Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

[Miss Behaving]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

hi

thanks everyone for their happy and optimistic posts today! I'm going to bed soon, and too many comments on too many of them to do them all now .....

I hit 4 days today ....... if I can get past 5 tomorrow that will be the longest that I have managed to make in about 18 months ...... and before that many years. Today was really hard and I had cravings a lot of the day. By the time I got back from my travels I was climbing walls but it helped to come onto this thread and some others and hear some wisdom and also get that sense of being all in this together.

Went for a walk in the cold and rain, picked up pizza and watched a Harry Potter DVD. Had too much pizza, but hey - at least it wont give me a hangover!

[Doggygirl]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Good Day Booze Busters! Day 8 and Feelin' Great. (so much for my poetry skills - Anna yours are much better!)

I spent most of my career in sales or sales leadership postitions, so losing clients is something that comes with the territory. It doesn't thrill me of course, but I seem to be able to remain calmer than Mr. Doggy about it. BUT....that edginess over losing a client is part of what makes him very, very good at what he does. He goes the extra mile (well, an extra 10 miles!) to solve the most unusual problems so that he keeps his customers happy. That is a good quality most of the time, and is only a difficult quality in a couple of instances - this being one of them. (He also makes a demaning, difficult, and overall shitty manager as is sometimes the case with perfectionists. But we keep him away from that around here - he doesn't manage anyone for the most part! He tries to manage me but of course you all have probably figured out I am completely unmanageable. :nutso If all goes according to the norm, today will be a better day - onward and forward. I'm happy to be AF so I don't get mad at HIM for just being him.

Hi Liv!!
Hi July!! 307 is a red hot number!

Hannah it's good to see you back. Sorry you had to go to a funeral. Hopefully Mr. Hannah's uncle led a full and good life to 86. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week with hubby! Get out there and play some more golf would ya!

Hi Kaddy!

Anna, that is interesting about your friend. Hey - if a sad / frustrating situation brought you to a good decision for your life...then that is all good in the end. I too know a woman who after a nasty divorce several years ago, is "out" if you will, with her heavy daily drinking. She too says "I'm an alcoholic" with seeming pride. I'm not criticizing her. As a long term daily and heavy drinker myself, I've walked a mile in those shoes. Only difference is I worked to hide it and she proclaims it and says basically "if you don't like it, don't hang with me." Strange I haven't thought about her in a long time. I suppose on some level she is more honest than I ever was. On the other hand, I'm quite sure the last discussion she would want to have with anyone would be the benefits of AF. At least not until she makes that sort of decision for herself. At any rate, please share with us what happens when you meet with your friend again after 30 days AF. Congratulations on Day 3!!

I did not make the sea bass last night because Mr. Doggy isn't crazy about fish to begin with, and I'm quite a bit more adventurous with new recipes than he would be, if left to his own devices. (unless you have a hot new recipe for either frozen pizza or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!) So...with him in a "mood" it was better to make a meatloaf and mashed potatoes (well, potatoes for him, fauxtatos for me) LOL - I'm hoping to re-schedule the fish for tomorrow night.

Mame - WOO HOO!! Congrats on reaching Day 5!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! Stay close to MWO if you need help kicking the Booze Beast to the frickin' curb. Your talk of pizza is making me hungry!

Well, I have to wait for the cleaning lady and the handyman to get here and started, then I will be off to Curves, which I am trying to get addicted to and I think it's working.

Happy AF day everyone!

DG
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[happydog]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hi ALL Booze Busters,

Anna its amazing what af days can make you feel full of energy i think thats the best part of being af. I to look forward when you meet up with your friend next time. The good think is it made you more determined to be strong thinks do happen for a reason i believe.
DG well done over i week AF , sorry to hear you lost one of your clients a never door will open, it funny i always worked and good at hiding the AL.
Marsy, I use to work in regent park for trust house fourty in restaurant called the rose garden when i was 15/16 years old or i use to sell popcorns and throw them to the birds or squirrels and in the winter time they move me to hyde park at the end of the day we use to have a ketchup fight not a water fight (mad i know but i do miss the days of being silly)

Yesterday went to the seaside just love the smell of salt sea air. my daughter and her friends when on the rides while i drunk tea after tea and had candy floss. On the way home they all fell asleep in the car, i think that when you know they had a good time.

Anyone i have not mention have a good booze buster day.

Love
Teardrop.x
46 day AF

[BigMac]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hello fellow BBers! Just checking in; reading and catching up. Best wishes to all of you.

51 days AF today.

[Marshy]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hi y'all. Lots of optimism here!
I'm on a bit of a downer today and am having to deal with negative feelings sober. Bummer! :H
I'll check back when I've got over myself and am feeling a bit more positive.

[Miss Behaving]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

what to do when feling down

Marshy,

I was feeling like that last night, and it was great to read the good stuff here ...... but I didn't want to put down in this thread how I was feeling because I didn't want to spoil the good and optimistic mood that it has in it.

And I was thinking about it again this morning and thinking how silly that is! Because it actually made me feel isolated again. My thoughts went something along the lines of "OMG, everyone else is feeling great being AF, and I'm feeling like it sucks; and they are all having great lives and things to look forward to, while I struggling to hold things together .... so I'll just quietly bow out and shut myself off again."

I know exactly where that line of thought will take me, and it is something about sabotaging myself. If I can make myself feel bad enough then I'll have the excuse I need to break my promises to myself and drink on the weekend. We all feel like shit at times and we all know how hard this can be to manage when we are used to alcohol dulling the pain.

So I reckon that if you are on a downer and dealing with some negative stuff then you (and everyone else!!) should feel okay about putting them out here.

And I can tell you that I'm going to be here a lot over the next 3-4 days ... since Monday 26th this thread (and the "good things about a sober life" thread which I love too!) has become my first port of call. I feel like I'm white-knuckling it at the moment, and it is bringing up all sorts of emotions that I'm struggling to manage and I need somewhere to put them. But I am going to get to day 7, and then I'm going to get to day 10 (double digits!) and then I'm going to get to 2 weeks and I get a lot of hope from thinking that there are other people all around the place who are doing it at the same time. It keeps me grounded and less likely to feel sorry for myself!

I feel like I'm feeding off everyone else's strength and optimism at the moment ..... but I know that if I can get through this, then my own strength and humour will return and I'll have something to offer in return!

I''m more grateful to you people out in cyber-space than you can ever imagine :h

[Doggygirl]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Teardrop, HUGE congrats on 46! Your day at the sea side sounds wonderful. I wish I could have traded spots with one of your kids for a day!

Big Mac, congrats on 51!

RIGHT ON MAME about posting here when you are struggling. I think a generally high energy positive vibe is helpful to everyone (I know it is for me anyway!). BUT...the reason we NEED all that high energy is to help us through those times when we are struggling.

So Marshy...please bring it on!! That's what we're all here for.

I FINALLY got to go to Curves at 1:45 this afternoon! This morning was so hectic - Mr. Doggy had an early appointment and it's an account that is technically challenging for him right now. On some level he thrives on that - he will get a big fat adrenalin rush when he figures out the solutions. But in the mean time, that (plus losing that customer yesterday) has kept him a bit edgy still today. Thursday is house cleaning day (my prize for quitting smoking last year- a cleaning person!) so dealt with that, and also the handy person who finished putting the railing on our roof top deck today. Now it's SCREAMING for some potted plants and flowers out there!

By the time I hit Curves, I NEEDED a workout to give my brain a break! Man this SMART computer thing kicks my ass. I have NEVER had any sort of coach in a sport, or personal trainer in a gym that ever pushed me so hard as that little light turning green or yellow. I can't wait for Hannah to get signed up for this so she can verify just how hard a computer can kick your ass in a gym!! And a "girl" gym at that! So I feel all better now.

I can't wait for my doc appointment tomorrow to start on the path of getting my hormones all checked out and possibly rebalanced. I'm so happy to NOT be drinking, and taking better care of myself and my life. (and Mr. Doggy too)

DG
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Day 8 AF and knockin' on the Double Digit Door!

[louise]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hi everyone. Glad most people are having a good day. Hope you are getting caught up Hannah. Glad the sun came out for you Anna. Hope day 5 has fewer cravings for you AM. Curves sounds like a good addiction DG. Your day at the beach sounds wonderful Teardrop. Congrats on 51 days Big Mac. AM has some good thoughts, Marshy, but here’s to things turning around for you. Hey to anyone one here today I missed (and to everyone else as well).
I’m on day 2 (again). I swear all I could think about yesterday was drinking. My husband was out of town so I finally hauled myself off to the movies (Young at Heart, great documentary) and sat through the movie twice just so I was somewhere I could not drink. Just feel tired today. Heading into the dinner hour and my husband is back. I will not drink at dinner!

[The Londoner]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Aunty Mame, what a good post and I am glad you wrote it as it is.
Marshy, I am sorry you are feeling down, tell us a bit more if it makes you feel better.
You are both doing so well, don't be tempted to numb yourselves with drink. Try and detach yourself emotionally from the mood and view it as an interesting experience, almost as if you are standing outside the situation, looking on.

My first 30 day AF stint in the autumn nearly killed me-I felt depressed, exhausted, bored,lonely and yes, isolated, empty etc Not all the time. There were glimmers of better things ahead. Now with plenty of AF behind me, I feel more confident about dealing with whatever shit gets thrown my way. I also actively seek out the good times,don't give myself too much time on my own to dwell on the negatives.

I have just got in from meeting my stepdaughter, we had a meal, laughed a lot, we showed we cared about each other and I walked home by the river, people-watching, feeling lighthearted, feeling part of something bigger than myself.

Know that you are cared about here at MWO and you must feel free to express exactly how you feel as that is an important part of the healing process that is going on.
We all need each other and we WILL get there!
Anna:l

[Doggygirl]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

The Londoner;335217 wrote: Know that you are cared about here at MWO and you must feel free to express exactly how you feel as that is an important part of the healing process that is going on.
We all need each other and we WILL get there!
Anna:l

A-M-E-N!!

And a special hug for Louise. Hang in there - YOU CAN DO IT!!

DG
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[louise]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

So off we go to dinner at the neighborhood pizza place. We go in 2 cars because hubby and stepson are going to a movie after dinner that I don't want to go to. I need to get gas so I tell hubby to order whatever from our 'usuals' and I will meet them there. I say I only want mineral water 'because I don't like the new wine menu'. So I arrive and find salad and a glass of wine!!!!!!!! When I say that I had said I only wanted mineral water he tells me this is not one of their new wines but one that has always been on the menu (that we never ordered because we liked the ones they got rid of better). What to do? I know he will not drink 2 glasses of wine, since he drinks normally. Throwing out wine? It was hard, but I did. I took one sip so I could say that sorry, I did not like this wine either and not have to make a big deal in front of my visiting stepson. I'm counting that as not drinking at dinner.

[july232007]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Aunte Mame,

You are going through what is probably the worst of it now. I know that for many here days 4-7 are the most difficult. For me, those days were not a euphoric, "I'm glad to be AF", they were hard difficult days. My mood often changed quickly and I had little patience for small things. Like you, I and many others here set a goal to be AF. It is a challenging goal.

Good luck and vent as you need to. But, please know that there are better days ahead. In time you will feel optomistic and over more time, I suspect, confident that this is the life you want.

Take care,

July

Day 308 AF

[Miss Behaving]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Louise - you did good!!! I think that was a very gracious way of getting through it.

Thank you July for your comments. I know that lots of people here understand and it really helps.

And the good news is ........ I just got up from my computer at work to pack up and go home early for the weekend (is Friday 4:30 here) to realise that I hadn't thought of alcohol for about 3 hours! Now that's a first for the books!!!!

Off for an early movie and then maybe Thai takeaways (no temptation at either of those!) ..... and I have made a massive long list of things that need to be done over the weekend. This is not a weekend where I want anyone telling me I should be relaxing!!

[Hannah]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hello Boozebusters!

I am one tired, windblown golfed out shell of a woman right now ? and hell, it was great! This has been the first really nice day of my hubby?s week off that we were free to spend golfing ? and we sure did. Then came home and BBQ?d steaks and corn on the cob. Yum!
So how are you all?

Aunty Mame, I enjoyed your post ? yes, we need to come here even when we are down ? especially when we are down, really ? it?s true that we try to keep things on an upbeat level, but we don?t want it to be an ?artificial? thread ? we need some realism here, and it?s only real that everyone has their up and down days. And it helps so much to know that you aren?t alone. The only comment that I have to add, is that being AF will get better in time ? you may feel like it sucks right now, but that will pass. You have to be patient and work through a bit of sludge before you get to that place, but it?s definitely there. Keep slugging!

Louise, I so admire you for taking the one sip, and then putting the glass aside. I know how hard that is to do. Would your hubby not understand, if you told him what you are doing? It would make things a lot easier for you, but I understand if the time is not right.
Londoner! So good to see you here again, part of our merry little band. This is a real community, with people popping in and out ? and sometimes someone you haven?t talked to for a while. How ya been? Sounds like this AF thing suits you.

Doggy ? 8 days! I didn?t get it quite right, but hey, even better! Yes, I am looking forward to getting onto the ?smart? system ? I too find Curves addictive, especially in the winter when it?s not competing with the walking trails and the golf courses. It?s ?me? time. Good for body, mind and spirit!

And hello to July, and anyone I missed!

Well, off to bed ? it?s actually already Friday morning now??.

[happydog]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Good morning ALL booze busters,
DG looks like your really doing well in your workout, it help me a lot going for a jog or on my bike ride when i needed to clear my head especially in the evenings did wonders.
marshy you should feel free to vent even when you are having a bad day because it does help we are all here.
Am like anna said good post.
Louise 2days AF keep it up well done for throwing the wine away.
bigmac well done 6days ahead of me always forward to see how you are doing.

I know when i first joined here my first AFdays i felt so bad and tired all the time and very low i was not communication at home going to bed at 8pm my husband though i was having a affair thats how bad i was could not see it at the time even a lady at work said im i alright because i did not seem to be myself, but looking back yeah i was feeling really bad and depress. But they are good days to come so just hang in there.

To all booze busters have a great day.

Love to you all

Teardrop.x