Cravings are definitely tough to experience. I think what has helped me in the past in early early days is to find something that satisfies an urge for a treat. A bit of ice cream or candy or cookie. I definitely gave in to the sugar to help get through those early cravings and I am grateful that helped me. Sparkling waters also helped tremendously. I could pop a can of La Croix water and it gave me what I needed in the moment. Breathing exercises helped a lot, too (google box breathing). In the hardest moments I read through the list of reasons I wanted to quit and that gave me the edge I needed. You can do this and I promise it will get easier. 
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Great Job Daniellegurl.
Those first few days/ weeks are a real bitch.
Have you heard of HALT ?
Sometimes we forget whatās really going on like have I eaten. And I tired.
Thereās also great thread Brian started on how he uses it. Itās good reading.
Hang in there.
Great job reaching out.
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@sadmemequeen I am happy to hear that you switched up your schedule. I do agree that you will be able to deal with these classes later on when you are feeling better.
@rob11 wow man its great to hear that you are played and enjoyed competition tennis today. 
Ah friend ā Iām so sorry how straining your relationship with your mom is. I do hope that you are able to keep up a civil conversation 
@jenny1972 CONGRATS on your 2 weeks! This is amazing
@try2change 2 months is amazing! So grateful for your pristine blood results!
@daniellegurl you are doing so great with your 3+ days of sobriety. I am super proud of your efforts. I am so sorry for the cravings. I know you are keeping busy ā this would be my advice to keep the urges at bay. Avoid triggers and possibly do exercises so that you can release endorphins. Stay hydrated. The cravings do lessen as you stack on the days. Stay connected here or on your on line meetings. We got your back friend ā keep strong 
@butterflymoonwoman Love that you were able to spend some time with your mom. Also ā a fall photo shoot with your son ā this is fantastic ā I love it so much I am with you on needed to reconnect with our spiritual side. So true that our connections with our HP is what is needed to keep strong and avoid the temptations. We can and will do this love!
Checking in on Friday morning
275 days free of alcohol and weed
690 days free of cigarettes
I am grateful for a great day. I was able to get a lot of small work done and even managed an impromptu short walk. I do have some tests next week so hoping for some indication on what is causing my inflammation.
Ready for a restful night. Sweet dreams my beautiful friends. Sending you all so much love
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Day 97 alcohol free
What a week. Today Iām particular I thought would never end. It just drug on and on.
House sitting for friends and I had such an urge to drink. This particular friend had alcohol everywhere. Beer, ciders, wine and hard alcohol. For the first time in awhile I started reasoning with myself that I could certainly have a glass of wine. No one would know. I could have a drink and it would be ok. What in the world.
This particular friend kind of mocked me as she walked out the door about helping myself to Amy if the wine. I told her I wasnāt drinking and she kinda said I heard. Not sure what that meant. I donāt know if that planted the seed it what. Iām glad I did not and that I was able to distract myself by reaching out to another friend.
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Emotional day 4:
Today has been draining, packing day for my girlfriend. The yin and yang of emotions was powerful throughout the day, but the emotions were needed and made for a pretty good day together.
We got her car packed fairly efficiently, went to the store to buy food for dinner. I grilled porkchops and made mashed cauliflower, dinner was great. Then we went outside to enjoy the cool, early fall night.
This is when the sadness took over. We were sitting around our firepit, a place we love, and the emotions took over, much heavier than i thought they would be. We came inside and i put her in bed. I had to come down to the couch because if i stayed there she wouldnāt have stopped crying, not sure i would have either.
She leaves at 6:00 am.
Emotional day, still sober and so happy Iāve been sober to spend these last two days with her.
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Proud of you for keeping your control in that situation 
The last time I had thoughts like that, āitās just one drinkā, I fell off for 3 years. Please trust me when I say, that āoneā drink will never be worth it. Keep it up lady 
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59 days no binge drinking. Iām ok. Hope you are too.
Itās a state of mind, the urge. Itās habit, maybe some physical things that will draw us to the drink or drug, particularly in the early days where the body depends on a particular thing itās used to but once you flush it out of your system and the body adjusts itās then a mental draw to the addiction. We need to balance out bodies and brain chemistry to function without it then battle with the mind to convince ourselves that itās not needed. Simple really, but in practice as we all know itās not so straight forward.
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Ugh! Been a long week physically. And still have one more workday to go 
Wednesday felt like a Friday but here we are again. Not terribly busy but my feet hurt. Training another new girl. Idk why tf theyāre still hiring new people. The season is over and soon weāll only be open 4 days a week. At least I know Iāll get hours.
Other than that, pretty boring day. Quiet night alone. Sure Iāll be getting some good sleep tonight. Hope the same for you all 
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Congratulations @HoofHearted on the 5 Years! Awesome! Youāve helped so many on your journey.
Sorry about the news about your wifeās job. Hoping that all will be well in the end.
Thinking about you on both. Fingers crossed for good outcome.
Celebrate your 5 year achievementā¦ itās wonderful!
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Checking in, feeling love, be loved, loving and more love in a big fat field.
No cravings, no using, no suffering.
Enjoy your weekend,
do yourself something good today
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Checking in, Day 9. It is a beautiful day out there and the weekend so feeling very relaxed. I have a little more energy too.
I did not sleep that well. Was woken at 4am by my husband coming home from a rare night out. Then of course the serious snoring. Drunk people are annoying 
I just lay there so grateful to be sober. And now, waking up completely sober. I donāt ever want to go back to that. Luckily this is a rare occasion for my husband so I probably wonāt deal with this again for months.
I hope everyone has a lovely, sober day.
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Day 252.
Greetings from nervous breakdown land!
Actually, today Iām feeling a bit better. I was up working until 1 am (fun times), but went to sleep without setting any alarms.
Next week is gonna be the most challenging in my beaurocratic journey. But for now, I really gotta focus on getting my work done. Whatever happens. Happens.
On the bright side, I worked out the numbers and next month I should have enough for a new phone. I havenāt had a new phone in nearly 4 years. So thatās exciting.
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Still soberā¦n havenāt used
Tomorrow makes 2wks
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Had eleven days, beautiful Sober daysā¦now on day one again. Checking in.
I was all good and actually a few things happened (no excuses) the car literally broke and wouldnāt start, so I missed yoga and missed a Friday night gym workoutā¦ my partner mentioned wine several times and so did a neighbour who joined us staring into the open bonnet of the car. Like, oh well; get a glass of wine, itās Friday.
I think my subconscious self had already give in a few hours earlier at the first mention of it. So going down the high street to the garage to get a micro fuse led to supermarket stopā¦
Both me and the car still broken.
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Day 1008,
Overthinking , thinking, slept out, still in bed. Late evening sporting and release from treatment kept me awake.
Negative thinking seems to be my nature 
. Self pity that I had to go to such a centre etc. Now trying to focus on the positive. Without going there I wouldnāt have known that the adhd is at the centre of things. A total chaotic and impulsive life in which the booze took the role of self-medication. Very vulnerable for trauma. My traumaās are still there but I see things a tiny bit brighter. Itās gonna be hard work. I just have to figure out what the role of AA/NA is in all of this. From others I know itās tricky to work the steps with a lot of trauma. I have that experience so far, it really pushes me in if we discuss the steps so far. My sponsor only doesnāt seem to listen when I express my concerns about it. And just keeps coming back with one liners. Just work the steps etc. Triggering my never feeling heard button. I feel the need to set my boundary there. Any suggestions or experience on this are welcome.
Greetz
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Day 47.
Meeting this morning and grocery shopping and do something productive around my apartment. Hope everyone has a good day 
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Thank you so much!
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Ahhhhh, I am sorry to hear that. Glad you came straight back on. The subconscious was what did it for me last time too. How are you feeling?
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Down. Fed up. Hateful. Feel like I would do a better job of being sober alone by myself! 
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