100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

[Sunbeam]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Welcome, Doubter, and congrats on your five years.

[Byrdlady]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Doubter, 5 years is awesome! I hope you will stick around! We love to hear from long termers! MWO is such a blessing for so many!! Continued success to you! B

[Catbuddy]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

doubter;1475176 wrote: Hello everyone!

From personal experience I know one thing for sure ? quitting alcohol changes the fundamental direction and content of one?s life.

Thank you so much for this incredible statement. I feel it, am starting to live it, and this puts the certainty around it. It's not just a myth, or carrot, or false hope, or whatever my fear might tell me. It really is that easy to improve your life. For me, improve beyond recognition.

This quote is going into my MWO library (maintained on my hard drive).

Cat

[Lavande]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Congrats to you Doubter on your 5 years AF!
I'm coming up on 4 years myself & know the depth of gratitude

[doubter]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Hi

Angel! Yes, it was initially a struggle to protect my sobriety at a workplace where partying is de rigueur. Over time, colleagues too have come around to accept my decision to stay alcohol-free.

Thanks for the good wishes, Sunbeam .

Byrdlady! Having observed mwo closely for the past many years, mwo has always been fortunate to have compassionate souls like you who give so much of your time to encourage newbies. Voices of wisdom, that's what you are.

Catbuddy! For me, quitting alcohol really simplified my life. Also gave me the necessary breathing space to chart out how I would like to lead my life. As any normal human being, I am still a work in progress but at least feel a definite sense of control over the course my life is taking.

Lavande! Great to meet another long-termer. There are so many such success stories here at mwo.

Peace to all!

[K9Lover]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Doubter -
Thank you so much for sharing! 5 years...wow. I am a little over a year myself, and I agree with you, it's the best thing I could have done for myself and my daughter. Life is WAY better sober!

[FlyAway]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

I had some "stinkin thinkin" over the weekend. Actually it was just a single thought and then a flash of dread. We had a big party at my house and my husband was out buying booze. He texted me about buying rum and vodka. I have had vodka and other types of booze in the house all along. I'm not sure if it was the mention of rum or what, but there was just a flash of a thought and then I felt half sick to my stomach and felt filled with dread. I got myself a glass of ice water and kept right on going. The thought never crossed my mind again and I had a hell of a great time at the party, as did everyone else.

It has probably been 4 months or more since I've had a thought about drinking. I think that's where the fear/dread came from. It hit me so fast and out of no where that it took me by surprise.

[Mick]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Hiya doubter....wow 5 years nice to speak to you ..where abouts in India are you?been once and definitely intend to go back in the future...absolutely brilliant country

[Byrdlady]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Fly...those thoughts absolutely stink don't they? After all the preaching and teaching we do, somehow they slither in and get a thought-root going. It is scary, after all this time...so that's why I remain vigilant, and I stay connected here. It is pure folly to think we are ever cured of this dang ailment...well, I guess we ARE cured as long as we prevent it. So, chalk it up to the power of addiction....at least you have the skills now to better deal with it.
There for a while, my hubs was leaving his half consumed glass of wine in the fridge. Yep...he thought nothing of it. I told him, looka here, I am strong in my quit, but this isn't a funny thing to do to a person. Please remove all AL from my space, and he did! I don't play with the AL Gods...they are stronger than I am.
Well done on keeping out of harm's way!! Byrdie

[Turnagain]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Greetings to all FABbies.....not so near, yet not really that far....

Doubter...it's good to see you pop in for a post! It sure does folks around here a lot of good to see people succeed in living normally AND fully again after kicking addiction to the gutter. I am curious....did you have a BIG moment when you knew you could be done once and for all or did your commitment to living la Vida AF come about in a more cumulative way? FIVE years is really wonderful - you are a beacon to those who are fighting their way out from the hole and you inspire those of us who are on the same path of living whole lives~

Flyaway - you did a great job of diverting and distracting yourself in that last situation. One of the things I learned early on in the healing process is that it is unfortunate, but not unnatural for cue-triggered cravings or thoughts to come out of the blue. Those messages get sent out from deep within the mesolimbic area of the brain which deals with pleasure and reward. You handled it with sure and swift confidence and THAT goes a long way toward fortifying your resolve to keep addiction out of your life.

It helps me quite a bit to actually celebrate those moments of swatting away and squashing the seemingly random cue-induced cravings. What's that neuroscience saying...what fires together wires together? You just fired up a strong new connection in your brain - I can see your synapses dancing from here!

Speaking of celebrations...my women's hockey team won our division championship for the season and of course, the champagne was flowing in the lockeroom. As happy as I was about winning the final game, I was even happier to note that I did not feel even a twinge of longing for any of the alcohol. and THAT was the real victory for me. I love being normal again.

[Pinecone]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Hi Friends,

Good to see all of you.

Doubter, thanks for posting and I appreciate your perspective.

Turnagain, thanks for posting the info about the mesolimbic area of the brain and cue induced thoughts. It makes me feel better!

[Sunbeam]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Turnagain, I'm with you. I can no longer remember when I last wanted a drink.

[FallenAngel]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Turnagain;1476328 wrote:
Doubter...
I am curious....did you have a BIG moment when you knew you could be done once and for all or did your commitment to living la Vida AF come about in a more cumulative way?

Hi Turn.. how ya been?
I think initially, it was his fear of my wrath that kept him sober! :H:H:H

[K9Lover]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

FallenAngel;1476439 wrote: I think initially, it was his fear of my wrath that kept him sober! :H:H:H

MY fear of your wrath is gonna keep me SMOKE FREE! :H:H

[FallenAngel]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

K9Lover;1476637 wrote: MY fear of your wrath is gonna keep me SMOKE FREE! :H:H

:H:H:H
... and, MY wrath is what has kept ME smoke-free & sober for this long too! :b&d: