Dry 6

[sydneysideup]

This is the thread for the alcohol free. Happy and hopeful, continuing from Dry 5 here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/a2137624-DRY-5?msgid=50943574
Whether it's been an hour, a day, a week or a year, join us here.

Yes I can; and I will be so much better off for doing it. Time to sort my life out and face up to stuff

Is it ok to share stuff like that on here? I don't want to upset anyone ...

Well the cupboard of shame has been cleared out. I couldn't face putting the bottles in the recycling and it was bin collection day today so I just threw the black bag into the bottom of the bin and ran down the path back inside.

I haven't got a problem with you sharing your stuff glad. Post away! I know what you mean about sorting life out. Much easier with a clear head. I've often thought in the past, I wonder when I'll feeling like a grown up? I'm nearly 43 ffs! I've often felt like I'm just 'playing house' watching everyone else getting on with it. Being sober means I am much more present now. It's great .

Glad I agree with Heman share away :)
There must be something about the early 40's I stopped drinking when I was 44. It does feel like growing up too Ah well better late than never

Another one here who feels like she's finally growing up. Found myself describing my favourite perfume to my lodger and saying that one of the reasons I liked it was because it was quite 'grown up'. FFS I thought to myself, who am I kidding that I need to use a perfume to make myself feel grown up - I'm 44!

Feeling a bit wobbly here this week as I'm in court on Friday again with my buffoon of an exH, this time regarding our divorce finances. I've just found out that he's self-representing, and for this hearing I am too... all a bit nerve-wracking.

glad - thank you for sharing, and don't feel as though you can't or shouldn't - it's what it's all about. There's an honesty to 'life in recovery' (for want of a better turn of phrase) that is just lovely.

Thank you all

Good luck on Friday teapot :) Sober treat for afterwards?

Massive good luck on Friday Teapot!!!

Gladistopped - please share whatever you want to. I am sure you will find Lucy's course great!

Good luck on Fri Teapot hope all goes well for you

Best of luck for tomorrow Teapot!!

Reading my posts on the first thread that is exactly what I did with the bottles too glad . Also stopped for six months last year. It's good as I know I can do it but I also now know how easy it is to slip back to old ways, much more cautious and on guard about it. Once the initial sobriety is far away and the shame and guilt has lessened I get those thoughts this time I can handle it, I will be able to moderate. This time I know those thoughts lie. Feel free to share whatever you feel comfortable with.

Welcome Heman and Findme and big hellos to everyone else.
Glad you're doing ok Haggis and Corn

Just a quick one to say moderation sucked for me too and being dry = being free for me.

Best of luck with the assignments Lucy - what is your course? (noseybonk emoticon).

Teapot I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Just think how much stronger you are now you're sober and therefore how much more able to face him.

And absolutely no giving up this thread for Lent please people! 'By the power of Mumsnet......'

sydney Thanks - it's all over!! Woohoo Presentation done, waiting on results and whether I've made it through to next year. Doing a Masters in Education in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapeutic Counselling

Well done Lucy. I hate presentations with a passion, nerve wracking things that they are. Good luck for your results and hope they don't make you wait too long.

Any suggestions for nice af drinks to take to a byob house party Saturday night? I usually stick to the bottle green drinks or fentimans ginger but they are getting a bit boring now.

Broken Don't know if you have a Bill's near you but they have a lovely Pink Lemonade. If not I was really pleasantly surprised by Shloer :) Thanks re the well done. It was a 30 min presentation - bloody relieved to have it out of the way tbh

Well done Lucy! Chocolate Brownies sound delish and sugar free too! Actually, I do believe as you didn't make them and if you eat them standing up they will have absolutely no calorific value whatsoever. True Fact .

Broken M & S do some lovely soda's. I like the elderflower soda and the hibiscus and lemon. They come in a lovely kilner style bottle. I'd happily take a bottle to a party. They look a bit 'winey' in colour too, if you were worried about people asking questions. Do not under any circumstances buy their non alcoholic sparkling grape juice. It is GRIM.

And a late night GOOD LUCK for you Teapot.

Hi everyone! Still here,still dry, since Jan 21rst I think! Can't believe it, don't know how or why it's different this time but I really feel like my relationship with alcohol is finally over.
( breathes a sigh of relief) Tres Bizarre as I've been binge drinking for 23 years! Sometimes a lot, sometimes not. Mostly a lot though... Have tried to quit many times, but the drinking was getting the worst it had ever been, secret stashed wine bottles, nipping out to the kitchen for a secret swig from the fridge...the list goes on....maybe I just finally gave up the battle of "moderation" it just DOESNT WORK! I've also accepted the past,present and future damage I was doing to my little family unit...got 2 little,little children. I don't want to be the idiot who chooses a bottle of wine over her babies growing up in a secure,happy family unit. It could happen to me, it happens to others...why not me. I just pray it lasts...

Heman Damn I was eating it sitting down watching the final episode of Wolf Hall :) Run this morning should have negated the calories hopefully
chocolatefingers Well done you! Nope moderation never worked for me either and just gave me another reason to hate myself for something else I wasn't good enough at Acceptance and forgiveness of self is key. No prayer needed if you stay focused and alert to the Wizard of Oz nature of alcohol marketing i.e there is no magic to booze, it's all a load of bllcks - it's an addictive poison and we got addicted. And my favourite TSP quote

Cheers I'll keep an eye out for them when I'm out shopping today.

That's fantastic chocolate, well done. Moderation is simply exhausting, not worth the constant battle.

Was also thinking this morning about the effect my drinking was having on my children. Had a lovely evening last night with the tv and computers off, sitting reading with the both of them. Ds stayed up a little later with me and we sat and talked. I catch a look at him sometimes and he's growing up so fast, makes me sad that for so many years I was there but not there. Tonight it's a dvd and hot chocolate night. I'm looking forward to it, how my Friday nights have changed!

Huge good luck vibes winging your way today Teapot. Hope it goes well for you!!

Thanks lucy and brokenmy babies are 1&3 and I just adore them. I've given up the booze so I can heal myself so I can be the mum they need me to be. My DH needs me to be sober too, not totally pissed 2 or 3 times a week . Had a massive effect on our relationship. But mostly I've done it so I can be a better, happier me.

If I'm okay, I think my family have s better chance of bring okay. And booze didn't make me as happy as I thought it did. Bloody emperors new clothes and all that

Morning all... just a quickie to say all went okay yesterday; no dramatic twists and turns but moving me another step closer to it all being finalised. Back later to catch up on the thread properly :)

Good news teapot :)

Happy days Teapot, glad to hear it.

Is your dh majorly supportive then chocolate?

Hi broken we don't talk about me not drinking very often. He's very non committal and I think is truely over the whole alcohol issue. Funnily enough our relationship is the worst it's ever been. At times I hate him. Got into a row today and if it hadn't been 10:30am and I was stuck working I would have had a drink I'm sure. Instead I bought cigarettes and had one. I'm not much of a smoker but he drives me to bloody distraction

Evening! I just typed out a great long post but it went poof! And now it's gone. I think .

Glad all went ok for you yesterday Teapot.

Hey Chocolate Hello .

Well. I did it. Big Sober Night Out. It was ace! I danced, chatted and laughed with my lovely but pished friends!

Sober dancing was a bit strange at first but then I saw everyone throwing themselves around and realised a bit of restraint is not necessarily a bad thing . I also struggled a bit with the drunken small talk thing at first. Because, well, I wasn't drunk! Instead of getting pissed off and going home I went to the loo on my own for a breather. I realised that it was at this point in the evening that I would usually start doing and saying things that would be making me cringe and giving me The Fear today. Plus, I wouldn't have been giving a toss about what anyone else was saying. So I just relaxed and went with the flow!

I did have 'The Talk' with one of my friends about me not drinking. I was expecting it though . She declared it wasn't right or fair and she wanted her drinking buddy back. After a few circles round of this (she was very drunk!) I asked her why it was a problem for her as I was absolutely fine and very happy. She kind of, eventually admitted it made her feel bad about her drinking. Surprise, surprise.

I didn't get home til 1.30 am and I am absolutely pooped. I have no earthly idea HOW I used to get through a hangover. I really don't. But what a cheap date I was! I gave a friend a lift so she bought me a couple of drinks. I spent the grand sum of £4.30! As opposed to what? £100 + if I was drinking. Scary!

chocolate sorry to hear things are tense between you and DH at the mo and if smoking is a way to avoid drinking instead - I say go for it! :)
Heman well done you! Awesome TSP effort and bloody hell - that was a cheap night out!! Hope you've got yourself something nice as a reward for your sober success - you can certainly afford it if your £95 better off than you would have been