The Sober Squad- Alcohol Free Living

NormInv wrote: »

JenT304 wrote: »

You've got this Norm! Stay strong!

salleewins wrote: »

Norm you can do it---I looked at the store myself more than usual. It is the 3rd leg of the Bermuda triangle. Tomorrow you will be soooo upset if you cave. Yes you were close, BUT YOU DIDN'T DO IT. I was closer than usual myself today. You are always better at home once you get there, maybe get there quick. Order food in if that helps--do something special if you want. I got sweets and eggplant parm.....etc. No alcohol. You will be so happy tomorrow.....Plan the rest of the night with something fun or go to bed if that helps early. Prayers for all of us.

salleewins wrote: »

Check back in Norm and let us know how you are doing when you can. We all care!!

Thanks for the support. I went to Target next door instead and bought some zero calorie root beer, chips and ice cream....heck that is still better than alcohol.....crisis averted for now.

Exactly. Had the same thinking today! GREAT GOING!

This helps me a lot again, too and thought that if anyone didn't know about these phone meeting, I would pass them along. Meetings at a lot of different times.You don't have to identify yourself as alcoholic or even consider yourself one. In the beginning I used to just say my first name or a fake first name and not say that I was an alcoholic. Helpful to remain consistent with whatever you choose, so people get to know you. You don't have to talk even. I do find it most helpful if after awhile I try to participate somehow.Most of them you can dial *67 and remain anonymous before you dial the number and access code for the meeting you want. I used them a ton in the beginning, too of getting sober. Sometimes when I am not home,even, I call one. I keep the numbers on me and access codes with times. Just can be one more possibility of support for the tool box to stay sober. You can select to hang up if you want and don't like a particular meeting or a particular personality,I sometimes mute. There have been times I have spoken up at these meetings and said that I felt like drinking and what was going on with me at the time. Very helpful, just like being here in this group. http://aaphonemeetings.org

Happy and Healthy New Years to all
This is over 10.5 years AF for me and the benefits are too numerous to list. I mostly lurk here and read all the posts and find that after a post that I might respond to there are multiple posts from everyone here expressing most of the feelings and thoughts I was having
So Kudos to all of you for the level of caring and support you bring to the posts
I wanted to express the need for patience in our lives. We deal with stress and or family members who discount what we do or still drink and it can require patience to deal.
A quick story, we have a cousins group that gathers at least once a year for a dinner. They mostly found in the beginning since I drank so much all the time this was going to be a passing phase for me and I would be back drinking soon enough and didn't hesitate to tell me so. They eventually accepted and no comments after awhile. In November we gathered in downtown NYC at a great restaurant for dinner and I noticed one of my cousins who drank heavily wasn't drinking at all. When I had a chance I asked what was going on, and his wife told me. They had been at the club the prior weekend where he was drinking as usual and all of a sudden he found he was become disoriented and felt very ill, they feared it might be serious. They layed him down on a couch and after awhile he started to feel better. Got checked out the next day and his Dr. intimated the way he drank at his age he was surprised it hadn't happened sooner. He hasn't had a drink since and surprise surprise he told me I never understood how you just stopped, but I can do this and I feel much better and still enjoy myself as much as I did before if not more since I am in control of myself. Granted its a few weeks only but through the holidays he has remained AF and he benefits from the fact that I have done it for years and so for him no questions or comments.
So stick to your goals and choices as this is for YOU and no one else and have a happy 2019 AF

RubyRed427 wrote: »

Good morning friends ! I was doing perfectly until about 10 p.m. and then......

So, today me and my headache will regroup and make it a Dry January. Hugs!

It's a great day for day 1. Love you friend!!! You've got this.

@ke22yb love your post!

Here's to an incredible 2019 friends!

@norminv congrats on making it through last night. I know NYE and holidays in general are TOUGH.

My goal for 2019 is to be more active in this thread. I've been sober since 08/13/12 and I love the sober life and I LOVE the suffering person who's struggling with alcohol. That was so me. I still struggle some days.

Last Saturday I was at a party over at my parents house. I was the only person not drinking. Someone left a full glass of big beefy red wine and I'd be a liar if I told you that I didn't think about taking a drink. Red wine was my love before I went AF. My first thought is who the hell leaves a full glass of wine behind.... then I realized it was someone who doesn't have an issue consuming alcohol and yes I still have a drinking problem even though I don't drink. I had to go to the bathroom and ask my higher power to take the urge away from me and help me to get out of my head and see how I can help someone else. Thankfully the urge quickly vanished and I was able to be there for another family member who's kind of having an emotionally hard time right now. I just got to listen to her, love her and just be there for her. That's a higher power at work in my life today! Of and by myself I don't do these things.

For me how I combat my desire for a drink is I go to AA and follow the principals outlined in that program.

With it being Christmas and became lax in my recovery program and didn't go to my usual meetings. I only went to 2 meetings that week and I'm usually a 4 to 5 meetings a week kind of gal. Still even at 6.5 years sober.... So it was no shock when the thought of taking a drink last Saturday hit. I am so thankful that I pulled out the tool kit and used them.

For those who did drink and break their days of being AF please go easy on yourself. You're not a failure, you're human.

For me I think about my weight loss journey. I've been trying to lose weight my entire adult life (I'm almost 46) and not until I went into remission from breast caner was I really willing to be serious about weight loss to help avoid a reoccurrence of cancer. I'll have 3 years in remission on 01/11/19 and in that time I've only lost 60 pounds. I have another 40-45 pounds left to go. The weight loss journey is not perfect and neither is being AF. The only thing that this kind of life requires is a willingness to try, be willing to take direction from someone who's gone before you, expect failure because no one is perfect. When you do fail...feel the feels for a minute but don't live in that head space. Be willing to pick yourself up and try again.

I love you all very much. Seriously I do...I don't know you but I love you. I do want to be more active here in 2019. I've read every post in this thread and I have only responded a handful of times.

Here's to a great 2019 and to really be kind to yourselves and love your self like you love your kids, parents, other family, best friend, etc. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to your best friend.

HUGS friends

KristaFIRE wrote: »

I've been considering AF living for awhile. These posts are so supportive and uplifting to one another. Reading them has encouraged me to turn down several opportunities for alcohol this holiday season. Being sober has helped kickstart a new workout routine and improve at my job. Thanks for the knowledge!

Welcome to the group. It is by far one of the most supportive group on here.

thanks @tifano