Newbies Nest

[Quit wining]

Hola fellow Nesters!
I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Tulum, Mexico. The resort was all inclusive and there was booze flowing all day long. I discovered the restaurants and bars all had a good selection of AF drinks. And, my only sore head came from drinking a mango smoothie too fast! Brain freeze is gone so much faster than a hangover. I'm glad to be home although it's a lot cooler here than in Mexico.
Sober me was able to climb the 142 steps of the Coba Pyramid, something I would never have attempted during my drinking daze. What an incredible experience!

Byrdie - congratulations on your terrific milestone. You're truly amazing and a fabulous inspiration to your friends in the Nest.

Off to Roll Call to sign in at 151 or 152 days, I'll have to check which.

[JackDanielsGirl]

Morning all,

So good to see a busy and vibrant nest this morning. It's raining and cold here, so another day inside for me. We had a wonderful church service last night. My son is praying about taking a leadership position in our church. I am so proud of him, and anxious at the same time. It is hard to live life in a fishbowl but I know he can do it.

Lilbit - Prayers for you for comfort and peace.

Had some fleeting thoughts about AL this morning; but quickly kicked butt and got busy and then hopped on here and POOF*** another thought bites the dust.

Have an awesome AF day my friends,
JDG

[Lavande]

Good afternoon Nesters on this Hump day AND

BRYDIE'S 5 YEAR AF ANNIVERSARY :yay: :welldone:
I am so happy for you & yes, I am happy I kicked your a$$ (just a little), ha ha!!!
Treat yourself to a little something nice with that $18K you've saved

Lil, like you I prefer to get the hard stuff done sooner rather than later. I hope the wait for your appointment goes quickly & everything is perfectly OK!!!

Welcome back QW, glad you enjoyed a wonderful AF trip.

Matt, you are gross (just a little) Ha Ha!!!

Wishing everyone a fabulous AF rest of the day!
I'm taking the afternoon OFF since I watched my grandson for the first half of the day.

Lav

[moni]

I was having a tough evening until I came in here and read Byrdies post. It's given me the strength I needed this evening.

I've realised that work is a trigger or perhaps it's just an association thing. I'm having a really tough week at work due to one of my employees being a total ass. It's exhausting and I'm not getting to leave until late each day so worn out and so tempted to swing by the store and get a bottle of wine. Right now 2 things stop me from doing it. No 1. My 8 days of AF would go straight down the drain and hey I'm proud of them even if they're still only a single figure. Reason 2, I hadn't mentioned here but I'm also 8 days cigarette free and knew if I bought and opened a bottle of wine, well... I'd have to have the cigarettes to go with it too. Then the guilt and hangover tomorrow.

I think back to the night I broke my 13 months AF. I thought that night I would just have a glass of wine with a friend when out for dinner. Then it became two glasses and then turned into several hours out drinking wine. The following day I was so sick, it was as if it was my first time ever drinking and looking back I realise it was my body rejecting the 'poison' from having not been used to it for so long.
Anyway, positive thoughts, I didn't buy the wine this evening. I got home and reading everyone's posts has made me feel so much better.

A HUGE thank you!

[Matt M.]

Good afternoon Nesters on this Hump day AND

BRYDIE'S 5 YEAR AF ANNIVERSARY :yay: :welldone:
I am so happy for you & yes, I am happy I kicked your a$$ (just a little), ha ha!!!
Treat yourself to a little something nice with that $18K you've saved

Lil, like you I prefer to get the hard stuff done sooner rather than later. I hope the wait for your appointment goes quickly & everything is perfectly OK!!!

Welcome back QW, glad you enjoyed a wonderful AF trip.

Matt, you are gross (just a little) Ha Ha!!!

Wishing everyone a fabulous AF rest of the day!
I'm taking the afternoon OFF since I watched my grandson for the first half of the day.

Lav

Yes mam, I'm crude, rude and socially unacceptable, but at least I'm consistent!

[Lavande]

Consistent is a good thing Matt, LOL!!!
I think we've come to expect this from you - keep it going

Has anyone heard about the massive snowstorm heading to the east coast? Looks like we are going to get totally dumped on this weekend
My poor chickens do not like snow & refuse to walk on it which means they will stay in the coop & beat each other up unless I go out & shovel a path for them to walk on. Swell!! Yet another reason why I am happy to be AF, clear headed shoveling!

Wishing everyone a safe & comfy night in the nest!
Byrdie, we are all so proud of you today & everyday :hug:

Lav

[Guitarista]

[QUOTE=Matt M.;1658874]Lil-
One thing is for sure-You are the definition of staying hard. You keep a lot of us Hard around here.

QUOTE]

She sure does! My thoughts are with you Lil bit.

Congrats Byrdy. You have extended the hand of friendship and support to me many times over the years, and for that I am eternally grateful and will never forget. Thanks good lady. :sendflowers:

Along with staying hard nesters, stay positive. Dwell on good stuff, and don't waste time with thoughts that cause you to feel down.

Feeling a little low Gman? er, yes, as a matter of fact I am sir. Well then, you know what to do? Oh yeah, that's right.......Git out there and shake that ass! K? K.

[j-vo]

Moni, keep logging on just like you did. And if you're going to blow any days, let it be the smokes. K?

You say snowstorm Lav? Maybe my flight will be cancelled on Friday??!! I don't miss the bitter cold and snow.

Have a peaceful night all.

[Matt M.]

Consistent is a good thing Matt, LOL!!!
I think we've come to expect this from you - keep it going

Has anyone heard about the massive snowstorm heading to the east coast? Looks like we are going to get totally dumped on this weekend
My poor chickens do not like snow & refuse to walk on it which means they will stay in the coop & beat each other up unless I go out & shovel a path for them to walk on. Swell!! Yet another reason why I am happy to be AF, clear headed shoveling!

Wishing everyone a safe & comfy night in the nest!
Byrdie, we are all so proud of you today & everyday :hug:

Lav

I saw where the DC area could see a multi foot snow event. That kind of weather is hell on everyone, but a full blown Ass Beating for those in the Public Safety world! Take some pics!

[KENSHO]

Flying by... Been craving lately! Humph. Doesn't mean I give in, just annoying. Sleep tight (can't drink while sleeping, right?)

[actiongirl46]

Go to bed Kensho!!! I will too : ) you are right, no cravings or drinking while sleeping . . . and we wake up feeling good. Sleep well.

[lifechange]

Hello all Nesters!

Kensho, I hope you're cozy in bed and sleeping like a stone! You, too, Actiongirl! Going to bed early at night is often the answer for me..sometimes difficult because there's so much I want to do!! But if I'm feeling edgy, being easily annoyed by the AV, it usually means I'm tired. And damn, it's sooooo nice to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, or at least very happy that I didn't f*** it all up! Kensho, hope your Thursday is easy! Loved your long post the other day..:hug:

Moni, AWESOME job coming here to post. Have you made a list recently of all the things you're gaining with not drinking? For me, that's been one of the key factors.. advice given here by all the old-timers, it took me ages to figure out and make the change in my mind.. but realizing that I'm not losing anything by ditching the alcohol, only gaining.. self confidence, clear skin, better sleep, a clear mind, sense of humour, interest in life, the ability to enjoy the little things in life, learning to deal with discomfort, etc... all these things are coming with time. Great job on 8 days!!

Lav, I love imagining you shovelling snow for your chickens! They sure are lucky girls..

G-man, Hope you're feeling better-- did you get out for a run/swim? Does help to clear the mind, doesn't it? Even just getting out of the house for a walk helps me.. It's so friggin' cold here right now, and slippery on the streets.. I'm dreaming of being where you are!

ok. off to work.. see you all later.

[Baclofenman]

I am taking G-Mans advice and am starting with a Personal Trainer today to concentrate on weight loss and health eating - I am also seeing my doctor for the first time since AF, albeit in its early stages

I might report later after my gym session - If I am still alive lol

Here is the south east of England its 0 degrees - so the roads will be skiddy as anything (we dont cope well with ice, snow or leaves for that matter here)

Happy Nesting



Bacman

[Guitarista]

Hello all Nesters!





G-man, Hope you're feeling better-- did you get out for a run/swim? Does help to clear the mind, doesn't it? Even just getting out of the house for a walk helps me.. It's so friggin' cold here right now, and slippery on the streets.. I'm dreaming of being where you are!

Slippery streets is no excuse LC. Now gawn, git them shorts and running shoes on and git out there! hehe. Just joking. I am good thanks. A minor funk mentally this morning with no basis as usual. Monkey mind chatter that I observed and then left it in it's little box. But a sign for sure to keep focus and stay on track. So instead of blubbering away feeling sorry for myself like the big kid I am, I took action. Went out to put a payment on an amplifier I'm buying and had a peak around the shop which is always interesting. Sitars, Zithers, rare old recording gear etc. Rest day from running as I have a minor discombobulation in the left heel, but nothing serious. Keep warm my friend. :happy2:

I am taking G-Mans advice and am starting with a Personal Trainer today to concentrate on weight loss and health eating - I am also seeing my doctor for the first time since AF, albeit in its early stages

Top move on all fronts I reckon Bacman. Re exercise, I try not to over do it which helps me actually enjoy it. All the best.

[Byrdlady]

Top O' the morning, Nesters!
Great posts overnight, as usual! It looks like the upside-down people would get all this figured out by the time us right-side-uppers log in, after all, you are a day ahead of us! Ehehehe.

I had an occasion to look WAYYYY back yesterday. I can attest to the fact that it's NO FUN to struggle. As I was looking in that rear view mirror, and the year that I tried and failed and tried and failed....I sure wish I could go back and tell that Byrdie to HANG IN THERE....NO MATTER WHAT! In fact, I would shake her by the shoulders and tell her that!!! All I did when I got the Feck-its was prolong the agony. I would bargain and plead with myself....JUST THIS ONE MORE TIME!!! It never was just that one more time, it was a full blown relapse. I saw the notes I wrote and how I fooled myself with certain types of thinking: "I may not be totally AF, but I have X number of days more this month than I did LAST month!" The Alcoholic Loophole. That one sentence repeated over and over in my head and it was nothing but justification. When the treatment is AF, nothing short of that can be considered success. WHY? Because when you feed this addiction you keep it alive. Had I starved it, once and for all, I would have been MILES ahead of where I am today. Hindsight IS 20/20. If you ask anyone here with any sober time to his/her credit, you will find the same answer. Giving in only prolongs the inevitable. If you want to do this the quickest/easiest, most straightforward way, get AF and STAY THAT WAY!

In those early days, I kept asking 'when are these cravings/thoughts going to subside?' The reason I kept asking it is because I wasn't getting a good answer....the monkey mind was driving me nuts and I wanted relief and we all know the quickest way to get it. I wondered if there would EVER be a day when I could come to the end of the day and NOT have been consumed with thoughts of AL. The answer is a resounding YES!!!! It comes gradually over time and distance, but it does come! I promise!!!

Do whatever it takes to get thru this day AF. That's what I'm doing! Byrdie