af day Friday 8 March

[treetops]

MAE Abbers and Happy International Women's Day!!! Lets remember all those women who have been poisoned by AL - and the struggles they have faced in their lives. Its also a time to remember those women who were able to face up to AL (some sadly went too young to do this or just couldn't) and kick it from their lives.

Its a day for men too - as G. and my daughter reminded me - we are all in this life together! Just doesn't always work out as we know. So girls - stay strong especially you ones who are bringing up kids alone, struggling with jobs, money and messy divorces - being AF is the big gift you have given yourself in this.

Hi there Mick and Det. Not sure who the other men on this thread are? Thinking of you Mick with the health issues and Det with your friend.
Mick - you had a wee twinge for your old love - beer - but you let that go. Good on you mate.
Blondie and SL - I have flown AF and know its way better than being tanked up. The drinkies may be 'free' - but of course they are not. Its all part of the cost. And just add them up - you can't drink an air-ticket's worth! besides its usually crap wine in economy class (for folks like me thats where we are) and its kind of grovelling don't you think - to sit there and catch the eye of the flight attendant for an extra drink - or two - or three - and pretend you are not pissed so that the attendant knows you have been a good girl (of course they know you are pissed). Then switch the scene to falling asleep, mouth half open, dribble coming out and waking up with a pounding headache, dry mouth and facing the queues at the other end - shall I continue with the glamour of sophisticated drinking and air travel????

Autumnal day here - a bit chilly but still warmish. Not a day for swimming though unless you live near Kuya or are a polar bear. Since I am not one I will keep to the day job which looks quite busy for me later in the day.

Have a great sober Friday - sorry I have not listed all names today - must sprout some wings and fly off to work!

[blondie]

af day Friday 8 March

Morning TT - thanks fo rthe visual and it doesn't matter where you are on the plane - it all ends the same way :H Speaking of planes - just watched the Bear Grylls Air NZ in-flight safety demo! I do like Air NZ (and NZ - would move back tomorrow!)

Much better this am, thanks. Strange/nice to be noticing these changes/ailments without drowning them Just study and procrastination for me today.

Hi to everyone when they catch up. Friday's the best without any remorse or recriminations

[Mick]

af day Friday 8 March

Morning all....well here we are Friday it is..the start of the weekend...Any major plans anyone?I will probably be out on Sunday though the weather at the moment looks pretty bleak!!

Tea and coffee on the go at the moment for all who want it.

Morning Lav...and how are you today?Welcome to the sick list!!!:H hope you are feeling better today..Think you are babysitting today arent you? chance to send the germs back!! meanwhile heres a big pot o coffee

Hiya Cat ..woweee well there you go then ..relationship going fine excellent.As for the aches and back pains..certainly know where you are coming from with those! do you do any exercises to ease them off?I do and they work pretty good..one of them is called the superman exercise ..and no it has nothing to do with putting your pants on over your trousers and running about like a loony!!!

Hiya Shelby..how are you doing ?apart from methinks running backwards and forwards to the toilet on your new shake..think thats where the loss of weight comes in!!
11st 12 I weighed this morning..166lbs, so since the 18th Feb lost 9lbs.Any plans for the weekend?

Morning SL...you ok ?Good for you , strengthening that af resolve!! Used to at one stage live in what is loosely called the Midlands ..near Stafford and then Stoke.Noticed that you now live in California..dont know where and its a massive place I reckon ,but my other halfs relatives live in San? near Stockton dont know where the San is ..think it is Jose where the earthquakes are

Mornin ppqp..how are you? hows the cold? Cracking picture that! Havent looked at the !$%^&*page yet ...but the assumption is that the lawyer aint bustin a gut to get things sorted?Heres a hot lemon and a chest rub for the cough :H Take care

Evening Kuya..how are you mate? yep I went swimming yesterday too..indoors..not in the garden !!!!So thats it now ..stitches out and back to normal?As for the op..havent a clue ..you know the system..referral ..appointment ..poke and jab about a bit then and decide when they can do it.All it is is to free the trapped nerves in my arm that got trapped in spasm when I had the stroke, but whats happened is cos of that I have lost the feeling in my little finger left hand and the one next to it is going pretty rapid too..bit of a bummer cos I am left handed too.......(yep heard all the jokes too..feels like someone elses hand!!!!)
Are things easing up for you? hope so


Hiya blondie ..another one on the sickie list..maybe we should start a thread..for sickies only!!heres a hot lemon for you too!Take it you wont be doing too much then?Get better soon


Det,Det, how come mate what happened?Dont know much about the driugs side of it ..but wouldnt have thought that was the cleverest move in the game!!oh well pick yourself up, dust down and keep going..how many days was that? lets beat that record now


Morning tt..wow your pic of air travel sounds so appealing..half pissed mouth open ,dribbling to wake up with a mouth like an arabs flip flop!!Was always part of my holiday routine irrespective of time to have a pint at the airport and a whisky on the plane.You should virtually be in relax mode now..day done and weekend nigh ..so have a good one

Right peeps see ya later


A farmer named Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside except for a pet dog he for a long time.
The dog finally died and Muldoon went to the parish priest, saying ?Father, the dog is dead. Could you possibly be saying a Mass for the poor creature??
Father Patrick told the farmer ?No, we can?t have services for an animal in the church, but I?ll tell you what, there?s a new denomination down the road apiece, and no telling what they believe in, but maybe they?ll do something for the animal.?
Muldoon said ?I?ll go right now. By the way, do you think $50,000 is enough to donate for the service??
Father Patrick replied ?Why didn?t you tell me the dog was Catholic??

God created the mule, and told him, ?You will be mule, working constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass and lack intelligence. You will live for 50 years.?
The mule answered, ?To live like this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me no more than 20.? And it was so.
Then God created the dog, and told him, ?You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years.?
And the dog responded, ?Lord, to live 25 years as a dog like that is too much. Please, no more than 10 years.? And it was so.
God then created the monkey, and told him, ?You are monkey. You shall swing from tree to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, and you shall live for 20 years.?
And the monkey responded, ?Lord, to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than 10 years.? And it was so.
Finally, God created Man and told him, ?You are Man, the only rational being that walks the earth. You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the world. You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years.?
And the man responded, ?Lord, to be Man for only 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 30 years the mule refused, the 15 years the dog refused, and the 10 years the monkey rejected.? And it was so.
And so God made Man to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 30 years like a mule working and carrying heavy loads on his back. Then, he is to have children and live 15 years as a dog, guarding his house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry; then, in his old age, to live 10 years as a monkey, acting like an idiot to amuse his grand children.

This is a compilation of actual Church Bulletins and Service bloopers:
* Our next song is ?Angels We Have Heard Get High?.
* Don?t let worry kill you?let the church help.
* Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
* For those of you who have children and don?t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
* Weight Watchers will meet a 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
* Jean will be leading a weight-management series Wednesday nights. She?s used the program herself and has been growing like crazy!
* The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.
* This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
* Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.
* This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
* The service will close with Little Drops of Water. One of the ladies will start quietly and the rest of the congregation will join in.
* Next Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the carpet should come forward and do so.
* The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.
* Thursday night?Potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.
* Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
* The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.
* At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ?What is Hell?? Come early and listen to our choir practice.
* During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when A. B. Doe supplied our pulpit.
* The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.
* The church is glad to have with us today as our guest minister the Rev. Shirley Green, who has Mrs. Green with him. After the service we request that all remain in the sanctuary for the Hanging of the Greens.
* The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare?s Hamlet? in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
* The 2011 Spring Council Retreat will be hell May 10 and 11.
* Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.
* Please join us as we show our support for Amy and Alan in preparing for the girth of their first child.
* Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

A retired gentleman went to apply for Social Security.
After waiting in line for quite a long time he arrived at the counter. The woman behind the counter asked him for his identification to verify his age. He looked in his pockets and realised he had left his wallet at home. He told the woman that he seemed to have left his wallet at home. ?Will I have to go home and come back now?? he asks.
The woman says, ?Unbutton your shirt.?
He opens his shirt revealing lots of curly silver hair.
She says, ?That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me,? as she processes his Social Security application.
When he gets home, the man excitedly tells his wife about his experience at the Social Security office. She says, ?You should have dropped your pants. You might have qualified for disability, too.?

A young man with a wild and multi-coloured hairstyle sits next to an old man on a park bench. The old man stares at the young man.
?What?s the matter, old man?? says the young man. ?Never done anything crazy in your life??
The old man replies: ?Yeah. When I was in the Navy, I got really drunk one night and had sex with a parrot. I thought you might be my son.?

[kuya]

af day Friday 8 March

MAE Abbers,

Another fine day, bit warmer than ChCh TT. Not swimming today though, forgot to turn the heating on.

Lord we are the walking wounded this week, I want to cover my mouth when I log in :H

Well done on shedding those lbs Mick, my weight loss has stalled so gotta look at the intake and bad habit of eating late.

International woman's day eh? Never quite sure what these things achieve TBH, like National no smoking day. Maybe I am a bit cynical or

So things going well with the new man Cat, nice to hear you will work out the details I am sure.

Sorry things are bad Det, don't let it take hold.

PPQ .....it WILL all be sorted out soon, I know it is frustrating.

I may be missing for a few days again, so be good y'all

KY

[Lavande]

af day Friday 8 March

Good morning Abbers!

TGIF is is
Happy to be back to life today - being sick really sucks :H

Greetings TT & blondie! I hope you had a great International Womens Day!

Mick, I know a few good neurosurgeons around here if you want to make the trip & no waiting times. We do things a bit differently over here.
Thank goodness for key boards - you really only need two fingers to work them

Greetings kuya, hope you are well.

I'm breaking out for a quick trip to Longwood Gardens today after a bit of work this morning. Still pretty chilly outside so I'll hang out in the conservatory where the temperature is always perfect!

Have a great AF Friday everyone!
Lav

[porqoui]

af day Friday 8 March

MAE ALL....

TT...thanks for kicking us. :H Only time my drinks were free on an airplane was when I'd fly first class. Used to be once a year and I figure the price of the ticket covered more than I could ever consume.

Mick...thanks for the hot lemon, still waiting for the chest rub! Assumption is bang on but I didn't bother with the &)#(%* thread, decided just to let it all go....que sera sera!
Hope they get you sorted and the op fixes the hand. I have two boys, one right and one left handed. Often wonder why that happens, think it's something to do with the right and left side of the brain.

KY...yup something will get sorted one way or the other. Just not going to let it stress me out. Read an article on NZ last night entitled "How Grape Thou Art" Totally understand wine being the poison of choice. Hope your MIA days are good ones and not dealing with life frustrations. If need be give a shout out and we'll send the St. Bernard in with "Hot Chocolate" around his neck.

Lav...you've got to tell us your secret! That's the quickest recovery on this thread. Glad you're feeling better and enjoy your trip to Longwood's.

Starting construction of my office on Monday :yay: and :upset: They'll be closing the room for a month and I have 3 meetings scheduled in it, let alone the numerous paying renters we're trying to reorganize. The hassle will be worth it when it's done and dusted though.

Have a great AF Friday all and all to come....PPQP

[Catbuddy]

af day Friday 8 March

Mae, my friends.

Mick, I'm off to the physical therapist this a.m. I'm ready to chuck her; it's expensive, and her approach will be MANY appts long. I'm hoping once I get my new GP driving my care, we can discuss the right PT approach. I know I need an exercise plan to do each day. I want it to address my specific issues, so need 1:1 guidance. I'm glad your exercises help you. I really believe chronic pain takes daily care to address.

Kuya, be well and warm!

PPQ, I love the end results of refurbishment projects. I hope your office update is a success. Spring cleaning!

Det, dear, awful. :l and :h I think Lav is right that dehydration is serious, and you need to avoid. I've had to go to emergency due to dehydration before; awful on top of everything you are feeling. What can we say at this point? If you drink while on Antabuse, it seems you know it's going to suck, so it's like the AL compelled you there. Do you need a more aggressive approach to becoming AL-free? It scares me for you that this happened.

TT, I hope you get some time off this weekend. You have sounded really busy! Personally, I'm going to RELAX in between running my kid around to start of baseball season activities. Ugh. I really don't like baseball.

Hi Shelby, SF, SL, Blondie, Patrice, our missing posters (Cantoo, Nurdl), and anyone I missed. Happy Friday.

Cat

[scottish lass]

af day Friday 8 March

Howdy all - spent most of yesterday thinking it was Friday and a lttle upset when my alarm went off today - didn't manage to shake the feeling for sure, so doing it again!
Sun is starting to shine and supposed to be getting steadily better - this is what I love about Ca - the weather!
PPQ - understand the office situation - this week as the construction crew tries to repair the damage in our one big office, our other offic ehas been overflowing - and rooms double booked, meetings cancelled etc - looking forward to it all being done, but it has only been a week.
Mick, hopefully the NHS works in your favour and you get dealt with soonish....
Mick again, interesting you mention Stockton - that is actually where I live, not the best place in Northern Ca - but really convenient to get to many other wonderful places. There are many San places near here - San Jose, San Francisco etc are all about and hour half or so away...
TT - can you return that photo of me on the plane please - I wish to destroy it!!!:H:H
Det - sorry this has got you off track, you were doing so well...
Lav, delighted you are better so quickly, maybe this bug is wearing itself out as it visits everyone on the thread??
Morning to my friend in the same timezone! Busy day for you Cat!
MAE to all else, except I thank Cat and I should be AEM as we are the last to be checking in I think!

[Determinator]

af day Friday 8 March

sorry to be brief. legal crap ad nauseum....

I'm able to hydrate and ate a little something today which is a good sign.

my friend can't drive so I'll be driving him to AA which should be a good thing for both of us.

more later.

xxxx

[Turnagain]

af day Friday 8 March

We're pulling for you, Deter....

It would be an honor, as well, to share some of the DIY Cognitive Behavior strategies that have been successful for me and others in dealing with stress-cue relapses. You've got my number, buddy.

xoxoxo

[TheSunFlower]

af day Friday 8 March

I have managed to stay sober for a few days. I have just been in and out of this addiction....and I really did want to lead anyone on that I was continuously sober....I have not been.

Mick....my husband and I met 20 years ago. Beyond brief stints of AF....except for the 2x I did it for 9 months....he knows me no other way. He would love for me to give it up for good...but, I think all hope of that is gone.

Kuya....I do need help. No doubt about that. I feel like I have done just about it all....and none of it keeps me sober for long. However....I can access the site from my phone and should "yell fire"

SL....I should be voted off the island. This is an abs board...I guess what I don't like about the other threads is that you have to constantly back up....to read what is going on. Then I am on here for hours....with no real connection.

Det....I drank on Anatbuse. It made my worst hangover look like a kids game....however, I have not felt the discipline to take it again. I am scared of it now. If I am committed enough....I don't need it. Never got there....just never took it again. And I am too scared of that experience to take it again. I don't trust myself.

I took most of the week off....and have been reading "Alcohol Lied To Me". I need to get further into it. There really is no real new information....just someone I can really relate to.

After all that....I want to respect people here. This is a tough struggle. I will certainly leave out of respect. I guess i have always felt like this was a thread for abs people to not deal with this.

However, I do know that going to AA....they always thanked me for showing up and reminding them that it wasn't good out there.

I want my life back. I am not sure I have ever had it. But, there was a day when I woke up....did not think about drinking or NOT drinking. I remember Friday nights....that I never even thought of a drink. I can say I have had a lot of Fridays without drinking.....but, not without thinking of one for quite some time.

[treetops]

af day Friday 8 March

Hiya SF - I am just having a quick look at the Friday thread as in a minute i have to cook dinner.

Its fantastic that you have been a few days sober - really great! I am so thrilled for you. Soon it will be a week sober and then and then - but just hang on in there one day (and night) at a time. Maybe the AA will also add to this - multiple strategies.

I don't know what a bad reaction on Antabuse is like but I do know how a bad reaction can turn someone off a medication. That was my experience on Naltrexone - I thought I was loosing my mind and refused to take any more (after spending around $500 in the stuff).
Antabuse however really kicked started me but I was ready for it.

My partner also knew me as a regular drinker over a long time (with some good AF stretches in there) and he is so glad I have stopped for good this time. My daughter has also been relieved.

Just treat yourself with lots of love and care - maybe try those diversion tactics Mick is so good at listing (even try the silly Brit and Scots ones!!!).

Be strong and lots of hugs :leaf: and I bet you turn over a new leaf soon (hence the smilie).