BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

[louise]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Good day everyone! Eskil, I'm so sorry to hear about your wife. Please let us know how we can support you. Feel free to come here and share your struggles. We are with you in spirit. Will drop in later for more but have to go to the dentist right now. Fortunately I have good teeth so it is just for routine cleaning!

[Miss Behaving]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

morning all! A long nigths sleep last night, and up early to head into the office and catch up on a few things that have slid over the last 2 months. Seriously behind on one piece of work that is due Friday - I have negotiated a few extra days, but I relaly have to have it done by next Wednesday so I'll be working my ass off for the next couple of days. Fortunately it isn't difficult - just big!

have a nice evening everyone!

mame

[DogLvr]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Eksil - I am so sorry to hear about your wife - and wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Sheepish - glad you're on the road to recovery.

Hope everyone has a strong week - haven't been able to check in a lot recently but trying to stay good.

[louise]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

I’m so glad you are feeling more cheerful Mame. Harmonizing together with Uncle Mame sounds like fun!

It is good to hear you are still doing well Kaddy. Lets see, you should be having a party tomorrow for 5 30 day in a row stints right?

Cringworthy, what a great word DG. Unfortunately, I know I did behave as badly ol’ Larry at times. Yikes! I really really want that never to happen again.

Sheep, I do hope you are feeling better. Eat lots of yogurt to help get the right kind of bacteria back. No, we haven’t done anything yet for our anniversary. We are still mulling ideas. There is a beautiful winery that does a string quartet, dinner and wine thing that was appealing but it would just be too tempting so am looking into other things.

Lila, hope you are doing better.

Hi Doglvr, Greenie and anyone else I missed!

I had the most frustrating day – I went to go to my dental appt then could not find my purse. Finally realized I had left it at a restaurant last night. So called and changed dental appt as by this time I was late. Found what I thought was an extra set of keys. Then, when I went to leave for the 2nd appt. the car would not start. The car is fairly new. It turns out it has some stupid security system so these spare keys only unlock the door but won’t start the car! I don’t quite understand why they bother. So husband had to bring me his key. By this time I missed the 2nd appt. I guess I really did not want my teeth cleaned. I’m sure the dental receptionist thought I was a nut case – and I was AFHF! Oh well. I did get my closet cleaned being stuck at home.

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Good Day Booze Busters!!

mwo2 - I guess we now have a new acronym!! AFHFL(ate). I feel like I've been AFHFL quite a bit lately with the crazy schedule around here!!

Sheep - I'm glad you at least found out what is wrong and now have treatment. I second louise's suggestion of yogurt, and will offer another one in case you haven't heard this before. (I didn't know, and suffered the consequences!) Antibiotics kill a lot of "good" bacteria in your system while killing the problem ones. That leaves a gap for yeast to go out of balance and get too high. That leads to the traditional yeast infections that many of us gals are familiar with, but also to other yeast problems internally. It's a good idea to take a STRONG high quality pro-biotic while you are on the antibiotics and for quite awhile after. I actually take one all the time now. If there is a health food store near you, they should be able to recommend a really good one for now, and also something for "every day" once you are well past taking the antibiotics. (if you already knew all that stuff please disregard....I just wish my doc or somebody would have told me in time!!) In any case, I hope you are starting to feel better already.

Dad has been getting better and is aging before our eyes, but at least able to get up and around, although slowly. He is very hopeful he will get to go home this weekend. I hope they allow that - he will be devastated I think if he finds he has to stay there longer. Thank you for asking!

louise - boy you had quite the day with your pursecapade!! I can't imagine why someone would need a key that unlocks their car, but doesn't start it. I've had service keys before that will unlock the car doors and start the car, but will NOT unlock the glove box or the trunk - I can see the benefit of that perhaps. I often think that sort of day happens for a reason - so there must have been bad karma at or near the dentist office yesterday!!

Mame I hope you are making progress on your big project, while enjoying a calmer and more peaceful mode of operation!

DogLvr, good to see you, and CONGRATULATION on completing the triathlon!!!! May you be successful staying "good" with regard to AL, and enjoy being "bad" in some other fun way!

I had trouble sleeping tonight but I'm not complaining as overall sleep has been SO good lately compared to what it was. I was on the fence about taking an evening nap, then getting up to watch the Men's Gymnastics podium practice on the live stream at 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing | Athlete, Team Profiles, Olympics News | Free Photos & Videos | NBC Olympics. I decided I would sleep "normally" (HA!) and just wait until later to watch the video. But I guess I was conflicted about that decision because I slept through the time for the event, but woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. Oh well. A nap might be on my agenda for today. The Women's podium practice is tonight at 1:30EST for anyone in the US (the NBC site is blocked outside the US) interested. I also subscribed to the Russian TV program again - the one I watched figure skating on last winter. They are showing lots more live gymnastics than NBC will show, and a wider variety of countries I'm sure. I think coverage in the US is setting up to be mainly China & US for the ladies.

Today should be a fairly laid back day compared to what the schedule has been lately, and I'm looking forward to that!! Hopefully we won't have customer melt downs all day to throw the day up in the air! It's Day 77 AFHF and I'm very happy about that!!

Have a great booze bustin' day everyone!

DG
:award: + :award: + *****************

[Pamina]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Good day BBs,

Letting in the sunshine first thing in the morning is indeed great, MWO2, when there's sunshine to be had. Which there is here luckily, today. Sorry you've been under the weather Sothankful and Sheep, but on the upside, it sounds like it's keeping you on the straight and narrow. Eksil, wishing you strength with your life transition. Mame, I must have missed some of your news over the past 2 weeks, but it seems you've had an intense but important time with your friend. Good luck plunging forward on the work front.

Louise, I'm so sorry about your BIL. I was thinking of you when we had a week (or so) of hot summer weather that you really did pick the right time to visit. And alas, you had quite a different reality in another location. Grief stays and visits us for quite a while, so still thinking of you!

I don't know what it was about July, but when it rains it pours. I got the call in my friend's funeral that my godfather had passed away. He lived a good long life to the ripe old age of 89 and apparently decided in hospital that he was too tired to carry on, refusing food and drink in the last days. Even though he was an important figure in my early life, it was his time and I can live with that. As it was for another friend's mother, who recently passed away after 20 years in a nursing home following a stroke. With my friend it's different as she was only 44. I had a chat with a girlfriend of hers who told me AL may have been a contributory factor. She was supposed to watch out for dehydration given her hereditary blood disorder but had swigged down gin during a long weekend getaway, and that's when she got sick. Sad though that is, it's made me even more determined to stay the course. As it happened, she was the last person I drank with before going AF, and now it's turned out to be a permanent parting of ways. I eased off the boards for a while as I didn't want to post about death and destruction every day. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I am, like Mame, trying to remember what my plans were before all this turbulence. All I can say is, I am SO GLAD I had a few AF months under my belt by mid-July.

Returning to planet normal, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the AF beer, DG, since I've been wondering about the exact same thing. In the early days it was a crutch staving off a lapse back into never-never-land - and very useful at that, at least for me. It saved my ass many times. Recently it's become more of a social tool. Since so many social interactions seem to be soaked in AL, it makes me feel like I'm more 'normal' with a bottle in my hand and that people aren't as defensive about their own drinking as they can be if I'm sipping water. At the same time, I'm not as keen on the AF beer as I used to be. I've incorporated more wholegrains into my diet and cut back on sugar. Perhaps I'm just imagining things, but the beer seems to churn around and cause bloating. I've already started cutting back on the amounts and the frequency.

Hi to Kaddy, Lila, Doglvr and anyone else I may have missed. Where's Hannah?

It is Day 85 and I'm chugging along. Have a good one, everybody!

[sothankful]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Good Morning everyone. sounds like everyones doing pretty good. that's wonderful.
Just a quick check in. . lets kick some booze ass today.

Eksil- I just wanted to say I am sorry for the news about your wife. Stay strong I know you two will make it through. God bless you both


day 17

[Miss Behaving]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

very quick check in this morning - have to take my cat to the vet. She is 17 and has arthritis in her knees .... and our weather has been so cold and set that she has been really miserable. She gets a cartrophen injection every couple of months to ease it, but the last one doesn't seem to have made much difference, and she hangs around the heater all day and on my bed at nights. I leave the big fluffy bath mat on the heated floor in the bathroom too and she quite likes that!

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Mame I am sorry to hear about your cat's arthritis issues - I'm sure the winter time is not so fun for her. Me and my old beagle (in my avatar) take our Osteo Bi-Flex (joint relief pill) together everyone morning.... Have a good Thursday!! Pave the way for a good Thursday for all of us Mame!

sothankful, congrats on Day 17 and you got THAT right - let's kick some BB A$$ today and every day!!

Pamina, congratulations on Day 85!!! That is awesome, and I really admire you for getting through all the sad times you've had to face this summer and staying AF. You are so right that the death of a loved one who is so young is so much harder to take than the death of one who has truly led a long and full life. That is really scary about the possibility of AL's involvement in your friend's death. AL really is a horrid beast to keep us wanting to drink despite the overwhelming evidence of the negative consequences.

On AF Beer....sounds like we are on a similar page. It HAS become my ____________ (tool? crutch?) for social drinking situations, and even strong crave situations (i.e. the in-laws on Sunday...I was still odd man out with a "beer" in my hand - it was just AF this time...) The carb counts on the labels for actual beers are misleading in their lowness (new word). Alcohol behaves like sugar in our systems, but is NOT counted as a carb. In AF beer, the carb counts are higher and I'm sure that's because the alcohol is being replaced by some form of sugar. So yes...for me that means too many carbs for my eating plan, and also grain in general doesn't sit well with me and DOES cause bloating. So it truly isn't something I want in my daily life. Since I tried it and liked it, I have been having 2 or 3 on more than 1 occassion per week - and I think that's too much for me long term. So I've got to either get it down to 1 day (or less) per week or stop it altogether as I'm sure it is affecting my progress towards my weight loss / fitness goals.

Well, I'm off to see if the "on demand" version of the podium training for Men's Gymnastics is up yet on the NBC web site. I am SO EXCITED about the Olympics.

Have a great rest of the day Booze Busters!!

DG
Day 77 AFHF

[july232007]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Hello BBers,

I too like AF beer for the crutch. I kind of winced when I first bought some, but I got over it when I tried it. St. Pauli N.A is good. DG, I have found that because they don't trigger anything they are easy to space out. So one and perhaps another an hour later probably wont kill your carb counter.

The days are racking up around here: DG 77, Pantamina 85, sothankful 17: way to go AF.

I am off to visit my mom and sister over the weekend in the midwest. I had to chuckle when my mother asked: are you still not drinking? She then offered to buy some AF beer. I had to laugh at the still part.

Although my family knows I have stopped drinking, outside of my wife, I have not told them that I have made a life commitment to being AF. I'm not sure why, but I think I just don't want to be a focal point about alcohol in my family. My father drank himself to death 20 years ago, my mom has her issues with contined drinking and frankly I don't want to have the reformed drinker tag hanging from neck. I like the personal approach that we have here and perhaps later I'll be more vocal about how important being AF is to me. But as many here know it gets tricky with family.

So, I hope to quietly pass the weekend in my somewhat silent AF status. Good night and keep up the good work BBers.

July

One year + AF

[mwo2]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Hey All !

July, I heard your chuckle when I read the "still" lol. And I like the not being the one with the reformed drinker tag. Hope all goes well.

Doggygirl, Do you take your pill in a piece of cheese or does your dog drink his down with water like you?

Aunty, Hope your cat feels better, a heated floor must feel nice.

Pam, Sooo glad that I have found planet normal, it was here the whole time?

Louise, Isn't amazing the AFHF times we have now and they were soo much worse when we were alho.

Have to be AFHFE(arly) tomorrow leaving for work at 6:30. So going to try and set my internal clock back one hour and head for bed sooner than later...

Hope everyones feels powerful within themselves tonight and tomorrow.

AFHF 39 days for me.

[louise]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

I too am early to bed as I have an early day at work tomorrow, so I don't have time to say hi to everyone individually, but welcome back Pamina. I hope you are able to enjoy your visit with your mom July. You are in my thoughts Eskil. Hi to everyone! Hope you are all doing well. If not, check in so we can try and support you.

[Miss Behaving]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

I cant tell you how nice it is to get home at a reasonable hour (in fact to get home at all!!) and see these cheerful and positive thoughts that have been posted throughout the day!

Interesting comments, july about the "still not drinking" and the one about not wanting the "reformed drinker" tag around your neck. I agree - I have seen several people get stuck with the label, and have it limit people's attitudes to them. And I know with my sister, the thought that she had an illness that she would never recover from was a major cause of her feelings of depression and hopelessness.

I have talked to a few people about my struggles and up and downs - but they have all been people who I know well and trust, or other people who I know have also struggled with addiction issues. And if I didn't have some hope I'm not sure what would motivate me to keep trying!

Very good day today ....... part of the office shift was an upgrade of out IT system and the new server has been playing up and not connecting with the printer and I've not been feeling very patient with the time it has taken to sort it out. Anyway, it all worked like a charm all day today, and I managed to get all the overdue accounts done and progress on a major report.

Puss not so good though. Vet has upped her pain relief but thought she probably wont last very much longer. I had a big cry at that as she has been the most lovely and loving cat I have ever had - and I've had her from a kitten. However, it is not unexpected as she is 17, and I dont want to prolong things unnecessarily given that she is in so much pain. So we'll try the anti-inflammatories for a couple of weeks and see if they make a difference. In the mean time, she is getting special food (which the vet assures me is very nice although how she knows I have no idea!) and is allowed to sleep wherever she wants to - even on Uncle Mame's stomach (another of her favourite places!).

Dinner ready - have a good day all that are waking up!

[Lila]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Hi all -
I am still here, I just have too many kids around lately to focus much and post. I did have a beer last night. I feel very good about my progress. I didn't even want the beer that much. Kudzu, vites, biking and this site have been very helpful to me. I really think.
I have to run...more later...
Lila

[Doggygirl]

BOOZE BUSTERS-Week of 8/4 -30 Day (A)bsolutely (F)abulous (H)angover (F)ree Challenge

Good Day Booze Busters!! I "slept in" today (LOL - that means up at about 5 instead of about 4 - I know, I know - KWAZY!!). Then I started watching the gymnastics podium practices on 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing | Athlete, Team Profiles, Olympics News | Free Photos & Videos | NBC Olympics. I got my other morning chores done, and I've been to Curves and Sam's Club and other errands - just didn't get here very early!!

July, I love your posts and am so glad you "fly by" with your wisdom from experience, and also your current thinking (i.e. about what we say or don't to family). I hope there are always posters with more experience actively participating to lead the rest of us on this journey!! Given what you describe, I can understand why you might not feel like getting into an "AF for life" discussion with your Mom. LOL on the "still" not drinking comment. That comment sort of reminds me of something one might say about a bad fashion trend or something - like - oh I see you're "still" in brown and orange polyester stripes....... I hope you have a good visit. I will have to keep an eye out for AF St. Pauli girl and give that a try!!

mwo2 - LOL I get my pill with water and Buck gets his with cheese. He's got the better deal I think! HEY what does the "alho" acronym REALLY stand for? The first thing I thought of was "Al's Ho" which I found funny is a sick sort of way. (yes...sick sense of humor here) CONGRATULATIONS ON DAY 40 AFHF TODAY!! :cheering:

louise, please let us know how your first day back to work goes. I hope smoothly!!

Mame I know how those computers go!! Mr. Doggy does computer support - that's our business. I on the other hand am completely non-technical and HELPLESS when it comes to problems like you describe. And I have little patience for it. I'm glad you had a GOOD computer day and it sounds like you got pretty much caught up. I am SO SAD about this latest kitty news. Even when they have had a good long life, it is still so difficult to let them go. It's hard for me to find any words. I just hope that you and Uncle Mame enjoy her company in the here and now.

Lila - you sound busy but you sound like the tools RJ recommends are really helping you. That's awesome!

Today is day 78 AFHF and I'm very glad to be here and be sober. Life is just SO much better this way, despite the occassional (and sometimes more than occassional) call of AL. NO NO NO NO. And that is that. Today is a GORGEOUS day - not as hot and humid as it has been. So I think I'm going to go putter around outside a little bit during "lunch time." I hope everyone has a terrific Booze Bustin' kind of day!

DG
:award: + :award: + ******************