[OT] Help to stay away from alcohol needed

[sweetjesus]

Conny!!!! God morning! (or good afternoon, abent, what-have-you)'

How did you do last night? Did you meet your friend at the pub? How did it make you feel?

Hope all is well.

leave the poor guy alone, he's nursing a hangover.

[conny]

How did you do last night? Did you meet your friend at the pub? How did it make you feel?

A bit nervous when walking to the door but OK when inside with my cranberry juice. The guy I met is not a heavy drinker, so it was not that hard.
Now the problem is I'm getting bored. You know: Done that, done that - what's next?
The positive feedback you get from staying away for a week, the achievement, weakens when it all becomes more of a normal state.
Well, it's not that normal yet, today I have to fight the demon that wants to drag me down. He says I have done the test, now relax, have some beer...
So it's time to go to a café again!

SJ -

// C

[DeadlyKungFu]

Now the problem is I'm getting bored. You know: Done that, done that - what's next?

S.O.B.E.R. =
S.ame
O.ld
B.oring
E.veryday
R.eality

Try spinning around in circles until you get a good buzz on. I've heard that's the TRUE gateway drug, the first inebreation we all experience as kids. We spin around, get dizzy, laugh, fall down and do it again regardless of how ill it made us to our stomachs.

[zstowasser]

My good friend (who I won't name) has made it big as DJ/Producer. He has played all over the world, including Ibiza!!!! Just a few years ago he was in REHAB. He only made it big after he was sober. He was into everything - alcohol, coke, e, speed, weed, caffeine. He would write music on those drugs and he had a few songs made, but he never made it big until he was sober - then he started making a track a day and they all got signed!!

Every day he wakes up and handles his Label and then writes music the rest of the time in his studio. Some weekends or weeks he will go on tour to play DJ gigs all over the world. He doesn't go to the afterparties and usually just shows up to DJ and then leave - to avoid the bars.. it is very boring when you're not drunk!!! (I feel the same way).

I asked my friend what drove him, and he told me he sets goals for himself. "I want to have X amount of records out this year, etc" and he sets out to do that. He knows that if he drinks or does drugs he won't be able to reach his goals.

conny - if you're feeling the need to do something, how about working on your music or DJing. If you're uninspired by yourself, maybe you have a good friend who can support you being sober? For beverages, try water, herbal tea, mineral water or juice (or a combination of all of them - juice & mineral water can be good)

[smutek]

I asked my friend what drove him, and he told me he sets goals for himself. "I want to have X amount of records out this year, etc" and he sets out to do that. He knows that if he drinks or does drugs he won't be able to reach his goals.

Exactly! One of the most amazing things for me is not that I got clean, but the simple fact that I simply don't care about it anymore.

Eventually that feeling of "my god its going to be so boring, how does one live life without it" turns into "my god, where would I ever find the time to do that shit..... how did I ever have the money for all that beer, or all those bags of weed....."

It's scary at first thinking about living your life without alcohol or drugs, but thats just because we have conditioned ourselves to think that way. Eventually you'll have so much other stuff going on that you won't even think about it. And when you do you will realize just what a non-issue it is, and what a non-essential part of life drinking and/or drugs were.

Thats the amazing part, going from "god, how can I live without it" to "god, how did I ever waste so much time, monet, ad energy on that stuff...."

And it will happen for you Conny, as long as you don't drink.

[kennerb]

I think one of the biggest drawbacks to mind or body altering drugs is a sense of jadedness or boredom with the default reality we live in. When things are fantastic, surreal, and your emotions are heightened the world just doesn't seem like it could get any more interesting. Coming back to a state where that is not the case can be depressing or, well just plain boring. My take on it is that I started paying more attention to the details and minutiae of life and the environment. Once I realized how fragile the balance of life is and started ignoring people made drama boredom just was not an option. If I find myself getting anxious with what I am doing I change it up or challenge myself with something I have not done before. That could be as simple as just looking up new words in the dictionary or figuring out how to make dim sum or sushi. There is so much out there to keep busy with as long as you can change things up. Paragliding has been my biggest reality defense.

[conny]

how about working on your music or DJing.

Trust me, you would not like to see this old dog trying to DJ
But tea and juice, yes!

smutek: yes, it's alarming when you look back and see these endless hours at pubs and bars that left nothing to remember and cost a lot.

kennerb: I know what you are saying about new things and details. Boredom may produce interesting moves - I started cleaning the area under and behind the stove some hour ago, just because I was frustrated and bored. Felt better after.

// C

[kennerb]

smutek: yes, it's alarming when you look back and see these endless hours at pubs and bars that left nothing to remember and cost a lot.

kennerb: I know what you are saying about new things and details. Boredom may produce interesting moves - I started cleaning the area under and behind the stove some hour ago, just because I was frustrated and bored. Felt better after.

// C

Yuck!!! Now that is dedication!! Way to go. I think I would probably play solitare first but that is why my stoves unders are dirty and yours are not.

Keep it up.

[forge]

well, one day for me! yesterday was completely dry and weed free - it helped empire strikes back was on telly

I agree about the boredom thing and I'm sure I'll get to that "how did I live WITH it stage"

my main hurdle though is stress, about 5pm yesterday I started getting really stressed about something and my first thought was "mmmm beer"

I was even dreaming about it last night (although I often dream about beer! )

I'm thinking the 3 week threashold might be a good leveler to see if I start feeling really good

now all we need is a few more to join and we'll have smutek's stop smoking thread!

[conny]

well, one day for me!

Congrats, warrior!
Yes, I dreamt a lot about bottles the first night off.

Today, when walking back from the café, I thought:
The Ableton first camp reunion in a year:
"OK guys, which nice tea room are we going to tonight?"

// C

[smutek]

Nice job forge! Trust me, even if it isn't in 3 weeks you will eventually begin to feel better.

BTW, I'm getting ready to join back in the "quit smoking thread", I went to the doctor and got a prescription for some medication to help me with it. I tired it once before, have to take the medication for a month before quitting, then quit, and take the medication for 2 months after quitting. The medication really helped, no anxiety or cravings at all, I actually felt so good I stopped taking the medication a couple of days after quitting. I think that was a mistake... I started again about 2 months later.

Anyway, I am going to try it again and follow through with the meds. When I fill my prescription and set a "quit date" I will post back up in that thread.

[conny]

Well, it seems Ableton soon would be able to claim some project money from WHO.

// C

[sweetjesus]

Well, it seems Ableton soon would be able to claim some project money from WHO.

// C

pete townsend is a tight arse, he wont give no money to no stinkin sequencing company.

[forge]

Nice job forge! Trust me, even if it isn't in 3 weeks you will eventually begin to feel better.

BTW, I'm getting ready to join back in the "quit smoking thread", I went to the doctor and got a prescription for some medication to help me with it. I tired it once before, have to take the medication for a month before quitting, then quit, and take the medication for 2 months after quitting. The medication really helped, no anxiety or cravings at all, I actually felt so good I stopped taking the medication a couple of days after quitting. I think that was a mistake... I started again about 2 months later.

Anyway, I am going to try it again and follow through with the meds. When I fill my prescription and set a "quit date" I will post back up in that thread.

have you read the alan carr stop smoking book?

seriously my missus surprised the hell out of me - read it, stopped, never a word about it or so much as a sideways glance at a cigarette - in fact she's now one of those self righteous reformed smokers who scoffs at other people in public places

dont know what he said but it seemed to work!

[smutek]

No, but I will look into that book.

Thanks.