Day 353 clean and sober today. Didn’t do anything I was planning on doing yesterday and ended up binge watching Netflix. Still sober so that’s a plus. Have a great day everyone, love you guys!!! 
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Thank you. I stole it from YouTube so you can definitely steal it. Don’t forgive to adapt it do it’ll fit you guys perfectly. That’s how I do with everything, Including The Elf on a Shelf thing. No kids are the same, so why should one frame fits all. 
I wish you The very best of luck on your Yes-day.
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Day 16 (+250 -1 slip): Just spent a beautiful, chilly morning out on the porch with my parents bird watching and snuggling under thick blankets until the sun shone on us. It’s a gorgeous day! We took in all the bird sounds and peace until my dad decided it was time to work in the yard using his mini tractor and disturbed our peace 
He just officially retired for the second time from his job as a professor and he cannot sit still for long. He wouldn’t call it this, but I know this is part of his recovery. I get my alcoholism or “coping” by drinking (among other maladaptive coping methods) and depression/anxiety partly from him, most certainly. Keeping busy also distracts him from chronic pain and keeps him from having to rely too much on medications. I have an opportunity to learn from his example, as well as my mom’s, who is so level headed and practical but also such a sensitive, loving soul. She balances emotions with realistic thinking so well. I am so grateful to have the parents that I have, and that I can spend more time with them. This is something that I will make a priority. Sending strong sober vibes out to you all, amigos. 
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Yes! Thank God she came to pick them up last night. My other daughter up and left at noon, long story and putting it in my journal thread) so I was stuck with them solo. The puppy needs to be carried like a baby so he doesn’t pee on the way out. He gets very heavy after so long 
. He’s hilarious though, he just chills like a little spiked baby haha. He has tons of energy and the other two were so over him lol. My dog is a little Yorkie and she just stayed on my lap the entire time.
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have a nice week everyone 
You were a bridesmaid on day 45 and you didn’t drink?
Huge huge victory there A. Great success. And the reward of a hangover free beautiful morning will last forever today. I love reading great victories like this. I hope you’ll have a little extra pride in you step today. You deserve it.
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Congratulations on your 11 days Ian. And great strategy calling your sponsor after getting paid and hitting up a meeting. Big win there. It also sounds like a great routine.
Your worth it.
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Checking in Day 2. Give me strength.
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@anon27760155 Sending love and strength 
@KevinesKay Congratulations on 30 days.
@I.cant.We.can Congratulations on 500 days. I, for one, miss your check ins; hope you’re doing well.
@Beforemy30s Awesome job
@MrsOdh The countdown until Tweenie’s departure is on and I’m looking forward to it for you. I’m sure the decreases in stressors and pressures will be immediately felt. Your strength during her stay has been admirable.
349 days. Tomorrow is my birthday and I’m struggling with this. I want to be the person who isn’t affected by the acknowledgement or lack thereof but I’m just not there. Feelings of rejection and not being good enough are tied to tomorrow and I sit here in fear as my mind plays the assumption game. I am almost positive that my man hasn’t gotten me so much as a card and this hurts and leaves me with feelings of fight or flight. I want to be acknowledged and I want to feel like I’m worth the effort and I want to not rely on others’ actions to feel this. Part of me wishes my birthday was already passed so I didn’t have to feel like this. But here I sit comfortably in the uncomfortable and I will not drink because I do not drink.
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Feliz cumpleaños, amiga!!! Don’t forget you can ask for what you want in relationships. I had to do this with my husband, I call it “husband training,” and after several years he has caught on pretty well. I definitely had my share of sad, dissatisfied birthdays. I had to learn that he was raised in a house with a busy single mom who worked as a nurse and holidays and birthdays were not made a big deal of, so he had pretty negative feelings about them. Triggering memories of disappointment in childhood. We had to meet in the middle and that happened by talking about things, a LOT, and figuring out what our expectations would be and creating our own traditions. Talk to your man! You’re right, you’re worth it. Happy happy birthday, love.
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I struggle with asking for what I want and need as I often question my expectations and what I deserve. It seems odd but I foresee a conversation after the fact explaining why I’m hurt.
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Checking in at the end of day 148.
Not a lot to report today. I spent the day sober, does that count?
Have a great sober day, wherever you are.
Goodnight. 
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Gotta work on that, chica. You could just be blunt and say, “Hey, so my birthday is tomorrow! What should we do to celebrate?” And talk it out. That’s pretty much the convo my guy and I have before every holiday, bday, anniversary, etc. If I waited for him for anything I would have always been disappointed. You can do this, amiga!
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Day 71 - alcohol and day 33 - weed. Slowly clawing my way out of the abyss. Feeling quite down today. Feeling sad about everything I’ve lost and the wrong choices I made. I hope tomorrow will be better.
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Just another Monday for me. Working, studying, living the dream. A big and time sensitive project fell into my lap and a company I partner with’s lap (not sure I worded that correctly 
). So, I’ve been on the phone a good part of the day.
Aside from that, I get to work on my balcony today. Being introverted, I love sitting out there and watching people celebrate and have a good time. I can hear the cheers, the karaoke from the bar across the way, see the ballgame, here the people get excited at the sports bars, it’s just so alive and happy down there 
And, I even crashed a wedding from my balcony two weeks ago Great music hahahaaa. I really love where I live.
Ok, procrastinating, back to work for me. I do need to put a novel in my journal. Maybe I’ll break in a few hours to do so.
Checking in at:
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Just holding on, happy the store for liquer is closed for today!
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Just got back from a camping trip made it thru sober and clean not one bit of feeling like drinking or using. Being around a bunch of people drinking all weekend wasn’t bad it was kind of a eye opener to why I am doing this sober journey I’m watching all my friends drink and on self destruction mode and they have no idea of what they are doing to themselves that saddens me. But I’m happy I’m home safe and hungover free god is good
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@SoberWalker thanks for asking what @MrsOdh 's ‘yes day’ was, all this time I thought it was an anniversary of the day you said yes, ie got married. It sounds like it will be very special for your children, what a great idea
@Squirt thank you so much, appreciate the support 
@Shieldmaiden80 congrats on 90 days 
@anon27760155 sorry to hear this, solidarity I always find that whenever I’m able to mask for a short while, it’s like all the tics get saved up then come all at once 
@KevinesKay congrats on 30 days
@I.cant.We.can congrats on 500 days
@Beforemy30s so proud of you! Great photo 
@anon35096624 congrats on 40 days
294 days no alcohol.
262 days no cocaine.
17 days no binge-eating.
Well, I had a night from hell last night. My vape caught fire for the 2nd time and quickly ran out of charge around 9pm. It’s bank holiday so the shops didn’t open until 10am. I had insomnia, I was freezing cold but drenched in sweat, I had nightmares each of the ten mins of sleep I got here and there, then I started getting brain zaps and hearing weird noises and feeling a strange sensation in my throat and heart whenever I moved my eyes…this was the lightbulb moment how I realised I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms from one of my mental health meds, I must have finished a box at some point yesterday, most likely early in the morning around 2:30am when I take them, and for some reason hadn’t opened a new box. I took my morning dose of 3 tablets as soon as I realised, and the sweating quickly stopped, I was freezing cold still, even when I walked in the sun at 10am to buy a new vape. I even tried having a shower as hot as I could bare it but that didn’t help. Eventually after a few hours and a bit of a nap, the brain zaps and eye movement related symptoms had passed. I had gym and swimming booked for 2:30pm, and very nearly cancelled, but I’ve learned the hard way so many times that if I stop doing something I can be lost for months or years at a time, so I pushed myself to go and was so glad I did, exercise feels so good again, I always was an exercise fanatic growing up and until my mid twenties, so it feels really natural and healthy to be back at it, and it seems to be keeping the depression at arm’s length too 
It’s so lovely and warm today, now that I’ve defrosted so I have my window open and can hear people outside and lots of children playing, it’s nicez but it makes me a little sad that I don’t have any friends that I could meet up with to chill outside in the sun, but nevermind, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it anyway thanks to social anxiety. My cats are my best friends and they seem to enjoy laying in the sun with me when it shines on the bed
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Checking in substance free for…
I am fighting a lot of urges… self injury urges, and urges to reconnect with people who I have ended unhealthy relationships with. All very strong urges. If I study my behavior patterns I can see that I am much, much more ( probably 95% ) more likely to relapse when I am close to my cycle. My hormones play a huge role in my mood and inability to cope with feelings and life on lifes terms. I am aware of this and have been for many years but it doesn’t make it any easier unfortunately, just makes me aware…
So for any women who are reading this and new to recovery our cycles can be a HUGE trigger to relapsing in the first few months of recovery, make sure you are keeping track of your cycle so you aren’t blind sided.
On a lighter note Nuggets biopsies came back “clear” of anything major!!! 
Very deep tissue infection and allergic dermatitis so 6 more weeks of antibiotics.
Congrats to everyone on your recovery happy we are all on this crazy ride together.
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I agree. On the other hand, seeing and acknowledging this releases a bit of stress inside of me. I know it’s hormones and it’ll be better in some days. I can be nice with me, let myself some time to rumble, self-compassion. When I didn’t want to accept that, I was caught in a self-distructive cycle of what again, why am I depressed again, why me, only me cycle.
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