Monday Meetup - Join us weekly!

[Simply me]

Heylo [mention]Enbie[/mention] nbie, [mention]BeXta[/mention], [mention]Lady Bug[/mention] folk,

Yes'm i have found it has to be abstinance for me, or it simply sneaks back into my life and conciousness, gradually building up. Hence nipping in bud at this point. Absolutely we can do this!!

It seems all about getting through those craving waves. Distraction works, tool of choice, but when I'm low energy, Lady Bug yep I'm learning how to be present through n with challenging feelings, rather than numbing out. Not always a comfy sensation. When people say to me 'this too shall pass' i generally arc up n get cranky, yet mayhap I'll have to admit there's element o truth there. Otherwise, there's computer surfing, or doona therapy. My cat cuddled up on lap in now.....

Early days the waves are strongest, trying to remember the more I deny feeding em, bigger gaps get between n will grow with time. Typing tonight is helping, so scuse ramblings...

Not real sure what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy n Mindfulness are, but second session with counsellor working with em as modalities, next Monday. So, that should help clarify .

Blessings n good vibes

[Calvino01]

Hello everyone Welcome to our 'Monday Meetup'

This is a chance for us to have a bit of a live chat with eachother about the past week and how to prepare for the week ahead.

Preparation for festive season:
I understand it’s a busy time for most people as we approach the end of the year. Christmas and New Years is around the corner and even though this is a time for celebration, it’s best to be prepared for any triggering moments and to help keep ourselves on track. Lets have a discussion around the different strategies we can put in place for ourselves over the festive period.

During the past week:
Tell us what improvements you have made in the past week and also what has been most challenging?
Have you created or achieved any new goals? How have you prepared for the week ahead?

As some of you may know, during the past month, the four part docuseries ‘Addicted Australia’ aired showing us a peek through some of the struggles that people face with a range of different addictions. For those who watched the series what were your thoughts on it? Did it help you gain that level of motivation to put to action the changes you want to make?

For those who have missed it, it is still available to view on the SBS app or website.

[tacocat]

Hi everyone!

Welcome to another ‘Monday Meetup’, and the first one for 2021!
I hope we all enjoyed the festive season and are feeling rested, rejuvenated and energised to tackle the New Year.
Like always, moderators will be around to chat in this space for the next two hours. All are welcome!

Being that this is the first meetup up since the festive season, how are we all doing?

Did anyone face any challenges during this time? Christmas can be a challenging time for many people…

What are our goals relating to substance use for the year?

[The Mythical Liverbird]

G'day everyone,

It's Monday Meetup time. Hope everyone's had a good start to the year!

Just wanted to check in to see what people had to report; how's January treating everyone? It's generally a quieter time than December, with a lot of people going into hibernation after Christmas.

I wanted to kick the discussion off by asking, who are some of the people who inspire you?

A completely random one I've been thinking about lately is Billy Connolly. Not because I particularly love his comedy, but because of what he's gone through in life and the way he's been able to re-emerge on the other side. The guy had some horrific experiences when he was young, but whenever I hear him speak in interviews or present a travel show, he has such an obvious ability to see the beauty in things and experience joy. He finds it in people, places and great works of music and art. He reminds me that there are things in the world, things which will always be there, which can stir us into feeling moved no matter what else is going on.


I'd like to tag [mention]New start 00[/mention] , [mention]KLS[/mention] , [mention]Simply me[/mention] and [mention]forest[/mention] . How are things going folks?

[Simply me]

Heylo [mention]The Mythical Liverbird[/mention] folks,

Agree Billy Connolly rocks it, as does his partnership with Pamela Stephenson. Saw an interview with them together and their connection seemed sturdy as, whilst authentic, despite being well known folks....

Have to say when I ponder inspiring people Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes comes immediately for me. She's an awesome Jungian psychoanalyst and storyteller, who grew up with her family on the land near the Great Lakes in the US. Her father, gathering people who were survivors of the second world war in Europe and bringing them to the safety of their home. These Elders gathered in the evenings and told tales, to heal, to mend, to express, to share, to listen to each other and learn to laugh again. Clarissa grew as a child rooted in such, and the echoes of this ripple out in her work. Stories passed on down her lineage, and the teachings she shares originating in them, are real no bs life stuff. Such respect n gratitude to her, for expressed faith in and affirmations of the resilience of the soul....

As for my journey in the now, in terms of being booze free I have had a few lapses over the last few months, after 12 months sobriety. Get a certain distance then something challenging comes up which overwhelms and I turn to this old short term strategy, programmed in since I was a teen. I tend to pick up the pieces the next day and begin over, knowing that for the longer term, the 'use by dates' run out on this way. I'm working to be gentle with selves around this, build up and turn to my other more creative tools and supportive connections in same breath. Sheer stubborness mayhaps. To paraphrase Clarissa speaking of a project, 'perfection is the enemy of done', which she translates, being a writer, to the potential for becoming a skeleton at the typewriter (old school) waiting for the 'perfect' poem or chapter to emerge. Thus never quite making a start....

For me the plant dyeing of fabrics and clothes I do, which is a slightly unpredictable and surprising craft, reminds me to experiment and explore within the safe vessel of the form. Not to get too sassy, yet to injoy when the alchemy kicks in and a beautiful result unfurls. The hand stitching I do, thread doodles, teaches me to go slow and be process based....

Well, thats probably enough of a ramble from me. Blessings n good vibes...

[HelpfulBee]

Hey [mention]Simply me[/mention] ,

I'm so inspired by the works and writings of Dr Clarissa Pinkola Este, it seems like a bit of a rabbit hole that I'm just going to have to delve in to. The way you describe her work reminds me a bit of some of the meaning I've taken from books I've read by Viktor Frankl and Irvin Yalom.

I like your (and Clarissa's) sentiment of not waiting until something is perfect to start. This resonates with me too.

I really appreciate that you're trying to be so kind to yourself and gently bringing yourself back to your goals and values when things begin to stray. I know it sounds cliche, but sometimes these moments of weakness can be opportunities for growth, they highlight the gaps that we may have missed.

I've never tried plant dyeing fabrics - but I like that its unpredictable. I might have to give it a go!

- HelpfulBee

[tacocat]

Hi everyone!

It's that time of the week again. Time for a Monday meetup session.
For the next two hours a moderator will be around if anyone wants to come say hello.

Being that it's a long weekend, how are we all going? It's common at this time of year for people to be partying, and temptation may present itself.
How are we going to handle those situations?
What fun things are we doing to enjoy ourselves at this time of year?

Hope to speak with some of you soon....

[mention]Simply me[/mention] [mention]Chickadee[/mention] [mention]BeXta[/mention] [mention]Angelgirl[/mention] [mention]Cloudy[/mention] [mention]Melbourne_Modular[/mention] [mention]Strugglingmethaddict[/mention] [mention]OG1990[/mention]

[Simply me]

Heylo [mention]tacocat[/mention] , folks....

Belated response, scuse that...
It's a curious phenomena, but I've mostly been a drink at home person, especially later on. Often solo too. Secretive and quite my own space at times. Anyone relate? Not to say didn't crank stereo and kitchen dance (still do)! But for me, social situations have pretty much always held challenges, probably one of reasons I began booze in fact. So when I got my own space, game on. Nowadays it's game on in other ways, creative chaos can be everywhere, projects all over place eh...

I do get triggered into the 'well everybody else is doing it, why shouldn't I' thing around the festy season. I did lapse, but not relapse. Pick up pieces n start over. Now day 4, aiming for 3 weeks. Had to break it down. A vast expanse of 'never again' made me feel like that dude crawling out of the desert reaching out a shaking hand. I guess that's the origin of that ol gem, 'a day at a time'. Simple, yet seeds o truth...

One of the things that brings me much pleasure, is connection. Odd, first she says she finds social situations hard, then that? I mean, folk who get me and still like what they see, safe n authentic zone. Two way streets. My fella doesn't like who I become when I imbibe, (reason two) so the fact that I'm working on my Recovery from it, strengthens us as duo. We went away camping, twice, once just us and then with some friends. Loved that! It had moments, as life does, but nature is an amazing healer and getting away can be a total reframe opportunity eh. We said goodbye to the cat, and headed to national parks with our wee tent. Nothing fancy or expensive, simple pleasures. Landscape, company who get it and lots of yum food! Oh and guitar n bongo's

Well, enough o rambling...
Blessings n good vibes

[HelpfulBee]

Welcome to Monday Meetup!

Every Monday from 8pm to 10pm AEST we go live! For anyone new here, this is a great chance to get to know each other and give updates on how we’ve been going! We would love to hear from you and get to know you more, so please feel free to join in! So, how have you been going this week? What are your goals? What worked last week? What didn't?

Aside from chatting about our journeys, has anybody been watching any new TV shows or movies? At the moment I’m watching The Office US (again!) and have just finished Mad Men which I thought was fantastic! I’d love some more ideas on what to binge next!

And while we’re on the topic of TV, has everybody watched the SBS docuseries, Addicted Australia? It’s a really eye opening series on the lives of some Australians and their families, who are dealing with their addictions. It normalises addiction, and show that we’re all just normal people going through a really tough time. Click here to give it a go.



Looking forward to hearing from you all!

HelpfulBee

[Lady Bug]

HAPPY MONDAY !

Welcome to Monday meetup everyone. Can't believe we are in February already, my how time flies!
If you are around tonight. feel free to pop in and let us all know how you are going this week.
Any small victories? Anyone getting back on track? Or anyone tried anything new this last week?

Lets chat!

[Bamboo [facilitator]]

Hi everyone,

Welcome to Monday Meetup . This is our weekly catch up, everyone is welcome to join in.

If you're new to the forum, let us know a bit about what's brought you here we'd love to hear from you.

For our regular members, how are you tracking your goals?

We celebrate any win big or small so do tell

For those in Victoria like we are, how are you coping with the current 5 day lockdown? It'd be great to hear any self-care tips and what activities you've been doing to keep busy.

[Cloudy]

Hi Cloudy here struggling with another lockdown things were just starting to get back to normal for me then bang everything so rattled again , really throws you

[Bamboo [facilitator]]

HI @Cloudy yes completely understand, it was so unexpected and has been a challenge. What are some things you have been doing to look after yourself the past few days? I'm really hoping the lockdown is lifted after Wednesday.

[Cloudy]

I have been going for a walk at night just trying to relax so this way if I do drink i start later then don’t drink as much

[Bamboo [facilitator]]

That sounds like a good strategy @Cloudy . The weather has been really nice so it's great to get out for a walk and get some fresh air. What other things have you tried in the past that has gotten you through tough times? Have you read any interesting books or watched any shows or movies? If you find you're really struggling our Counsellors are available 24/7 to provide support.

Me personally I have been watching some 90s movies, there's some great stuff out there. Spending time with my pets and taking the dog for a walk has been good. I've been cooking more too, home made bread is my fave.