January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

[ladybirdheart]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Hi all. So good you found us, Finding, and so good to see you in the new spot, Red, I agree with Dill that I deeply appreciate what you have to say. Hi Bear and welcome to this thread. We never know what ideas or experiences are going to ?click? and what drink will be our last. For some it seems like the last drink is a huge deal, for others it?s pretty quiet.

I have had the attention span of a fruit fly today. Perhaps a Sooty soup, some root veggies such as parsnips, rutabagas, or turnips, will indeed help bring me to earth; I must admit I have passed these three by for some reason. They are so popular historically in the regional cuisines of cold climates, it seems like a good time for a taste test. Hi, Lil, Lav, SD, Pea, MM (its going to be good), Shelley, Cyn, Mandalay, Open, and all to come by. Love, Ladybird.

[lodestar]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Hi everyone! Long time no long post for me?trying to catch up with this speedy thread.

Lil ~ I second the thanks of others on moving the thread. Great to be here as you approach your 6-month anniversary! How are you feeling about it?

Dill ~ Wonderful that you were able to battle that internal dialogue. To answer yesterday?s question, I don?t know which would be easier with quitting drinking. I?m inclined to say that habits would be really difficult either way. I?m curious?have you ever had a day without a craving? Do you take any supplements at all? About work?I?m working long hours because I?m finishing my doctoral thesis and teaching, and yes, it is usual to work like a maniac but now I know healthier ways to decompress thankfully.

Lav ~ Thanks for the habit busting book idea. I?m for anything that can help me kick cigs too, although AF is the priority at the moment.

Mandalay ~ You?re doing terrific! Writing while bombed? Been there, done that. It?s amazing that I was scared to write without it just before I went AF in Oct. That was a totally irrational fear, I?ve found. What do you write about? (sorry if I missed it)

Shelley ~ So glad you are able to spread your wings to meet new people. That is wonderful and I know what you mean about that. Boone?s Farm? There?s a blast from the past?used to drink strawberry hill at high school parties. Gross!

Peanut ~ Sorry about your aunt and hope your trip is safe.

LBH ~ ?life got so small it was microscopic? ? you have such a way of describing things. What was creepy about the mini-binge, if you care to share?

MM~ Great to hear that your training is going well. You?ve been missed around here too! Do you have a plan for doing your 30 days? No pressure, just asking.

Sooty ~ The soup looks yummy but a little overwhelming for a novice soup-maker. Thanks for the recipe though. I?ll try it one day when I?m feeling brave.

Open ~ So glad you?re here and you ARE doing this?every single day. I know what you mean about hearing other people?s struggles. It is comforting in a way.

Red ~ Don?t be afraid of discouraging people with your honesty. You are committed to not having al control your life and being AF. You identified two triggers that time Angry & Hungry (I?ve always liked HALT strategy myself). The cold, dark winter can feel long. I was just visiting there and remember how the gray skies would get to me. I kept telling myself they were ?flannel skies? because it made me feel cozy. Hang in there, woman. Progress, not perfection.

Bear73 ~ Good job getting back on the sleigh! Pack snacks wherever you go?it helps.

Finding ~ Happy new year and great to see you back. Uncurl yourself and stay with us!

I hope I didn?t miss anyone today!

Anyway, I start teaching again this week and it will be a wild ride until the end of April. I?m looking forward to it all though because I am actually present for this experience. I counted my days last night just out of curiosity and I?m nearing 3 months AF. Can?t believe it. Thanks for being a part of my journey out of the bottle, friends. I'll be posting, albeit more briefly, to stay connected to you. :l

[spedteach]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Greetings all,
Had a wonderful artistic weekend at my painting workshop. And no, no no, I cannot paint worth a lick, but learned a lot about trusting your gut, taking risks, being spontaneous. A really different experience.

Lode, am so impressed with your personal comments to everyone. My 3 sons are doctoral students and TA's. Their lives are hectically insane.

Red, MM, P'nut, stay with us guys. I always appreciate what you have to say. Red, your emotional honesty. MM, the excitement about your new job and P'nut, I always appreciate a fellow runner (al always diminishes my running abilities which at my age need all the help they can get).

Lav, 23 degrees! You're havin a heat wave. It was colder here this morning.

Dill, be careful and take care of yourself. Funny as that drive up window incident was, it tells me how careful you need to be right now.

Hey to Lil, Bear, Finding, LBH. Nice to post under Lode, she's got all the names up there.

Sooty, everybody's talkin parsnips thanks to you. Here's my recipe. Cut up parsnips, turnips, acorn squash, shallots. Throw them on a cookie sheet with some olive oil, s and p and roast at 375 for about 30-40 min. Yum.

Night all. Working with autisitc kinders tomorrow. I'll need my wits about me.

Hey, 5 months ago today I quit drinking!!

Love,
Shelley

[ladybirdheart]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Happy five month anniversary, Shelley. I am so glad you took that step, that you are here tonight safe and alcohol free. Three (3) sons in Ph.D. programs? Talk about family support for academia, I love it! You have a good dream, a good rest. Love, Ladybird.

[redhibiscus]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Another week and it is a struggle to want to go to work. I just want to sleep and hang out. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful to have a job, but it would be nice to havemore time off.

I started this liver cleansing diet I had been on last year, and feel better physically already. IT is just alot of raw fruit and veggies, raw juices, and staying away from processed food and sugar. Drinking lots of water and first thing in the morning, water with lemon juice. So, yesterday I made this great minestrone soup that was in the book. It is alot of work but so good. I am taking some to work with me today.

Dill, as always thank you so much for the support. You have been there for me several times. I hope that I never have to post a failure again. It is just hard on a daily basis. I see that weekends are just rough and I need to plan better. What is your toughest time?

Spedtech, the roasted veggies sound good. Tell me, do you peel the parsnips and turnips? I have done minimal cooking with them, just in soups. Congratualtions on five months AF. I want that so much. What was your original plan?

Lodestar, good job on 3 months AF. What are the biggest changes in your life afer 3 months?

LBH, I hope something clicks with me soon. I just want to stop this roller coaster ride. Enough is enough.

Lavande, cyn, mandalay, mm and all, have a good day, AF.:h

[dill]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Greetings JJDI's!

Congrats to you, Shelley! 5 months is awesome! And thank you for you kind words of concern. Also, I appreciate the recipe.

I?m curious?have you ever had a day without a craving? Do you take any supplements at all?

Lodestar, Funny you should ask, as I had no cravings yesterday! I had passing thoughts of al, but no cravings. So, I guess the answer is, yes I?ve had a day without a craving. In fact, I?ve had several. I?ve been assured that ?it gets easier? with time, and I am finding that it truly does. But still, there are those times?. Now you have me curious, so let's put the question out for everyone to weigh in on, you included:
Have you ever had a day without a craving? Anybody care to chime in?
Lode, congrats on your near three months. You have done an awesome job and I so appreciate you being with us on this thread.

I pledge to be AF today!

[dill]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Red, Cross-post!

My toughest times are on Sundays, oddly enough. It started with NFL footbal. My second hardest are Wednesday/Thursday after work. I guess it's the "humpday" thing.

[lilmea]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

I have had the attention span of a fruit fly today.

LHB-You make me smile. I have had those fruit fly days myself lately. I think it sort of goes along with cabin fever. I really am having cabin fever bad right now. Temps being colder than normal has really kept me inside. Even my cats have cabin fever.

Sped-Congratulations on 5 mounths! :yougo: On ward and Up ward!

Lod-Congrats to you on almost 3 Months! I remember when you started. You have just been rocking right along. My 6 months? I believe I am a little like Lav was with Christmas...a bit nervous. I will be glad when it is done and dusted.

Finding-Welcome back! You have been missed.

MM, Finding, Red-You all know the drill. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on the af wagon/bus/sleigh/flying carpet.

Open-You just hang in there. It really does get better.

Hello to Dill, Lav, Mandalay, Pnut, Sooty, Pnut and everyone to follow.

The question-'Days without cravings' and my 'Witching Hour' I don't really have cravings anymore. Not like the cravings I had in the beginning, the got to have a drink kind. I have vague yearnigs for something, but not sure what, sometimes. I am finding cabin fever and boredoom are proving to be a challenge as I used to drink through this winter down time. My Witching hour was 9:00 am M-F. Toward the end I was a daily, day drinker and pretty much house bound. The week ends were actually the days I drank the least.

Wishing everyone a peaceful, af Monday!

[Lavande]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Good morning all,

Wow, what a bunch of celebs we have here
lode - near 3 months
Shelley - 5 months
Lil - nearly 6 months
Coming up on 10 months myself
I am very happy & proud to be associated with such a group!

Every single AF day you have is a blessing, a reward for your hard work. Changing habits by changing your thinking patterns is very difficult but doable! You have to really, really want to be AF, more than you want to drink. This time one year ago I was just sitting here wondering........and asking myself if I could do it - I really didn't know. But the answers is YES, you can do it

Red, your cleansing diet sounds good. Sounds like something we all should do at some point. Work on a really solid plan for yourself next weekend, OK

Dill, it's so nice to have no cravings. The ocassional passing AL thought becomes quite manageable. With a little practice you can push the AL thought out of your head in a minute or less!!!

Lil, cabin fever is a big problem for me too! That's what motivated me to take a walk through the conservatory at Longwood Gardens this weekend. Now I just have to keep that happy memory with me until I can find something else to inspire me during these winter months

Greetings to LBH, Sooty, Pnut & anyone else I may have forgotten to mention.
Hope we all have a great Monday!
Lav

[sdlovespackers]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Good Morning!

Found y'all!! Just got caught up on all the reading!! Wow!! Lots of AF time accumulated on here!! Awesome!! I want to add my .02 to the binge vs. daily drinking question but I guess I'm uncertain what 'binge' drinking is? Each type of drinking I think has some type of habit to it, doesn't it?! All habits are hard to break.

One thing I appreciate so much about everyone is there honesty and I really think it helps the learning and growing process. I too did not make it through the weekend. I didn't think I would be upset with myself but I am....I'm upset because of the reasons why....anger....my exhusband (which we sorta rekindled this summer) is once again dating someone else and when he does this he treats me horrible and begins to "ignore" or have less time for my son. I can't even describe how upset it makes me....and what's worse is I see them chatting on facebook....and I want so badly to erase him from my 'friend's list" so I don't have to see it but then he'd know it bothers me. Anyway...stupid I know....so between that and football, I drank....and once again let him and al get the best of me!:upset:

Sorry!

Don't mean to bring anyone down....I will dust myself off and start again....I can do this! You all are a great inspiration!!! Have a great Monday!
Sd:l

[sooty]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Hi everyone - its fab to see so many of us on here, all travelling in the same direction!
We could probably take over the world and sort it out if we were all in the same place at the same time!!
Still cold here and more snow forecast so keep making the soup I say!
By the way whatever is a rutabaga?? And how have I managed so long without one?
I'm making a pledge to be AF today - I agree with Dill, a daily pledge is a good thing to do.
Thanks for the link Lav, I'll try and look it up now.
See you all later travellers - keep safe and strong
love Sooty

[ladybirdheart]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Hi Sooty, A rutabaga was originally developed as cross between a turnip and cabbage; it favors the turnip in appearance but the ones I have seen are oblong. I am having a taste test of root veggies tonight, and this morning bought a rutabaga, a turnip, a parsnip, a golden beet, and a chioggia (bull?s-eye) beet. Very nice organic ones. I am going to roast them Shelley-style. Lord I hope nobody reads my posts and thinks that being alcohol free moves one from the life of the party to a life of turnips and jigsaw puzzles. There is more to it:H! Dill, I don?t get cravings these days unless I get overly tired or overly frustrated or overly excited. The general theme is ?overly?. I have not been blindsided with wordless anxiety in while which is my biggest trigger so I am still not sure if I can handle it. In a way similar to Lil, I sometimes feel a longing for ?something?; I know alcohol won?t fill it in any meaningful way, and I am not sure what if anything will or if it just something to tolerate in the background of experience. It doesn?t matter in the big picture if I don?t drink over it. For me, I never got mad at alcohol per se, I always have seen it as neutral, it is the feelings and events that I associate with turning to a drink that I have been gradually learning to respond to in a different way. Hi everybody, I have never felt strong in this and it is helping me without measure to be here with you on this thread. Love, Ladybird.

[Lavande]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Afternoon check in - because Mr Busy is coming over for dinner tonight & I may be too tired by the time he leaves :H

SD, No apoligies necessary - this is the place to confess, cry, yell, scream - whatever you need to do! It's too bad that your ex is behaving like a S...head! I imagine it takes a good bit of time to learn to ignore him..... I'm still married & I'm learning to ignore mine just to preserve what's left of my sanity

Sooty, here's a link for you with everything you could possibly want to know about rutabagas! Vegetarians in Paradise/Rutabaga History, Rutabaga Nutrition, Rutabaga Recipe
Thank you for your soup recipe - loved it!

LBH, I think the Amoryn is helping our moods stabilize - do you agree? I just ordered another 6 months worth this morning.......good savings You are much, much stronger than you realize - I'm going to work on convincing you of that fact :H
There is nothing wrong with doing puzzles - I love them! Think I'll get some new ones to help me thru the rest of this mandatory inside weather!

Well, I will check in later if I can..............
Have a good afternoon one & all.
Lav

[mandalay]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

Hi all

My usual quick read today, and another even quicker posting. Good to see everyone up and running, thank you for the constant support - I know I must be diligent, and I need to check in here every day to make sure I can keep on track. This forum is just the best thing - I've learnt so much about AL, about freedom from it, the way out, and even about myself. It means so much to be among friends - I have no friends in the 'real world' (one of the problems of moving to a small-ish town in a different country where everyone went to school with everyone else, and is someone else's mum, auntie, sister etc... not complaining, I love it here, but it is a fact that I'll always be the new person up the street)

Yes, I do have a long day! But I've always got up early, I like the mornings, especially in the Australian spring, summer and autumn when I can go and sit outside and think my own thoughts. It was actually 44 Celsius here for the last few days so I've been indoors under the cooler - at 7am this morning it was 34 degrees so we are in for another one I think! Cooler tomorrow. I have been up to see my four girlies but there is only one egg today, and none yesterday - they don't like the heat either, poor little things. I am so lucky to be able to work from home in my 'proper' job, though it does involve making appts to meet people in their homes, and I shan't be doing much door knocking today! I;d normally end up trying to do some writing, but there won't be the chance today, as the grandson is going to arrive about 10am - my daughter (single mum who lives nearby) is moving house on Saturday and is frantically trying to stop said beloved child from unpacking as fast as she packs! You can imagine - trying to pack up with a two year old helping!

As for what I write - well, I won't go into detail on a public forum but it's all non-fiction stuff, and the latest is a true story of a mass murderer and his victims in the last century, all of whom have been largely ignored it seems and whose stories have never been properly investigated, nor told! I'm loving writing it, though it's quite different from anything I've done before! That's a really good reason to get up, sober, in the mornings!

SD - your Facebook issue - you could always just 'hide' your ex-husband. (Assuming your son doesn't actually use your Facebook profile in order to talk to his father - if he does, maybe you could get him one of his own on the strict understanding that you have his password and log in details till he's old enough? Sorry, maybe he's already old enough!). Otherwise you now have lots of new privacy facilities and could block your husband from your newsfeed, livefeed etc, and can also block him from seeing your posts, all without having to delete him from your friends lists. I have done that wiht my ex-daughter in law in the UK - she cheated on my son, broke his heart... it's all over and done with now, and we are in contact with her (because life's too short, and she has our granddaughters), but it infuriates me to see her comments to, and about, other men on the board. So she's hidden from view, and I only see the occasional 'likes this' kind of thing from her.

Sorry all, this was supposed to be short, and I am due to be 20kms away in 20 mins and I need to shower and put some kind of a 'face' on!

Have a great AF day, everyone!

Mandalay

[dill]

January:Just Do It~AF~Week 2

:H:H:H

Lord I hope nobody reads my posts and thinks that being alcohol free moves one from the life of the party to a life of turnips and jigsaw puzzles. There is more to it!

:H:H:H

Thanks, LBH! That gave me a good laugh!

No cravings today. Passing thoughts, yes. And after work a desperate call from a colleague who is out of control with her drinking and beside herself about it. I listened and encouraged and comforted as best I could. She and I have shared a lot together about our issues with al. (She is the one who has my CDs.) I will be talking more with her tomorrow. I hope I will be able to help her get sober. Maybe we can do it together. I told her to log on here and read. I hope she does it.

Hi, Mandalay, Lav, Soots, Lil and everyone else that comes along. Chin up, SD. Progress, not perfection! Stick with us!