Hi everyone,
I was on this board a little bit back in summer, haven't had access to a computer since then.
Anyway.........this is my first christmas not drinking, and I hadn't actually considered how it would be around this time of year. It is difficult. The little demon is saying, 'you could just have one', but I know I couldn't.
I had a dream the other night that I woke up one morning and wondered how I got home. Then I found a receipt for five cans of beer. It was just like, oh no............
Had a similar dream last night, my sister reckons it is a warning!
I think with so much emphasis on booze over christmas, it kind of seeps into your psyche and you become more aware of it.
Little things like, I can't drench that christmas pudding in loads and loads of brandy, have really hit me unexpectedly.
Hope everyone manages to stay strong and remember why they gave up alcohol. Good for us all to know there are alot of us out there in the same boat.
Happy Christmas,
Love Lacey.
Alcohol can be a serious trigger for me,so I take in a lot of Shirley Temples on the rocks this time of year.
Geri(VW)
I hope you have a special Holiday . Your one terrific inspiration and it doesnt go un-noticed.
All the best in the coming year(s)- Ill talk to you soon ,Im off to my sisters Christmas eve party- which is bigger than Christmas Day in my family.-
1000,s of kids rushing thru dinner so they can rip open thier presants from all the Aunts and Uncles.
They usually put on a Nativity play for all of us - as the ones that get to old for that kind of thing, there are plenty of younger ones that pick up the slack.
Sincerly- all the best(Im late already)
love&peace
jack
Geri(VW)
I hope you have a special Holiday . Your one terrific inspiration and it doesnt go un-noticed.
All the best in the coming year(s)- Ill talk to you soon ,Im off to my sisters Christmas eve party- which is bigger than Christmas Day in my family.-
1000,s of kids rushing thru dinner so they can rip open thier presants from all the Aunts and Uncles.
They usually put on a Nativity play for all of us - as the ones that get to old for that kind of thing, there are plenty of younger ones that pick up the slack.
Sincerly- all the best(Im late already)
love&peace
jack
Lacey,
Alcohol is "cunning, baffling, and powerful" but not all powerful that one is saved for my higher power.
When I was newly sober I had to change many different playplens and playpals simply because my life and booze were so intertwined that it took eliminating it from being in close proximity to me.
In the "Big Book" of AA we are told that once we have a spiritual experience as the result of working the 12 steps that there is no place on earth we cannot go as long as we are in fit spiritual condition and that we have a valid reason for being there.
That being said, in the beginning I was willing to go to any lengths for sobriety and that included implementing whatever changes were neccessary.
Merry Christmas
Bob
Alcohol is "cunning, baffling, and powerful" but not all powerful that one is saved for my higher power.
When I was newly sober I had to change many different playplens and playpals simply because my life and booze were so intertwined that it took eliminating it from being in close proximity to me.
In the "Big Book" of AA we are told that once we have a spiritual experience as the result of working the 12 steps that there is no place on earth we cannot go as long as we are in fit spiritual condition and that we have a valid reason for being there.
That being said, in the beginning I was willing to go to any lengths for sobriety and that included implementing whatever changes were neccessary.
Merry Christmas
Bob
Hi Lacey...the first holidays sober can be tough...do you go to meetings?
In the beginning, actually I still do this if the need arises, is think it all out...like you said the first drink is never enough but it is too much....Breathe, pray, call someone, remember this too shall pass...one moment at a time...and just keep remembering how you felt when you were drinking...as I was told keep yourself green...I have a few 24's...but I never forget how I felt all those years ago...and the gifts sobriety has given me...Merry Christmas...Love Gina
In the beginning, actually I still do this if the need arises, is think it all out...like you said the first drink is never enough but it is too much....Breathe, pray, call someone, remember this too shall pass...one moment at a time...and just keep remembering how you felt when you were drinking...as I was told keep yourself green...I have a few 24's...but I never forget how I felt all those years ago...and the gifts sobriety has given me...Merry Christmas...Love Gina
Hello,
Well managed christmas day sober. I was with understanding close family though which helped. If I was around all my old boozing druggie friends I would have no chance and I know it, that is why I have been a loner for the last ten months now!!
I did go to some meetings and one to one counselling a few years ago when I finally began to start giving up drinking. It took a few years to finally stop though. Maybe it would be a good idea because I am absolutley not seeing anyone other than immediate family, because of alcohol. I don't know how to be sociable without it.
Bob: Thankyou for the words about when you are strong spiritually you can go anywhere. I believe that and it sounds a wonderful place to be heading for.
Love to everyone.
Well managed christmas day sober. I was with understanding close family though which helped. If I was around all my old boozing druggie friends I would have no chance and I know it, that is why I have been a loner for the last ten months now!!
I did go to some meetings and one to one counselling a few years ago when I finally began to start giving up drinking. It took a few years to finally stop though. Maybe it would be a good idea because I am absolutley not seeing anyone other than immediate family, because of alcohol. I don't know how to be sociable without it.
Bob: Thankyou for the words about when you are strong spiritually you can go anywhere. I believe that and it sounds a wonderful place to be heading for.
Love to everyone.
Hi Lacey...congrats on getting through Christmas...and staying away from using friends...that is a principle in AA...changing people, places, and things...and the great thing about AA is that you will meet new friends who are sober, who are trying to stay sober...trying to live like you are...It was very Helpful to me...to be around supportive people who really and truly knew what I was going through b/c they were walking the same path....AA meetings, the 12 Steps and the people kept me sober and got me through....It is a fellowship....
I know when I walked in...I felt like I was home....
Love Gina
I know when I walked in...I felt like I was home....
Love Gina
Hey Lacey
Addiction as said above is cunning, baffling and powerful
In the early years of my sobriety because drinking was firmly imbeded in my mind and my subconscious to the point that i had dreams so vivid that i woild wake up and check to see if i had piddled by the bed and also i would try and determine if my wife was sleeping the way she used to when i was drinking. These dreams were so real and so was my addiction and your sis is right they are a sign, they are a sign of your addiction getting scared because it is slowly leaving your everyday thoughts and next will be your subconscious thoughts.
Keep up the good work Lacey and be proud of what you have achieved.
Light and love Zac
Addiction as said above is cunning, baffling and powerful
In the early years of my sobriety because drinking was firmly imbeded in my mind and my subconscious to the point that i had dreams so vivid that i woild wake up and check to see if i had piddled by the bed and also i would try and determine if my wife was sleeping the way she used to when i was drinking. These dreams were so real and so was my addiction and your sis is right they are a sign, they are a sign of your addiction getting scared because it is slowly leaving your everyday thoughts and next will be your subconscious thoughts.
Keep up the good work Lacey and be proud of what you have achieved.
Light and love Zac
Wow, yeah, thanks Zac. The addiction must know by now that I am utterly determined to live without it. It is hard though, I feel empty alot, like there is nothing inside. Although that nothing is actually better than the chaos and destruction, and false persona of drink and drugs. I kind of feel like I don't know myself really. This me now is new really as I spent over half my life off my head, and I am still only really beginning to admit that it was rather a large problem completely controlling my existence.
Am I talking to people who have been sober for a long time? Please let me know how long it is for you good folks.
Am I talking to people who have been sober for a long time? Please let me know how long it is for you good folks.
Hey Lacey,
Im Ginge, I have been sober for a while on 14th feb it will be two years for me,
I couldnt have done it without the help of this board and my close freinds on here, I know Zac personally and he has been awesome in helping me through the tuff times, even just by a phone call,Also my freind VW via emails and this board, you are in the right place to stay sober, keep strong
Ginge
Im Ginge, I have been sober for a while on 14th feb it will be two years for me,
I couldnt have done it without the help of this board and my close freinds on here, I know Zac personally and he has been awesome in helping me through the tuff times, even just by a phone call,Also my freind VW via emails and this board, you are in the right place to stay sober, keep strong
Ginge
Hi Lacey....I have been sober 20 years...I was 19 when I walked into AA...and through the Grace of God, the AA program, the 12 Steps, and a lot of hard work on me I have stayed sober since...I no longer attend meetings but I did the first 6 years on a consistent basis...that gave me my foundation...I then attended on/off until about 4-5 years ago...I also have been in/out (more in) of therapy ...I see an addiction specialist....and I found this board a few months ago when I was posting on the family board after being involved with an addict (he had relapsed after about 10 years)....
Sobriety is a journey...into yourself...it is learning not only how to cope with life without alcohol but also finding inner happiness and peace...it isn't always easy to accept life on life's terms but Lacey it is so worth it to do it sober...I would not be the person I am today...I would not have what I have today...if I weren't sober...Love Gina
Sobriety is a journey...into yourself...it is learning not only how to cope with life without alcohol but also finding inner happiness and peace...it isn't always easy to accept life on life's terms but Lacey it is so worth it to do it sober...I would not be the person I am today...I would not have what I have today...if I weren't sober...Love Gina
Hey Lacey
Zac here and I have been sober for 10 and a bit years, I am still learning and developing as the person i was meant to be and it is so much fun being sober and of course sh#t happens but i dont have to add to it by drinking over it and by drinking over it i never dealt with it. Now i live life on lifes terms so hold onto your A#s and enjoy the journey
Ive heard that the age I started drinking is the maturity level I was at when i stopped and it makes sense because there was that huge emptiness that you talk about as my comfy(alcohol) had gone and i had to start filling that void with life and maturing thoughts and actions, fear will try and poke its nose into the void, beware it is addiction in disguise and addiction can change to suit our emotions.
Keep posting on good and bad days, give the meetings a good go and get some solid AA phone numbers and remember you are helping just as many people with your sharing as well.
Light and love Zac
Zac here and I have been sober for 10 and a bit years, I am still learning and developing as the person i was meant to be and it is so much fun being sober and of course sh#t happens but i dont have to add to it by drinking over it and by drinking over it i never dealt with it. Now i live life on lifes terms so hold onto your A#s and enjoy the journey
Ive heard that the age I started drinking is the maturity level I was at when i stopped and it makes sense because there was that huge emptiness that you talk about as my comfy(alcohol) had gone and i had to start filling that void with life and maturing thoughts and actions, fear will try and poke its nose into the void, beware it is addiction in disguise and addiction can change to suit our emotions.
Keep posting on good and bad days, give the meetings a good go and get some solid AA phone numbers and remember you are helping just as many people with your sharing as well.
Light and love Zac
Whoaa!! Ten, twenty years!! That is hard to imagine. I feel proud of myself after ten months, you must feel incredible when you think how far you have travelled!
Ginge, I am a year and a week behind you!! Feb 21st is my anniversary! I hope I make it.
Today has been the hardest day so far over this christmas period because it has been quiet, I have been on my own pretty much. I was smelling liqueurs earlier to see if I could smell the alcohol. Probably fortunatley, I couldn't, but the demons have been plaguing me a bit today, well, quite a lot. I am just grateful that my rational side is stronger now.
This whole christmas thing is really testing.
Ginge, I am a year and a week behind you!! Feb 21st is my anniversary! I hope I make it.
Today has been the hardest day so far over this christmas period because it has been quiet, I have been on my own pretty much. I was smelling liqueurs earlier to see if I could smell the alcohol. Probably fortunatley, I couldn't, but the demons have been plaguing me a bit today, well, quite a lot. I am just grateful that my rational side is stronger now.
This whole christmas thing is really testing.
Hey Lacey, I've got a little over three years of sobriety....it gets better, sometimes it's hard, but nothing happens that a drink would help....a drink would only make it worse for me. You may want to try another meeting, take what you want and leave the rest behind. I was told to practice HOW at the meetings I attend: honesty, open-mindedness and willingness...if you don't have those things going on yet, pray for them.....(they come and go for me, some days are better than others....). Hang in there!
Hey Lacey
The 10 months you have done is exactly the same amount of time i have been sober in the last 10 months....meaning we are all in the same boat one day at a time and today i am the same as you sober and eventually all these days do start to add up.
The beautiful part about all of this is the fact that we are living life on life terms and i am no longer surrounded by false fears and thoughts of dying.
Lacey 10 months is awesome, that is 10 months of knowing what you are doing and where you have gone be proud of the work you are doing and congradulate your self often, keep posting and as VWGirl said suss out some meetings as they can really help the journey.
Light and love Zac
The 10 months you have done is exactly the same amount of time i have been sober in the last 10 months....meaning we are all in the same boat one day at a time and today i am the same as you sober and eventually all these days do start to add up.
The beautiful part about all of this is the fact that we are living life on life terms and i am no longer surrounded by false fears and thoughts of dying.
Lacey 10 months is awesome, that is 10 months of knowing what you are doing and where you have gone be proud of the work you are doing and congradulate your self often, keep posting and as VWGirl said suss out some meetings as they can really help the journey.
Light and love Zac
Lacey...Zac is right...we all have today...10 months, 10 years...it doesnt really matter as long as we are sober today...its one day at a time...that is all we have...
The moments you are experiencing now...I have been there...just the other day...a cold beer or a vodka tonic sounded really good BUT it would NOT have made anything better...nothing...it would make things worse and that is what I think of when those moments happen...even with 20 years...the thought will cross my mind...with time though I have learned tools to help me deal with those moments...this too shall pass...And as VW suggested...try other meetings...different places or times...I can't say enough of how the support and meetings helped me so much...
Love Gina
The moments you are experiencing now...I have been there...just the other day...a cold beer or a vodka tonic sounded really good BUT it would NOT have made anything better...nothing...it would make things worse and that is what I think of when those moments happen...even with 20 years...the thought will cross my mind...with time though I have learned tools to help me deal with those moments...this too shall pass...And as VW suggested...try other meetings...different places or times...I can't say enough of how the support and meetings helped me so much...
Love Gina
Yes, I am definatley considering going to some meetings. I have found that I feel a bit stuck in a rut as far as people are concerned. I am avoiding the social scene altogether because I can't cope with the drink, it is everywhere. I am putting off a tai chi class or something because of fear and self conciousness. A group of ex alcoholics would be a good idea simply for the understanding there. Who better to know where I am at. I don't want to be a hermit for the rest of my life so I have to get out there sometime. I need to learn to talk with people without alcohol.
Funny, I latched on to alcohol when I was fourteen because it made me more confident and able to talk easier and socialise. Many years down the line it made me completely insecure, unconfident and wrecked. A complete reversal.
Gotta go, I am watching 'Chicken Run' with my dad tonight - and a cup of tea!!
Love to everyone, it is nearly new year!!
Funny, I latched on to alcohol when I was fourteen because it made me more confident and able to talk easier and socialise. Many years down the line it made me completely insecure, unconfident and wrecked. A complete reversal.
Gotta go, I am watching 'Chicken Run' with my dad tonight - and a cup of tea!!
Love to everyone, it is nearly new year!!
Hey Lacey
Together today our confidance has been boosted by one more day....awesome
Light and love Zac
Together today our confidance has been boosted by one more day....awesome
Light and love Zac
