JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

[bluesky]

Good Day to all, a bit overcast this morning in France today. Thanks for starting us off yesterday Louise and hope you are feeling just as happy today. Kitty, great to have you back, we all know you are going through a super hard time and that's what we are all here for - to help each other - in every walk of our lives - not just alcohol, so be strong and remember we are only ever a click away. Janice, thanks so much for your encouragement to keep the June thread going, you are right, even though we are only a few, we should keep it going for each other and I think we should spread the word to the newcomers that the June thread exists as it is a great help when starting out. I'll check on the boards today and shout the word. Janice I know your Mum is coming home today, we are all thinking about you and hope that things go as well as can be expected. Hart - we all love you - hope your eye gets better and a great congratulations on reaching AF day 30 today:goodjob: - :flower: :flower: -. How is the weight issue going Hart? I had loads and loads of encouragement from Niblet, she is a mine of information and has helped me tremendously! As for our minds and spirits - I can't say enough, exercise, exercise, exercise, no matter how short a time or how strenuous it really does help! Have a great day and speak soon.

Quote for today:

O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! that we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts!

~William Shakespeare, Othello

Love to all.

Bluesky :h

[Kitty]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Morning Blue & everyone,

Had a pretty good sleep last night and today will be my 2nd day af (fingers crossed!)

I'm off into town in a bit to go and register with some more job agancies. It's been alot more difficult than I thought it would be to get a job. Pretty overcast here but I don't think it will rain which is good.

Have a good day everyone, and I'll check in again later.

Kitty

[tea]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Morning Blue, love the quote! Day two AF and feeling fabby! Have a good day all.

L

[Change]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Well, i'm going to chime in, if helps to keep the thread going, then i am all for it.

Kitty, congratulations for registering at several job agencies.

I am not sure where i should post this here, or start a new thread (have started 2 already today, feel guilty for starting more), so here goes:

Thinking about drinking, and reading what typically happens to people who drink, i realised i have lost motivation and enjoyment of the things i used to like.

So, what i want to know, what is ONE thing you used to like and enjoy (even if it seems trivial - it probably isn't), and which you have given up? Can you see the possibility of doing it again?

What are everybody's hobbies?

[Guest]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Good morning Bluesky and everyone,

Yes, it is not a great day here today...rain today, and tomorrow. So much for a visit to the park.

I would love to help keep the tread going with you all. I have been in sort of a 'funk' myself lately and I am trying to claw my way out of it. Drinking defintely does not make it better.

[jane rees]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Hi
This is my 3rd post , but I love the monthly 'Newbies in need' threads, so I'm chiming in too!
Not sure what i've given up because of the drink...probably the exercise because once home from work the bottle was opened and that was that for the evening. I'm a member of a gym and attend step classes at the weekends but rarely in the week. No reason not too, lacking motivation I guess.
Recently took up golf and trust me, that's driving me back to drink!!
Love to watch movies and read. At the moment overdosing on self improvement style books to get me out of this hole. 'The Secret' sits on my bedside table at present, but I'm struggling with it. Sound concepts, but stretches suppositions into science without facts or data to back up the statements. My analytical mind struggles with that...how do you measure a thought???
I'm blathering, time for bed and more secrets!!
Jane

[roxane]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

hi all

managed 6 days af. it was a struggle over the weekend and caved in on monday (damn it)for three days. staring again today, i think the hangover helps lol.

6 days is ok, at least i gave my liver a break.

change, motivation is definitely a casualty of drinking, i cant be bothered to do very much at all. BUT, i am motivated to do af days.

roxane

[evergreen]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Hi all,
well roxanne, i seem only to be able to mange 2 or 3 days Af before I slip so 6 sounds good to me!! I am stressed this week with upcoming grad activities Last night with no plans to I drank again. trying to pull myself up. what have i lost? when I drink i lose my self respect!

[Change]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

jane rees;145939 wrote: 'The Secret' sits on my bedside table at present, but I'm struggling with it. Sound concepts, but stretches suppositions into science without facts or data to back up the statements. My analytical mind struggles with that...how do you measure a thought???
I'm blathering, time for bed and more secrets!!
Jane

Yeah, i'm having trouble with The Secret. I think in principle it's a good thing, but once those 'speakers' jumped on the bandwagon, my cynacism radar went up. I also find the way it is written distracting and a bit geared toward commercialism (with all the different commentary etc.). This makes me think it is just a marketing exercise.

I think the original writer had the right intentions though... the bring joy to every heart in the world (or something like that).

Yeah, the motivation is a factor. Just tonight plunged into a temporary feeling of emptiness, loneliness and dread, thinking about what i have given up and what is really underlying my need to drink. But, i soldiered on and cooked dinner, which was quite nice by the way..

Got through the dinner part, which was good and have decided i shouldn't cook meals i used to drink with as it will be too hard. But, now the headache is kicking in because this is when i would usually be drinking or eating chocolate, or both.

Ahh, just rambling...

I guess the reason i posted about what people used to like doing and about hobbies is because i think that if we can drag some of that stuff up from the past, it may spark something within us that helps us give up drinking. Sort of like hope if you like.

Anyway, back to the depressing television.

[Padme]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Morning All -- I was on vacation and made it through the ruff spots of being in Mexico around margaritas and usual places that would trigger drinking. Seems, there are emotional triggers and physical ones. The physical ones lighten up after the first 10 days but always seem to come on close to my period. Today is 3 weeks, 21 days AF My period is approaching and it is like all the chemicals change in the brain and this is usually when I relapse. Yikes! Bracing myself. Luckily I'm all healed up and I can finally begin exercising today. Yahoo. Got to start out slow. Swimming Laps. It's so hard after two months of no activity but I guess it's time to move it.

Bluesky it is good to 'see' you.
GG hope you'll be okay. It always seems so hard to be motivated to do anything when I'm blue. Sending you love & light.
Change you sound so strong despite your funk. Hope Great idea
Things I can do (and finish) not drinking; cross stitch, swim, do yoga class or join a book club (because I'll actually show up), read, go to movies, learn meditation, get up in the morning (morning being key here) for walks with the dogs, spend quality time with my family, garden, sculpt and write. .

I don't know if this helps the ones that keep slipping around 3-6 days but the first time I quit in 2001 for four years I did a lot of research on alcoholism for a couple years. I don't know if you've read any of the books but when we are drinking we are basically (as alcoholics) changing the alcohol in to a type of morphine like substance in our brain so our body stops making any 'feel Good' hormones because we are getting it from the alcohol so when we quit there is no 'feel Good' hormones in our body. Depending on how heavy and how long you have been drinking around day 3 the alcohol is completely out of your system and it starts wanting it's dose of "feel Good" hormones (serotonin, dopamine). It is extremely powerful and very difficult to over come with your mind. That is why the supplements and exercise help with the cravings. The supps are helping to replace some of the key components in our bodies missing when we drink. Our bodies will start to make it's own hormones when it realizes it is not getting it from an outside source but it takes time and our job is to not drink until this happens. The exercise starts making serotonin and dopamine almost immediately giving you that sense of well being. All of this adds up to more inner strength and less cravings.

I think I'm lucky here because of the four years of sobriety followed by a 1.5 year relapse. My body remembers sobriety. But it took me 6 months of trying to quit again after trying to moderate. It's still hard some days but I know it will get easier. It already has and life is so much better AF.

Sorry for being so long winded today! Wishing everyone a really great day
off to do my first day of exercise(god and maybe all this weight will start coming off)

[nancy]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

coming back to newbies!

Hi all

Last month I made some great changes, like no drinking at home alone or on weekdays at home. I have done wonderfully with dietary changes, like cutting caffeine and sugar etc.

Everything seemed to go off track in june. I had very very bad pms and too much too drink friday, drank at home alone monday and tuesday (albeit not to excess). I have been craving caffeine too and having more.

I hope this is related to PMS.

Anyway, hope to get back on track now that the very bad PMS has subsided. I started meditating yesterday and aim to do 10 minutes most days for one or two weeks and then step that up. the more i read, the more i realize meditation could have huge beneficial effects.

I also got a pilates DVD and book (only 8.99!!!) and am going to do that at home.

i am with you all in spirit.

[iced]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

First time joining these threads. I am on day 5 of AF. By far the longest I have gone AF in as long as I can remember, my wife says about 10 years. I am not feeling well; very tired and lethargic. I have been listening to the sleep cd while sleeping throughout the night and it is probably helping some, but I am still having a hard time sleeping throughout the night and am waking up feeling completely drained. Due to my feeling tired all the time it is making it even harder to stay AF. I wish I could get a boost of energy and feel "alive". I have always drank at the local pub with 50-70 of my friends (the place is literally like cheers where when I walk in I spend 10-15 minutes just saying hi to everyone and still an hour later I have someone come up to me saying "oh I didnt see you come in!"). This has also been a difficult aspect of trying to be AF as I can not see any of them.

For those that have not seen the plan that I am on.. I am just doing supps (the starter pack through mwo site), hypno cds, diet, and exercise. No prescription for me at this time. My main motivation is health and eventually I hope to be able to moderate. I made a commitment to my wife that I would go 7 days AF before June 13th or I would go to a doctor for help. I am over the hump so I feel fairly confident that I can make 7 days, although coming up on the weekend I know it is going to be even tougher (especially if I get calls from my buds). Work is just crazy right now for me as well and that is increasing my stress quite a bit. I have a project that is due next Friday that I am behind on by at least 4 days (partially due to lack of energy). I also quit smoking 11 days ago. I knew this would be hard but did not realize the effects it would have on my job and sleep as much as it has.

I hope that others are feeling better than I am today!

[Janice]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Hello everyone!! Hope you are all having a good day. Hart, congratulations on your 30 AF days!!! Well done!! Its funny but now after 30 days, I'm having to get my fingers out to work out what day I'm on!! That feels good! One of the things I gave up whilst drinking was reading - was never in a fit state by bedtime (think my husband would agree to that as well!!) - the words would all run into each other!! Anyway read loads over the last 6 weeks - started off with "stop drinking" books to keep motivated - just finished Caroline Knapps book, really good and I've just started "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini who wrote the Kite Runner and I'm really enjoying that. I think the main thing I feel now is.... happier, more content and that's even with all the stress of mam being ill. Thanks for asking Bluesky - she came home today and sounded good on the phone so keeping everything crossed. The main thing is that my brother does not buy her drink. Bluesky, you are putting me to shame with the exercise, I really do need to get back into my swimming - its ironic that I was swimming more when I was drinking!! Like Jane, I've lost the motivation -got to sort that out but I'm just so tired all the time yet I know its a vicious circle and that the exercise will help with the tiredness. I need someone to give me a good kick!! Love and best wishes to everyone for a great AF day!!! Janicexx

[rottrod]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Bluesky that avatar is quite SASSY . . . .I like it.

I'm going through withdrawal right now, not severe, just can't sleep, so very tired because I can't sleep. It makes it difficult to concentrate on work, which I need to be doing. Oh well, I'm probably working just about as well as I did hung over.

I don't usually post to this thread but always read it. I too am a newbie, had my first AF day in over 10 years last Saturday. It's been the most empowering feeling I've experienced in so long I can't remember. I could not have done it without this site and the people here.

Let's all have a great day.

Melissa

[Kitty]

JUNE NEWBIES IN NEED DAY 7

Hi Padme,

That was really interesting info. I must say that when I was managing 6 days af out of 7 in May, I was seeing a huge change in my mental state. Back on day 2 again after a rotten 10days and it's hard to believe my mood will lift, but after reading what you said I'm sure it will.

I just have to give my brain time to start churning out those "feel-good" hormones, and not give up and give them artificial ones from alcohol.

Enjoy the rest of thursday everyone.

Kitty