DAY 31 CHECK IN

Good Morning On Day 31 All!!

It is hard to believe that it is finally here! I certainly have enjoyed being the leader of this fine group and have learned so much along the way!

I have learned about the Fat Flush Diet, demolition, the importance of sticking to the program, the ups and downs of moderation, the importance of being able to share your feelings (still working on that one), the art of surounding myself with the right people, how important the support of this board is.....the list goes on!

I guess the most important thing I have learned however is that there is much more to learn! I believe that to be true with most things in life though. So, with that said, I turn this morning post over to the most capable hands of our new leader Deirdre! Heaven knows I need all the help I can get with stress management if my house is to be spared the sledge hammmer! :eek

CDS:
Subliminal and Sleeplearning.
Everything else is the same!

Remember, even if you did not reach all of your goals this month you still made great progress and came along way! Take that with you into June! Surfs up All! 8o

Donna

good morning!
Thank you so much Donna for all you have given us this month. Your posts are always filled with such wisdom. I look foward to having Deidre as our moderator next month. Her posts are also always filled with insight and support. June should be eye-opening.
As I look back on the month of May I remember thinking how much I would look foward to this day when I could say"I did it !It's over!" ....Well I can't say either because I did slip on two occasions and this month taught me it will never be over.I must say I am happy with my progress this month.I was thrilled when I made it through tough times without a glass of wine.I have gained confidence in my ability to say no but have also gained the wisdom to understand that just when I feel like I'm safe the urges come on strong.
Abstinence is great but life without alcohol is not problem free. I did feel a few times this month that because I was not drinking I did not deserve the inconveniences (I don't want to say problems because in the spectrum of life's problems they were really inconveniences) that came my way.These are just things I'm going to have to continue to learn to cope with next month and beyond.
I did lose a few pounds this month.A always thought that if I stopped picking at little things when I drank wine I would lose weight. It never dawned on me that if I just stopped drinking I would lose weight.I now know that to rid myself of a few pounds I must stop all alcohol.Going to bed early doesn't hurt either.
My nails are a bit stronger and I am amazed. I will see how strong when I do some heavy duty gardening this weekend.Now these dark circles under my eyes are a different story. I always called these "wine eyes". Unfortunately, they are not.They are "middle age eyes" and that is not a revelation I was not pleased to note.
I have really enjoyed taking this journey through the month of May with you all and look foward to June.
Janet

Hi Everyone!

I am back from my Vegas trip and thrilled that today has come. I hope that everyone has gotten everything they'd hoped from the event.

It has been a pleasure participating. I will be taking a bit of a break from the boards to focus on myself and making sobriety a "normal" part of my life.

I will check in here and there and want to wish everyone my best in your journey.

-Nina

Hi Nina! I was wondering where you were… nice to see you back. I always find your posts very helpful, so please check in often. And good luck to you too…!

Deirdre

Hi Janet.

Congrats on your good work this month! I just wrote a post but it got deleted by mistake, & it’s just not the same trying to rewrite it!

Basically it said I know the feeling of thinking life without alcohol should be without problems, and I think I had that mindset even before I started drinking, that my life should be without problems. That mindset could have something to do with the root of my drinking. Alcohol temporarily made it seem like I had no problems, or they were easier to avoid thinking about. Somewhere in my heart of hearts I feel like my life should be problem free, like those inconveniences shouldn’t be there. Then I get the problem or the inconvenience, AND the stress of thinking they should not be there in the first place!

So lately I’ve been trying to remember that it’s ok when these things pop up. I can deal with them much better now that I’m stronger & thinking clearly.

Anyway, I’m sure we have plenty of company with this. …there’s even an article on the Women For Sobriety website called “The Hungering Heart” that starts off talking about this exact thing. I tried to copy & paste it here, but I’m not able to. It’s worth a read if you get a chance.

See you in June!
Deirdre

Last day of the month! Congrats to all who made it with abs this month. Congrats also to those who gave it a good run! We should all be feeling more positive about the changes in our lives, I know I am.


Donna great job doing the May Abs event! Dierdre you should have your hands full this month.

Marcie

We did it !!

Hooray

Hello all,

Today is Day 42 of ABS. Can't believe it went by so fast.
Congratulations to everybody - marcie, we made it!!

This thread has been an almost daily visit - thanks to everyone who provided support. Think this is a great group of people!

Thanks Donna for all the work you put in on this thread!
Pansy

I am still working long hours on a deadline, but I couldn't let today pass without a huge thank you to Donna. I started this month at a very low point, and she took the time to come to my aid. I have not made the goal I set of total abs, but I made progress and she (and all of you) have been a big part of the reason I got as far as I did.

I am taking a few days off to get this project finished, but will return 6/3 for the June event.

Congrats everyone! ol BIG HUGE slaps on the back & hugs for all of you!

And Donna, thanks for doing a great job leading us through the month. You have been just dyn-o-mite!!!!!

Wow, I feel like I've learned so much this month too. Lots of reflection on the past, but not so much in regret...more just referencing it to gage where I'm at now. I guess it's called growth! One thing that I've really enjoyed is taking the time to write, here on the boards & in my new journal. I find that writing gets me to think about things that I might not otherwise give myself the time or mental space to think about. I think it's partly because of this that I feel a little clearer about many things in my life.

It's hard to explain, but I almost feel like I have my whole life ahead of me. Not long ago I was having suicidal thoughts because I thought my whole life was behind me and nothing good was ever gonna happen to me again! I was hopeless, and now I'm full of hope for the future. I subtracted alcohol, and added healthy elements and just got on a roll. In the beginning I felt that it was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I realize it is a continuing journey, with more ups & downs to come. But no matter what, I'll never regret these past weeks and all that I've been blessed to learn.

Hope to see you all on the June Abs board!
And for those who are going to begin moderating, best of luck! See you on the mods board!

Deirdre