Sober October Challenge!

[mollyka]

Sober October Challenge!

Janey Mac lads, thought I was up in the middle of the night (where is that shagging sleep fairy, gonna ring her neck!!) and you lot are all up an buzzing already!!
Notice the little 'thoughts' are creeping in???? I find that the most dangerous time and succumbed twice! It's very easy when we have a decent few days/weeks/months under our belts to forget just what a bad place we've come from - for me anyway. Choice, I read somewhere that something else 'clicks' round the 6 months mark, I think it was something to do with 'neurotransmitters' (help SOMEBODY, I am soooo out of my depth here), anyway remember reading it and thinking it sounded good, cos after a couple of months it just seems like all the improvements have happened and that I was just treading water so to speak.
Anon, you amaze me with marathons etc. I was never much of a runner even in my superfit days (was mad into sport in the day) but have dabbled with thoughts - we have a gorgeous beach just down the road and it's vast and isolated - often think it would be a great place to start a bit of jogging without feeling foolish!
I HATE, ABHOR photos of myself, but I think they are truly grotesque - don't actually think it's low self esteem - think it's realism:H, as for you young Neart, I KNOW how pretty you are so 'kick up the backside time' for you girl. I actually look back at photos of myself in my 20's and 30's and I really wish I'd known how good I looked - what a waste!!
Morning SJ and Dewdrop, SJ 57 days :goodjob:, and Dewdrop, I reckon vigilance is something we have to live with forever - small price to pay tho isn't it
Booked a hol last night - heading off to Canaries Stephens day for a week - can't wait!! This time last year hubs mentioned going on a holiday and I remember thinking he had LOST HIS MARBLES - how could ANYONE go on a holiday sober! Wow, when I was booking last night, never once thought about drinking or otherwise - I love love love this new life!!
Molly

[Peacefull]

Sober October Challenge!

Good morning everyone,

Nice to read everyone's posts. I don't know how I am feeling this week, could it be contentment??? Wow, feels nice

Just realized that I had so much alone time the past weekend and didn't have any cravings, being alone is my main trigger. I am getting stronger and reading about everyone's same struggles and accomplishments truly helps.

I am stressing a bit about a get together coming up with a couple that AL is always a part of our evenings. I really like them and we always have tons of fun, I know I am strong enough not to not drink but I am not looking forward to the questioning. Must stay true to myself, I hate the thought of drinking and am loving my life so much right now that I know I am not meant to be a drinker.

Molly, I can relate to the sober holiday thinking even though my most memorable holidays were AF. There were some good ones with AL, but the majority of the holiday was ruined with anxiety.

Take care MWO friends :h

[mollyka]

Sober October Challenge!

Morning Peace! I also have a couple of friends that when we went out were always 'drink-linked', Have to say I'm still avoiding them - tho in fairness to me, since they heard I wasn't drinking, they're avoiding me as well!!
SJ, just reading back here and I underrated your AF time by 2 days - sorry - all these days are precious!!
Better go and have a shower and get to work. Was planning on doing the divil and all in the house this morning - I HAVE DONE NOTHING. Still I live with men so even if the place is mankey they don't notice, so now I feel really good cos I've saved myself a whole load of work, I love this 'Mindfullness' thinking:H:H
Molly

[Choochie]

Sober October Challenge!

HI Sober October Challenge People - Newbie here just dropping in to remind you guys how valuable your informtion is to others. So good to know what to watch for and what to look forward to.

Thank you!
Choochie - day 16 AF and sleeping like I never "dreamed" possible.

[Spinning J]

Sober October Challenge!

Hiya Choochie, Molly, Neart, Peace, JC, Anon, Enja, Dewdrop, Choice and anyone else I've missed! Phew!
'I carried a watermelon' ! My fav bit of the film. Love it! Hey Choice we made it to 60 tomorrow! After that I will be counting the months too. Well done on your AF party:goodjob:.
Dewdrop it sound like you enjoyed your meal out without booze. It's funny cos when I was drinking I wouldn't drink during a meal just before and after cos it spoiled the taste of my food! So I don't even like the taste of alcohol just the effect. Alen Carr talks a lot about that in his book. Very interesting !
Molly I bet you are looking forward to your hols sounds good! I wish I could go back to mine and do it sober although if I did that I wouldn't have learned from it and would still be stuck in the cycle of abstaining and binging I suppose! I went to Gran Canaria years ago at this time of year it was great and lovely weather!
Choochie well done on your 16 days AF I'm so pleased that you are sleeping like a 'dream' :H.
Have a good evening/ morning everyone.
:l :h

[neart]

Sober October Challenge!

Well hello everyone! I am just back from my 4th interview in as many months...they were really lovely and my old history teacher from school was interviewing! I don't think I got it though, but it was good practice. It keeps me from losing heart completely!!

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well - well done on 60 days Choice and Spinning :goodjob:

Choochie, so glad you're sleeping well :l

Molly - I am the same - my folks were away for a few days and I had great plans to clean the place up but when it came to doing it, I just wasn't interested! And re drinking friends - I could probably delete a lot of numbers off my phone at this stage, but I don't mind. The friends who stick by you are the one's worth keeping, arent they. And to be honest, I know in my own drinking days that I would have been a lot less likely to call on someone I knew didn't drink - I just thought they were boring. How awful of me! I really thought that - unbelievable. Not something I'm proud of. But, onwards and upwards - now I think the drunks are the boring ones :H

[Dewdrop]

Sober October Challenge!

Hi all,

Just got back home, am unpacked and tucked up safely in bed with a cup of fennel tea and a chockie biscuit. It is so good to be in my own bed, early this morning about 2am a couple in the room across from me had a blazing row that went on for ages. Then there was banging on their door by hotel security and all the commotion that then went on in the hallway. I couldn?t get back to sleep for ages so it?s nice to be in my own home with some peace and quiet. The best thing about visiting London is coming home ? apologies to anyone from London but it is just too busy, noisy and dirty for me.

I?m glad you are all doing well and hanging in there, I?ve a very busy day tomorrow so am heading for an early night, I think I will sleep like a baby. I am just so happy tonight that I am AF and didn?t cave in yesterday. Oh and how cool are Choice and Spinning with 60 days tomorrow :goodjob:

Dewdrop :h

[choice]

Sober October Challenge!

I just read everyone's posts and got a huge smile.
I'll have to see about what happens to the brain at 6 months AF. Sounds cool.
I found a juicer at a second hand shop and bought it. (saved myself heaps of $). So now I'm all obsessed with my morning juice... :H I think I'm getting kind of annoying with all my health babble outside of this virtual world. :H:H
Well, I'm off for a swim because I feel so sore from yoga and this "pump" class I've been doing... whew! I just want to be weightless and hugged by water.
Take care all! :l:h
Yay us Spinning I am so proud of our 60 days AF tomorrow!!

[Choochie]

Sober October Challenge!

Choice, I so hear you. Think I'm a "born again" nutritionist. - Dewdrop - I used to travel a lot and have almost given it up - lots of downside for sure. I am really hooked on my "own space."

[neart]

Sober October Challenge!

Oops - Spinning and Choice - I got in a day early!

Anon, so glad you got through the trip okay - not nice being kept up like that. Choice, I know what you mean - I had to tone it down a little outside of this site as I was getting a bit preachy what with not drinking and not smoking - I could hear it in myself really, and then it was gently pointed out to me by a good friend! So now I try to keep my thoughts to myself or restrict them to people I know feel the same. It reminds me of something I read by Deepak Chopra - he said only share your dreams with a few people, with people who will support you and who have the same outlook as you. It's helped me a bit learning to take decisions on my own and also in not telling everyone everything, which I used to do!

Hope everyone's having a good night I am watching When Harry Met Sally - starting to realise why it's been one of my favourite films for years! I am so sad...

[anon]

Sober October Challenge!

Hi Everyone
I feel like I have let me and everyone down as I caved in last night. I only had a half a bottle of wine and would have drunk more if it was not for the idea of the consequences of drinking. I do not know why I had to drink that wine it did not even taste nice. Does this mean I am back to square one and have to start the fight again??
I am off for a run and a big think about the battle.
Sorry to whinge but I HATE ALCOHOL.

[anon]

Sober October Challenge!

At least I was still sober when I went to bed! Also no hangover, So count my blessings and back on the wagon. I LOVE THIS SITE.

[Peacefull]

Sober October Challenge!

Good morning,

Good that you stopped at half a bottle Anon, that is a huge accomplishment. The fact that you didn't enjoy it is another thing, now you can think about how you didn't even enjoy it will keep you from picking it up again. Don't beat yourself up, pat yourself on the back for stopping.

One of the reasons I think about modding one day is to be able to enjoy that glass or two of wine and that's it - once in awhile as well not regularly. It really can be the best of both worlds if I knew 100% that I would not go down that slippery slope again. But, right now that is not an option, way too early in my journey to tackle that yet.

Well, had another drinking dream - hence the mod talk lol....I can't wait for them to subside, I am never drinking in the dreams but really on the verge of before I wake up. I am feeling good, but am not liking that this addiction is invading my dreams when during my waking hours I am doing good. Must be the book I am reading, maybe it's time to take a break from addiction stories eh?

I hope everyone has a wonderful AF Thursday - this day doesn't trigger cravings anymore...Day 53, longest in years and for that I am thankful to you all. :thanks::groupluv:

[Choochie]

Sober October Challenge!

Anon, oh, I'm so sorry you had a disappointing night. I just have to thank you, though, for being honest and posting here. But, I really hope you can go back to being AF because you know that you'll just ramp up. If you're like me you already know you can't moderate (or maybe you plan in the future to try moderating???). Anyway, we are here for you. Run, run, run!!

Peace, so well done on your 53 days - can't wait to get there. Too strange about your dreams. I love reading addiction stories but luckily they haven't invaded my subconscious yet! I don't think I'll ever be able to have wine with dinner again - and for some reason the thought doesn't appeal to me because I don't want to ever get my cravings started again. I think if I did that something would trigger again in my brain.

Hope everyone has a wonderful AF day!

Hugs,
Choochie

[anon]

Sober October Challenge!

Thank you Choocie and Peace for you kind words. I am back from my run and done lots of thinking.
I think I can moderate but in my heart I know it is impossible as the wine might have tasted foul but I really just wanted the buzz and thank goodness I managed to stop in time.

LESSON LEARNED!