Tuesday, September 5th

[gabby]

Well anther great morning here in absville with all of our wonderful friends. It was great having a party at Mikes house yesterday and getting to visit with everyone a bit more.

Lou I love it how you called your old friend that you had lost contact with and made amends. It reminded me Lou how important is not to over look the value of friendship. How easy it is to neglect our friends.

Friends are a joy. Adult friendships can be a good place for us to learn to have fun and appriciate how much fun we can have with a friend.

Friends can be a comfort. Who knows us better, or is more able to give us support, than a good friend? A friendship is a comfortable place to be ourselves. Often, our choice of friends will reflect the issues we're working on. Giving and receiving support will help both people grow. Some friendships wax and wane, going through cycles throughout the years. Some trail off when one person out-grows the other. Certainly, we will have trials and tests in friendships and at times be called on to practice our recovery behaviors,
But some friendships will last a lifetime. There are special love relationships, and there are friendships. Sometimes, our friendships -- especially our recovery friendships -- can be special love relationships too.

I just want to tell you all that all of your have become a special friend to me. Truthfully, I mean that. Being here at MWO has been a turning point for me. And I can never forget the bond that I feel in my heart with you all. This is a recovery time for me not only in my addiction of alcohol, but also in my recovery and healing time of my divorce. I can not express how much it has ment for me to have this board and you all in my life.

So for today...I will especially enjoy reaching out to you all....my friends. And I will let myself enjoy the comfort and joy you all have to bring back to me.
Thanks for listening. Big smiles and hugs to you all. Gabby

[Lou]

Tuesday, September 5th

Mornin all

Hey There up bright an early to go the docs this morning :-(...Hope it goes ok.

Will fillyou all in later

Lou-Lou x x

[Bambino]

Tuesday, September 5th

Good Morning

Gosh and Darn it - Missed out on my prezzie again !!!!

I think Lou's should be an industrial sized pot of Cerise Pink Paint for her house .

I think Kathy's bubble must have broken down on the motorway to collect us - never mind, we were there in spirit, and could imagine the taste of all the goodies that you had in your magnificent feast.

A quickie for me this morn ( is that gasps of shock I hear ! )

Need to go food shopping because our house is like Old Mother Hubbard's.

I like to go on my own, otherwise Lee fills the trolley up with cakes and biccies - NOT GOOD. So LOTS of veggies, veggies and more veggies ( and fruit too of course ) .

Made the decision to start my 25mg of TOPA last night. Feelin good, so stick with that for a bit...
See I'm waffling again.
Right going now
Check in later all you guys in Absville
And you're right about friends Gabbs - i reckon I need to make a few calls to friends I've forsaken for my OLD friend wine.

Love you all

xxxxx

[Bambino]

Tuesday, September 5th

Sorry me again
Just read a post from goingsobermom with regards to a question about TOPA and pregnancy, and It has scared me... so actually - I will stop the TOPA..... On Kudzu and L Glut, so hopefully they will be enough.

Thanks for that Sobermom
xxxx

[pansy]

Tuesday, September 5th

September 5

Morning everyone,

Well Day 5 in absville is looking pretty good. I've made it past the usually tough days 3 and 4, so it seems like fairly smooth sailing for the rest of the work week. On Friday, it will be 8 days .... just like that. It has been awhile since I've done a whole week. Granted, for most of the summer I was only imbibing once or twice a week, but I still like it better in absville.


This is a quickie for me too, bambs. I need to get bottom off chair and get it into the shower, dressed, and off to work.


See you all later, and have a good day on the abstrain ...

Pansy

[cv1]

Tuesday, September 5th

Morning absville, glad to see everyone is doing well.

I've been lurking, etc, but I won't be checking in daily with my cleanse because I'm focusing on that, and of course, abstinence is part of it, but only part. The cleanse can really release some raw emotions so I'm avoiding all kinds of stressors, etc and am just going into a hibernation mode with my animals for the duration.

The cleanse is 30 days so I'll pop in occasionally but, as in any new regimen, the first few days are critical to "getting in the zone".

So glad to see that you are all partying and painting as well...just when I'm cleansing ;-).

Anyway, stay on point and have a wonderful, stress free day.

[happycamper68]

Tuesday, September 5th

Day 2 for me

HI all,

I am cleansing as well but I don't think I am doing CV's cleanse! Just ridding my body of all this booze. I woke up today feeling pretty damn good.

I, like Gabby really very grateful for everyone on the site. They have gotten me through some hard times when was daughter was diagnosed with autism and through some pretty bad fights with hubby. You really get to know who your real friends are when a tragedy strikes your family in this manner and I've gotten more support from some of you than I have gotten from my "real" friends, whom I have chosen to remove from my life. I have also also decided to estrange myself from my dad once again who is just poison to me, and not get so wrapped up in other people's problems, which so many of do, in order to avoid our own crap, so in a way I guess I am cleansing in many ways!

Ayway it was nice way nice to wake up today feeling more refreshing although I do have a nagging headache!!

Thanks all and have a good day in Absville! Camper

[happycamper68]

Tuesday, September 5th

Wait Bambi are you with child????? Are are you trying to be???

[happycamper68]

Tuesday, September 5th

Nevermind- I just read your other posts!
Good luck and I agree with staying off the topa- you've come this far already and once that little one is in your tummy you won't want to screw it up after all this time. Good luck! Camper

[YoungAtHeart]

Tuesday, September 5th

Boy, you gotta get up pretty early around here to be the 2nd to post!! I doubt I'm gonna get any prizes unless I stay up late and post at 1 am EDT!

Another crazy busy day for me here. I'm looking forward to things getting a little less busy for me here. I don't like feeling so wound up! Anyway, everyone, please know that I am thinking about you, even if my posts are short and impersonal for the time being!

Anyone can borrow my bubble anytime--just wish really hard and use your imagination! It can take you wherever you want to go and be as big as you need it to be!

Love,
Kathy:h

[Bambino]

Tuesday, September 5th

Hiya Camper - Glad you are feelin good today ( apart from headache ).

We are on the top of the waiting list for IVF, and have been since may. You get 2 'free' attempts on the health service here, so I have been putting it off until I have cleansed my body to give it a fighting chance of working. Been on the list for 8 years, so I don't want to ruin it by not abstaining for long enough, or taking TOPA, which I have read conflicting accounts that can harm an unborn baby ( should we conceive. ) Fingers Crossed for us XXX.
I have started a thread on Gen Discussion yesterday to ask for advice and got some good answers. Take a look.

It's Day 7 for me - hooray - a milestone ! i want to wait for another month or two before I contact the hospital , because once i do that - it's all systems GO. Egg extraction etc - sounds yummy !!!! Dreading it - the procedure, and also the success rate isn't phenomenal - about 1 in 3... so I also want to be in a place where i do not need to fall back into the bottle to console myself should it be a failure :upset:

So there you go.

I'm just about to varnish the banister on the staircase. and took the lid off the tin about half an hour ago while I had a sandwich... I feel a bit out of it now with the fumes !!! - wahey !!!

Spk soon
:h :l :h

[Bambino]

Tuesday, September 5th

Camps.....
NOW you tell me you read it after I've waffled on and on and on - no change there then :H

[Guest]

Tuesday, September 5th

Camper,
Hope I can call you Happy in the next day or two. Glad you are feeling better this morning!

Kids are back to school this morning in an hour. Full day schedule resumes. Yeah!

Bought Naked Juice "green machine" juice. Whipped it up with the All One in my brand new Magic bullet. I finally don't notice the All One. Really!! So relieved to find something to do with that huge canister of the stuff.

Glad things are going so well Pansy. It hasn't been a breeze for me, but I know it will be worth it in the long run.
Bambs...keeping you in my prayers.
Nice chatting with SO many yesterday. Started out with many old timers (Mike, Mack, Camper, and more). Then was in chat with 5 newbies all at the same time. It was refreshing and a joy to impart my enthusiasm about MWO.
Have some major employment issues going on at my house. Both my husband and I are in transition and trying to make good decisions. I hate making big decisions and I hate change. Hoping all works out.
Have a tame Tuesday everyone! Day 8 today-Gina

[gabby]

Tuesday, September 5th

Good morning again guys,

Oh Boy! Lou Lou is the Early Bird Winner Today!!!! Bambs is part right. It is the pot of pink paint, but also our decoration team once again Susan and Kathy are gonna give the inside of Lou's place a total make over. How much fun is that? And good luck at the docs. Let us know as soon as ya get back. Congrat's Lou!
Don't worry Bambi Sparks . I know your gonna get it one morning. All this electrical work you have been puttin in here in Absville is gonna pay off. Plus I have noticed a lot of recovery support on the boards. Again....its the friends in our recovery that can become so meaningful. Love to see it. Happy day 7 for you! Your long term reward for staying abs I'm sure could be a cute little bambino. Oh I cant wait!

Pansy and Mike, Happy Day 5. Now heres a short term reward that will turn into a long term reward before ya know it. Two new buds with a growing friendship in recovery, short term reward, with the same number of days in common soon to be added up into more and more days, turning into longer term rewards, with a better friendship in recovery! (geeze...I'm such a dork)
Anyway moving on.....

cv1...good to see you! Did you see the early bird prize? Oh...could you get here first one morning? I have the perfect thing for you. Glad you got your cleanse stuff. I know you have been waiting anxiously. Dont stay in your hibernation cave to long. We'll miss you.

Happy.....Happy day 2 for you. Good cleansing for you too. For me....I just love the way I sleep without beer. Its like real sleep...instead of beer sleep. I know all of you know what I'm sayin.
And as far as the friends on and off this site, that's what I mean by my recovery friends. And some of the real friends as you said, (giggling over here) boy arent some of those some of the scariest ones? I will say in the past few years of my life...here a grown woman, at the wonder age of 45, I have had some hard reminders of choosing friends. It never goes away really. In the respect of high school days are never over. People can sneak into your life that can really bring you down, and straight up just arent good for you. Just like the kids...at times we gotta ask ourselves, is this person is good for me or not? If not...it is our responsibility to provide distance between us for safety. And who knows, maybe it even could be a family member. Which all the more complicates it all. This is just my opinion anyway.

Kath, We know your there. Glad you are gettin some catchin up done. Just pop in when ya can. And be sure to take a rest too!


Gina, Happy day 8! Sounds like things are feeling a little uncertain right now. Change is hard and can be scary too. But without change....there wouldnt be growth...right? I know for me its so easy to get locked on to one track. But then....there are so many things I realize later...of course that I have overlooked. Other times....when I just take a chance...and go with it and be willing to explore the path that is less predictable, I am amazed at the opportunitities that I would have never seen otherwise. Kinda like so busy looking for the red that ya cant see blue and the blue is pretty dang good! hummm.....ya.

Anyway hope ya all have a great day and I'll be back to check in later--for the later check-ins. (lol) lots of love, gabbs

[mikeupnorth]

Tuesday, September 5th

Morning Abber-Dabbers,

Gabby, I love your posts. You crack me up and inspire me at the same time. What a great combination!

And while I'm thinking about it, Bambs, have you checked into Campral (Acamprosate)? It also works well for abstinence, and it may be safer for pregnancy than topa. I have no idea -- just a thought.

Kathy, I don't think there is any reason for you to "tone down" the color of your house in Abbsville.... like Gina, I LOATHE the idea of homeowners' associations, so turqouise it shall be!

Friends. Right. Good theme for the day. I've lived all over the country, so most of my friends are scattered in other places. That means I have high long-distance bills and I also have places to stay when I travel. But something strange happened when I moved back here 3 and 1/2 years ago. I have made one good friend and that's it. I'm grateful that I have him in my life but I've really isolated myself -- I haven't even made "drinking buddies" because I did my drinking at home alone (while on the phone with friends in other places!). Luckily my one friend here doesn't drink, and is very supportive of my recovery. And I'm thinking of ways that I can get more connected with people in positive ways. For instance, I'm starting with an adult discussion/Sunday school group at church.... hopefully that will be a good way to get to know some people.

I believe that alcohol has a way of stunting our ability to make true friendships. Of course it makes us feel that we're being more sociable -- we become more talkative, sometimes to the point of saying things we shouldn't, or talking one inch from someone's face! But it's a false sense of friendliness, of sociability, of intimacy that it gives us. Over time, we lose the ability to have those interactions without alcohol. We lose faith in ourselves and become uncomfortable with other people unless we've had a drink or two (or five). So I guess that's where I'm at. I have to learn all over again how to interact with people socially, and how to make friends, without alcohol to release my inhibitions and to remove the social anxiety that I have. But once I work through that, I will know that the relationships are based on true connections, true feelings, rather than the workings of alcohol on my brain.

OK then. Plenty of food for thought. Now it's time for food for the body. Hope you all have a great day!

Mike