Saturday 12th April

[Janice]

Well I hung on as long as I could to see if anyone else would start us off today!!! Doing a bit of stripping so haven't had much time this morning but I still need my MWO fix!! Have a great day, will be back later......

Want, please please feel free to start us off, first come, first starter, okay??

Janicexxx

ps I'm stripping the walls!!

[charlee]

Saturday 12th April

Morning Janice
Stripping walls....Sounds like you are doing some renovating!!!
We have been involved in a home project for months now. Dust, dust, dust...I would say we are about 85% done, however hubby's golf season is now here......ask me in October and I will probably still say we are 85% done!!!!....The difference is in days of old I would have been angry with an attitude..well if he doesn't care, I'll just sit on my ass too (with a few drinks of course)....Today, (although a little dissapointed) I have the "it will be there tomorrow attitude", life is to short, let him enjoy his golf..it will all get done eventually!!!!...I'll just go shopping!!!
A good weekend to all..

[barebones]

Saturday 12th April

good afternoon all and all to come, hope ur day is peacefull as much as it can be.

take real good care.
xx

day 43 AF

[wantrealmeaning]

Saturday 12th April

Yeah!!! Janice, I've been waiting for.
Ok next time if I'm first here i'll start, you just do it so well.
hi Charlee and all to come,
I'll have to be quick my daughter is banging on the door to get on the pc, she's been waiting ages.
day 4 af and still feeling positive, having some cravings but not dwelling on them and managing fine.
Charlee, hope you get that 15% finished soon, its a nightmare with dusty unfinished jobs.
Happy stripping Janice :H
I'm gonna go and hang my washing out and do some gardening
Hope everyone has a brill AF weekend.....

[Seto]

Saturday 12th April

Hi all
Just letting you know I am now ready for the 30 day AF. I'm done with alcohol. I tried moderating and it was a waste of time. My doctor got it wrong, an alcoholic cannot wean themselves off alcohol. Anyway last night was the final straw after consuming 1 1/2 bottles of wine and waking up with the most horrible hangover whilst feeling regret and guilt for my daughters. I have been doing a lot of soul searching this week and coming to terms with the reality of me and how I have been behaving. I have two beautiful daughters and a very supportive husband and they deserve the real me, not the idiot who drinks herself to oblivian. So today is a new start for me. I will tackle this one day at a time, but I am determine this time. I would love your support through this journey. Well I'm off to feed my 5 month old. No doubt I will be on later. XXXSeto

[retteacher]

Saturday 12th April

I missed this thread last week during the marathon b-sitting stint. I did pop in & out, but I missed reading thoroughly & thinking about the posts.

My very complicated life is teaching me some lessons. You can't always get what you want (as the Stones song goes), but you do get what you need. For me, I'm realizing on a deeper level that I don't want to check out of life (via booze) every time the going gets rough. I have issues to work through, I have a husband that needs support, & I need to allow my grown son to go through his own struggles...& the same goes for my daughter & son-in-law. It's time for me to be there for my husband & for myself. I cannot improve if I'm drinking.

I posted on the reading forum about "Broken"...a memoir about recovery. It really opened my eyes to the fact that stopping the drinking is the first & most important step. I know that I'll never have any kind of happiness, serenity, or health wo/complete sobriety. However, that's a first step. After that, I have to continue to look at myself in terms of digging out the roots of my desire to drink. With the 70 something AF days I have, I'm beginning to do that.

I'm so glad I have MWO. I don't talk about my drinking w/anyone else. This is the place that I'm discovering who I am. Thank you so much for being here.

Love, Mary

[aquamarine]

Saturday 12th April

Hi Everyone.Janice- Thanks for starting the thread so often, it's so nice to get on here and see this thread going. Stripping- that is not an easy job. I have so many projects to do around here I don't know where to start.
WRM- Great job on Day4. Keep up the great work.
Seto- Start anew today. Don't look back.Just get through today and you will be amazed at how good you will feel about yourself which will help you to give you some confidence and momentum to move forward. You can do this. We are all here for you.
Reteacher- You sound like you have alot of very heavy things going on in your life. But it is so true that you can't truly most effectively get through any of it if you are drinking. It just completely complicates everything. Sometimes I think , the longer I don't drink, that it really doesn't matter so much what the roots of my drinking are because the more you are sober the more they just kind of resolve or you figure them out naturally by just being present in your own life without the alcohol. I don't talk to anyone else about my drinking and attempt to stop either. This place is has been a godsend for me.
Hi Barebones and Charlee! Hi to everyone to come. Be Well and Stay Strong! Aquamarine

[retteacher]

Saturday 12th April

Aqua: I think you are right. I know the roots of my addiction. I need sobriety to undo the patterns. For me:
-Obviously, I need to stay sober, no matter what.
-I need to be honest & deal w/the people & issues in my life.
-I need take care of myself in whatever way I can.

Also Aqua, I think there are many of us who are only honest here at MWO. I know my family has seen me under the influence, but I don't think they completely know the extent of my addiction. I hid it pretty well.

Thank you, Mary

[Determinator]

Saturday 12th April

Happy Saturday ABonios!

Marcopolo, big welcome to you. are you detoxing at home? if so have you read about withdrawal under the need help ASAP section?

Mary, after rereading yesterdays post I can so relate to the tendency we have to want everything 'perfect' before we go AF. It's understandable though. like standing nervously at the high dive thinking about when we will jump in.

Feeling great and AF here and VERY sore from Thursdays workout. Think I'll take it easy today.

good weather today...time to make some iced tea.

be well everyone

[YoungAtHeart]

Saturday 12th April

Hi All,

Good work on getting your stripping done, Janice. I admire people who are good at getting home projects done.

Charlee, you are doing a great job on giving yourself an Attitude Adjustment without alcohol! It's a wonderful thing to let go and live and let live, isn't it?

Barebones, I hope you have a peaceful AF weekend too. Well done on 43 days.

WRM, you are always welcome to start the thread. All that matters here is your desire to be AF, not how much time you have. Enjoy your gardening and congrats on Day 4.

Seto, welcome to the club. I tried to moderate several times and was unsuccessful everytime. Even if it is hard sometimes to go AF, it really is a big relief. No stressing about when to drink, how much to drink, and then disappointing yourself (and others) anyway. It really gets better when you start to feel better and start realizing how much of a burden has been lifted and how much better you feel physically. Even if you don't feel better, you can look for the real reason that alcohol was hiding. And GOODBYE GUILT!!

Mary, I missed YOU last week. This forum is not the same without your thoughtful posts.

Hi Aquamarine, you sound like sobriety suits you well and you are learning more and more as time goes by.

Deter, hope those muscles settle down soon. You'll be proud of me. I'm starting to work out. It's making me more tired at first, cause I'm pretty out of shape, but I expect that will change as I get more into the routine. Thanks for being an inspiration on the fitness front!

I hope everyone will be happy for me today, as it is my 10-month aniversary for being AF. I can't believe how much time has gone by! I have learned a lot, but I still feel like I have so much more to grow. I'm learning to take care of myself physically and mentally and figuring out what psychological roadblocks and fears are getting in my way of doing so. It's hard to imagine having a "real" drink again, although I do enjoy having AF wine a couple of times a week. At any rate, I am proud of myself, and looking forward to hitting a year and becoming a "solar orbiter", as Neil likes to say.

Thanks for listening, and have a good day all!

:l :l

[Janice]

Saturday 12th April

Kathy, 10 months is amazing!! How long were you at MWO before your "lightbulb" or "switch" went on???

love Janicexxx

[YoungAtHeart]

Saturday 12th April

Sorry to say, Janice, but I was here for 2 1/2 years, since Dec. 2005, before I gave sobriety everything I had. I'm a stubborn thing though, and was terribly scared to really let go of booze. It took a few falls from AF to make me realize that I couldn't keep lying to myself and that I needed to be AF if I was to have a chance to build the life I wanted to have. I'm still very much a work in progress, but I am an AF work in progress. Thanks for asking.

:l :l

[Determinator]

Saturday 12th April

another slow learner here.

hey, forgot to mention Dx and I are going to see Chris Rock live tonight! our first 'night out' since Vegas. wooo wooo wooooo!

[retteacher]

Saturday 12th April

I feel so graced to know you Kathy! I think that the 10 month milestone is wonderful. It almost seems that once we get rid of alcohol for good, the real deep-down work starts.

It also took me a long time to realize that AF is the way I have to be. Denial kept me thinking that I could have a little something once in a while.

Thanks for being here for all of us newer travelers along this path. Mary

[Cinders]

Saturday 12th April

I know it is already Sunday but I wanted to add to this thread:

Mary, I am so happy you survived your full time babysitting week. Whew!! I am also very sorry to hear about your hubby's challenge coming up this week but at the very least am so proud of you for heading into this without AL to "help" with the issues. And, I must add, so proud of you for recognizing that AL isn't going to help with the issues.

We all love you so much and are all praying your hubby will come through this okay.

Kathy, 10 months is an amazing milestone. Yes, before you know it, you will be a "solar orbiter." I used that phrase early this morning and laughed when I saw you use it. Neil sure has some influence on this board.

I am also so glad you posted about taking so long to "click." Some of us who have taken such a long time often feel guilty because so many others just jump onto MWO and off they go. Like you, I have taken a long time to get to the point where I realize AL just isn't welcome in my life. He is too sneaky and wily for me and I had to just give up any hope that I could keep him around for the odd drink or two.

From one "Sassy Senior" to another, big hugs and congratulations.

Love,
Cindi
XXVIII