Christmas Day New Start

[MWOLady]

:new: Merry Christmas everyone. Here it is Christmas morning and I'm on the computer, wishing I had not had that wine at dinner last night....but you all know the story...

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I can't think of a better day to start my sober journey than this one. I need a lot of support and I hope to join in on the discussions to lend my support to others. I will be posting mostly on the day-to-day thread, and the 30-day one too.

I have a great incentive to make today my start day as our parish priest is coming for Christmas dinner! I don't want to be slurring my words, dripping the gravy on the table, or having my rosacea flare up and make my face Rudolph Red while he's here. So no wine for me!! I'll gradually get into sharing my story as I go along.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. And I hope you all out there are doing what you really want to do today: either be sober and happy, or in control and happy!!!

[Wally22]

Christmas Day New Start

Merry Christmas MWO lady.
What a fabulous present to yourself. I hope your day goes really well and dinner is perfect for you and your esteemed guests.

[Struggles 106]

Christmas Day New Start

MWO Lady

Merry Christmas! I wish you well in your quest to stay sober. For years every holiday was an
excuse to drink. Now that I've been AF for a while I can see the patterns of thinking that were
predominant.
This is a great place for support. It's great to be able to talk to people who have been there, and share stories that everyone can relate to. For me it is a huge help to know that I'm not the worst person in the world, that others have experienced the same thing. Things like waking up with an injury with NO idea how it happened. Things like being told "Do you remember what you did last night?" IMO there is nothing worse than the terror of a blackout.
To be moving through the world with absolutely no awareness of it---this to me is terrifying.

On a happier note-you have taken the big step of saying, writing, that you know it's a problem and you have to so something. You are ahead of the game so to speak. I know people who are drunk literally every day who deny they even have a problem. Very weird to me.

Good luck and please do come back and share.

[WineSucks]

Christmas Day New Start

MWOLady - I'm with you.....I had been doing pretty good but had wine last night with dinner and while wrapping presents and today I wish I hadn't. So, I'll join you on your journey and I look forward to reading your updates.

Ann - I've been reading your posts and your words are inspirational. Congrats on meeting your goals!

Merry Christmas everyone and here is to a happy, healthy and sober 2012!

[MWOLady]

Christmas Day New Start

MWOLady's Intro

Hi everyone. Here's a bit of what I've been thinking as I make this BIG decision:

Reality Check: I don't drink very much - usually 2 large glasses of wine per night, one before and one during. Many people would be amazed that I think this is a problem. But of course the kicker is that I can't stop. I think about wine when I wake up in the morning - oh, I wish I could quit, oh, I wish I had not had the wine last night, oh, what can I do.....so yes, I DO HAVE A PROBLEM - IT'S CALLED ADDICTION!!!! And it's been going on, sometimes much much much worse, sometimes better - even years with abstinence - but now I'm stuck back in the "I wish" mode...

Reasons to Quit: 1) I can't stop when I want to and I hate that helpless feeling, 2) I hate that buzzed feeling - not the relaxed feeling, but that fuzzy head feeling, 3) I can't say my bedtime prayers, 4) my face and especially my nose gets red and puffy, 5) I don't like that I wake up in the night because the booze wears off and often I have a headache, 6) I can't participate like I usually can in social settings, I get slurry and just want to go home even with only two or three at a party, 7) my past life is full of blackouts, bad parenting, many passed out nights, many terrible hangovers, many embarrassing encounters the next day, many bad decisions....there are more but that's plenty!!!

My Plan: I hope to go day to day with this. I have some supplements to take, and I also plan to get busy around the danger time and distract myself. As it's the New Year coming up I can use that to make new plans so my DH won't notice that I'm aiming at sobriety (he drinks every night, he doesn't get drunk, but he won't stop even to help me - he says it's good for his heart - yeah, right). I want to get more exercise, have good snacks and alternative drinks ready for late afternoon when I get antsy and hungry/thirsty.

Share My Plan: well, I'm sharing with all of you! But I am going to share with my dear sister and my dearest gal pal too and I know they will support me.

Evaluate Progress: I'll do that here, and post regularly

So that's it. I'm feeling pretty good right now. Got my mince tarts done, turkey's in the oven, DH and dog gone for a walk so all is peaceful. Around 3 I'll take another 5THP and another L-glut and just chill......thanks for your responses and support!