100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

[Lavande]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

LC, you are doing great - give yourself a huge pat on the back
We are only human & it takes time to change that automatic thinking. BUT, as long as you keep doing what you've been doing - everything will be OK
I think the big thing is remembering that we are in charge of all of our thoughts. When a 'bad thought' enters your head just push it out. Don't let it linger & grow in strength. To me it's like swinging a tennis racket or baseball bat. Just stay alert & keep pushing those thoughts away!!

[Pinecone]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Hi friends,

Lifechange, great to see you here. Just remember to always pull those thoughts out of your mind so they don't gain any traction. It was something we did for years so there are bound to be lots of associations, etc. But it IS something we don't do any more. You can go back to basics and say "I don't drink!" Out loud. It works.

I have been busy with my dog, but I tired her out in the freezing cold. Now I have a huge Dutch oven full of chili simmering on the stove. I'm home with my daughter and the dog today. It's a lot of bustle but I can enjoy life. It's not calm on the outside, but it is on the inside. AF life is my respite. There would be no smile on my face if I still had al in my life.

Have a great AF day!

[NoSugar]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Hello, LC, I had planned to stalk you today if I didn't wake up and find a post from you .

Glad to see it and what you say doesn't surprise me at all - I had a few similar ones at just about the same time. And like you, I wondered where to post. I was reluctant to shake up the nest (and risk sounding like a hypocrite because I truly mean all the zero-tolerance for AL business I write there) and I thought everyone in this thread was securely AF and wouldn't relate to what I was trying to say. Now I think that is one thing this thread should be for. I feel securely AF now but I also realize that that needs to be nurtured each and every day. Posting the truth, even when you think it isn't what others want to hear, is part of that. It usually turns out that many people can relate and that your post actually helps them.

It is great that you made it over this hump on your own and I hope you're feeling even stronger. But you don't need to prove anything to anyone - I hope that if you feel uncertain or are tempted to drink in the future, you reach out or ask for help sooner. I think it is too risky to try to go it alone - even when you've got a lot of sober time behind you.

:h NS

[NoSugar]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Hi, Pinecone I was just thinking about you as I wrote to LC! We had some conversations about just this topic awhile back.

It's good to hear that you're doing well and enjoying your AF life . How is puppy training going?? (It sure is a good thing that puppies are so cute! :H)

Have a good one, friends! :h NS

[kuya]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Lifechange, try not to give these thoughts more power than they really have.

When recovery from addiction is being discussed the fear of relapsing has often been implanted from day one.......little wonder that people succumb.....the mind is a sponge which will soak up any old crap! :H

Off the top of my head the following thoughts flow through my mind......

I am sick of work.......but I do not quit

My client is pissing me off....... But I do not shout at them

My child was rude....... But I do not strike him or her

My waistline is growing.....but I do not diet

Someone cuts me up when I am driving......but I do not ram them off the road


You get my drift?

I am nearly 18 months sober and the thought of drinking enters my head from time to time......it doesn't frighten me because it is only a thought.

You sound like you believe the thought has power.....it really doesn't ......unless you BELIEVE it does.

Work on what you believe......if you are now sober NOTHING but a BELIEF that you will drink again can ever take away your sobriety.

You may have to work on being happily and healthily sober but no thought can make you drink now....... You are free

[Byrdlady]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Dang, that's a great post, Ku, and a BIG REASON why you were sorely missed about here!!! I am so happy to see you! Congrats on your 18 months, too! That is amazing!!! xxoo, B

[kuya]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Good to see you Byrdie

Only just realised that I have been unable to log into MWO since last JUNE !!!!

My enforced absence has served to destroy a belief I had been developing.......that perhaps I couldn't stay sober without MWO.

Whilst this forum was clearly a lifesaver for me it was also rapidly becoming it's own addiction.

I will now enjoy posting advice that may help and to remind myself of the mess I was in, but am happy that I can negotiate a sober life on or off MWO.

My life no longer revolves around the ingestion of, or the abstinence from alcohol.......and I think that is a good thing for those in earlier recovery to know.

[sweetpea29]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Great to see you back Kuya- ye were missed. Congrats too on being near 18months sober

[NoSugar]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

kuya;1614909 wrote:
I will now enjoy posting advice that may help and to remind myself of the mess I was in, but am happy that I can negotiate a sober life on or off MWO.
That is a nice thing to know for sure but I don't think many of us who know you doubted that you could do it . It is more fun to do it with friends, though, and I like knowing that we all have one another's backs.

My life no longer revolves around the ingestion of, or the abstinence from alcohol.......and I think that is a good thing for those in earlier recovery to know.

It is - those days of drinking/not drinking being the first and last (and most of those in between) thoughts of the day can make you crazy! Plus, I like the fact that when the thought comes up that I don't drink, it is one of happiness and pride. What a complete turnaround!

Really good to see you back, Kuya, and I must say I prefer the panther avatar (even though it scared the life out of me for a few months because I knew I was about to read some Hard Truths - thanks for those lessons).

[Samstone]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

evening all, a chilly one at that. it is good to see you Kuya again. There are many different kinds of addictions out there. Sometimes I feel I've replaced AL with coffee. Always enjoyed coffee, especially when I used to work night shift at a print shop. Cell phones seem to be the big addiction these days. Everywhere everyone seems to be on it.

Have a good one all

[kuya]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

We are a successful species BECAUSE of our addictions, BECAUSE of our willingness to repeat behaviours that release endorphins. It is only the ones that we do to excess and use to avoid 'being' with ourselves that cause a problem.

I suppose it is also about spreading our addictions over a range of activities to minimise the risk of ONE becoming all- consuming.

Whether it be alcohol, sex, running, mobile phone use, heroin, religion or online forums......if it is used to avoid core emotional issues it is unhealthy.

NS the friendships made here in early sobriety saved my life and made a painful process less so. However, whilst some friendships endure, one can also 'graduate' and move safely back into the world.

Having this place to revisit is good......but, for me, risked becoming another addiction, so an enforced period of absence was a good thing.

[kuya]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

sweetpea29;1614914 wrote: Great to see you back Kuya- ye were missed. Congrats too on being near 18months sober

And thanks for the welcome back Sweetpea....as always you personify the name you chose

[lifechange]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Good morning everyone and thank you so much for the responses.:h
It helped yesterday to read the thoughts and experiences of people I trust and who have been on the road longer than I. Of course the thoughts are just thoughts and I don't have to give them any merit. I feel strong again and clear in my mind.

Kuya, thank you for popping in again. What you wrote, the list you made, put everything into perspective once again. It was interesting to read about the fear of relapsing being implanted in the mind early on-- hadn't thought of it that way before, but it makes sense.

Pinecone, good to see you again, too! Sounds like such a cosy time with the chilli on the fire and a little one running around. Cold on the outside and warm on the inside. Very nice.

ooops, I want to write more but I have to go help clean the mouse cage. ASAP, they say!
Hugs to all and see you in a bit

[Lavande]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Nice to see you here kuya
You have done quite well on your own but having a safe place to hang out once in a while is nice too!

Pinecone, puppy potty training in the winter can be brutal - I know :H

LC, years ago someone here advised me to 'take the importance off of AL' & just go about my life - it worked for me

[Sunbeam]

100 Day Club members/Maintenance Thread

Boy, I've missed a lot here, I wasn't gone that long. I've been trying a little harder to post occasionally under General Discussion. Most of the time I just don't know what to say to the same questions and/or same people.

Kuya my quit twin, you just missed our 500 days celebration. Good to see you back.

LC, I work my list or cruise the tool box thread when I have a moment of stinking drinking thinking.

Pinecone, some say it is easier to housebreaker a puppy during cold weather. They do their business more quickly in the cold. However, they really need walks for exercise and training.