Small achievements

[Mema]

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Really wonderful post VG!

Today after I helped coached speech at my kids school I hung around and talked to the kids and other coaches and had a wonderful time. Just a week ago I was anxious to get out of there because it was 5:30 and I wanted the day to be over so I could go home and cook dinner and start my wine. What a happy difference this Friday is from last Friday!

[louie]

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I love this thread VG!

Shiner, your dog would have loved you!! I love walking our two Boys, but with no booze and a clear head, I really enjoy it in the mornings, there is nothing like their happy faces and wagging tails to get me in the right frame of mind in the morning.

[Anjicia]

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Its great to able to watch a film and remember it all and the same with reading. To wake up without a hangover is a blessing and to enjoy eating healthy and taking care of yourself. On a bad bender i would sit around all day in a grubby tracksuit and not shower for days. Going out only to top up my wine supply. What a life i never want to go back to that dark place again. Isoliating yourself and trying to hide your drinking is such a lonely life.

[mollyka]

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Great thread,and I too love your idea Hills - so easy for a bbq or something - nobody needs have THAT conversation which I still hate frankly.
Yesterday evening coming home in the car, I also felt that little empty something in my head Fri evening end of the weeks work and I spoke out loud to myself 'this is a 'witching hour' moment, it will be gone in half an hour' - and it was.
The other thing for me was my hubs and I have had an uncomfortable relationship (in more ways than one) with my nondrinking. For the last year or so it was like he was 'forbidding' me to drink instead of me - so we talked it through and FOR ME I stress that cos it wouldn't work for lots of folks, he no longer has anything to do with it. We went out for a meal last night and I asked him what he was drinking and he said he'd have a glass of wine and then GASP he said 'do you want one' and I very happily said 'no thanks'! Felt great!
Molly

[hillsidetime]

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Molly, great call on the witching hour, like urge surfing, it will pass, and it did. It does feel good when we say no thanks, and we mean it.

Keep up the great work everyone,
Hill

[Kimberley]

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What a lovely idea for a thread VG. For me a lot of it is doing things I have NEVER done entirely sober in my life, and there are lots of them. (Yeh I used to be an all-day, all occasions drinker) The first time I danced in public without a drink or drug in me was uncomfortable but I DID IT despite feeling really self-conscious (funny cos i've always been complimented on my 'funky stuff' ).

So even though I didn't go all out, I have hope that in future I will not even bat an eyelid when my fave track comes on and i get that just-have-to-get-on-the-dancefloor feeling rather than holding back.

K x

[crazyforwine]

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For me, after only one week AF, I see a tremendous increase in self care. When I am drinking, this just goes down the drain. For the past few days I have good about brushing my teeth, getting a nice haircut, going for a run, eating healthy food. I just bought some multivitamins and a calcium supplement. I reached out to a friend to run with me. It's scary how small my life becomes when I drink. It's just drink, sleep, muddle ineffectively through work, and the same thing, over and over!

Here's to taking care of ourselves!

[coalfire]

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Becoming a day time person instead of a creature of the night.I get up really early now and everything happens during the day for me. If I meet friends I meet them during the day for shopping luch cinema etc. Come 9pm I start to get tired in a nice way and I have a bath and head to bed around 10pm.That was normally my time to be in the pub or to sit at home drinking.The old early to bed early to rise adage really helps me and your body gets used to it very quickly and comes to expect it. I was a night time drinker so if you shorten the night time you shorten the witching time.

[Mema]

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Wow, this really is a great thread! Molly I love your story, it really hits a chord with me. I hate being told what to do, it feels so much better to have everyone realize it's YOUR choice, and I choose not to drink...thank you very much!

Great Stuff!

[damo180]

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crazyforwine;1075262 wrote: For me, after only one week AF, I see a tremendous increase in self care. When I am drinking, this just goes down the drain. For the past few days I have good about brushing my teeth, getting a nice haircut, going for a run, eating healthy food. I just bought some multivitamins and a calcium supplement. I reached out to a friend to run with me. It's scary how small my life becomes when I drink. It's just drink, sleep, muddle ineffectively through work, and the same thing, over and over!

Here's to taking care of ourselves!

Couldnt have put it better Crazy "self care" I am experiencing a lot of that.
I would like to think I am taking care of my wife, boys and home so much better also.

Hope all our well

Damo in Dublin

[crazyforwine]

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And yes, Damo. your point about taking care of your family is so true! I feel like I have a bit more energy and time to spend with my kids and am not just biding time til I can have that drink, or worse, hiding that drink, plotting on having more, and generally just being consumed by AL.

I also feel like a certain amount of depression has lifted, and not due to "pride" at what I have accomplished-it really hasn't been very long that I haven't been bingeing -- but I think it's a biochemical change that happens when you stop the depressing effects of AL. This came on day five, and was kind of a surprise; it was like the veil lifted!

Everyone, have a good day!

CforW

[jane jane]

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I hit the two-week milestone yesterday, and for the first time, thought, "I can do it for good this time." Amen to the clear-eyed mornings, extra energy, and NO POUNDING HEADACHES! Bliss, bliss, bliss.

[vintage girl]

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I posted this in the nest yesterday, thought I'd share it with you guys here too. Had a really bad cold and my husband brought a bottle of brandy home to make me a toddie. I had to ask him to get it out of the house. I was feeling so low and it would have been so easy to have one or two for 'medicinal' reasons.

My husband drinks very little and I had to have a conversation that I had been putting off. I told him that I was trying to stay off AL for a while as it was affecting my exercise regime, he just said 'fair enough, I'll give it to my Mum', took it out to the car and left it there.

I am so thankful I found the strength to say no when confronted by it, six weeks ago I'd have been ripping his arm off!

(well done on the two weeks jane-jane!)

And I totally relate to everything posted here, especially the self-care thing.