Elfern's Weekly prog.

bamabeachin · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:50 am **Posts:** 57

Elfern,

What fabulous news this is! And it is so encouraging for us "oldtimers". I, too, and around the 6 month mark so this gives me and others great hope. Please keep us informed with your wonderful progress and watch out when you are going down the wine aisles - cute story.

Best wishes for continued success!

BB

Lo0p · **Joined:** Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:40 pm **Posts:** 749

Elfern wrote:

So in week 28 craving just fell to the floor (level 0 or 1) then I'd drink usually 3 glasses max . This situation has been maintained for some ten days.
The chief problem I have now is " bizarre" behaviour

As when I went to the supermarket and spent ages gathering different alcoholic drinks not to increase the quantity but to ensure a choice because I just couldn't get really enthusiastic about drinking , each bottle I imagined how it'd be and felt luke warm so kept adding more bottles , when I realized the absurdity it felt so daft that i began to put them all back and walked out empty handed . A satisfied customer

Many analogies could serve but the one that appeals to me is how an amputee
still has sensations from the lost limb although it no longer exists . Alcohol has left such a stain on my thinking , a ghostly pall in my psyche that makes me still haunt the booze aisles of supermarkets - at least for the meantime . Oh well , that's ok ,
could be alot worse !

... ..

lena · **Joined:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:07 pm **Posts:** 929

Elfern, I am soooo happy for you. What a journey it's been. Yes, I've had that same experience at the liquor store(except I left with a few things). It's like goig grocery shopping after you've just had an eight-course dinner.

I can't imagine the board without our Elfern so I hope you stick with us and report as you enter this new phase of your life. Your encouragement to others is so valuable as well.

Let us know when you're ready to make the call.

Krazy1 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:19 am

I'm thrilled for you Elfern - sounds like you're very close to that finish line!

Elfern · **Posted:** Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:34 pm

Thanks friends
Old timer Bambeachin ! I remember you as a green poster back in April 2oo9 !
I'll stick around I'd like to help . I'll certainly be glad to finish with my own tale
at last .

Elfern · **Posted:** Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:30 pm

Just for the record , I'll bump this over here ...

I don't feel too comfortable with what's happening . True it's a very pressured time for me with a play just about to go into production and alot of evenings rehearsing after work.....
So , I'm drinking more again . It's not that i want to be hard on myself , guilt bollox , but do expect more now , stricter standards . And yet...
I seem to be suffering a bit of "drink creep" here . The weekend is just beginning and I'm gettiing that friday afternoon itch . So I've dropped my NAl and do as usual .
I've no problem with that were it not that : ......
The last three days in a row I 've used up my perilously low safe drinking allocation and the weekend rolls in !
My apetite for Alc is definately stronger this week . However I've not been falling about the place drunk or lying in bed with vilolent hangovers and other delights .
I've had a good good few weeks so if this is just what happens I'll sit it through and draw no rash conclusions . have to see how it develops within
a longer span .
All I can say is it feels a bit alarming .
I can certainly see alot of pressure in my life which could explain it but it's not an explanation I like much as Generallly the more we advance with tsm the more resistant we get to being pulled to the bottle by pressures . I think it's purely biological perhaps a relapse pattern .

Elfern · **Posted:** Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:33 pm

And this ++

The Play's the thing!!! Trigger, that is. Steady as she goes. There's extinction work yet to be done.

_________________
NALTREXONE + DRINKING = CURE

happy4once said :

Are you just trying to copy me, Elfern?

I think it's likely just hidden triggers from the play, but yes, I know, it is very scary. I have full faith that you will dip back down again soon. Any new situation is likely to cause our drinking patterns to change even if we don't feel stressed or bad particularly. At least that's what I think is happening to me in part. We will get through this - hang in there!

_________________
~Happy

...........Units....Craving
Pre..........>35 ....10
W01 .......18......3
W02 .......18......5
W03 .......16......4
W04 .......17......6
W05 ….....15......4
W06 ….....30......4 (vacation)
W07 .......22......5
W08 .......29......5
W09 .......24......5
W10 .......11......3
W11 .......24......5
W12 .......30......5
W13 .......18......3
W14 .......19......3
W15 .......20......3
W16 .......15......3
W17 .......13......2
W18 .......35......4 (4 Months)
W19 .......10......3
W20.......12......3
W21........13......2
W22........6......2
W23........0......0
W24........6......2
W25........8......2
W26........15.....3
W27........29.....4
W28........35.....6
W29........20.....6
W30........32.....5

lena wrote:

"The Play's the thing!!! Trigger, that is. Steady as she goes. There's extinction work yet to be done "

and i said ..

"Aye , aye . Oh well back to the drawing board ".

happy4once wrote:

"Are you just trying to copy me, Elfern?

I think it's likely just hidden triggers from the play, but yes, I know, it is very scary. I have full faith that you will dip back down again soon. Any new situation is likely to cause our drinking patterns to change even if we don't feel stressed or bad particularly. At least that's what I think is happening to me in part. We will get through this - hang in there! "

Happy ,
I am rather copying you aren't I ? But I'm not trying to do it .
I am currently trying to get drunk it seemed like a fine thing to do , even had some nostalgia for the buzz . just felt like oh the perfect remedy for a number of frustrations .And now I've drunk more than usual I just don't feel particularly relieved and certainly not buzzed . if I repeat this enough I'll hopefully give up on it one day . That at any rate is what extinction theorey says . Let's just hope it happens for us before we become extinct ourselves

_________________
Pre tsm 60/100

AV/WK
Mth 1 : 23
Mth 2 : 38
Mth 3 : 40
Mth 4 : 33
Mth 5 : 40
Mth 6 :40
w 27 12 & 6 AF
w 28 24
w 29 18
w 30 20
w 31 21
UK Units

Once a NALcoholic always a NALcoholic

Elfern · **Posted:** Wed Nov 11, 2009 12:31 am

Back here again after a month .I 've heard it said that one might post less as alcohol begins to play a lesser role . Thought that's not why I haven't been around much . I've just been swept of my feet with work and a play running in the evenings. If anything alcohol began to figure more than I'd like it to (last week in particular ).
life has been very rocky and turbulent and I think it'll continue to be so . The play is over but now of a sudden we're to move and all is boxes and chaos for now . My daughter will also be leaving hospital after two years . Work and finance have thrown wobblies too .All in all I began to see drink as a little friend which might de_ stress me and help me unwind . In the short term I'll accept this (to an extent ) but will want to snap out of it right after the move .
Mention of " effort " was around in several threads and there's no doubt about it that this does seem necsssary to prevent drink creep . When the going is good it doesn't take me much effort to drink moderately but I'm seeing that life's more trying and chaootic times are calling for that measure of effort .
.
Looking foreward to a return to a more participative mode before long .

til then here's wishing everyone solid progress and good cheer .

minneapolisnick · **Joined:** Tue May 19, 2009 2:17 pm **Posts:** 1793

Hang in there Elfern. I hope the stress in your life gets back to lower levels soon.

My best,

Nick

Elfern · **Posted:** Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:44 pm

Thankyou Nick . The same for you although it looks other than a stress thing for yourself .

Elfern's Weekly prog.

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