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

That is totally amazing BG, if you can do that you can do anything. Well done to you, what an inspiration .

As for the offer of gin, probably a sign of how normal drinking is perceived to be and total credit to you for refusing. Onwards indeed, hopefully not much more to go though (115km is unreal) .

Morning lovely people..

You're awesome BG, that is some going. Good luck finishing today.

Well done Emily, temptation smashed

Hope everything is ok your end seeds and you are slogging on Did you go to your meeting?

Didn't get as early a night as I'd wanted but managed a tiny bit of a lie-in instead. More drinking dreams! Wonder why I'm having so much of them lately? Big family dinner up to me this week so that's my day's plan sorted.

Have a great Easter Sunday and hope you are getting a chance to relax.

Retired from race, shoulder has had enough...

Hugs BG well done for getting so far! Am seriously impressed!
Had a very long lie in today. well actually a hide in, in bed. Eaten the heads off a number of small dark chocolate bunnies. Drank coffee while eating them, which was actually a really nice taste! About to spend afternoon (and early evening if I can) planting veg and cleaning out many chicken houses. Its dull here but dry so fingers crossed I get a lot done!
I did go to a meeting, still not too sure about them but it helped , a bit, so must be a good thing.
Have a good Easter Sunday, sober warriors :)

Hope the shoulder's ok and you haven't done anything serious to it BG. Also hope you aren't too disappointed. Serious accomplishment to get as far as you did, well done! Celebratory chocolate milk?

Sorry the eating the heads off chocolate bunnies made me smile seeds, sounds wrong. Can't beat chocolate and coffee together. Glad the meeting helped a bit.

Why did I offer to cook? House is a mess, back's aching, dc are doing my head in and invited their friends over to irritate me playing hide and seek. Lots of thumping around despite me telling them to take it outside. Argh!

About 150 out of 200km done... but a stage too far!!

So impressive! Hope the shoulder injury is just temporary overwork, though.

Morning all,

Heading home... shoulder is ok I think, just really tired... I'll give it s rest and see what happens!! Blisters and chafing seem improved this morning

Onwards

Given the km you covered I'm sure really tired is an understatement BG

Countdown to end of Easer hols - still a week to go Dd has managed to throw spectacular tantrums the last two days and the two dc are getting to the constant bickering stage.

Yay for all of us who made it through the holiays sober, I think we deserve a pat on the back. We rock

Yep we rock! I actually drank some AF red wine this weekend. Don't normally do fake wine anymore as found it a bit triggery (even though I still have a case from when i ordered from the AF shop) but this was really a nice change. Maybe being far enough away from last drink of alcohol has made it less triggery and just a nice social drink?

Still have a week to go here as well. DD can be difficult, as some of you may remember, so I'm very glad its fine weather and there is lots to do in the veg garden and elsewhere when I need an escape.
Also had LoD last night to enjoy and last ever episode of Brordchurch, tonight :(

Morning everyone, patchy Easter here.

Way to go BG.:) That is incredible!!

seeds hope you are okay and the weather stays good.

Okay here. But up and down. I got through an easter lunch with friends alcohol free and had a lovely time. I never seriously wanted a drink, and I just relaxed into the afternoon with loads of sparkling water and J2O and felt good.

I am about to go to B&Q for serious loads of compost as our car is going to the garage for the rest of the week to replace a fuel injector. (shudder- the cost ) I am making a mini veg garden out of pot - peppers, tomatoes, lettuces, potatoes. I am LOVING it!

Also have plans to start attending a jewellery making workshop with some friends, AND I recently bought some junk furniture at a barn auction that I am restoring and hope to sell. Look at me with all the hobbies!!!!

Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Onwards Sober Warriors!

Morning,

Body is healing well.... the unpacking and tidying going less well!!

Was tempted last night, for the first time in ages... tired, disappointed, alone... and I knew all that, asked myself how a drink would help and concluded that it wouldn't so cracked on with the decaf coffee...

So far have bee given a can of gin and tonic, bottle of prosecco and bottle of craft gin for my 'efforts'.... I still feel a little uncomfortable that people have bought me something 'nice' and I can't enjoy it, I feel ungrateful somehow... but I always accept gracefully and these things can ALWAYS be recycled successfully!!! The gin will be traded for a very nice pair of cycling sun glasses

So better start unpacking more stuff... think I have come back with more than I left with, honestly!!!!

Onwards, ever onwards

Morning all, hope everyone's ok and had a happy Easter.

I've had wine over the holidays and feel very disappointed in myself, I haven't made a tit of myself or drank vast amounts but I should have been stronger, I'm pissed off at my lack of self control.

I took the app off my phone that recorded how many days I'd stayed dry, I thought I'd manage but I've strayed off the path without it , how bloody stupid of me. I'd have been 100 days+ by now.

Time to start again.

Morning all. BG well done again on your race result. I'm still totally in awe of how anyone can run that far and survive! I hope you can take some comfort in what you did achieve rather than the disappointment. I hope your shoulder is feeling less sore. I know what you mean about well intentioned gifts. I have a bottle of salted caramel liquor and two bottles of wine that will be making there way to some raffle or other at some point. The sunglasses will last so much longer and be much more useful.

Seeds sounds like you have a good plan to help keep you occupied and help your sanity when DD plays up. I have 3DS and when the weather is rubbish trying to keep them entertained indoors is near impossible. So much better if it's dry to potter and do inexpensive things together. Hope you enjoyed the last of Broadchurch, I've saved them to watch on a nightly basis after the holidays as I'm too impatient to watch week to week.

Emily well done on surviving the celebratory lunch. I think being able to be in situations when you previously would have drank is a big step and one you rightly should feel a bit smug about. Sounds like your challenge to find other interests and hobbies is off to a flying start with little time for any drinking distractions to make an appearance. I hate it when cars go wrong, hope isn't too expensive to repair.

Burnt hope you managed to feed the masses and retain your sanity. I can empathise as I usually invite everyone and then find myself struggling to not only make the food but also entertain and keep in check the DC. Hope your back is feeling less sore today and that you have someone else around to do the cooking and mediate the constant bickering. I thought that was just my three DC that did that.

Day 56 here and second day of Easter holiday week away. On arrival a bottle of white was chilling as a welcome gift. Needless to say it was swiftly removed and put to the back of the cupboard, another for the raffle. Previously would have been opened and drank as I unpacked. After doing dry January my tipping point back to old habits, and conversely my point of deciding no more was the February half term week. I've been feeling a bit unsure how this week would go without a glass of wine/Gin in the evenings to relax and mark the "holiday", but I can say with honesty that now we're here I don't feel tempted at all and I'm relishing the relaxation from other things. Even though I got my period on the first day (which is just typical), I feel positive and able to see a future which can stay dry.

Onwards only onwards everyone.

Morning SanDiego. I can understand the disappointment but you will undoubtedly have taken something away from what is a small blip in the grand scheme of things. I'm using the dry January app too. I know it will be back to day one but try to perhaps consider this a continuation of the dry you with more ability to resist when that temptation comes your way again.

Mini morning.

I will treat it as a blip. I slept appallingly last night and I'm still in bed feeling sorry for myself, need to buck myself up.

Onwards indeed.

Hello everyone, may I re-join the thread? I was a regular poster until November when my Dad died and my attempts to stop drinking went adrift. I'm not drinking anything like as much as I used to but it's getting worse and I know it's only a matter of time before it's every night again. Posting on here managed to keep me on track for most of last year so here goes, Day 1 again!

I know I have to start recognising, again, that the wine creeps into my head when I'm tired and over-loaded or when I feel a need a reward. Which was all the case yesterday and I ended up having far more than I intended to. So a dreadful nights sleep and the familiar sense of despair is hanging over me today. There is also huge grief over my Dad still which comes out if I drink so I spent most of the night crying. He never drank at all and I think he'd be so ashamed of me.

I just have to keep trying I guess. I won't drink today.

Hi jojo, yy to the terrible night's sleep and the feeling of despair.

Sorry to read about losing your Dad, hang in there. Day 1 again for me too.

Hi jojo - really nice to see you again? How are things and how is your mum?

I am back people, it's been quite a long time since I posted. I have drifted a bit on occasion and more on holiday a couple of weeks ago and now want to commit to another 100 days at least. I am still not at the point where I am in the "Dry Forever" zone but I want to be dry for now and hope I am welcome back. I have had 187 dry days out of the last 217 days which is an absolute MASSIVE achievement compared to the last 10 years or so. I have lost 2 stone to date and just feel a whole lot better...when I have drank I have asked myself what was better about the evening, why I did it etc. Nothing bad has happened when I have drunk but I just can't see why I did it - it offered no real benefits....in fact just made my fitness goals wander, made me put on a bit of weight and just made me feel a bit shit, sleep worse etc etc.

Back in the zone, day 7 here!

Thanks san diego and hi lou - good to see you too! Well done on the 2 stone weight loss, that's amazing!

My mum is being a trooper, bless her. She's utterly exhausted and very frail herself but we've managed to get her house on the market. When it sells, she will come and live with us until we find a flat for her as nearby as possible. Until then we have to manage as best we can - she's an eight hour drive away from here or I have to fly up and down so it's stressful.

I took up yoga to try and deal with my stress levels and mood and I love it, it really does help with everything. But it's not on in the holidays so perhaps that's why this couple of weeks has felt so hard.

Onwards and upwards, am struggling through today as I'm so tired but I feel a bit lighter having realised I have to prioritise my sobriety and committed to it again.

I feel so much better after some sleep! And it's a bright sunny day here which is always nice. Day 2 and I won't drink today. Need to think of a sober treat for later though.

Morning all.

jojo so sorry about your dad.

Good to see you andlou.

Hi all, plodding along here on day 9 and really enjoying it again. It's so much easier as week now I have a couple of really good DRY periods under my belt, nowhere hear as daunting. I have really got into exercise though and I think that is playing a key role in my desire to stay dry whilst also giving me a form of release that drinking gave me.

Jojo glad that your mum is bearing up and it sounds like life will be a lot easier for all when she comes to live with you. I hope the transition goes smoothly. How are you a couple of days in to your new dry regime? I agree that the sun shining definitely helps with the upbeat feelings! I keep meaning to get into yoga and know I will love it do definitely going to investigate that more. I didnt sleep well last night, sleeping well definitely helps.

Hi Emily - have you always been Emily or ha e you name changed?

KOKO everyone xx

Morning all.

I was AliceByTheMoon before, Lou and Cocoa before that, and Slim several DRY threads ago.:)

I need to just commit.....

Hope everyone is okay.