DRY 16

[vxa2]

If you're quitting alcohol for a brighter sober future come and join us here. A very welcoming bunch supporting each other every step of the way.

Link to Dry 15

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/2726334-Dry-15?msgid=65047780#65047780

user don't apologise..... we're all here for a rant, a whinge, a hand hold.....

Good luck at the doctors.....

Evening ladies and gent. Welcome to pinot. I just got this
thesoberschool.com/surviving-christmas/
It has some really good common sense tips. X

User, in the 6 months I've been part of this community, I think we've all experienced this to some degree - we are so aware of how much we've changed and the work we put into it that we want others to see it too.

I think it's hardest for those closest to us - because they're the ones we hurt most and/or can't see who we are without the drink.

Glad you're doing ok, please post anytime. People are here, and listening.

Good tips!

user how did the trip to the doctors go?

yes very practical and immediately useful tips. I'd gotten one or two of them meself BUT the 'what difference would alcohol make to this situation?' is a bit of a winner imho.

yes user - any news you feel like saying at all??

ECG is normal, but sent home with GTN spray and omeprozole (sp).

Referral to emergency chest pain team due to history of heart disease in brother, mother, father and all his family - I'm only 38 for God sake.

Jokes with the Dr that I was going to start drinking again as I had no aches pains etc when drinking, got an "ahem .....no"

Felt like a naughty school boy turned good....

DR "do you smoke"
ME "not anymore"
DR okay "how many how long ago" -
"20/30 stopped 10 years ago"

DR"Do you drink" -
ME "am not anymore"
DR okay "how much how often how long ago" -

ME "I'm going to say six, because I know you add a third, two thirds of the week, and stopped 3 months ago...."

DR "Okay 8 per night, every night? Stopped 2 months ago"

ME "3 months"

DR "You don't know we take a third of the time off when you tell us you stopped?......I'm only joking

Evening all. Those tips are fantastic. I love number 10:

"Ask yourself, ‘how would alcohol change this situation?’...Deep down, you know that drinking changes NOTHING. Alcohol is just a liquid toxin – the very best it can offer is a distraction. When you sober up, those same problems will still be there (and you will feel awful)"

user hope you are feeling okay this evening. Hold on to how much you don't want to go back to drinking.

Feeling better this evening, don't think chest pains are heart, just stress of marriage and things in work.

Day 97 (almost) done

ooh...user - take good care of yourself, eh? Can imagine the stresses and doing the Good Things you are doing will be helping, won't they?
Congrats on galloping toward the ton! I am meandering toward a four week milestone.

Keep on keeping on user and you'll be at that 100 day mark before you know it and shoutout to my sober buddy nottoday... didn't think when I first posted on here I'd be staring down almost four weeks sober.

It's my xmas do on Friday straight after work and I'd arranged to drive rather than take the train as normal. Unfortunately OH now needs the car for work that day. I'm worried that my best laid plans have been scuppered and now the possibility is there for me to drink. I might get OH to pick me up in the car at 9pm even though it's more than an hour round trip. Feel a bit silly that I can't just be secure in the knowledge I'll definitely get the train home sober.

Throughtheviolers start making the excuses in work now, you know hat tooth abscess you have, the one the dentist is going to put you on antibiotics for......

You do know you shouldn't drink on antibiotics don't you?

throughtheviolets could you use a wee white lie and just tell people you are driving? or would you have to join colleagues on the train? Seems 'designated driver' is pretty fool proof as an excuse... if challenged after the fact just say something came up...

Def make the excuses now - although antibiotics excuse will have many thinking you're pregnant...... And actually again none of their blinking business.... and another indication of how our society treats someone not having a drink - not drinking? must be pregnant, or must be something else going on other than I just don't want a glass of wine....

Seeing it more and more..... It really is everywhere!

Day 16 on dry 16 for me today and off to nurse to have bloods taken - that's the easy part, its the results I'm worried about... But nothing else for it!!

Keep the faith team.....

throughtheviolets if your OH is happy to pick you up go with it, do whatever you need to to get yourself through. You can do it!

My DH sent me a text saying "I know you don't drink" (he had been sidetracked while looking for presents and had found one that was a grow your own gin and tonic... Essentially a bottle of gin and a lemon tree 🙄) and reading those words made me feel increadibly happy. He's not a big drinker anyway but its was reassuringly accepting, if that makes sense.

Have a lovely day all x

Love this thread. Thank you all for sharing.
Don't know if it's of any use but I also went through a period of pain and relied heavily on drinking to get me through. There are a few websites I'd recommend, this is a good podcast - www.oneyearnobeer.com and also the headspace app helped me a lot.
xx

I've already mentioned to a couple of trusted people at work that I'll not be drinking at the do. I'm just conscious that I'll have no actual reason not to if I don't drive and might get swept along in the moment, losing my willpower!! OH was tasked today with explore all possibilities for him using public transport for work rather than the car so will see if he's come up with any brainwaves, otherwise I'll get him to pick me up and we can get a takeaway en route home for a quiet night of quality sober time together. Determined that I will. Not. Drink.

Thanks everyone for your support about my seemingly silly wobble. It means a lot.

Hope everyone else had an EXCELLENT sober day!

Its not a silly wobble at all throughtheviolets, you really have to plan these things out otherwise mistakes will happen!

I was really annoyed the other night, I have been out on a 2 day conference and we had booked a meal out on the first evening. I had ordered half a bottle of wine for everyone so there was lots of wine flowing about. I told the waiter I wasn't drinking so he knew to avoid pouring wine in my glass etc so all was good. Went to the bar to get my drink and they didn't do a becks blue....no problem I said just give me your equivalent alcohol free lager....nothing, nada, none - they didn't do one apparently so I was thrown then. I didn't want coke or diet coke as don't want the caffeine in those and I hate sweet fizzy drinks so eventually had a tonic but I was really pissed off and was completely thrown by the whole thing. Sounds like a silly wobble but I was at that stage where all of the triggers were there 1) tired 2) hungry 3) needing to be the life and soul of the party etc etc

I got through it and ended up leaving at a reasonable time for the hotel but it was touch and go!

Today I was so so pleased though. A couple of my team STANK to high heaven, the presenting from some of them wasn't great and they had to put themselves on show to a lot of peers and superiors so I just thought it was really silly of them.

Saying that, even when I was drinking I wouldn't have gone mad and got myself into a state and stayed out until 4.00am, however if I had have slipped and had one or even two last night I would still have felt crap today and really regretted it!

Onwards....

Hand hold please, Yet more serious shit going down in my family situation, which is really making me think numbing my feelings with alcohol is a good thing. I KNOW it isn't ,I'm listening to Belle podcasts, have emailed her and Jackie from SSL and posted here as well - all for accountability but I am still feeling so fucking grim,upset, stressed,furious. Headspace and Andrew AJ Nowwww are not helping. I have tried, most of this afternoon has been spent online and plugged into listening to stuff.

No nearby AA meeting - I even considered that although I tried AA and did not find it helpful ( for me)

Because I am sober, I could get in my car and drive to the 24 hour convenient store, despite it being 5 miles away ( not that convenient lol ) and I am SO tempted. Fucking Wolfie screwing with my brain there ...

Am on Day 88 this time around and Day 362 apart from 8 individual day lapses ( which I oh so regret as they buggered up me nearly being a year sober but this sort of crisis is why I am not!)
I really do not want to drink but omg I am so tempted.

You KNOW more than most people here alcohol will not have any change effect on anything, other than dragging you down. That is the ONLY think it will do.
Just don't let it.
You know you can do this. You've done it before and can do it again.

Thank you for the rapid response Not

but, yes I have done it before but I really want to drink tonight ( no idea why at this stage but omg is it bad :( )

so, someone give me a reason, response, something which stops me getting into the car and driving to the store? I know that is not fair of me ( I do , I really do) , its not meant to put the onus on you to stop me but just come back to me saying why not?

I am posting here while dealing with text, RL abuse , email and phone calls - so all sorts of shit and I am feeling so overwhelmed.

Still here, so that is good :)

Hi sobersarah.

You're clearly having a tough time tonight. Picking up a drink won't solve any of that and will totally add to the problem tomorrow and ever after.

Can you read back over your previous positive posts / progress?

And if the RL abuse can be unplugged / hung up on / switched off: do it. You can't reason with batshit crazy.

its unfortunately the RL stuff is not avoidable Its my teen DD who may be on the autistic spectrum and is also v abusive.

Ok take care of yourself. seriously.

Can you read back over your successes?

Funny I have just gone to the filing cabinet and got out my sober journal for days 1 - 60 this time around and re read the first 20 days.

Still crave wine :(

Still in the house and not in the car so keep on helping please lovely friends as it really is stopping me driving 5 miles to the store with the wine