msnewleaf

Woo hoo! One week! Only 51 more for a year! Just kidding. 🤪 One day at a time and all that. I am looking forward to the weekend. I am also very seriously considering taking this opportunity of choosing a new school to get my family out of this big, busy rat race of a city we live in and move to my mom’s small mountain town for middle school. Where my kid could learn to ski at local’s prices and ride her bike to school. Go camping without having to make a reservation six months in advance! Be closer to nature. Where my mom might not be miserable in her assisted living place. Sounds nice, huh? Best wishes for you (and me!) today.

xoxo

It is Day 6, and its been a long day of middle school hunting. Two parent orientations and a LONG middle school open house in the evening. And an application and financial aid request due tomorrow. And none seem quite right for my kid. I am craving a drink like nobody’s business, but I don’t do that any more. Looking forward to the morning.

xoxo

Made it to Day 5. Yesterday was a difficult day, full of stress and anxiety. I found out that our daughter’s current school wants her to go to a different school for middle school which means a lot of stress to find a new school. It is a long story, but the whole situation is triggering a lot of strong emotions and anxiety for me. But, honestly, I didn’t even consider drinking. I’m grateful that I have a clear head to deal with it. And this morning, it actually feels like an opportunity.

xoxo

It’s raining here today, and I’m itchy and uncomfortable. My partner has been grouchy, and my daughter was whining about brushing her hair before leaving to (be late to) school. I have to rush to get some important things done now that I put off longer than i should have. Grrrr! Yes, my mood is diametrically opposed to how it was yesterday. Still, I’m grateful that every time I think that I’ll be able to drink in the future, I am able to say, “No, I’m done with drinking now. Same way I’m done with cigarettes now.” Thank you, self.

xoxo

Made it to Day Three, and I’m really grateful to be here. I am SO grateful that I had a good night’s sleep. That I went for a lovely walk in the woods and did a little yoga yesterday. That I’m going to have a productive day today. And for coffee!!

xoxo

Leafy

I still don’t have a lot to say about it, except that, yay, made it to Day Two. This is the easy part for me. Today, I’m looking for more tools to keep me out of the danger zone when things start to seem too easy.

I have a problem with alcohol. I can’t deny it anymore. Drinking isn’t working for me, and I’m done.

Quick post again to say that I’m still not drinking, and I’m not going to drink today. Last night, I was incredibly anxious again, but I managed to get through it. I’m waiting now to see if some of this anxiety is actually withdrawal. Hanging in there. Love and support to all of you! xoxo

Well, I’ve made it to Day 3 (again), and I’m really glad. It is a weight off my mind that I am no longer drinking. Damn. As soon as I said that, I started thinking about how great a glass (you know, a bottle-sized glass) of wine sounds. But no matter, I’m not going to drink today.

It isn’t easy, though. Last night, I was very anxious, and my partner suggested some wine. He started to balk when I said I didn’t want to drink but stopped when I told him that I definitely would not just drink a glass of wine. I would drink the whole bottle. It’s ridiculous trying to pretend it is any different. He knows this from his own experience with addiction, but still, he tries to pretend. Anyway – I’m not going to pretend. If I’m going to drink, then I’m going to drink the whole bottle. Period. And I would have to be OK with that. And today I’m not.

But, no, it isn’t easy. As you may know if you’ve read my blog before, the biggest motivator for me to stop drinking is generally health. No doctor has said that I can’t drink, but it seems prudent. My disease can affect my liver, my cardiovascular health is particularly at risk as well, and I also don’t know if a history of regular binge drinking could affect my ability to get a treatment in the future. The sad thing is that doing the right thing to try to make a bad health situation a little better (but not fixed) isn’t super motivating for me. Unfortunately, I’ve never been one to do healthy things without keeping a vision in my head of an ideal outcome: a perfectly healthy me. That isn’t going to happen, and now I really have to accept that. I’m going have to resist the temptation to say, “Fuck it! I’m dying anyway. Might as well drink!”

Yes, my motivation is going to have to come from a place of wanting to stay in the present moment (since that’s all any of us have, of course) and really experience life to the fullest. And to embrace the idea of doing whatever I can – even if it doesn’t end up working! – to stay alive and healthy as long as I can.

I hope I’m not depressing anyone too much. My goal is actually to get to a point where I don’t think about the disease too much, and I just think about living. I’m fortunate to live in a city that is home to one of the best research hospitals in the country, and I have a second opinion scheduled with a doctor there for next week. Then, I see my actual doctor the following week. Hopefully, things in my brain will settle down then. And I’m going to do my darnedest to stay sober and see how it goes.

Much love and support to all of you!

xoxo

Leafy

Short post -I’m not going to drink today. It really helps to post here. I’m going to keep going. xoxo