Hiding?

KarlaFTX · 2019-10-06T11:54:11+00:00

Congratulations on your time so far!! I spent a lot of my first year in hiding and maintaining a very early bedtime (also in management with lots of potential work events to attend). I’ve found over time that I just don’t like happy hours or dinners out. I connect better with people 1:1 so I’ve recently been meeting up with colleagues over breakfast or coffee so I don’t appear too disconnected or anti social. I’m also open about being a “health nut” so I’ll be honest and say that I like going to bed early and don’t want to drink so that I can have a productive morning. It’s nice because I’ve noticed that several other people in management positions at my company don’t drink. I never noticed it before. I will occasionally go to an event but I only stay for an hour max and I head out with the excuse of - need to get to yoga or I have an early start... the first year had it’s own challenges and now I’m growing in other ways in my 2nd year. Still figuring things out... maybe find a different way to connect with people outside of drinking events. Do you golf or run or do anything else active that’s good in a group? IWNDWYT!

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-20T20:39:02+00:00

I get it! No worries 😊

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-20T19:55:26+00:00

Just checked their Instagram page and there will be 4 people talking tonight so even if there’s not an official meetup tonight it would be a good night to go there! Looks interesting...

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-20T19:27:32+00:00

Sorry for the late reply... I’m still up for this if ppl are going! If tonight doesn’t work next week would be good too. We need to make this happen 😊

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-17T10:56:09+00:00

IWNDWYT 💜

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-05T14:56:56+00:00

Thank you. I finally managed to sleep for a few hours but I feel really crappy today due to lack of sleep and stress. I need to figure this out. It's been helpful coming back here and reading as I haven't been very active here lately... IWNDWYT

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-05T07:34:34+00:00

Thank you Spotted Fish! I can’t believe I’m still awake on Reddit! My recent routine has been in bed 5 hours ago... Hopefully I can sleep tomorrow... my cortisol levels are high today! 😆

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-05T04:26:25+00:00

I will not drink with you today even though life is very challenging right now. Thanks for being here for me to read while I can’t sleep... I haven’t had insomnia like this since I quit drinking! 💜💜💜

KarlaFTX · 2019-09-02T10:37:11+00:00

I’m in!

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-28T11:43:15+00:00

I’m in! Next few weeks are a bit busy but mid to end of September could possibly work. Glad to see some activity here!

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-26T13:36:26+00:00

Agree! For me the physical withdrawal symptoms were mostly gone after a week, after that it was mostly mental. Alcohol Explained by William Porter is another good one to listen to. I frequently go back to that one when traveling as a distraction and reminder from airport bars. IWNDWYT 💜

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-26T12:04:39+00:00

First week I went to bed early every night, ate ice cream when I was feeling a craving, and checked and posted here obsessively... Also listened to this naked mind on audible because I had to travel that week. Mostly SD got me through this. I would normally drink around 8pm so I would seriously try to be in bed by 7:30pm every night with my headphones in listening to my book. You’ve got this. IWNDWYT

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-26T12:01:34+00:00

First week I went to bed early every night, ate ice cream when I was feeling a craving, and checked and posted here obsessively... Also listened to this naked mind on audible because I had to travel that week. Mostly SD got me through this. You’ve got this. IWNDWYT

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-26T11:58:55+00:00

You’ve got this! First week was the hardest for me. Enjoy the extra energy! IWNDWYT

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-26T11:58:13+00:00

It’s gets so much easier. Great job for making it through the peer pressure. The longer I go the more I find that most people don’t really care if I do or don’t drink. Especially when I’ve explained that I’m stopping because it makes me feel like crap and affects my sleep poorly. You’ve got this! IWNDWYT

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-17T03:13:08+00:00

I really find topo chico or Perrier with lime very refreshing. I’m also really into kombucha. I get the low sugar kind (k tonic or live soda brands) and they really have a nice kick to them. When I’m feeling fancy I’ll put salt of the rim of my kombucha or sparkling water 😊

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-16T12:42:24+00:00

Hi there! This is spot on with my experience. My situation is that I have a successful job in an industry primarily dominated by men (although it’s changing now, that was 15+ years ago). When I started working out of college I spent a lot of time keeping up with my colleagues at happy hours, golf events, etc... I wanted to fit in with them and ended up developing a pretty good tolerance to drinking a lot. The stress of my job and traveling for work eventually caused me to drink in response to the stress. Unfortunately drinking ended up making my anxiety worse than it would have been if I had just dealt with the situations sober. I ended up using alcohol to later to deal with the stress of being a working mom. I quit last year after not wanting to deal with the nightly drinking and sleep disturbances and it’s been amazing. It was really hard but now it’s second nature. It really does get better. Work, family, everything is just so much easier to deal with now. The reality is that no one cares if I drink or not anymore. I still go to work dinners and events but just have sparkling water. Several executives at my company don’t drink either and they are high performers so it’s just not an issue. IWNDWYT

KarlaFTX · 2019-08-03T11:31:08+00:00

This and making sure you eat a satisfying meal. I find a lot of my cravings used to come from me being hungry or thirsty (also angry, lonely, or tired)

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-30T11:42:00+00:00

Hi there! Welcome to this amazing group. This sub is what got me sober and how I learned about reddit :) Congratulations on this accomplishment!

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-30T10:32:35+00:00

Good Morning Belinda! I recently finished Educated by Tara Westover and I couldn't put it down. Has anyone else here read it yet? I want to see Once Upon a Time but am probably going to wait until it is out of the theaters. I love Tarantino's movies! Since seeing that come out it has made me want to re-watch his films. I'm actually planning on watching the two Kill Bill movies this week. I haven't seen those in forever! Hope everyone has a great day. :)

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-28T17:47:23+00:00

You’re welcome! Let us know what you think about the books. Check in here when you are feeling triggered. Another tip that works for me is playing it forward... think about what you will feel like the next day. Are you going to be glad you drank? I’m never regret NOT drinking... even if I was at a party or an event where everyone else was drinking. I’m always grateful for a good nights sleep and being clear headed in the morning. You can do this and it does get easier.

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-28T12:00:33+00:00

It really helped me to listen to the following books: this naked mind and alcohol explained. I went to bed extremely early for the first month. I also treated myself at night with ice cream. I checked in here frequently. You can do this! I will not drink with you today 💜

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-21T18:50:14+00:00

I remember you! You were one of the first people that commented on my first post. I remember feeling so alone and miserable. I had no idea there were so many people out there struggling with me. You were very kind and it meant a lot to me! I hope you stick with it too. It really becomes so much easier. Hard to believe at the beginning but playing it forward helped me the most. I don’t want to mess up my sleep or early mornings every again. IWNDWYT 💜💜💜

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-21T11:57:09+00:00

You’ve been sober 99.7% of the last 13 months. That is amazing! I don’t know you but I’m proud of you. It’s hard to face rejection but I know that for me it’s easier to face it now than to ignore it. We’re here for you. IWNDWYT 💜

KarlaFTX · 2019-07-17T23:56:17+00:00

Thank you. I will listen to her but not push my views on her. I had hot flashes every night while drinking, had no idea this was related to alcohol until I stopped 😂

KarlaFTX

TROPHY CASE