The Weekly Wagon Roll Call
 

Many dwellars are on the wagon for one thing or another - tobacco, alcohol, maybe other things.

Instead of posting admissions of slips to a drunken/smoking thread, I invite you to post declarations of success in this thread.

Start by declaring yourself on the wagon with a post. Then, every Sunday (or the next convenient day after) check back and announce how you did.

My sincere respect goes to anyone struggling with their own weakness in this way. Best wishes to you all.

Present. I'm off the booze going on 2 years. It isn't usually hard for me, but this week was a challenge and [voice of]the holidays are coming.[/doom]

Wow, time flies. I didn't realize it had been that long, Griff. Congratulations again.

I'm on the water wagon. No booze. I have not been as successful as Grif but I aspire to be. Onward!

18 years tomorrow for no alcohol, about 4 weeks of no smokes. I've been an on again off again smoker, had to quit again...it's really hurting my run time for PT in the Army. As far as not drinking goes, congratulating me for not drinking is like congratulating a cowboy with hemorrhoids for not riding his horse. I am happy with the result though.

Good on the rest of you, doing what ever is you think you need to do to make your life better, or more live-able. I support that.

Count me on the wagon train. Decided to sober up last May and have been almost completely abstinent since - few minor slips, but nothing major, thank God.

Around a year without drinking. That is also being at one of the biggest party/drinking schools in the country.

Been on the wagon for some things about 20 years and others only a few.

Well, I got through yesterday. My head wasn't always in the best place but I was able to patiently explain (again and then again) that I have too much alcoholism in my family to drink. I only have to look at my daughters to know that I'm on the right track. Dad is expressing concern about the amount of boozing my sister and bro-in-law do... not a conversation I really want to have with anyone.

It amazes me in this day and age that some would still comment on--or even pressure!--what others choose to drink. The extent of our family's beverage conversation is, "There's beer, soda, and a few other things in the cooler, or we have wine in the kitchen. Just grab whatever you want. So how are you guys?"

It probably stems from their view of me as a booze hound who was a happy drunk. I fear I'm a bit more reserved now and it makes them uncomfortable.

I know that feeling Griff. Some of my older friends and to an extent family are not used to me being happy just sitting quietly with a soda or water...

As an aside - A neighbor brought up in conversation that some friends were allowing minors to drink wine with the holiday dinner. Some thought it was just fine and mentioned that the "Italians" do it all the time. Uh, no. I've not heard of this, nor have any of my relatives that I asked about it.

Had a nice Thanksgiving with sober friends, so I wasn't the least bit tempted. I tell people who want to give me a drink that I am allergic to the stuff which is true.

Thank you for that brother. Eventually they'll conclude that I no longer need to be the life of the party.

lol - yeh I think I used to be invited just to be the "Free Entertainment" value.
Now that they realize I'm not gonna act like an drunken idiot I have a lot less invitations, and a lot less temptation/problems. At first I took it wrong, but then I realized its actually a good thing. Sorts out those who aren't really interested in my well being. Those who aren't - I don't need them in my life anyway.

I don't know about Italians specifically, but two German exchange students I knew in high school both mentioned that their parents would let them drink wine with dinner, and their (admittedly biased) assessment of this was that it was a good thing, that European teenagers did not find drinking to be rebellious or a big deal, so they didn't have any motivation to get stupidly drunk like American kids did.

My parents let me have small amounts of alcohol in the house on rare occasions, but it was usually an after-dinner thing, not wine with dinner. My dad firmly believed that if he tried to keep me away from it entirely, that would just guarantee I would go on raging benders in college trying to make up for lost time.

I don't drink as much as I used to. Haven't for quite a while now. It's helped me discover who my real friends are.

I've mentioned in years past about our family christmas celebrations. One year, someone decided it'd be funny to crown the two blokes and chicks who drink the most as king and queen pissheads. I think it was at that point I should have realized I drank too much, but it was a number of years after that. Still, it's better late than never I guess.

Rollcall.

I know it is only Saturday, and maybe Friday for some of us, but temptation is strong about now. State with deserved pride if you have done well.
Slipping off and getting back on certainly counts as having done well.

I see you here, Zen. I hear you, too! Wishing you the strength you need to get through the festive season.

I haven't had a drop since Nov. 15 - so I get my one month token...for the hundreth time. ah, well, they call it "alcoholic math."

Good here. I managed to slip out of a black mood without stumbling.

I'm on the other side. The side that has lost a spouse do to their alcoholism and drug abuse. After that break up I didn't have a drink until my kid reached the age of 18. It was just an unspoken proof, as a single parent,that family and relationships are more important than a drink. I couldn't claim the reasons for the breakup were this or that without walking the walk myself.

Made a meeting last night so I managed another sober 24 hours - it was a close call, though. Mornings are best part of day for me. I now can't believe that I would indulge in that morning drink. Ick! Brianna, I've got a bunch of 30 day chips, too. Still progress as far as I'm concerned because I was a daily drinker by the end.

Bloody well done, Sam. Little victories. Each one is worth having.

I stopped drinking after college. I never had a problem with it, but it never really did anything for me. Every year or two I'll have a glass of wine or beer, but I just don't have the taste for it. My drink snobbery now is basically tea.

There was never much alcohol in my family when I was growing up and I hoped to pass that on. Unfortunately, Lee drinks and smokes, two things Mrs. Levy and I have never done the entire time we have been married beyond the occasional glass of wine at Passover. Fortunately, he has shown a great level of responsibility and never had a DUI incident or related accident, something that happened a lot with his friends.

As long as he sticks to mostly beer and wine, and in moderation, I haven't got an issue. The smoking really pisses me off though, especially with the baby. He does go outside with friends to do it, so again he's at least being responsible.

Thanks, Limey, but I'm not actually on the wagon for anything. This thread is just to help those of us who are.

I am, however, a little wary about regular drinking, because a few branches of my family tree got bent down, and probably broken off, by alcohol.

Made 2 years sober and smoke-free last Halloween. I'm looking forward to another year without hangovers and smoker's cough. :)

Good luck to everyone over Christmas/New Year's.

Congrats to you - all of you/us.

6 years sober. And today is 7 months smoke free.

It's damn hard to be a rebel without any vices, I tell ya. :rolleyes:

I go to a summer music camp where we all, naturally, wear jeans, t shirts, shorts etc etc, except one guy who wears a collar and tie. We gently joshed him for being such a conformist, until he pointed out that he was the one being most rebellious by wearing such formal attire when all around were dressed casually ... :3eye:

In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is shunned as a raving lunatic.

Nice story, but you should have started it "This one time at band camp.....".:lol2:

:band:

I'm still on it!

Yay Bri!
:thumb::cheerldr:

: validates Bri :

Politely refused another drink offer from someone who has already been told I'm off the stuff a number of times. I'm getting better at no thank you.

Family is the hardest to to impress this on, since family is where my alcohol problem resides.

If you are ever in the spot of thinking "it would be rude of me to refuse", always remember, it was already rude of them to offer if they know you're on the wagon.

What Nancy said. An no, not the bit about "Oh God, Ronnie, deeper! Deeper!"

ouch not the mental picture I needed. :thepain:

Go Griff!

Congratulations to everyone who made it through Christmas. I recently saw someone whose spouse drank themselves to death not too long ago. I keep on thinking of alcohol deaths as usually accident/homicide/suicide, but even in this day and age it is still possible to kill yourself with just the alcohol.

The incidents of fatal alcohol poisoning that happens in a single day is bad enough, but watching someone drink themselves into an early grave must be brutal.

I was interpreter for the widow at the funeral of a guy who drank himself to death ... not a fun job. Full marks to the officiating priest - he provided me with the texts of the relevant readings from the Bible in the required language (Russian) ...

New Year's will be tough for some of our buddies here. There is such a culture of boozing around Jan1 it can really put the pressure on. Good luck friends, I'm staying in on amateur night.

That is an awful thing to witness.

I will be firmly planted at the homestead with my loved ones. I may have a beer or two and a glass of champagne to finally put to rest the year that was the worst of our collective lives. I am looking forward to 2010 to be one full of hope and progress.

Strangely enough, the holidays aren't the problem. It's this day to day living that wears me out (apologies to Chekov) and makes me want to escape.

Agree with Brianna. Its the little things that keep accumulating until I am so fed up that a drink starts looking like a viable option.

Good point Ms. Chekov.

I'm STILL not drunk!!!

Yay Bri!

:blush:

I'm just happy about it, that's all. My friend celebrated a year today!!

congrats Bri - thats great to hear. Now get that damn three month coin and we can all toast you with a little carbonated pear juice.

YES! I made it through the holidays on cranberry juice alone. What a difference from last year! (:greenface). Today I am :D. Hope to get my one year chip in May. That's still a ways off, but one day at a time I hope to make it.

congrats, Sam!!! I like to mix half cranberry juice with half grapefruit. Very tasty over some ice. Cranberry juice with sparkling water and a lime twist is nice, too.

I seem to have worked out that if I don't actually buy alcohol, I won't actually drink it.

Other people do not seem to want to buy it for me very often.

Good job guys!

As for my own situation- still smoking. boo! I'll get back to this thread when I am committed to totally quitting.

Good job Sam. I congratulate you!

Bloody well done Sam! And you too Bri.

Well done peeps!

I don't even like them, but I keep reading "The Weekly Wagon Wheel Call" and thinking "mmmm chocolate" :lol:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/110/2...f9f762.jpg?v=0

Ooooo. I love Wagon Wheels!

They've got an awful lot smaller though. The lunchbox culture strikes again!

You've got to grin to get it in? Oh my! :eek:

Those who are staying on the wagon, keep up the good work! Some of those addictions are tough to beat, but you are doing it, and it renews my faith in our culture. I've been off cigarettes for 7 years, and will never go back. Alcohol, I just stopped enjoying one day. I was very lucky, because I was drunk every day, but it's been almost 40 years now since I stopped. Cigarettes was a tougher thing for me.