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

I'm on IOS type in headspace.

I've attached a pic it's headspace: guided meditation. The orange one. It's free for the basic ten steps I've reached no 4 and I be subscribed to the full app content for one month. It was £9.99 for one month but I figured I'm not spending it on booze!

I'll try the free version and see how that goes - it'soften very highly rated on here.....

I haven't had a chance to see what the paid version is like that. I'll post when I have. I've got on well with the free version so far. Worth a go anyway

Headspace is fabulous! I'm on Day 439 of consecutive days and its made such a difference. I honestly think my sobriety has been saved many times by it and the sub is worth every penny

Good Morning ladies. How are you feeling? I had a good deep sleep but having a very difficult morning withDS. I managed to calm myself down a bit and he turned around for me and got on. I am beginning to feel a little more stable moodwise in the mornings slight change beause I am definitelymore calm this week and a little less anxious in myself...just a little.

Headspace is great. I have the subscription too and there is a wealth of topics to pick from. Fallen out of the habit of it lately and need to get back to it.

Glad you're feeling better tinker, the levelling out of the mood is a huge plus. My anxiety is all but gone, bar the rare odd moments.

I just checked my timer for the first time in ages as there's a party this weekend and wanted to give myself some motivation. Reaalised I hit 150 days yesterday without even thinking about it. Then considered the date and it's 5 months tomorrow. Funny how I counted every day religiously at the start, the 24 hours seemed like some sort of mountain to climb and now days can go without barely thinking about it.

I hit six months on Sunday..... feel I should mark it somehow but not really sure how!!

Will be at my parents and not looking forward to the Spanish Inquisition that is mother - especially when so run down, I know she means well and worries but too many sentences will start with 'maybe you should/shouldn't ' Actually ready to crawl under a rock for the weekend!! Poor dog may be getting extra walkies!!

Onwards

Have had a very tough day today emotionally and as a result my mood has plummeted...feeling utterly low. Thank goodness there is no in the house - I would have likely succumbed. Instead there is sparkling water with lime wedges and that will have to do with a packet of crisps. Perhaps tomorrow I will feel stronger for not giving in, but TBH right now I don't give a monkeys, I would just like a drink. I can just about ignore the wine in the cupboard despite offers from my DH...he still doesn't get the degree I've cut down and probably thinks wine would help right now. I won't give in...it has got to 9PM so the mood will have to stay for now...sorry DH! Ladies if I hadn't been posting on here I think I would have accepted the offer of wine. Thank goodness for this thread and the continued support we offer each other.

At risk of playing a game of cliches - I don't want to read and run:

• it's OK to feel low (to feel anything) - it's a 'real' emotion, not being numbed/sedated with booze Shit happens whether we have a drink or not.......
• not having that one drink means not having the second, third etc...
• play tomorrow forward, waking up sober, non-fuzzy - imagine how it will feel
• alcohol will add nothing to this situation/feeling
• we're all here to support, encourage and lightly chastise as required...
• you are so much stronger than you think
• crisps are awesome (cake Thursday at work on back shift...)

Have a bath, watch something rubbish on TV, go to bed early - whatever it takes, eat all the crisps, drink all the tea - but stay away from the booze....

Think I sound a little bossy, sorry - in a similarly dark place and just need this shift/week to be over............

Hugs - cos we all need those......

The counter culture is the way forward...........

BGJ43 I didn't see your message before I hit the sack last night. I managed on the sparkling water with salad and LOTS of cheese. I couldn't find any crisps so went without those too. At least it is Friday and I'm going to that class with my friend this evening which is my distraction fod this evening. It's something to look forward to and was such good laugh last week. BGJ43 - thank you for snapping me out of it. I'll read your message again if that happens again over the next few days

Haven't been here in a while so just popping my head back up. On day 5 or 6, don't know whether to count sun as I still had alcohol in my system but I don't suppose the semantics matter. Not had a problem so far as I'm a binge drinker and often go a couple of weeks without drinking then before I know it I'm on another bender, then back to promising myself never again. I know my trigger is feeling uncomfortable so have had to cancel a couple of engagements which I'm a bit gutted about but also know I can't resist drinking around certain people no matter how many promises I make myself. AV is already piping up again saying maybe if I make arrangements I can have a couple of drinks and leave but when has that ever worked. Shutting that one right down. Great advice BGJ43 and congratulations on 6 months. Best thing for me is playing it to the end, keep finding myself fantasizing about a chilled glass of wine while watching the sunset but my drinking has never looked like that. Also amazed that I still have to remind myself it's OK to feel things. Well done tinker, white chocolate chip cookies have got me through many a few sticky moments and I don't even have a sweet tooth but whatever works eh! Happy sunny Friday everyone.

Many a few? Should proof read :/

I made it to 301 days 😀 I lurk here often but don't post much. I know without this thread at day 274 I would have given up. Thank you everyone.No one in real life knows I have reached this milestone so just wanted to say it out loud somewhere. Also everyone keep on at it, I never thought I would manage three days alcohol free.

Helpful words BG and well done on 6 months. All mums worry, my own is the same. It comes from a place of love and caring about you even if it can be irritating as hell sometimes Hope you feel better soon.

Well done tinkerx you rock!! I'm off dairy at the minute - God, I miss cheese. I have cheese jealousy. Have fun at your class tonight.

Welcome back Faez and very sensible cancelling plans and putting sobriety first. I have become a bit of a hermit the last 5 months myself, the only way to deal with it for me.

Plans out tonight that I can't get out of and I'm slightly dreading it. It's gonna feel a long night watching everyone else drinking and I can't even make up with it for food as we are booked for somewhere that doesn't cater much for my present diet. Yay salad and water - rock on

And Andrew Johnson with his stop drinking Nooooow voice, bloody hell, it is the most boring voice in the world and I can't believe I still listen to him but for me it works.

Cross post golden, you are brilliant! Massive well done!

Amazing Golden, you must be so proud. Are you treating yourself tonight? Thanks burnt :) hope all goes well tonight, just keep full up with that salad.

Thank you I had becks blue lemon which I think is a brilliant AF lager and homemade pizza while the kids bounced on the trampoline. It was lovely. Another bonus of giving up the booze is I was on call until 11pm meaning I get a day off during half term. Previously I would not have done that duty shift as would have wanted the booze too much by Friday so I would have missed out on the kids during the holiday and had to pay out for childcare. I am slowly realising booze adds nothing to my life and I don't need the hassle it brings.

I did 6 days and then the sun and sitting out with friends was too much. These friends I haven't told yet. Vaguely said I was off it. Now I hate myself I don't have an off switch. Off to another boozey BBQ tonight but I'm taking the kids so I'm driving. I feel rubbish for relenting, I've gained nothing from it

Thanks for popping back in with updates Goldenhedgehogs and Faez. It is great to hear how well you are doing coming out the other side through the early days. I'm still in my early days and wanting a drink all the time.

I'm wondering how long the cravings will go on for. I'm sure it's different for everyone. I checked my bank balance today to find more left this month than usual because I've not been buying alcohol. It is most definitely enough to treat my son to a trip to the zoo this half term.

YellowPaisley please don't worry too much about yesterday...you are going in the right direction and have taken some enormous steps this week ...don't forget that. It was a minor trip...not a major fall. I felt pressured into a glass of prosecco last weekend at a family do and felt a real failure. I carried on AF through this week as before and am sticking to the big plan. If I trip over like that again, I hope I will continue to see it as a trip...and stick to the big plan rather than giving up on it. YP it is great you are a driver. It is a great excuse to not drink at a social gathering. I don't drive so out of luck with that excuse. I've told friends I'm on a diet so avoiding sugar in alcohol

I've never been on a diet...I don't doubt they are allperhaps wondering if I'm expecting...the only time I'm ever AF at the pub!

Good evening ladies. Felt quite low today. Was on my own at home all day which is always danger time for me. I managed to not open or drink anything but wanting one was all I could think of all day. I was in quite the frustrated and irritable mood with myself all day. I did nothing, achieved nothing, didn't go anywhere in case I passed a store and was tempted to go in, and wasted a perfectly good day off when there is so much to do on the house. Now I feel guilty - DS was bored stiff too. I really could have got off my backside and cleaned the house...it could really do with a good going over.

Perhaps tomorrow will do better and I will wake up in a better frame of mind with a positive mental attitude. Today I have realised how much wine controlled my weekend routine. Not having it at certain times left me feeling uncertain what to do with myself, something felt amiss. It has angered me I let it get to this point...never again am I going back to being that person.

tinker you did something awesome, you stayed off the drink.... and that's never to be underestimated.... you did what you had to in order to avoid the booze!!

Opening the bottle would have been the easy option... but you resisted!!

It does, and will, feel weird, odd, pointless, futile, all consuming - it's part of the process... recognising that helps a lot, helps to reframe the feelings and emotions... but it does get easier, I promise!!

I hope today brings a brighter mood for you...

Onwards, we're all awesome, promise!!

Hello. Can I join? I've read lots here, managed 10 days af then drank most days for about month. In the last week I have had 80 units..... Higher than normal as it involved a night out but that is horrific. I have 2 beautiful children. My oldest said to me last week when he was older he would drink and pointed to my wine glass. (I was having a glass on wine whilst reading him a story.) I must change this. Terrified to think of the damage already done.

My triggers are stress. A reward for me. Working late (short cut to crap sleep) wine. I tend to drink a bottle of wine not every night but most nights then maybe more one day at the weekend. Once I start I don't stop before the bottle is gone.

Today is day one. I need to stop lurking and make a commitment. I will not drink today.

Hi. I need help.

I went to a barbecue yesterday and drank over a bottle of wine. Went home and drank another one.

I hate myself today. I drink too much far too often. Recently it has been really ramping up.

I'm eating everything in sight today and staying in doing bugger all and hating myself for it. the dcs are with their dad so at least they are probably outside having a good time. So I am only ruining the bank holiday for myself.

I need a new start. I want to be the me that I really am.

I threw up this morning and dd heard me. I told her I think I ate something dodgy at the barbecue. :(

Right I am going to force myself to do a bit of gardening even if it makes me feel ill and dizzy and then I am going to have a cup of tea and read this thread and get to know you all a bit.

thanks for listening.