Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

[ThreeDogNight]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Happy New Year to you, too, Janet!! You continue to be a great inspiration to me--and I'm sure to the others on the thread as well. I am so happy that I found you all! There are a few threads I post regularly on, and the support is pretty amazing!! I know I wouldn't have reached 40 days without you!! And I will be here every day in 2013, no matter what!
:lTDN

[Janice]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Well her bags are all packed and her room is now looking far too tidy...we're setting off soon to tke my daughter. Will def be back online Sunday but taking ipad so may get on depending on signal. SL make this YOUR year!!! xx xx

[ThreeDogNight]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Good morning, everyone.

Janice, hope you have gotten your daughter settled in to her new place. I know this is hard for you, since you two are very close. That is a very nice thing

Janet, hope this new year has gotten off to a good start for you.

SL, I see you on the other threads, and glad to see that you seem to be staying strong! Sounds like your job must be emotionally stressful, but also very rewarding.

I woke with a sore throat this morning--was hoping to avoid the thing so many seem to have right now. Went to an exercise class-well, if you can call it that, as it as for "seniors":H--on Wednesday, and of course, deal with lots of people at the flower shop, so am sure I was fated to get something. Will up my intake of Vitamin C today.

Met with the guy I have been doing part time sales support work for yesterday, and he is going to give me a number of accounts to work. Only problem is that this is an independent sales position, so any expenses I incur will be my responsibility. When I get my license back, I will be able to get out and see some customers, but most of this can be done from home. Also applied for a Customer Service position I saw in our local newspaper, as it is full time and has benefits--which would be worth a lot to me. It is a PO Box in town, but I do not know what company it is. We'll see if I hear anything.

Had to send $1200 to an attorney to try to clear up my problems with the DMV. Am praying that happens very soon. Am also calling the court this a.m. to see where things stand there.

Hope everyone is doing well. Haven't heard much from Sausage--hope you check in soon!

TDN

[Ishybit]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Hello everyone,
Merry xmas and Happy New year...a little late.
It appears that everyone has stayed vigilant over the holidays. Janet, thank you for sharing your past. I have been guilty of driving many,many times under the influence. I've just been lucky to not get busted. It makes me wince just thinking about it and thinking about how many people are driving drunk everyday. TDN, im impressed with your positive attitude. You will get thru this, I can "feel" your determination.
I've had a great time thru these holidays. We went out of town, visited family and friends. I stayed af but I will admit there were a few strong urges to have that glass of wine while prepping dinner. I missed it...just for a little bit. So here's the kicker, we had some friends come to visit us yesterday. We had a great day at the zoo. Our kids got along really well, we came back to our house for dinner..... and i had a couple of glasses of wine. WTF? So here's how it played out...she likes to drink but she's a take it or leave it kind of drinker. I bought a bottle of wine so that we would have something to offer her while the husbands were having a couple of beers. i said, would you like some wine, water, soda, etc... she said I'll have some wine only if you will. Well we got thru dinner without it and then settled the kids in for movie, then I felt like a bad hostess and offered again. I poured myself a little glass just so that she wouldn't feel conspicuous or alone. Anyway after they left, i had two more and poured the rest down the drain. I looked at glass and knew I was going to chase it down. No " just one" for me. No joy in just one for me either. I have remained AF over the last 8 months with the exception of 2 slips, last night being one of them. I don't want to take this lightly and yet I don't want to beat myself up over it either. it's a fine line. The biggest challenges for me are the little intimate benign situations. Isn't that crazy.
O.K. friends, I must take my little one to tutoring. Please feel free to give me any advise, input, strategies etc...
Have a great day!

[scottish lass]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Hi Janice, Janet, TDN, Suasage, Ishy and all else who come along.
I am doing good so far this year, feel calm and resolved. Have big plans to get my life in order and come out of 2013 in a really good place, and wine has no place there at all.
TDN, I post on the daily af thread, it is almost my only place and it really helps me to be accountable on a daily basis - and I feel good there.
I visit this thread and Mr G's thread daily to see who is around and learn from people who are doing well and are strong. I really appreciate both of these threads and should contribute more to keep them alive and well.
Today is day 5. I did manage 21 days in Dec, so definately did well towards the end of the year, but looking to really get this solved this year. Ishy, the only suggestions I have would be to pour fake drinks to pretend with a friend, or to use one of the excuses like diet or sick to explian not drinking alongside your friend - that is a tough one when it feels so really nice to have the one glass - and would be perfect if we could find the on/off switch again, but I am truly realising that I can't - so have to not go there at all. Well done for pouring the rest out - you have done so well - I rememeber where we had a day 1 together and look at you know. Just pick yourself up, dust off, learn something and move right along, just don't let this little slip stop your huge progress!
Janet and Janice - 2013 will be my year! Thank you so much for the support, and for not giving up on my inspite of my multitude of slips....

[Ishybit]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Hi again,
You know what SL, i feel like such an idiot for not using the "I'm on medicine" excuse. There is actually a little truth to it too. aargh.
ishy

[planetjanet]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Hello Everyone,

Wow, already this year is starting out with a big BANG of nuts...LOL. I am about to head to bed because I need to get myself EARLY. There is alot of "work" issues that I am dealing with and will spare you the "blah blah" details, at least until I get it straightened out.

TDN, CONGRATS ON 40 days!!! SL, yes this definitely is your year and I look forward to reading your progress. Ishybit, thanks for checking in and congrats on your AF days. Janice, sounds like the visit went well with your daughter, wow she is a lucky girl to have such a rockin Mom like you : ) Sausage, hope the new year is treating you well.

Okay, sorry gotta get to bed.....will back check in tomorrow to say hello.

Hugs,
Janet
AF 255

[planetjanet]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Good Morning Everyone,

Just thought to send a quick post to say hello and wish you all a lovely Sunday. I am up early and ready to go for my first of two runs today. It rained last night and buuuuurrrittos it's cold but I love it, it reminds of being San Francisco.

Anywho, I have to get my day started...have a great day everyone : )

Hugs,
Janet
AF 256

[Janice]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Morning everyone, hope all is well. SL & Ishy, sorry to hear about your slips...I'm sure you'll both be all the more determined to kick AL's butt in 2013.

Got back from Exeter at the weekend but then had to dash over to see my mum-in-law who is not so good so very little time for reading & posting.

So very thankful that I dont drink anymore ...today is the first day on my own in the house, hubby back at work, daughter miles & miles away and the house is so quiet & empty, just me all day - back last year that would have meant a full day of total freedom to drink 1+ bottles of wine without any hiding. Now, things are so different and what a good job because goodness knows what state I'd be in.

Anyway a day of housework, the house looks like a tip and I have Christmas boxes everywhere ready to go back in the loft. Sausage, hope all is well with you. Will check back later....xx

[Change]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Well, i subscribed to a thread, but i can't remember which, so this one seems as good a place as any to start!

Remember peoples, today and tomorrow are new days.

Day 2 here and the bravado finally wore off at the gym. The cravings have gotten worse tonight and i had to fight off the old "who cares", or "it's just one" mentality in droves tonight. It's past the witching hour and is now 10pm, so am glad i didn't cave. Looking foward to going to bed, popping my mp3 player on and going through my usual routine of wishful thinking.

What about everyone else?

[Janice]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Welcome aboard Change...its a quiet little thread so its great to see a new "face"!!! Well done for getting through the witching hour. It is hard when that little voice is telling you to go for it. Remember those "cravings" are all in your mind. These last eight months have made me realise I wasnt an Alcoholic, I was just addicted to Alcohol. It was changing the way I thought about alcohol that finally set me free. One sip though and I'd be back in the trap. Good luck with your journey. xx

[Janice]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Just realised...8 months ago today I had my last drink :-)

[ThreeDogNight]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

:goodjob: and huge congrats, Janice!!! Eight months!! I am very happy for you and you give me inspiration to keep going on this journey. And what a nice feeling to know you can feel calm alone in your house, not in fear of AL!!!

:welcome: Change! I think I remember you from before. This is a great thread, and I am so happy that I found it! I also post on the Daily ABS thread, as that is where I started out quite a while ago. And the Monthly thread on the ABS section is another great one I try to post on every day. This month is January Generosity. Anyway, glad you have come back, and hope you'll post regularly. It helps a lot! And I sure understand about the cravings. But they do start to subside the longer you are AF.

Hi to Janet, Sausage (where are you??), Ishy, SL and everyone else.

I stayed in bed half of Saturday, all day Sunday and took Advil, Zicam, extra Vitamin C, gargled ith salt ater and sprayed throat with Chloraseptic and took some honey warmed ith cinnamon--and was able to go to the shop yesterday for five hours--despite protests from Mr TDN. Heading in today for probably the same hours, but have to work full days the rest of the week. Owners are in FL for the week.

Also going to take over some accounts for the educational rep I have done part time work for, and most of it is done from home. Any expenses I incur I will have to apy for,pay for, and that is a down side. But I won't be on the road much--once I can be on the road, that is

Had to pay an attorney to handle my DMV stuff in the other state, even though what they were trying to do wasn't legal??!! So apparently I am clear there and can pursue getting my license back here. I do, however, have to take a safe driving class (nothing to do with AL as far as i can see) in that state by mid-March, or they'll suspend me again I called the court here on Friday to see if the judge had signed my motion--submitted 11/11--but of course, a "new" employee has taken over that duty and was off Friday. Supposed to call me yesterday, but never did. i could have had my license in mid December if not for all the screw ups. I will call the court today.

Okay--off to get ready for work and read the other threads.

Have a great AF day, all!

TDN

[SAUSAGE]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Hi everyone - I'm here! Everything has jsut been really hectic, am back at work, kids back at school, just got decorations down and put in loft. I hate January - Christmas is over, nothing to look forward to for weeks, house looks so bare without decorations, still dark nights :-( maybe I suffer from seasonal affective disorder! Sorry to bring a bit of negativity to the thread. Glad everyone else seems to be doing OK. Welcome Change, this is a great supportive thread to join and wow Janice, congratulations on your 8 months - presume this is your longest AF spell ever?

Back later - wont leave it as long next time xx

[Change]

Anyone Up For 30 Day AF

Janice;1440337 wrote: Just realised...8 months ago today I had my last drink :-)

Congratulations Janice, that's amazing work!

Thanks threedognight. I think all other attempts were me bleeting after a hangover and in my subconscious, i think i was happy to go back to it after about 8-9 days AF, 'cos that's when the damage had been repaired and a false sense of security had set in.

The psychology of alcohol drinkers is really interesting. I thought i could somehow avoid being affected by it like the typical user, but the hard reality that it bears no discrimination. It does not choose who abuses it, i have chosen to abuse it, simply.

I'm finding the deeper i get into AF (day 3), the harder the worse the cravings are and the harder they are to control. I am fairly certain that the issues that lead people to drinking crop up at this time and it is "now or never" to deal with them. I also have a sense of whether or not to "choose" life or not, and at the moment, i am choosing it.

I had these two weird dreams last night: one was my manager telling me to let go of the past (!), and the other was a realisation that i have been propping myself up all these years and that in order to find myself, i need to challenge myself. I think i am going to keep a diary.

Sausage, there is always something to look forward to IMO, for instance, the upcoming warmer weather you'll be experiencing once the winter is over :l