Hi again everyone

I just checked when I lasted posted my units - I haven't posted 4 weeks worth as away for 2 1/2 and must have forgotten the week before Xmas. I haven't kept a tally while away so am going to average it out at 25 units a week and 3AF. More of the same really as far as units, with fewer AF days more recently as the holiday draws to an end. The boys and I caught a bus home (4 hours) on Wed so our youngest could do a soccer course. We are meeting hubby in Whangarei (a 2 1/2 hour bus ride) on Sun evening. We'll sail home and be back next Thurs or Fri. Our 13-year-old starts high school on the 24th and our 10-year-old is back to school 1st Feb. The time has whizzed by. I've caught up on some work yesterday & today and probably tried to do too much as usual. If only I could keep that laid back holiday feeling all year round!

Drinking has been more of the same - some nights too much, some only 1 or 2 and some AF. At least on the boat we often have nana naps during the day and usually sleep soundly at night too, so it's easier to recover from overdoing it.

As I was driving to my AA meeting today I was thinking how going to AA is a bit tricky now, but when I got there it was lovely to see some friends and as usual I related to everyone's sharing.

Will have to set myself some goals re drinking starting the week after next. A bit like being on a diet - it's always starting tomorrow! But reality really kicks in at the end of next week so until then I'm cutting myself some slack. I hope that doesn't mean I wake up with a hangover tomorrow, but it wouldn't be the first time!

Take care 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
Wek 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
Week 37: 30, 3AF Week 38: 16, 5AF
Week 39: 32, 2AF Week 40: 23, 3AF
Week 41: 27, 3AF Week 42: 24, 4AF
Week 43: 37, 2AF Week 44: 29, 3AF
Week 45: 24, 3AF Week 46: 25, 3AF
Week 47: 29, 3AF Week 48: 25, 3AF
Week 49: 26, 2AF Week 50: 26, 1AF
Week 51: 20, 3AF Week 52: 25.5, 3AF
Week 53: 23.5, 4AF Weeks 54 - 57: 25, 3AF

Good to hear from you, Sticky. As I look out at the cold winter rain I'm enjoying the thought of you in that sailboat!

Happy New Year Sticky! This will be YOUR year!

All the best on reaching your goals

K

Hi Sticky,

Sounds like you had a fabulous vacation. That's awesome. It's cold and windy here in Connecticut, USA. I'm dreaming of summer now.... And go easy on yourself with the drinking. Just like a diet, once you make up your mind to start you'll just do it!

Best,

Hi Sticky!!! Great catching up on your thread. Welcome back to the forum and Happy New Year!

I so admire you for your incredible stamina and perseverence regarding TSM!! You have past the one year mark and yet, tenaciously, you carry on! I am proud of you!

I actually turned a major corner and the production job turned out to be exactly the kick in the ass I needed to turn on a high voltage power switch illuminating my willpower within. I have had ONE BEER in the past 8 days!!! And tonight I will be AF again. The shift has been swift and complete. I still don't know quite what to make of it to tell you the truth.....

I know that I know that your time will come. How can it not? Thinking of you with the highest of hope and admiration.

Best,

Ketchikan1

Hi Sticky1 Glad to hear you've been having a relaxing vacation 0 I'm sure it will help with getting back to the grind! I think Ketch's post is a great reminder that things on TSM can be slow and plodding for a long time, and then suddenly shift. I hope that happens for you soon in 2012!

Hi everyone

Thanks for your posts. I've just spent a couple of hours catching up on some of the posting I've missed while being away. Yes, it's back to reality tomorrow with our businesses officially starting up again. Hubby had a few calls to deal with the past 2 weeks on his mobile, but that's what you get for taking nearly 4 weeks off!

I was back in the office for a couple of days last week, but had another 5 good days out on the water with better weather than we had earlier on. Actually it was 4 1/2 good days and 1/2 a yuck day with both boys throwing up, wondering if we had enough fuel and if we could get into a safe harbour before dark. I've always struggled with the Higher Power thing in AA as I am not religious, but there are certainly many things out there more powerful than us. When we are out on the water and the conditions are not what we expected from the met service forecast I am always reminded of the power of the forces of nature!

As for my drinking, now is the time to be exerting some willpower. I'm especially inspired by Ketch's recent turnaround. While I don't plan to be putting in 10-13 hour working days, juggling working in our 2 businesses and being a mum is demanding and doesn't mix well with hangovers as we know! Our eldest starts high school (age 13 - our schooling system has different names from the American one) on Tuesday, so that is quite exciting. Got the last of the uniform etc. yesterday, with the poor Visa taking a bit of a hammering!

Again I digress. Got horribly drunk on Thurs night. Suggested we go over to the Kawau Island Yacht Club ostensibly to play Scrabble but really so I could drink some more! I'd already had enough and should have just had an early night. Played Scrabble with the boys and ended up chatting to a woman and her only son. The son was happy to meet some other boys so hubby took them all wallaby hunting. Meanwhile I got invited on the mum's friend's luxury gin palace. More wine later back at our boat, I fell asleep a couple of times with our youngest and my new "friend" was commenting on how much I liked my wine! Oh God!!!

Hubby & I were both feeling somewhat seedy the next day as hubby weakened and had some ciggies. Had to have a lie down after brunch and before sailing home. Fri night it was easy to not drink anything, especially since there was nothing left and we got home so late we were still eating Subway for dinner at 10pm! Yesterday arvo I was feeling quite ambivalent about drinking even tho' hubby had invited a couple of friends for dinner. Started with a couple of shandies but kept needing to pee so switched to the bubbly a friend had brought. Bubbly is often my downfall but I was quite tired so managed to limit it to only 3 and go to bed at a reasonable hour, leaving the guys to it. Had rather a restless night with noisy neighbours and hubby trying to get me to get in the spa pool at 2am(!) but was awake early and on here.

I amended the week before last's units and added this week's. They are really a best guess as I haven't been keeping a record. Will probably get back into that this week.

Better go and make brekky for everyone...

Talk soon
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
Wek 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
Week 37: 30, 3AF Week 38: 16, 5AF
Week 39: 32, 2AF Week 40: 23, 3AF
Week 41: 27, 3AF Week 42: 24, 4AF
Week 43: 37, 2AF Week 44: 29, 3AF
Week 45: 24, 3AF Week 46: 25, 3AF
Week 47: 29, 3AF Week 48: 25, 3AF
Week 49: 26, 2AF Week 50: 26, 1AF
Week 51: 20, 3AF Week 52: 25.5, 3AF
Week 53: 23.5, 4AF Weeks 54 - 56: 25, 3AF
Week 57: 30, 2AF, Week 58: 35, 1AF

Hi again

Well I've FINALLY exerted a decent amount of willpower. This combined with a conscious decision to make a concerted effort to get my drinking down to healthy levels has allowed me to have 5 days AF this week. This is the most since starting TSM over 13 months ago!!

While I'd already decided to vamp up the willpower after my hols, Ketch's recent success also spurred me on, so thanks Ketch!! Hope things are still going well for you.

This week actually wasn't that hard. The past 2 days I have thought about having a drink, especially since hubby was drinking last night. Luckily he has decided to cut down too. He was drinking most days while we were away & towards the end of our holiday so was I. He isn't an alcoholic but he does overdo it sometimes. I haven't been sleeping well, waking far too early. While that is annoying, the fact that I've been tired and back at work has been a disincentive to drinking. Of course if I only had 1 or 2 drinks in an evening it wouldn't make me any more tired. But I can't guarantee I'll stop at 1 or 2 & I just haven't wanted to be hungover as well as tired and trying to cope with everything.

Will try and have ANOTHER AF day tonight as we are going out to dinner with friends tomorrow night & I will want to drink then. If I don't drink tonight that will 5AF in a row.

Take care everyone
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
Wek 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
Week 37: 30, 3AF Week 38: 16, 5AF
Week 39: 32, 2AF Week 40: 23, 3AF
Week 41: 27, 3AF Week 42: 24, 4AF
Week 43: 37, 2AF Week 44: 29, 3AF
Week 45: 24, 3AF Week 46: 25, 3AF
Week 47: 29, 3AF Week 48: 25, 3AF
Week 49: 26, 2AF Week 50: 26, 1AF
Week 51: 20, 3AF Week 52: 25.5, 3AF
Week 53: 23.5, 4AF Weeks 54 - 56: 25, 3AF
Week 57: 30, 2AF, Week 58: 35, 1AF
Week 59: 16, 5AF

5 days AF, wow! Good job Sticky!!! Yes, I think a lot of us have gotten some mileage out of Ketch's good report - I too found it very inspirational, to the point of actually doing some things differently (as opposed to thinking about doing things differently

Well, I did actually laugh out loud when I read your post saying, no, you were not making hanky panky; rather you were making hubby his lunch! I must get my mind out of the gutter!

Chrissie

Congrats Sticky! Five AF days is nothing to sneeze at