Newbies in need day 5

[aduggan]

Good morning everyone! Sorry I am so late!! Had a bad night and because it was Saturday a slept in. Anhow, made it past day 8 and my two social evenings without a drink. Good luck for the rest of the weekend everyone. Keep posting!

[weemelonhead]

Newbies in need day 5

Hi Aduggan............what are you late for????? You are only late if you are in Kiwi a gogo land like moi, as I am ahead of evryone else here, living in a time zone in the future as I do...most of the others are either in bed, or still at work yesterday...weird innit???
Good on you for day 8 my friend....waaaaaayyyyyy to gooooooooo...specially with the 'social evenings', there are loads of times that can be so tough when you are trying to get your head round this stuff...good to have had a lie in...I'm off to bed in a mo as it is nearly 10pm here on Satdee night in Noo Zealand, so enjoy your day

[Keepon!!!!]

Newbies in need day 5

Hi addugen this is day 17 AF for me feeling good, although last night the cravings were strong mentally not physically, i just ignored them snuggled up on sofa with my son who is 8 and we watched a film which took my mind off the feelings i had woo hoo! I hope i can be strong like that all the time if i neva found this site a week ago im sure last night i would have give in to temptation so thank you all you keep me on the straight and narrow and im learning alot of stuff that i didnt know....big hugs to you all........luv Keepon:l

[bird]

Newbies in need day 5

Hi all,
Did not make it through my day 4.Made it home ok but remebered I'd forgot to go to library. Loaded up the kids and off we went.Went to grocery and managed to get past beer isle.On the way home stopped and bought beer.Kept thinking how was I going to sit and do nothing if I was sober.Kept thinking if I was sober I'd be cleaning and running around.Couldnt think how that would be much better.Must take up knitting or some sedintary sit in chair thing to do on those lazy feeling eves.Luckily I slept well and do not feel too bad this a.m. Luck to all today. Bird

[Beaches]

Newbies in need day 5

Enjoying reading all your posts, great thread.

[aduggan]

Newbies in need day 5

Don't worry bird, just start again today. Remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Amanda

[Janice]

Newbies in need day 5

Morning everyone - nevermind bird, it was just a blip. Good luck for today. Janice

[Mags]

Newbies in need day 5

You're all fabulous. I love reading your posts. You make my day and cheer me up. Good luck to all of you and keep up the great work
///////////////// :l

[retteacher]

Newbies in need day 5

Hi All:

Bird: I know exactly how you felt. I sometimes feel I cannot relax wo/wine. I really think I'm going to have to learn how. 2 AF days in a row for me & am still hoping to see a string of zeros on my drink tracker. This is such a great thread. I love reading the success stories, Keepon & Aduggan. It keeps me very hopeful. Thank you all.

[aduggan]

Newbies in need day 5

That is brilliant retteacher. I am sooooo proud of you. I know you have been struggling. Maybe this is it!! Keep on going. It is worth it. I already feel tons better. Dont get me wrong I do get my rough days, but I know my body is much healthier and I am now starting to sleep really well, a deep proper sleep not interrupted by alcohol. It feels great. The headaches have gone as well.

[bird]

Newbies in need day 5

I posted a "what do you do to relax" post on general.Hopefully there will be some good ideas we can use.Check it out later.Bird

[nancy]

Newbies in need day 5

Well, day 5 for me too.

I have a temporary unrelated illness that is making me more health-conscious.
Since I got it a good deal of the cravings have gone so there must be a huge psychological component in dependency, at least forme.

I can't sleep so I took a sleeping pill last night. I don't like to do that, but after two nights of no sleep, i figured i could take one.

I find myself exhausted after work. Something that is interesting, which I thought about last night... without the wine I have to deal with all the anxiety and overthinking. my own mind drives me crazy. when you are not drinking, you become aware of these things that lead you to drink. My breathing is shallow.

Sometimes i focus on remembering the messages from the hypno CDs (even though i could only manage to do them for one week due to impatience and falling asleep during the sessions). They stress letting things go, removing all hindrances that keep you from being what you could be.

Generally I am feeling very good. I view this is a more healthy lifestyle. I remind myself of messages from Allan Carr's Easyway books to put the use of alcohol in society in perspective. I view alcohol as a drug that creates dependence in people to varying degrees. Socially, most people think you have to have it in order to have a good time. that is a form of dependency.

Once the sleeping problem resolves, i would like to spend evenings doing something other than watching TV.

Do you guys have Netflix? I have a lot of interesting films in the queue.

Other than lack of sleep, I feel very good. I am making a positive change and am doing it in line with changes in nutrition. I still intend to moderate.

[zincityzen]

Newbies in need day 5

This is day 6 for me and I feel very happy that I managed to get through a nice party with friends last night with just drinking club soda, no one noticed, no one said anything. I did pile on the sweets, so that's something I need to address, but hey, hey, generally I've gotten pretty lit, 4-5 glasses, plus the (short) drive home if hubby isn't there. I actually had a stab of wariness about being pulled over and then I realized I was just a little sleepy. WOW.

[imatree]

Newbies in need day 5

Hello fellow newbies (and also the wisest, most beautiful collection of people I've
ever had the pleasure of hanging with),

Is it too cheesey to say I'm proud of myself? I haven't been AF this week
as I had hoped, but have been moderate compared to usual. And rather than beat myself
up about not achieving AF yet, I'm being more sensible and feeling good about
what I have accomplished so far.

I come from a long line of alcoholics. Surrounded by them all my childhood. After
my abused 16 yo brother killed himself when I was 12, my parents tried to quit drinking
and we went to family counseling. The counselor was awesome. The only thing I didn't
like was that he told me, when I was 14, that based on my family history, I had
a 90% chance of being an alcoholic by the time I was 30. I said HELL NO I WON"T!!
I have remembered that every year of my adulthood, and lived in denial for a very
long time (i'm 41 now). I couldn't bear thinking of myself as that A word,
someone like the adults I knew as a child... abusive, vulgar, in shambles.

For the past year I have come a long way in letting go of the denial (though I still
won't refer to myself as the A word). I know that I am addicted to alcohol,
and that it is as much or more a physiological issue as a mental or emotional problem.
This latter has come mostly since I've been on this website, just over a week.
That has been a biggie - to not consider myself a weak loser. To not take the addiction
personally, but rather look at it more objectively - as in, this is a health problem
and I need to deal with it, for if I don't my health is endangered, my life
is much less than fully lived, and my potential to be my all is seriously compromised.
That's all. I have this problem, and I am going to deal with it. I am going
to heal.

So I'm proud of myself for moderating my drinking this week. And I am immensely
grateful that I have had the major shifts in my consciousness I have had since I
have joined this community of wondrous souls. I know I will heal.

I'm getting almost teary eyed now, thinking of this. You all really are beautiful.
I am forever grateful to RJ for bringing us together and to everyone here for sharing
their Selves.

Love and blessings,
Sue

[aduggan]

Newbies in need day 5

Oh Sue. Well done. You are doing so well. Keep it up. I too am 41 and my father was an alcoholic so we have a lot in common. We are all here for you. Amanda