Daily Thread - Wednesday

[universal]

Morning abbers!

It's friggin freezing and windy here which sucks but my plan was to stay inside and do homework all day anyway so I guess the universe is working for me.

Busy thread yesterday - I would love to comment on everyones day but I have only had half a coffee so far! LOL

Wierd dreams - like really wierd dreams - not AL related just incredibly strange.

Anyway, off to get more coffee and wake up! Check in later!

[Doggygirl]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Hi Uni and all fABbies to come! Uni - you and I are in parallel today. I am determined to finally get a start on this term paper. The books are sitting on my desk and I'm working on getting some :coffee: energy to tackle it! Chilly and gloomy today here too - so a good day to read and write.

Greenie - enjoyed your update on the barber shop. I bet that lunch conversation felt a LOT more intense for you than the other guy. Has he joined the local chamber of commerce? Is your local chamber of commerce active? Is there a 'buy local" organization in your area? My hair dresser belongs to both of those business groups in our area. That's how she wound up with me and all kinds of other clients. Mr. Doggy and I participate to promote the main business, but in the process I've met all kinds of people in the not-for-profit arena which includes addiction treatment and complimentary services. That will all come in handy one day. Barber to the stars don't you know!!!!! Those are just some random thoughts that came to mind FWIW. The guy you are "managing" sounds interesting.

Well, I'm going to seriously hit the books now. Will be back later to see if Indiana Bones aka Gonad remembered to change his counter. :H

One thing is for sure...

DG

[Marshy]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

DG & Uni, get those books out!
:b&d::b&d:

Greenie, the demon barber


I found my self having to *explain* to someone why I didn't want a piece of cake the other day. Similar reaction from them - oh really, lots of different cakes to choose from, they're so nice etc. I just didn't want a piece of cake! I think it happens a lot - turning things down - but we're just sensitive where alcohol is concerned so it seems like a much bigger deal than saying no to a piece of cake.

Very nice dinner with GF last night in our favourite Turkish restaurant. She had one small glass of wine throughout the whole meal. Normies are so weird. :H

Zooming... have a peaceful day everyone!

[sunshine_gg]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Good morning, FABbies!

I'm so with you on the coffee *slurp* I still think someone should come up with a drip.. this having to get up to get another cup is just silly.

Looks grey and dreary here, too but perhaps it'll turn into a nice day like yesterday.. one can hope. Actually, the sunset was just gorgeous last night as I was coming home. One of those all yellow and orangy ones

You girls with your books.. go for it! I really do admire your determination and discipline.

She had one small glass of wine throughout the whole meal. Normies are so weird.

:H:H:H Aren't they, though? And how come you decline a piece of cake? What's wrong with you!?

I've got the usual on the agenda today... a bit of 'work' work, barn stuff, exchange gate hinges, put more finish on yet more wood, etc. And a trip to the grocery store is prolly a good idea, too. Fridge looks mighty empty.

One thing is for sure...

Have a happy Humpday, everyone!

[MtnMomma]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Morning!! Had a busy day yesterday with the kids, more to do today. If there wasn't a hard reason to stop drinking ASAP there is now.....I read about 2 drunk parents in the news yesterday. Well, that woman in Missouri whose daughter went missing while she was drunk, passed out, blacked out, whatever. And a Dad, somewhere, I don't remember too drunk to drive so he has his 9(!!!) year old daughter drive him to the store. I can absolutely say no to a drink whenever, where ever, for my kids. I don't care if people question it. I sound kind of bitter, sorry. Venting, I guess. Okay, going to have a fun day. Have a great AF day, everyone!!!

[momof3]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Good Morning All,

Rainy day here. Enough already on the rain!!out:

DG, You asked about what I'm learning in yoga teacher training. Well, there's lots on anatomy, alignment, how to assist, how to work with beginners, intermediate, etc. But, the most powerful for me is translating what we are learning during our practice or "on the mat" to daily life. For example, how important it is to be present; in the "here and now" because that is all we have; how we react/respond to uncomfortable poses and how that shows up in our lives when faced with uncomfortable situations, e.g., do we back off? Plow through it? Gently work through it? Make the other person "bad" by blaming them?

Also learning lots that applies to recovery, for example, how we look to the outside for comfort, etc. but we already have this within us...just have to look and be in touch with it.

Part of our requirements is to also meditate every morning and evening. The time increases by 5 minutes each week. What a busy, busy mind I have. My gosh, I wake up and start planning. I'm learning to watch it instead of react to it. The theme this week (we have a weekly theme) is to pay attention to judgments that come up and to not "fix" anything.

Side benefit....daily 1.5 hour yoga practice iin 95 degree heat is making me one strong bad ass mama. My daughter said the other day. "Mom, look at your arms!!!"

OK, nuff said. Love to all of you!!!:h

Det, DG, Sunni, Treya, Uni, Marshy, Greenie, Lav, LVT, Mtn Mama, P3, Papmom, GAC...who did I forget.:l

[GoAwayCabernet]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Good Morning Abbers-
On my second cup of coffee. Heading to the elementary school for some volunteer time in my son's 1st grade class. Will DEFINITELY need at least two more of these cups of fuel before heading out.
Greenie- I was really appalled by the conversation you had with that fellow barber yesterday. As I'm currently reading on alcohol addiction, a very good point has come up: Alcohol is the one thing we are challenged on when we decline an invitation to partake. If we were a heroin addict and we said no to a shot of heroin, would the person sitting across from us say, "Why not? Did you used to shoot up?" Or if we say no to smoking a cigarette, society accepts it....and actually pats us on the back for not smoking. And yet, when we refuse alcohol, there must be something more to the story. It's just not fair. I do not think it was right of that barber to probe into your drinking (or non drinking for that matter) habits. Did you used to drink? When you drank, what did you drink? What the heck does that have to do with anything? After refusing a drink, I would find those questions invasive. But that's just me. Obviously you handled yourself well and did not find it as offensive as I did. It's just another example of how society has conditioned us on the use of alcohol.
Mof3 - No wonder my husband's therapist told him he needs to take yoga!!! I never really looked at it as a break down to every day life. And the meditation! How beneficial. Isn't it amazing how hard it is to make yourself sit down quietly for five minutes? It's an awesome thing to do, but with busy body moms, it's very hard. It almost takes an extra 5 minutes just to get in the mind set of sitting down quietly for 5 minutes.
Mtnmomma- I heard about the mom with the missing infant admitting that she was drunk that night. My (non-drinking) friend and I were talking about that yesterday. As we discussed it, I thought about the countless times I hardly remember putting my kids to bed. She commented, "How could she get so drunk she doesn't remember putting her kid to bed? Who does that? What an awful mom!!!". Yes.....I was served a HUGE piece of humble pie. Another reminder of how grateful I am to be sober.

[LVT25]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Hello friends,

Can you tell things are slowing down for me a bit?:H Oh, I have PLENTY to do, but can't resist posting on here more again.

"It's just another example of how society has conditioned us on the use of alcohol."
So very true GoAway. It seems to be such a normal/necessary way of life. And sure, I had so much fun during my drinking career. But it's too bad I didn't learn to have fun without the alcohol. I am amazed at the parents that allow their kids to drink at home (that is legal here) because they think they are teaching them to drink responsibly, or think if they are drinking at home, they won't go out and drink. I wonder if they would let them light up at home too? I suppose some would.

My hubby is planning a memorial service (more of a party) for a friend who passed away a year ago. A few of our old drinking buddies will be there, and I'm not worried about it. It is close, so I can leave whenever I want, and most of them--just don't drink much anymore. Some of them I don't think ever did....I just thought they were drinking as much as me. Anyway, I've been looking through pictures of our wedding. The sad thing is, I don't remember a lot of the night. Even who was there. At one point we left the reception and went for a very long limo drive, then a long stop in the motel room.....when we got back--most of the people had left (including my family). I do remember feeling like absolute dog shit the next morning. These are the regrets I have about my drinking days. What good does it do to have so much fun, if you don't have the memories???

While I was watching the news clip about the baby that went missing while the mom was getting drunk with her friend.....my husband made a comment that clearly made me think he didn't think that was a problem at all. I used to put my babies to bed liquored up all the time--and I always felt guilty about it. I am so very grateful nothing bad happened to my kids while I was under the influence!!!!!!!!

M3--I can't wait to start back to my yoga class next week! I have gotten so soft and weak over the summer! My instructor tries to incorporate some of the things you are talking about--but our class is only 1 hour. I really need to get myself into the habit of yoga/meditation on my own at home too.

Hi to everyone!! Enjoy your sober day! It looks like a beautiful fall day here!:h

[Turnagain]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Morning all...

Am I the only one here who wishes that....

M3 could be my yoga teacher?

DoggyG could be my counselor?

Greenie could be styling my hair?

Lav could be bringing me eggs...and teaching me about chickens?

Det could be fixing something paleo-yummy for me with GARLIC, of course, for dinner...

PapMom could be helping me with all those home decor projects?

LVT could be my meditation buddy/mentor...and inspiration for avoiding Al in social situations?

GAC...could have my back whenever someone INSISTS on conducting a grand inquisition into WHY one is NOT drinking?

Sunni...could help design a dream barn?

IJM (aka Go...Nad) could be on those way back cable channels for late night entertainment?

Uni...LVT...Mtn Momma and more....I haven't forgotten about you...but just realized I am sounding like a Romper Room teacher "Romper Stomper Bomper Boo..."(am I dating myself or what?)

Wishing all you talented abbers a fabulous day. I will have a half cognizant day. I am having artho knee surgery around noon so I will not remember a few hours and it will probably be blurry for a few more after that. It will be interesting to see how my tolerance has changed since I no longer drink...the last time I did this (right knee in 09) it took a bunch of painkillers to have any effect post op.

It is also a real pleasure and relief to be able to honestly answer the pre-op questions about "how much alcohol do you drink?" The answer is easy...and powerful.

ZERO! NADA! NONE!

[sunshine_gg]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Thinking of you Turnagain... hope all went well!

[GoAwayCabernet]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Turnagain- You are not alone. I have the same wish list!

[bear73]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

hey all just a quickie - getting a cold - on the lemsip and early night for me I think.
just thinking about other jobs helps me feel less stuck in my job, it's good to know there are some out there.

Glad I'm not drinking on top of it all - the big book arrived today - started reading it already.
good to be here and be AF - grateful for that.

[Lavande]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Good afternoon Abbers!

Dark, gloomy, damp & windy here today - the whole enchilada :H

Turnagain, wishing you the best with your procedure!
(Ret) nurse Lav is avaiable if you need anything

Funny, I just had lunch today with 2 of my old co-workers & the three of us agreed how fortunate we are to no longer be working at the hospital. It's something you just don't miss.....

bear, you sure do get a lot of colds girl Are you sure they're really colds or maybe seasonal allergies like I have right now?? Enjoy your big book.

Where's IJM today? All partied out from yesterday? :H

Here's our pumpkin shopping photo from yesterday:

[universal]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

Lav - SO CUTE!!!

Bear - the chapter "more about alcoholism" is as far as I'm concerned the best one in the book. It really describes the difference between us and the "normies".

I had a wierd day. Got all of my reading done and for some reason around 1:30 my mind went to an AL place really heavily. Just kept thinking of the times I drank during the day and my addict was saying to me "go, you can have a couple, no one will ever know". I was like WTF!!! I said screw this, I am going to bed until 3 - all I have to do is not drink until 3pm and then I'll start over. So I went and laid down. Didn't sleep but got up at 3 and did some more homework. I have my women for sobriety meeting tonight and was thinking of skipping it because the weather is so crap and I have to take the bus but after that moment, I am going to the meeting for SURE.....need my peeps to slap the S@#$ out of my addict! So glad that I am smart enough now to see it for what it is.

I don't want to go back to that world - AF is key.

[Doggygirl]

Daily Thread - Wednesday

OMG Lav - Lily is SURE CUTE!!

Turnagain - hope surgery is going well, and that recovery is very smooth. I bet the meds and everything will work a bit different this time in a sober and healthier mode!

Bear, I really like the Big Book. I know some consider it old fashioned - and in a way it is. And definitely written from the male perspective. It was suggested to me to look for the similarities rather than differences, which put a whole new light on it for me. I'm actually still pretty amazed how times have changed in so many ways, and yet the ability of AL to take over our lives remains the same. Some of the women's stories in the back of the book really illustrate that point for me. Will be interested to hear your thoughts! Take care of yourself. Going to bed early sounds awesome! I've been battling a cold too and felt better yesterday, so stopped taking Zicam and Day/Nyquil. Today my nose is stuffed again. :upset:

Sunni, I will have to figure out what "round" is. I understand collection - just probably not all the nuances of that with dressage. Is trotting in place the height of collection? I DO understand a horse that is a bit spooky. I rode one for a few years who also had a bad youth experience and finally we got him (and me ) with a trainer who was very good at working us through that. He was an American Saddlebred. You must be very excited to get the walls and doors up on the barn!

LVT - boy I can relate to the long disappearnce on wedding day. Did that with my first husband. And much champagne was imbibed during the ride. I don't remember much of that night either. At least we are living better now, eh? I too thought *everyone* drank like me, which is just patently untrue. I am mortified sometimes when I think how me and a very few others much have stuck out like a drunken sore thumb.

GAC - Since normies really don't have a good way of understanding AL addiction (unless they have a reason to want to learn about it) I have let go of getting upset over questions, etc. I guess trying to see things from there POV, which is usually quite naive compared to the knowledge about drinking and addiction that we addicts devleop.

M3 - WOW. Just WOW. I bet you could kick some ass and take some names. Except now I bet you are way to at peace for that. Your work on all fronts - physcial, mental, emotional, spiritual sounds facinating. I wish I could take yoga from you!! You also sound totally buff. Your daughters comment about your arms made me :upset: because it was a reminder that since I left Curves, I haven't kept up with my strength work. My arms used to be about the only part of me that was buff - but they were buff. And now they are cottage cheesy like my thighs. But after reading your post, and thinking of our Lav who is buffing it up at Curves, I went to the gym today and got a good all over workout including hoisting a few weights. Please keep telling us more as you go along!

Mntmomma, your examples of bad parenting decisions at the hand of AL are a massive illustration to how powerful AL really is. I'm sure few if any parents set out to make those kinds of bad decisions...... I don't have kids so that particular example doesn't relate to me, but there are plenty of things I swore I would never do, that i DID end up doing drunk. And somehow justifying to myself as though I wasn't doing it. Drinking and driving is a classic example that hits home for me.

Marshy - that "a" glass of wine thing is totally baffling to me as well. :egad: Never ever did I or could I do that.

I'm having trouble getting my head into this term paper!!! I really think once I manage to get rolling it will be OK. I just hope I can roll soon!

Also - big HELLO to Zencity who posted on yesterdays thread! Heading over there now to say hi.

One thing is for sure....

DG