Congrats on your 18 days, hey you and @K_S are sober twins!
I just finished reading Dopamine Nation. Anna Lembke is brilliant! It was very helpful for me to understand how the dopamine balance works. Love the notion that we must learn to accept there is pain in life rather than trying to escape it. Very Buddhist, I think.
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Nice one @K_S on 18 daysā¦Sober twinsšā¦I like itš
Yeah they were talking about that on the podcast, and avoiding pain which has been part of humanity since the beginning of time can do the opposite and cause more pain. Very interesting! I need stop avoiding the discomfort of starting to read again and pick up that book up!
Thanks Pattycake, much appreciated 
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Apologies for the typosā¦very tired 
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No worries! Hereās a little quote from Dr. Lembkeā¦
āInstead of running away from the world, we can find escape by immersing ourselves in it.ā
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I love itā¦thank you!
Tomorrow night Iām going to pick the book back upā¦Itās weird Iām actually looking forward to things like this now.
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8
Outside the window it is no longer evening, no wind. These are the dead eyes of the night
[ā¦]
And tonightās passengers, recognizing her face,
In terror, they throws themselves into the sad depths of the sin.
[ā¦]
I know: it is not for them to fight that difficult and unequal battle against her,
Not for them to walk the earth with a proud calm step,
[ā¦]
Like a deserted night on a sandy desert road,
Accompanied by painful doubts,
But without whining, without complaining, with concentration and slowly
A new generation of giants is coming forward.
She doesnāt want to win. And knows that the awaited sun of knowledge
Through the thick clouds of ignorance it will never shine,
But full of inner anxiety, rushes on and conquers the world
And finally closes those eyes that are longing for the light in the dark
[ā¦]
Vytautas MaÄernis āVisionsā: āThe Endā
1942
translation from Lithuanian
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Hey everyone,
Just checking in 
Was with son all day, we were out from the time we dropped his sister off then went to see her perform a concert at her school. Then off to the park with the two of them. I am beat, but a good kind
Hubby took the kids to see the in-laws and I have always gone with but lately I take sometimes to just have the time on my own. Going to tidy up a little and make some bracelets for the market.
Feel like I could go crawl in bed and its only 5pm here LOL.
Hope everyones having a good 24. Xo.
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Not a problem at all, I usually give everyone a shout out. Iām trying to make myself more active like you used to be in here.
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@Danwood85 sober twin! Congrats on 18 days brother.
@Seizetheday congrats on 129 days! Keep on keepinā on. 
@Kvee congrats on 61 days sober and smoke & smoke free.
@Timetochange congrats on 320 days! Youāre killing it. Im glad you didnāt have a drink. Keep on striving.
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Congratulations Kenny on your 18 days! Prayers for your mother in law.
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End of day 125 AF
First day in a week I had no lawns to do, good thing I got them all finished up last night cause it rained all day and will for next few at least on and off. Give a chance to get that fertilizer in the ground and seeds to start germinating.
Work has been better since day one Monday and Iām enjoying it more, though I am waking at 3:30am which is a tad early and has me exhausted by 8pmā¦
Hit gym for first time in a week tonight due to a lull in workload, now I am barely keeping eyes open. Switching out of supersets this weekend and into specific muscle groups that shouldnāt tax me as much as supersets as they are designed to get heart rate up and keep it up to increase cardiovascular work as well as weights. Iām not needing that added focus currently with two jobs and movement Iām getting, just need more weight training.
Anyway, Iām so happy Iām sober, the energy I have to accomplish things is just amazingā¦ My focus and determination is on point and my discipline to keep the balls in the air is pushing me forward.
Hoping for positivity to all of you fine folks out there. Stay fighting for thisā¦itās so so worth it!
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Checking in, im hours away from reaching 1 week, sending 
and support to you all
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Still kicking brother! Glad you made it back from the dark side man!
Busy with way too much work and trying to balance workouts in there when I can squeeze in.
When you joining in the gym world man. Itāll help keep ya disciplined and focused my friend.
Keep checking in here, even if itās short and sweetā¦ helps keep that focus man 
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@catmancam How did your appointment go today? So happy to hear that you got the ADHD assessment booked finally. Love seeing things moving forward for you. Hope you were able to get the anxiety settled.
@jonase Day 40! Way to go friend. Keep pushing forward ā it does get easier.
@twizzlers Oh man that is some scary shit ā glad you were able to get someone out to the house and check on the Carbon monoxide issue. Grateful everyone is safe.
Oh man that is rough ā I hate when you have to wait on someone and they keep changing up the time. I had that happen to me last week and spent over 6 hours in a car LOL ā luckily I was able to get the task completed when he finally showed up. I am sorry love. I know itās frustrating but do not let it discourage you. Try to look at the positives (the gratitudeās if you will)ā¦ this helps me when I feel like throwing my hands in the air and laughing hysterically when all is a mess. Hope you are able to get some rest tonight and it all goes smoothly for you tomorrow 
@wahtisnormal howās it going Zoe? You are doing incredibly well my friend with stacking up the days. Donāt put so much pressure on yourself to work out or be productive when you have time off. In the early days of sobriety I spent my free time playing mindless game son my phone or sleeping. It was all it could do to not drink and that in itself was a huge productive day. YEAH ā glad you are getting yourself that mini fridge ā think it will be a game changer for you. I totally understand the frustration of someone else drinking your N/A drinks ā you handled it well and who knows it may sway someone else to give up drinking too Hope you had a much better day today.
@sadmemequeen So good to see you checking in Megan. 798 WOW ā see you closing in on 800 days! Could this be a source of your cravings? We are here to help you so please lean on us when you feel the urges. Sending love and strength my friend. 
@acromouse Way to go with 40 days no Gluten! Sorry that you are not feeling well ā hope that did not last too long. Sucks that you are missing parts of the festival. Sending healing energy ā hope you get better soon.
@juli1 There it is! Way to go Jules ā you are a boomchakalaka fucking rockstar 
So happy to see this Glad your mood has improved and you are enjoying your day
@james83 Congrats on your 8 weeks James ā keep up the amazing work 
@timetochange So sorry to hear that your wife is dealing with such pain and the appointment is so far off for rheumatologist. Are you able to ask to be waitlisted (in case an opening comes up they can call you for an earlier day) or possibly call daily to see if anything opened up? It does suck to see someone dealing with such pain and not being able to help in any way. Sending her some soothing energy ā hope see feels relief soon. Saw your update ā i can imagine all that is going on would trigger a drink response. Great work on being vigilant and staying strong
@aine so good to see you checking in with us. This community has been the backbone for my sobriety. I honestly spent sooo much time reading and interacting when I first started and still have days where I am glued to the site all day. You are in good company here. Loads of amazing people with similar journeys so lots of great advice and no judgement. Looking forward to seeing you around.
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my birthday is coming up in June and itās always a huge trigger, and just not having anything to do all day doesnāt help
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@zzz congrats on your 1 week of sobriety. Keep stacking up the days
@chase.e.u So good to see you checking in friend. Glad you were able to talk with someone yesterday and will be meeting up with someone tonight. Like others have said ā connection is key for our sober journey and so important if you are feeling lonely / depressed. 9 months feels like a long time now but with all the work you are putting in for yourself ā the time will fly by. We are here for you as well ā you are able to get through this time
@lotusflower lovely to see you checking in with your amazing days! Hope that you are able to feel better soon and get back to the gym / yoga as I do find that movement really does wonders for our bodies and minds.
@lighter Glad you are staying connected here and working up a good plan for tomorrow night. Remember that we are always available if you need someone to talk to. Have an exit plan if needed so you are not stuck there if the urges get too much. Call ahead to see what they have to offer as far as 0% alcohol drinks or mocktails. You will be celebrating 70 days Marie ā you are stronger than the addiction and we got your back
YES! Way to go with day 3 friend. That pesky addict voice will forever try to sneak in and make it seem ok to pick up ājust that oneā. Unfortunately, itās never just the one. WE get sucked into the dark hole and who knows how many times we will be able to crawl back out of it. Way to go on setting up new routines and changing up your thinking ā upwards and onwards
@thirdmonkey Oh man I loved the line āAs a drunk I would work to hide from life. Now, It bothers me when work takes away from life.ā So true ā so much we missed out on when we were deep in addiction. Grateful to be free and enjoying the beauties of life.
@K_S sending healing vibes your way ā hope your MIL will recover from whatever she is dealing with and grateful that you are able to be there for her and your family
@kvee Congrats on your 2+ months of sobriety. Glad to see you stacking up the days
@danwood85 Sorry about your tense day. You do have a loaded schedule this week. I know I get short nerved when I am overwhelmed and lack sleep. Great work on holding back the rage and getting your point across. Check out the Conglomerated List of āThings that can Fck right off (Part 2) thrad ā let out some of your frustrations here (it does help to type it out and let it out in the universe rather than hold it in).
@chevy55 Glad that work is getting better for you and you are enjoying it more. Grateful to read your check in ā Happy, sober and full of energy ā keep going strong my friend
@falloutsign Great work Dani! 1 week milestone is impressive work ā grateful to be here celebrating it with you tonight.
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@sadmemequeen A birthday really can be a huge trigger and having idle time on your hands can also be disastrous. Are you able to fill the time with a hobby or activity that you enjoy. Plan it out ahead of time so you keep yourself busy? I do hope you are able to do something fun for your birthday and celebrate your special day. Growing up I would take the day off from whatever (school / job) and go do something just for me on my birthday (like a movie, a play, a day trip). Hopefully you and your friends can do something special ā still have plenty of time to plan.
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@Soberbilly No, I havenāt been to a Refuge Recovery meeting, but Iām definitely intrigued. I used to frequent AA before covid, but the life changes it brought made attending much more difficult now. Thatās why Iām so grateful for this place Originally I went to AA already sober 2 months, looking for answers on how to live with myself. I found answers that still help me to this day, but Iām never against trying something new 
Anything that teaches other ways to help navigate this life are welcomed by me 
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Still been tired and out of it. Iām suspecting allergies are to blame, I hope. My eyes have been burning 
I still was able to get some odd bits of cleaning done. Last year I mentioned to a friend how cool I thought his hummingbird feeder was.
My familyās always been into birdwatching, especially my mother. Their yard has several feeders. Well, last time I went to my friends house, he gave it to me! He said he didnāt keep up with filling/cleaning it. My only thought was to give it to my mom for motherās day, so I got that cleaned up and ready for Sunday.
Pretty good day overall. Glad it was relaxing bc the next 3 days are going to be a lot 
Better get to bed soon so I can have the energy I need. Goodnight
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@Xlexenex I put your sober date in my agenda so I could congratulate you with your 
year milestone today!! 
Hope you are around to celebrate it with us all!
*Day 2060
3 days before holiday
Had an aweful night of sleep. Dreamed I had an very important exam at highschool but hadnāt studied for it. I was very anxious in my dream and woke up in that vibe and still a bit in it. Hope coffee helps to get my out of that
Did a walk yesterday and captured this big creature. Itās a European Hornet, what a big wasp that is! And look at those eyes, so beautiful shaped and so different then normally round.
Today? Help a friend out in the morning who canāt be alone because of physical circumstances. After that work for the rest of the day.
I like reading all of your stories here, itās an honor to be part of a community like this
Itās here because we all add little pieces to it.
Have a good day ore night all
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Day 321. We rang the rheumatologist and they offered my wife a cancellation today so thats positive! Couldnāt get an appt with our gp till June??? So we will change GPās in the near future
Off to rheumatologist first thing and see what their assessment is.
Bought some plants yesterday so will plant them today and hopefully take it easy.
I will check in if I get any feelings to drink. Not had them for a while. I will sit down later and reflect on why I stopped in detail.
Have a fab day folks
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