Wed Oct 8th

[Determinator]

Top of the morning sleepy-head ABers far and wide!

ok, it's the night before but pretty close to Wed. Had a very long day with travel and the tradeshow today and a LOT of drinking pressure from some friends I've not hung out with for quite some time that are not yet "getting" my new lifestyle. it's been a difficult evening but have managed another glorious AF day. whew!
I think I drank 7 o'douls though...feel rather bloated now. better than wasted any day.
I also tried to smoke a cigar tonight for the first time since Feb. ick! I've washed my hands/face about 5 times now and can't get away from the horrible smell. some things are just gross when you are in a healthy state of mind!

OMW, hope things work out with your daughter soon.

Readytotry nice to have you here. I tried in vain to mod many times but it's just not a good place for me.

so...alternative drinks? mostly at home I drink plain unflavored carbonated water. sometimes I'll put some juice in with it but not usually. When out to dinner I'll often have an o'douls or just a tall soda water. I really should get back into juicing when at home...

hoping you all seize the day in a wonderful and positive way today!

zzzzzzzzzz

[Monica]

Wed Oct 8th

Day 2 abs for me. Decided to jump on the daily thread here every day I can get to a computer, just to get the habit of checking in. Reading posts stops me from feeling hard-done-by about my decision to give up (AGAIN!). When I read about the some of the awful, REAL problems others face, and how they resist temptation, I have to laugh at myself. After 30 yrs of very immoderate drinking, I'm ready to say I just can't moderate. My favourite AF drinks are diet sodas - ginger ale, tonic water, coke or even plain soda water - anything with bubbles. Cheers guys.

[cowgal]

Wed Oct 8th

Hey!

Welcome Monica, don't think I know you!!:welcome:

Det, good for you not to give into temptation last night, I am inspired by your success, sorry about the cigar, I too have done that and can't believe I actually used to smoke them when drinking YUCK!!! hope the smell comes out of your hands/ hair etc. soon!!!!:H:H

As for the best AF drink, I am totally turned on to San Pelligrino now, TIT did that in Houston! I can't get enough of that, but if it is unavailable, I drink other seltzer water..........La Croix or something similar...............

Hope all is well for everyone today, getting ready for my "orientation" at work, don't know if I will "work" or not, but wearing scrubs today just in case....................

Talk to you all later, lots of love and hugs!!:h:l:h

MA

[MormonMom]

Wed Oct 8th

Hello everyone!! Made it through another night. Yaaay!! Felt like drinking last night. Don't know why. Just bored I guess. I was missing the "sensation" of sitting with a glass of wine and relaxing. But who am I kidding? It's usually a glass BOTTLE of wine and children climbing all over me, rather than me relaxing. Ohhhh Cravings! Cravings! Go Away! Let's be sober for another day!

[on my way]

Wed Oct 8th

Det, thanks for starting the thread!! BTW, I love the garlic trap. Good luck with the Smokey stink, I too wonder how that could have been a part of my life, YUCK!:schmokin:

Ready, so glad you?re here?I have been enjoying spicy V8 lately; it?s like a Bloody Mary without the liquid stupid in it. Flavored seltzer water too.
Vent away here, we understand very well what you?re dealing with. I too seriously doubt any of my family or friends knew just how bad my problem is/was.

Monica, so glad you?re here too. Give yourself a few weeks and you?ll feel great! I can?t mod?tried but it always ends badly for me so I understand. Yep, the stress of everyday life problems is enough to drive one to drink. All you can do is take it one day at a time. I can?t describe how I am tempted everyday. The wonderful friends I have here help me on a daily basis.

Mary Anne, have fun at work?. hope you get to apply yourself; it?s sure great to feel purposeful.

MM, I have been really tempted lately, the cravings drive me nuts. Greenie says to eat grapes?.I have eaten a lot this week.

I have another one home sick from school, 8:00am and he?s already bugging me. (what a nice mom I am) Today is going to be a stretch, it?s a good thing I have places to be tonight or temptation could get the better of me. Last night I started feeling like I had the stomach bug too, I?m keeping my fingers crossed that doesn?t happen. Nothing eventful has happened in the last 24 hours with my daughter. She understands this watch and help campaign is here to stay.

Charlee, hope your chipmunk checks are getting better. Thought about you yesterday and hope it was not too bad.

Mary, Cindi, Loppy and all, Have a wonderful day full of clear mind and healthy body.

nat

[charlee]

Wed Oct 8th

Morning everyone!!
Det....Garlic trapper...very interesting!!!....Thanks for starting us off today
Monica - Welcome to the abs thread...looking forward to hearing more about your abs journey
Cowgal - Hope you orientation goes well
MM - those days will add up!!!...Watch out for those boring moments...they can be really tricky!!!
OMW - Another kiddo home sick today and now you too!!!...I would say your household should be done with this "flu bug" for the rest of the season, sounds like it got everyone.......stay well
Chipmunk cheek is under control, one more quadrant to go and a lotta $$$$..just keeping myself on the Advil for at least the next 24 hours....making and keeping health related appointments was a committment I made when I went AF. Did well this year, all the usual "annuals".....almost time to start all over again!!!!
Hope everyone has a great day.....

[A Work in Progress]

Wed Oct 8th

Good morning abbers! Det, well done! This time around in the AF world I have not yet encountered (or put myself in a place to encounter) that kind of pressure. And, fortunately, in my line(s) of work, that is not likely to happen. I have some old friends I used to drink a lot with, but they are not the type to pressure me. At an earlier time in my life, everyone I spent time with (from work, etc.) was a heavy drinker. My family, too! I'm so glad my life is not like that any more...

Yesterday I visited my mother at her Alzheimer's facility... she wanted me to make a shopping list (she is confused about where the groceries are coming from at the place she is living); top item on her list, as always, was "vodka." I wonder how much her lifetime of nightly drinking has contributed to her cognitive problems; as yet, there is no evidence demonstrating that alcohol abuse is a risk factor for Alzheimer's... but I suspect it may be...

another very good reason to get alcohol out of our lives!

wip

[on my way]

Wed Oct 8th

WIP, I'm sorry, I missed you. Don't know what I was thinking??
Maybe it's due to my alcohol abuse and mental decline, I agree with your theory.
The place where your Mom is...was that the small group home you looked into or is it another place. The small group home sounded nice or a lot better than the large institution option.

nat

[retteacher]

Wed Oct 8th

Readytotry: I'm glad you shared yesterday about not talking to anyone about your AL prob. I too have my alcoholism as a secret. Yes, I'm sure my family suspects, but I don't think they know the true extent (I hid it well). Until I came here to MWO, I was alone w/the prob, & I really think that fueled it. I love soda, & that has been my salvation in social situations. If someone asks I usually say:
-I feel a headache coming on.
-I'm really thirsty...maybe later for the wine.
-I still get hot flashes from the wine.
Once everyone has his/her drink & is sitting & socializing, I'm fine. It's that first few minutes that get to me (while the host is pouring).

Yesterday on long-term abs, I was reading about complacency. That has definitely gotten me iinto trouble w/relapsing. After some AF days, I start to think:
-"Maybe I can have just one."
-"Maybe I wasn't so bad after all."
-"A lot of people are much worse than me."
Of course, none of the above is true. This is a form of denial I feed myself when I want to drink.

So far, I've been concentrating on the upside of NOT drinking, & the downside of drinking. That seems to be working. Also, I'm beginning to tell myself the affirmation: "I am a non-drinker." That seems to be forming new connections in my brain. Above all, as the AF days pass, & I solve probs that used to cause me to drink, I feel my brain resetting itself.

Be well everyone. We haven't heard from Doggie Girl for a while. Are you out there & very busy?

If there is anyone out there lurking that would like to share, please feel free to jump in. We're all equals here, & we're here to help one another.

Mary

[Cinders]

Wed Oct 8th

Good Morning Abbers.

I don't have a lot of time to address everyone personally but I do want to say :welcome: to the new posters here. This thread is one of my mainstays and helps keep me sober.

Complacency is a bad place for us drinkers. We do start getting the "I'm okay, I can have a few" and of course go right back into the hole. So. I must stay vigilant. It is the only thing I know to do. Like Mary, I have to remind myself of how good I feel sober and how bad life is when I am not.

Glad to see so many here and really happy that everyone is doing well.

We can help each other and turn our lives around so that we can live the lives we want to.

Love.
Cindi

[on my way]

Wed Oct 8th

Ugh, I now have 2 kids home sick. I am so board, tired, lethargic and eating a bunch of crap food. The sun finally is coming out after a bunch of rain and I'd sure love to get out for a run. Not gonna happen with the barf brothers, poor little guys. At least I feel better. I am living in fear of the next school calling to pick up the next barfer.


:yuk::yuk::yuk::yuk::yuk:

[MormonMom]

Wed Oct 8th

Mary, I love that affirmation!!! I'm going to start using it. When my mind starts telling me it would be great to have a drink, I'm going to repeat to myself, "I am a non-drinker".
I think when we say things to people like, "Not now." or "I'm cutting back", we're leaving ourselves an open door to return to drinking. That way, when we fail to stay sober, they won't look at us as loosers. I went through out-patient rehab 3 years ago. As the program progressed, I began to admit to family and friends that I was going through rehab. That's part of the big step of "admitting" there's a problem. Now just because I went back to my old drinking ways, nobody pointed fingers at me. Nobody said, "Look at her. She couldn't stay sober." They all still accepted me and life moved on. And on my own, not for their sakes, I am back trying to stay sober. I just thought I'd throw this out there as food for thought.

[retteacher]

Wed Oct 8th

Even though I've never admitted to anyone that I'm an alcoholic, when I'm offered booze, I've been saying that I'm finding that I cannot drink now. I don't feel like I'm lying when I tell people that my body responds very poorly to alcohol. People don't really care whether I drink or not. Nobody even notices.

I thank God for MWO every day. I don't know where I'd be wo/it. Mary

[Cinders]

Wed Oct 8th

Mary,

I am the same way. I have been able to be sober and happy being sober (which is important) because of MWO. I go to AA and I get good support there but MWO has helped me even more.

Your presence here, your struggles, much like mine, and your honesty has helped me a lot.

Thank you for being here, too, Mary.

Love,
Cindi