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Sobriety Gang (SoGa) - a support group for staying sober

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 30

Good Morning and thank you for your post MaryLizy. I, too, was a wine-drinker-alone-at home and have abstained for almost 2 weeks. I've been off and on in recovery for two years. I always tended to say never again. Now I take it a day at a time. Good luck to you!

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 325

Morning and have to say I was so happy to post 0's in my diary again this morning. Today I am on day 7 of abstaining and I know that a big reason I have not failed is that I poured the wine down the drain last Thursday morning and do not have any thing here but one beer in the fridge. I have to admit I thought about that beer yesterday after my blood work and thinking I could enjoy it with dinner but I did not do that. Not that it would have been a bad thing, I never thought I would never drink again but it I don;t want to, why should I. If I can break that habit of drinking alone every night, which I am on the path to do now, I feel I then can have a social drink or two. Now the only problem there is I would be driving. Most places I go are 15 or more miles from my home so since I have already had 2 DUI's in my life, I can not afford another as it would mean jail time. Not a happy thought. That it itself will keep me sober.

Like JoJo, I am not comfortable talking about my drinking but my girlfriends are supportive as each of them have their own issues with alcohol so I never have to explain myself if I am not drinking. I am so happy also to have found this site and this group to be able to be honest about my problem. Have a good day you all....

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 16

Jojo, I find that if I work out in the evenings I'm usually less likely to eat a lot afterwards. Lunchtime lately seems my weak point as far as eating too much/bad for me foods. I've been stressed out a lot lately and when I don't drink, I eat! I need to learn better coping skills.

Turquoise, I hope your test went well and everything was normal!

Had a better day today. Evening was a little tough. I'm still working out this new second job and I got a little snappish about it and felt terrible afterwards. I have a half-full bottle of red wine that was calling my name, but I didn't touch it. So that's two days now.

I'm really glad I found this forum. I'm not comfortable talking about my issues with alcohol in "real life" and it's nice to have a place to go and others to chat with. :)

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 161

Thanks, Jojo, I'm tearing up from your kind words. I have so many strategies and so much to be thankful for... but I'm still in the grip of this thing.

When those reports came out last year about everyone having a limited amount of self-control, I thought, okay, that explains it. I've always heard you can do three things well-- for me, it's husband, family, and work. That leaves no time for me. Gardening, dancing, aerobics, sailing, kayaking, motorcycling-- that's what has to yield.

I'm introvert off the scale in an extrovert's profession. I need a lot of time alone to balance the time I spend doing what I love-- working with children.

I just had the nicest email from a cousin who said, we noticed you are always there for your brother's and sister's families, and for your late father's friends, whenever anyone needs a helping hand. I started the school year exhausted from "being there" all summer.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm still hanging in there.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 100

Hey everyone,

Eris, I'm glad I'm not the only one re: overeating... was really hoping to see some weight loss too, but I guess that's not the main point. Vincenza, I used to binge a lot on savoury foods (cheesy things mostly). About maybe 6 months ago I started having more of a sweet tooth, and I did notice this got even worse once I stopped drinking. I have read before about sugar cravings upon quitting drinking but think it's weird that I started wanting sugar so long ago. I usually try to keep tempting stuff out of the house... but that didn't work this weekend because I bought treats for having guests over. I'm going to be getting started at the gym again this week and I think that will help because when I work really hard at the gym, I'm less tempted to "ruin" it by overeating.

In terms of advice/what's worked for me, I have told most of the people closest to me what I'm doing (abstaining at least for awhile) and why. This helps because it reduces expectations to join in with them. I drink a lot of club soda and have indulged in things I normally wouldn't (e.g. homemade smoothies, bought a fancier type of cheese than usual). I keep alcohol out of the house. Planning ahead how the night is going to be, that I won't drink, has been very helpful, instead of leaving it up in the air and allowing myself the option. Also, I really try to remember the horrible physical and emotional feeling from the last time I drank as a deterrent. I come on this site every day to keep myself grounded and know I'm supported by lots of people going through the same thing.

That was long..sorry! I won't respond directly to everybody's posts but I just want to say ElizabethRRRR... this thread isn't about failing or succeeding, it's about working on this. It's okay that you've been drinking, just remember each day is a new opportunity not to drink any more. Are there any other things you can do to de-stress besides drinking? Hope you're well.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 409

Back from my camping, and I also have a routine blood draw this morning like marylizy, so I'm missing my coffee! I mostly followed my plan over the weekend, didn't overdo it, and didn't drink at all yesterday. No time to post right now, but I'll be back later... Missed you guys. :-)

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 325

Morning everyone.

Sounds like you are all working very hard on your problems and solutions. That is a good thing. I have not seen Turquoise post here. I wonder if her camping trip was longer then the weekend. Tuesday and it is starting my 6th day sober. I have been sleeping well but have had very vivid and strange dreams. Mostly about past people in my life. Strange. Keep posting and have a great Tuesday. I am off for routine blood draw and I miss my morning coffee....

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 234

Hi Vincenza,

Sundays weren't always down days. We called it "metal sundays" jam out, and watch a live dvd of a band we enjoyed. Ever since I said, I need to stop drinking, I lost contact with those people. I know it's my ego re-living the glory days. I guess when I lived up north and not having any people around me with similar interests, the weekend was just a drinking ground. I'm a pretty personable person, I just didn't click there. I'm trying to move passed those moments.

Not having something to do on the weekend is a big trigger, I get massive cravings, almost like my body knows it's time to drink. I'll make it through all of this. I actually have an uncle who is dying from liver damage (he has prostate cancer) but they told him his liver will kill him first. I want to stay sober and move forward.

I guess it's just figuring out awareness and then catching yourself.

My group is going great, I love being there. One second at a time.

On the plus, my drumming is going really well, being sober allows me to actually play better ha-ha.

I enjoy sober life, and I need to keep on it. The cravings are just ridiculous, but I'm sure they will pass.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 161

I'm a failure for this new thread. I have at least 2 glasses of wine... that's 5 ounces, not 10... and when I don't go to work with a hangover it's a good day. Is there any month that is not a stressful time for teachers? Good question.

11 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1853

Hi jojo64,

Congrats on your 17 days sober! That is fantastic news

What has helped you stay alcohol-free over the past few weeks? What advice would you give to members that are starting their journey towards better health?

With regards to replacing alcohol with food, what do you tend to eat? How can you make healthier choices? What activities could you do to occupy your time and keep your mind off drinking?

Wishing you all strength and continued success in your quits & cutting back.

Vincenza, Health Educator

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Sobriety Gang (SoGa) - a support group for staying sober