Ladies on a Mission: The Official Site

[little beagle]

Not cured here NS.
TT I'm glad you are still here. I know about cleaning up other's messes. And I sure don't wish that on anyone, but I'm sober so I am able to think clearly and that helps.
Ava a slide night like that sounds really nice. Funny, Sad, happy. You're a wonderful friend.
Hubby use to drink and get high. Cocaine, yes. He was 2 years alcohol free August 18th. And that is something to be very proud of. This is why I haven't given up. I KNOW he can get past this cocaine thing.
Looks like we're going to cool down a wee bit this weekend. I am looking forward to a breath of cool air.

[Pavati]

Hi, Gloamers--

Not cured, either, NoSugar. That freedom from devices is nice, but I do love my Internet. This thread always goes through lulls, and this is a doozy. I have a feeling we'll be back, and maybe some readers will join in the conversation by posting here. All comers welcome - you only need to be on a mission to stay sober.

I am in a depressed/frantic/overwhelmed mood right now. They do still come - just less often. I really have way too much going on in my life now. I know I said life was full, but I have to accept that it might actually be overflowing at this point, and rein it in a bit. I know I will get over this mood, however. I really want to drown my sorrows in ice cream, but I am trying to ease up on that substitute habit, so I may just have to go to bed early. Tomorrow will no doubt look brighter. Hard to believe that I used to drink through these moods. Well, drink around them. Thank goodness I don't do that any more.

Ava - Slide night with Robert sounds lovely. How did you two meet, anyway? Old friends?

TT - sorry about others' messes. I hope you get a break from that soon.

Good night, all.

Pav

[treetops]

Yes Pav I too used to drink through stuff - both through the treacle of work and personal stress. Drink though a lot! I managed to achieve a lot too work wise, because I drank within specific timeframes and guidelines for myself. To be honest, I probably coped with a much bigger workload when I was drinking, than now that I am sober - and am taking better care of myself.
You will get through this and some ice-cream won't hurt. We can be a bit too harden ourselves.
LB - as I have said before you sound like you love your hubby so much. Getting off the booze for 2 years is no small thing but he still has the cocaine to deal with. You take care of yourself throughout this please.
I really enjoyed just looking at some beautiful spring flowers today. It was the colors that struck me. I love color and I love that my daughter and my partner both appreciate these things too. We three can sometimes just stand there and look at the colors in the sky. I am really looking forward to going away with them this weekend and hope that we don't argue!

[narilly]

Thank goodness you don't drink Pav, I agree.

TT, spring flowers? We are slowly going into Autumn here. Soon it will be freezing so we are enjoying the last vestiges of summer. My trip to the coast with my daughter was good. She is a good kid and I know she will do well. She is living in a house with 4 other girls though...I can't imagine the drama that is going to go on there. Hopefully there isnt too much partying. I drank a ton when I was in University. Not too proud of that.

I had a job interview this morning. It went well and hopefully they hire me. It would be so good if they did. My hubby still hasn't heard about his job. It wont start till October if he gets it, I hope they let him know soon. Not having enough money really sucks!

No drinking thoughts here. I am glad you guys are all hanging in there and no one is drinking. Keep up the good work.

[little beagle]

Narilly I understand the frustration of limited funds. What an adventure for your daughter. It's hard to watch them make their own choices, isn't it? I still want to boss my daughter. Tell her what to do, but I don't even try. All I can do is live by example.
TT I am taking care of myself. I was suppose to work this evening, but I postponed it because I was too tired. I love the first flowers of spring. Everything looks so vibrant. It stays green here until almost December, usually, then the leaves turn so christmas time is usually a burst of color.
I was thinking today about how important my quit is, not just for myself, but to others here who count on me. Each day I stay sober, check in here and let it be known I have made it through another day proves it is possible. It says, Yes, this is doable. Look, here I am doing it. One day at a time.
Pav I hope you find a good balance. That you can let some things go and take some time for yourself. It's coming up to that crazy time of the year for me. I'm trying to start some of my projects early though so I don't become tooooo overwhelmed this year. Ha!!!

[Pavati]

Hi, all

Nar - glad your visit was good. I drank a lot in University, too.

LB - Yep - I have to make time for myself. Contemplating a massage...

I am feeling better today - thanks for your support. Had a dance party with my kids while cleaning the kitchen. They are good people and I am proud of who they are becoming. Parenting is a challenge - always wondering if I am doing the right thing. Sometimes a good dance party lets me know that I am.

Night, all.

Pav

[treetops]

Hi there folks. Well its my last night of being 59. My workmates put on a lovely morning tea for me - and it was quite touching. I was given some lovely gifts too including some special ones. I think my daughter is baking me a cake tonight. We had a big heart-to-heart about her leaving home for university (sigh Nar - same thing as you I will be going through) and I am slowly slowly preparing myself - but I can't imagine. She will be in a residential hall next year and this month has to put her choices down. I lived at home for my first 2 years at uni so this will is all be different for me. But its not until next Feb. She has to get through the school year first.
Actually I was not a very heavy drinker at university in the early years there - I did drink but not in the style I did later. My heavy drinking came a crashing when my husband up and left me part way through me doing my PhD. I turned to cheap booze and sleeping tablets for relief. Well I finished the PhD but still kept on with the other. And now its ancient history.
Whats happened to Jane - maybe the dog is running her off her feet?
And LB - one of my workmates even brought me in garden flowers. How lovely is that? A beautiful little spring scented posy. Gosh that is so nice.
I will be an old lady next time I post!

[jane27]

Waffling Bullet Style

1) I am a really lame juggler. Yes, he's a puppy and that's demanding stuff- but I wonder how people can juggle a job, marriage, family life, cooking, cleaning, running a household, kids & pets.
2) Things going well potty training wise. I got an app to log walks, pee pee & poo, and ACCIDENTS in the house. This has been hugley helpful.
3) Red has Giardia (God only knows what else). Almost done with the meds and then back for another test. Fingers crossed that the meds wiped it out.
4) Averaging 20,000 + steps per day which seems like an awful lot. Haven't lost an ounce, but also haven't tried. Thyroid levels are all low. Have appt with new endocrinologist at end of September.

Was thinking about the episode of the BubbleHour with John Kelley. He talks about the journey of quitting drinking- how it can take a number of quits before a quit sticks, and that this is common. I know that when I was in the trenches with my drinking, 5 days sober felt like holding my breath. Id feel happy that I did 5 days but it was so strained & unnatural. When I recall day 6 on those mini quits, it looks so violent. Gasping for air, for the substance I needed to keep going. The drama and defeat of returning to drinking made it hard to place any real value on the 5 day stints. If anything it only seemed to bold and underline how much I needed alcohol. I see those stints differently now. I believe that every small quit was important and helped lay the groundwork for the big one. The however many days at a time gave me a peek of what life could be like/ feel like- help me build strength in my legs- the kind of strength you need in order to really QUIT.

Byrdie has told me that when she passed the 2 year mark she felt more secure in her quit. It will be 2 years this January for me, and it would be great if this turned out to be the case for me also. Red puppy has been equal parts challenging & rewarding. I have never done anything like this before. My old dogs were smaller and went on wee wee pads in a room in the basement designated for just that. I never HAD to walk them. If I traveled I had a sitter that came to the house to play with them for a bit and change the wee wee pads. There were 4 of them, and they were a happy pack. All I really had to do was change the wee wee pads and keep the food and water bowls full. What I've got going on now couldn't be more different. Its very normal in the sense that like most people, I have a responsibility that comes before other stuff. The little guy has to be walked, watched, played with, trained. I'm doing it and it feels good.

I'm writing this outside of MWO, so haven't back read yet. Trying to break things down into small tasks so that something gets done instead of logging on to the site then feeling pulled in a bunch of different directions. Gonna back read after posting and come back to make my comments. Wishing you all a great day. xoxox

[little beagle]

Jane I too have to walk daily. Hourly? Yeah, that's more like it.
TT the flowers sound beautiful. I can almost smell them. One of my dogs dug a large hole in my front yard. We decided to plant a rose bush there since the work was already done for us. We planted what we thought was a white rose bush, but it turned out to be a deep red with a lovely smell. Such a great surprise that was.
A massage sounds heavenly Pav.
Counseling for hubby tonight. I went to see if it was what we were expecting. We're not sure. Hubby is not really excited about it. Tgey want him to go into treatment for 30 days. And it's religious based? It apears that way at least. I was really hoping for a more medical approach. But he's going to get a prescription for antidepressants from his doctor and go back next week. We will see. I'm going go keep looking for a different approach. As long as he's doing something. And we can try more then one counselor. Until we find the right one.

[narilly]

Good Morning everyone! Glad to wake Un Hung on a Friday morning. I met my University friends and they drank of course. I just had soda and no one asked about it.

Jane, I have never heard of anyone having dogs peeing on wee pads. Walking and being active with the dog sounds like what I do. Glad you are enjoying your dog though.

LilB, hope you find a counsellor that works. That sucks that this one was 'not the best'.

Well, off to enjoy my day. Hugs to everyone.

[NoSugar]

Hi, GLoamers.

I'm glad you started feeling better so quickly, Pav - I hope that continues. I'm kind of anxious myself b/c I will be traveling a lot this fall and even though much of it is not for work, it still stresses a homebody such as myself to have several trips on the near horizon. On the upside, travel is a lot less difficult when I'm not trying to figure out how to acquire and hide wine so there is that to be grateful for.

LB, I sure wish your husband could find the key he needs. I know MWO wasn't quite right for him given that this focuses on alcohol but here is a similar site that deals with all sorts of addiction: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/. It might be helpful for you that there is a section for family members of addicts as well.

Nar, It would be great if you and your husband got good news on the job front. I know the universe doesn't work this way but it sure seems like your good attitude should be rewarded. It's so cool that your friends consider you a non-drinker now and it is no big deal. That's the way it should be!

Sounds like you've got a lot going, Jane! I'm glad you're enjoying Red. I love big dogs - hope you find that you do, too. I can't imagine walking 20k steps day after day - wow! That is great for you in many ways but exercise isn't the big deal when it comes to weight loss, unfortunately.

I hope you do start trusting yourself and feeling secure in your quit. It really doesn't need to be a stressful part of your life anymore. We don't drink. There's really nothing to debate or worry about.

Hope you had a nice birthday with your family, TT.

NS

[narilly]

Good morning NS, so good to hear your voice this morning.

Pav, I am glad you feel better too. I guess we all have stuff to deal with. I try not to think about being unemployed...hopefully I get a job soon. NS, travelling stresses me out too. I LOVE sleeping in my own bed.

Jane, I have found a lot of great information regarding weight loss on http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb. This website was started by a Swedish doctor who started a healthy eating website full of great information towards being a healthy weight. Check it out! I am on there everyday. I know NS loves this site too. Right NS?

Like NS, I really hope your hubby finds the help he needs too Lil B. It has been a long road for him but it seems like he wants to do something about it and that is a good sign.

TT, nice that flowers are coming up in your part of the world. Today we are going to +28C!! Holy Moley! It will be the last hot day of the year I bet because after this is is all downhill...right down to -30C but at least I get to wear some of my awesome sweaters hanging in my closet. They are just waiting to hug me and keep me warm.

I have been checking out this new concept I just heard about. You all might already do this but it is called a Wardrobe Capsule where you pick out basic colours you want to wear for the season and only buy a few pieces which fit towards that. Like 3 pairs of pants, 2 sweaters/jackets/5 tops and they all mix and match. It is a cool concept and helps to focus on exactly what is needed in your wardrobe so you don't buy a bunch of stuff which you cant wear. I have been going through my closet and putting stuff in a pile for consignment, charity and storage. It feels good. Check it out!

I am feeling strong in my quit right now. It has been around 1.5 years since I had my last drink and not drinking has become so normal for me now. I drank for 38 years and did so many stupid things because of drinking. I am so glad I was able to quit and can have a good life without AL in it. It is so good not to deal with being embarrassed about what I did last night or last week or whatever. Last night I went out with my University friends and everything I said and did was 'normal' and I woke up feeling good. F'n rights! So good to be sober and in charge of my life.

Tomorrow it is the 25th anniversary of some friends I grew up with and I am invited to the party. I drank with this guy friend since the beginning. I mean I got drunk with this guy (we hung out in the same group) a million times. We did such crazy things and lots of stupid things too. I can't believe we lived through it. He has had a couple of impaired's and still loves to drink. It is going to be so good to say No to having a drink. I am going to go there and enjoy my time with them, leave at an appropriate time and be sober. I am really looking forward to that. I am feeling really strong in my quit right now. Thank goodness and thank you for being here all you Gloamers.

WE don't drink!

[narilly]

Ok, I am off to this party in my home town. I will enjoy the evening without drinking. I think it will be the first time that I have hung out with this group of people where I did not drink AL. What a change! I am sure they will be asking me why I am not drinking. Oh well...I am just going to say "I don't drink anymore, it makes me feel bad."

So glad not to be drinking.

Cowboy, you know how it is, going to a small Alberta town to see people you grew up with. They ALL drink!

Talk later!

[Guitarista]

Have a gr8 time Narilly! Glad to be not drinking here too. Sober is very very cool.

Warm regards to Red, Jane. Take care everyone and have a beaut weekend. G

[NoSugar]

Your attitude is exactly what it should be, Nar - so happy for you! Hi, Mr. G, good to see you here putting the G in GLoamers :smile:.

Just cancelled a trip next weekend - now the one week after that sounds fun instead of ominous. We really can say NO and the world doesn't end. In fact my husband said, well, that makes sense and now I can do X, Y, and Z next Saturday instead. He was FINE with my choice.

Hope you're all having a good weekend.