~cattleman cafe~ & another 24...

[abcowboy]

5:16am in Alberta, another 24 please, and thanks...

In the last 24 hours, these friends have joined in for 24 hours of wellness:
Jude58 Rava Ginger999 dill Mulburry

Today is going to be a darn good day not to drink!

[abcowboy]

Good job Mulburry on not caving to the craving. I think the shorter days might have a lot to do with our moods through the winter.

We do have a snowblower Jude, I usually use it on the heavier snow. This snow was light and fluffy so not too hard to deal with.

In Alberta you can only buy booze from a liquor store. That may change in the years ahead, but for now it's nice to go grocery shopping without having to see the wine and beer every time you do go into a store.

[Rava]

Good morning Cafe. Ginger, that is what Florida is like. Wine and beer everywhere. Free wine tasting right in the store too. UGH. I try to avoid that aisle. Even Walmart has booze. Crazy. I don’t even go to Costco because those people shopping are crazy. They are aggressive and rude. I seem to have to fight the urge on a daily basis. Mul, glad you got thru those cravings. I am already worried about Thanksgiving. It’s gonna be a tough day. Our neighbors where we are going are wine experts. I was always drink the wine out of the box kinda person. Maybe i will just bring my own Diet Coke and drink it from a fancy wine glass. That has worked for me in the past. Cowboy, you must be in great shape with all that shoveling. Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday. 24 more please..

[Ginger999]

Cowboy, you're the longest sober. Question, do those niggling thoughts popping up now and then, ever go away? Struggling over here but holding my ground. This is a war I never knew I'd have to fight when I picked up my first drink years ago.

Night before last, Cyrus snuck out around bed time when I went to the shed. I had no idea until I couldn't find him the next morning. I could hear a faint meow so we went searching all the cupboards never thinking he'd be outside. I finally opened the front door and he flew in! It is a miracle he made it through the night. Our next door neighbor said he went out around 830p and shewed off a coyote lurking around our place. I'm not sure where Cyrus spent the night but he didn't sleep because he literally slept all day yesterday. He dodged a bullet. We'd have never known what happened to him, if it had gone differently. Counting my kitty blessings!

I'll take another day!

[dill]

Oh my goodness, Ginger! So glad Cyrus is ok! We have roving bands of coyotes here as well and the sounds they make in the middle of the night are really scary! You are so right about not knowing what a battle you were choosing when you took that first drink. None of us did. I do wish wine and beer was not sold at the grocery. That would make life a little easier. But that bell will not be unrung in our lifetimes.

Rava, my daughter is a wine aficionado and often conducts tastings. I myself am a box wine sort. I long ago gave up the pretense that I was drinking for the taste... I bet a fancy glass will help you get through. It couldn't hurt.

Mul, so sorry you are struggling right now too. But hang in there! You'll be glad you did. I regret the thousands of times I didn't. I wonder if "thousands" is an exaggeration. I don't think so. Not today.

Cowboy you keep on keeping those paths clear of snow! You seemed to be a good one for clearing the way for others....

Jude, those down days come and go, thankfully. At least they are not half as bad sober as they are in the aftermath of a binge, IMO.

Computer issues are resolved. I can check in at my leisure, and start on my Christmas shopping, too!

24 more for all of us here, please and thank you.

[Jude58]

Yep, those cravings are real, especially during the holidays. It's then that I begin to feel sorry for myself because I can't drink like "normal" people. A good dose of gratitude goes a long way towards making me feel a little better.

The grocery stores around here just sell beer and a few bottles of very cheap wine. You have to go to a liquor store to get the hard stuff and a good selection of wines. Boxed wine was always my go to for a cheap drunk. I always had to keep a spare box on hand in case I ever ran out. Uggh...don't miss those days.

24 more please...

[dill]

Jude, you sound like my twin. However, I never could keep a box on hand in case I ever ran out. That is because that extra box simply could not be ignored and would always be tapped before I "needed" it.

Some days it is harder than others to find that feeling of gratitude. But it is worth the chase.

24 more for all of us here, please and thank you.

[abcowboy]

5:23am in Alberta, 24 more for me please, and thanks...

In the last 24 hours, these friends have joined in for 24 hours of wellness:
Jude58 Rava Ginger999 dill

Today is going to be a darn good day not to drink!

[Rava]

Good morning Cafe. Sounds like some of us are struggling. It’s probably the holidays and the fact that we are not normal drinkers. If we were we would not be friends. Some days the struggle is worse than others. Some days honestly, I give in and other days I fight it. I remind myself that I DONT DRINK. When I look back at my drinking career, even sneaking one now and then is much better than I was. No excuse to start down that horrible rabbit hole ever again. I just wish I could be stronger in my quit and end these stupid cravings. My dad is ill with cirrhosis and I don’t want to follow in his footsteps. When I see his struggle that seems to put reality in my face. Thinking of everyone here and wishing you a great Tuesday. I DO NOT DRINK! 24 more please and thank you.

[abcowboy]

Good thing Cyrus is safe and sound Ginger, there's been more than a few farm cats fall prey to coyotes out in these parts. Depending on the winter, they'll even get brave enough to try taking down newborn calves.

I'd love to answer your question with a resounding yes, those niggling thoughts do disappear altogether over time, but that's just not true, for me anyway. And most everyone I've talked to has said the same. But "cravings" for me disappeared many years ago, where I thought I really needed a drink. I think those thoughts will always be with us because of how much alcohol is accepted as normal. All the commercials about alcohol, sales flyers delivered to your mailbox from the different vendors, booze all around us at most every social event, etc. It would be hard not to think about having a drink. But, those are just thoughts for me now, not cravings, and they only last for a few moments without obsessing about them. Every once and a while I think it would be nice to be a normal drinker, then I remind myself that's it's been almost 10 years since I've had a drink and it hasn't affected me in any negative way. None of us "need" alcohol to survive, it's probably the other way around, we wouldn't survive if we kept drinking. So I'll end on a positive note, yes, it does get easier and easier to just let those drinking thoughts go and realize you won't act on them because you don't drink.

[Ginger999]

Thanks, ABC. There's hope for us all, if we stay the course. It makes me scratch my head and wonder.... why drinking poison is so accepted.

I'll take another day of freedom

[Jude58]

Ginger, So glad that Cyrus came home unscathed. We have a lot of coyotes around here; that's why all of my cats stay indoors. Occasionally one slips out the door, and I'm a wreck until they come home.

Dill, I think that you're right about us being twins! Wish that all of us could get together in person one day. Now that would be fun!

24 more for all of us please...

[Rava]

Good morning Cafe. Ginger,I forgot to mention in my last post that I am glad Cyrus was ok. He was probably scared for sure. Hope everyone has a good day today. My plan is to not drink. 24 more please and thank you.

[abcowboy]

5:19am in Alberta, I'll have another 24 please, and thanks...

In the last 24 hours, these friends have joined in for 24 hours of wellness:
Jude58 dill Rava Ginger999

Today is going to be a darn good day not to drink!

[abcowboy]

I agree Jude, it would be a blast if we all got together. Lots of stories to share of who we are and what our lives have been like.

Not much new around here, at least there's no snow to shovel. I do think that shoveling the snow helps keep me trim and fit Rava, but I'm one of the lucky ones that have never had to worry about weight gain. It's only been the last couple of years that I've had to increase the size of my pants to a 32 from a 31.