DRY 5

[allhailqueenmab]

Starting this before the old one gets filled up!
this is the thread for the alcohol free.
Join us!

Very true! Even sober I have to keep going back to the family tree and list of characters at the beginning to stay on top of who everyone is….

Got woken up in the middle of the night as DD's little friend (over for a sleepover) had a raging temp. Cold flannels needed etc. Poor mite. Another thing I was very glad to be dealing with sober….

Actually this friend of my DD's is driving me slightly mad…. Orders me around like a little madam (found myself saying 'what did your last slave die of"' under my breath just now). Conversation tends to go like this :'How many houses do you have?'…. We have 3 (cue bragging chat about size and where they are). She tried to place an order for supper last night and I had to point out we weren't in a restaurant….. Sour face emoticon!!!

Morning all.

Good morning. This is day 3. I had chat with DH before he went to work, v brief, but did say I want our life to be happier and that we need to make more effort with one another. My contribution to stay sober, I did get a hug but stupidly crying now.

Off for a run, clear my head, count my blessings and stop panicking about life.

Beautiful weather here, SE, wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday.

Merce, is this friend heading off today? Sounds exhausting!

Yup - taking her home this afternoon!!

Jemimarose - well done you. The crying isn't stupid - it's just 'feeling' emotions and letting them out which is v. healthy. We suppress them with drink remarkably effectively…..! A run, counting blessings and trying to stop worrying are PERFECT things for you to be doing. Textbook sobriety stuff. Hope you are allowing yourself to feel a little bit proud - you deserve it.

You are doing great Jemima. :) Glad you had the talk with your DH. Enjoy your run! I have a bike ride planned- am focusing on healthy foods, exercise, sobriety. The Blessed Triumvirate. [wonders if that was the world I wanted.... googles..... ]

Merce - glad your DD's friend is going home soon!

We head off on holidays on friday, and no laptops or anything so I may not be posting. I will miss you all!

.. ahem ... 'word' not world.

Thank goodness friend is off! Even though DSs friends are lovely I can never relax while they are still my responsibility! As soon as they are safely delivered to their own home, unharmed and happy I have a sigh of relief.....

Thanks Corn. Have fabulous holiday, can I ask where you are off to?

Spain! Have never been, very excited. Scared about flying with DS though- last time we did (2 years ago admittedly) he had a massive meltdown. (massive to the pojnt he was bashing his head against the wall and we had to restrain him or he would have hurt himself) I actually went to the Dr to ask if there was anything we could do in case he had hysterics again. Got a sneer and a 'take lots of books to keep him occupied' as a response.

just to add... DS seems to have a fear of aeroplanes..... he freaks out at the books we got him with planes in them, screams at seeing planes overhead (we are quite near to an airfrield) - hence my anxiety. Which I am probably transmitting to him. :(

DH has bought him an ipad or a tablet (not sure which) which we will bring out though on board, so fingers crossed.

Merce - hell is other people's children sometimes. Makes me appreciate my own more when we have a particularly snotty one back to play.

Jemima - good for you on the chat!

Cornchips - Spain, fab! Well jel (as my 10 year old would say) as l peer at the Scottish weather forecast. I hope it is lovely! I really recommend listening to the Bubble Hour podcast on travelling before you go. You can download a number onto your phone before going - and can help as a tool in your sober resources if things get tough on hols. I hope your little boy is ok on the flight. Tablets are a great distraction. Have a wonderful time.

Was in a really deep sleep at 8.30 this am, first lie in on Hols for last number of days. And my blimmin sister in law calls me to tell me her little girl has head lice. (We are all on holiday together). She'd still have head lice at 9.30 ...... grrrrrr. And breathe.

Blimey - I've only been gone three days! Just had a lovely break in a barn on the coast! Good food, lovely beaches, a few runs and, for some reason, I drank Becks blue ( non alcoholic!) with dinner each night. I don't know why, but I just fancied the taste. It was ok I guess, but hasn't made me want alcohol at all, which is good, will go back to my normal juices and stuff now though.

Off to catch up x

Welcome back, Biggies!

Great news - was just directed to an article on Substance.com via the BFB group - only to discover its by our very own Tortoise.

Well done Tortoise! I know you'd said you were writing something for them. I hope I'm not stealing your thunder by linking to it.

www.substance.com/recovery-2-0-how-the-internet-revolutionized-sobriety/10646/

Hi Biggles. Glad it was a good Hols. Might try some Beck's blue at some stage.

Evening all! It's been busy on here and waves to everyone. Just a quick dash in and out as children are about to return from day with Grandparents. Been working all day finishing off free ebook that has just gone out to my lovely blog email subscribers, some of whom are here :) If you have any feedback please do let me know via email to me as I would like it to be as helpful as possible. You are my final approval board before it goes up on the blog as a resource for all come the 21st September. We're off to the Just So festival tomorrow evening so won't be about for a bit either. Hope we have as lovely a time as everyone else seems to be having when they're away!

Hello everyone!

Lucy, I am going to subscribe and look forward to reading your e-book. :)

Last day of manic packing etc and getting chores done and animals to kennels etc before going away, so just sending you all a wave in case I can't get online later. Hope everyone has a really great and sober couple of weeks. :) Thanks again for this thread- great thread. I look forward to telling you about all the great things we did instead of recounting misery tales of hangovers. :)

Look forward to reading the thread when I get back.

Hello Haggis, Snowie, Corn, Lucy, Jemima, merce, Teapot and everybody. It looks like everyone is doing really well.

Jemima, I read your thread earlier in the week - true, it sounds a bit embarrassing BUT you didnt murder anyone, injure anyone or steal anything. That 'mate' sounds a bit pious and judgy, bet he's not perfect. Well done for taking a positive step out of it all.

I went to meeting last night. I really love AA, its taking the strain off sobriety completely. I don't feel alone anymore. Its amazing really because I am normally looking for the holes in things, the fake-bits but for once I've just taken something on blind faith. I'm not looking for the short cuts.

There is some very 'tough' people at my meeting. Its easy to see the miracle when you see them laughing and being 'soft' and struggling. And staying sober.

Just my thoughts for this morning. I'm on 15 days now. Have a good day everyone.

Artvand, I love AA too. spending positive time with like minded people in all stages of sobriety. I always feel stronger and weller after a meeting.
well done on 15 days thats a massive achievement, one day at a time for your month chip
had the mother in law to stay, lovely lady but full on, not good for an alcoholic. came back from AA meeting to find her and dp booking a holiday for us in 3 days time, really hard to keep my mouth in check, but worked my AA programme, it was a nice thought and I do appreciate it but not good to change and arrange things for my alcoholic head.

Success! Just drove back from mums night curry, completely sober and had fab night, I can do this.

However DH drunk, sitting up asleep in bed, 3 empty wine bottles in kitchen, I have just tidied kitchen BUT I'm still smiling!

How does everyone manage other people when trying not to drink while out. 'Just have one' 'You're so boring' and 'Sleep at my house' are just 3 things people say to me all the time. I need a stop in soundtracks one liner to dhutghemup!!

Any ideas??

number99 - do people go on at you to drink like that? It's so rude..! I haven't had to do much full-on socialising yet (am 21 days sober), but I have a feeling I'd say something along the lines of "I've stopped drinking, realised it was holding me back in life". The bottom line is you DON'T want just one, it won't be just one, you don't want to sleep at someone else's house and wake up with a grim hangover just like the rest of them. You don't want it because you want to be present in your own life and you have realised that THIS IS THE WAY FORWARD. I don't know if it's just me and because it's early days, but I find myself 'observing' people's reactions in an objective way and knowing that it says so much about their own relation to alcohol. The ones who want to convince you the most are often the ones who are dependent themselves. Pity them. (Oh dear, I don't sound very nice, do I? )

jemima - well done on a successful night out! DH is going to have a sore head today... 3 empty wine bottles, a feat even for me!

number99, they will get used to it (as will you) once they've heard you say it a few times. And of course you must follow through! I think people are more pushy if you are obviously struggling with your decision, eg "oh, not for me, I'm not drinking, I'll have a coke, although I could murder a large glass of wine" etc. Theb you really will get the "well just have one" comments. You must give off an aura of confidence and certainty and they'll leave you alone. And try to have fun, so you don't get the "you're so boring when you don't drink" comments. Fake it to make it if need be.

Ultimately, you are the only person responsible for what goes into your mouth. No one but no one can make you drink. Your sobriety is the most important thing in the works right now.

I've read way too many books on alcoholism

Well, Mistress, whatever books you've been reading have done the trick; great tips just there. Particularly agree with showing no weakness even if one is having a slight internal wobble. AND the fact that those people who are weird and pushy about it are the ones with their own issues about alcohol (I used to HATE non-drinkers. Say no more).

Well done Jemima. That is just brilliant! I suspect your DH will find your decision hard because the spotlight will be turned on his own behaviour in a way…. 3 bottles is hardcore. At home on my own I would tend to polish of 2, but think I was passed out before 3. Anyway, it's his life and he needs to make his own decisions, but am so impressed with you ploughing ahead solo. I honestly think sobriety is liberation on so many levels.