No longer lurking

Thank you all for your kind welcome. Checking in here and reading around every morning is so helpful in setting me up for a sober day ahead.

At almost 2 weeks in I have noticed:
:+1: Sleep - it takes a little time to fall asleep but waking up 7 hours later with no signs of being restless, anxious or any of the other horrors drinking caused.
:+1: Eyes & teeth - whiter and brighter. People have started saying things like “you look nice” so I can tell they can see an improvement but are not sure quite what it is yet.
:+1: Self-care is more evident. Little things like changing the bed linen, cleaning my teeth every night, and getting dressed even when I have nowhere to go are easy to do. I’m doing regular people things!
:+1: My kids came over yesterday and brought me flowers instead of wine “for when you are drinking again” like they usually would have.
:-1: Despite 2 - 3000 calories less a day I would have thought I’d be skinny by now but nope still fat. That’s future me’s problem, and we will revisit after 90 days and see what’s happening there. Before I was fat and drunk or fat and hanging so just being fat is a win either way.

It is lovely to see so many on a similar timeline to me and all doing so well, it’s inspiring. Thank you for sharing your journeys. You have no idea how much you helped me to put down the wine glass and try again.

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It’s great to read what improvements in health and gains in wellbeing you already notice! Yes, the wins of sobriety.
The weight loss may take some time, in the early days the body is craving carbohydrates/sugar to fill the void alcohol leaves. Maybe you want to check out the threads on weight loss and no sugar, I remember this topic being adressed there.
Keep going, I’m happy to read you are doing good :sunflower:

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Hello Fiona, welcome to the community. I’m looking forward to seeing some pictures in the plant, knitting and gardening threads😊
:squid:

@Lastry Hey Fiona I love all if the positives you see for yourself. Be kind though regarding your weight. I too expected to be back to my size 8 overnight but I try to be kind to myself and remind myself I didn’t put the weight on over night and I can’t expect to lose it that way either. I can share down 4 lbs in 35 days. Wish it were more but very happy that it’s not 5 going in the other direction. Be kind to yourself. Have a wonderful day.

Hi, Fiona! Congrats on starting anew.

Contemplated starting fresh and decided to face up to it and continue the thread I started the last time I was so determined. I fell into my old ways of staying sober but stopping the support that helped get me there in first place. I have had a few sober spells since my last serious attempt but nothing I am really proud of. Sobriety fails when I stop reading and sharing. Sometimes I stop reading here and sharing because I am planning to drink. Sometimes I stop because I am doing really well and don’t think I need it.

Time to recommit to coming here every morning. Being accountable and among my people. Time to stop killing myself. Its really quite simply a matter of life or death now. I want to live.

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So glad to see you back and owning up to your stuff but also recommitting. No time like the present! I also try to spend every morning here for a bit before I start my day and it’s a great routine. I know I can come back throughout the day if I need/want to but I have that initial time under my belt. Welcome back! Don’t be afraid to join in on other threads when you feel compelled, either. In early days when I pushed myself to engage that way and respond to people I felt a connection to the community grow and it helped me tremendously. Good to see you.

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Day 2

Not sure if I slept or not but I did lay in bed all night and I’m convinced your body doesnt know the difference even if your mind does! Pushing through today WFH and ready for a 3 day break. By the time I go back to work next week it will nearly be a week so I’ll be through the worst.
Just for today.

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Glad you are back! :smiley:
Be active on here, be part of the it all and the connection of the TS community will make your days just that little bit easier :people_hugging:
ODAAT
:squid:

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Welcome back. The most successful people in the world have failed many times. Hang in there, you can do this.

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Hello Fiona,
I too am new to this platform although I’ve been Sober since December 25, 2006. This appears to be a safe place where I can learn and pass information/knowledge while sharing My experience, strength, and hope. Glad to be a part of this community.

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Thank you all for being so encouraging. I really struggled with posting again, feeling like a failure and seeing how everyone else progressed without me. Just reading around today has helped me see that so many people feel like that and I am safe to come back and be completely honest, pick myself up and try again.

I’m committed to staying close.
I’m committed to not drinking today.

Best I can do for now.

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Welcome :slight_smile: I’m looking forward to hearing from you as I am sure there is much to learn from your experience. I got clean from opiates in 2006 but damn… this alcohol is another story!

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Hello Lastry,
Your process is just that: Your Process. It’s not about trying to keep up with everybody(anybody) else. Just continue to do your best, and give God the rest. Willingness, honesty, and consistency can certainly move you along in your process. You are a winner so I suggest that You stick with the winners and the winner’s are living new lives in Sobriety.

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Welcome back to the community @Lastry :blush: I look forward to seeing you around on here!
:heart::v:

Day 3

Got through the evening with a takeaway and 2 online meetings. After the first meeting at 5pm it brought a strange kind of peace to me that left me feeling relaxed, calm and determined. I was worried it was a one off so went to another meeting at 7pm just to be sure. True enough, same calm feeling.

Made it through the night with the whole shebang. Sweating, aching, headache, [insert any withdrawal symptom here]. I think I had them all at one point in the night but I am awake this morning and I am here.

Looking forward to a meeting just now, shower and start my day. Giving myself some space to experience this fully without willing it to pass to skip ahead into the double and triple digits. Just being in the moment and grateful for my 3 days.

Thank you to the folks who stop by and add their thoughts and encouragement.

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Welcome to the community Timothy. Glad you’re here. :v:

Day 4

Spent the evening preparing my digital journal for January. I do it every month out of habit and then use it some/ most of the time during the month. It’s a digital bullet journal and has weekly cleaning schedules, calendar’s, check lists for things that matter to me, basically a tool I use to organise life outside of work. if I am completely honest with myself it is usually a copy paste exercise on the 3rd or 4th of the month we are in and I almost never use it properly. Looking back over the year, it is so clear to see when I had patches of not drinking.

Setting up January’s pages felt special and hopeful. I am looking forward to using it well and including my recovery programme in my plans.

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Getting to day 4 is ALOT of work, i just wanted to jump on here late as i am to your thread to tell you that i think youre doing great!! And to send some love and hugs your way :heart: :people_hugging:

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Day 5

Happy New Year!

No new year new me. Just same me wanting better. Great meeting this morning to start the day and clearing out and packing away the Christmas tree. Ordered myself some new bedding as a sober Christmas pressie since I am actually sleeping in the bed now rather than just passing out in it. I hope everyone gets what they are working for this year :people_hugging:

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