Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

[retteacher]

Hi Everyone: I'm up early in spite of the fact that we went to a small dinner party last night. It's so great to be up & hangover free. I again marvel at how much fun I have when I don't drink, even though the other folks there did (but not to excess, the way I would have).

I want to read the end of yesterday's daily...then I'll be back.

Mary

[Doggygirl]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Good morning all and thank you Mary for starting us off today. I like the vision of your sober dinner party, the fun you had, and no hangover today. I recall so many occassions - especially family occassions where I was the ONLY problem drinker there. So even if others were drinking (and often there was nobody but me drinking) they had one or two and I would be fighting to hide my sloshedness (new word) the whole time. And then feel all the guilt in addition to the hangover the next morning. Then work in my head to figure out how this problem, and all problems were somebody else's fault, poor poor me. :upset: What a viscious circle that was!

There were so many really good posts yesterday! I wish I had time to comment on all of them but unfortunately I don't this morning. I do want to say that TG - I like your tag line of "less worrying and more living!"

I decided to go watch a dog event today. This is an event we used to show our dogs in when we first got going. It's a big one - the USA Sieger Show. It's in the Chicago area so why not? Some of these folks saw me sober last fall and will be surprised probably to see me still sober. I'm bringing my cooler with my own AF drinks in case I decide to stay long enough for the "tail gating" that is sure to start fairly early for some. I will go to an AA meeting before I hit the road just to make sure my defenses are in full working order.

Have a great day everyone!

DG

[Doggygirl]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Oh and for Deter - the avatar original. You can see that my deck is in bad need of stain or paint or whatever that is. And what the dogs have done to the door! In addition to the details of a beagle tongue.



DG

[speedster]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Good morning Mary,

I'm up & at 'em at the hotel. Day 1 of dog agility trial starts in an hour. I hope to be the best handler for my dog. I'm thankful to wake up with a clear head and focused on my day and not spending my morning regretting I drank the night before. Even if it was just 1-2 beers, it would have been drinking alone for nothing.

Started reading Deepak Chopra's book "Freedom from Addiction".

Have a great day everyone.

Hi DG -- have fun at your dog event, I'm at a USDAA trial.

[dill]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

What a great start to todays thread! Thanks for getting it going, Mary, and the gratitude reminder! Speedster, I didn't know you are a dog-person! What breed are you about?
Doggie, I love your full body beagle pic. It looks like home to me! I have a similar tongue shot of one of my dogs. I'm going to see if I can find it. It's pretty old, so I'll have to dig. And thanks for the reminder of being the only one drinking at family events! I have to admit to that one, too.

Well, I made 30 days finally! Thanks!

[hiddengoal]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Morning all..., I am getting frustrated as I keep getting bumped off MWO - write a post then submit and "Sorry you are not logged in"....ever get that?

Anyway, is this the Dog thread? Fun to read about the dog pastimes - they are such good additions to humans...

So I made it through first dinner out and did not order a glass of wine - HUGE!! But I have to say there was a mighty loud conversation with a few going on in my head: "Ah, just one glass","just don't have any after you leave", "but can I even do that", "Just drink water and talk to the kids"......water=the winner!

I wondered about that head conversation and it seems, whenever I go AF, I am never sure what my goal is - stop forever? take a break, learn to manage? that is my struggle...probably why I am hiddengoal. So this time I will just commit, say its a 30 day thing...worry about day 31 later. Fun, just to see what this is like, what can I do/learn/change in 30 day AF - maybe a lot, maybe a lot of creativity, maybe a lot new.

Ok, gotta launch this day - HG

[crazyforwine]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Hi All,

Day 20 for me and going strong! The one thing I wanted to ask you all about is fatigue? You all sound so energetic and bouncy! I still feel a lot of fatigue and fuzziness in my head; am sleeping very deeply with lots and lots of dreams. I do wake up every couple of hours, since I drink so much water these days, also have to check on my daughter whose blood sugar has to be monitored frequently. Am getting back into walking after injuring my knee running-that does help, at least for awhile!

Does anyone else still experience this, or have any suggestions or thoughts? Don't get me wrong, I feel MUCH better than I did when I was drinking, but I'd like to feel perkier!

Am heading for 30 days and then will see my doctor on day 52!

Ann

[greeneyes]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Morning abbers!

Just a quick hello for now - gotta get rolling.

Hiddengoal, when you log in with your user name and password, put a check in the little box that says "remember me" and that should solve your problem

Later!

[Preciouspinot]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Dill, congratulations on 30 days!

I am on day 7 and feeling really good. I have a full day planned as my son is having his 1st Communion next Sat so today we have to get his suit, book the photographer and pick out a cake. I am going to a meeting at 12:30 so that will break up the day and give me a chance to focus on what is important.

Have a great day!

[retteacher]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

We talked about the "just one drink" thing in another thread. No such phenomenon for me. I ALWAYS had more, more, more. The "just one" was the impetus to get started. In my heart, I knew that I'd have the whole bottle.

I love socializing sober now. I especially like seeing normal people drink. They have their "one drink" & no more. Last night, the host brought out some type of after-dinner drink. People had tiny sips just to taste it...even the ones who weren't driving. By that point in the dinner, drinking was over for them. I marvel at this type of drinking, because even w/all the self-control I could possibly muster, I'd never be able to do it.

Today, my sobriety is my most precious possession. I will guard it.

Mary

[LVT25]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Good morning friends! After a busy week, my son's track meet was canceled due to weather today, which it's kind of nice to just relax and catch up a bit. I really should be doing the laundry, paying bills, more bookwork, and cleaning house. I'll do some of that later, and I think I'll make some rice krispie bars. We have a friend's little son for the day--fun!

I am also in the "can't drink just one" club. I highly doubt I have EVER in my lifetime of drinking had just one drink. I always thought it was weird the people that do drink that way. And also the people that drink even though they don't really like it. (The wine cooler women we called them) Then there are the ones that act like they're drunk, when they're not--I guess it's a way to fit in. I started reading another Anne Lamott book called "Crooked Little Heart" which got me thinking about my youth. I think if I were to go to counseling, it would be very enlightening. I made some REALLY stupid choices as a young woman--always thought it was a self esteem issue. I think it may have been my way of keeping up with or being better than my prettier, more popular with the boys girlfriends. FWIW!

I ran into my al-anon sponsor from years ago. It was kind of "weird" because I have been thinking about her a lot lately. Of course I didn't tell her I had quit drinking, since I haven't even spoken to her in years.

Ok, I better keep on keepin on. I wish you all a great day/weekend! :h

[Arial]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Happy Saturday all,

A beautiful early summer day here and enjoying ti clear- headed and AF which is great - 2 months next week apart from the one evening glitch over Easter, so feel I'm very much heading in the right direction!

Great to hear everyone's successes - HG, 30 days is a good place to start and take it from there. I have go to a point where I don't want alcohol as part of my life as I know I can't control it the way I want to, so I don't need to think about 'never again' - it's just not an issue as sobriety is my greatest possession too (love that, Mary!), and I so much prefer life without AL that the issue of mods or 'never again' just isn't an issue - it's a lovely feeling to silence the thoughts/arguments in my head and just get on with creating a new life free from alcohol! New life includes running, getting fit, socialising, studying, and being HAPPY!

Have fun at the dog shows, ladies - I'm afraid I only have time for a cat at the moment, but having grown up with dogs I really miss them.

Take care all and happy AF weekend! Check in again tomorrow hopefully... :l

[lilmea]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

it's a lovely feeling to silence the thoughts/arguments in my head and just get on with creating a new life free from alcohol! New life includes running, getting fit, socialising, studying, and being HAPPY!

I love that Arial. Just reading it made me feel peaceful.

I too belong to the "can't drink just one club" Once I truely admitted that to myself, it did cut down on some of the back and forth in my head.

I've been working out in the yard. This is my first AF summer in several years. It is just great to be outside in the beautiful weather and actually be able to enjoy it. I had forgotten how good it feels.

I hope eveyone has a great day.

[Determinator]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

top of the Saturday ABenators far and wide!!!!!!

having a glorious fun filled day I'm so very happy to report

had coffee this morning with a friend of Dx that is a long time AA guy that recently celebrated 21years AF!!! our conversation was delightfully fun and inspirational to me....what a great guy. it's so nice to meet someone new in the recovery scene. Especially someone with such a great track record.

Mary, ditto that hon: Today, my sobriety is my most precious possession. I will guard it.

Pinot!!!! huge congrats on being AF! hope you stick around here in this fun part of the house.

DoggyGirl I'm glad you posted the bigger picture of beagle, as I was wondering if maybe you had tied his rear legs down, then put a piece of bacon near the camera lens to get him to stick out the tongue that picture! ok, yer off the hook

Today is glorious because I am in control of my life. not some toxic chemical. For better or worse, all my choices are mine. I feel free to go to restaurants that don't serve booze. if someone has me over to their house at night I don't fear driving during the evening hours. And nothing that I do cuts in to my drinking time because it's now all MY TIME!!! wooooooo doggy!

be well my friends

[Determinator]

Daily Thread Sat. - April 25

Crazyforwine, I wanted to address your question about feeling fatigue and fuzzy-headed. it could be that you are simply in the early stages of AF so your body is adjusting, it may also be an overgrown intestinal candida (common among drinkers). if you google about it you can draw your own conclusions but that's my quick analysis. Personally when I went AF I felt a lot of changes in all my mental and physical states, and it went in cycles. But it progressively gets better.....so hang tight!