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

Morning all, thanks emily (I remember you as slim!).

Day 4 here, doing ok. Spent yesterday totally shattered but forced myself to go to aqua fit in the evening which lifted my mood a bit. Feel better today which is good as this evening could be a challenge.

My sister in law is coming for the weekend, all a bit last minute, with her two children. So there is wine in the house for dinner but I don't drink red or white (only pink, bubbles or gin!) so am not feeling too bothered about it. Yet. I've managed not to drink before when they visit so it's not something new, I just need to keep focused. I might go and get the ingredients for a mocktail for me.

I'm seeing another friend tomorrow night, who is poorly and doesn't drink, so that's another swerve!

Am currently on my second coffee (and bagel!) before running round the house like a loon, inflating airbeds and cleaning etc!

Have a good, sober day everyone!

You definitely need to treat yourself with a mocktail jojo. Mmmm.

No news here. My DM is having an operation on her shoulder right now so I am waiting to hear from DFather how it went.

Onwards everyone. :)

Being busy is good Jojo! running around like a loon is an excellent distraction :)

Doing fine here, not thinking I want to drink although we usually go to a local bar in the summer with lots of friends, the bar overlooks the cricket pitch and there is a childrens play area etc so all the children play out and if you don't go your children hassle you relentlessly about wanting to go and not being the boring ones....It is all starting up again as the cricket season must be starting, people are mentioning that the cricket is on tonight will you be up at the bar etc etc. I can drink soft drinks though.....I have done it plenty of times before!

Going out tomorrow night but I have already said I am driving and I am going to get up fairly early for a run on Sunday so need to be on the ball.

Take care

Oh and hi Emily (remember you as slim) [waves]

Hello....

A 'challenging ' week for me after all the highs and lows of last weekend... although more highs than lows I think...

Work stretching my patience, not really in the mood for the eejits!!

Certainly suffered 3/4 from HALT, so trying to be gentle with myself... meant to be going out for dinner and right now it's the last thing I want to do, but I think brooding home alone is even less desirable so I will go....

Alcohol never helped anything, but neither does being tired!!

Onwards, ever onwards

Àrrrrggghhhh!
And breathe!

Àrrrrggghhhh!
And breathe!

Whats up seeds?

Just.... Stuff. Family stuff. Am shut in spare room mnetting and deep breathing!

Morning all.

I have nc again back to an old one. (Emily here).

BG how was your dinner out?

seeds you okay?

How is everyone?

Any nice weekend plans? I have to work this morning then hope to have a picnic lunch with DS somewhere. Nothing planned yet for tomorrow.

Onwards.

Where is this sun you all speak of? I'm in serious need of some vitamin D.

Good to see you again Lou.

You too Jo, sorry to read about your dad Hope you enjoyed your night.

We are taking it easy this weekend Alice, done the whole museum trip, picnics and parks throughout the week while the dc off school.

How's the shoulder recovering BG and dare I ask if you've started planning another event yet ?

Hope you are enjoying your holiday mini

Off to caffeinate myself some more, have a good day all.

Morning,

It's a lovely day north of the border......

Shoulder, wrist and blisters healing well, and you're right - triathlon in 107 days - swim a loch, off road cycle and off road run.... #loveit

Spent the morning coaching which was nice, and coaching at a race tomorrow - face the doubters, not really looking forward to having to explain to everyone, they will be mostly well meaning, but they can be insensitive at times....

Onwards,

Beautiful day here, more gardening and chicken cleaning out to look forward to :)

Morning all, struggled more than I thought I would with the family visit on Saturday night but scraped through. My other friend cancelled on me yesterday at the last minute but that was ok as I could spend the day at home in total peace and quiet as my dh and his sister had taken all the kids out! Bliss. It's the first time in the entire holidays that I had been on my own. I'm realising more, as I get older and certainly since I started this journey of removing alcohol from my life (been trying for about 2 years now in total) that I NEED alone time.

So am feeling good today. The relatives will be leaving today, the kids are back at school tomorrow and things return to normality.

There are two bottles of unfinished white wine in the fridge though! Not mine and I don't really like white wine but that's a bit dangerous as DH will also be leaving tonight for work so I'll be on my own and my resolve could crumble. Will have to be strong and pour them away when people leave. Maybe sil will take them with her.

Do you Cook with wine? If so, into ice cube tray and freeze?

Morning,

If the wine will tempt you, pour it away once everyone has gone... it's not worth the risk!! It's only wine left overs...

I'm still feeling like I'm really struggling... I know all of the reasons why (or most) I'm feeling how I'm feeling but it's still a struggle... ended up in tears last night, alone... and whilst I wanted to be drunk, I didn't want to drink - it was a strange sensation... I knew I wasn't going to have a drink, I think I just wanted that unconscious black out for a wee time - removing the drink hasn't removed the underlying emotions, but now I have to 'deal' with them... and I know all that...

Not achieving much, no training, house very untidy - but, and it's still a huge but, I am sober... so I can work on the rest, and remind myself why the unhoovered carpet doesn't matter a f**king jot...

Heading out to local race later, just to get me out of the house... I'll not be racing as not fully recovered yet... so worried about having to put a brace face on not finishing the race last weekend - but in reality, I have nothing to worry about, I have nothing to justify to anyone, let alone someone who hasn't tried the race...

Sorry, feeling very self absorbed, very sorry for myself... and hoping tHat actually putting it down on here will help, it has before!! So thank you, all...

Onwards

Morning,

Went to race yesterday, and everyone was lovely... I tried really hard to take people's words as I hoped they were intended, rather than trying to look for the sarcasm that probably wasn't there!!!

Cycled to and from the race which I think helped too - a little fresh air, and getting the body moving again... the sun was shining, but the wind was very cold!!

Back shift at work this week, so we'll see how that goes...

Time to pull on the bad ass pants and just get on with it!!

I hope you're all surviving... onwards

Name changed for this.

OK folks I need help. I need help controlling my drinking. I admit I have a problem. I can easily go a day without but its the second day that the cravings start.

I want to get help from the Doctor. Will they automatically report me to social services because I have children? It's the only thing that has stopped me asking for help.

I have had a wretched year (not the drinking) but the drinking is not helping and its making an already utterly horrible situation worse. I need a bit of hand holding. Please don't judge me.

I am a single mother of two children but I share custody 50/50 with the father.

I need to give more info.

Until November I was a professional. Been there 5 years. Last year I finally came to terms with the fact that both of my parents are abusive; physical, mental and psychological. Both to me and my brother. And it didn't stop at childhood. It's been ongoing. I had to go NC and that prompted more abuse and stalking. The police got involved and I had two weeks off work.

On my return to work my job put me immediately on competency. They knew full well that I had serious issues with parents that have been ongoing. Work have been trying to get rid of me for years and they now finally found a way. That was just before Xmas.

So I have also been in a LDR for over a year. Recently he has not been able to pay the rent. So for the last three months I've paid it.

He is meant to be coming over here and the only thing stopping in is his stock. He is an ebay trader. The problem is; it's a lot - maybe $100K worth. The bottom has dropped out of the market and he can't get rid. So in March I had to make an ultimatum. It all goes into storage and you come over here and support me. He dragged and dragged his heels for weeks - just not packing.

Finally, last week I sold ALL of the stock to a very big company. But he needs to get a manifest to them. And yup; you guessed it; he's dragging his heels now on that.

I desperately desperately need support. I feel that with the job, my parents, being a mum - I am constantly trying to scale a mountain of almost unimaginable proportions. My stress and anxiety is through the roof. I can't stop crying. That's been going on for a few weeks now.

I feel like I am falling to an abyss and there is no one to stop me.

Please help me.

Hand hold here. Just try not drinking for one hour at a time, or even 10 mins at a time? Don't worry about tomorrow, as far as drinking is concerned, just don't have a drink today. And read all the links Vxa and I put up at the top of the thread - they really do help .
You are not alone and we can help you xxx

Thank you. I will x

The hardest part is saying it out loud... and you've done that, so well done....

There is so much help and support on here, it will help...

We're all braver than we think - onwards

Hi phoenix, sounds like you have an incredible amount going on atm. Drinking aside, have you spoken to your doctor about the stress and anxiety you are having? Drinking and issues such as those can often go hand in hand, problem being it can used as a 'cure' as such but exacerbates the problem. I'm unsure if gps are duty bound to report, maybe someone else on the thread may know. A quick google should bring up confidential alcohol advisory helplines or clinics in your area that you could ask about further support.

Stick around, it's a lovely supportive thread and there's no way in hell any judging at all. I really emphasis with the feeling like you are about to fall into an abyss, just one small step in front of the other and I promise that feeling goes

Hope everyone else is ok too? Started my spring cleaning as I always do first day the dc go back to school after Easter - spring ha, it was snowing here today!

Glad you're recovering well BG. Triathlon next? I knew it

How'd you get on yesterday jojo?

I've stayed up well after I was meant to so off to bed for me. Been feeling the random urges today and I think a lot of it is tiredness. Night all.

Morning all - sending love and strength to those new on this journey and hello to some names I recognise - I have now got to a year (12th April) honestly the first 2 months were tough but the rest began eventually to be routine - still saying to friends who I have not seen I am doing 100 days dry - but I am strong in my recovery and know someway to go - I just wanted to say hello and that I pop on this tread every now and again for strength xx

Congratulations!