af day Sat 9 Feb

[treetops]

Morning Abstinators!!!
Seems like only yesterday that I was on this thread ? coughing away ? slightly better sleep with no coughing. Cough went away as soon as I moaned about it on MWO (parable in this my dears). Actually I think its also part hayfever (not too surprising at the moment with all the grass around us doing its spreading of joy ?maybe the grass needs condoms). Hayfever is a national pastime ain?t it Kuya?

Enough twaddle ? don?t worry there will be more. With Mick about to do his temporary dash ?of-the-doings ? someone has to be a little upbeat at the start of the new day. Although I failed Mary Poppins 101 ? I am a bit of a trooper in the mornings, we get the new dawn first here in Kiwiland (today I was treated with a stunning wow!!! sunrise over the harbour) and I like to drink tea and coffee, read the paper, check in here ? when I have time. But my disclaimer is ? I can?t do jokes like Mick. Maybe it?s a Kiwi thing ? you either love or hate Flight of the Conchords. I can explain them on another post if necessary although I am not a fan (there are some serious ones out there).

Hi JackieClaire ? the not so secret lurker!! who knows how people know about MWO? Sometimes doctors and dentists need help for themselves too ? as we know. I told an addiction counsellor about MWO last year ? they were not interested at all. Not on their programme (slightly pissed-off subtext here from me). But my GP was very happy I had mentioned it.

Morning Kuya ? like you I have to be careful not to overdo the screen time late at night. I find its not great for my sleep and I get up earlyish. An engrossing movie or book is OK but not the internet. Lots of research about how the flicker of the screen ain?t good for our melatonin levels to get us off to proper sleep ? but that?s old hat. Try telling it to teenagers!

Hey PPQP ? thanks for the full body condom. Now I would look a sight in that with all my ancient sagging bits. Guess that?s one way to prevent sexual encounters too!
PPQP, Satz - How do you know Mick makes the best tea? There is now a dedicated Twinings tea that captures New Zealand (strong, smokey but with a touch of charm!!!!) seriously there is, and you can buy it in the UK and even in Scotland I bet). Here ? have a mug (we drink our tea in mugs down here). Now I have really opened myself to Mickster jokes. Go on mate ? tea jokes please?

RC - Re supplements ? I agree with others ? that if it makes no difference after a while, not worth it. We all know how big the med industries are (mainstream and alt) is and there is some convincing sell going on. One thing often forgotten is that in different parts of the world ? the food, soils etc have different nutrients, minerals etc. We have lots of fresh vege and fruit here and ?generally? its farmed OK (animals also farmed reasonably well outdoors ? apart from battery hens) but our soils lack some essential minerals ? like iodine and selenium. That?s just one example ? you can fill in the gaps for where you live. Great to see community gardens ? PPQP. This is one way to really get local knowledge about what works. Its also, as you know, good for social connectedness (away from a screen!) ? something I think can be overlooked in recovery. AA is big on connecting with others but I am thinking of other kinds of social networks.

Pauly ? the seasonal depression thing is important. Watch this space around September ? that?s usually a black month for me ? end of winter. My GP wants me to take extra Vit D. this winter as well as doing the outside thing.

Tez ? good thing you came on MWO and took the Kudzu when the cravings came. How?s your Full Body Condom ?? don?t get any pin-pricks in it!

Better go ? and make the coffee ? blue sky out there and its Saturday?
Take care all
Don?t procrastinate ? just abstinate!!!!

[treetops]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Here we go in response to my last post

Flight of the Conchords

Warning - could lead you to a Mug of tea and a slice of Marmite toast on Vogels bread.

Better than AL though!

[TheSunFlower]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Checking in....its still Friday here.

Cat....I have a driving phobia....which is different than you were experiencing....but....I can relate.

Kuya...I liked your post on people "confident in their quits". I have been there. As the months wore on....the more confident I got. I did not stop going to meetings.....rather they started to irritate the shit out of me.....until literally one night in the middle of a lead meeting after being 9 months sober....I stood up walked out....and came home with a case of beer. My husband was shocked and asked me....what did I plan to do with it.....I looked at him blankly and said "drink it....drink it all".

YAH....I agree on what you said about people who relapse in AA....they always blame it on not going to meetings or working the steps. When in reality there was something else at hand. Trust me....if AA was the magic pill for me....I'd be there everyday.

Its almost like too much screen time here. I can come on here and plan to post something short....to wander off reading....and 3 hours have gone by. I have to start to limit that.

I wanted to mention this the other day and the computer was not working for me. I was not feeling well.....lots of bathroom issues and small fever. However, I knew it was allergic reaction to something I ate vs. being the real flu. I felt like hell and was ready to call all my commitments off. Then....I just said to myself...."look here....you functioned with really bad hangovers.....this is not one....sure feels like one....but, you can function."

I did everything I needed to do. I do believe you should let rest when needed.....but, the commitments I had...would have caused me more stress to miss.....than to suffer through it.

Hope everyone is well.

[Mick]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Morning all ..arrrghhh..just lost a full page of typing!!Replying to the post and it has done one..offski into the big blue..so start again time!!!

How is everybody?weather over here is pretty grim..and according to the forecasts Britain is going to be Knackered next week because of the snow...its the only thing that settles in this country and doesnt claim benefits!!! Supposed to be out tomorrow and then flying out on Monday ..oh well .

Tea and coffee on the go fro any one that wants some

Morning Jacs and hows you up in yi land? grab a brew..just been lookin at the posts..few of your gang lurking in here...hmmm Doin owt today ? or lazy day?

Morning tree and hows the cough today? need to get it sorted .. illnesses come a poor second to thread starting you know!!

Persephone .. welcome ..you dont have to be mad to jump in here ..but it defo gives you a head start !!! enjoy yer chuckle today

Hiya Kuya..hey thats got a bit o rhythm to it it! how you doing today? take it easy on the old exercise front ..7 situps a week from the bed position is enough for anyone!! you up to anything today?? Missed the post about being real people..cant find anything and I have been through the thread coupla times..doesnt really matter anyway..no one know s any of our pasts, apart from what we choose to tell , so how can someone be labelled less real than someone else??Not an argumentative point..just interested to see where that conclusion came from.I deal with mine quite well feel confident most of the time ,challenge negativity in my thinking re al..so am I less real?? dont think so ..oh and by the way mate..no digs at you ..but seeing as you came out with the replying post ,,thought I would tag it here!!:H

Mornin ppqp..and how are you today??how are you feeling?Any plans for today? Dont be overdoing this work bit!! it skills..hmm mine amount to ..its broke, what can I salvage and bin it!! That guy in the condom looks like a knob :H

Morning Satzy..nice to see ya ..tho weve got nowt to eat if yer on the scrounge..so are you still lap TOPLESS today?? :imshocked:

Mornin sweetpea..jeez is there a boatload of yiz on yer way across from the army?? welcome nice to "see you " Even tho youre lurkin glad you enjoy the thread.Grab a brew

Mornin one seriously busy Rabsy...yeh right!!! how are you today? any plans for runs or hills today ? need to be a wee bit careful if all this guffy weather is coming in

Yo Pauly how are you? yep i think the weather has got a lot to do with it..how are you doing? glad the jokes make you chuckle ..latest ones over here now are the horseburger jokes

Mornin Tezah ..hows the cold today?have the cravings gone? make sure you keep a note of how you dealt with them for next time..you have a great day ..and hope yer cold goes soon...and well done for gettin through Friday ..what part of the world are you in?..are you up here or in upside down land?

Mornin Cat..wow there is certainly a lotta love between you and your son..that came through quite clear!! how are you today? you konw , you said one thing in that whole paragraph that you should be really proud of..now that I dont drink...not that I cant or anything, but dont..well done you!!!

Morning SL..well how did the therapy session go?I know its very early days..but any positive signs ..positive feedback from your daughter? wanting to go back sounds like a good start..imo dont push the issue ..let your daughter broach the subject.Appreciate this is a public forum..fingers crossed for you

Morning YAH and how are thing with you today??any plans? yes you are right ..we all have different ways to protect our sobriety ..and as long as that happens ..does it actually matter???

Hi SF..hows things with you today?feeling good?

Morning Lav...and how are you after your pretty full day yesterday! wow extra large coffee for you!!! take it today is now a day of resting? enjoy it

right folks thats me done now ..(again) wont be starting the thread tomorrow, so we need a starter to support tt..and next week ..well unless the bloody plane doesnt get off the ground!!!will pop in tomorrow, and then back a week on Tuesday ..stay safe sober and sensible..big shout to all those missing ...OIIII..where are yiz??
have a great day

A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again. There was only one problem: The captain?s parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick. Once he understood he started shouting in the middle of the show:
?Look, it?s not the same hat.?
?Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table.?
?Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades??
The magician was furious but couldn?t do anything; it was, after all, the captain?s parrot.
One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself floating on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with the parrot, of course.
They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day and another and another.
After a week the parrot said: ?OK, I give up. Where?s the boat??


In Alaska?s National Forests, a tour guide was giving a talk to a group of tourists about hiking in grizzly bear territory.
?Most bear encounters occur when hikers, being extra quiet along the trails in hopes of viewing wildlife, accidentally stumble into bears. The resulting suprise can be catastrophic,? he explained.
To avoid this, he suggested that each hiker wear tiny bells on their clothing to warn the bears of their presence.
?Also,? he added, ?be especially cautious when you see signs of bears in the area, especially when you see bear droppings.?
One tourist asked, ?How do you identify bear droppings??
?Oh that?s easy,? the guide explained, ?they?re the ones with all the tiny bells in them!?

A man walked by a table in a hotel and noticed three men and a dog playing cards. The dog was exhibiting an extraordinary performance.
?That is a very smart dog,? the man commented.
?He?s not so smart,? said one of the irked players. ?Every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail.?

A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation.
He wrote:?I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night??
An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who said, ?I?ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I?ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the walls. I?ve never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I?ve never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you?re welcome to stay here, too.?

A guy has a horny parrot. It?s terrible. Every time he reaches into the cage, the bird humps his arm. He invites his mother to tea, and the bird keeps saying foul things. Finally he takes the parrot to a vet.
The vet examines the bird extensively, says, ?Well, you have a horny male parrot. I have a sweet young female bird, and for fifteen dollars your bird can go in the cage with mine.?
The guy?s parrot is listening and says, ?Come on! Come on! What are you waiting for??
Finally, the guy says ?All right? and hands over the fifteen dollars.
The vet takes the parrot, puts him in the cage with the female bird, closes the curtain.
Suddenly, ?Kwah! Kwah! Kwah!? The cage starts shaking and feathers come flying out.
The vet says, ?Holy gee,? and runs across the room and opens the curtain.
The male bird has the female bird down on the bottom of the cage with one claw. With the other claw he?s pulling out all her feathers. He?s saying, ?For fifteen bucks, I want you naked,

A man decides that he wants a pet, but not just any pet, a really unusual pet. He walks into the pet store and goes up to the
service assistant.?Excuse me, I want a pet, but not just any pet, a really unusual pet?. The service assistant says I have just the thing for you, it?s a talking centipede?. ?Cool!? the man exclaims, ?I?ll take it!?
The man takes the centipede home in his little box and places him on the kitchen table. He looks into the box and says: ?Hey centipede, what about you and me going to the pub for a beer??The centipede doesn?t answer, so the guy thinks, ?I?ll just go off for five minutes and come back and ask
again. Five minutes pass and the guy returns to the centipede, ?Hey centipede,how about you and me go to the pub for a beer?? Again, the centipede doesn?t answer him. ?Hmmmmm? the guy thinks to himself, ?I?ll just go off and watch this TV show, come back and ask him again?. Half an hour passes and the guy returns to the centipede. ?I?ll just ask him one more time? he tells himself. ?Hey centipede, how about you and me go to the pub for a beer?? The centipede looks up at the man and says, ?For f*ck?s sake man, I heard you the first time! I?m putting my boots on!!

A dietician was once addressing a large audience in Chicago. ?The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Vegetables can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all of us eat it. Can anyone here tell me what lethal product I?m referring to? You, sir, in the first row, please give us your idea.?
The man lowered his head and said, ?Wedding cake.?

A waitress walks up to one of her tables in a New York City restaurant and notices that the three Japanese businessmen seated there are furiously masturbating.She yells, ?What the hell do you guys think you are doing??One of the Japanese men explains, ?Can?t you see? We areall berry hungry.?The waitress begs the question, ?So, how is whacking-off in the middle of the restaurant going to help that situation??One of the other Japanese men replies,?The menu say,FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!?

An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again.
The boy asked his father, ?What is this father?? The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, ?Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don?t know what it is.? While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed, an old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button.
The walls opened and the lady rolled between them and into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched small circles of light with numbers above the wall light up.
They continued to watch the circles light up in the reverse direction. The walls opened up again and a beautiful 24 year old woman stepped out. The father said to his son, ?Go get your Mother.?

Ways To Annoy A Cop


Hey, you must've been doin' 125 mph to keep up with me!
Sorry, officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.
Hi, officer. Do you mind holding my beer while I find my license?
You know, I was going to be a cop, but I decided to finish high school instead.
Bad cop! No doughnut!
You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?
Didn't I see you get your butt kicked last week on "Cops?"
Wow, you look like the guy in the picture next to my girlfriend's bed.
I bet you I can grab that gun before you finish writing my ticket.
So, you on the take, or what?
Aren't you the guy from the villiage people?
Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.
Gee officer, that's terrific. The last officer only gave me a warning.
Gee, that gut sure doesn't inspire confidence.
Hey, can you give me another one of those full cavity searches?
Hey, is that a 9mm? That's nothing compared to this 44 magnum.
Hey, you must have been doing 125 to keep up with me, good job.
I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer.
I pay your salary.
I thought you had to be in relatively good physical shape to be a police officer.
I was going to be a cop, but I decided to finish high school instead.
I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are no other cars around, that's how far they are ahead of me.
Is it true that people become cops because they are too dumb to work at McDonalds.
Sorry officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.
Well, when I reached down to pick up my bag of crack, my gun fell off of my lap and got lodged between the brake and the gas pedal, forcing me to speed out of control.
What do you mean have I been drinking? You are the trained specialist.

[kuya]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Morning all.

Ah TT another glorious day here in the land of the long white cloud...... We are having a cracking summer. Mind you not so good for farmers, no decent rain for weeks.......so that will mean another hike in meat prices!
Got a wedding to go to next weekend, which I am looking forward to A LOT feeling so much fitter and wanna boogie all night......YAY ..... Party over heeerrrrre .

Flight of the conchords.....I love em, so dry and slightly painful humour. Have to say kiwi humour and English humour is very different. Poms just insult the heck out of each other....tis a form of endearment which the rest of the world don't get. And sarcasm.....it may be the lowest form of wit but it exercises an oblique view on the world, which can help when dealing with life's problems I reckon.

SF..... Very confused, perhaps you didn't read my post. I don't do AA or drink beer or have a husband.....apart from that we are quit twins!
Glad you are well, how cool are iPads ? I love mine so much, the kids really regret buying it for me! :H

Mick ...... You off to the birds tomorrow ? Or was that yesterday ? Got another client you may know.....will PM you.

Yah, the feeling is mutual ........ a lot can be known of a person with minimal exchange. Your work fascinates me as does this forum. People are so complex, yet so alike.

Cat ..... I was following up on your experiences on the Friday thread if you haven't read back. The mind is a tricky thing when it misfires.

Hi to you Lav, hope the storm passed you by

Arsey, Jacs and Satzy......I'm coming calling tonight....see ya soon.

Laters everyblubby

KY

[porqoui]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Good Morning All....

TT...thanks for the kickoff. Confession time, I've never really tasted Micks tea, just brown nosing so I keep getting my coffee. :H Have never heard of the Conchords before...you learn something new here everyday.

SF...I actually did the exact same thing re: AA. (Quite some time ago mind you.) In MHO I think we on MWO are doing basically the same thing that is done in AA. It's a group of people who come together to help each other get and stay sober. In AA they follow the 12 steps to learn about the underlying issues of AL abuse, in MWO we talk about our triggers/feelings to understand where they're coming from and how we can deal with/change them. If AA says your relapse is because you quit coming to meetings and working the 12 steps, I think relapse on MWO is because you quit posting and dealing with your feelings. The only real difference I see is one is Face-to-Face. Sorry for the long reply but I often think about this so put it out there.
:goodjob: on the commitments, I've used that analogy as well.

Mick...feeling pretty damn good this morning I gotta say. Down to visit with my Dad today which brings up the lawyer issues. It looks like the plan has changed, in our favour, and we could reach a conclussion by Feb 28th. Fingers crossed. Just dealing with one thing at a time and feeling good about it. If I don't catch you tomorrow have a great trip.

KY...good morning and I'm still jealous of your cracking summer...but my time will come Seems I'd lost my confidence in my quit for a bit but working on building that back up. Have a great evening.

Off for my second cuppa, read Mick's jokes then down to Dads. Have a great AF Saturday all and all to come....PPQP

[Lavande]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Afternoon Abbers!

The rest of the day is for me ~ pretty much
My girls are on their way home, had a nice visit.
Totally lucked out, the storm went north. It is seriously windy & cold but at least I don't have to break my back shoveling

MWO has been my sobriety tool, I will stick around. I would not be looking forward to my 4 year anni next month if not for the support & companionship I've enjoyed on MWO

Have a terrific AF Saturday everyone!
Lav

[treetops]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Safe travels Mick! Have a wonderful wee trip - see you soon back on here.
Is Tenerife where they manufacture jokes?

[Mick]

af day Sat 9 Feb

nah ..jokes come fi Scotland..get it?? jokes ..jocks??:H

[scottish lass]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Quick check in - thanks for the understanding KY, PPQ TT and Mick. Yes, she needs privacy and she gets it, just a struggle for poor old Mum. No Mick, no opening up, but she seems settled. PPQ - nope, she gets private sessions - signed up for four more, once a week, and then re-evaluate. I didn't like the therapist, so that might be some of my angst, but this is not about me is it
Did not cave last night,, actually knew that I wouldn't (or was pretty sure i wouldn't - just had the desire to drown my sorrows - woke feeling at ease this morning, so that has to be good.
Errand day today, laundry etc, all those good things...

[teezah]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Hi all - still here!

Wow that was some thread yesterday - I am truly humbled.

No cravings tonight - just about to go and pick up my son from football and it's 9.30pm. Never would have happened back in the day!

TT - OMG!!! Too Funny!!

[kuya]

af day Sat 9 Feb

PPQ...... You are totally right about MWO being online AA, and like AA if you stop using it, or more importantly dont use it enough in the beginning, the risk of relapse escalates.

I took time to crunch the numbers on posting versus abstainance and the correlation is very clear.
When I am feeling in the least vulnerable ( which is now VERY rare) I come here and there is usually a new person needing advice. It is amazing how that helps. Like learning any new skill, I emulate those who have succeeded like Lav.

And just like AA there may be people to whom you don't relate, but that is life. We have to learn not to drink AT every little annoyance.

Plus coming here has the benefit of not having to leave the house and put oneself at risk of passing a liquor store! :H

Hi Teezah.....well done you. Hang in there, it gets easier by the day.

[Catbuddy]

af day Sat 9 Feb

Hi all,

Thanks for all the thoughts re depression and treatment. Interesting thoughts re OCD correlation - I definitely am on that spectrum, but feel good not ruled by desire for order now, so am in a good place. Very excited about all the possibilities opening up.

MWO is online AA - why shouldn't our recovery tools use the latest technology? No way my life would allow daily meetings, yet MWO was here for me daily when I absolutely needed that. I had some formal AL education during four months of forced DUI school, and actually learned a ton there. So I'm very very happy with this. I wish I could actually hug you guys sometimes, but that would take some expensive plane tickets!

I'm off to see a comedian tonight with a non-drinker girlfriend. It should be a wonderful night.

Later, peeps.

Cat

[porqoui]

af day Sat 9 Feb

:h Have a super evening Cat...

[kuya]

af day Sat 9 Feb

I WAS an order freak as well Cat

Have a great evening...wish I could hug folks here too