Dry 14

[glad2016]

This is the thread for all those who are living, or committed to living, life free from alcohol.
Go sober warriors !

[glad2016]

I managed to post the last message in the old thread AND start a new one :)

[CooeeOnlyMe]

Found you!

[Sirona]

Timing glad, thanks

[lizzytee]

Thanks from me too glad

Lovely day visiting a good friend today, told her I've given up booze for a while - haven't discussed it with anyone other than DH and a friend I went out with a few weeks back. Felt good to have an honest discussion about it.
Really looking forward to the start of my holiday on Saturday....

Sirona do you knit or sew - really good (and productive) way to pass time?

[glad2016]

Glad preens self - thank you lovely people, my pleasure to start a new thread ( and my honour!) :)
I crochet, quilt and do embroidery among other crafts ( green woodworking, carving) but had let it all slide once I had got sunk into a bottle or many. Now doing it with all that lovely spare time I have in the evenings not drinking :)

[glad2016]

spare sober time :)

[finnishbiscuiteater]

Morning all!

[glad2016]

Morning :)

[lizzytee]

Afternoon. Just about to knock off for holiday.....

[jojomo]

Hi all, found you! Not been around much lately - feel exhausted in the heat - and probably won't be for a while now the schools are out...am slightly dreading the holidays if I'm honest but determined to stay sober. I cannot bear even the thought of a hangover with my two at full throttle for the next six weeks!! Will be reading though even if I don't post much, hang on in there sober warriors.

[vxa2]

I'm still here ladies. Day 114. X

[Sybilramkinvimes]

Hello - back again. Have been on holiday which was great and then had a few days staying with friends and I'm afraid we all ended up drinking. This happened before - there are particular pressures/triggers involved around visiting these people and maybe also I'd got a bit complacent after managing the holiday? Anyway, now back home and really determined not to let this turn into a slide. Second day af and using all the tools and new techniques from the previous six months because life is so, so much better this way.

and and to all 🙂

[glad2016]

Sybil go back to basics and treat yourself as if it was day zero - be kind to yourself, lots of sober treats and maybe do things a bit differently this time round? re re arrange your day, do something different, re read sober blogs and add some more tools to your sober toolkit so if you meet those pressures you have a new, different method to help you?
Well it worked for me this time round - Day 220 here for me.

[Sybilramkinvimes]

glad that is very encouraging. I am being very wary and careful about the basics now we're back home - there is no alcohol in the house, and I will be the one driving to a social event on Sunday etc. And feeling ok at the moment. Scary how easy it was to go from zero to full on again, though - bit of a wake up call there.

I am wondering if I'm going to have to cut off visiting these particular friends at least for now. Both times I've slipped have been around them and for much the same reasons. Ho hum. At least this time it's not going to run on.

220 days! 😀

[glad2016]

I slipped in the past for exactly the same reasons. Friends and a slide back into old bad habits. The friend who won't stop trying to get me to drink is now being avoided. The friend who is understanding and helping has been seen a lot more recently! As Jackie from Sober Sassy Life says You can't manifest sobriety. is wishing doesn't make it happen by itself - we have to do some work as well ie getting rid of drink in the house, avoiding triggers or drinky people and places. This sort of stuff has really helped me this time round and I added lots of extra tools to my sober tool box . So far its working for me but I'm taking it one day at a time ... Not getting complacent this time round.

[glad2016]

Belle is great as well. I love her new book and found listening to her one minute message for the day very helpful earlier on. Biggest extra tool in my sober kit this time round was adding Belle podcasts and also Headspace. Been doing headspace for over 100 days on the trot now. Really helps shut the wine witch down from chattering on in my head.

[glad2016]

Keep on keeping on xxx

[Sybilramkinvimes]

Thanks for the recommendations and the support, glad

will have a look at Belle. Someone else mentioned her as very good. It's sad about avoiding friends but I think I'll have to be tough on that because two times out of three this has happened. I won't go into it here too much as a) it's boring and b) it's a bit too public but there are specific reasons that make these visits stressful and there are specific pressures around drinking with them.

Unfortunately I can't get out and run for a bit. That's been brilliant motivation to get up on Saturday, have a run and then meet a friend for coffee. But muppet me managed to turn my ankle on a cliff path in Cornwall. Nothing serious but it's bruised and sore so I can't run till it settles.

Will have to drink tea and laze around instead 😀

Happy sober Saturday!

[lizzytee]

Food for thought Sybil as I am still working out what the triggers are - next objective is to get through holiday.

Packed last night - Typically DH and I would be packing after/while disposing of a bottle of wine or two - not last night. He commented at bedtime that while he could have murdered a bottle earlier it was better not to have done.

Up at 5 with a clear head, now on the runway at Gatwick........

[glad2016]

Go lizzy have a fab holiday!
sybil rest that ankle.
I'm at a workshop on ancient woodland management :) out in a forest all day doing stuff. Its wonderful and shady and cool and the birds are singing :)

[finnishbiscuiteater]

Hello all!

Sybil - sorry about your ankle

lizzy - have a fab holiday!

glad - that sounds amazing! I wish I was in shady forest today, instead of madly cleaning house...

Anayway, I'm away for a week, unlikely to have much internet access, and prob wont be posting much - I'll catch up when with you all in a week or so when I'm back.

I'm really hoping that I manage the holiday sober! I'm in charge of the bar, so I'm going to buy lots of lovlely AF stuff, and some really nasty wine :)

[glad2016]

After shady forest we were in boiling hot shed :( but excellent day despite melting later :) Just about to eat posh float made with bottle green rose cordial fizzy stuff and Swedish glace vegan ice cream - which is absolutely fab and if like me you cant do dairy is a godsend in this hot weather. Chilled alcohol? I defy anyone to give in to it when you have an ice cream float as an alternative, and a cold bath to stick your feet into :) :)

[onewhitepillowleft]

Hi everyone

back from my week away and still AF. Lost count of the days but I will check my diary tomorrow and count them up. I'm thinking about six weeks now.

It was hard - really hard. I also learned how boring it can be to be in a room with people once they are past the point of nicely merry and are actually leathered. It made me feel pretty sad - not angry or blaming them, who were all having a nice time - but thinking of all the times I was the last one to leave the bar, having to be helped back to my room, incoherent or emotional or oversharing or argumentative. I was feeling tempted to drink - but not because I wanted to drink or be drunk - I just didn't want to feel what I was feeling. But I snuck off and had a bath with a book and a herbal tea and today I am home and still here.

It's odd being away - I can't ever leap back into DH's arms the way I think he'd like me to. Things felt kind of strained and awkward between us tonight - he was knackered after a week with the kids, I was knackered after work, and there was laundry and tea and stuff to do - and I was irritable. Couldn't decide if I wanted to be close to him, or on my own, and neither of those things were helping me to feel settled or content.

He's asleep now and I've come back downstairs for more books and herbal tea. I think he's a bit hurt that I am withdrawn. Not sure what is wrong with me.

But I am still AF.

Just checking in tonight - will catch up with everyone tomorrow when I am a bit less blue and have more energy!

[glad2016]

Hmm I agree about the change in the way things can be in a relationship. But it can be so .such better. Honestly it really can be

[glad2016]

Sorry that is not that helpful immediately!