Anyone in the First Week of Their Unpteenth Quit?

[Lola01]

Wow ginger..that is so impressive. Good for you and you sound great. Congrats girl! Rough day today but staying dry like the desert. I just realized what PM means...I'm not a blogger in any other aspect of my life so I'm riding the learning curve here...I'll try to figure out how to do that.
Also, I'm the same way...before last week, I just did many of things I had to do hungover...ya know..it's nice not doing that isn't it??? Still, today I had some boozy thoughts....I like your dog with a bone analogy. Feeling similarly...stay strong!

[Chief]

Hi Lola, and Welcome to MWO. Keep reading and posting and keep yourself busy. Exercise really does help you both physically and mentally. I've been AF since May 19th and I just love it. That monkey is off my back and I don't ever want to go back. You're doing great and you will start feeling a lot better very soon. Just keep it going and get in the mindset that you are not depriving yourself of a damn thing by not drinking. In fact, you are finally treating your body with the respect it deserves instead of ingesting toxins into it everyday. Your mind and body are now cleansing to get rid of the poisons you've been pouring in for years. You'll be amazed at how much better you will continue to feel and how much clearer you will think as time goes by.

Learn to recognize your "drinking brain" when it puts thoughts of drinking into your mind. That is not the "real you"....that's your "Beast" trying to get you to "just have one". There is no such thing as "just one".

Drink lots of water and eat fruits and fresh veggies. Take a vitamin supplement if you don't already. Do some form of exercise every day. I either run or swim. It really makes a difference.....

Just take it one day at a time. All you have to do is not drink today. That's all....just today. Then get up and do it again.

It is so worth it. Keep checking in with us and enjoy your AFness!

Don

[Ginger999]

Chief! Always such good advice. Thanks....

[Chief]

Hi Ginger....glad you're doing good. I've been working outside, too, getting ready for winter. The leaves are starting to fall and the air is crisp. I like this time of year but I know what's coming and I'm not quite ready for that yet.

SS, Ori, Lizann? Check in with us please!

[Ginger999]

Chief, We love the fall so much. I love to hike so fall is just a great time to do that. Like you said....cool and crisp. The trip we just took to Sisters, OR was just plan perfect! When my kids were young I loved winter because we skied. We don't do that anymore so now we head south. This year we will leave the day after Christmas and come back the end of March. Checking out several places this time around. So. Cal, east of Mesa, AZ then back to Lake Mead (my personal fav). I highly recommend snowbirding, if you can pull it off!

Got my grapes all pruned. What a job!! Should finish up the rest of the prunning today.

Hope everyone has a great day and enjoy your AFness!

[Chief]

Typical crazy fall weather here. This morning there was a pretty heavy frost and tomorrow it's suppose to be 75! Hope everyone is either enjoying your AFness or at least thinking of a way to get mad enough to stop the madness and step out of the ring and quit fighting "The Beast". If you never step into the ring he can't touch you.....

Don

[Ginger999]

Chief, as always thanks for being "real". Saw your post on the blog site.

[Lola01]

Ah....awakening again another day AF! Thank you ginger and chief for the wise words and encouragement. Last night I worked late and was all on my own...husband and kids out of town and didn't have to work today so it would usually be a perfect storm for getting my drink on. I didn't go there and now haven't touched booze in 10 days and I'm feeling the fog start to lift. There is something about my psychology that tends toward the self destructive and it feels strange to be making such healthy choices ..but it feels great...I still have intrusive thoughts about booze during the day sometimes...wonder if that is just oar for the course now.
Will hop on my eliptical and get my blood pressure up up...also going to break out some vitamins.....thank you thank you!!!!
Oh..also loving the crisp weather here :thanks:

[Ginger999]

Lola, Ten days is great! You are well on your way. Drinking thoughts are par for the course that's for sure. We've spent years putting poison in our bodies and the "beast" doesn't like to lose that. Like I said earlier, at 145 days I really hit a rough patch but thanks to MWO and Chief, I got past it. One thing I found while connecting here is I can't get too wrapped up in someone else's quit. I have to own my quit. I had a couple of "quit" sisters that slipped around that time and I almost joined them. I thought, what the heck they did maybe I should too, just once. That's the craziest thought EVER!! I mean, we are all here for the same reason and that's to get AL out of our lives for good. Own your quit, do it for you and the rest falls into place. I'm so glad you enjoyed your alone time AF. That's huge too. I used to do the same thing. If hubs was away, it was game ON! Never a good next morning.

Somethings to take note of.... You may start to get headaches (hope not but..). If you do, make sure to get some Chelated Magnesium and start taking it. I got really bad headaches (normal) and taking the magnesium really helped. Also, you may start to crave surgar. That's normal too. Your body has been getting loads of sugar from the alcohol so not only were you addicted to AL you are also silently addicted to sugar. If the sugar cravings start, get some L-Glutamine. It really helps. If anything elses pops up come here and post it. I was so surprised at all the side affects people experienced when they quit. It's due to the ethenol leaving your body. I have a couple of really good links from a member that I'll try and find and share here. Alcohol is poison to the human body and once you can accept that avoiding it becomes much easier! Stay close....glad you are here!

Chief, I have my four year old granddaughter today. Good times....

[Ginger999]

Lola,
This is one of the sites I was talking about. http://www.alternatives-for-alcoholi...lcoholism.html. The entire site is really good but I found this page particularly interesting. I rarely ate sugar before I quit AL and was at a loss as to why I suddenly was craving it so badly. This information really shed light on what was going on chemically with my body! There is lots more valuable info over in the tool box, if you get time to go looking!

[Lola01]

CooL! I am going to check out that link for sure. This is the rough time for me..two measly hours of the day. If I can make it from 4-6 PM I'm fine. It's 5:51 right now! Think I made another day. Needed to log on to WMO and was so happy to see your correspondence. Gives me strength!!! When I think about drinking, I mean wine really (that's my poison) it kind of makes me sick but I still miss it. So strange but I know people here understand what I'm experiencing so I guess it doesn't require any more explanation. I just wish I could stop with the intrusive booze thoughts but maybe this is part of the process and I just need to get used to having these thoughts and them letting them go the same way they came...ah...heavy sigh. Love the advice about owning your quit. This is my third time trying to really quit and I've never gone this long before so time to take stock of small success thus far and soldier on...what really helps is taking the long view..even if it is just thinking about how much happier I'll be tomorrow AM AF once again. You are priceless ginger...thank you and thank you WMO!
Going to get the kids and have some Halloween fun (ghosting people tonight). I so much rather be sober with them then drinking!!
Here's to you! (Raising my glass of OJ!)....
:sohappy:

[Ginger999]

I'm with you on that time zone. I was exactly the same way. Those two hours could be brutal. I'm so happy you made this choice while your kids are young enough to really enjoy their AF Mom. Unfortunately, I didn't and I look back with sadness about that. The worst choices I made in my life, I made while drinking. But....I'm being a sober grandma now and that's the best I can do. Can't turn back the clock but if I could, I would! Enjoy your time with you kids! Stay close.

Ginger

[Chief]

Lola you're doing great! We all have those drinking thoughts but they do get less frequent and not as intense as we continue to add up the AF days. When I get them now I immediately recognize them as a futile attempt by Beast to get me to consider taking a drink. The key is to counter those thoughts immediately with the knowledge that if you take a drink there will be NOTHING good about it. I always play it out in my mind......I will take that first drink and within minutes I will regret it and become mad at myself for caving in. I will feel guilty, ashamed, and weak. I will hate the taste of it and the feeling of not being in control. I think about the mornings with the hangover, the smell and taste of stale alcohol on me, the bloodshot eyes, the poor complexion.....aren't these all the wonderful benefits of drinking?

I think one of the keys to success is to truly understand and believe that if we do not drink we are not depriving ourselves of anything. Look at alcohol as a poison in your body. If someone were to offer you heroin would you consider taking it? How about a cigarette, assuming you don't smoke? You wouldn't even consider it. That wouldn't even be on the table. Alcohol is no different. We just have to retrain our brain to put it in the category it belongs in. It takes time because we've been fooling ourselves for decades into thinking there's something romantic, relaxing, deserving about ingesting alcohol into our bodies.

I'm so glad you're doing well and exploring the very real possibility that you can live a happier, healthier life and all you have to do is give up one little thing. All we have to do is stop bullshitting ourselves....

Ginger, you're great and you give wonderful insight and advice. We're doing this....:thumbsup:


Don

[Lola01]

Thank ginger and chief (again). You two are awesome...as I type, I am at one of my favorite cantinas. This lime mint aid is totally hitting the spot! So much like a margarita and chalk full of simple syrups I'm sure but not a drop of the evil stuff. You're right chief...gotta keep the attitude straight...I'm not missing out...I'm not missing out..need to keep repeating that...maybe it's my new mantra. Thanks for the reminder about little ones ginger..gotta keep my eye on the prize!
Ah...looking forward to tomorrow. I hope you are having a wonderful day!
With tremendous gratitude,
L

[Ginger999]

Hi Lola! How did the rest of your day go?