Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

[The Londoner]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hi everyone, just a quick read around and good to know you are all fine and dandy and hanging in there!

Day 4 for me and that feels good.
More later-husb due home any minute and place needs a final tidy up -standards slip somewhat when I am on my own, to put it mildly.

Have a great day one and all.
Or as my mum and I used to say to get us through the hard times
One For All and All For One.

Anna :h

[Doggygirl]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Louise!! :kudos: I really applaud you thinking quick of a great solution to that surprise at the dinner table. Congratulations!! Woo Hoo for Day 2! (I know...I'm :nutso: right now)

July, you are so full of.....WISDOM. I'm so glad you share it with all of us.

Mame it sounds like you have a great plan to get through the weekend. Which reminds me...somewhere in my travels today I have to find a new drink to try (like a flavored ice tea thing or something) fo the afterglow of dog training tomorrow. Anyway, isn't it great to start having some stretches where you DON'T think about AL non-stop?? It's only going to get better. There will always be rough spots and rough days, but the good stuff will hopefully prevail.

Hannah:banana:! Sounds like you finally had a day to just have fun with Mr. Hannah. MMMM....steak and corn on the cob. And you didn't think to invite moi??????? Seriously, I hope you have enjoyed this week!

Teardrop, I'm sure that exercise is making a huge difference in how I feel this time around in this early part. (duh, I wonder if there is a reason RJ recommends it????? I'm so thick headed sometimes) I WISH I hadn't fallen off the wagon back in August, then in November and March. But since I did - the only thing to do is try to learn from it. And those stumbles and subsequent slides back into the Pit of the Beast just reinforced that I'd rather not drink, no matter how much I think I want to at times. That wisdom (duh) helps me stay postive too. You have a great day too Teardrop!

Anna, have fun with hubby!! What are you cooking tonight? Or are you going out? I want your food fantasy. (the rest of it you can keep private, OK??)

Day 9 and feelin' fine. In my past attempts, I would spend a fair amount of time on Fridays worrying about the dreaded dog training day temptations coming on Saturday. I've decided that's stupid. Satuday will come at the same time whether I'm worried about it or not. I will enjoy the day today, and have a very simple plan for tomorrow which is 1)don't drink 2) take lot's of pictures 3) have something non-AL that is special for me to drink at after glow and 4) ditch after glow if I'm not enjoying it AF. The plan is set - has been set, that's the only plan there is, so no use ruining my Friday worrying over it. At least that is what I'm attempting today!

It will be a busy one - I'm very very interested in this doc appointment today about hormones.

Have a great AF day everyone!! TGIF!!

DG
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[kaddy]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

hi all,, hope everyone is well,, had a bad day today 1st the shop was on fire this morning,, then all my money has been stoped,, and l can not get enrything done tell monday,, and last night me and my boyfrenid split up,, but l keep telling my self this is not a reson to drink
84 af days

[Marshy]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Hi Booze Busters,

What a luvverly bunch of supportive people you are!
Aunty Mame: yes, I certainly felt I didn't want to bring the thread down. And I do have that bad habit of dealing with things by slouching off by myself and not communicating with anyone. Must try harder.

I've been feeling lately that although I'm doing OK with not drinking (50+ days!), I'm spending so much energy focusing on NOT drinking that I'm not 'living sober' as they say. I'm feeling that I'm hanging on by my fingernails but not moving forward and making progress - for example getting out there and finding new AF hobbies/making new AF friends/being more committed to exercise etc.

Yesterday I was beating myself up about all the things I OUGHT to be doing. Earlier in the year I was trying to arrange some counselling sessions and I left my name and number a couple of times and they didn't get back to me and I let it slide, so yesterday I was giving myself a hard time about not chasing that up, and not going to AA, and just not feeling that I'm moving forward. And of course putting myself under this pressure is totally counterproductive and just made me want to switch my brain off for a while - I guess that was what the drink was for, huh?

Hmm. That would have been four times as long and much more depressing if I'd posted it yesterday. :H I'm feeling more positive today. I'm going to try to be less hard on myself and make a plan of action. I'm great at making lists, just not so good at following them through...

Louise: excellent job on leaving the wine! July: 308 days is fantastic. I'll be there one day but I hope I never catch you up Hannah: the golf sounds fun. I've never tried it. Now there's an idea... Teardrop: you're sounding very strong. Good for you. Anna: have a great w/e! DG: I've found a delicious new drink that feels 'special' but I've checked their website and it's not available in the States!. Doh! (UK lot - Koppaberg non-alcholic pear cider in Tesco about ?1.10 per 500ml bottle. Tastes like fizzy pear drops! Yum! It's in the booze aisle and there's an alcoholic range so don't get mixed up!)

[Marshy]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Kaddy,
Oh god, what a terrible day. Hope you're OK. You're doing fantastically well on the AF days though. You can't control events but you can be good to yourself. Stay strong!

[louise]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Oh Kaddy, that sounds so awful. Please keep checking in here and do nice things for yourself - bubble baths, walks, talk with friends.
I laughed about Teardrops husband thinking she was having an affair! It does seem weird to be so tired for a while. I'm feeling much better today but forgot to take the topa. Maybe I will forgo the topa since I'm trying not to drink at all rather than moderate. Yes, I can tell my husband. Last year I had him read the book and talked about it. Then over the last year my moderating became not moderate again and I haven't yet told him that this time I'm going to be AF for at least 30 to 60 days as my stepson is here visiting and we haven't had much time to talk. He was all for the moderating. He will support the AF but is a wine nut (tastings, books, etc.) so he won't be thrilled. He just does not really get how serious my problem is since I function well.
DG, are you able to have a rhyme for everyday? I'm amazed! Hope your weekend is fun as well as productive Mame. Sounds like a great day Hannah. And you didn't whine about no wine with that barbeque! That is my biggest downfall and temptation, is the lure of wine with good food. I suppose I could eat bad food for a while! Thanks for words of inspiration July.
My challenge for today is that it is Friday and we always have wine on Friday. Always. It is part of Jewish custom. But I will have juice. Thank you all for being here so I can report my success tomorrow! Hope everyone still to check in is having a good day.

[MagsMom]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

This is my first post, and I am happy to be here. I am on day 2 AF. I would love to join Booze busters as I plan on staying AF for a long, long time. I am just getting set up here, so I don't have any bells or whistles with my identity yet...but I hope to get acquianted with how things work.

I could use lots of support and insight !!

Thanks and I can't wait to take this journey with you all.

Peace

[Hannah]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Kaddy –– OMG, you are so strong. Hang in there, and you are right, no reason is a good reason to drink. I hope things turn around for you PDQ.

DG – I loved your paragraph about not obsessing all day Friday about the coming Saturday. You are so right. All the worry and angst in the world will not change the fact that Saturday is going to happen. Ice tea sounds pretty good to me! Maybe make it special, by mixing in some mint, or club soda, or a bit of orange juice….maybe you will have the rest of the group drooling over YOUR drink – wouldn’t that be great. Anyways, will be keeping you in my thoughts, and sending bad vibes to to tell Al to stay the h*ll away!

Marshy – congrats on the 50+ days! That is awesome! Hang in there, I am sure at some point your alcohol related thoughts will become less invasive. Sparkling pear juice – yum – I remember well someone giving us a bottle of that about 20 years ago – still remember how delicious it was! We can buy sparkling apple juice here, but just not the same.

Anna – Hope the tidy up is going well. We are the exact reverse here – I am tidy, hubby is not, to put it mildly! I grit my teeth when he is home, and realize that come Monday he will be on the road again and I can enjoy a neat and tidy space once again. But in the tradeoff, I would take messy house/him home over neat and tidy/him gone. If this is still the balance after almost 30 years, I guess that’s good!

Teardrop – I applaud you for hanging in there over the first rough AF time. Sounds like it was particularly hard for you. Exercise sure does help. Hope things have turned around for you these days.

Lousie – I hope your talk with your hubby goes well, and he will be supportive. That is such a huge help. I went AF for 60+ days last year, but hubby didn’t really support me on that….and after I initially “caved” I supposedly was moderating because hubby loved to go out once a week or so and have a couple glasses of wine – well, that didn’t work very well for very long. He finally took me seriously when I told him I was ordering Antibuse. Was a real sit up and take note call for him. So now he is more or less going AF along with me, and will only take the odd glass of wine when away on business – never when I am there too. It’s a huge help. I think the key is to try to make your husband see just how serious you are about this – if they don’t take you seriously, it can be difficult. Good luck.

MagsMom – Welcome! I see you have your big girl pants on, all set to go! Good to have you here, and looking forward to getting to know you.

To all others yet to come – have a super AF day!

[livingfree]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Just here to wish all the BBers a great AF weekend ~ me ... I'm off to another family "event" - this one with my side of the family -- which will be a lot of fun ... can't wait for June --- I'm just so ready for SUMMER!! Love to everyone

Liv

[Doggygirl]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Oh Kaddy - I am so sorry to hear about your crappy day, and also the breakup with your BF. NOBODY needs all that. I hope your insurance covers everything smoothly, and that you are OK to get through the weekend until you can straighten things out with your bank too. And of course I hope you are not suffering with a completely broken heart. You are right though - none of that is a good reason to drink. "Nothing in life is so bad that drinking won't make it worse." Please hang in there - I'm sending you every positive vibe I can muster. BIG HUGS!! HANG IN THERE!!

Marshy, you are doing great to recognize that you are at a point where you need to start moving from "phase 1" (thinking about NOT drinking dominating our days) to "phase next" which SHOULD be more of a focus on getting on with life. By realizing that's what you need and want to do, I know you will make a plan and do it!! Golf sure DOES sound good, doesn't it? There is a whole big world out there just waiting for us to get off the sidelines and get into the game! I know what you mean though....where to start?? Mean time, good for you on 50+ days.

Louise, you sound really good today and I'm happy for you. Sounds like a good plan to have juice instead of wine. I hope your husband will be really really supportive of your need to go AF - at least for the time being. It really makes a big difference to have full support. Enjoy your Friday evening! And no - no rhyme for every day. I'm not that clever. Only when the spirit moves me tee hee.

Hi MagsMom!! :welcome: I'm so glad you've joined us and I must say I LOVE LOVE LOVE your avatar!! Congratulations on Day 2. Strap in for a wild ride. WE CAN DO THIS!!

Hi again Hannah! Hey - when is your Curves appointment? I'm counting the minutes until you find out just how much torture a little bitty inocent computer is capable of.

Hey Liv! Have a really, really fun family weekend!

The doctor appointment today was AWESOME!! I am so psyched. This woman seems really incredible. She is an M.D. and has had a family practice for years. [menopause warning]When she personally started having menopause symptoms several years ago, she started doing research on altermatives to synthetic hormone therapy. She ended up getting very involved in research about bioidentical hormone therapy, and she was her own first patient. You can tell that her treatment of herself was a great success just by listening to her enthusiasm about how her life has changed for the better (hot flashes were REALLY bad for her - she started counting them and was having as many as 70 per day - now she has NONE - and has been symptom free for 3 years.)

Anyway, we are doing a full battery of tests on all the key hormones - 4 different Thyroid tests, Progersterone, Testosterone, and a few different estrogen related tests. It takes a couple weeks for all the stuff to be processed at the labs - we meet again in 3 week at which time I will go on a customized prescription. [/menopause warning off]

I'm coming to realize more and more each day how intracitely interwoven our bodies are. I'm sure the alcohol abuse is connected in here somewhere. OH - I did not tell her "I'm a drunk." But I DID tell her that I've worked for nearly a year to minimize alcohol in my life, and recently decided to just eliminate it. She applauded that decision based on the sugar related problems that alcohol causes internally. She told me that she stopped consuming any alcohol as part of her own treatment of herself program. (she is also on an "anti-fungal" eating program which sounds similar to a "yeast free" eating program.) Nothing that is fermented. WHEE!! I can't wait. I hope I get my body back. I told her I felt like somebody took MY body away in my sleep, and I don't know who the heck's body I'm living in now. I just want my old one back!! It was so nice to talk to a doc who nodded with complete understanding.

OK - sorry for yet another long ramble. I may actually start a blog on bioidentical hormones, no matter what outcome I have (although of course I'm hoping for a positive one!) I just have a feeling I'm going to have a LOT to say about it.

Day 9 THE BEAST IS MINE! :b&d:
DG
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[Cinders]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Awww. Big :l:l to everyone.

Kaddy, you truly are strong and you know what you want. Major GOOD ON YOU!! I am sorry about the bad stuff happening but glad you recognize that there is no reason to drink in all that.

DG, you are going down an awesome path!! I think the GPs who just prescribe hormones without doing a lot of tests on where you are and where you should be are WRONG WRONG WRONG. Hormones are nothing to be taken lightly. Too much and you end up with cancer, too little and you end up with osteo. Just right and you stay young longer.

Everyone else, I have just come back from doctor and he gave me ANOTHER FREAKING shot in the ass (arse) and said that I am not much better than last Sunday. Well, duh. I could have told him that. That is why I was back at the doctor!! Sinusitis from HELL it is.

Love to all and please go into the weekend happy, sober and ready to take 'er on!!

Cindi

[Miss Behaving]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Morning all!!!

Wow, what a lot happened in the world while I was sleeping!

Sat morning here .... beautiful day. I'm so proud of myself for having got through my 4-5 day hump! Day 4 was shit, but actually day 5 was just fine. Straight after work we went off to see "Happy Go Lucky" - new Mike Leigh film and is just fabulous! Then got Thai green curry and took it home. I keep checking out whether Uncle Max wants a wine, but he is pretty happy to do this with me which I am very grateful for. We got a bottle of AF wine at the supermarket earlier in the week, so tonight we might splash out and crack it open!

Cindi - uggghhh sinusitis!! I tell you what is really good for it (if you can bear it) is snorting (Or syringing it into your nose while holding your head back) a relatively highly concentrated mix of salt water! It is totally disgusting, but sure as hell does the trick!!

DG - very interested in the treatment .... yes, do a blog! I was advised (by surgeons!) to have a hysteretcomy at 35 (I have extensive endometriosis) , but thankfully I have a fab GP who went nuts at the surgeon for recommending that because of the hormonal side effects. But I go crazy with them on a regular basis.

Marshy - 84 days!!! I cant imagine what that would be like, but it sounds like you should be patting yourself on the back and not beating yourself up! Maybe you are in transition from one state to another? I was thinking that before you have a plan, maybe it might be fun to have some "experiments"? You don't need to settle on one thing to occupy you AF time - I quite like the thought of making a lits of 5-6 things that I've thought about doing and give them a go as the spirit moves me.

And Kaddy - what a nightmare of a day. You must feel like you've been hit by a truck. Hang on in there .....

And MAgsMum - welcome from me too!!

Thanks to Teardrop and July for their words of experience - they are so good to here from people who have more experience of all of this than I!

One for all and all for one - was that a 3 musketeers thing? Maybe it should become the official BB motto!!

Anyway, off to start on my list for the weekend. Is starting a bit later than I had intended as I woke up with a head cold and headache (which seemed just a tad unfair!!). But I'm on the lookout for new drinks today as well .... we are going to treat ourselves to a nice lunch at a favourite Italian place which doubles as a food warehouse, so will let you know if I find anything exciting!

For those who are still up have a nice evening, for those who are asleep, have a great day when you get to it!

mame

[MagsMom]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

Thanks for all your warm welcomes! I am very happy to have found such a wonderful place.

Kaddy, so sorry for what you are going through...prayers heading your way.


DG, I would LOVE to read your blog...especially since I am coming into that phase of things as well

Cindi, sorry about your arse! Hopefully you will feel much better soon.

Marshy, 84 days in fantastic...I hope to follow in your footsteps. No, I VOW to follow.

TD and July, I know I can learn so much from you both, and everyone here.

Personally, I am enjoying an AF evening with my guys. My DD is off to a school dance and sleep over, so it's just me and the 3 boys...DS's and DH. Wow, usually by now I would be acting like a real doozy. I am promising myself to move through my regrets into gratefulness for this new AF life...sometimes it is hard to forgive yourself, KWIM??

Peace and blessing my friends,

[Doggygirl]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

AACK. Cindi I'm so sorry that your sinus infection is still bad. Is there any silver lining - i.e. you get to work from home again next week? I'm sure that was cool for one week, but by now I'm sure you just want the infection GONE. (at least I think I would be in that place by now!)

Mame, I'm so happy for you breaking that Day 4-5 barrier - and you sound very happy about it!! As you should be!! Sounds like you have some fun ideas lined up for the weekend. Can I come to lunch with you on Saturday?????? I promise I'll be good!!!!! (not my usual :nutso: self) WAIT!! That's "today" in your time zone, right? HAPPY DAY 6!!

MagsMom, I envy you and every other woman who manages that many kids!! My dogs wear me out sometimes and I can only imagine the human kids must be 95674967 times more difficult! Have fun being AF and *all there* with your boys! (well, I DO have one boy - Mr. Doggy........)

I cobbled together a quick little blog last summer to help support a big group of people who ultimately filed a class action lawsuit against a fraud of a diet guru(not). But I never really learned all the features. I actually ordered "Wordpress for Dummies" a couple weeks ago, but haven't dived in yet. Wasn't sure what topic I wanted to focus on . Now I know!! I think that will be my Sunday project. Once I get Doggygirl's Dog House up and running again, I will share the link!

I have GOT to eat something. I'm really not hungry - but especially since I worked out today I cannot aford to skip meals and send the wrong signal to my Big Fat Butt. So...I better get a move on.

Nighty night all!

DG
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[Miss Behaving]

Booze Busters 30 Day Challenge - Beginning May 26th

I've just come in from 4 hours in the garden ..... and we have a very steep section. Dug out the new compost spot , dug out and evened out a trail for the brick path to get to it (have to put the paving sand and bricks down on Monday) weeded, sprayed, did a bit of plant moving ........ I am absolutely dead and my back aches, and I rather suspect that I'm going to fall asleep after the bath that I'm in the middle of running.

...... thinking fondly back to last Saturday when I lay on the couch with a bottle of wine and a book!!!!!!! :H:H:H

have a great Sat everyone!!

mame