Wednesday 8 November

[Paddy]

G'day Abbers,

Just a quick hello before being off to work. Hope all of my friends are doing fine. Still jealous of Mike there in Hawaii, grin ... No Mike, you enjoy, ok.

Also a big hello to Kathy, Gabbers, Macks (who's been absent for a while ... is his car still under repair?). Maybe we should send out a search patrol, as he might still be standing on the side of the road.

Has Tawny risen yet? You should be one hour ahead of us here in SE Asia, right.

Anyway, off I am. Wishing all of you a nice middle of the week.

Best

[Mackeral]

Wednesday 8 November

Good morning All,

I been a busy chap latley so not really had chance to post..or read really...Things seem to have got back to normal now (thank god)..
And yep the car is sorted thanks Paddy...If i didnt need one i would gladley do without...Cars are nothing but trouble.

So what did i miss...Mike is in Hawaii..I bet thats a bit of a change for you Mike..And i'm jealous aswell...Gonna have to do some serious reading today...Missed you all millions...Macks:l

[YoungAtHeart]

Wednesday 8 November

Missed you too, Macks--I always do when you're not around!

And thanks for starting the morning thread, Paddy! How are you doing?

Not much going on here, I'm kind of wiped out from staying up late watching the election returns. I'm definitely happy with some of the outcomes, at least. Definitely happy with some local races too!:happy: But I'm definitely wiped out!

At any rate, I'll check in mid-day!

Hi to everyone yet to come!

Hugs,
Kathy:l

PS: Can't wait until this damn Halloween candy is out of this house. I made my sister hide it from me!:H

[maryt]

Wednesday 8 November

a big hello to you all from a cold brisk day here in bonnie scotland nothing much going on here have decided to go back to work next week i have been on the sick for the last 7 weeks cos of the panic attacks and the sleepless nights and i did not want to many distractions while trying to stop drinking and i have now past my personal best of 12 days sober so pleased with myself just need to carry on but it is geting harder but i know i can do it ,hopeyou all have a lovely day see ya all soon love maryt

[Mackeral]

Wednesday 8 November

You done the hardest bit there Maryt....Massive well done on 12 days...Keep it up

[maryt]

Wednesday 8 November

thanks mack for all the encouragement , i an so proud so far that i want to tell the world ,never thought in a million years that i could do this now i have a glimmer of hope ,i could so murder a drink right now but i keep telling myself why undo all the good work only to go throught it all again XXmaryt

[mikeupnorth]

Wednesday 8 November

Hello everyone! Wait, I mean Aloha! (I learned yesterday that Aloha means "hello," "goodbye," and "I love you." And that is any kind of love you want it to mean... And I do love you guys, so ALOHA!!)

First off, Mary -- ditto what Macks said. You should be very proud of your accomplishment! 12 days is wonderful. When I first started I found days 6 and 7 to be very hard, then the cravings would come in spurts after that. Don't forget that you don't have to do this all on your own, cold turkey. There are so many tools availalbe to you.... are you taking any of the vitamins or other supplements suggested in the book? They can make it much easier, as they help regulate what's going on in your body. Also, some find that one of the prescription medications help tip the scales at least in the beginning. There are others who do just fine with supplements, exercise, and chatting on the boards. In any event, all I'm saying is, use what tools you can. There are a lot of them out there.

Report from the luau: I made it through the night without a drop of alcohol. Let me rephrase that, because it makes it sound like it was a struggle, which it wasn't. I had a great time, without drinking, and without thinking very much about alcohol at all. Sure, I had 4 free cocktail coupons in my pocket. Sure, there were people drinking all around me. But when I got in line for the drinks, it was a very easy thing for me to order a Sprite. I wanted something cool and refreshing, and that's a Sprite, not a cocktail. (A cocktail is actually dehydrating....) As the night went on, I saw a few people who were having too much to drink, and I just thought to myself, "I am so glad I'm not one of them." Honestly. They thought they were having fun, but they looked poisoned. Out of it. And there was one woman from the conference whom I had pegged as an alcoholic prior to the luau; just something about her and something she said about people from Utah not drinking.... Well, I was right. At the end of the night she was SLOSHED. She came looking for me, to see if I wanted to have a drink with her!! Funny, I don't know why she was looking for me. Maybe she had me pegged as an alcoholic too. (She was right, except that I don't drink now.)

Anyway the whole point of the story is that NOT drinking was NO BIG DEAL. Sure, I could have turned it into a big deal in my head if I had wanted to. But a while back, I accepted the fact that I was going to be abstinent and live a sober life. I accepted that drinking is not an option for me. (That's my mantra whenever I have a thought about drinking: "Not an option. Not an option. Not an option...") It simply IS NOT AN OPTION. So why waste my time thinking about it and torturing myself? I would much rather just move on and pay attention to whatever else is going on around me and enjoy it. Which I did. The incredible starry night, the tropical breeze, the beautiful polynesian dancers, the fantastic Hawaiian feast, the energy of the crowd -- it was all good. So I just tried to "hang loose" and have fun. It was easier than I expected. Staying sober can sometimes be a challenge. But it isn't always.

Hope you are all doing well out there!

Aloha,

Mike

[MonaCat]

Wednesday 8 November

I couldn't get by without these threads, this is so hard for me. I am really struggling each day. I have always been a high achiever in life, but nothing I have ever done has challenged me like this. Oh yeah, I had a thought last night watching the elections, how awful it must feel to lose an election. Is it as bad as how we feel when we fall off the wagon?
Kathy, how is Maddy doing since the fainting spell.
Lady Di, I am still looking at that awesome Scream Picture.
Mrs Mack, what's your favorite movie?
Good job Maryt.
Paddy, it blows my mind that you are so oo far away, but seem so close.
Have a great day you all.
Hugs, Mona

[MonaCat]

Wednesday 8 November

Kathy,
I have a confession to make.
Last night, I tipped toed into my son's room, and raided his Halloween bag!
Anyone else so bad?
Hugs again,
Mona

[Mackeral]

Wednesday 8 November

MONA....Mrs Mack....Mrs Mack....

How dare you...LOL...

I'm sure i was a bloke last time i checked :H

Seriously Mona i hope things get a bit easier soon....How many days you got under your belt?

[lucky 2.0]

Wednesday 8 November

Ok, I have figured out what works for me- have the tools I need to be free of the poison. For me, here they are:

* The less stimulation the better. This means no t.v. ( well, maybe my 3 fav shows per week only but definately no news ) and no radio unless it is classical music. I think the rest just revs me up and gets me agitated to where I think I need wine to mellow me out.

* Green tea instead of java. It is mellowing and also calms my mind, as well as tremendous health benefits.

* Minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day and I definately prefer it outside instead of in a gym under florescent lights. I hate artificial lighting.

* Of course, good nutrition and not getting too hungry or too full.

* Some kind of meditation each day. This can be the Centerpointe cd's from the Holistic Thread that X got me into or the MWO cd's as long as no one is telling me to go down the escalator. I prefer the cd's with no words, no directions. I will incorporate other forms as time progresses but all very loose and not rigid @ all.

* Good sleep. I find I have tremendous dreams when abs- not all are good but definately full of detail and things I must need to work out. I am void of these dreams when being indulgent in the sauce.

* For now, I plan to decline most social activities where I may have anxiety and that would incline me to drink too much. This is too new for me and I don't trust myself yet and for now, the more time alone or in very select environments, the better.

* I am also doing a lot of reading on health related topics. Just reminds me how amazing our bodies are and that I want to treat mine with respect.

I had a major, major slip over the week-end and it was a day I did not practice the above. Taught me a good lesson.

I really like Mike's mantra of "Not an Option" and will use it also.

Well, that is my current program and subject to tweaks.

My best to all-
Lucky

[Mackeral]

Wednesday 8 November

Sounds like a good plan Lucky....Best of luck with that

[mikeupnorth]

Wednesday 8 November

Lucky, it sounds like you know what works and what doesn't. And it sounds like you have a great program lined up!

And Mona, I understand what you mean about the struggle. I felt very much that way early on, and still do from time to time. But what really turned it around for me was "changing my mind" about alcohol. I changed the way I thought about it. Instead of seeing it as something positive, something that I wanted or needed, I changed it into something negative (it's a poisonous, addictive drug). Two things helped me do this: 1) Reading Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Quit Drinking, and 2) Hypnotherapy. I don't struggle nearly as much when I don't see alcohol as something beneficial or desirable.

I am also taking Topamax, 200 mg, which seems help quite a bit with the physical cravings. (It didn't do a whit for the psychological cravings, though. That's why I had to change the way I thought about alcohol.)

And finally, I still have to just remind myself it's not an option for me -- when all else fails.

A big hello to Macks and Kathy and Di and Lisa and all the other Absville folks~ and Lou going to Egypt.

Take care, everyone.

Mike

[Mackeral]

Wednesday 8 November

Lou's going to Egypt??? What else have i missed....Oh and its Mrs Macks Mike....Mona decided i needed a sex change

[dilayne]

Wednesday 8 November

Hey everyone..flying by cuz I'm just too busy today..slid into work 5 minutes late for a meeting..yada, yada..this job is a good enough job, but it's obvious I have other places I prefer to be! OH, and candy, candy, candy..GUILTY I am! Hugs to everyone..will try to get personal next time
Namaste!