tuesday 6 feb

[bear73]

morning all - on way to work again now.
treated self to whole new work wardrobe as reward for almost a month off the sauce.
planning to have 3 vodkas on saturday nihgt as experiment as will have doen my 28 days then I'll be back with you until 17 feb adn then plan to be afuntil beginnign april for my birthday.
hope i can moderate - if i can't will be back with you full stop.will be interesting t ocompare a night with a bit of alcohol to a night with none.
Have been enjoying waking up feeling good so will see how it goes.
Lost 2 pounds this week too so hope that continues too, 36 more to go!

[davy4ann]

tuesday 6 feb

well done bear on your 28 days.....i've just made 30 days af.....ask yourself though, what is 3 vodkas gonna do for you? probably not much, and the big danger is you do'nt stop at 3 (will they be pub measures?)
For me i do'nt intend to touch alcohol until our summer hols in july, and by then maybe i wo'nt even bother...
i know if i had a glass of wine now, the whole bottle would disappear and probably another besides ....anhoo best of luck with your experiment, but i would ask you to think very carefully before you do this............
cheers
davy

[Ilex]

tuesday 6 feb

Morning All - feeling a bit perkier today! Turned out that I was also ill yesterday which helps explain a little why I was so tired and grumpy! Am recovering at home today and also enjoying the space and the peace and quiet to try and get in a better mind place. I think it is working.

The bigest thing I worry about is not finding my soul mate in time to have a family together; but I know that I can't put my life on hold waiting for that to happen.

So I have made some positive decisions; I am going to go travelling at the end of the year for a month or so - and in the mean time I'm going to get fit and active (AND lose that weight!) I've said that before but hopefully this time I am starting from a better place - at least I don't have all those hangovers to contend with!!

Anyway - I hope all before and all to come have a wonderful day - come on - let's blow those blues away together. If we have the strength to deal with alcohol - we also have the strength to deal with other issues in our lives.

Irish - I just love your chipped wall story - you should collate them all in a book! Can you post it again on this thread please??

Frosty, sunny days to all.......

I x

[Pebbles]

tuesday 6 feb

Hi guys may I join you ?

I'm hoping to do 30 days AF and am going to need your support. First thing, stupid question, do you count the day do have just done as 1 or the day you are in as 1 ?
i.e I haven't drunk since Saturday is it day 2 for me or 3 as I don't know if I've not drunk yet (although I'm not going to!).

Pebbles

[Java]

tuesday 6 feb

Day 25 here, I know where you are coming from bear, I too would like to know if I can moderate, this was my first "real" attempt at quitting drinking with the actual mindset that i would quit for good, but i would like to know if I could moderate too. I have decided that i wont decide, my birthday is in April, and as of my birthday, if I can make it to that date without drinking, it will have something like 97 0r 98 days at that point, and i have decided that if i can make it that long, i will decide then if i want to chose to see if I can moderate, I dont think i can, but there is always that little but of hope..let me know how it goes for you.

I had a good run yesterday afternoon, stayed at the boyfriends place last night, just got home to make myself breakfast before work, it is still colder than Idont know what outside, hope you all have a great day, and if you are having sunny nice weather send it my way and I will give you 20 bucks.

Victoria

[YoungAtHeart]

tuesday 6 feb

Hi Pebbles, to answer your question, you just count your consecutive days. Today (Tuesday) you are ON day 3. You haven't completed it yet, but you're working on it! Good Job! I also would like to say that JUST IN CASE you might have a little slip (not saying that you will or encouraging such), please come here and talk about it rather than skulking off in shame. Everyone here is great at cheering you on in success and picking you up when you slip. Enough said, and I hope it helps!

I'm up much earlier than usual because it is so cold here that I feared my daughter would take off for school in her usual breakneck speed without warming up her car, so I got up to start it for her early. I won't lie, though, I actually did it for me. I didn't want to hear the wails of dispair when I told her she could pay for any needed repairs herself if she messed up the engine from driving too fast before the oil had become more liquid. Let's face it, the girl has WAY MORE disposable income than I do! (rueful smiley)

Bear, I am looking forward to hearing about the results of your experiment. I think that there are a number of us who want to try moderation at some point. Some people go abs and never look back, but others want to try and see if they can drink moderately again. If you can, more power to you!

The same to you Victoria. Boy, I admire your running, especially in the cold! Bravo to you girl, and I'll bet it does so much for you in helping to stay sober. If I had some warmth to send you, I think I'd ask more like a million and not just $20. Contact me in muggy August, and maybe I'll change my price! LOL

Davy4Ann, congrats on your 30 days! Keep up the good work!

Ilex, I understand your worry about having a family, PM me if you want. I've been down the infertility route, and there are alots of options. I almost couldn't have a child despite being married. If you want to talk more, feel free. Meanwhile, you're doing great, and I'm glad you're not putting your life on hold. I'm also glad you're feeling a little better and can work from home today. That is usually pretty nice to do.

I keep wanting to say I'm glad that I'm back to AF now, and I keep having to remind myself that the "wine" I drank over the weekend was alcohol free. I guess it's pretty obvious that I have some pretty mixed feelings about drinking the stuff. I guess I'm a purist at heart. Nevertheless, it DID gave me comfort and made me not feel deprived and kept me away from the real thing. I clearly need to work on feeling positive about not drinking, but the weekends are still hard sometimes, espec. when I'm lonely--like watching the superbowl alone. I didn't want to go to a party where there would have been a lot of drinking going on. Not quite ready for that yet. Weekdays usually aren't bad at all. I've gotta get a life!

Anyway, enough of that. I've got a lot of stuff to do around the house today, some work and some other stuff. I don't have to see clients until later this afternoon.

Have a great day everyone!

Hugs,
Kathy (hug)

PS: One of my chores is to contact my ISP and find out how to get my smilies back! Won't you all be glad? LOL

[irishlady]

tuesday 6 feb

Hello all and Happy Tuesday,
Yesterday I posted on here, unfortunately it was a very sad day for Mackeral and Lisa as his grandfather had died..I have just read a post by IIex who asked me to re-post what I had written, so, IIex thank you for your very kind words and the post is below..

Hello everyone,

I read what you all said about how although you have stopped drinking your life still feels like crap at times, well look at it like this.....

Imagine your life is a wall, its been around for awhile so its got its fair share of knocks, chips and cracks.... You look at it and can't be bothered to fix it, so you buy a tin of paint and cover it over....You are not happy with the result so a little while later you buy some more paint and do it again.... This goes on for years, the paint is now so thick that it too is starting to crack and one day you realise what you have to do..STOP PAINTING THE WALL AND FIX IT.. You have been painting it for so long now that it will take some time to scrape it off, but you go to the DIY store and purchase as many tools as you can to help, you also ask the advice of friends and experts as to the best way to do the job...Everyone has their own idea as to how it should be done, so you take a little bit from here and add it on to a piece from there and pretty soon you are ready to start...

You start full of enthusiam and energy, scraping and scrubbing to get rid of all that paint which has built up over years..It takes you weeks of hard work but you don't give up, not long now you think... Then at long last its done, you stand back to admire that new wall only to find yourself looking at the original wall with all its knocks, chips and cracks still there waiting for you to fix them.... What do you do???? Go out and buy another few tins of paint???? Some would and some do, but not you, you've put to much work into getting rid of all that paint so you set about fixing that wall properly once and for all knowing that when you have finished this time you won't ever have to paint over the cracks again..

Happy fixing,
Love from louise xxx

[Popeye]

tuesday 6 feb

Hi.
Day 17 today I think. I'mfeeling good but a bit sad for Macks and his family.
I went to work this morning and everything was frozen so I got home early. Istill get paid my full shift, which is rare in the building trade, so I'm glad about that.
Another small blessing in a life that I have come to realise is full of them. I hope you all have as good a day as you can.

[cpn1004]

tuesday 6 feb

Good day all.
Welcome Pebbles, keep coming back.
You will find support here. We are all on the same journey.
Love and Peace,
Phil

[Accountable for Me]

tuesday 6 feb

Wow! A lot of good AF days here! Welcome Pebbles!! And Davy4ann - congrats on your wonderful 30 day mark!! Good job everyone! (Bear, Ilex, Victoria, Phil, YoungatHeart and those to follow). Day 39 for me. Up and at er' early this morning again. Can't seem to sleep past 4am anymore. Although being AF my sleep is sound, and feel more and more refreshed as the days roll on.

Irish, I just love your analogies about drinking. You really strike a nerve within me, that keeps things in perspective. Have you ever thought about becoming an addictions specialist?? You are an amazing woman!

Popeye, I read your other post about your eyes. Has your eye sight become worse since being AF? I found with me, my eye sight was worse during the first three weeks of being AF. Or at least that is when I noticed. I found taking a multi vitamin has really helped with that. I believe I was deficient and was a huge factor in my poor eye sight. But, it is ridiculous the cost of getting glasses.

Have a great day all.

[Popeye]

tuesday 6 feb

Accountable,
I've noticed a deterioration in the sight in my left eye for a couple of years,but in the last three or four months it's just got ridiculous.I've been taking multivits as part of this programme.
I went for an eye test three years ago, when I first noticed it, and was told that as long as the other eye was compensating, not to worry.
I'm not worried anyway. I'm just getting older...

[Andy1111]

tuesday 6 feb

Day 2 AF for me. Heading into last weekend I had built up 18 AF days, but WHAM I got drunk two times, including Sunday during the Super Bowl. I ended up blacking out and being a real jerk to my wife. Stupid. Stupid. Anyway, I'm back on the wagon. To anyone with a lot of days built up, look at me as an example of why it isn't a good idea to give into those cravings. You don't know how much I wish I could go back to that streak of 18 days.

[Lou]

tuesday 6 feb

Hi guys

Well day 29 for me...wow!!! but iv had a struggle today...finaly facing up to my debt situation now that i am properly sober and it just depressed the hell out of me...i know im in touch with some people who i hope can help (i have an hour long telephone interview with them tomorro) But all the old feelings came back today...i just wanted to drink so that i could forget it all. But i didnt, instead i sat down and rang all my creditors got all my balances, informed them all that i am with this agency and that they will be dealing with my financial affairs from now on. Made a list of all my out goings and debts and got myself all organised for tomorro and you know...i feel heaps better i feel like im making positive steps and doing something about my life rather than just getting wasted so i dont have to think about it.
So alltho i had a bit of a wobbly moment i overcame it....an that feels good!!

Loves to all

Lou-Lou x x x

[lorisunshine]

tuesday 6 feb

Good afternoon all,
was at a dumb meeting all morning.
Pebbles welcome, we just love your big nose around here.
Am glad you're all doing so well and Irish, you really have the gift of the gab. Have you ever considered writing for a living? A lot of people can write, but cannot get their point across. You write with such clarity and purpose. Thank you for sharing your exquisite intellect with us.
Lastly, Mack, Lisa and family, I am so very sorry for your unexpected loss.
I can really appreciate just how much you must be hurting. My thoughts and prayers are with you and please post away. How would we appreciate the highs, if we have not been able to live through the lows in life.
((((((All the Mackses)))))).
Love Lori

[lorisunshine]

tuesday 6 feb

Oh, P.S. por favor.
I am on day 37 AF today.
L.