BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

[Miss Behaving]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

having an early night

was going to do a long post tonight, but I didn't sleep well last night, so am just about to have a bath and bed.

AF drinks recipes can wait until tomorrow! The top of my list for for trying is Louise's one too - I really love ginger and cook lots of Thai food so always have fresh stuff on hand!

What is the tomato crisis?! I have missed that one ........

DG - hope the pup is doing okay. I'm actually a bit scared of dogs, but my cousin used to have a Rottweiler and it was a big softy thing that just just loved to cuddle up.

Spanky - things sound terrible. Ironically enough, the news here this week has been all about the electricity crisis that we are in the middle of because our lake levels are so low!

Is Beck back on line?

Went to see the hypnotherapist. Just a first consult - explained the process and we talked about some stuff. He was great - lots of things he said made a lots of sense and I thought he was very realistic and not making wild promises. But really centred on the need to be positive and future focussed which I really liked. He taped the session and gave it to me on CD to listen to when I want to - noted that for most of those conversations people forget 50% of what they heard in 24 hours and another 25% in 48 hours. So I'm going to listen to it again and make some notes! There were a few things that I want to write down as a record of how I'm feeling at the moment.

Two things I remember though - he said "Will it be hard? Yes. Is it possible? Yes". It sort of encapsulates how I feel about the whole abstinence thing .... there are days when I focus on the first part of that and other days that I focus on the second part.

The other was our discussion about what my plan is for continuing to be AF. I talked about my friend's 50th on Sat ... and how on the one hand I'm making the plans for my AF drinks so I wont feel deprived and tempted and how on the other there is a bit of me that wants to have a glass of champagne with her (the "subconsciously planning in advance" thing - was it on this thread that we talked about that last week?). He really encouraged me to keep going as I am, and then he said "If you do have a glass of wine on Saturday, can you stick to one? And are you ready to make the commitment to make that the last glass that you ever have again?"

Well that was a bit of a sock in the guts really! Not in a bad way - it just suddenly hit me with a reality that it hasn't hit me with before. And I hasten to say that this guy is not a hard line, wagging finger, "one drop of alcohol and you are down the path to death and destruction" type. It was more like - "OK - you've said you want to stop. I can provide the support. but it doesn't mean that you get to escape the commitment to yourself."

So, lots of thinking to do! See him again on Tuesday for a first "real" session.

I'm remembering some things he said as I write this and they were good to hear. But this is longer than I wanted to be here and I still have to have my bath and clean the bathroom (oh yes - in the current chaos of life chez Mame, that I had completely forgotten that I had offered a bed to some friends coming from out of town for my friend's party! And the only spare room is where we have been putting all the stuff that is being moved from one place/room to the other! So that got sorted out by pushing things into a cupboard, but I really need to clean the bathroom if anyone knows the whereabouts of the cleaning fairy..........!!!!)

must go!

mame

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Good Day Booze Busters!!

Today will be another busy one here. More office cleaning - I'm combining preparation for painting with other cleanup now - "well, as long as I'm doing this...might as well go through this and get rid of old stuff....." you know how projects tend to sprout a new life. Today one of our vehicles goes in for just regular oil change and stuff, then tomorrow the other one goes in for that plus the installation of the propane injection system. So I'm having to plan carefully since we will be at least two days with only one vehicle.

Thanks for sending kind vibes to that poor little puppy. I'm sure my friend will be checking for news and I'll let you know how the pup's foot is and when it gets a new home. I think some of the problems people have with dogs is certainly not finding out exactly how much work they are and what's involved, but also considering the type of dog they get and the needs of that breed. Some breeds needs more exercise than others (I bet Spanky would agree with a Border Collie!!), some need more mental stimulation than others (German Shepherds need lots of this), some are louder than others (my Beagle!) and all that should be taken into account. Rottweilers were originally bred to work and guard, so they need simulations for that worked into their home life. Teardrop - I bet that was scary seeing a dog fly through that window. I saw a dog come through a vehicle window at a trial once - SCARY!! After seeing that we got really tough about our rule that all dogs have to be in proper crates when they come to training.

SPANKY'S BC FOR PRESIDENT!!! :soapbox: Finally - a GOOD candidate!! Spanky this flooding in so many areas is just :upset: I feel so sorry for so many families. Is your home OK? I hope so. Hey - please don't talk in terms of "If" for your 30 days. YOU CAN DO THIS!! Sorry to sound like a hard a$$. I really did have a bit of a revelation when I read that paragraph I quoted from the quit smoking board about the ways we subtely plan to fall off the wagon ahead of time, without even realizing it. No ifs, OK? 30 days...we can do that. I'm bettin' you will lose some weight too! I don't know if you already exercise. Whether you already do, or whether you want to start something - even just a walk every day or something like that - join us in the Abbercisers thread! Mame and Caysea are running a tight posse keeping us all going!

louise you have my total admiration for getting nearly all your paperwork cleaned up in one day. I have no words. You are my idol. Wanna come to my house and show me how it's done????? Pretty please????? Bet that feels like a load off your mind!

eksil - congrats on 20+days!! Glad you are out there Booze Bustin' it even though you don't have much time to post. We can feel your vibe!! Come back and let us know when you hit 30 so we can help you celebrate!

Day 27 here. Can't believe 30 is so close!! I'm already salivating over the male cheerleader review that I hope hope hope hope will be making an appearance. (Just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't read the menu, and at my age I'm entitled to act like a dirty old lady!!)

Hope I didn't miss anyone!! Hope all of our newer Booze Busters are kickin' some :alf: a$$ out there!! Have a great day everyone.

DG
***************************

[The Londoner]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Day 22 AF

Hi to Everyone
Been quiet for a few days as I have been sort of sleepy and stayed away from the laptop, snoozing on the daybed, half reading the weekend papers. Sunday was lovely though, went to a local Open Gardens thing, where nice people let you visit their gardens and with some 16 of them in about 4 hours, I got plenty of ideas,fresh air and exercise too!
So, how's everyone been? DG has been visiting her mum and dad, I know. I feel for you, both my parents are no longer around, watching my very independent mother go downhill was an awful time, Soon to be 30, DG! Cindi, what a story, sounds like you have really turned a negative family history into a positive one. Teardrop, I was wondering, have you saved up any money yet to give yourself a well-deserved treat? Marshy! I too am waking up to the fact that I have been eating too many sugary things and this week am avoiding processed baked delights in favour of fruit and nuts and am also sticking healthy food in my mouth -last night was brown rice cooked with saffron and peas, served with seafood - really delish-are you not eating meat and fish? I did a major detox first time around, when I started out on what became 100+ AF. It nearly killed me! This time,I feel fit enough to do it with 20+ AF behind me. I have actually put weight on this time, having lost 21 pounds last time. So no more brownies, ice cream etc for me until I kick that extra 7 pounds.
Aunty Mame - re AF drinks-I too love root ginger. I don't really tire of water and I have been sticking elderflower cordial in there, but bet it's got extra sugars. I have never tried AF wine-for me, it's either the real thing or something else entirely. What does it taste like?
Well done Louise on the piles of paperwork - I will now this minute go and do an important email I have been putting off.

love to all and to those I have not mentioned by name, a special "keep up the good work" I am not as good as DG and others in keeping up! But I wish all the BBers the very best, looks like we are doing just fine.

Anna:h

[Hannah]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Hi guys! Wow, this is one active thread! Sometimes hard to keep up to date on everybody, DG, don?t know how you do it! I just do my best, and hope anyone I miss will forgive me!

Sorry about posting in the wrong thread yesterday?:nutsouhhhh?..I copy and paste my posts, and obviously, copied to the wrong thread??

Boy, everybody is sounding so well.

Londoner ? Nice to have a few lazy days, isn?t it? I am not geared that way, like my hubby says, I hardly ever sit down. He used to take me to the movies just so I would sit in one place for a few hours! Unless of course, I am drinking. Then I can be a real lump!

DG ? Good luck on your office cleanout. It?s good to get rid of the ?junk? once in a while. Hey ? I still have some files that could use a good cleanout! A project! Whoeeeee!!!!
I hope someone adopts that poor puppy. Good for you for caring, and coming to it?s rescue. Hubby and I have rescued many animals over the years ? last one was a dog hubby noticed by the side of the road, looking half dead, and when he stopped, he found it had gone a round with a porcupine some while ago, and was pretty much starved to death. So he loaded it up, and brought it to the vet, and was prepared to pay to either have it put down, or treated. It was so gratefull for some human kindness that it kept trying to lick hubby?s hand while driving, and scratching his with the quills. Meanwhile, he got full of fleas because the dog was what they call a ?reservation stray? (sorry if I offend anyone here ? means a stray dog from the Indian reserve nearby) and was full of ?em! Anyways, the vet treated the dog, cleaned it up, and put it up for adoption. We still hope it found a home.

Aunty Mame ? The hypnotherapist sounds very interesting. I guess any resource we use, that we feel comfortable with, is a tool to use ? but the real work is still our own. Nice to have the support, and I hope it all goes well for you. Re the glass of wine at the 50th ? you know, you don?t really need to have it. It?s just the ?romancing the booze? thing again ? not that I can talk, having sat there on Saturday night and almost salivated at the sight of other people drinking wine ? but it?s the truth. The celebration will come and go whether or not you have that glass of wine, and if you fill your glass with sparkling water, or ginger ale, who is to know but you? It?s all about you, and what you decide. No one else will care. Wishing you luck with whatever you decide, just be careful!

And hey ? if you find that cleaning fairy ? share the wealth, ey?

Teardrop ? Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I have a wealth of experience behind me. Funny how it?s still a day to day process ? although after you have a fair bit of time under your belt, it really becomes a no brainer. I do remember, though, one of our bigger beefs during our ten year stint was the unavailability of anything in the restaurants ? back then I don?t think they even had AF beer?we haven?t had an email back from the restaurant, but I know they are closed Mondays, so maybe today.

Eksil! Good to see your post, even if short. Looking forward to celebrating your 30th! And YES WE WILL!!!!

Louise ? Enjoy your feeling of accomplishment at cleaning out your files, etc. That always gives a person a lift. Sort of like clearing the cobwebs out of the mind at the same time!

Spanky - You doing okay? Still in your own home? Thinking about you, and hoping you are safe, dry, and warm. And what?s this IF business? D*mn right you are going to make 30, and be at least a size smaller!

Marshy ? How?s the detox going? I must admit, I could use a little diet cleanup. You don?t want to know what I?ve been eating lately! So, I am newly resolved to pay more attention?..for me that means not so many processed foods, mostly lean meats and veggies, and some fruit, yogurt and skim milk. NO CHEESE! :upset::upset: Lots of sparkling water and herbal tea. And trying not to drink so much coffee. (Sigh ? how come all the really yummy things are loaded with salt, sugar, and fat?!!!!)

Pamina ? Glad you had such a good visit with your friend. Also so very nice you can compare notes, and support one another in your new lifestyles. It?s surprising how many people hardly drink ? it?s just us drinkers who think everyone drinks!

We can still buy tomatoes in Canada, but the stories out there mean that no one is buying them, because we aren?t sure if they are safe or not! It?s a moot point for me, because I can?t eat them, I break out in a rash. I used to grow them, and found that even if I brushed my arm against a plant, I would break out in a rash, and now I can?t even eat them ? and I love them!!!!! Whaaaaa!!!!!!!

Well, it looks like the sun is shining between the clouds here today ? yesterday was beautiful! Yay, two days in a row? And I have my ladies golf league this afternoon ? last week got rained out big time, hopefully this aft we will actually get on the course!

Have a great AF Booze Bustin? Kick Ass Day, everybody! :goodjob:

[Evie.Lou]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Hello to all.WOW...this is a very cool thread...i wanta join and get to know all you wonderful booze busters.I am on day 36AF...or is it 37????i will count later.It is a HOT...Humid day outside so am gonna hide inside.Hubby and my brother are Fixing(or breaking)the pillar on the front porch.Please pray that my upstairs porch stays upstairs.its a 100 yr. old Victorian and is in need of constent repairs.I made Hummus and Tabuli for lunch.LOVE them combined in a pita wrap...Thanks for all the great posts that keep me focused on my goals...Evie

[jbphan]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Good morning everyone!
DG: I cant believe how some people treat animals. That is so crazy. I feel so bad for the puppy. I hope you can find someone local to take the puppy. Someone that will treat it with love. I myself have 3 chocolate labs and a cat and I love them all. Oh I am also glad your dad's day went well.

Congratulations to everyone on their accomplishments. One day at a time that is all we can do. :goodjob:

Mashy: the detox plan sounds good. It is amazing how much the sweet tooth really kicks in. I switched to decaf tea and green tea awhile ago, it is really nice and I dont even really notice the caffeine is gone. Good luck with your plan. I am sure you can get through it!

Have a great week everyone!

[Cherbear]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Hi everyone,

DG: what a story, I have rescued 2 dogs and now we have 3 dogs at home which can be quite a chore since we live in the city, we do have a fenced yard but I wish we had some acreage.

I'm doing well AF! 1 slip up last Friday night so I had to start over , so technically I'm day 3 ..
But since I only had 1 glass of wine on my slip I can tell that my cravings are really calming!!!
I'm really committed this time!!
Hang in there everybody!!!!

[igk]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Day 1

Love the discussion!
Today is day one for me. And that's all I can do..take each day as it comes..log on here for support and encouragement each evening when I get home and that booze is calling my name.
igk

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Good afternoon! (well, in my time zone anyway!!) Boy today is busy - and I better start moving a bit faster or I will not get done what I need to!! But I also need to come here and touch the AF life line...and my sobriety comes first!!!

Mame, I missed your post this morning. The tomato crisis is in Florida where about 90% (so I hear) of the tomatoes sold in the grocery store type places are grown. Salmonella or some such has spread through some of the crops, so lots more are being pulled.

WOW Mame, your hypno session sounds like it was awesome. That was a great question he asked you about your consideration for one champagne toast. Lots to think about!! Can't wait to hear more about your first "official" session next week. Will you get all of your sessions on CD? If so, that sounds really great. LOL - let me know when you locate that cleaning fairy. Mine went missing a long time ago.

Anna - good for you getting lots of rest. Are you still feeling sick, or finally getting back to normal? The garden tour sounds awesome!!! That's a lot of gardens!! It sounds like you and I are a bit alike on the AF wine. I've always been a little shy about trying it on the fear it would trigger craves for the real deal. Hannah about has me convinced otherwise.... Maybe next time I buy some really good steaks or something, I'll hunt down a bottle of nice AF wine to go with it and see. As long as I'm with Mr. Doggy, I KNOW I will not drink the real thing.

Hannah, have fun at ladies golf!!! Let us know if you rack up another big score like you did last week!! When are you having your torture session oops I mean Curves SMART setup session? :b&d: LOL - me and Mr. Doggy picked up a little stray pup off the side of the road several years ago where the situation sounds similar -except this one was full of ticks rather than fleas. (yuk)

Evie, welcome to Booze Busters!!!! You will have fun with us I think. Especially when the cheerleaders come out to play. Congrats on your 30+ days!! I think losing track is a good thing!!

jbphan, the puppy is back with my friend. He just couldn't stand the thought of the pup not ending up in a good home...AGAIN, so he went back and "adopted" it. We have over 100 people on our group e-mail list for dog training, so we put the word out there. My friend will also put a notice on his own kennel web site. Since he raises working dogs, the visitors to his site are more serious dog people who will be familiar how to take care of a dog like a Rottie. So I'm sure we will find a good home for this little guy. I LOVE labs!!!! The chocolate coloring is beautiful. Does your cat rule the roost???

Cherbear, 2 out of 3 rescues is awesome. The Doggy Pack here is 2 Shepherds that we bought, and the Beagle and the Mutt Princess (princess being the operative word) are rescues. A balanced bunch!! Sorry you are back to Day 3, but the good news is that your drink WAS just one and you got right back on it. Better than I could have done, that's for sure!! I would have probably ended up on a months long bender which is exactly what I ended up doing previously. WE CAN DO THIS!!

igk, welcome to MWO and to the Booze Busters!!! Best wishes to get you through Day 1. It gets easier with time. This is an awesome site for support and even fun!! We not only talk about our serious problems with booze that we often can't talk about elsewhere, but sometimes we even laugh about stuff. It's very therapeutic IMO!!

Well, back to closet / file cleaning for me. If I don't check in again, have a great rest of the Booze Bustin' Day!!!

DG
***************************

[endgame]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Just a quick one from me - I'm still in this - day 17. Off to see a poetry reading tonight by a friend of mine. It would be really nice if this place has some good AF drinks - we'll see. DG, almost at 30, amazing! Evie, 36(37?) days that's awesome! IGK - welcome to the tread, you will get a lot of support here. It's not easy but this little on-line support group really helps to keep you on track.
Keep on trucking Booze Busters!

[igk]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Thanks for the good words. It's after 8:00pm here in the mountains. Trying to keep my hands and mind busy so this is a good place to be, reading about all of you! I'm looking forward to day 2 of no booze. I cannot even think about day 30! But I am determined to stay the course this time.

[Spanky]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

DG and Hannah among several others here are a STRONG support system. My closest friend does not want to stop drinking- she feels it is part of her life and not causing any problems (a bottle and half of wine EVERY night for years). So, in trying to be my own best friend, your talk on this site is fantastic. We should write Oprah about us if we didn't want to be anonymous!!!
I wonder if I put a dust ball under my pillow the cleaning fairy would come like the tooth fairy does?? My son still talks about the time the tooth fairy "forgot" and came while he was at school!! He is now in his late 20's.

[louise]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Hi all. Just a quick post before bed. My cleaning up piles of papers and getting around to filing them turned into cleaning out the file cabinet. Have almost completed my personal files, which should help me not let papers pile up again. Think I will wait a while on professional files (I sometimes wish for a fire – I’m sure at least 90% of it could go). Then we went out for Thai food as a reward so I wasn’t able to spend much time here today.

Everyone is doing so well! That is great that you only had 1 wine Cherbear and were able to recommit instead of throwing in the towel. Welcome IGK. No need to think about 30 days. 1 day at a time is fine. There is so much info on here (in threads and on home page connections) that it can keep you very busy. For me it got much easier after the first few days (the first day I spent 6 hours in a theater so I could not drink). Eskil, glad you checked in and are doing so well you are losing count. Welcome Evielou. Spanky, sorry about your friend. It is hard to believe that amount is not causing any problem. I hope you have other friends who don’t drink or drink much less to hang out with during this time.

The poetry reading sounds interesting endgame. Is it a poetry slam? I went to one last year that was the state finals (I think) and it was very interesting.

Wow, DG, 4 dogs! That is a lot of energy. I would like to get another one but our elderly dog only likes Beagles (I have no idea why, he is a water spaniel) which might be a bit noisy for our urban living. Also, since I have had some hip problems my husband has been doing the dog walking and he says “no”. When I get back in shape I’ll work on him again.

Hannah, hope your weather held and you had a good golf game. Teardrop, I’m with you one the detox. I eat brown rice and lots of other things but ask me to give up my morning beverage (for me it is coffee) and I’m very unhappy. Mame the hypno therapy sounds very helpful. Just reading “the last glass” sent me to wondering if I could say yes. Think I’ll just focus on the 30 now and not get rattled. Your life sounds really busy right now – and now you have guests too??? Do not get too stressed.

Anna the garden tour sounds lovely, as does your dinner! It is making me hungry. Jbphan, you sound cheerful so I’m guessing you are not in one of the parts of Iowa under water. I feel upset about the pigs! They are not very good swimmers.

Hi to Marshy, Pamina, Cindi, Amelia and all other booze busters.

[Miss Behaving]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

wot a luvly lot of BBs!

Hi all,

am being picked up from work in about 10 mins and wont have my lap top with me this pm - so it was a choice of reading or posting.

And I just enjoyed reading so much that I've run out of time for posting!!

But ...

Looking forward to DG's 30 days ---- hope whoever posted the last cheer leading squad is ready for another!! (Doesn't she deserve the best one ever??!!)

and a very warm welcome to those who have joined - whether with 1 day or 300, struggling or not.

and another thought that I remembered today from the hypnotherapist (I told him about this site - I hope he doesn't come and have a look!!) "Self -esteem comes from overcoming adversity and challenge".

Feeling very good today ... but another side of me is waiting for me to fall over so I can beat myself up again. Think it is time that this particular tape was thrown out!!

10 mins well over and I'm late ..

mame

[AMELIA]

BOOZE BUSTERS 30 Day AF Challenge - Week of June 16!

Hello All,
Good to see everyone sounding so good. Day 17 for me and going strong.
DG only 2 more days to go!!
Have a great day everyone.
xx