Hi guys!  I'm on day 15 of my 30 and have arrived feeling humbled by all I've learned so far about myself now that I'm clear headed. The last 15 days have been challenging to say the least. I sincerely hope that there will come a time where drinking will be the exception and not the rule. I am determined to  make it through the next 15 days. I'm very aware of the fact that just abstaining for thirty days isn't the magic bullet for moderation, but an opportunity to really "feel" life as it should be the majority of the time. I'm so thankful to you guys for all the motivation! I would love to hear how others are doing on their 30.   THANKS!       *************************************  Plus, I'm doing this so I can GET to moderation at some point.  I keep trying 

to remember WHY I'm doing it and then it's easier to focus ahead.  This isn't a life sentence, it's just 'for now'.  And I decided to do it because I'm really tired of the 'way it's been'.  I definately want the change.   *************************************   Do realize that you are trying to fix a little quirk in your personality when most of the world will blantanly disreguards theirs; never to attempt any road of self improvement....Wow ...you are awesome!!  Unique.....   *************************************  For all those concerned about the 30, my experience is that it really helps to plan for it.  And working on the steps described in Audrey's book.  And formulating a plan that will work for you.  I am still working on mine, and don't think I'll be finished by day 30, so no moderation for me until I know  I am ready.    *************************************  Many, (if not a majority, it's close) of those who have tried a 30 have failed on their first try.  It's not whether you make it all the way the first time, it's what you take from having tried.  Think about what happened for a couple of weeks, then think about trying again.  Bad habits aren't always unlearned at once.   *************************************  Today is day 14 for me.  I'm almost at my halfway mark.  How do I do it?  1)  Keep myself busy - don't be bored.  2)  Choose company that doesn't drink excesively or choose company that moderates.  3)  Tell friends and associates that I'm abstaining for 30 days and ask for their help.  4)  Read Audrey's book and work through the remaining steps.   Overall, the general feeling of being sober, wide awake, fresh breath, and being on-time for work with my own car, not a taxi is enough reason for me to abstain.    For all you new members, I have tried to do 30 a few times.  I started with 1 day, then 3 days, 6 days and then tried for the whole 30.  You have to take small steps to your goal.  It works !   Unfortunately I hit rock bottom before I decided to do my 30 (got fired from my job, alcohol poisoning, divorce) and I hope to make others realize that they CAN DO IT, and can do it NOW !   Don't let it get the best of you and take you down, take control TODAY !!!!  happily cheering family mm'ers on.........:-)   *************************************  You not only get to feel good because you don't have a hangover, but also because you kept your resolve!!! Keep building that "self discipline muscle!!!"   *************************************    Testing to see, first of all, can you walk away from alcohol for a short period of time. A time to look at your lifestyle...is alcohol your predominant concern or hobby?  ...can you fill the nondrinking hours with some other activities? ...what are they? .. are you really serious about moderation? And finally, by abstaining for the 30 days, your tolerance to alcohol is reduced so when you do resume drinking it, you won't 'need' as much to get the desired effects.   So the 30 is not just a 30. It is one of the tools to help you sort out your priorities, your strengths and your weak areas. You now have more information and know what to focus on the most in order to reach your goal of becoming a moderate drinker.   *************************************  As you go through the abstinent period, you may find some "cues" that you associate with drinking (some may surprise you!!), & you will learn new coping skills to deal with situations besides drinking. You'll probably make some changes in all areas of your life...the best way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. It can be a time to acquire new interests or rediscover old ones. Many have implemented an overall "get healthy" regime to support their new healthy drinking habits.   *************************************  I was on the list for quite awhile before I started posting and still don't post a lot.  It took me about 6 months to start my 30.  I was so afraid that I couldn't do it and I hate failure I just didn't start.  I tried moderating during the week and only drink on weekends. Well every weekend I would really overdo it and then during the week I would beat myself up and convince myself that I was a loser and would never be able to do it.  Even when I did it I was so afraid of failure that I just decided to do it one day at a time and see how long I could go.  It was on about day number 9 that I finally thought maybe I could and told Rotten to add me to the list.  Once I declared it I was determined to do it.  For me getting over the fear of failure was the biggest obstacle.  I had a lot of events during my 30, my birthday, an annual wine tasting festival, a family wedding, hosting a packer party, my book club meeting, my family visiting for a weekend.  Before I started my 30 I used those kind of events as an excuse for not doing it, but when you look at it there is never a month where nothing is going on. Only you can decide what is best for you, I'm just giving you one percpective to think about.   *************************************  Success after the 30:    Alot of folks do a 30 and immediately fall right back into old habits. How do you prevent this??? DO THE STEPS!!! 

The 30 day abstinence is only step 2. If you want the MM program to work, you need to do ALL the steps!    3. Examine how drinking has affected your life.   4. Write down your life priorities.   5. Take a look at how much, how often, and under what circumstances you used to drink.   6. Learn the MM guidelines and limits for moderate drinking.    I cannot stress enough how important it is to do them before you start drinking again. 

It is a record of exactly what you were thinking with a clear mind while doing your 30. 

You will find it an invaluable point of reference post 30.   *************************************  To all you newbies (gee, to think I was a newbie just three months ago....lol)  Make sure you don't put too much pressure on yourselves about "doing the 30." Do it when you are good and ready to -- not before and, obviously, not after.   If you jump into it before you're ready you will be far less likely to succeed and, if you fail, may end up feeling like a failure "once again."  Which will just make you want to drink more, which will make you feel more like a failure, yada yada yada....  Some people seem to get the impression that you can't participate on the list unless you've done your 30, like an initiation right.  No way Jose/Josette!!   While some people dive right in, like XXXX, other's dip a toe in one at a time -- doing one day of abstinence, then 3 or 4, then 4 or 5, to build up their confidence.  Some active participants on the list have never done 30 days abstinence.  Some have done as much as a year or more.    Remember, MM is an entirely flexible program (except the part about never driving and drinking!!!).  Work with Audrey's book, with the list, with yourself, and with whomever else you are comfortable until you are ready to begin a program of abstinence/moderation that will work for you. When you're ready to do 30 days, like our current star Xxxxx, you'll do it with flying colors.  And your world will change.    Main Page