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Original poster

The freedom thread ( continued ) Riding the rollercoaster of an alcohol free life!

991 replies

ChampooPapi · 23/03/2022 19:06

Adm1010

Hello all

This is a thread for people who have decided that life is much better without alcohol!🤩 These threads were started by @Drybird, and they have changed the lives of many people.

Some posters on these threads have been sober for a long time, and some are only just starting. We are a very friendly and inclusive bunch and we are always excited when someone new joins the thread. The only thing we ask is that our posters have given up alcohol completely. Talk of moderation can be triggering for some people, so this thread is not the right place for that (there are other moderation threads🙂).

We are a supportive welcoming bunch. No question is ever to “ silly “ and their is generally someone around if you are struggling

So just come here to chat or vent or check in . Whatever you need as you ride the rollercoaster of an alcohol free life smile

Thank you to @Adm1010 for hosting the last thread 💜

And here’s to the next 40 pages grin

OP posts:
Fortheloveofgodwhy · 25/04/2022 15:22

oh my goodness so so many posts and new people and returning @ChampooPapi and @SavBbunny .... I KNOWKNOWKNOW i can't moderate. everytime the wine witch pops up to tell me i can i smash her down with my mental flyswat... hope it lasts!! I am 'lucky' that we don't socialise all that much and my work doesn't involve any schmoozing. So the tempatations are few and being pretty rural there is often the requirement to drive, so i do now. I drove both weekend nights as unusually we were out both of them! Also drove to the inlaws last week so no temptation there. I think i may struggle when i run out of quit lit though, i have been alternating a self help style with a more humourous bio, currently on Glorious Rock Bottom which has made me snort a few times, not as much as Rachels holiday though. The locals must have thought i was totally loosing it as i waltz around walking the dog guffawing with laughter! 11 weeks today, getting temptingly close to the 100 days mark...

SAB10 · 25/04/2022 16:06

Hi everyone, just checking in. Well done on getting back on it @ChampooPapi and don't feel disheartened by your slip up - every day is a new day!

I'm having a bit of a wobble today as I'm full of cold and aches and pains, and my usual go-to would be a hot toddy for (ahem) 'medicinal' purposes. But I'm trying hard to recognise that as just an excuse and am sticking to Lemsip!

On a more positive note, I'm two months AF today! That's the longest I've ever gone since... well... probably since I was about 16 tbh. So feeling a wee bit proud Smile

HangingOver · 25/04/2022 16:22

Checking in. Still here, still sober, still mostly grateful

SavBbunny · 25/04/2022 17:30

@SAB10
Well done.
X

Blackberryblossom · 25/04/2022 17:37

Just a very quick check in - @SAB10 congratulations on two months today! I know your pain with missing hot toddies and can recommend Belvoir ginger cordial made with hot water, cloves and lemon. Hope you feel better soon. I'll post again later, need to crack on with tea. Oh, and Champ still no need to apologise! We're all here trying to stay off a drug that society and big alcohol have spent years spinning lines about how if we've got issues with it, it's because of us, not them peddling their addictive poison in pretty glasses. :rage:

Original poster
ChampooPapi · 25/04/2022 18:36

@Blackberryblossom true that 🙏

@SAB10 amazing point to have gotten to after so many years of non sobriety, be proud!

Waves at @Fortheloveofgodwhy and @HangingOver 🙌

OP posts:
Nouveaunew · 25/04/2022 23:08

@Blackberryblossom
We're all here trying to stay off a drug that society and big alcohol have spent years spinning lines about how if we've got issues with it, it's because of us, not them peddling their addictive poison in pretty glasses. :rage

well put. I’m on Day 2. I know deep down that life would be better if I quit. I had a bath tonight & I noticed my hands are shaking … like a tremor. That’s a bit of a wake-up call. I never thought I’d get so dependent on booze.

Nouveaunew · 25/04/2022 23:12

Thanks @Blackberryblossom i think I’m drinking more than ever … just like you i look back and realise the alcohol free days are rare . Aside from the fact I’m worried about addiction, this isn’t good for skin, liver, mood, you name it! I’m hoping it’ll get easier … after Day 2 … AGAIN 🙄😜

Kindtomyself · 26/04/2022 06:25

Morning

Have realised that I don't have a great relationship with food (as well as alcohol). I eat fairly healthily but I am constantly thinking about or eating food and don't feel satisfied so I'm going to be mindful of that.

There's definitely something odd going on but not sure exactly what - this need to drink/eat/smoke. Anxiety? Comfort?

Onewildandpreciouslife · 26/04/2022 07:04

Morning. As a relative newbie on here, I just wanted to say well done and thank you to @ChampooPapi and others who come back on here after a blip. One of the things I find really helpful about this thread is the mix of people on it - if everyone was on 200 days it wouldn’t be as helpful as it is!

I’m on day 38, and am feeling wary - some quit lit reckons there’s a “wall” at about day 45, so I’m planning to book myself a “treat” at day 50 to get through it.

I found Sober Diaries such a helpful book and there is a brilliant chapter called The Obstacle Course for those of us who repeatedly find ourselves on day 1. Basically it’s the idea that somewhere there is a beautiful field, full of fluffy bunnies, that we’ve heard of, but to get there we need to go through an obstacle course. The first days of the obstacle course are brutal - high walls, deep ditches - but as you go through it, it gets easier - the obstacles get more spaced out, and you’re more experienced with dealing with them. But if you fall, you start again at the brutal bit. She says it takes 100 days before you can see the field, and 6 months to get there.

It’s based on one of her blog posts - I’ll try to post a link.

When I get the urge to have a drink, I mutter to myself that I want the fluffy bunnies!

Onewildandpreciouslife · 26/04/2022 07:08

The Obstacle Course

AlloftheTime · 26/04/2022 07:20

@Kindtomyself your post resonates- anxiety & comfort yes absolutely for me. Are these two linked? If I’m anxious I do seek comfort (or treats as I call them!) I am more at peace though with myself since I’ve been AF. Saw a friend this week

who was amazed I was still ‘dry’ but pleasantly amazed. I’m still working on some food issues but doing it sober I feel more likely to overcome the need to gorge.
another day to enjoy with a clear head 👍

AlloftheTime · 26/04/2022 07:29

@Onewildandpreciouslife yes i totally agree about the mix of people and their stage on the AF road being helpful. I was hesitant to join initially as not sure if I could totally commit or ‘fit in’ but so glad I did try.

day 38 is great - well over a full month and you may feel wary but you sound informed and alert.
my quit lit has been these threads and all my blips to date were the many times I quit or moderated unsuccessfully before joining.
still feel fortunate to have joined here - 9 months in and counting 😊

AlloftheTime · 26/04/2022 07:31

@ChampooPapi morning champ have a good day.

SavBbunny · 26/04/2022 07:51

Morning all,
@Nouveaunew I had some weird body pains. Never trembling hands but aches in my legs which i know is a sign of alcoholism. I never told anyone for fear of that label. Do I have them now? No.
When I had a blip i got chronic stomach pain (I had been drinking my life long poison).
I think my body said 'ah, no you dont, you silly trollope'. Surprised it don't come up!😁
I have seen 'the field' @Onewildandpreciouslife. Need new wellies for that one, but at least the nats (doubting friends) have ceased to make derogatory remarks.
Have
a good day.

Tomlettegregg · 26/04/2022 08:34

Another small pat on the back for myself. It's been really stressful trying to work and look after my baby while we've had covid and usually I'd be rewarding myself with a bottle of wine or some strong g&ts but despite all provocation I've managed to avoid it today. Even when there was no milk for my subsistite tea.

AlloftheTime · 26/04/2022 08:38

@Tomlettegregg well deserved pat there!

SAB10 · 26/04/2022 10:34

Nouveaunew · 25/04/2022 23:08

@Blackberryblossom
We're all here trying to stay off a drug that society and big alcohol have spent years spinning lines about how if we've got issues with it, it's because of us, not them peddling their addictive poison in pretty glasses. :rage

well put. I’m on Day 2. I know deep down that life would be better if I quit. I had a bath tonight & I noticed my hands are shaking … like a tremor. That’s a bit of a wake-up call. I never thought I’d get so dependent on booze.

@Nouveaunew keep an eye on the tremors - could be withdrawals which can be pretty dangerous. This is why doctors etc generally recommend reducing alcohol intake over a few days rather than going cold turkey. I have previously had tremors which led to an actual seizure when I didn't realise this (that was when I was drinking a LOT more though, it doesn't sound you're in that territory!).

SAB10 · 26/04/2022 10:35

Nouveaunew · 25/04/2022 23:08

@Blackberryblossom
We're all here trying to stay off a drug that society and big alcohol have spent years spinning lines about how if we've got issues with it, it's because of us, not them peddling their addictive poison in pretty glasses. :rage

well put. I’m on Day 2. I know deep down that life would be better if I quit. I had a bath tonight & I noticed my hands are shaking … like a tremor. That’s a bit of a wake-up call. I never thought I’d get so dependent on booze.

@Nouveaunew keep an eye on the tremors - could be withdrawals which can be pretty dangerous. This is why doctors etc generally recommend reducing alcohol intake over a few days rather than going cold turkey. I have previously had tremors which led to an actual seizure when I didn't realise this (that was when I was drinking a LOT more though, it doesn't sound you're in that territory!).

Breathmiller · 26/04/2022 11:06

Onewildandpreciouslife · 26/04/2022 07:08

This resonates with me so much it's crazy. It's such a great analogy. It is a hard slog to begin with, so many obstacles to get through, which means it is even more important to me to not go back there. I am in the field of bunnies. I really do feel that. I am also aware that there is a path back to that first field, it's not blocked off. I just have to actively choose not to take it. I'm aware it's there, but its very much in my periphery vision and for most of the time I don't even see it. Having far too much fun in my field of bunnies. (Also seems very apt since we have a few bunnies in our thread field here).
Good luck to those still climbing these obstacles, it's totally worth it.
And what's great, is that in tgis field, because it is so much...i don't know...peaceful, spacious I have more clarity to deal with other things too. Whereas in the other field I was too busy firefighting the misery that I couldn't see how to even begin.

Someone upthread mentioned sugar, food and emotional crutches like comfort eating and smoking etc. My struggles with binge eating and disordered eating is finally coming into balance. It took nearly a year of not drinking to really focus on my relationship with food and addictions and I spent a bit of time throwing quite a lot at it and,finally, finally after a lifetime of disorder drinking, disordered eating, and other destructive habits I feel I am getting somewhere. Everything just seems so much.. lighter and easier. It's a very good feeling. And I couldn't have done that in the other field.

SAB10 · 26/04/2022 11:08

Nouveaunew · 25/04/2022 23:08

@Blackberryblossom
We're all here trying to stay off a drug that society and big alcohol have spent years spinning lines about how if we've got issues with it, it's because of us, not them peddling their addictive poison in pretty glasses. :rage

well put. I’m on Day 2. I know deep down that life would be better if I quit. I had a bath tonight & I noticed my hands are shaking … like a tremor. That’s a bit of a wake-up call. I never thought I’d get so dependent on booze.

@Nouveaunew keep an eye on the tremors - could be withdrawals which can be pretty dangerous. This is why doctors etc generally recommend reducing alcohol intake over a few days rather than going cold turkey. I have previously had tremors which led to an actual seizure when I didn't realise this (that was when I was drinking a LOT more though, it doesn't sound you're in that territory!).

SAB10 · 26/04/2022 11:09

Sorry for the random multiple posts!

Original poster
ChampooPapi · 26/04/2022 20:41

Checking in 🙌

@Kindtomyself thank you for your outrageously lovely message. I breathed it in and held it in my heart, and I will continue to do so. I fully concur about the therapy, I need those tools and I need the outlet to be completely honest. Having that space to speak of the past and future in a sober environment sounds very good for me. For all human kind no doubt.

How are you doing day to day? You've got this too *Kind 💜

OP posts:
Original poster
ChampooPapi · 26/04/2022 20:43

@Breathmiller me too, just read it and nodding away right from the get go

OP posts:
Original poster
ChampooPapi · 26/04/2022 20:58

@Onewildandpreciouslife thank you for sharing and fantastic going for making it over the first month hump. Your post will be so useful and supportive for so many on here. I need to read some quit literature, it's time

OP posts: