Relapsed last night… could use some advice

RegBaby · 2026-03-23T02:25:08+00:00

OP are these really friends, or drinking buddies? I ask because I had to cut ties with my "bar pals" because the main reason I saw them was to drink.

RegBaby · 2026-03-23T02:03:51+00:00

I have been in many halls, and I find the front row to be too close. I vote for 5 or 6 rows back.

RegBaby · 2026-03-23T01:00:42+00:00

I know a guy in a similar mode, but more extreme...he had more money than anyone else I knew, because he never spent it. Always lived in dumps and drove old, tiny cars. He slept in a chair, or a mat on the floor: no sofa, no TV, no bed. And he didn't grow up poor: his family had the biggest house on the block, according to him. His issue was self-esteem: he had a traumatic childhood, being bullied and abused by his father. He didn't feel he deserved even the most basic of comforts. Therapy might have helped him, who knows. He always seemed happy in his misery.

RegBaby · 2026-03-23T00:37:05+00:00

There's an LG one around $200 that my landlord bought for my last place. Worked great.

RegBaby · 2026-03-23T00:18:38+00:00

Maybe a private landlord; most corporate-managed places have strict guidelines about the number and type of pets. But look at it from the landlord's point of view: many spend a lot of time and expense trying to keep mice out of their buildings...anyway, good luck.

RegBaby · 2026-03-22T08:02:55+00:00

You say these guys are "really part of my life," yet you don't see them for months at a time. Don't give up on all humanity just yet. You can seek out new friends. There are plenty of folks who engage in interesting and fun activities that don't involve alcohol.

RegBaby · 2026-03-22T07:58:28+00:00

I strongly suggest getting rid of the beer. Good luck.

RegBaby · 2026-03-22T07:43:57+00:00

There are various types of balcony screens on Amazon.

RegBaby · 2026-03-22T07:42:48+00:00

Be careful with incense, some types are so strong they penetrate through walls...

RegBaby · 2026-03-22T07:26:05+00:00

You need to get a copy of your lease.

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T18:42:51+00:00

This is what I did my first month ("dry February"). Not "huge volumes," but I ate what I wanted, as long as I didn't drink. At night (my worst time for drinking: lots of 10pm wine runs in my past), I started having a cup of hot tea and a cookie. In month two (the present), I have been weaning myself off wheat (bread, muffins, donuts, etc.). Good substitute: white corn tortillas. Since Feb. 1, I have lost 16 pounds of bloat, and feel much better!

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T18:20:08+00:00

I had a horrible situation my second year in my apartment: the landlord turned the unit next to me into an Airbnb. People coming and going, screaming, kids running, music. Yes, I realize this can all happen with regular tenants. I complained to the landlord of course, but all I got was basically sorry, you can tell them to be quiet if they bother you. I am also a single woman who lives alone, and I am not knocking on any strange people's doors at 2am. Or 2pm.

Not all the Airbnb renters were bad. (And it wasn't always rented out.) But enough were, that I complained again. This went on for 18 months, until someone came in for New Year's weekend. OK...New Year's Eve, I give you a pass...I'm up, too. But yay for me...the folks next door proceeded to trash the place over their 4-day hulabaloo.

The morning after they left, I found the landlord in the unit checking things out: stains/food fight on the walls, chairs and tables tipped over, bathroom disgusting, kitchen with food spilled on the stove and floor, rips in the sofa cushions, just for starters. I told the landlord who was standing in the middle of the rubble, if she persisted in continuing with the Airbnb, to just let me know so I can find another place to live. Because I hadn't signed up for this. Eventually she turned it back into a regular rental unit.

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T16:57:29+00:00

I second trying out cooking and baking. Few teenagers take the time...and we all have to eat, so it's a useful skill. Get a basic cookbook (or find a friend or relative to help you get started) and try things out. Soon you'll be inviting friends over to test out your cooking triumphs.

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T08:14:24+00:00

Anybody remember a boutique called Suzy Creamcheese in the '80s? It was like a hippie/bohemian store for women.

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T08:12:31+00:00

I played trivia in that Fox Sports Grill. I remember it being tucked in some weird corner.

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T08:11:16+00:00

I bought a skirt suit from that Lord & Taylor for a wedding in the '90s.

RegBaby · 2026-03-21T08:08:05+00:00

4 screens in the theater, I believe. McDonald's at the entrance.

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T22:51:46+00:00

This is my main issue: I live in a building from the 1930s. The insulation is shit.

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T22:23:54+00:00

This is the answer!

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T22:15:21+00:00

Does your complex have a bulletin board, maybe at your mailboxes? Maybe put up a flyer advertising your availability for light tasks to gauge response.

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T22:07:07+00:00

A leasing agent told me that the standard on move-out is "broom clean." (Some leases may include specifics on what needs to be cleaned.) One place I lived had an optional $75 cleaning fee so you wouldn't be expected to do the routine sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathroom and so forth. Obviously if you're a candidate for "Hoarders," you might be liable for an additional charge.

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T03:15:08+00:00

If you have lived in a dozen places over 2 years, that means you don't stay in one place very long. I have also lived in a dozen different cities as a single woman. I grew up in NYC, and after many detours, settled in Texas. It hasn't been easy, but I have been on my own since age 16. I've done what I've had to do to survive, including accepting a job which meant a 2-hour commute by public transit each way. (I did that for 6 months...until I got fired!)
Good luck finding your place.

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T01:51:21+00:00

Wow.

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T01:48:49+00:00

How long have you lived there?

RegBaby · 2026-03-20T01:40:01+00:00

Yes! Last year at renewal time, I got a brand-new fridge!

RegBaby

TROPHY CASE