Friday, September 1st

[YoungAtHeart]

TGIF Abbers!

Are you ready for the weekend? Today would be a good time to share your plans, as well as your coping skills for dealing with weekends with everyone else, especially those that are new to abstinence. With the Labor Day parties going on in the US this weekend, there's sure to be some temptation going around!

Sorry to give you such a short start, but I have to head back to bed. I got to bed very late last night and want to finish out my sleep! So I'll be back a bit later.

Love and Hugs,
Kathy:l

[Mackeral]

Friday, September 1st

Good morning all,
Right then, whats the plan for the weekend? I dont know Kathy...Weekends used to mean i could stay up till about 3 or 4 in the morning drinking because i didnt have to get up and take the kids to school in the morning.
I think this weekend gonna keep as busy as possible again..I like getting up on a Sunday morning and going down to the local car boot sale..( really cheap fishing gear ) got a £100 pole last year for £10.
I know Friday and Saturday night are the worst, i always get the feeling i'm missing out now..everybody else is out having a good time and partying....Suppose i just gotta think that OK wayne you have been there and done that ( to excess ) and that its time to start doing other activities that dont involve dancing like idiot, arguing with everybody who does'nt see things exactly the same as me,spewing in an ally,and waking up on my bedroom floor..
Sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in one hand and my arm round my wife, watching a good film on a Saturday night seem more and more appealing the more i type...
Think i just talked myself out of having a rough weekend ....Thanks Kathy
Right gonna be back on later just wanted to say good luck to Lou today..And to Allie in general discussion i just read about her mum...I dont know what i'd do in her situation...i always see my mum and dad as being invincible..
Right have a good day all....I have some very important plumber duties to attend to in Absville......Love Macks:l

[wellseasoned]

Friday, September 1st

Good Morning!
It's a bit dreary here today, but I am hoping for it to clear up. Looking forward to a break from the work grind this weekend.
Friday night is date night for my hubby and I so we will probably catch dinner and a movie. Saturday I will be catching up on household chores and reading. I finished my most recent book last night. I am helping my daughter pack for her big move next week as well.
On Sunday hubby and I will golf and on Monday we will drive to spend the day with the grand kids.
I am moving up to 75 mg Topamax on Monday. Wish me luck!
Mac, you are right to remember things the way they really were - not as some good party time. It never feels good the morning after. I am sure the memory of a nice evening with your arm around your wife and a good film is much better! Works for me, I know! Hey, and last night it was Agassi and Lite Michael Season's Cheese Curls! Amazing what sins we can allow ourselves when we aren't pumping thousands of alcohol calories into our bodies!
Kathy, hope you got a good extra nap!
Hope everyone has a glorious holiday weekend and success in ABS!!
Jenn

[Bambino]

Friday, September 1st

Good Morning everyone here

Day 3 for me. I have decided to count because it keeps my pecker up !

I do enjoy reading everyones day to day goings on. And especially about reading about the daft things we've done, which were the norm at the time. ( dancing manically etc ! ) :H But now just plain embarrassing.

The weekend is no different for me, as my husband doesn't tend to drink anyway - it just meant we could spend days out together, but mine were mainly in a cloudy mist, so could hardly remember them anyway, but he enjoyed, so that's the main thing... Looking forward to being able to enjoy them now too.

Just had a nightmare incident with a smoke alarm this morning which was going off about every half hour. Been poking it with a stick to stop it, but to no avail, so thought I'd take the top off it in case it was the battery - but would it budge ?!!! Then noticed wires from it, so turned off the electricity and cut the wires - but it still kept screeching at me. So had the bright idea of knocking it off the ceiling, and have knocked it flying into the glass lampshade on the landing = oooops... And STILL it was screeching. Is this a sign? In the end it took a swim in the wash basin..
Silence is Golden.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Lots of Love
xxxx

[pansy]

Friday, September 1st

Sep 1

Morning all,

Well today will be day 1 on the abstrain. I am looking forward to waking up and not having headaches - hell, just waking up an appropriate time will be a treat. I've done 6 weeks before, so I don't imagine that this time will be any harder, if anything since I never went back to drinking like I used to, I should be good to go!

Hope you all have a good weekend. I am working today and catching up on email, then tomorrow cleaning an apartment, then the rest of the weekend getting my own house in order! School starts next week ...


Take care all,
Pansy

[southernbelle47]

Friday, September 1st

Good morning Absville,

Yes! TGIF......& Saturday, & Sunday...... Just happy to be here and looking forward to a little rest.
It seems that we can have a seven day work week on the farm, if we don't take steps to plan the work and work the plan....including some rest time and play.

Play time is usually with Belle. She has a friend coming over today. My son is bring Daisy a Boston Terrier. They play "King of the stick" and run themselves down.

Jenn, I love to read too. Haven't found anything good to start on lately. I have shelves of books and sometimes reread them. I just finished "Messy Spiritually". It's about a truthful look at how hard it is to be "real" in the church today.

Mac...sounds like a plan to me. I'm glad to know where you are if I need a plumber! You know you can order longer shirts to cover that problem!

Hey Bambs......I've had a smoke alarm go off on me also. It's nerve-racking. Maybe it was a hidden message!!!! Like from the twilight zone or something!:H Or maybe you just need a new smoke alarm! Get one soon and be safe.

And Allie................my heart just breaks for you and your mom. Like somebody said..there are many new things happening in treatment now........Get her some Boathouse Carrot juice and Magma Plus powder. I'v heard wonderful success stories about it.

Gotta get back to canning butterbeans. I picked and shelled all day yesterday. Today will can them.

Read something on scaredspace.ie/ this morning about a bunch of bridesmaids waiting on the bridegroom and half of them didn't prepare to have extra oil, if he took his time showing up. Been thinking about how to apply that to my life. Thoughts?

Nancy & Belle:l

[southernbelle47]

Friday, September 1st

Hey Pansy.............we were posting at the same time.
Hope you have a good weekend and get all rested for school.

I remember the smell of school!

New crayons and pencils , new notebooks. Oh....and the stuff they use to clean the floor when somebody throws up! It was usually me!:H I still get that feeling when I walk in one!

Nancy:l

[YoungAtHeart]

Friday, September 1st

She's Back

Hello Friends,

I'm awake now, sipping cappucino. Yes, I've been learning how to use the machine--the first couple of times, I have made quite a mess, spraying steamed milk all over the place as the steamer enthusiastically doubled the bulk of the milk I was steaming!

Lou, I'm hoping that you are feeling a little more optimistic this morning, and I hope that the link that Bambs provided proves useful. I'm glad that the Samaritans proved good to talk to, as well. And thank you to everyone who provided support and love to Bambs, as well, and to Chrysa, who visits Absville, for posting over on General Discussion, to widen the search!

My weekend plan is to sew, sew, sew! Now that I know I can sew and enjoy it without alcohol, I'm looking forward to it. Weekends used to be my worst time for abs and the time I was most likely to slip. In fact, I can hear a little voice inside right now saying, "It's Friday Night......" I think a lot of people feel like they're "missing out" on the weekend if they're not "out having fun"! Booze used to = fun for me, but it's been a long time since that was true! But still that little voice inside of me still believes that. But when you are out, it often is really just an illusion. At any rate, if I have any weekend yearnings, I'm just going to pop in here. I have had some incredibly funny sober Friday nights right here on CHAT.

The next several weeks are going to be very busy because once I am done sewing, I move right into lots of cleaning, sorting and throwing out stuff in prep for my sister coming, and then there will be getting her settled in. Being busy is always better for me (unless I'm completely overwhelmed).

Anyway, I'm just watching it rain and waiting for T.S. Ernesto to come. I've put all my plants up against the house and moved the birdfeeders out of the wind and scattered feed on the ground. There are so many birds feeding, it's amazing! It's almost like they know a storm is coming and are getting themselves all filled up, because they know they're going to have to hunker down!! There's an almost grown baby cardinal, too. I know it's a baby because it's not fully red like a male, but doesn't have the orange beak of a female. I think it may be a boy though. He likes to chase away the chickadees! He thinks he's a tough guy!

Bambs, your story about the smoke detector is hysterical! Just drown the darn thing!!

Macks, snuggling up with your wife sounds great! I'd love to have a honey to snuggle with. Oh, and I think that Sir Mackeral has a lovely ring to it. I can snitch one of the sabres that they use for the color guard, and we'll get you all rigged up when you're in charge of Absville in several weeks, okay?

Jenn, if you have trouble going up to 75 mg, try cutting the 25 mg in half (get a good pill splitter) and go up to 67.5 for a week and then up to 75. Either way, good luck. Where are you located that it is dreary?

Anyway, I've gotta run for now, but I'll check in later.

Love to all!
Kathy:h :l

[mikeupnorth]

Friday, September 1st

Day 1

Good morning, neighbors!

I just got back from the realtor's office where I signed all the closing papers on my new home in Abbsville. It's a lovely place on the north side of town. There are plenty of trees and room for a garden next year. The house itself has lots of character but needs a little work (Macks, I may need to call on you for help with the plumbing!). I'm looking forward to renovating my house.... the main areas that need some attention are: health, relationships, self-confidence and self-respect. I know I'm in the right neighborhood, I've found some of the right tools and materials, and by trial and error, have learned what NOT to do.

Here's alcoholic thinking for you. You might remember I mentioned yesterday I had a little airplane bottle of gin? Well I drank it, for the sole purpose of having today (September 1) be Day 1 alcohol free for me. Isn't that silly? I thought it would be an easier date to remember, whenever I am trying to count days, etc. (I must say, though, I drank it very slowly, and very diluted with Gatorade, since I was on a mild painkiller for my tooth already.... didn't want to get too wacked!)

Nancy -- just wanted to thank you for mentioning canning butterbeans. Although I live in Alaska now, I grew up in the South and have vivid and fond memories of summers spent picking, shelling/husking/cleaning/etc vegetables and then helping my grandmother can them. When I close my eyes, I can feel the late summer heat and hear the cicadas as we sat on the porch shelling butterbeans....

Oh! the topic was supposed to be how we are planning to spend the Labor Day weekend. Well I have a lot of housecleaning to do, which I've been putting off. I also bought a very nicely bound new journal last night. I figured I would start keeping track of how I feel beginning with Day 1 of this.... And I am going shopping for a new sofa. (Hmm... I should figure out how many bottles of vodka the sofa is worth.... that way I will know how long it would take to pay for itself in abstinence! Ha!)

Anyway, hope you all have a great Friday out there, wherever you are. And Bambs, watch out for those smoke alarms!

Mike

[gabby]

Friday, September 1st

Hey guys,
In the usual hurry this am cuz I gotta go to work. Kathy I know why your tired. Saw ya up late last night here. Hope ya got some more rest.
Mack, The longer I abstain the more I know we arent missin anything. And its cool how ya can see it for the realness of it. Even with takin the topa and some of the dragginess I feel from that, I feel SO good from not drinking. Its good to concentrate on that feeling instead of what you ae missin out on. And speaking of missin out. Look what you would actually be missin out on...the closeness of being with your wife. When you think back....how much of that did you have when you were drinkin. Or how much do you remember should I say? Probably I'd guess that the closeness between you and she wasnt there...cuz it if was....blahhhh-ik.
Imagine that sober....a drunk person hanging all over you, slobbering with kisses and hugs and wanting to be close, maybe even dissappear to the bedroom? blahh.....ugghh.....eeggg.....quick someone help....chokeing over here.....oh my gosh somebody get me to the emergency room, we have one here in absville dont we? wait...im ok now. whew, But instead, Mack, think about how wonderful and sweet it felt to just enjoy being next to her. Spending time with her just cuz you love her. And you picked her to spend your life with. And have children with. And grow old with. And spending time like that together is how ya make sure not to forget how to communicate with each other. Even if that night ya watched a film and didnt talk. You were close physically and emotionally together. So the next time ya make a Date Night like Jenn and her hubby. And Ya plan dinner and a movie and the next day ya golf together. (good for you two!)
But it isnt all about gettin together with all the gang and drinkin and the same ole same ole. And spendin time with all those guys instead of each other. Drinkin all the way through. Who do ya want in 10 yrs or 15 or 20? The party group? Or your wife? And that goregous family that brings you true joy and happiness. Thats the real good stuff. And that damm alcohol steals it from ya. Takes the good stuff that never comes to ya twice. Anyway I have gotten to long on this subject. Hope this isnt depressing to you all. I'm not. I really hate giving advice. I feel like "who am I to talk" but surly along with all this not drinkin stuff, abs or mods...what ever is right for you but to work on your marriage and make it right up there with number one....you and your spirituality. To make your marriage work, makes your family work. And there is nothing better than that seeing a solid family that is funtional. Cant be dont with alcohol issues.
I really gotta go, Bambs good to see you here. You can do all this too. I know it! Same with Lou Lou. I'm glad your better today. Try to surround yourself with the good samaritan's that helped from last night and the place Bambs knows about. And Bambs....maybe new batteries?
Pansy, Happy day one, glad to have ya here.
And Nancy poo and Belle. I wish I could see your pantry. : ) gabby
Hi to everybody else too. I am embarresed to push submit cuz this is way to long. yikes....I'm not gonna look.

[gabby]

Friday, September 1st

I knew womeone else would be there when I pushed submit and it was mike. Hi Mike. Glad closeing went well.
I did the same thing the night before I knew the next day was gonna be the day that was the first day even tho it wasnt the first day of the month it was the first day for me to start so the night before I did drink. humm. But it wasnt slowly or diluted. It was almost a 12/pk of beer. Oh my gosh. I hate it everytime I hear that. Anyway the good news is that was 87 days ago so that is good. bye everybody. gabbs

[gabby]

Friday, September 1st

Im back...forgot my keys....ok bye. gabby

[YoungAtHeart]

Friday, September 1st

Hi Again!

Hey, Nancy and Pansy, we must have been posting around the same time--sorry I missed you! I'm still grooving on your farm day, Nancy! Although it is true, work on the farm is a week-long affair!

Happy Day 1, Pansy! Welcome back on the Abs Train! Wanna come clean my house?? I'll pay well! I've got some plumbing problems for Macks too!

Has the Welcome Wagon come by yet, Mike? If not, I'm sending a big :welcome: your way! I think keeping a journal is great, and a new couch is also a wonderful thing. I love to keep track of how much $$$ I'm saving by not drinking.

87 days, Gabbs, boy oh boy!!! That's great! Keep on going, girl!! You are an inspiration!

I doubt that this will happen, but I just wanted to let you know that if you don't get a post from me tomorrow, it will only be because the power has gone out. Things aren't bad here at this point at all, but I have heard of outages further south, and the bad weather is moving north. Fortunately, most of our power lines, gas lines, and cable lines are buried underground, so it shouldn't be a problem, but I just thought I'd say something, just in case. Wouldn't want anyone to worry!!!

Love to all,
Kathy:l

[Bambino]

Friday, September 1st

I didn't think about the power lines out there, it's hard to grasp the enormity of a hurricane when you live in the UK, until you see the TV reports.
Hope we don't lose touch with you guys, it's all wery well saying don't worry, but it's hard not to . Keep Safe.
I'm not quite sure where you are all situated but I hope that you are all Safe and Well.

You will be in my thoughts:l

And for Becca's safe journey X

(I've probably posted this on the wrong forum - but just thought it followed on from Kathy's post)

[dieann]

Friday, September 1st

Evidence of Change and Day, um, 6?

I was thinking today that I don't know how my boyfriend drinks Miller Lite like he does (6-12/day), how gross that is. And then I realized that I used to do that all the time!