Thanks everyone for all your support

I'm still doing something I've done my whole life - apologising for things I don't need to apopolgise for and feeling guilty when I don't need to. At least I get more honest sometimes when I've been drinking. I knew it was a problem when I wasn't even being honest on this board about my drinking. What's the point of being on here if I can't be honest?!

Anyway, yesterday was interesting. Decided to have a drink at our staff Xmas lunch, of course. Had 1 G & T. Told our longest serving staff member's wife and he that I was taking medication so I could drink while we walked down to the restaurant. Was happy to only have one. But was somewhat obsessed with the thought of alcohol for the rest of the afternoon. Went for a walk and did the last of the Xmas shopping. Had some rose wine in the evening. Too much, but less than a bottle. I didn't even really enjoy the taste and it wasn't giving me much of a buzz, but I still kept drinking. Slow learner or what?! I guess that's mostly positive.

Awake AGAIN at 4.30 am - am so over that after 10 days and am so glad the Xmas rush is just about all over....

I hope the rest of you are winding down for a break too, albeit shorter than ours as it's (for most of you) not your summer holidays.

Cheers
Sticky

Sticky I think I need to move to NZ You guys seem to have a lot of holidays - and I mean that with total glee, not judgement. There was public shaming at my office yesterday for anyone who was taking more than TWO DAYS OFF for the holidays. Seriously. America is whack.

Ditto Lou's comments on both points!!

Oh Sticky, that's so sad with your cat. It hurts so much more when they're relatively young. I love my guys as if they were my children, and it's heartbreaking when we have to let them go.

Your lost of disadvantages of TSM was spot on, I think, and a useful insight for me. Ironically, I've been more inclined to not declare booze consumption when on TSM than either uncontrolled alcoholism or AA; under either of those regimes the presence or absence of a drink is neither significant nor noticeable, whereas with TSM it's all about unit counting and measuring which gives a motive to obscure units.

Thanks for your posts

Thanks guys for your posts

I meant to come on board and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, but I hope it was happy for you all. Those in the UK might be having Xmas dinner right now as it's early morning here Boxing Day.

EL - I really agree about holidays. NZ made it compulsory to pay staff for 4 weeks annual leave a couple of years ago. Not everyone takes all 4, but most do. When I was a flight attendant I had 6 weeks annual leave and lots of time off between trips. For hubby to be taking 4 weeks plus our 2 weeks in Thailand in June, it is nothing short of a miracle. Back when I first met him (18 years ago) he was a workaholic. My working for an airline and dragging him off around the world on holidays hopefully helped change his perspective. So did getting older, having a heart attack at 49, and having less energy!

Xmas dinner at the in-laws was fun tho' I was somewhat pissed at the end of the evening. We drove but caught a cab home and picked up the car yesterday. Luckily I had wrapped the stocking stuffers already as hubby had trouble figuring out where I'd put them because I was burbling on drunkenly and ready to crash out. Hopefully the in-laws were far less interested in me being drunk than in the couple of family arguments that happened over the course of the evening. Hubby and my sister-in-law don't get along as well as they used to. It started when sis-in-law basically ignored me for 18 mths b/c of my drinking. I made up with her thank God as she can be nasty! My mother-in-law has been very supportive for the most part.

We went to friends for Xmas brunch yesterday. Had huevos rancheros (sp??) - tasty. And 2 Bucks Fizz. Didn't drink the rest of the day. Started loading up the boat, packing clothes and food. The boys played on their new Playstation 3.
We are heading off to Kawau Island today which is a 6-hour journey in our little and slow yacht. The boys love Mansion House Bay which has a beautiful old homestead with wallabies, peacocks and native birds running around. There's practically no wind so we'll probably be motor sailing.

I'm bring the boys back on the bus on the 11th for youngest to be talent scouted by an English football club. If he were lucky enough to be selected we would be saving for a very different trip next year and I could catch up with my rellies before they pop off!

Take care everyone. Nal on and enjoy the festivities without going overboard. Will probably not post again until the 12/13th as all too hard on hubby's i-phone and my eyesight is not what it was...

Cheers
Sticky

Sounds lovely Sticky! Glad to hear things were merry and bright. Enjoy your holidays

Hi Sticky,

Merry Christmas to you and your family. I hope you have a wonderful time with your lovely family. lets converse more when you return from your holiday.

We just got back from our festivities and although my units are way up, i never lost control. So I guess thats a good thing.

Take good care,

Hi Sticky, Happy New Year to you (and a belated Merry Christmas)! I hope you have an ace 2012. Looks like you have had lots to contend with as well as the usual rush around before Christmas. I hope everything settles down for you and you can relax and enjoy your time off. Good on you for being so open and honest in your posts. I agree there are some negatives about TSM and they need to be put out there as well. In your case i guess you should try to weigh up whether the positives outweigh the negatives. I certainly found they did for me. Anyway, once again, I hope you have a great 2012 and you reach regained control.

Hi everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

May 2012 be an awesome year for us all with "regained controls" all round.

Thanks EL, Nalway and Warren for your posts. Warren - thanks so much for continuing to pop in and check up on us. You are right about the positives and negatives and at this stage the positives are still outweighing the negatives. I would have given up long ago otherwise. I'm not a patient person like many of us, but this has been well worth hanging in there for.

I've really missed checking in on the board while I've been away and wondered how you were all going over the Xmas/New Year period. We had a fun relaxing break despite some foul un-summery weather. Was glad I wasn't in a tent - many had to pack up & go home. After day 2 and a very rough, scary sail into a harbour I was ready to pack up & go home, but I got over it!! We holed up in a town marina for 3 days. Did shopping, art galleries, movies and wave pools. Stopped off in 3 beautiful harbours on the way north and had 5 days in the Bay of Islands which is magic on a boat. When the rain struck again and I was starting to get cabin fever we ended up getting invited to a staff party at a restaurant/bar (concert cancelled) with DJ and I danced til 1am! Then they gave us the best cabin for the night where an author wrote some of his cowboy books back in the 1930's! Boys watched movies with other kids til 2am so a good time was had by all.

Have to dash now so will update more later in case I lose what I've written so far...

Cheers
Sticky

Sticky, welcome back to "real life"! Your vacation sounds divine, like a travel brochure. Summer is my favorite time and its a comfort to remember that it is still going on in half the world, though SOME of us are shoveling snow...

I guess if you've caught up on the posts, you've seen that we're ALL going to get on the Cured list this year, right? All signs are pointing that way, most definitely.

Chrissie