Hello Sunday Morning » Megan_Cramb

IM GOING TO JAPAN! (MEGAN CRAMB)

Megan_Cramb — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:14:10 +0000

Another Friday night fast approaching!! And Im in the last month of my 3month HSM! I feel a certain sense of achievement about getting this far but know that I’ll still face my share of challenges over the next few wks.
I feel that Ive come a long way from the girl who ‘needs a few drinks but once she has had them becomes a completely different outgoing person’.
Still have a few inhibitions in my sober state..still not the fun loving crazy person I wish I could be sober. Still an over-thinker, over caring what people think.
HOWEVER.. in saying this I’ve had many many good nights out being sober. I have, sadly, been using other substances to enhance my personality (red bull, coffee, smokes etc) so over the last month of my HSM I will eliminate all these.. ok the occasional redbull or coffee wont be too bad.. but Im rlly not a smoker.
My aim of getting to Japan before my HSM will not be happening. BUT my big news is…. I HAVE A JOB IN JAPAN!! I will be teaching English (to young kids under 15yrs).. If my visa is processed in time I will be leaving the 19th of August. I really hope it is!!!!!
So I finally feel like my life is moving forward in the right direction!
Something that has been kinda bugging me lately is feeling left out because of not drinking. I feel like Ive lost a special connection with friends that I used to work with at the pub. There rlly is something bonding about having a night out with friends (that i rlly dont seem to be getting from going out without drinking)..
Well just wanted to voice that..
Am pretty proud of myself that Ive gone 2 months and 1 wk without drinking. Glad Ive done this!! (Sorry for lack of photos.. was having problems with my computer..)

FAREWELL DRINKS? :( [MEGAN CRAMB]

Megan_Cramb — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:06:22 +0000

Sorry its been so long between posts. I swear I must be the slackest blogger of all time. Next Friday I will hit the 2 month mark! I got excited the other day because I actually thought it was 3 months.. but then realised sadly that I was a month behind I think this says something about how my HSM experience is going. Its a bit of a roller coaster ride for me. Loving the energy and new passions Im pursuing.. but not really enjoying being at the pub surrounded by drinkers.. or being at a party where Im the only one with any kind of awareness.
I’ve just about given up going out because of the fact that I’ll be sober. However, if there is enough reason (etc a friend in town) I do venture out and even have a pretty good time.
My main goal is to be in Japan by the time I finish my HSM. I’ve applied for my passport and when it comes back I will apply for a working holiday visa. My only disappointment is that I wont be able to have farewell drinks with my friends before I go. I don’t think this shows anything about a lack of learning from my HSM experience. I just feel this is an engrained way of bonding in Australia and I will feel like I’m missing something quite special by not being able to do this with my friends. All farewells, celebrations and such have always been marked by parties, going out but most importantly.. drinking. It will not be the same if everyone else is drinking and me (the person leaving the country for a year.. possibly more) is sober. -By the way the above photo is not recent. I was very much intoxicated in this pic (but surprisingly photogenic for that late in the night).
I will be blogging a lot more over the next month because I feel like the first part of my HSM has slipped by without much observation and reflection. Well this is just a short note to say that Im still alive and still not drinking

FESTIVALS, RUNNING AND ORIGIN (MEGAN CRAMB)

Megan_Cramb — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:32:34 +0000

So I am nearing my first month of HSM and the time has literally flown by. I turned 23 last wk and no birthday drinks for me. But I did go to the RIPE festival on my birthday which more than made up for it.
I was wondering what a festival stone sober would feel like. I was actually quite worried. But after my 2nd energy drink I rlly didnt feel all that much different from the people around me. It was almost a mission buying an energy drink without alcohol though. After the fourth time of clarifying that I DIDNT want vodka with it I said “is it so hard to believe that I don’t want alcohol?” To which the guy replied “well considering we’re at a festival, yes!”
The mud half way up my leg combined with fantastic music and good friends meant (and im gonna say something I never expected Id say) I had a fantastic day without alcohol despite being surrounded by others drinking!
In other good news, I have continued with running went for a run yesterday morning and a day later im still congratulating myself on the effort. My next race that Im training for is one raising money for the Royal Brisbane Children’s Hospital on the 20th of June. Am hoping to do the 5k in 30mins but I’ll see how I go. Running for me has been a great release of tension and stress (although I rlly shouldnt have too much of either at the moment) and with the push to run in the mornings Im no longer tempted to go out at night ‘just because’.
So far the desire to drink has been a lot less than my first attempt of HSM. Although theres been a couple of nights at the pub where I’ve been pretty close to drinking. State of Origin was one night that I was almost going to. I mean, drinks were sooo cheap!! It was almost a crime to say no?!! My mates were all going to Pomona, where every second schooner was free. Although they insisted, I decided that it would be no fun at all being stuck in Pomona, sober, while they all got wasted. Either that or I would most probably start drinking. So instead I went to the cooroy pub where I ended up playing pool and it was a pretty good night. AND I didnt drink
Overall, I am trying not to put myself through too much unnessessary torture (like placing myself in situations where Im the only one with any kind of awareness, or dessying all the time even when i dont feel like it) as well as rewarding myself for good behaviour - saying no to going out every now and then and spending the night watching a good movie and pampering myself.
Being now 23 I suddenly feel a lot wiser and that I want to be a little nicer to myself. HSM is definitely giving me a bit of perspective on things and how I treat myself.

<—–Oh and this is a pic taken at the Noosa Winter Festival on the 16th of May where I did the 5k run in 31mins and 30secs my first run since I was in little athletics (over 7 yrs ago)!!

The Passion – Megan Cramb

Megan_Cramb — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:11:24 +0000

Something incredible has happened over the last wk. I’ve become passionate about my life again. Now this might seem a bit weird but I’ll explain.
It started when I decided I’d go in the Noosa winter festival ,which is this sat/sun (im in the 5k run). Ive been going to the gym a few times this wk and feeling fantastic because its the first time Ive been doing anything remotely related to fitness in YEARS!! Ive also reignited my love of the piano and have been playing every day thnx to a website I found where I can print off all my fav songs!! And then today I picked up some canvasses and paint and was going to paint tonight but ended up baking cookies instead.
Its weird because tonight has probably been the first friday night ive had at home without getting all agitated and feeling like im missing out on going out. I really think this is a bit of a break through for me.
Im not completely sure where this passion has come from but I feel like I want to better myself… spend time doing things I love. And not caring about what others are doing all the time.

I am a week and a half into HSM and it is definitely a better start than last time. Last time I felt like i was missing out on things. I was starting to feel used (as a dessie) and couldnt feel anything positive coming from the experiences. This time Ive decided that when I go out clubbing etc I will leave the house in a positive state of mind. Believing that I will have a good time. And if Im not in a positive state of mind then I will simply.. not go out.
Over the last week and a half I have been out twice. And both times have been great. I think that the reason I go out has a huge impact on how the night will turn out. Previously, I have gone out just because everyone else is/ everyone else wants me to. A lot of time (if I havent been drinking) these nights have ended up with me standing around watching my friends get plastered with me feeling seriously sober.
I went out last week to see a friend who was in town for a few days and because the focus was on catching up I didnt feel like I was missing out on anything by not drinking.

I think a huge thing for me is being happy within myself without having to please others or have other people around me all the time. If they are true friends they will understand if I say no and I shouldnt feel guilty. Also if I don’t make it out than I shouldnt feel any less included. If I start to truly believe this, then I would have had a successful HSM.

So at the moment things are going well and I am very glad that I am trying HSM again. Hope you all have a good weekend!

Take 2~!!! (MEGAN CRAMB)

Megan_Cramb — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:58:40 +0000

Clubbing in the harsh lights of sobriety I wonder why I’m doing this??!! Many of my friends have thought it was a weird thing for me to do – “you’re not an alcoholic! you don’t need to give up alcohol”, “as long as you drink in moderation”, “i drink more than you!”… and these things may all be true but i know that this is something I need to do, for myself. So today I’ve started my 3 months for the second time.

If I had stuck with HSM I would have been finished on the 22nd of this month. But I didn’t. A part of me is upset that I didn’t. Another part of me is proud that I’m not giving up all together and that I’m giving it another go.

Why did I drink? I was sick of being the sober driver. My friends getting wasted and leaving me. I felt that I needed the dutch courage to enjoy the night.
My friend had offered to dessie for me instead and this offer felt too good to pass up (especially considering he is NEVER the sober one).
And sure the night was enjoyable but was it rlly worth it??

Since that night theres been a fair bit more drinking.. thought that since I’d failed I might as well catch up some drinking that I’ve missed
Drinks at work…. Anzac day – drinks at a party where I got broken up with…Went to Sydney – vodka in the hotel room… and then there was last wkend.

For the first time all year I went hard. I knew I had a place to stay in Noosa so the drinking began. I decided to follow every drink with a shot (definitely not a good move thinking back). My friend and I were drinking 2 drinks at a time – considering it was already close to midnight and we felt we had some catching up to do. I am not proud to admit that I ended the night sick as a dog…

I was feeling terrible the next day (which jus so happened to be a sunday). Worst hangover Ive had all year. This night has prompted me to ask myself why??? Why do I feel the need to binge drink so excessively?? Why do I have to have shots or scull drinks??

The next day the guy that my friend brought home said to me “damn you’re like a completely different person when you’re sober”… which rlly got me thinking.
What kind of person do I want to be? And what kind of person do I become when I’m drinking? Well these are all questions that Im going to be thinking about over the next 3 months.

Last time I was starting HSM I had blonde hair, had a bf and was working in a pub.
This time Im brunette, single and working in a chocolate shop. I am positive about the next 3 months and slightly excited about the up and coming possibilities.

Heres to second chances.

I’ve got a feeling, that tonight’s gonna be a sober night (by Megan Cramb

Megan_Cramb — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:00:04 +0000

Just over 3 weeks without alcohol. I’m not going to lie and say I’m doing great and feel the benefits flooding in. Because I don’t. Organising nights with friends or talking about up and coming music festivals/ trips and then realising with a sudden sense of disappointment that I wont be drinking. I’m still trying to work out where this disappointment is coming from. I think its the whole ‘you need alcohol to have fun’ thing. A friend at work said to me this week “You can’t really have the same degree of fun with out alcohol”. I wish I could disagree with this but am finding it hard to.

Went out the first week of my HSM and, of course, was designated to be the driver for the night. It was a good night but nothing memorable happened. The aspect that I’m finding hard is getting over worrying what other people think. It was awkward being on the dance floor without a drink while my friends danced around crazily. I eventually got dancing (huge achievement for me) and things got slightly better but on the fun scale rating it would probably get about a 3 or 4.

Some positive notes:
- I can see myself saving much more money than I was before. In fact, I think I’ll reach my target (to save 4-5 thousand) by the end of april (fingers crossed).
- I’ve been getting into my music a lot more (piano mainly) which Ive been wanting to do for ages but hadn’t had the time.

Basically though, I miss the feeling. The feeling of being wild and carefree. Not caring what people think. Letting things go a little hazy. Letting the sharpness of reality melt away with every sip. Is that so bad?
Going out tonight for St Patricks day and I know its gonna be a long sober night.

HEY FROM THE SUNSHINE COAST – MY FIRST POST (Megan Cramb)

Megan_Cramb — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:48:11 +0000

Hello All!
I would like to introduce myself My name is Megan and I am writing to you from the (at the moment) not so sunny coast. I am a 22yr old waitress/bartender at a small country pub in Cooroy and I live at home with my parent, which I’m finding is a great way to save money I love working in hospitality (most of the time..), music, art, cooking, languages and heading out drinking with friends.

One of my main reasons for giving up alcohol for 3 months is that (ever since I started drinking) I have always believed that to have a good time when you’re out/at parties you must drink. I am not the type of person who is confident in all situations. In fact, unless you’ve known me for a while you might think Im quite reserved. I discovered alcohol at the ripe age of 18 when I moved to Brisbane to go to uni. A combination of living in the city, a new found freedom and living with other young girls meant I slipped into a lifestyle where I was going out drinking 3-4 times a wk. As time went by, and I moved to outer suburbs of Brisbane, I was still going out probably more than my poor uni student bank balance really allowed for. Most nights were fun dancing with friends, shots and awesome memories. However there were also times that I’d rather not remember (or can’t even remember).

My turning point was on New Years Eve last year. A fun night out in Noosa ended with waking up in Nambour hospital. I had a gash above my eye and had fractured my cheek bone in a couple of places. Noone ever wants to ring their parents to say they need to be picked up from hospital. I put it off until I realised that sooner or later I’d have to call them. What followed was 3 trips to Royal Women’s Hospital in Brisbane and surgery where a metal plate and screws were put into my cheekbone.

When I saw on tv one morning this thing about a guy giving up alcohol for a year something inside me thought “this is something I have to do”. That is how I discovered Hello Sunday Morning. I want to give up alcohol for 3 months because I want to prove (mainly to myself) that I am a fun outgoing person without it. I don’t want to rely on it for dutch courage. I also think about the damage I am possibly doing my body from binge drinking and want to really concentrate on my health over the next couple of months.

By the end of my 3 months I would like to be in Japan as I have been dying to go since I finished uni but due to a lifestyle of socialising and wasteful use of money haven’t been able to. So that is my ‘yes’

I will definitely find going out without drinking a challenge. I am so used to using alcohol as a comfortably security blanket so it is going to be quite awkward at first (i am hoping this will change soon though). I am also going to find working in a pub without drinking difficult. Especially since I will be saying no to a knock-off drink every night I work (saying no to free alcohol???).

Well hope you will stay tuned to see if I can even last 3 months without drinking. I know its going to be challenging!! Goodnite Megan