Wednesday 2nd April

[Janice]

A quick start today as shooting off to get some food shopping. Have been for my early morning swim and feel great.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone.....will be back on later.

Janicexxx

[Pebbles]

Wednesday 2nd April

Hi Janice,

Day 2 for me.

I will have 7 under 5's at my house this afternoon - usually have a drink afterwards to wind down and clear up. Not today though, will just have to get on with it like normal people do!

xxx

[Janice]

Wednesday 2nd April

Hey well done Pebbles.....make sure you have something lined up as a treat for yourself later.....I've just got into ice cold tonic water with lemon - delicious!! I know you can do this Pebbles!! Janicexxx

[Pebbles]

Wednesday 2nd April

thanks Janice, I was thinking more of the 390g block of Galaxy chocolate that's still here from Easter:H

I WILL DO IT:thanks:

[aquamarine]

Wednesday 2nd April

Hi Everyone. Finally getting a bit warm here. Hope everyone is doing well today. Off to run a million mindless errands. Take Care and Stay Strong! Aquamarine

[4theboyz]

Wednesday 2nd April

Been quite a bit off my secure routine this week having to navigate the curve balls of life. Character builders I call them...they make these AF mornings all the more sweet I say. Thank God for my morning cup of coffee and my happy Abbers!!

[barebones]

Wednesday 2nd April

hi everyone, good going pebbles and everyone.

hi aqua day 33 eh

well i had my usual physio gym this morning and day hospital, went for long walk with pepper and daughter, as its nice outside, and i felt guilty leaving pepper by herself this morning on a nice day.
was going to gym this evening but mother in law is in hospital so might have to visit instead. im stable today and feeling not bad at all, so all is good.

pebbles yummy on the chocolate, injoy its all about changing things around and putting in new things to keep AF. soo good luck hun.

take care everyone.xx

day 33 AF

[Miss October]

Wednesday 2nd April

Good Morning Abs !

Looks like we are off to a good start this month. Janice, Pebbles, aquamarine, and 4theboyz, nice job and enjoy your day.

Just completed two AF days. Stopped at Dunkin Donuts after work last night and picked up a cup of coffee to drink while I was cooking dinner...and that worked......no cravings (and I never drink coffee at night....only 1 cup in the morning.....but hey, if it works to replace the wine....why not.

Cindi, I don't know how you did it, but you stayed strong. Good for you. My prayers go out to you and your daughter.....that must be so difficult on you.

Four things I need to keep in mind this April:

1) Set my Goal (done)
2) Make a commitment (done)
3) Work hard & keep focused to meet that goal (working on it)
4) Complete the goal on April 30, 2008

Everyone to follow, have a great alcohol free day. I plan on it !

[Cinders]

Wednesday 2nd April

Good Morning Abbers!!,

Well, we are on day 2 and day 1 of April is already taken care of.

Lots of client work, administrivia and house work to do today. What's up with that?

I am probably going to be out of town next week and dreading that but with trusty Antabuse in hand will be able to deal with it. I even bought a new bathing suit so I can exercise in the pool while I am at the hotels traveling.

Hope all have a great day 2 of April and stay AF.

We can do it. Kick those urges aside and keep on going through the day.

Love,
Cindi
XVI

[Beck]

Wednesday 2nd April

Hi everyone,

Seems we are all dashing off this am - myself included. Wanted to wish you all a good day before I started my errands. hate those.

Cindi, glad you made it through your tough day yesterday. The husband issue is a tricky one - mine travels occasionally which I find helps...

Pebbles, good luck with the kids.

Miss October, you sound positive. you're off to a great start.

Have a great AF day everyone.
Beck

[retteacher]

Wednesday 2nd April

Hi Everyone:

Pebbles: I do a lot of child care for the g-sons & ALWAYS used to have a good amount of booze to unwind after they left. Since going AF, I try to have tea or even coffee to perk myself up. It works so much better. The wine just killed the rest of the day & night for me.

Ms. Oct.: I too drank & cooked. It was a bad habit that I'm finally breaking. Now on a daily basis, I don't feel the pull to have that wine (like I used to). However, when I'm having a dinner party, I have to prepare myself in advance for the craving.

I think as we conquer each trigger & resist the urge, new pathways are forming in our brains. The habit is slowly being erased & replaced by a new & better one. I can't tell you all how many times I drank so much during th preparation of dinner that I was barely conscious during dinner. The last time I had guests, I stayed sober & remember everything that we talked about. Now that's an accomplishment!

Have a great day everyone.

Love, Mary

PS: Deter (wherever you are), I love that Viet Namese garlic chili sauce. It's even great on scrambled eggs.

[Thankful]

Wednesday 2nd April

Goodmorning, All.

Been reading a lot of posts this morning. Feeling a bit wishy washy. Day 98 and the thought of actually hitting that 100 day is really beginning to sink in. I just always thought that is was some foggy distant dream that wasn't really going to be attanable. Finding it hard to focus on anything this morning.

And people what the hell is it with drinking and cooking? That is still a big trigger for me also. If I'm making a meal that takes longer than a hour or so, I am so ready for a drink. I stick to my AF beer but cooking is still a trigger. I don't get it. I like to cook. And don't even mind the clean up that much, but it's not the dishes that make me drink. That's one I've yet to be able to work out yet. Made a lasagna last week that took hours (because I make the sauce too) and I opened a bottle of AF wine that I bought a while ago. Just wanted to keep it on hand. It wasn't bad and I only had one glass. But I held off the urge for a long as possible because I'm dying to figure out what it is about cooking that causing such a trigger. I don't even cook everyday as I'm sure many of you do. I share the cooking and cleaning with two other people, so I only have KP dutie every third day. Any suggestions? What really causes you to want a drink while cooking?

Anyway, have great day all. Stay strong and focused. We're all in this together.

Love, Me
:l

[Miss October]

Wednesday 2nd April

Thankful,

It has to be the "romance" of it. Cooking and drinking wine just go together. You see it on TV commercials and advertisements.

It's just the habitual ritual of it, turns it into a full blown addiction, which we then no longer have control over. We take a sip, cook a little , take another sip, cook some more, take more sips, start cooking less.....:huh:

I would love to give up cooking dinner, but I can't starve my family can I ? As Mary says, prepare for it. All I know is that is not always easy. As I mentioned in my first post, I stopped and got a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee (which I consider a treat), and drank that while I cooked last night. And it worked....now for how long, who knows, but I'm not giving up. I have a goal !

[Cinders]

Wednesday 2nd April

Thankful,

Sundays used to be family day around here until everyone's schedules got rearranged.

I used to be the central force of this and cook a huge meal for everyone, 11 total at times.

My bottle of wine always sat on the counter and while I was cooking would go down steadily. (We are talking one of the large bottles, not a regular sized bottle) and often before the family arrived, I would have to open another.

Sometimes, by the time everyone was eating, Granny "wasn't there anymore." What a great thing for family day, huh?

Nowadays, it is such a relief when we do have a get together that I am sober at the end of the cooking and people aren't running away asap to get away from whomever I had become during the course of cooking the meal.

It is also nice to know that I can be there in any emergeny for the grandkids when their parent's need to ask me to watch them.

No more drunk Granny. Cooking or not.

Love,
Cindi
XVI

[retteacher]

Wednesday 2nd April

Cooking & Drinking: Yes, they go together like hand in glove. I've been cooking for so many years that it's automatic...no thinking necessary...even if I'm following an unfamiliar recipe. For me, it's one of those jobs I can do on auto-pilot. If I'm having people over (even family), I thought it might "relax" me. It actually did just the opposite. I became hyper-vigilant, so that my family wouldn't notice the "drunken me." Those are my thoughts on the matter. Anyone else want to wade in?

Thankful: 100 days coming up. That's big, & nobody can take that away from you. You did it yourself through sheer determination & grit. Good for you! M