Sounds like soon the bag lady will be a distant, distant memory!
Glad to hear things are swimming along ... sometimes the length of time required on TSM gets frustrating though, doesn't it???
I'm certain you're getting there.
All best,
EL

Thanks EL & hi everyone

Yep, good riddance to the bag lady!! Last night was a mini breakthrough - one not even full glass of wine & no more!! When did I last manage that? As a teenager maybe? I did go out to hubby's car to get more, but changed my mind. No cravings for the rest of the evening. Nothing short of miraculous. Tonight is a different story of course - Fri night and onto glass 3 or 4. But I am optimistic and happy. My AA sponsor said today that I seem more content now that I am further down the track with TSM and it feels like it is working. She is right. Also I think I will continue with my women's AA meeting because many of them are friends and because I still relate to what everyone says. I do come away feeling good because the sharing is great. And I can talk to my wonderful sponsor/friend about TSM afterwards and have her support. She still keeps me on track and gives me helpful suggestions.

We are so lucky - there are so many illnesses out there with no cure/respite. Yes, we have been to hell and back, but we are back and now there is medication which allows us to continue to drink and learn to drink "normally." As time goes on there will be more drugs available. My sponsor said today that perhaps one day there will even be gene therapy.

Nal on everyone and have a great weekend.

Cheers
Sticky

Hi Sticky, good to hear your optimism. Your below 20 unit weeks are impressive- safe drinking levels. Chat to you more when I get back to Aust. Warren

Congrats on the breakthrough! In some ways, I feel like TSM is like cognitive behaviour therapy...you'll hear yourself bemoaning bad habits forever and then ALL OF A SUDDEN it will click and you will be able to modify your behaviour. It's so refreshing when that happens.
All best,
EL

It's happening Sticky!

Hi guys

Thanks for your support!

After my night of only 1 drink it went downhill. Quite a social few days. Drinks with hubby Fri and people for dinner on Sat & Sun. Mon I caught up with the girls we went to Thailand with (2 having surgery and our guide). It was our first reunion - 2 live out of town. Copious amounts of wine in a tapas bar then more wine and shots at an Irish pub. Those shots were the end of me. Threw up in the cab on the way home and our guide, who came to our house for the night, had to pay $150 for the cab cleaning. Aargh!! At least she is very understanding and has been there herself! And hubby doesn't know about that part. Apparently I fell asleep in the wardrobe. Had to go back to bed for a couple of hours after everyone had left in the morning. Not good!! Don't really know how much I drank that night, so it is a guess.

2 nights Af since then and hopefully back on track. Where is that off switch though? I am more than 8 months down the track with TSM.

Hope you are all doing well.

Cheers
Sticky

Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF
Week 9: 12, AF, 10, 2,AF, 10, AF total 32, 3AF Week 10: 9, AF, 10, AF,1.5, 6.5, AF total 27, 3AF
Week 11: 12, AF, 14, 3.5, 1, AF, 7.5 total 38, 2AF Week 12: AF, 8 AF, 9, 2, AF, AF total 19, 4AF
Week 13: 8.5, AF, 9, AF, 12, AF, 14 total 43.5, 3AF Week 14: 7.5, AF, 8, AF, AF, 9, 9 total 33.5, 3AF
Week 15: AF, 9, AF, 9, AF, 9, 10 total 37, 3AF Week 16: total 34, 2AF
Week 17: total 32, 3AF Week 18: total 34, 4AF
Week 19: total 33, 3AF Week 20: 32, 3AF
Week 21: total 38, 3AF Week 22: 29.5, 4AF
Week 23: 34.5, 3AF Week 24: 36, 4AF
Week 25: 30.5, 3AF Week 26: 29, 3AF
Week 27: 22, 4AF Week 28: 33, 2AF
Week 29: 24, 4AF Week 30: 23, 4AF
Week 31: 19, 5AF Week 32: 29, 4AF
Week 33: 29.5, 3AF Week 34: 20, 3AF
Week 35: 35, 2AF

I'm sorry to hear you had a rough week Sticky. If I can offer a word of advice? I think that the off switch disappears when you drink so quickly that you are not metabolizing the alcohol - ie, shots. I've found that in general, the higher the alcohol content, the more difficult it is to find the off switch. If you are already drunk and doing shots all bets are off. I gave up shots a couple years ago by rationalizing to myself that if I was going to count drinks, I might as well make them last and enjoy them - that shot is very quickly another number on the tally!
It sounds like you are back on track now though - good luck.

Hi guys

I had a much better week this week. 2 nights with only 2 or 3 drinks. Thurs night I stayed up late and had 8 drinks. Hubby was briefly pissed off with me after that and Mon last week out with the girls. On Sat he said he was pleased I didn't go overboard. EL - you are so right about shots. I will be giving them a miss in future. Am craving wine this evening so will do my best not to overdo it. I have lots of days with no cravings too, so am still positive about the whole process.

I've been filling out the forms for my older son to go to high school in February. A friend joked that I needed a sample of his DNA and the form needed to be signed in blood! It is a sought after public school and people pretend to live in the zone when they don't, so they need lots of proof. My baby is nearly a teenager. AARGH!!

Nal on everyone.
Cheers
Sticky









Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF
Week 9: 12, AF, 10, 2,AF, 10, AF total 32, 3AF Week 10: 9, AF, 10, AF,1.5, 6.5, AF total 27, 3AF
Week 11: 12, AF, 14, 3.5, 1, AF, 7.5 total 38, 2AF Week 12: AF, 8 AF, 9, 2, AF, AF total 19, 4AF
Week 13: 8.5, AF, 9, AF, 12, AF, 14 total 43.5, 3AF Week 14: 7.5, AF, 8, AF, AF, 9, 9 total 33.5, 3AF
Week 15: AF, 9, AF, 9, AF, 9, 10 total 37, 3AF Week 16: total 34, 2AF
Week 17: total 32, 3AF Week 18: total 34, 4AF
Week 19: total 33, 3AF Week 20: 32, 3AF
Week 21: total 38, 3AF Week 22: 29.5, 4AF
Week 23: 34.5, 3AF Week 24: 36, 4AF
Week 25: 30.5, 3AF Week 26: 29, 3AF
Week 27: 22, 4AF Week 28: 33, 2AF
Week 29: 24, 4AF Week 30: 23, 4AF
Week 31: 19, 5AF Week 32: 29, 4AF
Week 33: 29.5, 3AF Week 34: 20, 3AF
Week 35: 35, 2AF Week 36: 20.5, 3AF

Hi Sticky, seems like you have had a topsy turvy few weeks. I agree with EL regarding shots, I think they are always going to undue us because they are designed to give a high amount of alcohol quickly and before you have a chance to think about it, you're plastered. Best to avoid IMO. Good to see your recovery the week after. I think, given the stage you're at, you should aim for around 20 units or below a week. You may need to exert a bit more effort (easier said than done I know). Hope you have a great week.

Hi guys

A not so good week with about 30 units. One night I didn't wait the full hour before drinking. Have decided to be strict about waiting one hour if not 2 this week and to aim for under 20 units.

Have had a full on weekend with kids' sports. My youngest's soccer team won a tournament today so they were rapt! It was warm enough to be in a t-shirt when it was sunny. Given it's the tail end of winter here, it was lovely. Spring is in the air and the daffodils are flowering. Yay!

Nal on everyone. I will try to post more often this week.

Cheers
Sticky