100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

[Turnagain]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Great to see you here, Pinecone! I remember way back when you first started posting on MWO and look at you now! It's a great feeling to have the darkness of addiction in the past, isn't it?

Um....I'm noticing a lot of whips out! As another who had to deal with the dual addiction of alcohol and nicotine....I can certainly see where wrath is a useful deterrent.

K-9 girlie...you can kick the weed...for good. You have the tools, the support and the grit! For what it's worth....in the early phase of my final quit... whenever I got inundated with a craving...I would take very deep breaths and say to myself as I exhaled...." my lungs are getting cleaner....my arteries are getting clearer..." AND...."I smell so fresh!" LOL Being a fresh breather sure beats being a slow, smelly, cougher

I also rewarded myself in very tangible ways. I had a $22 a day habit between my beer, wine and smokes. When I quit, I actually set up a special savings account and transferred $22 every day for several months. It was amazing how that once-wasted money added up! I donated to charities...I got myself a personal trainer....I got mani-pedis....bought an accordion....took accordion lessons (my family is thankful for that!) and took my family on a fabulous vacation. As of today...I have NOT wasted $13,156 on drinkin' and stinkin'!

How can you really reward yourself? Whiten your teeth? Save for a special gift for your daughter? Maybe buy a silky nightgown to replace those old holey pajamas? LOL Send pix!

[Lavande]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

I only wish MWO kept track of our stats & $$ savings the way Quitnet does -

As of today I have 1393 days smoke free & saved $10,447.50!!!!
I imagine my total savings are double that or more. I have used quite a bit of it to spoil my grandkids

[Sunbeam]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Your grandkids deserve all that you give them. Well, most of it

[K9Lover]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Turn -
You made me laugh!! LOL My old holey pajamas are long gone...I'm sure the liquor store guy (and camera) misses them horribly! HAHAHA And oh yes, I'm sure my DOG would appreciate a nice silky gown...that's my only audience these days. :H

[Catbuddy]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

As of today, I have saved $2,430. I have spent every dollar of it. I had a rush of enjoyment in buying stuff for my home and new clothes. Since I've lost over 20 lbs (number went to 25, but I was too skinny with no breasts, so putting some back on), I need a new wardrobe. Now that is expensive! So will need to come out over time.

[Byrdlady]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Cat!! Good for you! So your 34 longs went to 34 shorts? (no boobs!!). I'm sure you look great! Nothing like getting a new set of clothes!! If you look good, you feel good!
I have never intentionally put weight on. UGG. I did put on 5 pounds in one day back in college...(why do I remember that?). See? My memory is full of crap like that so there's no room for useful things...
I'm so happy for your new life!!! B

[Turnagain]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Meow Wow, CatBuddy! Huzzah on the Savings and weight loss!

Byrdie...I thought I was the only one who could gain 5 pounds in one day. During the final week of my second and last pregnancy...I was bloating up 3 to 5 pounds a day! The scale shot up a scary 25 pounds of mostly water weight before that late, stubborn 9-pound chunk of baby boy finally burst into the world.

My weight loss since I went AF and became NORMAL again hasn't been dramatic but it is steady. Drinking all that beer sure took a toll on my once svelte frame.All told I've lost almost 50 pounds in the last two years. Still have some more to shed...but it's going. In another 20....this girl is going shopping!

[Catbuddy]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Well, Byrdie, folks have started expressing concern that I'm too thin, and you can count all my ribs. I'm going to be healthy about putting weight back on, build muscle and so forth. This really is my time to take control of my life, and that includes feeling strong and fit. Now, off to Macy's and some discount stores this weekend.

Hugs.

Cat

[Mick]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

go for it Cat

[Lavande]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Happy Monday morning everyone

[Byrdlady]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Happy Morning, Lav!
I went next door last night to a St. Patty's Day dinner. There were 5 of us, I was the only non drinker. We were there 2 hours, and it was amazing the amount of AL flowing...If I were still drinking, I wouldn't have had to slip into the bathroom for reinforcements at all. Hubs had 2 beers, but the other 3 were smashed. When we got home, my hubs was very sympathetic, he said, they pressured you hard, didn't they? I said, yes, they sure did, but I wasn't budging. He had shown some hesitation in going...knew that it would be a real test...he even said, 'now you know they drink a lot!'. I reassured him that I was ok. I think I saw relief on his face when we got home and he saw that I am strong in my quit. I tell you, one chink in my amour over there would have been BAD. They'd have pounced on it. As smashed as they were, they then talked about another neighbor who is an ALK!! Spread it like it was fresh butter...did you hear about Connie?? Yes, she's a raging ALKIE!
When I got home, I told hubs...'do you see why I don't advertise that I'm one? There is still such a stigma'. He agreed.
I don't know what my takeaway is from that dinner last night...except that I see 3 people with AL problems of their own casting stones to someone else with one. But I guess that's one of our defense mechanisms. It's a double edged sword, we must name it to ourselves to recover from it...but when that label gets out there in public it is a Scarlet Letter.
I come away happy that I did just fine under heavy pressure to join in, yet sad that they slammed the other neighbor like that. If that had been a movie, I'd have stood up on my chair and said, looky here, I'm one too....and so are you! It doesn't make us bad people for crissake! I don't know what I'm thinking to be honest...but I don't like it. Maybe the takeaway is that I really don't need to put myself in this type of setting again. Heavy drinkers just aren't much fun to me anymore.
Byrdie

[Catbuddy]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Wow, Byrdie, that sounds like a not fun evening. I'm glad you have your privacy, and that your husband understands. I was thinking about this during a hike yesterday. It should be as simple as "some people just should not drink due to body chemistry." I imagined the response, "yeah, but don't some people become alcoholics because they abuse it, and therefore may make bad choices elsewhere (i.e. character flaw)?" My response, "Maybe, I don't know. There are probably many reason people can't drink safely. For some, it is certainly biochemical."

I've had this analogy running through my brain: For me, sugar and alcohol are like cocaine. Sugar is snorting lines, alcohol is smoking crack. I stay away from both.

Cat

[K9Lover]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Dang Byrdie, that was quite a night! I'm so bitchy that I probably would have said "Who are YOU calling an alkie?? Have you seen yourself lately?" That would have effectively gotten me UN-invited to any future events...problem solved! LOL

Cat - I have some extra pounds you can have!

My weekend was uneventful. Head cold that kept me laying around for 2 days. Now back at work. Wow I am boring! LOL

[Mick]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Byrdie ..well done you no celebratory bevvy session is worth it :goodjob:

[Starfish1]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Good Morning, Friends-

I haven't posted here yet, but I decided I may need a place to get a little support at this stage. I don't want to post much in the nest about some of the struggles I am having at almost six months because I am afraid it may discourage some of the newbies. The last time I quit (for three years) it did not seem like the temptations held on this long! Anyway, I have been struggling quite a bit and my husband knows how hard I have been struggling. Yesterday evening, I came home from out of town and he wanted me to go out and eat Mexican with him. We have not done that since I quit drinking because I felt like the temptation of the Margaritas would be too much. I told him I really didn't want to go, but he wanted to, so I went. Can you BELIEVE- when we ordered- he asked me if I wanted a Margarita?????? I mean, SERIOUSLY!!! He asked me that!!!! And that's the same way I relapsed last time.
I said no, even though I wanted one so bad. He wanted one too, poor thing, and I told him to go ahead and get one, but he didn't. We both drank water. The thing is, he was able to go on and enjoy his meal, apparently, not even thinking about the Margarita and that's all I thought about. What's wrong with me? What an alcoholic brain!!! When is this going to get better?
One thing I am learning this time around is just what an addict I am.

Thanks for being here, guys!

Much love and thanks!