One Step at a Time - March 2019

[NoraC]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Yes - Pauly, you are right about keeping the conversation going. And now we have all admitted why we don't post. So, I guess I'll just continue talking about myself. Ha, ha

Liz - that is so sad about your friend's son. I hope that everything is ok. I'm glad that they found him.

I don't really like being around alcohol anymore. It's hard to explain. It's not that I mind people are drinking or that I crave it or anything. It's just a dark feeling I get....I think that maybe it is the old, bad memories trying to come out. I don't know.
But, another reason is that I have read too many stories of people taking that first drink after years of sobriety. So, I prefer not to be around it.

Bird - Cherry Blossom fesitval sounds fun. What kind of plants did you get?

[NoraC]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Glassie - I didn't realize that the kaola was endangered. It is heartbreaking to me what we have done to this planet. So many animals have become endangered or extinct. There are so many things that could be done to stop this destruction but instead the evil people who take advantage of others rise to the top. And they crush the information or deny the funding. I am disgusted, discouraged and depressed about the state of this country & the world right now.

[Rusty]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Good Morning, Friends!

Busy day today....exercise, hair cut and color, errands, etc.
[MENTION=19302]Lizann[/MENTION]-that is so sad about your friend's son. My friend's only child and son's situation is very similar. He has Tourette's and an avoidance disorder and he has no life...no friends, no job...he is an angry and lonely 45 year-old.

[MENTION=9757]NoraC[/MENTION]-I understand what you mean about not wanting to be around AL. I don't mind it as my family and some of my friends are moderate drinkers, BUT...there are two restaurants/bars in the town I live in that I refuse to patronize because I have very bad memories of drinking there. Those places brought me nothing but sadness.

[MENTION=8902]Glass Half Empty[/MENTION]-I didn't know the koala is an endangered species! That is so sad!

[MENTION=2634]bird[/MENTION]-that Cherry Blossom Festival is supposed to be really fun.....Love cherry blossoms...so pretty. Glad you are not having cravings anymore.
[MENTION=17650]paulywogg[/MENTION]-what are you up to today?

Do you guys ever read The Fix? it's a really good, FREE, online AL recovery site with really good articles from sober people and sober people's families. It also features stories on celebrities who have relapsed, etc. Here is the address: newsletter@thefix.com. I don't know why I started getting it, but I find the articles fascinating and hopeful, whether you are sober or struggling to get there.
[MENTION=11089]techie[/MENTION]-how are you, honey? we miss you!

Well, I am off. Big hellos to [MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION] and anyone I missed...Happy AF Saturday!

[abcowboy]

I used to be like you [MENTION=9757]NoraC[/MENTION], worrying about the government, the state of the province, country, world etc. I guess I still do on occasion, but only when there’s something I think I can be doing to improve things. Since I’m not willing to get involved in politics, or join a lobby group, or start a letter writing campaign (for all the good they do), I put the state of things under the column of things I have no control over. All I worry about is the footprint I leave on the world.

Bubba and I are pretty good at watching how we treat the environment, recycle everything we can, pick up garbage that others have left lying around, etc. One of the things we can get better at is needless use of our vehicles, a bit of better planning to minimize burning gas needlessly is something we could definitely both work on.

When customers need plumbing or heating equipment replaced, I try to sell them energy savings products. Plumbing fixtures that use less water etc. I can’t force them to buy those things, but I do try and sell them wherever possible.

As far as governments go, make sure you get out and vote. Maybe your vote didn’t count, but at least you stood up for what you believe in. If it really is a problem, then get more active in politics. I was a town councillor for two terms years ago and it opened my eyes to how things happen in governments at any level. Municipal politics is a great place to start if you want to be more involved in the decision making process.

If we all just looked at the impact we were making on the world, I’m sure the world would be a better place. So don’t worry about the big picture, do what you can on your space in the picture…

[paulywogg]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Morning all,Rusty,that does sound like a busy day,a fun one though Bird,you're on wfs right? What's your opinion of it if I may ask? Daughter looked lovely in the pic yesterday,you have such sweet faced daughters Liz,do you have Logan today? Seems like you and I have our boys alot,I love it Nora,yup the state of the world is sad,the environment should have been taken care of a long time ago,if changes had been made back in the day there wouldn't be so much pollution and stuff now,I get sooooo pissed when I see somebody litter! They seem to do it alot here for some reason,I seen people throw old fast food bags out there car window while driving all the time,if any of you ever visit Vegas just look at all the trash on the sides of the road, visiting customers comment on it all the time,Glassy big waves to you,wishes for a happy AF Saturday!

[bird]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Hi all,
Whats everyone doing today? Dd2 came over yest and talked a lot. Future plans and worries. Dd1 having fun at the conference. Didn't get anything at the plant sale yest, I will have to go back with the truck, they had some blueberries I want and pomegranite trees........Pauly, I like wfs a lot. I have learned so much there, mostly from the chats. They have a lot of useful info and very nice people. It is a huge forum. I keep saying I am going to try the smart recovery chats, but haven't done it yet.. I have never been to Vegas but I can imagine the trash with so many tourists....Lizann, that is sad about your friends son. Glad you learned a lot at the presentation dinner....Rusty, I haven't read the fix, but will try it out......Noraa, I see so many relapse after many years, I find it scary. I quit smoking in 85 and I never think about it, I was hoping booze would be like that but doesn't seem to be the case for many. I worry about the state of things as well, we were talking about that yest. Abcowboy, good for you and the recycling etc.,,...later

[Lizann]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Pauly I am also on WFS. I also attend a f2f meeting in my area on Thursday evenings. I don't always attend that but it's such a great forum. Their statements are positive and encouraging. I would say the complete opposite of AA. I totslly recommend it! Rusty, thank for that link, I will definitely be checking it out. Any kind of reading and positive reinforcement is appreciated.
Bird, I'm surprised that you don't crave cigarettes, but that was a long time ago. Let's hope it'll be the same for al too.
I don't think I crave it anymore and I think less of if now, but I still feel I need to ever vigilant.
I have not heard from my girlfriend. I will wait a few days and call her. They are probably still sorting through a lot and I know this has drained her emotionally. I'll keep you posted. Erin texted me at noonish today, Dans Grandma passed away. Not unexpected, but sad nonetheless. Dan was right by her side when she passed, he's not one to show much emotion, but he's taking this one hard. Erin and the baby were there too. Logan of course didn't have a clue what was going on, but he could sense something was off. That just kinda set the tone for the rest of my day.
Hope you're all having a good day

[paulywogg]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Morning friends,Liz,sad about Dan's grandma it's always hard even if it's been coming,I guess I just hafta get used to wfs,I'm new there so don't really "know" anybody yet,it's definitely more active than this place though,I'm also on soberrecovery but that's so active it's hard to keep up so I just keep logged in on my old phone and read around sometimes,Bird,hope you get your trees,I want a small lemon tree to grow in a pot not much going on here Lou's uncle took him to the circus last night,hope he had fun and Romeo has the biggest crush on Katy Perry,Everytime he sees her on his sesame Street show he goes wild so last night Kell put one of her videos on and sent me a clip of him dancing and slapping the TV haha! It was so cute big waves to Rusty,Nora and Glassy hope we all have a fabulous AF Sunday

[NoSugar]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

@NoraC-I understand what you mean about not wanting to be around AL. I don't mind it as my family and some of my friends are moderate drinkers, BUT...there are two restaurants/bars in the town I live in that I refuse to patronize because I have very bad memories of drinking there. Those places brought me nothing but sadness.

That makes sense to me, Rusty. My problem was that my primary (95%+) drinking site was my living room (and a darkened corner of the kitchen). My solution was to do my healing right there in the same chair. I spent HOURS there during the first few months reading thread after thread on MWO. Sometimes now I think about all that has happened in that room and am so amazed and grateful that we really can change.

Do you guys ever read The Fix? it's a really good, FREE, online AL recovery site with really good articles from sober people and sober people's families. It also features stories on celebrities who have relapsed, etc. Here is the address: newsletter@thefix.com. I don't know why I started getting it, but I find the articles fascinating and hopeful, whether you are sober or struggling to get there.

I like their newsletter, too. Either that or their website lead me to a fascinating book I finished this weekend: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Enough-...a-639118375345
The author writes from the perspective of a neuroscientist and a former addict of just about every addictive substance she could get her hands on. She explains the biochemistry underlying addiction to each of the types of substances (opiods, benzoes, uppers, alcohol, THC, etc.) in an accessible but accurate way, including why where each acts in the brain yields the differing responses. She also clearly explains why for a person with a particular biochemistry, exposure to the drug that "normalizes" that biochemistry will almost inevitably lead to addiction --- and why that person will almost inevitably not be able to moderate their drug of choice. As I read about all the drugs, it became clear to me why alcohol worked for me (for awhile) and made me grateful I was never exposed to barbituates. I'm afraid I would like them. It also killed any curiosity I had about trying THC. The book isn't all science, though - she makes a strong case for the environments that foster addiction and the changes we need to make as a society.

[Lizann]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

I didn't realize you are on WFS Pauly already. I just pop over and read occasionally. I definitely don't post regularly. I find it hard to keep up.
So cute Romeo likes Katy perry. Don't know if I mentioned there before but Romeo does look like Kelly's baby picture!
THank you No sugar for telling us about the book. May look into it. Sometimes I just don't even want to think about al or why.
Nice day here. I walked outside and thought of you Bird. Wanted hubby to come with me to a park we used to hike at early on in our relationship. He wasn't feeling it, sigh. I just stayed local. It honestly doesn't even feel like there was a weekend!
Hope you all had a great day!

[NoraC]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Hello all
[MENTION=18725]NoSugar[/MENTION] - that book sounds interesting and I'm going to check it out. I certainly see the addictive personality in myself. I have to be on guard for sure.

Pauly - I laughed at Romeo having a crush on Katy Perry. Did Louie have a fun time?

Liz - I'm sorry about Dan's grandmother. That is hard but I'm glad he was with her.

Bird - did you go back & get your plants? Hubby did plant our California Poppies a couple days ago so hopefully they will be up in a few weeks.

Rusty - did you enjoy your hair cut? You are so good about exercising even though you travel all the time. Thanks for mentioning The Fix. I'll check it out.

Cowboy - thank you for your post. Thank you for doing your part to save this planet. Hubby & I try to do our part but we should do so much more. We do well in one area but then fail in another. But, we will continue to do what we can.

Nothing much going on. I'm procrastinating on some paperwork I have to do. My brother just got in town for a few days. He stopped by. We've made arrangements for him to come stay with Mom on Friday so we can get out. Yeah - out with hubby and no pressure to rush. Most of what we will be doing are errands - buying soil & bark and that kind of stuff. But, we can get lunch and maybe even go to a park. Now, I just have to get the day off. Fingers crossed.

Have a wonderful AF day. Life is so much better without it.

[NoraC]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

I just happened to read something in the Army thread right now. It was a powerful post for me. This reminded me that I need to remember to make my sobriety my priority. Because - honestly.....this hit home with me.

KTAB posted this

......got to ask, what lead you back to drinking?

I don’t suppose there is ever a simple answer as to why ‘we’ do pick up a drink. I guess I could say I just got lazy and dropped my guard but it’s probably nearer the truth that I just stopped caring.

[bird]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Hi all,
Well, didn't get my plants, went to the place yest and they were gone. Oh well. Ended up going walking out at the park next to the river and saw some deer. Was gonna go to a choir concert but didn"t want to be stuck indoors for 2 hours.Very nice here and flowers blooming like crazy. The cherry blossom fest still going on, it lasts for 10 days and they have painted pink flowers in the road downtown, pink everywhere and stuff going on, concerts all over town.....Rusty, I went to that link, very informative stuff.....Liz, that is sad about Dans grandma. Sorry your weekend went so fast........N.S., I have heard of that book but haven't read it......Pauly, I would love to have a lemon tree. The vid with Rom and the guinea pig was the cutest thing ever! I am on a thread at wfs but don't post on it very often. I do a lot of reading there though and go to the chat meetings about 5 or 6 times a week...Nora, that will be good to get out Friday huh? Nice your hub got the poppies planted. That quote from KTAB is certainly true. Becoming complacent is easy to do, I know I have just said what does it matter so many times, it just seems like it doesn't, but then there I am hungover off my ass again and wondering how it happened. So much work involved with staying sober, but much easier than dealing with a life threatening hangover....happy Monday to all

[paulywogg]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

Morning friends,Nora,that is a powerful post and very honest,Lou was pissed the circus didn't have any animals but he did have fun, speaking of animals Kell got mad at me for letting Romeo play with Guinea cuz he's a "rodent" oh heck I keep him clean,he doesn't bite and I was right there, besides they're the ones who bought him for Lou when he was 3 as a pet he ended up not wanting so what's the diff? NS,thanks for the book suggestion Liz,I usually just read over there,i just barely signed up after [MENTION=16215]MinStar[/MENTION] had mentioned it in the Army,I also don't like to spend too much time thinking/reading about recovery but I have to a little to keep me focused but too much is triggery for me for some reason? Rusty,how's things with you? Bird,how was your Sunday? Glassy hope everything is going well with you,wishes for a happy AF Monday(feels like a Monday right now,groggy)

[paulywogg]

Re: One Step at a Time - March 2019

X-post Bird, sounds like a nice day