7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

[Unwasted]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hey SL, good job in passing up the temptation. As they say, we will never regret not having drunk alcohol the night before when we wake up feeling refreshed and unhung.

Have a peaceful and happy weekend.:l

[Tess-2]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Unwasted;1509616 wrote:

My understanding is that we can create new pathways with healthy behaviors like exercise, meditation, enjoying nature, drinking a cup of hot tea, reading a good book, eating healthy foods, doing volunteer work, etc. - things that aren't destructive and that eventually the destructive pathways don't have the power they once did and that the cravings and thoughts can subside.

xx,
UN:l

Dear UN,

I have just met you and I am so happy that you are here!! Try not to feel terribly awful about your "fall from grace." It happened for a reason. You are a gift to All of us.

Thank you for this post. When I decided, in desperation, to get sober in January I didn't really know what to do. MWO was my lifeline. It's interesting to read your post because so many of the things that I forced myself to do, though I did not want to!!, such as yoga, meditation, reading (okay, I'm a bookworm who wanted to read), improvement in diet, etc. were just a "stab in the dark" toward new life. I wasn't too savvy about creating new pathways in the brain, and I'm still not very educated about any of that. I only know that it worked and is still working.

Again, so happy that you are back, and welcome!! :welcome:

[FreeFly]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Liking this thread Nice to see you Ann and yes, how lovely you & Byrd can get together.
Well Friday was sober and looking forward to day 4. Went to the theatre this evening and said no to the pub afterwards. So didn't fancy it. And got to drive home, perfect.
See you Saturday UW, SL, DG, G, Nicey, Free, Tess, KY, K9 and everyone else!

[Unwasted]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Tess, thank you so much.:l I think you're doing great things here and am so impressed with your observations. You sound like a five-year sober veteran to me. And thanks for visiting this thread - I hope you'll come back!!!!

Freefly, so glad you checked in and congrats on day 4. Today was one week for me. Sounds like not drinking was easy for you tonight. Socializing is the trickiest part for me, so I'm impressed!

Goodnight everyone - have a restful night and enjoy your sober Saturday!

xx,
UN:l

[scottish lass]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Happy Saturday all - hope you are all having a good, strong one! So nice to wake up ready to start the day

[FreeFly]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hi all, quick fly-by to say night night. Sober Saturday was peaceful and happy
UW - great job on a week - hope to be there soon.
SL - you're sounding sooo much better. Good to hear.
:lFF

[Unwasted]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hey All,

Had a good sober day today despite having lunch at my biggest drinking haunt. I've never eaten there without drinking until today. Baby steps........the best thing is that I wasn't tempted. I think it's a huge first for me. I don't remember clearly but I think during my seven month sober stint the feeling was different - more along the line of feeling deprived (not the whole seven months but this restaurant would have been a huge challenge for me). I can remember vacationing in Mendocino, California and being at this really cool restaurant and ordering tea or whatever. I actually started crying at the table and had to walk away from my dinner - left it totally and went outside and wept because I wanted wine. I so hope this signifies turning a corner. So much of this is MENTAL!!!

SL and FF glad you are having success too. :l

Pretty quiet weekend for me, so shouldn't have any kind of wavering here. I'm feeling stronger this time. YAY

[Turnagain]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

UW - It sure sounds like you had a breakthrough! You are so right about ditching the deprivation thinking. It sure made a difference for me. In fact, when I started the quit, I forced myself to think about what I was grateful for about sobriety whenever the drinking cravings, triggers, environments...et. al...came up. It worked. I think of it as a massive rewire of the mid-brain while reconditioning the front cortex.

Have you thought about meditating? That's another thing that is really providing some deep calm and contentment in my life. Wish I had done this from the time that I could remember thinking! Builds more gray matter. And that's good - actually great - especially for those of us of a certain age!

You keep giving yourself those well-deserved kudos...and hey...maybe reward yourself with something special? You are doing amazing!

[Unwasted]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hi TA,

Thanks for dropping by! You and I are on the same page about brain research! I'm reading a book right now about how meditation strengthens willpower. I actively meditated during my 7 month stint and it definitely was part of my success. I'm not doing sitting meditation right now only because I feel like I'm doing active meditation all day every day. I live in an incredibly peaceful setting and am fortunate not to have much stress, so I do it that way. Maybe I should reconsider and do sitting med again just as a safety net. It couldn't hurt and I do believe strongly in its effectiveness!

Thanks so much for supporting me and posting here. You are obviously having great success and I truly value your advice!

:lUN

[FreeFly]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Morning all, bright and early hangover free start this Sunday morning. Off to work for my Sunday summer job (another part of the plan to stop me thinking about Al Saturday evenings). It's working.

Turn & UW, I'm glad to hear how meditation is so effective. I found Kryia yoga meditation during the last year and when I practice I don't think about al (so why didn't I always practice ) It takes desire up from the base (addictive) chakra and into the heart. Anyway, began my practice again yesterday and going to stick with it

Have a super sober Sunday everyone :l

[Unwasted]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Good Sunday Morning to Anyone Stopping by Here Today!

FF, I've not heard of Kryia yoga, but it sounds super if it actually deals with addiction and helped you! Do you just do it at home?

Quiet day for me today...

Take good care everyone,

xx,
UN:l

[Tess-2]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hello Unwasted,

Happy Sunday greetings! You sound great!!

The brain research that you speak of is so interesting. During my drinking days (years) I was mostly unaware of the damage that I was doing to my brain. I knew that I was destroying my liver and my heart (via uncontrolled high blood pressure, due to massive and sudden weight gain, due to drinking gallons of beer per day - well, just about!!). Hmm... so you have me thinking about our brains. I assume that our brains can heal, just as our other organs can, unless we've taken the damage too far. I want to explore further the things that I can do to help my brain recover. I practice Bikram yoga ("hot yoga") nearly every day and meditate on a regular basis. I'm hoping for a few more years on planet earth , and would be grateful to have a well functioning brain!!

Again, congrats on the awesome progress that you are making!! :thumbs:

[Unwasted]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hey Tess, I just read a fascinating book on Bikram hot yoga called Hell-Bent. You should check it out!

I agree that the brain research is riveting. I can't for the life of me remember the guy who does the scans or where I learned of him. I thought I read a book by him but can't seem to locate it. I think I need to have my brain scanned for being an airhead. :H I read so many different things and watch related t.v. about the subject - it all starts to run together.

The yoga is touted in all kinds of circles, though, to be sure!

Thanks for the well wishes!!

xx,
UN

[Amazing1]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hi Tess & UN

Hats off to you Tess! I practiced Bikram Yoga for 1 year. There was no way I could have gone every day. 3 days was a max for me. The results were amazing but I must admit I disliked going. I dreaded driving to class and was so happy when it was over. I just downloaded Hell-Bent and am anxious to dive into it. One good thing about Bikram it does sweat the toxins out! I am lost looking for an exercise program I can stick with and haven't been able to settle down into meditation.

[Tess-2]

7 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY BLOWN

Hi UN,

I just ordered Hell-Bent. Thanks for the reference! I use the money that I used to spend on beer for things that enhance my life, books being one of them!!

Bikram yoga is definitely not for everyone. A neighbor gave it a try a few weeks ago (because she was impressed that I was losing weight so quickly). She said that she absolutely hated every second of the class and that she would never, ever go back!! :toohot: The yoga is sort of love/hate for me: love the results (physical, mental, spiritual), but don't always love the class!!

I'm off to a birthday celebration for my father-in-law. It's fabulous to know that I will be happy with iced tea while others are drinking beer and wine. I never thought I'd see this day of freedom. Words cannot describe it!!

Thanks again. ~