Welcome back Des!! Glad u havent experienced any cravings over the weekend. Thats always good to hear. Congratulations on day 3!
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What a blessing the rest of the day was. I was able to hang out with a few different friend groups throughout the day and it just felt really good knowing that I have people in my corner right now. I am so thankful 
ODAAT 
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@mxelle Insomnia is horrible and Iām sorry you are having trouble sleeping. Sending you soothing vibes and hope that it gets easier. Im sure you have already tried most of these but just in case you havenāt or have forgotten ā maybe something may help 
Melatonin, Magnesium at bedtime, a hot non caffeinated tea before bed, Warm milk with some nuts and a drop of honey, a foot rub before bed with soothing lotions/ oils, lavender oil on temples or sheets and possibly also in a diffuser in the room, soothing music / mediation, a word game with eyes closed in bed ā just a few that come to mind. Hope you sleep well tonight 
Those sound YUMMY! Excited for you 
Enjoy cooking with these lovely sauces
@scaredsmol Great to see you identifying the triggers and keep focused on your sobriety. ODAAT 
@TeaCosy 679 days is wonderful! This is a safe space ā feel free to express yourself. Nothing stupid in expressing how you feel and what you are going through. Crying is something I find myself doing a lot in sobriety. I am finding that I am getting in touch with my feelings and working through all the lifey stuff without any help from substancesā¦Nothing wrong with a good cry. It is very freeing and cathartic
@Philipwithonel Grateful to hear that you got through yesterday with your sobriety in tact. Should be proud of yourself in utilizing your tools to help you through the hard moments. Glad that today was better!
@scorpn Awe love you are so amazing. Your kids will be happy if you are also happy and taken care of. It is not selfish to think of your own needs and wants. You are constantly taking care of everyone else. Much love dear friend. You too deserve happiness, love and affection ā stay safe 
@Dessy welcome back and great work on 3 days! Keep up with the great work ā ODAAT
@james83 YES! Double digits and going strong. Keep up with your amazing journey!
@kitster 1 week is wonderful. Have a solid plan and some alternative alcohol free drinks on hand for your time away. Remember that we are only a click away if needed. Think of your next milestone that you want to hit and focus on that anytime a urge hitsā¦
@brokenwolf Oh how lovely! Glad you were able to get away and enjoy some down time with the family What beautiful photos 
Thank you for sharing and a huge congrats on your 3 years! Keep leading the way my friend. Hope you are well
Checking in Sunday evening
683 days free of alcohol and weed
1098 days free of cigarettes
It was an interesting day. Was hard but I did manage a walk and workout. Felt good to move after two days of not doing much.
My brother drove us over to visit with my brother and BIL. It was a lovely day of relaxing and watching football. Grateful to be home and in bed. Hopefully will get some sleep tonight.
Wishing everyone a wonderful addiction free day / evening - sending you all so much love
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1976
I did a good trip on my road bike yesterday that wasnāt planned (thanks @acromouse!), the weather was glorious and I enjoyed it a lot. It felt like a winter day (but not that cold) with the sun low in the sky, there werenāt that much bikers around, and it felt good to make it three days of cycling in a row. Alive.
Back to work this morning. Itāll be a bit of a strange week, today working in the follow up clinic next door, Wednesday I took off because of my birthday, and Thursday Iām having a job interview here in town. Itāll be interesting.
So Iām ready to make it as good a day as I can and I expect the same from all of you. Sober and clean or nothing will come from it. Love from the Noordzee.
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Thank you. Less me in those situations and more reaching out to others has been a big difference maker for me
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Good luck with the colonoscopy tomorrow, @TrustyBird! Having had about 3 of them, I can honestly say that the prep is much worse than the actual thing or the aftermath 
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Thanks Dirk. I am dreaming currently dreaming about cheese fries or anything I can chew.
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Day 8. I slept a little longer and have to hurry to get to work. Today I will not drink.
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@TeaCosy I was an emotional wreck while drinking. Like, I couldnāt express my emotions properly, so lashing out in anger or crying became default reactions to anything negative. Since quitting, my emotions stabilized dramatically. Very little has brought me to tears, but I donāt hold back when something does. I think it allows for an openness to process, and possibly release, all the feels. No shame in crying it out 
@BrOKenWolf Congrats on 3 years!!! Really amazing job 
@One4theroad Wow! 6 years is awesome! Huge congratulations! I agree with sharing our stories more openly. I think itās helped me more than anything. By saying it out loud, and being the first to do so, I feel it takes some of itās power away. Iām not hiding anything anymore. Itās also really surprising the amount of support you can gain from being open and honest. There seems to be alot more who do understand than youād think
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The time change was niceā¦until it got dark at 5pm 
It felt good getting out of the house earlier than usual. It seemed like I had more time. Well, I guess I did 
We went super shopping and stocked up on so much weāve needed. Then went home and enjoyed a smorgasbord of snacks we havenāt had in a while. Still not feeling the best, but alright. Itās crazy how so many of us are sick at the same time all across the world. Wishing you all a speedy recovery and hope you have a great day
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493
7:15am here, Iām already after shower, coffee and what most important - after morning run. Itās been a while. Love it!
Autumn holidays are over, Sacha is going to school today, twins to playgroup tomorrow. Itās their last month in the playgroup and they go to school as well 
In Netherlands kids go to school on a day of their 4th birthday. I have mixed feeling, āmy little babies are going to school already, itās not possible, they are to small 
ā and āhell yeah! Finally some ME time!ā. Now when I work in kindergarten I have absolutely zero moments when Iām home alone and when they will go to school it will change. So, yeah, I canāt wait.
Love you people š©µ
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Well done on your 8 days @Joyce19 and thatās a great attitude and Iām with you. Today I will not drink! 
Congratulations @One4theroad on your 6 years sober. 
Way to go. I know life doesnāt turn into a fairytale when we stop drinking but at least we can start living life again. Glad youāre here with us. Hope you have a good day today.
Iām proud of you @Mischa84 ā¦ A morning run ā¦I have not even been on a walk for ages. Need to get the grid again. Thanks for reminding me 
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*Day 2238 
Plaster out, lice in! 
I did not believe it myself at first and when I did I laughed untill I had no air left 
I have head lice! 
I do not know who has infected me, maybe a customer at work? Well it doesnāt matter for now.
It started with itching ofcourse and I thought it was a reaction to a new shampoo. I talked abput it with my daughter and she mentioned maybe itās lice? So I went upstairs checking my hair with a lice comb and there they where 
I remember the days when my kids were small and I used to check them regularly. Well now I have them myself. But bought some poison and killed them all! 
The concert of London Grammar was really nice!
Enjoyed it very much!
Today? Work.
Have a good day ore night all! Focus on the good and the good getās better!
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338 days
Up early and got to the gym. Headed home and managed to just relax until it was time to pick up the kids from school.
Took my eldest daughter to the gym in the afternoon so got in an easy stationary bike ride and a stretch in while I watched her train.
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Wow, they drew a proper crowd! 
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Yes it was soled out, so no seats left.
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@Just_Laura @JazzyS @Mno
Thank you for your replies.
I donāt know why I canāt seem to allow myself to cry these past few weeks. I lost my dad September last year and I have cried so much in that last year, maybe Iām just afraid that the flood gates will open or something and thatās why Iām holding it back 
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Getting ever closer to that year mark, but Iām really trying to not focus on that, as in the whole scheme of things numbers shouldnāt matter. This is my life. Itās harder for me to not romanticise alcohol in autumn and winter, but not impossible. All of my romantic dreaming is based around cold weather and textures and fabrics and warmth and deep rich foods. I would be preparing for my drinking hibernation at this point in the year. Itās hard to not feel left out, like Iām missing experiences. Then you realise everything is just geared up to take money from you. Money and time in exchange for loss of reality and real living.
I always think back to my grounding thoughts on this matter around envy and jealousy and wanting what others have:
āYou wanna eat the meal, but are you willing to pay the bill?ā.
I have to keep reminding myself this lately as I see the season ramp up with crap around how good a substance would be on these dark nightsā¦ Alcohol and I are not to mix ever again. 30 days no THC today, which is extra special really, considering the payment for THC was insidiously and slyly damaging, not even upfront robbery. It was literally just tapping out. Still easy to believe it was good though somehow.
Anyway, itās Monday again and Iām hoping perhaps for a week of positive brain lubrication and some motivational energy. Or just whatever happens.
Peace 
---- from Chris Williamson 3MM Monday emailā¦
Happiness is a game of comparison.
The 13th-century Persian poet Saadi Shirazi described how social comparisons shape our subjective satisfaction in a way that has become famous:
āI cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.ā ā Saadi Shirazi, h/t Lionel Page
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Thanks it was so good only alittle bit left
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Day 266
Monday night check in.
Public Holiday here tomorrow for the famous Melbourne Cup. I plan to have a restful day and cook a bbq.
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@Tragicfarinelli Congrats on being THC-free for 30 days 
And many thanks for the quotes. One thing I do with strong memories or habits around my addiction is to take all that I liked around the habit - like you said textures, fabrics, warmth, etc. - and put it into a different context. So as my addiction is food related Christmas and the time of Advent would usually be very triggering. So when my mother in law invites us for Advent CafƩ - filled with cakes of all sorts - I decided to concentrate on the family and community aspect. Enjoy the family, the talking, the laughing. The cake is not what these situations have to be about.
@SoberWalker I very much hope you got every single one of them. They are a total pest
@Mischa84 Very happy for you to get some freedom. When my daughter started going to a daycare at the age of 18months I was so happy to have some time just for myself.
@One4theroad I sometimes get the feeling that society likes to talk about and to point at an āaddictā to cover up the fact that we all are very complicated and broken human beings.
348 sugar
212 UPF
86 gluten
86 dairy
22 distraction-free eating
Still having a cold with the usual fun. My ex has got it now as well. So Iāll spend my day doing the usual things: tv, games, books, sofa.
My inlawās are already taking care of the urgent stuff. They are doing groceries and some errands for us. I am very grateful I can always rely on them helping out.
Took part in the SatiSeva online meeting and it was soooo wonderful. This is such a great community, and the people hosting the meetings are just great. It is a mixed online/in-person meeting. And at first I thought this would be awkward but it is not. Cannot recomend it enough.
Todayās picture is a view of the small harbor in Dornumersiel at the German North Sea coast in spring a few years ago. Itās usually fishing boats and small tourist vessels.
Peace and love for life always 
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