Friday, July 20th

[YoungAtHeart]

Good morning Abbers! What's with me starting the thread?

I start work early today, so no lazing around the house perusing the threads. But I wanted to check in and say hi to everyone. Now it's hi to everyone to come!

I'll be back later today to check in.

Hugs,:l
Kathy

Day 39 for me!:yay:

[Kitty]

Friday, July 20th

Hi Kathy and all Abbers to come,

Nothing much to report here, raining yet again. Going to drag myself to the pool.

Been doing pretty well on my diet this week so think I will have a little treat tonight, I'm a little food obsessed without the alcohol, lol.

See you all later.

kitty

[Paddy]

Friday, July 20th

G'day Abbers,

Nothing to report here, either. Day 3 AF for me here ... I'm reaaaally happy it's weekend. It's been time.

Have a good w-end

[Determinator]

Friday, July 20th

Alooooha Friday AB world!! yes, I'm also ready for weekend. blah!

Day 30 AF again!! wooo woooo! feeling pretty darn good. I'ts not as exciting the 2nd time around but I'm not complaining. Feels more natural and comfortable this time...because I know it's not a problem and can do it. Good to have that month under my belt again

Had a nice cool night which helped our firefighters battling the many blazes we have 'round here.

Wonderful AF happy day to you Kathy, Kitty, Paddy and all our pals to come.
be well.

[Newyear]

Friday, July 20th

Mornin kathy and kitty and paddy and deter...
I for one am very happy it is Friday. I had a very tough week both with work and personal stuff (working on my mom selling her house and moving up here).
It was such a tough week that I am not even nervous about having a blind date tonight after work. Ok, maybe I'm a little nervous.
I gave a going away party last night for my Asst controller. She told everyone that the new asst controller (her replacement) mentioned that I had said I had quit drinking. The new asst cont asked the old one if I had had a 'problem' with drinking. The old asst controller told this as a joke like -'hahaha, can you believe she thought maybe you had a problem??" Then she told the new asst cont. 'no, she didn't have a problem'

Made me feel kinda weird.
I got to run. Paddy - happy day 3 Det - 30days - YEA! I can't wait to help you celebrate 60
Kathy - 38 - you are doing great
Kitty- have fun at the pool - hope it is indoor! and enjoy your treat tonight.
Lisa

[Doggygirl]

Friday, July 20th

TGIF!!! (Thank God It's Friday - is that slang known in countries outside the US? No naive about these things I am.....but learning!) And it's Rocket Fuel in my Kudzu Friday here as I am happily in the double digits of my new AF lifestyle - on Day 10!!! And here you all thought I was too shy to toot my own horn. BOY were YOU wrong!

I am still sleep deprived (was ready to throttle two of the four dogs - there's a reason they call 'em bitches - and one Mr. last night around 12:30AM). But I was thinking this morning about the 385674957593+ mornings of my life where I've had to get up and Git-R-Done with too little sleep AND a hangover. So this is a cake walk compared to those days. There IS a silver lining in the sleep deprivation cloud!! Oh - I did get even with Mr. for bringing the two "girls" upstairs to bed after I was already asleep, when we previous agreed they would sleep in their crates like is NORMAL for working sport dogs. Mr. Dawg doesn't mind the Sleep Learning CD - he actually likes it. But he can't sleep with voices like the TV on ....or.....like "Will" (my name for the hypno guy voice). So....in my effort to fall back to sleep, I listened to track 2 of the hypno CD not once, not twice, but THREE times over night. Don't get mad ladies, get even!! And get even with something positive for YOU!!

OK - that's way more than 2 cents and a bag of chips about me.

Lisa, I am so :soapbox: about how quitting drinking is treated in general compared to - say quitting smoking is treated in general. I quit smoking almost 5 months ago. Once I was sure I could stick it out and started telling people, I got a standing ovation and 5 gold stars. But as evidenced by your experience - announcing you've stopped drinking gets you a little air clap and people slyly backing away from you like you're a leper or something. And given that sad reality, so much the worse that in a WORK situation, a co-worker decided to make that announcement FOR you to a new boss person type. I would have been furious. Hey - if anyone ever needs help burying the body of somebody like that, I've got a really big yard suitable for "Landscaping Projects." I've got shovels, wheelbarrows and lime too. (of course I mean this in the most virtual imaginary sense of course!)

It's funny - a new friend of mine I made through quitting smoking were chatting about this phenomenon. My friend has her vices, but drinking was never one of them. She doesn't drink and never has. She joins us on the :soapbox: of this issue. When she is at social functions and turns away alcohol drinks, SHE gets the same treatment we ex-drinkers do - that Leper Look. Interesting that Never Drinkers get it too.

Have fun on your blind date. And I hope you have a postivie wonderful weekend and a better vibe goin' on next week.

Kathy, congratulations on 39 Days!!!!! You must feel awesome. I can't wait to find out what that feels like.

Deter!!! Congratulations on 30 days AF. What's for dinner and what time should I be there????

Kitty, good for you on meeting your diet goals this week. Have fun swimming. I have a question for you. I have hair a bit longer than shoulder length. Please keep the fact that I cover the grays with hair color a secret OK? But I worry about chlorine damaging my hair if I were to take up swimming for exercise. Do they make swimming caps good enough to really keep the chlorine water off your hair these days? I realize my health should be more important than my vanity, but until I have a true epiphany about that...do you have feedback???

Congratulations on Day 3 Paddy!

Hi to all who may have popped in during my babble, and all who have yet to come.

DG
Day 10 AF * * * * * * * * * * (my gold stars)
Day 144 Smober

[zincityzen]

Friday, July 20th

Good morning DG, Lisa, Paddy, Det, Kitty, Kathy - I'm joining abbers for an indefinite period. Abstaining was no problem last night as I felt a little tired and crummy all day yesterday and nothing "good" was in the house.
Lisa, I would be SO annoyed at that co-worker. DG, I know what you mean about the Leper Look, since I don't want to go there just yet I'm not going to tell anyone - good thing I don't have much of a social life!
I go off and on so many diets that people are used to me drinking sometimes and sometimes not. Luckily I don't socialize at work except with one or two non-drinkers.
Also I'm annoyed about regaining the 5 lbs that dropped off during May, my AF month.
Vanity is more motivating for me than health, and I can always decide I look just fine as I am after two glasses of wine!

[vinophile]

Friday, July 20th

Happy Friday All,

Somehow the morning after a night that you struggled to stay AF is always sweeter. I did have to fight some urges last night but they only lasted about 15 minutes. Once I made up my mind it was fairly easy. My husband came home and asked me if I wanted wine. I said absolutely not but he was welcome to pout himself a glass. He poured himself a large glass and then proceeded to drink ONE THIRD of it before he abandoned it in the sink. I have NEVER abandoned a glass of wine in my life!!!! It made me think ....it's not worth having a "glass" of wine with him or worrying about the fact that he might want me to have a glass of wine with him. He has his glass( one glass) and I'm left frustrated by the fact that he's lost interest in drinking and I'm on the prowl for more wine.
I'm meeting a friend for dinner tonight. I have not seen her for 9 years and we did used to drink wine together but I'm not worried about drinking as I have to drive. I plan on having an af beer, which normally doesn't thrill me but will make me think I'm having something besides soda water.

Kathy, congratulations on almost 40 days!!!!

Kitty, Hope you enjoyed your swim. I do find myself foraging for food in the fridge on the evenings when I'm not drinking. I really must find something to fill my time besides hunting for food,which I think is going to spontaneously generate in my cabinets.

Paddy, I'm on day 3 with you. I'm trying to think how good I'll feel on Monday morning when I can write that I'm on day 6

Lisa, after you have so much time AF I don't even think of you as a former drinker.I think of you as a non-drinker. Have fun on your date tonight and let us know how it goes!

Determinator BIG CONGRATULATIONS ON 30 DAYS AF!!!!!!!!

Doggygirl,Congratulations on 10days. I love your avatar. Is she one of the "girls"? I call my male dogs "the boys" even though I have 3 sons. My sons know I mean the dogs when I say "how are the boys" but other people think I'm out of my mind.

Zincityzen, I've gained 5 lbs in the past 3 weeks and I, too, think I look perfectly fine after drinking 2 glasses of wine. After 3 glasses I think i look even better. Something else I have to work on...........oh well.......

Have a great day all. Hope to check back in later.

Janet

[Popeye]

Friday, July 20th

Hello Everyone.
I just had a thought as I was reading through the posts, so I'll just go with that.

When I first came here in November, I started a thread entitled 'Weekends'.
I could generally manage a few AF days thorough the week. but come Friday night...not a hope. I'd wake up determined not to touch it, but come lunch time, I'd be drooling at the prospect of another bottle of vodka, and that would carry on into Saturday, maybe Sunday....
Today, all I could think about was getting home and doing what I do on a Friday.
Relaxing.
Chilling out.
Fixing the garden.
Going to see my granddaughter.
Watching a film.
Having a good soak in the bath.
Normal stuff, and not a drink in sight.
That doesn't happen every weekend yet.
I often fancy a good blow-out....but not this weekend.
good job folks.
And thanks for listening.

[Arial]

Friday, July 20th

Good afternoon everyone, and yes, even though I'm on holiday, TGIF! There's still something different about the weekends even though I haven't been at work all week - go figure!

'Fraid the memory's not so hot so there's no way I'll remember every one who's been before, but it's been fun reading all your posts! I'll just say I hope you all have a fabulous weekend - many congratulations on all your achievements and steps forward - as usual I find inspiration - almost enough to go put on the running shoes and kick start the excercise program as well as the no alcohol! I definitely find it easier to stick to AF with the excercise thrown in, so I think I need to take the bull by the horns and just go for it!

Take care and enjoy! :l

[Doggygirl]

Friday, July 20th

Hi Zinc!! Congrats on a AF evening. Look foward to takin' a little ride with you here on the AF wagan for awhile. LOL on vanity over health!! I try not to be there with you...but the truth is if somebody said "eat some lead paint and that extra 50 pounds will just FALL off your a$$" - guess what's for dinner???????

Vino, I hear you that a big motivator for the weekend is knowing there will be two more gold stars come Monday. I treat those days like they are TREASURE taken from the field of battle where we conquer the boozebeast every day. I LURVE those days!! And yes, my avatar is Kimba and she is the Associate Bitch. The Head Bitch is Cleopatra who is a rescused mix mutt. I don't know for sure what breeds she is, but I strongly suspect a mix of part Bitch and the other part Uber Bitch.

I have to tell you guys this though...it's so funny. It's so worth not drinking so Mr. Doggy can't grump about stuff using a "you were drinking..." thing whether my drinking had anything to do with the situation or not. I'm back on equal footing with him for the sake of our lively debates!! Anyway, I mentioned how I subjected Mr. Doggy to THREE rounds of "Will the Hypnotist" right? I did NOT ask this AM how Mr. Doggy slept. I was bright and cheery and I could tell he didn't sleep much. (my thanks to you dear "Will" - we took a step forward in our relationship last night!!) Anyway, he finally mentions he is tired and didn't sleep well. I just said "Oh I'm sorry to hear that honey, I didn't sleep to week either last night, but we just gotta keep on keepin' on." And of course I to muster the most puke inducing, sickeningly sweet voice and a smile to go with it, while I said this. I AM EVIL!!!! I bet that's the last time he tries to sneak the girls into bed for awhile. Sorry I know this is getting long but I just HAD to share that!

Hi Popeye! It's nice to know that eventually "Friday" won't necessarily feel jarring every week. I'm gonna muscle through it, but I definitely *know it's Friday*.

Ariel, congratulations on your AF progress. But did you HAVE to bring up EXERCISE????? Good for you mustering up your motivation. I hope it's contagious and you & all MWOers give me a serious infection of it. Happy weekend!

DG
WOW 2 hours and 15 minutes until the official end of my 10th 24 hour period of AF. It's more fun thinking about those little details than how I can hide my vodka from the dog training people tomorrow in order to get an early start.

[vinophile]

Friday, July 20th

Thought I would hop on the abs board for some quick inspiration before I go out to dinner. I fleetingly had the thought of how nice it would be to have just "one" glass of wine to keep my friend company during dinner. I unselfishly thought of how she might feel awkward ordering wine without me.
Then I came to my senses.
I will not have any wine tonight!!!!!
Popeye,I look foward to a time when worrying about drinking does not take up my mental energy.
Doggygirl, I think I'm going to take out my cd's and listen to them again.It's been a while. I think I liked the clearing and hypnotic the best.....if I'm remembering correctly.

Have a great evening all.

Janet

[Kitty]

Friday, July 20th

Hey Abbers,

This thread is pretty long now so forgive me for the general big "shout hi" to all rather than a personal message to all.

Just a few quickies, DG I have really short hair so don't wear a cap swimming, I comb in conditioner after washing and leave it in for a few minutes, I think I read somewhere that you can buy special products now that are specially formulated for hair that comes into contact with chlorine so check out the pharmacy.

Z, in answer to your question yesterday, PIL's means parents in law. I'm not actually married but it's quicker than saying fiancee's parent's, lol.

Paddy, and all those who have experience of Topa, I am experiencing some difficulties so I am going to post them in Paddy's ongoing Topa thread, that way it will maybe reach more people.

Nearly midnight here so goodnight all in europe, good morning all down under and have a good evening all across the pond.

Kitty

[Lou]

Friday, July 20th

Hi all

Lou is back!!!
Not so great tho...iv posted on gen dis to explain.
I just wanted to say hi to all of you who iv missed so much xx as i said reasons explained on gen dis.
and to all who dont know me...a huge big hi!!!

Love you all..oldies and newbies

Lou-Lou x x x x

PS....Kathy...love the new avatar!! xx

[paula]

Friday, July 20th

Good night Kitty and everyone, it is now midnight, and I have to be up at 6am,working
all weekend. It has rained all day here, hope we have a better weekend, won't hold my
breath though.!
Paula.