DRY 17

[Loubilou09]

[This message is actually from Sober Sarah! She wanted this thread to start with links everyone will find useful. MNHQ]

If you're quitting alcohol for a brighter sober future come and join us here. A very welcoming bunch supporting ebach other every step of the way. smile
We have put together some helpful info and links, to help you do this Smile tiredofthinkingaboutdrinking.com

Tired of thinking about drinking, Belle's website filled with free stuff as well as subscription courses and an account of her four years sober.

joinclubsoda.co.uk/ Club Soda - to help you make the change you want.
www.sobersassylife.com Sober Sassy Life - A Selection of Articles, Blogs and Freebies to get you unstuck, and on the way to your Sober Sassy Life! Also has paid for courses.
thesoberschool.com/ - an online hub with the mission of inspiring and supporting women who are tired of feeling hungover

www.blogtalkradio.com/bubblehour - podcasts on a huge range of issues relating to addiction and recovery

www.smartrecovery.org.uk/ - an alternative to AA. Meetings nationwide and online.

Useful meditation or relaxation apps
www.headspace.com Headspace for calming the brain chatter
www.withandrewjohnson.com Andrew Johnson stop drinking app
Helpful blogs from people who are sober
sothisissober.com/ our own vxa's blog
www.alcoholfree2016.com our own Lily's blog
www.alcoholfree2016.com our own Lucy's blog
www.sobergrowing/blogspot.co.uk our own Sober Sarah's blog

All of these blogs contain links to loads of other brilliant blogs.

Sobriety counters
meetnomo.com/index.html
www.pilanites.com/streaks/

Hope this helps you ! Love Sober Sarah and Vxa

growing. Hope tomorrow is a better day. xx

Sparkly fruit juice? I need to look into that! I mainline M&S pink grapefruit cordial mixed with soda water.

Fentimans, J20 sparkling, belvoir, and fevertree all do nice sparkling fruit drinks. Avoid Crabtree and some 'traditional' style drinks as they can contain alcohol!
I also like dandelion and burdock, traditional lemonade, raspberry or rhubarb lemonade and ginger beer.
I am not a coke, lemonade person and can only drink so much tea!
I also have a lovely coffee maker but am wide awake far too late if I drink too much later on.
I'm thinking of trying green tea and fruit teas too.
Pink grapefruit and soda sounds nice! Might try that. I have soda and lime when out sometimes that's quite nice.

Oh and can't forget schloer they do quite a few too.

Hi all day 4 almost over for me. Just home from a PTA meeting which prevented the temptation of witching hour. Cup of tea in hand ready to watch some tv. Got my old cross stitch out this afternoon to give me something to do when boredom strikes.

Onward we go

HiMN I'm a cross stitcher and a knitter. Not able to do much of either at the moment because of three mad kittens! They think wool is tooth floss and the ball is a mouse. Also hard to knit when a cat is trying to chew your needles
Have been reading and watching box sets also spending far too much time on MM

Day 2 done for me, had a wobble earlier but ok now.

Onwards we go.

MN even

Rarity I haven't cross stitched for years (since school probably) but had a kit hanging around that I bought for dd. It all came flooding back quite quickly. I can't knit for toffee but I love to crochet and like you I can't do that at the mo due to pets- in my case a crazy cockerpoo pup!

Wobbles will crop up but you only have to not drink today.

Cockerpoo's are super cute! I would like a dog but work full time.
My beautiful ginger tom died unexpectedly last summer . I went for two kittens and ended up with three I am a soft touch. Life is certainly livelier!

Cross stitch is great though, keeps your hands busy and makes time fly. Beats housework any day. I have a craft cupboard bulging at the seams. Maybe I'll have more time and brain space to start doing more in the future.

Well done everyone.

I'm partial to Bottlegreen cordials and Belvoir ginger beer with lime juice squeezed in to cut through all the sugar. Love Twinnings gingerbread green tea or lemon and ginger. Are you spotting a theme - I adore ginger, more of a kick to it the better I drink loads of sparkling water now too and the odd chai tea.

I keep meaning to try cross stitch, have all the stuff here bar a tapestry needle that I keep forgetting to pick up. Doing some knitting myself tonight and half watching The Fall. I can't stand Jamie 'Borin' but it's something that's not too taxing on in the background before bed.

I've been binging on The Ketting Incident and Broadchurch. Also quite a big fan of the cycling and alpine sports. Never watched The Fall what's it about?

Rarity cockerpoos are very naughty and energetic... but cute.

It's nice to occupy myself in an evening rather than anaesthetising myself

I forgot to mention day 4 is quite momentous- dh has gone away, prime peaceful drinking time normally. So I am doubly proud.

Hi Rarity, been on here since Dry 12 I think? Several years. Mostly long stretches of sobriety, with brief lapses, which I learn from and try to do things differently next time. Crochet, quilting, gardening, chickens, cats and reading really help me as does swimming. And chocolate :)

Has anyone else read the Jason Vale book? I read it on Saturday and haven't thought about alcohol since. This hasn't happened to me at all before - I could stop for a few days, but would have it on my mind. I literally don't think about it and have wine in the cupboard, too, but I'm not tempted. I think he's hypnotised me!

It's about a serial killer set in Belfast Rarity. Ok so far but I have heard it petters out a bit as it goes on.

My dd would love a cockerpoo! She's dog mad and they are super cute. Our lab passed away suddenly, at a brave age though, two years ago. Keep toying with the idea of getting another as I miss having a dog around the house but waiting it out until the dc get up a bit.

Excellent mnaddict, wear that pride, it's well deserved

Good morning all!

I love Belvoir cordials and ginger beer Vidorra. I also put a squeeze of lime in their sparkling ginger beer. :)

Justwondering I read Jason Vale a long time ago, and recently read Alan Carr. I found both very interesting, and particularly liked the discussion of the idea that we have all basically been conned by the alcohol industry to think that drinking alcohol is adult and sophisticated. I have since read quite a bit about alcohol marketing (not intensely read, but made an interest of it) and that has all been very interesting also. It is easier to see through the con when you know the tactics used.

I taught myself to knit (only the simplest stitch) and I knit an awful lot of scarves. I keep threatening to knit DH a tie which as he is not a fan of ties (or indeed my knitting) makes him go a bit pale. I love my scarves. DS has 4 or 5 - he does not like them much either. I started to knit a scarf for my mother until she said she could show me a much better way to do it and I threw it across the room and yelled;'You can forget about it then!!!!' (ahem- I'm 43. Not my finest moment).

I need to think about box sets. DH is a Big Bang addict so I tend to just go to bed early and MN or read.

Right. Hope everyone has a GREAT day!

Morning all, just been to the GP as I'm currently signed off with anxiety and depression. Been off three weeks and my drinking had spiralled. I have admitted as much to the GP who was lovely. Now trying to get hold of work to tell them I'm signed off for another 2 weeks. I hate feeling like this but every day AF is a win.
Need to get my shit and my house in order in the next couple of weeks.

Beautiful day here today, hope you all have a good day

Rarity I hope you find your depression improves once you are sober. Mine did! Also well done for being honest with your gp

I'm hoping so too sober you've been a while I see. I'm glad to have found a thread which is so active and supportive.

Been here a while I meant!

Yes I have and found it always very helpful and supportive.

I oh so wish I had not lapsed in the past, but I did, and I own that I made that mistake.
I co wrote the top post with all the links distilled from my past few years of what has helped for me to ( largely) stay sober. When I did lapse I added new sober tools and tried again better ( rather than doing the same stuff, just harder :) )

If I did lapse, I treated it as a one off lapse, was kind to myself, learnt from why I lapsed and got straight back to not drinking again. :)

Its a beautiful sunny day here - off to dig the veg garden :)

On the cordial note - if you make very strong fruit/herb teas you can then use them like cordials, with water - keep surplus in fridge for a few days.
Can also just make a nice drink with fizzy water and a fruit tea bag - it really does work, honest :)

After several years of knowing I will have to stop drinking but putting it off I hit rock bottom on Tuesday night.
Started off with a very civilised tasting event for work in the afternoon, ended with me staggering around trying to throw myself in front of buses. I went to the emergency walk in clinic at the mental hospital. They wouldn't see me because I was drunk, I told them I wanted to wait there because I was scared to home and they called the police and had me arrested. Handcuffs, cell, the works. It was the single most terrifying experience of my life. I am absolutely covered in bruises and bumps, they were refusing to let me call someone to make sure I could arrange someone to collect my son from nursery or tell me what time it was or anything at first.
I have pre-existing mental health issues, mostly stress based but I know if I didn't drink I'd be fine. I don't drink often, and rarely get like that, but one drink when I'm stressed and I can't stop.
Even if I just drink a 'normal' amount (you know- just a bottle of wine!) I have hangovers that are pure anxiety- panic attacks, etc. My life would be a thousand times better if I didn't drink. My son's future would be a million times safer. I need to do this.
I am absolutely crippled with shame at being arrested. When sober I am a completely respectable, capable person. Managing to make a nice life for me and my son, working, studying for a Masters.

Thanks sober I'm under no illusion that I won't have lapses in the future and I think that mind set is really useful. I've also been round this merry go round more than once! I know my mental health and alcohol use are linked. It's one of my 'signs' that I'm heading in the wrong direction. That and a lack of appetite. But even when well I drink every day. Not to excess but an amount that long term will be damaging to my health. So it needs changing.

I've managed to clean the living room today including the picture rail. There must be a family of spiders in here! Shows how often I look at my ceiling

Hey teenage I'm a newbie here too. Started my AF journey on Tuesday also.

Your experience sounds horrendous and I'm so sorry. I hope your DS was ok and that you have some RL support. How old is he? Have you got a partner?

I lack an off switch too, my moment of shame 2 years ago included me being held in A&E overnight after accidently setting fire to my cooker (after falling asleep on the kitchen floor with my head on the ignition to the gas job). My DD was upstairs and we were lucky that I woke up. I also had to be assessed by MH and had a referral to SS. You would think that would be enough to make me teetotal for life. And it did, for a while. But it's a marathon this not an easy fix.

Be kind to yourself and see your GP asap for some support. Are you known to your community MH team?