Good morning Lisa,

Today is day 10 for me.  Still tired in the afternoons and taking naps, but I've been getting up early as you can see from the time this message was written.  I think I'll buy and take some multi-vitamin B as you have been doing.  Boredom (i.e. filling in my day productively) and missing my buzz are the two greatest challenges right now.  The good news is that I feel a lot better, more awake, more happy and that is a great incentive.  Listening to the positive testimonies of those who are ahead of us on Day 30-35 or longer are also encouraging.

All is love.

Lisa,

 

it will get easier.  Keep on going.

 

rob

Hi Jaylee,

On to day 3! Fantastic! Be patient and stick to your resolve Jaylee. It's quite a storm those first few days and week....both mentally and physically. I found myself to be agitated and withdrawn the first few days and then an over-whelming need to keep busy. Triggers are a challenge as they come from so many angles. Listen carefully to your thoughts when you feel these triggers because they hold the answers to putting on the safety so the trigger can't be pulled. Eventually they go away.

 

Thank you so much for the reminder of Tolle's book "The Power of Now". I tried reading it before but really wasn't ready to receive the information inside. A light went off when you mentioned it so I think it's time to revisit.

 

Check this out if you haven't. It's an interesting perspective:

 

http://www.rational.org/index.php?id=36

 

Keep up the great work Jaylee! You're not in this alone and we always here when you need support.

 

Best regards,

 

Dave

Thanks David,

I have read many of your posts and have found them very inspiring. I also believe that it is only myself who can take responsibility for my drinking and that I do have the power to control this....I just need to figure out how to do this. I am on 48 hours and counting since my last drink....not the longest I have gone over the last month...but what is different this time is I am constantly reflecting on how I am feeling physically and emotionally. A number of years ago I read Ekhert Tolle's book "The Power of Now" which talks about living and experiencing in the moment, not stressing over the past or worrying about the future. This is really resonating with me right now and it is one of the tools I am using  to continue to battle my triggers.

thanks again for your support...I am making it a habit to come on several times a day...reading posts on this forum is also keeping me focused and adding tools into my  "satchel" to keep me on track when times get rough.

 

Congratulations on your continued success.

 

jaytee

Just a correction.....I said  "We're not alcoholics."What I meant was "We're not ALL alcoholics".

 

Peace

 

Dave

Hi Lisa25 and Jaylee,

Welcome to the site and well done on your progress. I read through your posts and had to smile because I thought I was the only one that liked to reach out to my phone book when I had too many drinks. The first week is always tough however you seem to be on the right track with constructive activities to replace the drinking. This is day 35 for me and I was in exactly the same place you were 35 days ago. I can tell you with all sincerity I finally feel like I have my life back. I've been putting off the workouts to some degree and tomorrow I start back it in a more focused plan. Getting "addicted" to exercise is such a positive thing and will really help you immensely. If I can make a suggestion....I think it's important to define you're drinking problem as it relates to you. There is a wide spectrum of drinking problems, ranging from problem drinkers, to hard drinkers, binge drinkers, and, what seems to be the most extreme end of the spectrum being "alcoholic". We're not alcoholics. I say this because of my own history. I've heard the term alcoholic for some time to describe problem drinking but I quit very much the same way you are. I've made a life choice that drinking simply doesn't work for me anymore. I've had my fun now it's time to move on. I'm fed up with what it was doing to my life and I was ready for change. It wasn't easy at first but it is much easier now. And the effect it has had on everyone around me has been overwhelmingly positive in ways I never suspected or could have imagined. I find it so interesting that an addiction to one thing (alcohol) can be characterized as a "disease" yet an addiction  to exercise is not. Contrary to Cryptkeeper's suggestion (sorry David, no offense), the power to overcome an alcohol abuse problem starts with you and relying on a supernatural power to obliterate it isn't the only way to truly overcome it. I'm not suggesting for a second that you not pursue any spiritual awakening, By all means do....but if it were the only way then I wouldn't be where I am right now; relaxed, confident, motivated, and happy I'm putting this behind me. Yes, there is some discomfort at times when I project forward and imagine when I tell people I enjoy hanging out with I quit but the good outweighs the bad ten-fold. Certainly explore any avenue that feels right to you, be open-minded, and ask A LOT of questions, of both yourself and everyone on the forum. There are so many different resources out there to help and it's amazing how quickly you can find them with a PC, an iPad, and a Kindle subscription.

 

One other thing, alcohol abuse really wipes out the balance in your body and depletes vitamins so drink lots of water and start back replenishing your vitamin counts if you haven't already. Vitamin deficiency can have a huge impact on you both mentally and physically.

Best wishes and keep up the excellent work moving forward.

Dave