friday 27 March af daily

[bear73]

morning everyone,snored awake so thought may as well get up,have some coffee and do some work before I go off to an event to get it out of the way.

NS really great question - and a really big one - I pretty much bobbed along for years drinking too much socially(but 5 days a week socially),suffered with depression,anxiety,put on weight.Then I tried to stop smoking and found I couldn't when drunk,someone on a smoking forum,quitnet i think, suggested I stop drinking, I nearly fell over.Then i thought if I don't have a problem that wouldn't be a problem to stop would it,but it was hard.Then I realised booze had become my adult dummy,then thought about 'am I an alcoholic' etc etc - I still don't know,and that just takes me round in circles.

I didn't have a lot of the really bad consequences e.g. DUI,job loss etc BUT I had fallen,put myself in risky situations walking home alone drunk,used to tactically vomit whilst out on a friday - (vomitting was partly messed up body image/partly booze),wasted money,less than top job performance,smoking for longer than I would have done,caused/worsened depression and just missed out on developing interests/possibly less ambition and staying stuck in situations that I could have set stronger boundaries/walked away from.Bad enough - do i wait until I do have the really awful stuff happen,and hope I can still get out?

What I do know is I am 100000% happier,calmer and more focused with no alcohol,I don't smoke/want to smoke - tho I have my e cig and I'm avoiding the bad events that haven't happened.
They haven't happened YET.

Right best get to it,last day at work before a week's leave and need to get cracking.Lazy night tonight and seeing friends tomorrow with an early night. Have a great day

[Mick]

hey bear..well done you for starting the fred!!!!:thumbsup:sometimes it is nice to click the puter and see someone has already been there so thank you...well tis the weekend folks ...plans anyone?Im supposed to be out on Sunday but not sure at the momento..if I said any more as to why..it would be a give away so...no comment!

question asked ..why did you quit?despite the fact that my health was getting ruined and I still kidded myself on I was still pretty fit..which in fairness I was compared to a lot of people..despite the fact that I was probably the most obnoxious little shit you could ever wish to meet etc etc the reason I gave up then was..not long before I had been pretty poorly and it suddenly dawned on me that a lot of people had put a lot of time and effort into keeping me alive..friends family and nursing staff doctors etc...and yet here was me..trying my level best to undo the work they had done!!just thought on 4th of july the day before me birfday, after several extra strong beers 3 quarters of vodka the night before it was time to do something about it . not a half assed attempt or a get round to it..but now......the rest is history...

anyways moving on ..brew time.....

hiya bear ..1 day left now at work??anything on the books for the weekend?your last paragraph about being a lot happier ..thats the voice to listen to whenever you get tempted to drink ..if you take the time before you drink to think about that and the results you have had since you quit..then by the time you have finished you will have crested that wave..the way you handled the "mishap"you had and since reminds me very much of someone I know ..and they are very successful in quitting now...

hey pauly ..hows you today then? feeling any better?Marvin Gaye joke.....


"What's going on?" I asked my mates as I arrived at the pub.

"Nothing much, we've just been sitting here trying to think of Marvin Gaye songs," said Dave.

here you go....."What's Going On" (Marvin Gaye song), the 1971 single and title track from Gaye's album, notably covered by Cyndi Lauper 1986,

hows dr chocolate doing?..what are you up to this weekend .anything?

hiya no sugar.....best of luck on your travels!!keep in touch ..you travelling far?

hiya Lav..glad you had a great day yesterday...quite a deserved response you got on that fred..Im in the process of trying to get plants for the planter..what my idea is ..is to get a mix of both natural and artificial ones (good ones..not rubbishy ones)to keep it looking filled all the time if that makes sense...one of the plants I love is a bird of paradise plant ..stykxia or something..I could never grow it here not even indoors...but a good quality one is $140 ! errm think we will give that one a miss!!its quite a challenge but interesting..probably start planting up my seeds now so need to make some sort of shelving for them too...brew time now ..here you go have another good day...

hiya sam ..hows you today then?all good hopefully..yep growing season just about to start so need to get my skates on a bit!have a good one my friend.

hiya ppqp...aye aye ..hows the eye?hope its better...you planned that well 2 weekends off on the bounce!..any plans for doing anything with them?

hiya narilly ..how are you today then?are you getting the hotter weather ?hope so..my mate has just posted ..he is a truck driver currently stuck in about 2ft of mud in a yard somewhere in Edmonton!!not pretty pics and def not pretty expletives!!you doing anything over the weekend?(n thats not my best line!!!:happy2

hiya pie,how are you today?bolt hole means back up plan,somewhere to run back to...to hide in..not sure but I think it came from England in medieval times...when the country was one religion and people were practicing in other faiths..there were witch hunts to kill the priests of other religions other than the main one..in order to escape, many houses had bolt holes or secret rooms /cellars built in them so that in case of raids to capture them ..the priest could "bolt" into the hide and escape persecution..there you go ..no charge for the history lesson!!have a good day

right folks..time to go..have a great day n a better weekend....

Whilst the US raced the Soviet Union to the moon, Mexico was funneling millions of pesos into research on a bag of magic beans

My wife and I have been going through a bad time and as she knows I love dogs I was quite surprised when she said she was getting me a cross between a Jack Russell and a Shitzu for my birthday.

she got me Jack shit.

"I can see you in the middle of a huge storm, a log cabin and fir trees are standing behind you," said the old gypsy woman, staring into her crystal ball.

"I think that's actually a snow globe you've picked up there," I told her,

Scientists have successfully used sound waves to put out fire.

On close inspection it has been found that the sound they used was,

"FIRE! FIRE! SOMEONE CALL THE FCKING FIRE BRIGADE!!"

I don't know how my spectacles steamed up,I was mystified.

Jack goes to see his supervisor in the front office. "Boss," he says, "we're doing some heavy house-cleaning at home tomorrow, and my wife needs me to help with the attic and the garage, moving and hauling stuff."

"We're short-handed, Jack," the boss replies. "I'm sorry, I can't give you the day off."

"Thanks, boss," says Jack, "I knew I could count on you!"

My wife can't stop eating chips.

I don't mind so much when we are at home, but she's a liability at the casino.

I'm not particularly bad at cooking but how long is pasta supposed to stay in the toaster?

A bloke is visiting a mental hospital when in a room he comes across a guy moving his arms around and making beeping noises.

"Excuse me", he asks him. "What on earth are you doing?"

"I'm driving my car!, says the guy excitedly. "Beep beep!"

"You nutbar, you're not in a car, you're in a mental hospital!"

A voice comes from the bed opposite. "Mate, shut the fck up will you, he's giving me twenty quid a day to wash it."

10957715_726718477450542_4813006104158168508_n.jpg

how many legs has the elephant got??

elephant.jpg

[paulywogg]

Mae everybody, now I get it Mick, still took me a second,"what's going on" is an awesome song btw guess what? When I briefly lived in San Diego, I bought a little birds of paradise plant and a bougie from the swap meet, within months both those plants were gigantic I was so proud the bougie started out about a foot high and ended up growing up over the front door, the other ended up about 4 ft high,California has such good weather for growing stuff unfortunately I hated living there, I still don't know why, hubs and kids were so pissed when I made them move back to Vegas, no plans for the weekend may take Louie to the park that has ducks on Sunday if my allergies will let me leave the house for that long still haven't got to try the new white castle on the strip,I guess it's the only one out west so the lines have been ridiculously long, plus going to the strip sucks too crowded! Lav,I love when the girls spend the night when LB still lived in Vegas she would stay over most weekends, and Kelland Louie would too it was fun,although they would call me a nerd cuz I would go to bed early, Bear, you sound great, NS,I would be interested in hearing more about why people finally decided enough is enough too,there's gotta be something that finally broke the camels back, even if it was nothing big ya know?hello to Pie, PPQP, Sam,Det,UN hung Nar,SF,think I need more coffee, let's have a peaceful Friday

[Lavande]

Good morning Abbers & happy Friday to all!

Thanks for the great party yesterday, it was a nice day!
Busy here this morning with the girls & my grandsons will be arriving one at a time this afternoon - oh boy! This evening will be a real hoot around here, ha ha!!

Thanks for the start up bear! I hope your day is a good one

Mick, I just love the bird of paradise plants. Longwood grows them in their conservatory & they are awesome. I noticed a lot of people had them growing outside in their gardens where my MIL lived in Florida. I guess they need consistent warmth & humidity for best results. I'm sure whatever you find for your planter will be nice

Greetings to the whole crew & wishing everyone a great AF Friday!

Lav

[Determinator]

ugh. blew it over the previous two days. now licking my wounds and bummed-out. sigh.

[paulywogg]

What happened Det?damn that sucks

[porqoui]

MAE ALL....

Det...:hug: So you "decided" to drink. Wounds are licked and it's time to move on from "bummed out". Thanks for being honest with us.
NS has brought up the question as to "what" finally did "it" to make us decide to stop drinking. To change the direction our lives we're on. Don't know about the others but that discussion helped me remember where I was and how grateful I am to be where I am now. Please share a little more with us about that decision as I think it helps all of us understand how vulnerable we are. A new quit date is not a bad thing! :love:

Bear...you're getting good at kicking us off. Thanks. Your post...What I do know is I am 100000% happier,calmer and more focused is so true for me too. I always walked around "angry" with everyone and everything while drinking. For me it was the "calmer" feeling that I appreciate the most. Being calm helps me deal with all of life's little presents!

Mick...looks like eye is on the mend. Tapering again for 3 weeks but the inflammation is almost gone. With all the steroid drops my cataract has grown so probably looking at surgery soon. Easy procedure so not worried about it. We hit 20 degrees today so have been out and about enjoying it.

Pauly...don't think you're missing out on anything with the "new" white castle. Lines are ridiculous in Vegas no matter where you're going! Hope you enjoyed your day.

Lav...hope you're having a "hoot" of an evening.

Off to fire up the BBQ, I is see some shrimp calling my name. Hoping this weather sticks around for tomorrow so we can get Dad out for some Vitamin D. Narilly, you in your bikini yet?
See you all on the flip side......:smile:PPQP

[Pie]

Hi Friends, Had a very good week, and I'm pooped. If I catch a second wind, may make a proper post later, otherwise I'll see yiz all on the morrow.

[TheSunFlower97]

Det----I do understand.

As I attend a 12 step group weekly....It is becoming more and more clear to me....that people relapse more often than getting that 20 year chip. It is interesting to watch. Sometimes I feel like in the meetings there is so much pressure to get 30-90 days-80 years vs. really getting to recovery. I love my group, but I am ready to let them go.

Det....I know it hard. I am sorry that you are going trough this. I get it. Sometimes people work on their shit before they get sober (Lav) so they have a solid ground once they do. Who knows with Mick.....I don't think he was a real alike

And some of us just seem to struggle forever. We see both sides of grass as green. Some days I never want a drink.....other days....I just don't want it to be pulled from me as an option.

And fighting sobriety is not for me. Did it, been there, done it....and it hasn't really worked. So I know I need to deal with the deeper crap. Which I am doing now....and it really isn't picnic.