible. I've been here for nearly 2 years (lurking for the first few months!) and I have to say I have never seen such success in a small group of people, bloody well done us!!
Tired, I know what you are saying about the wedding being boring, I find being out in a 'drinking' situation mindlessly boring, I don't know if I will ever find it otherwise so I avoid occasions as often as I can and for the few times I have to go to something I suppose being bored is a small price to pay for the great advantages of sobriety, not least as Dewdrop says the weight seems to fall off without doing anything - I'm the same weight now as I was when I got married 32 yrs ago - have lost over 3 stone in the last year and I feel fit and well.
Hey to Firefox, Anon, Neart, Hips, Sunbeam,SJ,Tired, special hello to Witchy - hope you feeling ok, let us know how you are.
Molly

[choice]

Sober (AF) September Challenge

Hi Everyone,
I have to agree with Molly this thread is so inspirational. I'm doing better, for a few days I was in a bad mood I think. Probably too much time alone on the weekend. I was getting isolated and thinking too much. Man, were my cravings strong while I was alone. It really upset me. I still think it was the right decision not to go to a party while everyone was drinking heavy at this stage. I didn't know what I was getting into with myself or how very shaky I'd be. Talking myself down at times one second at a time. There is a pub across the street from our flat and a wine store that I can see from our window. Honestly they both were almost glowing and it made me dizzy. Little did I know that I could mess with myself so much. I really was biting bullets... geese even last night. I was such a grouch. Although it did inspire a really good workout at the gym so that's positive. Witchy, my heart goes out to you for what I see as very genuine hard work. This addiction is wicked. I see you as really starting to come to terms and that you are "doing this". The alcohol hasn't won, you are picking yourself up and doing your best. hugs. Neart that is great news about high honors!!! Congratulations!!! Enja, I use to have a friend of mine who back in the day would get annoyed with me when I drank too slow. She'd say, "Come on! Drink on your personality..., you really are so boring without a few drinks in you". Then she would order shots and line up two for me insisting I do them really fast. Pretty silly of me to rise to the occasion every time and honestly pretty happy to please the crowd. I think I'm going to tell people that I don't drink anymore as my reason I'm not drinking and see how that goes. I wanted to wait until I had a chunk of AF time before I told folks because I wasn't sure if I could do this and would have felt silly drinking in front of them. After dealing with myself this past weekend... I don't think it's others I need concern myself with during my next 30 days. lol. I think this journey is pretty eyeopening as the days go on.... whew! It feels good to be feeling positive again. And it's September 28th (here) only 2 more days!!!
Thanks everyone, I couldn't have done this without you guys!
Peace and Firefox Congrats on the 30 days!!!!!
-Choice