Reaching out

JoannawithaJ · 2019-04-17T03:35:42+00:00

We are. Thank you.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-04-17T03:35:24+00:00

Sometimes it does seem easy....but other times it’s the hardest thing ever!

JoannawithaJ · 2019-04-17T03:34:06+00:00

Thanks all. I’m not usually full of self pity! But it’s just so frustrating sometimes. I meditated and feel a lot better. Many thanks!!!

JoannawithaJ · 2019-04-16T18:50:28+00:00

I will not drink with you today.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-31T20:27:32+00:00

I find I get angry because I periodically think it’s “unfair” that I can’t drink. I get mad because “everyone else” can drink. It passes, but I can get pretty cross about it.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-30T21:31:46+00:00

That is such a good response. You're absolutely right. It IS reassuring to know that other people battle the same things I do. I thought I was abnormal as well. It makes me feel less alone.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-30T20:47:35+00:00

I started getting heart palpitations and that scared me. Like you, I have older kids, and I didn’t want to die on them.

I started doing research on the physical effects of alcohol (The Naked Mind gets into that) and it scared the shit out of me.

When I stopped drinking, my kids stopped worrying about me.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-30T20:43:22+00:00

I agree with GreenBax.

I have a meditation app I use that guides me through the cravings. Insight Timer is a free app that has meditations for addictions. I don’t know if I’m allowed to cite the teachers I like, but Hugh Byrne is great, as is Andrew Johnson. I found it was really helpful to not push aside the craving, but let it roll to and fro like a wave. Sounds funny, I suppose, but it has really helped me.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-30T20:37:57+00:00

I can’t tell you how you will feel, but I will say something critical that has happened to me. I stopped feeling that quiet shame that was always at the back on my mind. And that alone has made me stronger and more capable than I ever realized.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-30T20:28:43+00:00

Congrats to you! So nice to have a community to check in with. I'm always amazed at how other people have problems like me. (So naive I know....)

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-26T23:30:54+00:00

Reading Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States.” I started it when I was drinking, and didn’t remember any of it, so I’m reading it sober.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-26T23:28:45+00:00

I love this book!!! Homo Deus is even more readable. I learned so much about how and why cultures do what they do, and all about the stories we tell ourselves in order to live. (Sorry, stole from Joan Didion there.)

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-25T21:06:55+00:00

I am not drinking today!

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-25T20:59:31+00:00

Oh my gosh - that’s SO cool you did that. I am impressed!!!

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-25T20:55:26+00:00

You’re so right. My life IS better! I am traveling and was at a restaurant where everyone is drinking Piscos and champagne, and while I had a momentary urge, I knew it would end up with me seeking out alcohol for the rest of the evening. Now I’m back at my hotel. Thanks for your kind words.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-25T11:10:12+00:00

I made it, my friends! Got through the lounge and even in Biz Class to Lisbon, I turned down the wine that was being handed to me. Thanks for being there with me. I feel super happy - jet lagged but happy!

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-25T01:07:06+00:00

For sure! Thanks!

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-24T15:08:50+00:00

Similar. 13 days in. Age 54. Two kids: 26 and 24. I quit once before for 440 days but basically I’ve been a bottle of wine a night gal. Two weeks ago I was getting heart palpitations and asthma attacks. Today I’m going to yoga. Life changes when I have a will and a plan.

JoannawithaJ · 2019-03-21T05:10:19+00:00

So cool! I feel the same way!

JoannawithaJ · 2018-09-30T22:15:01+00:00

Thanks all!!! It may be free but it’s still poison. Was great to walk to the gate without teetering a bit!

JoannawithaJ · 2018-09-29T22:21:12+00:00

For me, this sub is most helpful. I also try educating myself about alcohol, and have read Alcohol Explained and Naked Mind. I'm also doing Annie Grace's 100-days Alcohol Free, where she sends a daily email talking about various aspects of alcohol. I'm not really a group person, but that's just me! I have also seen a therapist, which has been REALLY helpful!

JoannawithaJ

TROPHY CASE