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    Three Weeks Today!

    First, for myself: Links to My First Post and My Friends and Depression threads.

    I am AF for three weeks, and it is for ME.

    There have been times in the past when I thought it was for me, but honestly I think it was for someone/something else. It was because I "thought I should," or to try to win back my wife. Those things are still important to me, but I've come to the point where I am realizing that being AF needs to be a part of me, my identity, no matter what happens with any relationship or job or social status in the future. One day at a time, but this is something I need to remember every day.

    This feels really good right now. The forum has helped make this a more personal quest. I really do believe I can keep doing this. I'm hoping there are no bumps along the way, but between MWO and a few AA meetings a week, kudzu, vitamins and simply staying out of the liquor store, I've avoided those bumps for three weeks.

    And this, during one of the hardest phases of my life. (Well, actually it's no different than the past two or three years, but it has the capacity to get better when I don't drink!)

    This morning I saw a brilliant post by Kimberley to Jewels83:

    Kimberley;1044410 wrote: Hi Jewels,1, You should always sort out your drinking completely and utterly for YOU. If others benefit or it improves your relationships then thats great, but make sure you know what your focus is. Otherwise, if you did split up, its so easy to just go back to drinking becasue your reason is gone for being sober. So keep your eyes on yourself rather than the prize if you know what I mean.

    2, No relationship will ever work in the long-term if you are hiding things and being dishonest. I'm not saying you fess up and tell him all your drinking past if you don't want to (I do tend to do this though, for my own reasons), but you have to be honest with him in the here and now.
    This reminder not only helps J83, but it helps me, too. It's another reason the forum is very valuable to me, and I thank you (Kimberley and all else!) for your words of wisdom, words that are unafraid to speak the truth in love. You've been there, you see our struggles, you help us as we help each other.

    NOW -- if only I could quit smoking. (J83s post reminded me that I long for this, too.)

    I've been smoking like a chimney since quitting AL. Do we have dedicated threads for that? That needs to be my next step. Why would I want to quit killing myself over the drink only to eventually kill myself over cigarettes? Not only that, but I feel worse after smoking a lot, it makes my breath smell, and it doesn't produce anything of value. Ever.

    Peace, ya'all. You are still a great lift. :thanks:

    #2
    Three Weeks Today!

    Yay for Sona!!

    Way to go Sona. You know I'm right beside you! Loving the 3 weeks Have a great day.
    Bean

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      #3
      Three Weeks Today!

      So glad to hear from you, and so quickly on the forum! I was going to PM you today to make sure you're still with me. We are doing it, Bean! And the truth that we MUST remember is that if we can string together three weeks like this, we can continue for today, and then tomorrow do the same. I worry about relapse, I do, but this small history that we've built here should 1.) Encourage us to NOT relapse, and 2.) Know that it's not the end of the world if one of us does. But that is no reason, so excuse to relapse. We've built a great foundation, let's see if we can get to a month!

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        #4
        Three Weeks Today!

        Congratulations on 3 weeks to both Sona and Bean!
        Alcohol Free since 11/29/10!

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          #5
          Three Weeks Today!

          Thank you Lily! You remain an inspiration.

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            #6
            Three Weeks Today!

            Congrats Sona and Bean! You guys should be so proud of yourselves.....WE ARE!!! YAY!!!!!!
            February 27th, 2013. A New , Successful Start. :h

            When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top!!

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              #7
              Three Weeks Today!

              Thank you, Wagoneer! You've been there from the beginning of this and I've appreciated your help along the way!

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                #8
                Three Weeks Today!

                We're all just one drink away from day one. And we're in this together So glad to hear you so positive. That is really a big part of the battle!
                February 27th, 2013. A New , Successful Start. :h

                When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top!!

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                  #9
                  Three Weeks Today!

                  Congratulations Sona!!! :goodjob:

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                    #10
                    Three Weeks Today!

                    Thanks, mylife! Let's get this party started!

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                      #11
                      Three Weeks Today!

                      Hey sona,

                      Massive congrats on three weeks...it's a huge achievement and you should be very proud.

                      I know what you mean about the cigs. I should really quit too but I like smoking! I know it sounds awful but I am not harming anyone else (I don't subject others to my smoke) and I am just not ready. Maybe one day!

                      L x
                      'Breakfast, every hour, it could save the world.' Tori Amos

                      "Turn a stumbling block into a stepping stone."

                      AF since 23rd December 2010 - progession is paramount! :truce:

                      "don't be sad because it's over, smile because it happened!"

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                        #12
                        Three Weeks Today!

                        :yay: CONGRATS SONA & BEAN ON YOUR 3 WEEKS AF!!!!

                        Kepp up the great work

                        Sona, I am 20 months smoke free today.....go to Quitnet!
                        AF since 03/26/09
                        NF since 05/19/09
                        Success comes one day at a time :thumbs:

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                          #13
                          Three Weeks Today!

                          hey sona!
                          i'm at day 19 today, so just a breath behind you. hooray! and i, too, am smoking as if i love it, but i don't. smoking much more often than i did when drinking, yek. (i, too, have wondered about a thread about this.) but i will quit soon, i suppose. just today i was thinking about considering (pretty non-committal!) a quit date for that. my strongest concern, though, is that i stay sober. (OAAT -one addiction at a time.) smoking has been like my 'reward' for not drinking. yet, as you basically said, it brings very little of anything pleasurable. let me know if you can think of a substitute for cigs. (i'm wondering if i could find the time to become a work-out freak, and just suddenly become repulsed by the smokes. hmm... ) anyway, stay strong. i'm always glad to read your posts. you've been with me since i jumped on, a fellow newbie. onward and upward!
                          rudyb

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                            #14
                            Three Weeks Today!

                            Hi Sona, and congrats on your three weeks. I am glad that you are doing this for you. Keep up the great work.
                            Hill
                            Sober since Feb 7, 2010.

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                              #15
                              Three Weeks Today!

                              Tagging on to Sona's thread

                              I'd like to thank you all too for your support and encouragement these last few weeks. I like that there's a good mix of newbies, people with a few months under their belts and then people like Lav and Hill who are just provinding amazing inspiration. :thanks:

                              I had the tiniest craving tonight and it was probably because I was out all day, hadn't eaten since lunch and had to walk past 2 liquor stores on my way home. But I resisted..bought some 'near beer' and now am home having a cup of tea instead! Funny how in the scheme of things the cravings are really quite fleeting but when they hit, they are all consuming for that moment.

                              I'm sorry for you folks out there trying to quit smoking too. I quit around ten years ago and it was sheer determination that got me through the cravings. What I noticed and hang onto in my AF journey now is that it was not very long before I realised I hadn't thought about smoking all morning...which then stretched into a whole day, then a few days...a week and eventually I started to look at smokers and think 'what a freaking weird thing to do!!". I have smoked very occasionally in the years since then and one time about 5 years ago was smoking on holiday. I bought some tobacco when I got home but threw it away after a couple of days as I realised I was looking forward to having a ciggie at the end of the work day (this was a time when I was trying to be AF so I used it as a reward) and then I realized I was getting hooked again and I no longer consider myself a smoker and I never plan on going back there. Smoking really holds no appeal for me at all any more. I dislike the way it controlled my life when I did it, made my clothes, hair and breath stink and it's SO expensive. At least AL gets you into an altered state!

                              I hope one day that I come to view AL in the same way as I do smoking but not sure if that will happen. They have different effects and associations in my mind and smoking is much less acceptable these days while drinking is still such a big cultural norm.

                              Have you guys heard of 'Bucket Lists'? It's a list you make of all the things you want to do before you kick the bucket. I have made one and it's especially motivating and exciting to plan goals that a) I wouldn't be able to afford if I was drinking and b) wouldn't have the energy, motivation or stamina to attempt if I was drinking.

                              They say that we are always motivated by the avoidance of pain or the pursuit of pleasure. For me, initially it's helpful to think of the bad parts of drinking but I find that the memories fade after a while AF. What keeps me going is giving daily thanks for what I was able to do that day because I was AF and how happy I feel and what I can do tomorrow that will be fun because I'm not hungover.

                              So far seems to be working! 3 weeks today. Bring on a month!!
                              Bean

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