Thank you Dave. Your thoughtfulness and input are invaluable to this site. I'm just getting ready for work and feel like a total sac of potatoes....I didn't want to get out of bed.... it's still the depressant effects of far too much alcohol in my system, I suspect, paired with my own disappointment and shame.. But as I know it's time to dust myself off and get back on two feet, I logged on here quickly before the day started and happily saw the support that will help me to keep moving forward. Of course nobody I work with has any idea what's going on in my head, and to know that there is a group of people to come to is such a relief.
I know you're absolutely right, Dave. One mistake (or maybe a few... I'd been drinking too much all week, Sunday was just the peak of it) doesn't necessarily mean "relapse" or doesn't take away the multitude of days being AF. It's hard to see that at this very second, but I know it will get better. It's so hard not to only see everything come crashing down. People on the outside, family, etc. don't tend to say or think anything when I'm happy and doing well (even though I am thankful for it on an almost hourly basis), but they sure do notice when I get hammered and destructive and stupid. Other peoples' reactions tend to help fuel the fire inside my brain. Thank you thank you for reminding me that my thinking is black and white, Dave. When I'm doing well I need to remind myself that that's good enough. I don't need my family to understand how wonderful it feels and that I'm trying and making progress. There are so many people here who understand what that feels like.
I'll end on a positive note. As of last Saturday, I'd had 17 drinks since Thursday but I'd also run 17 kilometers. Some how it seemed like if I could balance the unhealthy with the healthy, I'd be able to keep some sort of strength within my grasp. I'm going to try to keep racking up the kilometers this week while being AF. I guess technically this will be day 2 but yesterday was a blur, so I'm just going to call this day 1 of being happy again.
Have a good day everyone.