AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

[dill]

Good morning! I'm up early, so I will be happy to start this thread!

Yesterday my 3 year old grandson and my daughter-in-law were visiting. It was a lovely day with perfect weather and sunlight. G-son loves the outdoors and so we spent the bulk of our time there. It should have been a really happy time for me, and over-all it was. However, smack in the middle of the visit, I was struck with the strongest drinking thoughts I have had in days! It was very upsetting to me to have that come out of seemingly nowhere. So I was having a wonderful time on the outside, and inside there was a battle raging! Will it always be this way? On background, I must add, my DIL is not a favorite person of mine, although I have tried. I have settled at this point for acceptance of her. We don't have any sort of open conflict. I just don't care for her, although I'd prefer not to get into details here. I am cordial with her though.

I made it through yesterday only because there was no wine in the house. I am the one who would make wine available, as hb doesn't drink.

Well, today is another day.

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Morning abbers!

Thanks dill! I keep waiting for my coneflowers to bloom!

Yesterday afternoon it was one of those lovely breezy days that was in the balmy low 80s with puffy clouds floating by..... I'd been doing inside things and decided there really are VERY few of those days left so I threw on a straw hat (still had bed hair) and took off for the zoo for the last couple hours before closing. Then I stopped by to visit my dad and then picked up little doggie and went to the barking lot where we told roller coaster stories. It was a fine day another one of those that make me just right out grateful. The people were about as interesting as the animals. :H

[paula]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Hi everybody, you did really well not to drink Dill. This disease really does affect you, I have often felt like picking up a drink for no apparent reason. The important thing is you did'nt.
Good luck.

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Ah, you marked and ran dill! Perhaps it was a subconscious knee-jerk to your DIL. Whatever the reason, it is so good ;that you saw it for what it was and did not give in. Great job!

[free bird]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Top of the morning to all, What great support here. Good for you Dill. In laws can be huge triggers for me.

Everything is good here and I am counting my zeros. Low-key wedding shower to attend this afternoon, but I don't think there will be much temptation. I really just feel like staying home though and getting absolutely nothing accomplished but starting a new book. Perhaps I'll fit that in anyway.

I hope everyone is doing okay and enjoys their Sunday.

GO

[hiddengoal]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Hey Ho AFreedom Riders!

Dill, way to go...you were ambushed and stood strong...

Keep placing those goose eggs on your days, my friends. Day 53 and starting to feel some real energy flowing again. Tackling projects right & left. So, off to sorting, mucking, and chucking.

Hope its a Good Day for all.

[Lavande]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Good morning everyone,

We have a beautiful day shaping up here
Looking forward to it after a week of rain.

I feel for you Dill. I quit smoking 19 days ago - yesterday I would have scaled a 25 ft. wall to get one.......... There is no sense to these cravings, they come out of nowhere. I think we need to remain vigilant, for as long as it takes. Maybe, hopefully they will completely disappear one day.

I'm looking forward to more grandson time today too. I am making him my focus now, I will keep my quits going for the both of us.

Have a great Sunday.

[ready2change]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Happy Sunday morning all! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I have a huge tree in the backyard with lots of ugly dirt underneath it, and the soil is hard clay. I was trying to figure out what to do with it, what to plant and how...when I decided to stop by Micheals (a craft store) and check out their fake foliage. They just happened to have a 50% off sale, so I did a beautiful landscape with ferns and grasses, and the best part is, they won't die and I won't have to water them, as we are almost in drought status here! Yippee!!

Dill, I have heard the the more and longer duration that we resist these urges, the stronger the neuro pathways in our brains become at resisting? This is certainly hopeful news to many of us who struggle. I'm sure we are all unique as to "when" it become any easier being AF and resisting urges, but I am sure it is well worth the wait after reading many of the long termers posts. We can do this.

R2C

[Accountable for Me]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Way to go, Dill for staying strong! Those thoughts do come out of no where - and you handled it marvelously!

Good morning to the abbers!

I was up just after 6am this morning. I LOVE my mornings; especially hang over free! I am feeling so great and sleeping like a log the last few nights. Although I have a prescription for Antabuse sitting in my cupboard, I am starting those this evening. I haven't had any incling or urges to drink for over a week, but feel I should start taking them as a safe guard. (You see...... I had a hotdog with sauerkraut yesterday and because it is made with wine vinegar - I wasn't going to chance getting ill. I will miss my sauerkraut!!!)

Another overcast day here. Fine by me. I am going to do some household chores this AM and then do some grocery shopping a little later on. Then it is back outside with Little AFM and her big girl bike! She is doing marvelous with less than a week under her belt. I actually jogged while she ran yesterday!!!! This gave her the incentive to go faster and gain confidence while riding. It was so much fun. We made it into a game..... she was to catch up to me and 'catch me'. I jogged for just short of an hour!!! I am so pleased all around. I certainly can use the cardio - and this just makes it fun. Good all around.

Well, I am off to read up on some more posts. Have a great day everyone! xoxo

[LVT25]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

"Dill, I have heard the the more and longer duration that we resist these urges, the stronger the neuro pathways in our brains become at resisting? This is certainly hopeful news to many of us who struggle. I'm sure we are all unique as to "when" it become any easier being AF and resisting urges, but I am sure it is well worth the wait after reading many of the long termers posts. We can do this."

Dill, I agree with R2C here. The more times we "show" our brains that we don't "need" the alcohol, IT DOES GET EASIER!! It sucks at the time, I remember well. And Lavande great job on the quitting smoking--same for me--the urges lessen with the retraining of the brain.

Yesterday I finally got most of my garden planted, and I ALWAYS drank beer and smoked cigarettes while doing that. The urge was there--but not too strong. I thought about one of the NA beers I've had in the fridge forever--but went inside and made a glass of tea instead. Then I came back outside and took a few minutes to sit down, hubby joined me (with his beer) and we actually visited for a bit. I guess I have been staying away from him while he's drinking, need to work on reconnecting.

Last week I helped with VBS all week and was a little resentful because it just took up so much of my time that I really don't have right now. But on the 3rd day, the little preschoolers all gave me hugs which made it all worthwhile. A God sighting.

So, we're off to church this morning, and then we pick up our new puppy-"Sam". I hope I have the patience to train him correctly. I've never done this! :h

[rustop61]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Hi everyone

Happy Sunday. Well done Dill, we all know how those cravings sometimes come out of nowhere. Inlaws are a big trigger or at least some of mine are.

Love the idea of the fake plants Ready. That's what I need, I am not very greenfingered.

Just a quick check in as family lurking all around, enjoy the rest of the week-end.

Rustop

[Determinator]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Happy sunday ABeroooos!

enjoying all your loverly posts as I slowly wake up (really been sleeping in lately).

Dill, kudos on keeping al out of the house. that's a very important safeguard against these "out of nowhere cravings" that will come and go especially in the first 6 months of sobriety. The good news as others have pointed out is that they do indeed subside. I found that about the 8 month mark was about the end of the real struggling for me. I still have my moments but they are pretty darn mild I'm happy to say

enjoy your now moment everyone. be well

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Hello all! Congratulations to Dill (thanks for starting us off today!) and to everyone who chose not to cozy up to AL yesterday. One more day of FREEDOM!!

The topic of...."will it always be this difficult?" is a very good one - both for AL and for Nic and I'm sure for any other addictions. Well, I will personally add sugar and wheat flour to that list!

At this stage any STRONG urges for AL are limted...maybe once a month? There are passing thoughts weekly still, but they are far from being strong urges. I still feel like avoiding AL situations...Deter I don't know how you do it! (but I'm glad you are out there proving it's possible!!! If you can, we can...)

Lavande HANG ON to your smoking quit. It will be 2.5 years by the end of summer for me and I can't even remember the last time I had a STRONG urge and passing thoughts are extremely rare. I can relate to the desire to climb Mt. Everest if there were a cigarette and a lighter waiting for me at the top. The first few months were WAY like that for me. It does pass eventually!

AFM you are sounding so great and I love the bike story! Greenie your mention of the zoo is a reminder that I don't NEED to wait for a group of people and Big Plan to go do something I want to do - just go do it. Always enjoy the barking lot updates too!

LVT, glad to hear the garden is finally in!! I need to go take some updated pics. Cloudy and a small amount of rain today....I can practically hear the weeds growing. I can so relate to the "tug of war" in your head about VBS. It was the right thing to do, and the reward was there in the end, but I too get resentments in the middle of stuff like that. I hope to become a better giver with time.

R2C I wouldn't have thought of fake plants for outside (that's ALL I have inside LOL!) but what a brilliant idea! I want to thank you again for the recommendation of Spirituality for Dummies. I'm plodding along a few pages at a time but am finding it tremedously helpful.

Hi Rustop! When is your DD's next horse show? Seems like she must really enjoy that.

HG congrats on 53 days!! I am really enjoying your journey and the things your write about it.

free bird I was just thinking that I want to get my "stuff" done early and just curl up before bed time with a book or movie or both - I can relate to that vibe today! Hope the low key wedding shower is fun and low on the AL temptation scale.

Paula it is great to see you hear. I know you have had a really rough go of it lately and I'm just thrilled to come here each day and see your posts. One day at a time.

I love today! It's been a low key day. Went to AA this morning and it was a really good meeting. This Sunday group studies the steps and the traditions - the traditions are really the rules that govern the group. There are only 12 of them which is amazing to me! I often think of Corporate Policy Manuals from the career ladder that wouldn't fit in the fattest 3 ring binders that are made. And it seemed that more rules were being coined all the time. Tradition 3 basically says that AA does not discriminate at all - anyone who wants to quit drinking can be a member. Black people white people brown people yellow people purple people straight people gay people young people old people college educated people people who can't read lawyers doctors carpenters burger flippers rich people poor people and on and on. And with relatively few problems among the folks where I go, considering we're a bunch of crazy drunks. Amazing.

Then I went to the gym which I like on Sundays because it's quiet there, and I don't have any other distractions on my mind like hoping I don't miss and important call at the office, etc. I can take my time and just feel the pain slowly. Just putzing around the house now thinking about a nap which is what Mr. Doggy is doing! And 4 doggies are doing that too. They can't all be wrong.

Have a great day everyone and enjoy some AFness!

DG

[ThatGirl]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

DG, your point about the rules reminds me of one of the things that has always suprised me, not just about mwo but in life when I have met people who ahve gone AF - the lack of conflict. It shoudln't suprise me, as much of the conflict I've known has orginated in one person doing something or saying something stupid because of AL, but it does. I suppose the main thing that astounds me, especially on MWO is that with so many people appearing on here with different views and backgrounds, combined with the number of newcomers just getting used to the world of withdrawal, it's rare to hear a bad word said against anybody. I know I really appreciated it when I was just starting out.

Another thing I'd like to say, I don't know whether people on here know of this already, but if they don't I'd really love to recommend the post secret website to you all. It's a community art project where people from all over the world can send an anonymous postcard with their secret on it to one man, who will post the most interestign and inspiring in a book and on the website. It updates every sunday and I'd recommend you check it out

-TG

[Pamina]

AF Daily - Sunday - June 7, 2009

Hi TG, the postcard project sounds intriguing. I'll have to check it out.

Dill, way to go on ignoring the cravings. I was very much the emotional drinker, so coming across a person I felt uncomfortable around would easily do it.

DG, I do hope you went for that nap. I'm still going through a spell of working longer days than I'm used to, and I was absolutely shattered on Friday night. I'm not naturally a morning person and have been very impressed with myself for waking up after 6am. But honestly, how do y'all do this all the time??!! If this went on for months, I'd spend entire weekends napping!

The highlight of my day was returning a pair of trousers I bought on sale 3 weeks ago. Reason: they're too baggy because of all the weight I've lost during that time!!