Sober treats and swimming in shark infested custard

I do remember writing about shark infested custard before. Sometimes I think that's what early sober feels like. I'm really selling it to you, yes? I feel bludgeoned by society to drink, its like dodging through the shallows looking for where the next attack might be. Media, music, activities, events, birthdays, christenings, holidays, visitors, catching up, home warming presents. Even going in for a pint of milk offers several hundred bottles of booze dangling there in front of you at 10 am.

Its truly mind boggling how you learn to avoid things, dodge and duck, sometimes I've discovered its easier to hide home and go online shopping, selecting carefully and saying thank you to the man that pops by and delivers it all. A solid alcohol free experience. I heartily recommend it when you first dip into sober land. Much easier not to buy booze if you're not faced with it at times that are around the witching hour. For me, I just don't go near a shop or a supermarket in the evening, its not worth the risk for me this early into sober. So shopping in my pyjama's it is then. Safer by far.

And, as for the 50th birthday week away I've just been invited to that has me all panicking and its in October, I can only hyperventilate when I think about that. We've decided only to go for a weekend, I'm going with the careful hand hold of my husband, now declared teetotaler and at beyond 6 ft and hairy, no one messes when he says he'll have an apple juice please.  I shall hide behind his girth and guard my own loins. We shall arrive late, leave early and whilst be there for my bestbest friend, gird our loins with everything we can think of.

So we're slowly sneaking through sober, quieter than before, I'm spending a lot of time in bed and a lot of time alone, recharging in between the summer visitors, who've mainly respected the sober household. Somehow influenced by my new found love of grocery shopping online, I did take the initiative and finally go and order some books I've been looking for. They didn't have them in my local book shop. Sober treats you say, easier online if you make the effort. A bit of mainlining Dr Brown for me for a while I think. Well, I've never been very good at doing anything by halves. I've always wanted to read these so now I can.

I find it hard to get on my computer every day, so whilst I manage social media for work from my phone, I thought maybe that was a way to try and reach out when I can't blog. More sober tools and if its easier for me, then its a no brainer. So I started a sober face book page. If it doesn't work I can always delete it.

Now for some catching up on my reading. Slowly slowly.

Sober Sundays

I've always found it remarkable when managing to be sober how utterly fabulous Sundays are. I don't know especially why they are any different to any other sober day. But, even with the history of daily drinking, sober Sundays seem the best day to me. They have their own vibe.

Maybe its that its another week cracked, or just surviving the ritual of drinking on Saturdays which seem to be more acceptable (than drinking everyday, I mean everyone drinks at the weekend don't they its just NORMAL). So when a lot of the world has a hangover, perhaps their only one of the week, if they only drink on a Saturday, then maybe that's it. Feeling different in a good way.

I'm haivering, that's normal for me. Thank you all for the good wishes and the thoughts for my cousin. And, the virtual sweet peas. Its meant a lot. I've been in a wrapped up fog for the last few weeks, or that's how it feels. I've not fought it either, I've done little. But I'm sober and that's all that really matters to me at the moment.

I read another great blog from Prim today full of thought provoking [ LINK HERE ]- and the last bit of it resonated so much with me too.


Wherever we are on our journey.......very very brilliant advice from the lady herself.


don’t drink. reach out. be very, very kind to yourself.

Day 24 - Choosing life

I'm here and I'm living and I'm trying.

I'm so grateful to be here today. For not losing myself into the oblivion it would be so easy to seek. Sometimes they say, it can take a cataclysmic event to stop drinking even for a day or so. I've had lately, so many shares of my day 1's after days of attempting day 1's for sometimes what seems an eternity. Sometimes its something horrific we do or say that shocks us into the shame that sometimes it takes to stand back and actually stop. Whilst I've had my fair share of these, its amazing what wears off after a day or two and 'just the one' seems to be the most logical thing in the world. Well, it is for me.

We have had a rather tumultuous few weeks, month or so, even. Rather than sink into a bottle yesterday I asked my husband for support, asked for his company, made myself unable, even if I wanted to, buy any alcohol. Whilst my resolve is strong, my go to in any crisis is alcohol, I don't trust myself with any kind of drugs, but ironically, they are easier to avoid. We talked for a long time into the night about my anxiety, how it seems to totally grip and strangle me and often leads to me drinking to quiet the worry. He said he was grateful I was able to trust him.

Yesterday we said goodbye to a close family member, 364 days older than me, I'm 48. They were the subject of a horrific attack, and sadly died afterwards, in hospital, peacefully. Its taken weeks to get to the bottom of what happened, perhaps we never will but someone has been charged with culpable homicide. Another drugs and alcohol related death, was sadly reported, its victim far too young.

Its totally rocked me personally to the core. Selfishly, I also thought, what if that had been me?

My cousin lost his grandparents largely to alcohol, [me too]
his uncles and aunties to alcohol, [me too]
his parents to alcohol. [I've one left]
lost his job to alcohol, [not yet, but if I'm honest, its been close]
lost his core friendships to alcohol, [some, some I need to lose because of alcohol pressure]
lost his access own sweet family to alcohol, [not yet, I hope never]
lost himself to alcohol and latterly, it seems, mixing in circles thick with drugs. [not yet I hope never]

Some of his family and friends stuck by him, checking in when they could, often distancing themselves from harms way and the chaos. But, there for him. I guess I was one of them, but I guess I understand now more than most. I last spoke to him when he'd lost his job and life was on the up as he'd had a month and 5 days sober. Sadly it didn't last. I never heard from him again.

I stood yesterday with Simple Minds 'Don't you forget about me' blasting out of the speakers, saying goodbye, thinking how utterly selfishly grateful I am to be here and be on a sober, if erratic, journey at times.

I need to find this moment for grounding. For when the overwhelming urge to drink is just too much.

I need to remember to choose life. Be tenacious in my choices and choose living.

Maybe this is too much sharing. And, maybe it is. I need to live. Alcohol is claiming too many lives around me. And, yet wine, sometimes, spirits just seems so appealing to quiet those noises in my head. I need to empty this head I think.

I'm good today. Sober, lunch packed and ready to return to work. I had taken some time off, too fragile to deal with anything aside myself and sober living.

I've a plan to be solely with my husband later, to scupper any ability to buy alcohol, just in case.

The voice in my head tells me, when I allow it in, that I'm different and I can control things. I won't die like that. Like any of them, Reality would tell me, I'm not as different special as I might want to convince myself or think I am. Drinking is not a good idea for me, ever. Selfishly I want to live.

Excuse the overtly morbid post, I'm good today, but I need to keep grounded in stark reality for the moment. Day 30 is on its way, I just need to get there.