Holy moly…it’s been an intense few days! We closed on our first home on Friday and that all went smoothly. We hung out at our new place for a while and it felt very rewarding. But the insect bite I got on my forehead and subsequent swelling shut of my eye, hot painful itching has been miserable! I got another bite on my chest and it has been awful, too. I’m going to need to follow up with a doctor about how I can better handle these bad reactions in the future. I really don’t want to bathe in DEET bug spray all the time and the one natural repellant I’ve tried hasn’t prevented me from getting bites. I’ve found another type to try next. The only thing that has really offered some relief has been cold packs/compresses. I’m just glad the swelling has gone down and my vision isn’t impacted more at this point, my face doesn’t feel as tight right now, and I’m grateful the bite itself wasn’t worse. I’ve been trying to distract myself with packing but not making much progress. I’m super grateful my husband is such a patient human and puts up with my complaining (I’m trying not to complain, though). I’m hoping I can sleep tonight and tomorrow is better. I definitely want to numb out this pain but alcohol is not a treatment for bug bites 
or anything else for that matter! Anyway, onward and upward! Stay strong out there, amigx 
Oh lord Rosa - I’m so sorry for all the damn insect bites (they sound painful). I do hope you can figure out a way to repel these insects (do you know what type of insect?)
Glad your vision was not impeded by the bite.
Well, initially I thought the forehead bite was just a mosquito because that’s what it felt like when it happened but now we suspect a spider that came from opening our patio umbrella. The second one was definitely a mosquito since it was killed in action, but it still got me. My reactions to bug bites have steadily gotten worse as I’ve gotten older but typically are worse at the beginning of the season then my body seems to adjust. So I probably need to be more careful and use a stronger repellant early in the season. Thanks for the concern!
I know that garlic helps with keeping mosquito’s away. (crushed garlic in water spray)
Not sure about the spiders — good luck with building up your immunity to the bites.
Peppermint oil repels all sorts of bugs. It’s natural and smells good. But it does cause a cooling effect. So keep away from eyes.
You can also soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and leave them around the house/patio to keep them from getting close enough to bite in the first place. Hope you feel better soon! 
Found a link with some other ones too.
Today i worked 1-11
From 8-11 i worked only with the person who knows I’m sober, and from what.
He asked how I was doing. Since he also knows all of what happened last month.
I told him i will be clean 8 months on Friday (Thursday evening, but Friday 
)
He told me he was proud of me and said he knows he can’t ever try it because he thinks he will get addicted.
I really appreciate talking to someone face to face. Especially since he’s the only person I’ve told irl, aside from the couple people i used with. And nobody else even knew i was using.
I talked about wanting to use, wanting to numb everything, wanting to just have a little…and how that isn’t possible for me. And that i don’t think if i do it, I’ll be able to quit again. That i don’t feel strong sometimes and wanna just say fuck it, and go get high.
I told him that i don’t plan to or want to get high again, but these are the thoughts i deal with. And I hope he doesn’t ever try it. Because i don’t want him to have to fight like all of us here do.
Sometimes it’s easy, and we’re just counting along as the days add up, and other days were struggling and fighting and counting the seconds sluggishly pass…
Today i am sober. And i plan to stay that way. One day at a time
You might try a cream containing antihistamines, which should reduce swelling and dampen the immune reaction, besides providing a cooling effect. Here in Germany, we have Fenistil as one of the products containing antihistamines, you will most likely find something comparable where you live. Hope you immune system adapts quickly, but I more hope you’ll find a good repellent 
.
1459
Train service has resumed so no 35km bike ride to start my work day. Work is busy enough as it is.
I’m pretty good. Hope you are too. Seeing some cravings and thoughts of using and slips and relapses around. Hoping you all realise using is never a solution. Never again. This is a one day at a time thing. Make it one hour, one minute, one crave when needed.
Whatever we’re looking to escape from , we’ll never find that escape in substance abuse. We’re addicted. We’ll only find the effects and consequences of addiction there. And we all know what those are.
Have as good a day as you all can friends. Sober and clean. Love from my commute. X
Day 248
I didn’t sleep much last night although I was terribly tired in the evening 
So we’ll see how this day’s going to be.
Here are already 4 trains delayed, I assume they won’t come at all. I hate it…every day something that’s not working with those trains, it’s getting worse every year although their tickets get more expensive every year 
Well…
I hope this day will be good
Have a beautiful sober day friends, stay strong 
#Day 1721 
Quick check in, late already
Want to walk before work.
Picture from Wikkel just now, a bit less active as I am.
Bye for now!
Day 8 being clean from self-harm.
Today’s weather isn’t very nice and I wanted to stay at home in bed with my boyfriend. But we both have a lot of work today - I have school and my ICT work, he has filming today.
As well my mother is a lot sick. She doesn’t feel very nice physically and mentally. I will possibly be with her today. 
I hope this day will be a bit better or at least sun will be shining. 
I hope everyone are okay. 
Thanks - I used both oral and topical antihistamines but the oral ones made me feel a bit ill/loopy and both seemed to lose effectiveness after a while. I’ll look into other options for some relief in the future, too.
Checking in sober i had a craving to have a shandy yesterday in the sun it just popped into my head that it would be a good idea I just had a pineapple juice need to be aware at all times as my head is always trying to take me back to drinking hope everyone is well
A lot of people like this… picaridin, I bought it and never used it. Walmart has face netting covers for a dollar or two. A lot of hikers use them in buggy areas.
I sometimes have chiggers. My work around is to wear rubber boots and spray them w the bug spray which I am loathe to use. And to always shower before bed if not before. Despite tales to the contrary, plain soap and water gets rid of a lot of bugs.
Sorry you are getting assaulted and hope they’ll soon go away.
Day 204
Up early running and walking the dog. Sober and happy
The thing is, I dont want to be stamped as a alcoholic in my papers.Not only because I feel it makes me look weak and a loser. Im afraid what the consequences will be, will they call child protecting service? Even if I not have had a drop of alchol in almost a year and a half, and quit al by my self. You think that keeping it for my self can be one of the reasons I have it like this? People know Im not drinking anymore, I just said its not good for my anxiety(which is true also, but not the reason I quit) and that Im exposed to adicction so I stopped, only my husband know I am an alcoholic.
Hey all, checking in on day 1,087. I hope everybody has a good one!
Hi, I’m the UK.
Here we can access support through alcohol services either through a doctor or self referral.
They are a confidential service and only tell your drs if you agree. I’m unsure how that works if you need inpatient help. Maybe research a confidential service.
Alcoholic anonymous is also helpful for so many.
I do know that worrying about child protection services is common. And that the worry for them usually is if one has a problem and doesn’t seek help.
For myself until I was open and honest with how bad things were I didn’t receive the right help.
I still struggle with trying to things myself, even though I know the helps there. I know from my own experience that asking for help was not as bad as I had imagined it to be.
I do get help for my anxiety, and diagnosed with it. I am on a wait list to try some CBT as it’s something I haven’t tried before and Iv tried lots of medicine.
Day 899,
Trying to let my thoughts be for what they are and don’t act on them. It’s quit hard, last weeks I mentioned already a couple of times to my therapist that my thoughts are all related to my PTST. She tells me to get out of the avoidance, I understand that, but find it very hard to do. In my opinion I’m honest to her, but she doesn’t seem to grasp my situation in some kind of way. Gonna pick up my son in a hour, so need to be in the now then. Looking forward to it, connection with him makes me feel better instantly,.
Greetz
I live in Norway, and here they probably will investigate. I go to a psychologist under grown up children of alcoholics, and asked about me and drinking, I said I dont drink anymore because I have addiction in my family and I dont want to end up like my father. She asked how much I drank and when I quit: around 3 bottels a week I said(truth is doubbel/trippel) last time 2021. Im not afraid to fall back, at this point, can never say never.
What kind of anxiety do you have ?