Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

[_EndOfTheLine_]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

You and I have similar experiences with stopping. I reach the 6 week period (actually thats not true, more like 3 week, and more recently the saturday night period) and I simply crack. I fell like I could easily crack today, I'm probably in a relatively dangerous position... if I can just flop through this day I'll be OK cos tomorrow is Sunday which is beforemonday morning and I don't generally drink on the night before Monday morning. In any case, its good to have found this thread

[Kimberley]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Hey, welcome - glad you found the thread

Yeah 6 weeks was my max, me doing ok - at worse times it was 3 weeks too. i'd literally be out of withdrawl, feeling shit for a week, better for a week then back on it again. Repeat ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

But this time through on week 6 (and 3) i was in AA and somehow - don't ask me how - managed to pull through it. i even had a day where i didn't want the meeting to work, cos quite frankly i really wanted to drink. But it did work despite me!! :H

K x

[_EndOfTheLine_]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Haha, yeah "don't you dare talk me out of drinking". :L

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

So nice to see new contributors here.

When I first got sober, I was definitely on a "pink cloud." I was very gung-ho about sobriety & couldn't imagine drinking. I've heard from others that the 1st anniv. is a very vulnerable time. It wasn't for me. I still get thoughts:
-at night when I can't sleep.
-when I'm bored & in the house.
-when I'm upset.
-etc.

However, if I have a meeting to go to within the day, that just talks me out of drinking. I know i couldn't face my friends.

I too went through the white-knuckling strategy. I just couldn't maintain myself w/that.

Mary

[_EndOfTheLine_]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Yeah MAry its funny how your social pressures have changed. Currently, my social pressures are inclined to pressur eme into drinking, not that they are to blame of course, but it is a risk factor whereas your social pressure is to stay sober!

[retteacher]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

End: Toward the end of my drinking, I became a solitary drinker. I much preferred that, since most of our friends & family (including my husband) are all normal drinkers. When alone, I could drink any amount I wanted. So, toward the end, I did drink socially, but I was much more inclined to overdo when alone. Now, I just know I wouldn't be able to keep any kind of slip to myself. I'd feel an obligation to the fellowship to tell on myself. I've seen this over & over. It isn't easy, but people do reveal their slips. It's one of the ways people get back on track. I've been lucky in AA. I haven't relapsed since I joined.

I'm off to my regular BB Sun. night meeting. I so look forward to being there, studying the BB & seeing my friends.

mary

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Hi all.
After starting AA for real in 2009, I had to "re-establish" twice. Fortunately the last bit of drinking research I did was for only 3 days. It is still amazing to me how everyone in the group welcomed me back and encouraged me along the way. I'm passing 15 months of sobriety now, never thought it would happen. Thanks to my HP, all of you and AA.

[Bean]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Hi everyone.
I've had an interesting weekend. I've posted on a couple of other threads about how I am housesitting and there was a lot of alcohol in the house. I thought I'd be strong enough to resist but the temptation was pretty big. I had to get my friend to come and take it all away before I caved in.
it was funny, soon as it was out of the house, I felt a burden lifted that I didn't have to keep thinking about it and whether or not I would have some because it just wasn't there.

So that was good that I resisted but still a part of me has felt very weak and 'less than' for not being strong enough to be around it. It worries me because it feels like that means my resolve to be AF is not as strong as it should be. I'm finding that I don't feel like going out at all these days, in part because I'm not drinking. I don't want to become someone who doesn't go to parties or social events much just because I'm AF. I'm a really social person although the last few years of my drinking tended to be solitary. I don't want to 'plod' through AF life, I want to actively embrace it but I don;t want to go to AA and am wondering if a real (versus an online) support group is essential to that process?

Anyway, it's been a great sober sunday for me and I am approaching 100 days AF - though have a trip to Vegas in 2 weeks time and am anticipating staying AF there could be tricky... ODAT.
Bean

Sorry if I've gone off topic....

[Kimberley]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Hey CPN congrats on 15 months - that's awesome

Bean, thanks for your post and well done on not picking up. You're not weak at all for having to dispatch of the alcohol. you're strong BECAUSE you did that, knowing you'd be too tempted if you didn't. You made the right choice.

I now have no problem going out to the pub or whatever with friends and not drinking, but if people are drinking a lot then I tend to leave early. Being AF does not have to mean you can't go out - maybe just that you readjust what you do. I now go for coffee with mates or galleries or you could go to the cinema, cafe, dinner, park, if you're not ready to be around alcohol so much.

I am only speaking for myself but what i find valuable about AA includes the social aspect - I do go out for coffee and a bite to eat with members after the meeting, 'fellowship' it's called. I NEED the face-to-face contact becuase I need a hug when I'm having a bad day, people I can be honest with and I am doing as much for them by talking to them as I am for me. I have a whole new load of friends now and the number is just increasing.

Congratulations on your AF time so far, that's ace

K x

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Mar. 14 - Mar. 20

Hi everyone! I too am enjoying the sharing from new voices! It's always nice to be among people where we may have lots of differences, but always one thing in common...

Bean congratulations on almost 100 days AF! That is a great accomplishment. Those early days can be so difficult. I applaud your decision to have the AL removed from the house. IMO, that was absolutely the right thing to do based on how you were feeling about it.

I felt rather lost in early sobriety socially. I will say that today, my very active life looks NOTHING like it used to socially. I just don't enjoy booze focused activities. And in the old days, that's all I ever wanted to do. So I've had to get out there and make some new friends and find some new activities that don't center around AL. (I'm OK these days if there is AL around - I just don't enjoy it when drinking is a main focus - i.e. bars)

AA certainly helped me transition to a different social life. The face to face support has meant a lot to me. Other things that have moved me in different social directions are volunteer work and "group" activities such as working out at Curves. I also became a Mary Kay lady which has a very active social element to it. I recently expanded my volunteer work to include the local theatre which was built in 1926 and was renovated several years ago. The volunteers are crucial to keeping the theatre open. They are a tight and passionate group always looking to add new people!

Anyway..the point is that there is a LOT going on all around me that I never saw at all when I was drinking. I had AL tunnel vision. If AL was not involved, I was not interested. So I just never bothered to find out about all the massive variety of stuff going on in the world around me.

It was really going to AA that got the social ball rolling in a new direction for me. I swore I would NEVER go to AA so I started going to a SMART meeting. (there is only one in my area.) Is that an option? SMART Recovery? | Self Help for Alcoholism & Addiction is the web site if you want to see if there is a face to face meeting in your area. I really do relate to how overwhelming it seems at first to figure out what "sober living" is going to look like. I'm glad I took the plunge to go out there and find a new life because just sitting around my house all day not drinking wasn't very fun. It was more fun than getting drunk (and depressed and hopeless) every day, but not by a lot.

Anyway, Bean, I just encourage you to think outside the box about some new activities that might be interesting, involve nice people, and not involve AL (or much AL anyway)! Have a wonderful day everyone!

DG