AF Daily - January 30, 2009

[speedster]

mark! Surprised to not see a post yet. Everyone must be busy.

Good Morning to All! more later...

Sausage ? stay strong you?re going through a tough spell and it will only make you stronger. It?s like breaking a plateau in a sport. You?re taking your life to the next level of being AF and it will be well worth it.

I have kept the following quote for almost 15 years. I first cut it out of a magazine when I was bike racing, it applies to all aspects of life:

?So concentrate on the moment by focusing your mind on the job at hand. Just be aware of what you are doing at any given time. It is within you. You have a maximum potential, but do you want to reach that high? Don?t let a day go by without doing your best; it never comes back, and only you can make the choice.?

Everyone ? have a strong Friday and weekend. It is within you.

[aprilmoon]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Good Morning ya'll! Starting day 3 AF...woo hooo!!!

I love your quote, speedster!!!

[A Work in Progress]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Made it to Florida, still with some urgent intestinal-type distress, and feeling kind of weak, but it was much easier just to go ahead and take the trip than to try to re-schedule everything. Feeling better today.

On the plane, the guy next to me had two little bottles of brandy with some ginger ale, and I was "treated" to very strong whiffs of brandy, over a period of a couple of hours. Decided to just closely observe my own emotional and cognitive responses to the experience, since I was truly trapped there. I felt some revulsion, a little attraction, a few thoughts about how I could stop at a liquor store on my way home to the Florida house, and some fear. The thoughts were easily dealt with by walking through what it would REALLY be like if I stopped at a liquor store! And the feelings were just that... feelings.

Sausage, I am glad you made it through all that without drinking... and I wrote about this on yesterday's thread, but I'll say it again here... it worries me when I hear someone spending a lot of time choosing to think about drinking... The "person" within us who asks such questions as "why is it so hard to drink once and then go back to sobriety?" or, who takes a sniff of someone's drink, and wonders how the alcohol would taste... that is our Addictive Voice, or The Beast, working on seducing us back into the game. If we jump onto these thought trains (the "train of thought"), with The Beast, then we are always a major step along the road to relapse...

One of the most important things I have learned from my meditation practice is that I am in control of my thinking processes, and when I stay aware of what is going on in my head, and choose to shift my attention away from distorted thinking (and especially away from the Addictive Voice), then I am a whole heck of a lot happier... and a whole lot farther from relapse...

I have painters and plumbers and fence guys and appliance guys and cable guys and who knows what all else, coming out here today and tomorrow. It is cool and rainy and windy, though...

[LVT25]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Hello friends,

A quick check in for me as well. My in-laws from Missouri will be here any minute. They are pretty big drinkers and smokers. I'm really not worried, though, my SIL is very understanding for the most part. We'll see what happens. Even though I'm not worried (not like I was when we went to their house over Thanksgiving) I still need to watch myself. This is the time of the month when I am at my most irritable and that was a trigger to drink--to get happy and be fun! Send some vibes my way this week-end will ya!!:h

[Accountable for Me]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Sending you many positive vibes, LVT! You can do it - you have been sounding very strong lately!

WIP - I think I would have went nuts being trapped on a plane with someone drinking beside me! You are right though; thoughts and feelings are just those... thoughts and feelings!

Hello to speedy! Hello to all those to come.

I had a mellow night last night. Went to bed early and feeling great today! Must go and get the little one ready a little earlier today. Her preschool is having a field trip this morning (early). They are going on a trolly ride through the city. She is so excited!!

Happy sober Friday everyone!!

[Mohun]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Congrats on 30 days Reteacher. :goodjob:

I work from home and feel a little cooped up from time to time. Last night I was so bored of being stuck in the house I went to a pub and splurged. I had real coke (not diet), and chicken wings. Feels good to wake up without a hangover. :H

I am really tired of winter. At least in the summer I could sit outside or do some gardening.

Also, I am a little ticked off this morning. I got up and checked the bank account and found out they took my car payment a week early(I bought a new car last week). Now I am speaking with the customer service people and as those of you who have been screwed over by a bank know, they are quick to take the money, not so keen on giving it back.

There, I am done ranting. :soapbox:

Hope everyone has a good day.

[Determinator]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Aloha Friday Aberooooooos!

Speedster, thanks for the kickstart.

well done Aprilmoon! keep up the great progress.

man, what a long dreary day on the road yesterday. I came down with both an earache and a sore throat about 3 hours into my trip and felt like a wolf ate me and crapped me off a cliff. I actually had some drinking urges by the time I pulled into Fresno last night, that shook me up a bit as I've not had any kind of craving in some time. I talked to Dx on the phone, and went to a little Mexican restaurant and ate two family sized servings of their extra hot homemade salsa and that definitely improved my mood. Then I came back to my room and hopped on chat and that was wonderful. This morning Im feeling a little better thankfully. Still can't wait to be back home....tonight hopefully. WIP, I think we have been in the same boat lately. hang in there hon!

be well my friends

[kitkatsue]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Good morning to all here, and all to come!! And happy friday!

Sick of winter myself, so I will just hunker down with hot coffee and a good book.
Have a great day everyone!


kit

[AAthlete]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Hey guys, not a whole lot to add today - I still seem to be in the funk when it comes to contributing here. Been much more consistent at my AA meetings though, and things are going really well at work. That could be part of it as well, just not as much time to check in and follow how everyone is doing.

Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful Friday wherever you are.

[hulagirl]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Newspaper's late so have a few minutes to join in the morning devotions. Glad you see you all got the Aloha Spirit (especially you Dets.) and yes, it is Friday!!! Seems like eveyone around me yesterday was sick with who knows what but I just kept thinking, I don't want to get sick again. suffered through back to back colds over the holidays. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with too much to do in my days, but also am working on getting "out there" more AF. So i took on after school rocketry club (go rocketeers!) have gotten more involved with after school Astronomy Club after last year observing (and waiting to go home to drinky) and registered myself for an astronomy workshop tonight and tomorrow (Saturday :egad I wonder why instead of feeling excited about the workshop I just feel a little dread and dragging my feet to go. Kind of feeling like it will be good for me when I'd rather stay home with hubby. And yes i asked him if he wanted to go but he doesn't share my need to try and get out more. So I'll take my medicine and hope I feel better. what an attitude. Sorry. But, I could not even think of going out on Friday night while drinking (unless it was a drinking destination) so Hurray!

[stargirl]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Way to go reteacher! Yay 30 Days Rocks!
Just trying to get through one more day off work...alone at home. Maybe today I'll actually attempt to finish some crafts to keep my hands/mind busy.
Happy Friday to all

[A Work in Progress]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Good going Det!!! Being sick on the road is miserable, miserable... and alcohol comes and tries to suck us back in when we are feeling lousy and weak, too, doesn't it... You're being STRONG!!! Thanks... that helps me, too...

[Janice]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Just jumping in to post.....hardly any time over last two days. I've got my mum in law staying with me and I feel a bit guilty tootling off upstairs to the computer and leaving her alone. Hopefully will get to catch up on reading today's posts later. Sausage, hope you've had a better day, well done for getting through last night.

Day 13 here and hubby's wine is chilling in the fridge. It can stay there as far as I'm concerned!

be back later,

love Janicexxx

[A Work in Progress]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Hulagirl, I understand that feeling of dread, needing to get out and not really wanting to. One phrase that I have always benefited from in situations like this is: "Feel the fear (or dread), and do it anyway."

It is VERY hard to change our behavioral routines, sometimes it seems that everything in our minds/hearts resists us. And yet... once we get out and do it, things begin to get SO much better. The dread we feel in anticipation turns out to be so much worse than the reality... It's a shame that there is no way to make it easier... except by doing it...

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - January 30, 2009

Good morning Ab-Landers!

:yougo: Sausage!!!! That 90ish day mark can be a bitch. YOU STAY TOUGH!! Nothing is worth drinking over. And I'm loving WIP's advice to go get busy and think about something else dag nabbit. I recommend Retail Therapy. And just think, carrying lots of shopping bags home will double as exercise. Then you have to tell us what's new for spring.

:yougo: MOW on 30 days sober, and welcome to Daily Abs-Land!

:yougo: Team Mo -n- Mary on 30 days sober!!!

:yougo:Congratulations Aprilmom on Day 3 sober!!

Speedster, thanks for starting things off today. I love the quote you quoted. I have a hard time "staying in the now" and tend to spend way too much time worrying about the future. I'm hoping yoga and meditation will eventually help me with that. But thank you for the good reminder that NOW is what matters!

WIP I have really enjoyed your words of wisdom the last few days and am going to keep your wise words close in case of trouble! I hope you are feeling good enough to deal with the kittens you have to herd. I'm sure you will be glad you went ahead with your plans (though sick) once you see the results!

LVT - you not only get my good vibes for the in-law weekend, but you get my undying respect for hosting your in-laws for a whole weekend.

AFM - I want to go with DD on the trolly!!! Please???!!!!

Deter - I'm sorry the Beast was calling your name yesterday and that you weren't feeling well. I'm glad you hung in there!!!! This is a priceless Deterism:

....felt like a wolf ate me and crapped me off a cliff.

I can't wait to share that one with Mr. Doggy, who I am quite sure will find ways to use it.

kitkat - coffee and a good book is how I hope to spend a lot of time this weekend! I just started reading Water for Elephants - a novel with a circus backdrop. I think I'm going to love it once I get into it. What are you reading?

AA - Happy Friday!!

Hula - you and Mr. Doggy would sure get along great. Tell me more about the "rocketeers." Mr. Doggy likes making home made rockets fueled with stuff like baking soda. He has fun with the nephews. He is also into astronomy. Our local high school was originally a Junior College (supposedly the first Jr. College in the US) and was built in ewarly 1900. There was an observatory on top, but in recent years it had fallen into disrepair. A group of students - an Astronomy Clug - embarked on a project to raise money and volunteers to get the observatory back in working order. We saw the initial article in the newspaper, and we ended up dontating one of Mr. Doggy's telescopes that really NEEDED to be on a permanent, stable mounting. Some of the same people who donated time and materials on the Olivet Nazarene College obersvatory in Bourbonnais IL also help get this much smaller one back in working order. The students painted the interior walls themselves which was really cool. Your post made me think of that, and think of calling the school to see if we can go visit one of these clear cold nights! Hope YOU get to be feeling better soon too. What's with all the CRUD going around???

Star - I have found myself wishing many times over with winter that I knew how to do some crafts!! There is so much on my list of things I want to do someday. Now to find the time!! But it is so wonderful to be busy with REAL LIFE and not have enough time to do everything I want to do...instead of having my head stuck in the bottle 24X7!! So what crafts are you doing?

I had a moment today where my heart was in the pit of my stomach with some very bad memories from the pre-Mr. Doggy days. We are in the process of trying to re-finance our house to take advantage of the 4.X% interest rates. Something very strange and over 10 years old turned up on a Trans Union credit report that just brought a horrid time in my life flooding back. I felt SO SICK it felt hard to breathe. In my panic I couldn't even remember exactly what the thing on my credit report was about. Thank goodness for the internet. I tracked down the problem which was long ago resolved. But for a minute there I felt like the floor dropped out from under me. The good news is that I didn't think about alcohol. I DID have thoughts of gummy bears though. But that's a step in the right direction for panic moments!

Whew.

After that little scare, it feels very easy to know I wont' drink today or this weekend!

Happy Friday to all!

DG