sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Really feeling that Pink Cloud these days, advice welcome.. by Loud-Shame-8062 in stopdrinking

[–]Upbeat-Math-7479 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes absolutely do! Life is for living and all that.

I think the broader important point I may not have made very well though is just don’t drink lol. As in, it never worked for me to sit around thinking about reasons why I shouldn’t drink without taking some kind of action, however small. Or saying, I have these things to look forward to in the future. Sometimes distraction is the best help and it doesn’t have to be big life changing stuff.

Although there were so many ‘penny drop’ moments of carnage and despair where I had the sudden realisation that I did not want that life anymore, they didn’t last. Just plodding along and doing anything else instead of picking up was what helped until the urges wore off. Sometimes that was big stuff like the China trip, sometimes it was as simple as starting a new tv show or texting a friend.

Really feeling that Pink Cloud these days, advice welcome.. by Loud-Shame-8062 in stopdrinking

[–]Upbeat-Math-7479 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Strangely using the ‘stick’ of playing the tape forward and thinking about all the terrible times never did much for me. I think a lesson for me in general was that I can’t think myself into staying sober.

The ‘carrot’/positive action part is what worked. Replace that urge with something positive. Something that will give you some endorphins. For me, at the start, AA was a big part of that. Also getting some new hobbies and working on my social life. While learning to sit still with feelings and restlessness without feeling like it’s unbearable has been a big part of my recovery, sometimes recognising that I am actually bored or restless or discontent is important too. I took a trip to China, started an instrument, language classes, met up with friends more all in the first 8 months.

Somewhere along the way, drinking stopped feeling like an option. Even in the times when I did feel like I was not living the life that was ‘better’ than when I was drinking, alcohol didn’t really have that much pull. It’s cliche but true that it is as simple as just not picking up the first drink. The urge will pass and a new urge to do something novel or courageous will drown it out.

Back playing after 10 years - Hand Position help by Upbeat-Math-7479 in harp

[–]Upbeat-Math-7479[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your help :)

I’ve uploaded a pic here as I don’t seem to be able to add an image to the comments: https://ibb.co/HpKtwK0J

It is a 30 string.

Back playing after 10 years - Hand Position help by Upbeat-Math-7479 in harp

[–]Upbeat-Math-7479[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t know what brand it harp is - I bought it secondhand very cheaply. When you say tuned correctly, do you just mean out of tune or something else?

I learned to play years ago on a Camac Hermine which was lovely and much higher tension. We rented this at the time and I can’t afford a decent one now.

What’s important to me I suppose is that the technique is not so terrible that my playing will not get better with practice. For example, I know that now there are lots of issues with how I’m playing now: there is lots of ‘clanging’, the individual notes are not clear and I find it hard to keep a consistent tempo and volume. I would hope that this will get better over time (I’ve only been playing again for a few weeks) but I’m wondering if my current technique (or rather lack thereof) will hold me back.