Sunday March 16th

[Janice]

Morning everyone, I'm up very early this morning 6 am UK (one way to get on the computer!) so I thought I'd start today's thread. I read through quickly yesterday's thread - just wanted to say Mary & Cindi, you are both in my thoughts right now.....:h

Day 19 for me today and still feeling positive. There's an interesting thead in Gen Disc on positive thinking. Being positive and more exercise are definitely helping me stay AF. I suppose the two go hand in hand don't they? I've managed the gym twice since my induction and am having a swim later - feel so much better afterwards.

We had a big family dinner yesterday - roast beef, yorkshire puds etc for 8 of us. It was lovely sitting around the table afterwards catching up with news.....didn't feel the 'pull' at all, maybe cause I was kept so busy!

Hope everyone has a good Sunday - stay strong no matter what you're facing right now and remember separate those feelings from the drink.


Janicexxx

[Thankful]

Sunday March 16th

Wow, Janice. You are starting the Sunday thread and I have not been to bed yet! Almost 3AM here. I had a large coffee tonight and I usually don't allow myself caffiene after 5-6PM. I am still wide awake! I hate this.

Congrats on your day 19. You are sounding stronger everyday.

Enjoy your day. I am going to try to get myself to read a book and hope it makes me drowsy.

I'll try to be back later (if I don't sleep the day away!) lol OMG, I'm never having caffiene this late again!

Love, Me
:l

[Ripple]

Sunday March 16th

same here.

me too still awake and going strong..we welcome sunday with you Janice all the way in England. :h

[betty boop]

Sunday March 16th

Hi Guys can I join you here please?????

I've been here for a while moderating, but its steadily creeping back up to waking up hungover every day again, started sneaking drinks again and panicking the next morning in case hubby finds empties .....

This morning something just clicked, I don't want to feel that way, so I've started taking the supps (god how big are those things?), I'm off to buy some healthy juices and stuff and it's day one AF for me ........

At the minute I feel really good just for making the decision ........

Here goes ........

[retteacher]

Sunday March 16th

BB: Welcome, welcome, welcome! You were the first person to respond to me when I came to MWO last year. I can so identify w/the drinking creeping up to old levels. I thought I could mod but found the same phenomenon happened to me (gradual escalation). This is a great thread for keeping an abs goal (whatever it may be).

Janice: I loved: separate your feelings from drinking. Yes, to that! I was always trying to drown my feelings. Regarding my son's DUI, I've been feeling very sad about it. I'm letting myself have the feelings, & it's been OK. I'm not drowning in them. They aren't overwhelming me. Is that why I drank when I felt bad? Probably. Likewise, I'm letting my husband have his feelings about the whole thing. He alternates between anger (men seem to revert to that) & sadness.

We have an extended family party. There will be beer & wine there, but I won't be drinking. Love, Mary

[4theboyz]

Sunday March 16th

Good Morning Abbers!

Janice it is so great to hear you holding strong and I hope our other night owls Thankful and Rip finally some sleep!

BB, I wish you well and all the strength and courage to rack up some AF days.

This is the best place for me to start my day, nothing could be better than to wake up clear headed raring to go and see/feel all the positive energy here in Absville.

Have another wonderful Alcohol *Free* day everyone!!

[Doggygirl]

Sunday March 16th

Happy Sunday to all!! Janice, thanks for getting us started today. Did you cook all that lovely dinner yourself, or did your company help?? Dinner for 8 is a lot of work but you sound happy - I bet it's nice to have your family around you this weekend. Congratulations on Day 19!

It's Day 3 here and I feel fantastic this morning. I'm later than usual checking in, but I've already got a lot of stuff going - dogs taken care of, dishes done (how many dishes can one Mr. Doggy dirty AFTER dinner is done and cleaned up anyway??), doggies taken care of, laundry going, WOW not having a hangover is nice! What the sam hill does RJ put in this Kudzu anyway to make me feel so good??? I know the cravings will come - and often in the short run - but I'll enjoy this feeling every chance I get.

Mr. Doggy and I even had a more stressful conversation about some BS that's going on in the dog training group and what we're going to do about it. I guess there is always a trouble maker in every group. Normally when we're dealing with angsty issues like that, the first thing I do is pour a drink as we talk about it. Not today folks!!

Thankful - what book are you reading? Did you get any sleep? (hopefully you are still sleeping!)

Ripple - Hope you are sleeping in too. How many avatars and locations do you have, anyway???? I noticed from yesterdays thread that you are at 158 days today? Congratulations - I'm following you! (but not in a stalking way. well, why NOT stalk you? It will take me to lots of interesting "locations" that's for sure!)

WELCOME BETTY BOOP to some AF time!!! :yougo: Happy Day 1 AF.

Hi Mary!! I'm so glad that you are dealing so well - much better than I can ever imagine myself doing - with your son's DUI. Will he be at the family get together today? Just thinking of you and how....can't think of the right word.....that could be for you. I hope you have fun at the gathering no matter what.

4theboyz - I agree this is a great place to start the day! Hope you've got a fun one planned.

tkeene - wow that sounds like scary weather yesterday. Hail always scares me because it can potentially cause so much damage so quickly. Well - it's not as scary as an earthquake or tornado - but still. How far do you go on your bike rides?

From yesterday waving *hi* to Masq and that beautiful bed pup. Also looking forward to getting to know APerry - and wondering how the karaeoke (sp - I can't spell it much less do it) and root beer float night went. and Young - how did the color guard show go? Wish I could have gone with you - I love color guards, marching bands, drum and bugle corps, rifle teams, etc. etc. And Cindi - hope you are doing OK today getting through this weekend on the crazy meds until your prescription is ready tomorrow.

So here's my plan for the day. I was thinking last night about when I lived in Florida, and how a group of us spent many Sundays cruising up and down the intercoastal waterway on one friend's boat, and bar hopping. When I was thinking about this, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself NOT thinking of getting buzzed, then drunk - but I was thinking about the laughter, and the sunshine, and the friendship, and our crazy antics. Those were happy times.

So today between house stuff, I am going to pretend I am "bar hopping" from thread to thread here at MWO. I hope to fiind laughter and make new friends and enjoy some silly antics - booze free. Like a virtual AF bar hop. I hope to run into any of you who are just hanging out today - maybe spending lots of time here to stay away from the Booze Beast in the early AF days.......

My question for the day is this: Was I born crazy, or did killing off too many brain cells make me crazy?????

High fives all around for another AF day!!

DG
***

[APerry36]

Sunday March 16th

hey everyone happy sunday (feels soooo good to not be hungover!) doggygirl thx for asking- the party went really good last night- me and my husband kind of dominated the kareoke machine, i mean really, we did like 15 songs- it got to a point of the night where we were both on the couch singing the songs and getting all excited about our scores- and everyone else was somewhere else...we were very amused. at one point he was Axle Rose and i was Slash complete with a Wii guitar, hat and and glasses. i ended up bringing stuff to make really bomb virgin marys instead of the root beer floats- i got spicy bloody mary mix and red peppers and limes and pepper and celery, but we ended up just drinking soda. it's weird- i realized that no one else was really drinking either. to tell the truth, we're such a rambuncious crowd we don't really need alcohol. not to mention we all work together so it's not like we're not comfortable around each other. at the end of the night the ppl that were left all took a shot to celebrate my co-worker getting married and someone went to hand me one and i said "NO!" and they jolted their hand back and said "WELL! ok then..." and took it herself. i raised an empty glass for the toast...i didn't have time to scrounge up a drink. my mom called me at 11:00 to make sure everything was going ok- i was so proud to be able to call her back and tell her i was AF all night. i was actually a little nervous about the night- didn't know if anyone would understand...but it wasn't even an issue and we had SO much fun and feel great about it today...except a really embarrassing Prince performance...

BB- WELCOME!! abstaining is so much easier than cutting back you won't even believe it. i did the SAME thing with moderating and slowly creeping back into an almost eveynight ordeal...you should feel GREAT about ur decision!!
tkeene- what part of cali are u in?? we had some light rain in this part last night but it's really windy today
hope everyone has a very productive (or relaxing!) sunday!

[Determinator]

Sunday March 16th

Top o the Sunday ABskis far and wide!!!

Boopster, nice to see you here dear

karaoke? eeeeeeeek! hahahaa. no comment

feeling great and sore today from yesterdays workout and just catching up a bit on the boards and taking it easy.

This time being AF I'm so much more at ease and resolved and I'm not even sure why. Not that I'm complaining mind you....far from it.

did you all hear that Donald Trump has never had a drink in his entire life? really! his brother was a hard core drunk and he says that taught him early about the follies of drinking that poison. Do you think "the Donald" feels like he's missing out on the fun? like he's "underprivileged" at all? I highly doubt it! the stigma is all in our heads. Getting over the stigma may be hard (I know personally) but it's easier I think when we can realize it for what it is. Know your enemy. then you can defeat it.

be well my friends!

[Hannah]

Sunday March 16th

Hello everybody! Top of the morning/afternoon to you all! I've been doing a lot more crusing than posting lately, but time to get more involved again, and concentrate on being AF. I feel so much better, getting up in the morning clear headed and feeling positive. My hubby and I have gone back to not having any alcohol in the house, and that makes it SOOOO much easier! Have a great AF Sunday, everybody.

[Beck]

Sunday March 16th

Hello Everyone,

Welcome BB! Good luck in your AF quest. There's a lot of success and encouragement here.

I am encouraged to read all the tales of AF fun these folks are having - AF Vegas trips, AF Sunday roast dinners (Janice, I lived in the UK and never had Sunday roast without a few pints and/or glasses of wine), AF karoke - I didn't even know that existed! I will get my own ultimate willpower test as I have tickets for a Jimmy Buffett concert. Its not until Sept 1 - I will need to be much stronger by then.

My husband is away this week. Left to my own devices used to mean a pile of empties...

have a great AF Day,
Beck

[aquamarine]

Sunday March 16th

Hi Everyone, doing well.
Betty- Welcome back to being AF. I personally find that when I start sneaking drinks and hiding bottles etc.. things are only heading in the wrong direction. And you feel so bad about yourself when you got into that kind of behavior,it's so mentally unhealthy.
Janice- Congrats on day 19. I'm on day 16 so I'm right behind you. Good job at your family dinner. Those are really hard for me since drinking is a big part of my family's celebrations.
APerry- Well done at your party. That can be tough, but you feel so good when you actually stick to your resolution to not drink.
Beck- When my husband is not here that is probably the biggest temptation for me. Luckily he hardly ever travels. I'd probably be in a lot worse shape if I was left to my own devices for long. Good luck this week.
Hannah- Good decision to not keep alcohol in the house. It really will at least make you think before you go for that drink if you get tempted.
DoggyGirl- I know what you mean about gettiing alot done. It's amazing and can really put you in a positive mood which can only help.
Determinator- I loved that you posted about Donald Trump. I did not know that about him and that is really interesting. It is so true about knowing your enemy. When I started all this two years ago I have to say I had no clue about what was really going on in regards to
my alcohol problem. I really have surprised myself at how ignorant I was. It really does help in the struggle to get a grip on what is really going on instead of just using blind determination. Thanks so much for sharing that today.
I'm sorry if I have forgotten anyone, by the time I get finished writing I can't remember all the great things everyone has contributed. Hi and positive thoughts to TKeene, 4TheBoyz, Thankful, and Reteacher! Take Care Everyone.

[Thankful]

Sunday March 16th

Hi, folks. I'm back after a whopping 5 hrs crappy, tossing and turning sleep. Have no idea what the problem is. My mind and heart just won't stop racing. It can't be the caffiene at this point. Allowed myself only juice and water today. No coffee for me, thanks!

Rip ~ Ummm...you never know where you are or what time zone your in, so how do you know if you are up too late? lol

BB ~ It's a great group here in Absville - you'll like it here. Good luck!

Mary ~ You really seem to be living the "Wisdom, Courage, Strength" mantra. Hang tough, lady!

4theboyz ~ You are always so positve. I appreciate your personality so much. Thank you.

Tk ~ Glad you survived the crazy weather. I would miss you too much if those winds blew you away!! :upset:

DG ~ I see you staying strong, girl! You are a fighter! I like that. BTW - didn't bother w/the book. Stayed up watching TV til about 5:30! Ughhh!

APerry ~ Sober kareoke? That's different! Sounds like you had a blast. Good job staying AF! I only sang kareoke drunk (yes, in public) - but I'm sure I was just absolutely fabulous! :H

Det ~ Trump certainly did achieve a lot staying sober, eh? That sure as hell is motivation if you ask me!

Hannah ~ I bet it's much easier dealing with an AF household. Keep up the good work!

Beck ~ Make sure you keep yourself occupied while hubby's gone. And I don't mean w/empties. lol Rememver, we are here.

Aqua ~ I agree about being ignorant to how bad AL really is. I think part of my success has been educating myself on the affects this really has on us. Some scary research out there - scared me straight. Truly.

Well, love to all!! Enjoy your Sunday evening!

Love, Me
:l

[Dee]

Sunday March 16th

Let's give it up for April

Well, I finally found my way back here. It took a while to find the ab board. I'm so tech lame. It's so cool for both of us to be here. SOOOO exciting. I'm so proud of you that you were able to not drink at your party. It really is a whole new world when you look at it through sober eyes, huh? I'm really liking this. I'm glad we're doing it together. If anyone is wondering, I'm April's mom. I used to be on the board a couple of years ago. I tried the moderating. It didn't get me very far. I definitely think that abstaining is easier. You skip past all the conflictions and confusion. I'm happy to be back.

[Doggygirl]

Sunday March 16th

Hi again all! Hey - has anyone heard from Cindi today? I might have missed it but I don't think I saw her post in this thread. I ended up doing LOTS of running around today and getting things done, and less thread hopping than I originally thought. Anyway, Cindi, I hope you're doing OK with the meds you're on this weekend.

APerry, all I can say about your description of the party is WE. WANT. PICTURES! Glad you had a good time and did just fine AF.

Deter - I'm glad you shared that about The Donald. I didn't know that. Very visible proof that we CAN cope with life in other ways than diving for a bottle of booze! Also that is VERY cool that things are feeling better for you this time around. I really believe that if we keep sincerely trying, we can all get there eventually.

Beck - you are onto something. We should start a big list of "named" AF event type stuff. Can I come with you to AF Jimmy Buffet in September? I'm not ready yet either, but I sure plan to be by then. If it's Jimmy in Key West - I will figure out a way to hide in your luggage! (now there is some extra motivation to lose this extra weight! I wouldn't fit in anyone's luggage right now...)

Aqua - congrats on 16 Days AF!! Yep - I'm in a great mood. I can't believe it's already going on 5PM - it seems like it should be earlier. This day has FLOWN by. Hey - you and Thankful with your pink roses are making me want to plant roses this year!!

Thankful - AACK I'm sorry you didn't get to sleep until that late, and only 5 hours. I hope tonight goes better for you.

Well, ciao everyone!! See ya later. Happy tail end of the AF weekend!

DG
HEY!!! It's after 3PM!! I'm officially on Day 4 now!!! ****