Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

[dill]

Hello Awesome Ones! It looks kind of like week 2 went ahead and started without us!:H Where does the time go?

Papmom I am so sorry to hear about your dear doggie.:l I hope for the best possible outcome.

Chill, we need more details on your new love interest! I am so happy for you right now. Thank God or the Universe or whatever you believe in, that you got the sense and the strength to be AF!

SD, I am dreading the 20th. I know exactly what you mean about the anxiety level. It has me worried, to be honest.

Kradle, Scottish Lass and Wagoneer, hope you are all still with us, just quiet.

IMT, Lav, LBH, nellie, Star, Rusty, Rustop, G, Cyn, anyone I may have missed, Have an awesome af Thursday!

[Lavande]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Good morning Awesome Ones!

Is it really week 2? I suppose so, geez.
Thanks for remembering that Dill
Is there something definitive you can do to ward off the beginning of the school year blues? I've known a few teachers in my time, they seemed to suffer a lot of anxiety before returning to school each year. Maybe I was better off working year round & just didn't appreciate it at the time

Papmom, sorry about your doggie. All living things are susceptible to organ failure, sooner or later. Just give him a lot of love in the time he has left. He may very well have a few good years to enjoy.

Well i am on babysitting duty & i hear the youngest waking up so i'll go get him
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Thursday!
Lav
(excuse the iPad typos)

[rustop59]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Hi everyone

Thanks for starting us off Dill, the weeks are flying. I am going on the cruise this day week and cannot wait

I too am using the iPad Lav so like you could have typos.

Papmom, lots of good advice from Nurse Lav, hang in there. Our JR lived 7 years longer than expected.

Everyone else big hello.

Rustop

[dill]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Hi Rustop! I'm sure you'll have a lovely time on your cruise. I'm jealous!

Lav, What worries me is being back at work on a daily basis and how that will affect my af goal. Work is a huge trigger for me. I find that at the end of the work day I am often so stressed out that I may slip. That's what worries me. That is the major cause for my anxiety. Summer's pace is so relaxed and I do what I want when I want. I have more control. That all goes out the window when I go back to work.

[ladybirdheart]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Bon Voyage, Rustop!!! So sorry your little LM has a serious medical condition, Pap. Like Rustop, I had a kitty who lived years (and years) beyond his expiration date so who knows. Sometimes I can be philosophical and accepting of the fragility and impermanence of all living things, do what I can to help, and just be courageous in my loving, and other times I feel as though loss and suffering, even anticipated, is more than I can bear to see. It is something we all will share with each other when it comes, no conscious being escapes. I also really feel for you SD and Dill with your anticipatory work anxiety. While like Lav I never had summer breaks, I had mini doses on weekends and shorter vacations. My workplace had four day weeks and I think I was the ONLY person who never took three day weekends, I always took Wednesdays off, just trying to keep enough balance and my influence on hand in difficult situations (that control thing again). I am glad I stuck it out in any case as being retired is like a f-ing miracle that just keeps unfolding. Dill, one of the best things I learned while still working came from making it through the WORST day on my job and not drinking. It was a real turning point. I realized that nothing and nobody, no feelings, no events, no horrors can make me drink. I honestly did not know that. Greetings all you sweet people, you know who you are. Best go now, I am still not much for sitting in this chair. Love, Ladybird.

[dill]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Dill, one of the best things I learned while still working came from making it through the WORST day on my job and not drinking. It was a real turning point. I realized that nothing and nobody, no feelings, no events, no horrors can make me drink.

That is a powerful statement and I have been mulling it over. I know you are right. Thank you for reminding me. :l I think I remember that day. It was a seminal moment for you and you shared it with us on the thread, or maybe me in a PM, I'm not sure which.

[Jolie]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Dill - totally agree with LBH - such a powerful statement. Easy to let the stress of work wear us down but when you get through that one bad day and don't reach for the drink, it makes you feel like your on top of the world!

PM - sorry about your doggie but like others said - they can surprise you and hope yours will be with you for years to come.

Rustop - JEALOUS! Happy cruising!

Lav - hearing the rumbling of thunder this morning. Of course the one day I take off to try and go to the pool and it's going to rain - rain - rain. I know we need it but sheesh! Bought a new bathing suit about 2 months ago and just wanted to try it out once before the end of the season.

I guess I never really thought about how stressful it is for teachers to to return to the classroom too! Just remember as a kid how nervous I always was before that first day. Dill - sending you strengthening vibes - you will be fine!

Okay - have a doctors appointment this morning but first off to do some yoga. Really liking it and thinking of signing up somewhere instead of doing it in my living room in front of the tv:H:H

Have a great AF day everyone!

[itsmytime]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Happy Friday All,

Quick check in before work, feeling better after an anxiety filled week but really didn't crave alcohol. The only thoughts were that it would make the anxiety go away, but I got through it and feel so much better today.

Meditated this morning and getting back to my healthy eating and exercise after allowing myself to induldge in whatever I wanted these first weeks.

Day 26 and happy to be sober.

[Chillgirl]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Good Morning from a gloriously sunny UK

Papmom - :l My shoulders Im told are very broad so you can borrow one anytime my friend. So sorry about LM but wonderful that he's looking good and not showing signs of suffering. Animals have an amazing way of rallying, I think its because unlike humans they arent told the prognosis.

Dill - I really feel for you and the anxiety of going back to work. For years I used to drink excessively on a Sunday just at the thought of work and of course all it meant was Monday was ten times more awful faced with a hangover. LBH's words were wonderful, its these victories that we build our strength on.

Jolie - Its a good discipline to do the yoga at home, I always get distracted half way through and never complete a session unless I go to a class.

Im leaving tomorrow for a week in a beautiful cottage in the Cotswolds with my Parents. I will have my dongle with me so will still be checking in. Everything is still up in the air re my possibly new home as the Landlord is away until next Wednesday which is so frustrating. However, I have filled out the paperwork and can pay the deposit on the phone if it is agreed. My new "friend" couldnt wait till next week to see me and is driving the 3 hours just to spend this evening with me which is kinda nice...

Wishing you all a wonderful AF Friday!

[Lavande]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Good morning friends

Sitting here with my coffee, my laptop & not really feeling like pushing myself this morning.
Jolie, I hear the thunder rumbling too. Definitely looks like a stormy day on hand.
Hold on to that bathing suit

LBH, I am eternally grateful that we have finally realized that drinking is always our choice & firm in our commitments to Just Say NO!

Dill, let's work on finding the perfect AL replacement for you after work. I'm thinking punching bag, something to that effect :H
Seriously though, I imagine tackling that after work stressed out feeling with either a mediation & cup of chamomile tea or possibly an exercise routine to take your mind off work stuff. I keep a bottle of an OTC herbal product called Seredyn on hand to use if/when I find myself feeling overwhelmed. It works quickly & definitely is not sedating ~ just kind of helps you 'cool your tools'.
I don't use it much but it has been a good tool for me. Immediate Anxiety Relief - Natural Anxiety Remedy - SEREDYN

Rustop, can't wait to hear about your vacation ~ I am jealous!

IMT, 26 AF days = awesome! Great work!!! So happy you are on this ride with us

Chill, I hope you have a terrific vacation too!
Hope all your plans & dreams come through for you.

My trip to Curves this morning is not looking likely, think I'll refill my coffee cup!
Have a great day one & all.

Lav

[ladybirdheart]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Good going IMT. Whenever I am anxious and stressed the first thing that comes to mind for me is usually alcohol (surprise) but if I take a few deep breaths and change the subject in my mind especially by doing something (anything, just some practical task) it helps me move through it. Dill, I think what wise Lav said about finding something to buffer yourself at the end of the work day, or any hard day, is critical for all of us. Anything that is not associated or is preferably even incompatible with drinking?exercise, a class or meeting, a scenic drive, an early movie out, a nap or rest before dinner. Something very different from whatever we usually do. I used to think I drank because of stress, I drank to wind down, to make a transition, I drank because I just enjoyed the feeling, whatever, but after many starts and stops it is really clear that if I drink it?s simply because I am addicted to alcohol, something that is terrible for me. If we have to change our daily lives to stop using it, actually it would be better to say if we GET to change our daily lives, that seems like an awfully good thing. Hi Jolie (our yoga pretzel princess), Rustop (sail away), Chill (happy little cottage), Star (I love your questions, keeps me thinking), Rusty (can I be your cousin?) Pappy (administrator and dog angel) et. al. Love, Ladybird.

[dill]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Very well done, IMT! So glad you are here. Your determination is infectious!

Thank you Chill, Lav, Jolie and LBH for your suggestions and words of encouragement and support. I appreciate your link, Lav. I don't know if I'll get Seredyn right away, but I shall save the link. I did decide to buy something that helped me in the past called Nerve Tonic by Hyland's. They are the ones that make Calmes Forte. Calmes helps me unwind in the evening and become more relaxed for sleep. The Nerve Tonic is supposed to be safe to use during the day.

I used to think I drank because of stress, I drank to wind down, to make a transition, I drank because I just enjoyed the feeling, whatever, but after many starts and stops it is really clear that if I drink it’s simply because I am addicted to alcohol, something that is terrible for me.

:agreed:Yes, we did drink for all those various reasons, but the dependence developed as a result, and over time moved into a full-blown addiction. I think it's hard for all of us to give up alcohol if we are dependent on it, or alcoholic, but I personally think it is harder for those of us who were habitual daily drinkers. The loss of control snuck up on us over time but the daily ritual that was once harmless was a long-ingrained habit which made it even harder to quit.

It can be done though.:boxer:

[ladybirdheart]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Agreed Dill. For me the dependency also developed over time, very subtly, insidiously, no drama, and it is psychologically with me to the bone, a ritual of many years, very hard to give up without a fuss. But possible, at least according to Lav. Love, Ladybird.

[papmom3]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Greetings my lovely August friends. Thank you all for the support and kind words. It is what it is and the important thing is that LM is NOT suffering or in pain at the moment and is still the bouncy, loud, impish little sweetheart he has always been.

Chill-have a great wonderful time with your folks in the Cotswolds. Do you get to bring Elle with you? Hope you have a wonderful evening with your new man as well.

Dill-my remedy to break the cycle of "leave work, stop at the packie, drink till I pass out" was to stop at the mall every nite or do my errands after work instead of on weekends. I made sure I didn't get home until well after 7pm and ate something while I was out. It wasn't the most healthy thing to do either financially or nutritionally-exercise like walking the dogs would have been better-but if I went home first i knew I would cave. I had to break the cycle. It definitely worked but it was very expensive. So my trigger wasn't a bad day or getting through the day although that's what I told myself, it was going straight home after work. I hope you can find an alternate activity to do after school gets out that will get you through your trigger time and help you break the cycle once school starts. :l

Great job IMT!! you are rocking it!!

Lav-I'll have to order more Amoryn and some of that Seredyn for when the panic sets in as it has more frequently lately. Right now tho, I can't spend any extra money as once again I found myself overdrawn when 2 bills I forgot about that were also double the amount they usually are were automatically paid. Might have to think about that auto payment thing. And also a better way to keep track. Sigh.

LBH-I see such growth in you these past months. I'm so proud of you!! As always I love your prose and eagarly look for your posts.

Rustop-have you set sail?

Jolie-glad you like yoga-I want to like it, but just can't feel comfortable when I do it. Maybe I'll give it a whirl again when the semester starts up in Sept. They offer a wonderful, cheap fitness plan at school-unlimited use of the gym, pilates, yoga, zumba, spinning etc all for about $40 for the whole 15 weeks. I'll see what fits into my schedule best.

It started to downpour torrentially around 3:30 this afternoon and hasn't let up yet. Pups stayed out a total of 2 min :H. We have a tornado watch until 9pm as well.

[Lavande]

Awesome August Abstainers ~ week 2

Papmom, I decided a long time ago to forgo automatic payments. I depend on pension payments to be deposited on time & if they are ever late there could be big trouble :H

Like Dill mentioned, I think the Hylands products are pretty similar, effective & kinder on the wallet. I like to have a little something on hand, you never know if/when you are going to need a little herbal help
I just signed another one year contract for Curves. I like it & I am willing to go so why not? Right? Besides, my egg customers depend on me :H

No rain at the moment but it may be back. I heard on the news that the rainfall total is stilll 7" short in this area. Hope you didn't see any tornados.

Good night all!