Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

[Sunbeam]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hi Everybody,

Deebs, thanks for the Yoga link. I would suggest caution and a few classes before anyone tackles independent yoga. It is possible to injure yourself, I have done it.

Deebs, how is your garden doing? It must be the peak of your season, but you haven't mentioned it.

Eve and Sara, less alcohol has always been a good thing for me, and you both seem to be going down that road. No need to be AF if you can just limit the occasions, that is the continuing challenge.

We met with our financial advisor this week, and he was very encouraging. So I told my boss yesterday that I was thinking about not renewing my annual contract at the end of the current school year. Whew, I'm glad that's out of the bag. I've had this job for 12 years. I plan to continue working, but just part time and in a more flexible setting, where I can get a couple weeks off when I want it. He asked what we planned to do, and off the top of my head I said I wanted to visit all the national parks! My husband thinks that ALL might be too many, but it is a nice concept. I ordered a book about all the parks this morning, and will soon be getting the DVD of the lovely Ken Burns program that aired on PBS last fall. Eve, I won't be buying your neighbor's RV that sounds huge. We just want something we can pull with our current 6 cylinder vehicle, and the selection is literally pretty small.

OK, I gotta get started on my Power Point presentation for Monday, and do some homework for our upcoming bathroom renovation.

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

morning folks
i read the past few posts by eve, deebee, sara and sunbeam and immediately felt a little stronger toward my goal, despite the fact that last night was the hardest i've had since i started modding about 3 weeks ago. i really wanted to have a few drinks. it was friday night and i was just in the mood. but i had planned on only 2. as i was having my first beer, i said to myself, "that is so good, 2 is not going to be enough". how stupid is that? :0 I was already sabotaging myself. so, i slowed way down, and really sipped that beer.
then i had dinner and had water with dinner. after dinner my husband and i watched a movie, and i had a glass of wine. thing is i kind of "overpoured" it.
so, i did only have 2 drinks but my glass of wine was bigger than i usually pour. probably by 2 or 3 ounces. so, i really had 2.5. yeah yeah, i know, going over by half is not that bad, but i was just disappointed that it was a little harder last night. and, it makes me feel like i'm slipping a little and that i might not "stick with it".

and so, i hope in the weeks to come, to have a friday night AF.
that's one goal after reading this thread.

thanks

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

oh, which reminds me...why isn't there a 2.5 on the drink tracker? they have a .5 and a 1.5 but after that, no more .5's
is it because they figure once you've had 2, there is no way you're gonna just drink half of one? LOL

[Sunbeam]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hi LetGo,
I am also bugged by that missing 2.5 on DrinkTracker because that would be the specific amount consumed if one equally shares a bottle of wine.

I am glad you are still here posting with us. We all set our own criteria for "success" or "want to do better". So 2.5 isn't bad, but the question you might want to be asking is, what can I do better next time? For me, it is really important to not start drinking before I have a meal (not just some chips).

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

I Walk down another street now

Sunbeam;802009 wrote: Hi LetGo,
I am also bugged by that missing 2.5 on DrinkTracker because that would be the specific amount consumed if one equally shares a bottle of wine.

Well said Sunbeam.

I'm not great with computers so I don't know how involved that would be for MWO to have a person change that but it would be nice because if I share a bottle with someone I tend to put 3 and not 2 but psych wise would feel better if I could put 2 1/2.

LetGo,

Good job still and don't be too hard on yourself. I've been here since 07 and it took about that long for me to have an AF Friday night as that's always been my big witching hour...have always looked SO forward to a drink after a week-day M-Th being AF.

For me, I just started realizing (like Sunbeams known for a long time) that I feel so darn great without AL that why should I think I need it just because it's Friday night. Don't get me wrong, I personally will still have a drink or two on Fridays:

1. But to plan one at home if I don't go out? No, doesn't work for me. I have learned that for me personally, I can't drink alone at home. If I open a bottle thinking "I'll just have one or two at the most" I find that over the course of the evening I keep going back after another "one or two at the most" and by the end of the night the bottle is gone. So, not going there anymore.
See Portia Nelson's poem at the end of my post and you'll understand what I've learned.
2. To go out on purpose to have a drink? Could happen but I'd rather not feel like I need to do that just because it's Friday night. How about a movie or bowling with the kids or something like that? Save the drinks for a dinner out with hubby or out with another couple or if invited to a party but quit creating excuses of how to get that drink.

Yes, I feel the mod squad is united better than ever and helping each other to get stronger and stronger. UNITED WE STAND!!

Here's to a great week-end. Remember to make a plan for yourselves.
Mine: No more than 2 tonight at dinner party and AF Superbowl Sunday (party and all) because parties are too easy for me to go overboard and I'll be with new people and if they drink like fish then I'm the type to get caught going downstream with them... so I'd rather not go there at all.
"If I don't have the first one...I won't want the last one".

:l
Eve11

AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS
by Portia Nelson

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place
but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

[Sarasmiles]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hey Squad,
Great poem, Eve, thank you. Yes, I too am enjoying this AF time...Nothing last night or tonight. I thought about a glass of wine when Hubby made himself a cocktail and I cooked dinner. I even had a cold bottle in the fridge...But I told Hubby I was thinking about it, and he said, "nah...you've been feeling so good. Just keep it going". For a second I felt annoyed (a "don't tell me what to do" petulance) but then I realized he was right and felt grateful for that little push to do without it. It turned out to be such a fun evening of dinner, movie, popcorn with the kids. And I felt proud.

Letgo, sounds like you've cut back a lot, and you're doing great! Stick with us...Do a few AF days when you can, and know that it's a process for all of us.

Love to you Sunbeam, thanks for being an inspiration and a friend. Best to all.
Sara

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Sunbeam,
All of the state parks...sounds like a worthy goal.

Sara,
You go girl! :yougo: So proud of you especially with hubby having his drink (tempting) and you were still able to not have one!

I did well tonight too. I keep forgetting to take L-Glut though and wish I would remember that on drinking nights! Did just fine although I have to say I looked at the wine bottle with still a lot of wine left in it from time to time...but I made a pact to my mod squad and by gosh I wanted to keep it...and I did!!

Determined to be AF tomorrow for the big party. BIL (big drinker!) will be there as well as a couple of other big drinkers so I think I'm safest to just not start. Have my O'Douls and a flavored water packed for the occasion.

Night all!!
Cyber :l
Eve11

[Sarasmiles]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Good Morning Squad! Well done Eve!!! :wd: You must feel great waking up today knowing you met your goal last night! Sounds like a good idea to not even start today. I bet that BIL will start to look a little unappealing when he's had a few drinks...maybe that will help. You can observe and think, "Not me!"

I'm in good cheer this am...will take the boys to church/Sunday school and then get out for exercise and fresh (cold) air today. Have a wonderful moderate day, friends.

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

eve you have got this thing down pat! good for you!

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Sarasmiles;802549 wrote: I bet that BIL will start to look a little unappealing when he's had a few drinks...maybe that will help. You can observe and think, "Not me!"

Sara and Letgo, :thanks:

I think that's been the biggest help to me as I try to not drink at all or very sparsely in this mod world. I do observe others, how much they drink, how they look, how they sound ... all of that!! And it is such a blessing when others have had too much (like BIL who usually does) to not be like him/them.

There is a lot of power when we can control ourselves. It's very freeing for sure.

:l
Eve11

[DeeBee]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Ohmyword!!
This heat is unbearable -- can't think straight -- off to swim and will be back later this evening to catch up on the news.
Love to all.

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

DeeBee,
Is your weather opposite (like Austrailia is) to us? Must be your summer now is that true?

Winter here for us U.S. folks - depending where they live (I grew up in a state that got to be 40-50 below on a regular basis) tells me you may not get the empathy you're looking for! LOL!! Anyway, hope you had a good swim to cool down.

Stayed AF yesterdary for the superbowl party so I was pleased about that. It wasn't hard for me at all.
I think in a setting like that it's just too easy to drink too much because most everyone else is and one beer or glass of wine becomes another, unlike a fine dinner where one is really sipping slow and having a lot of conversation. So, I felt it was just best to not even start and then I didn't get into the craving mode. The others actually all drank pretty responsibly so that was good. The trick one girl did that I liked was she poured small amounts - maybe only 3 oz. So she would go back more frequently for a refill but I believe in the long run she drank less or equal to someone pouring 2 hearty glasses.

Anyway, off to work. Have a great day everyone.
:l
Eve11

[Jolie]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Dee, We are trudging through 20+ inches of snow here in the mid-eastern portion of the US with more expected tomorrow afternoon! Now I'm not a real big fan of the heat but don't like this either (somewhere in the middle would be nice!).

Eve - good for you on staying AF yesterday. We usually stay home in front of the TV for superbowl and my normal is to start drinking (wine mixed with "something" -soda, juice, etc. for disguise) before and during the game. Enjoyed a sober SB yesterday - remember all the ads and all all the important plays (yea Saints!). This is a first for me in several years. Felt really good. I'm posting here but really don't know if I will ever be able to moderate. I'd like to. Ayway, just enjoy talking to you and everyone else. Well, have a great day (hot or cold as the case may be!)

[Sunbeam]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Jolie,
Glad to see you checking in here. More AF time is always better. Once you have established AF habits, you could consider drinking moderately if you weren't a daily heavy drinker. I'm in the northeast too: the big storm stayed south of us, but we are in line for the next one.

I'm home sick today, I finally got some chicken noodle soup down. It isn't my preferred method of weight loss, but at least there is an upside to feeling so crummy.

[Maia]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hi all!

I didnt drink this weekend either! Im still too new in this moderating experiment that I didnt think it was smart for me to try to moderate at a party when I still havent really practiced moderating at restaurants and easier to control events. Eve, im very glad for you about your party yestarday, im very scared about going to parties like that now. Im actually traveling with my husband to europe in a month. Er are going to a very important party event (related to his job). I know many of his friends and collegues are going to be there, and im really nervous about it. I dont know, it's dinner, then a very long party where there will be champaigne non stop. Im scared to fail. I want to have these months of practice before going on my trip!

Sara and letgo, congratulations on drinking with your husbands and doing well! I'll try that on Valentine's that we are going to a very nice restaurant! I usually tell him after an occacion like that to go to a nice place to have some drinks before, and of course after. Im not planning on doing that this time!!! Just the restaurant, lets see....

Letgo, I read your post about how you felt the other night after having just two drinks. It happens to me too when I drink two or three, I actually sleep better when I drink a bottle!!! I guess im too passed out to wake up then (which is horrible) but i do sleep. When I only have a couple of glasses, for some reaon I tend to wake up in the middle of the night. I dont see it as withdrawals, as i dont usually have any od those sympthoms. I think it happensa when the effect of the alcohol leaves the system... i dont know really, but it's happened to me too and i hate it because i cant go back to sleep!!!


Over all, I feel great. I was never able to be AF for so long and actually feel good about it!(except for when I have been pregnant of course) It feels so nice that I almost dont want to start the modding stage just yet (again, scared of failing as I have all my hopes here!!)