I had a rough day yesterday and I posted about it in the introduce yourself section. I didn't slip but I could have, it was a fine line. I distracted myself by reading older posts in the forum, I went back to about 2015. Lots of stories and journeys in those posts.
One of things I noticed on a few occasions a person would slip and then feel too shamed to come back and post on the forum. This is exactly the wrong thing to do, Isolate yourself when you need the support the most to get back on track. A few even changed names or created new accounts. I urge everyone when they slip get back on track again as soon as possible and use all the tools and help you did when you first started this journey.
No one is here to judge you, not even a little bit. We are all pushing and pulling each other to help not only our members but to help ourselves in this path back to where we have control of our lives again. We each have or own journeys and only we can travel along it. We get support and guidance from the people and tools around us but only you can walk it.
Not to beat a dead horse but please if you have a set back try and learn from it and reach out as soon as possible. The quicker you get back on track the easier it will be to achieve your goals.
This has been bouncing around my head all day I needed to verbalize it, I hope it helps someone possibly even me...lol
Your First Month !!!! Really Awesome Hors. Very very proud of you and you should be proud of yourself. I know it took a lot work but you did it. 1 month is my first goal and I will assess what I want to do at that point. I have like 15 more days to go which means I am half way there and that feels pretty decent to me.
Thanx Lynn, we all that AV is a tricky little guy/gal but we can be smarter and stronger that it is.
I live in house with drinkers. In am almost 3 weeks without alcohol and they have quit several times (they lasted from several hours to a whole day) in the last month. I am not sure if this will help you but I focus on what I need to do and not on them. It seems to make it easier to say no when offered. they are relatives and I would like to see them drink less, they drink until they drink too much. I can't fix them but I can fix myself and that is what I focus on.
My drink of choice right now is 1/6 ginger ale, 1/6 cran/grape juice and 2/3 water. The juice is way too strong straight and this gives a low cal drink that I enjoy. It also gives me a drink in my hand and I am less likely to be offered a drink if I have one already. The drinkers don't seem to care what you are drinking but that you have a drink to drink with them.
Lastly don't feel ashamed or a failure for slipping, we carry enough baggage around without that burden. The path is narrow and long and it is all to easy to stray a bit, just find your way back and continue on your journey. Hopefully you learn from this slip and be better prepared next time.
Good luck and remember, We are all pulling for you.
I bought a car today, A 2007 Mustang with 75,000 Km (about 46,000 Miles), Extremely low mileage and in very good condition, was kept covered in winter and driven mostly on highway. This was purchased through a family member so I know the history 100%. I love Mustangs and bought a new one back in 2005 when they went retro, it was a convertable. Perfect for Arizona.
Anyways My first thought was to buy some vodka to celebrate. A week ago I had a really crappy day and AV was telling me to drown my sorrows and forget things for a while. The Alcohol Voice is really tricky and you can't let your guard down at all. Anyways after a few minutes of temptations I reminded myself of my 1 month commitment and that is close to a week away now. It was so tempting to want to celebrate but I held strong.
One day at a time, one hour at a time, resist the urge and it will go away. At least for me this time, thank God.
Welcome to the forums and best of luck. You sound like you have the knowledge and that is good. I think at least for me is to take things in smaller bites. Work on today and be prepared for tomorrow. Don't over think or over plan. Sometimes I need to just focus on the hour I am in until my resolve strengthens. Just know that AV is not your friend, you can't trust him.
You probably already know this but the repetition is what reenforces it. I too find it settling to verbalize my journey and enjoy the feed back of the members here. When things get harder I also just read older entries in here, all the stories and struggles gives me a bit more strength.
Find what works for you and build upon it. The journey isn't easy but it feels good when you make progress. Remember we are all rooting for you but NOT judging. If you have a minor setback we will pull all the harder to get you back on your path.
Why do all my short notes end up being a small novel? I think I use it as a tool to organize my thoughts, I am probably writing to myself as much as to you.
It really does help to focus on the positive and like someone here on the forums said a few days ago. The longer you stay away from alcohol the easier it to find item to put on the pro-non-drinking list. They said the list started 50/50 for the pros and cons but soon the no alcohol list became much much larger.
I find that taking things one day at a time and not focusing on long term, help. This is not to say you shouldn't have long term goals, you should. It is that focusing on short term will hep you achieve long term. Get through the day or the next few hours helps strengthen our commitment and we can gain confidence from our victories. At least it works for me. I am almost at my goal of 1 month (3 more days).
I assume the health educators such as Ashley are the only moderators for this forum? I would like to get my avatar fixed and these spammers controlled but it may not be a priority for the site mods.
I can't really say alcohol depressed me. I worked hard on getting that slight buzz and maintaining it. I find I had less drive to do stuff. I guess I was a happy drunk, I know some people who get more defensive and intolerant when drinking. Their mood changes and every statement turns into an argument. That may be a form of depression but I am not sure.
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