Dangerous thinking

[BoozeFreeFox]

OK, so I'm AF for 2 weeks now.
Feels great.
But, I'm not a NEW ME. Physically and mentally, I basically feel the same as I always have (sometimes I feel great, sometimes I'm in slumps--LIFE).
I have no intentions of drinking, but why not???

Anyone else have thoughts like these at this stage of the game?
What changes with longer term abstinence?

BFF

[AAthlete]

Dangerous thinking

Congrats on the two weeks - you're off to a great start.

I'm in much the same position as you. Two weeks AF and feeling great. As you mention, the game of life always presents its challenges, but for me it is a different way of thinking.

Instead of looking for reasons to have a drink, I look at excuses not to have one. I've gotten much more productive, am enjoying waking up in the morning, and have really immersed myself in my training regimen (all things that fell by the wayside a lot when drinking).

For me, I also don't see myself drinking again, but that is a long path to journey down. By the same token, I don't feel that I am missing out on anything by not drinking - which is the key for me. Mentally I really feel like I have changes my outlook on drinking.

Keep up the great work, and I hope you find the answers that you are looking for.

[southernbelle47]

Dangerous thinking

The longer you go abs, the less "pickled" your brain will be.
It takes much more than two weeks for cells to regenerate. You know that.
Be patient....the "microwave" generation has a problem doing this! "I want it nowwwwwwwww"......doesn't happen.
Think of how long you had to wait to get the "latest" toy last Christmas.
:goodjob: on you first two weeks!

:h Nancy

[betty boop]

Dangerous thinking

Hi BFF, :goodjob: on your 2 weeks AF that is excellent ....

Hang on in there, unfortunately it doesn't happen overnight but I would say that the worst is over for you.

Love & Hugs :h :l :hl

[Lotus]

Dangerous thinking

BFF

Congrats on 2 weeks AF. Today will be my 28 day AF and only last week did I start seeing benefits. Being our own worse critic, sometimes we don't notice the benefits ourselves. It's only when my close friend said to me that I look better, that I realised "I actually feel better".

It's a gradual process, a bit like losing weight...can't do it overnight. The way I look at it is that I've been drinking heavily for the last 3/4 years. Each day I am AF is a success in itself. So you should be proud of yourself.

[Accountable for Me]

Dangerous thinking

BFF, congrats on your two weeks! Job well done! I am on day 31, which isn't exactly long-term, but I thought I would respond anyway.

After accomplishing a month, I honestly wouldn't go back to the ritual nightly drinking for the life of me. Life is so much better, and I am beginning to feel like a functioning 'human' again.

Sometimes I think a drink could help expedite my evening. Then I think about what it would do for me. I would feel great for a couple of hours, end up drinking too much and feel like crap in the morning. The $$'s I spend will go into the toilet. I will have to spend so much time and energy pulling my head out of that hairy fog the next day. Such a waste of time and such a waste of money! Just for a couple of hours of 'heightened feelings'. Not worth it.

As time passes, you will feel better. You will feel more in control. And you will start to realize alcohol doesn't do a thing for you in the long run.

Keep up the good work. Don't let that little voice in your head get to you. Don't let the voice 'romanticize' those feelings for alcohol. Just keep reminding yourself as to why you are doing this. Best of luck!!

[Lou]

Dangerous thinking

Congrats on 2 wks you should be very proud...but i understand where you're coming from, i myself am now on day 21 and it does take a while for you to feel like a different person and there will always be times when you think "oh whats the point, i might as well drink" but don't give up cause it does get better. I had my first date in about a year on sat and the first thought in my mind was...i have to drink...how am i going to be confident and witty and not boring if I'm sober...but i did it and it felt great. So keep at it, i promise it does get easier, and you get more gratification from situations when you can remember them and are not in an alcohol fuelled haze!!

Much love and support

Lou-Lou x

[skootiemom]

Dangerous thinking

Glad you are back!

Hey Bff.... I sent you a PM just last night wondering if you were still with us! Not sure if you got it... ears must have been burning... LOL!

19 days in and it's still a struggle. The headaches are gone, but the triggers are still there. I think that everyday I feel a bit better and stronger. I think I will feel more confident about my decision to bring AB's into my life after a month. If not, I will still endeavor to forge ahead thanks to all the great support I get from this site and it's wonderful members!

Congrats on 2 weeks!!!!!!

Skootie

[rivergirl]

Dangerous thinking

Brain Cells Rebound With Alcohol Abstinence
From UNC News Release

New Cells Can Develop For Years After Quitting

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists have reported - for the first time - a burst in new brain cell development during abstinence from chronic alcohol consumption.
The UNC findings, from research at UNC's Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, were based on an animal model of chronic alcohol dependence, in which adult rats were given alcohol over four days in amounts that produced alcohol dependency. The study is in the Nov. 3 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

In 2002, Dr. Fulton T. Crews, Bowles Center director, and Bowles Center research associate Dr. Kim Nixon were the first to report that alcohol, during intoxication, has a detrimental effect on the formation of new neurons in the adult rat hippocampus. This brain region is important for learning and memory - in animals and humans - and is linked to psychiatric disorders, particularly depression.

"When used in excess, alcohol damages brain structure and function.

Alcoholics have impairments in the ability to reason, plan or remember," said Crews, also professor of pharmacology and psychiatry in UNC's School of Medicine. "A variety of psychological tests show alcoholics have a difficulty in ability to understand negative consequences."

In the new study, senior co-author Crews and co-author Nixon found inhibition of neurogenesis, or brain cell development, during alcohol dependency, followed by a pronounced increase in new neuron formation in the hippocampus within four-to-five weeks of abstinence. This included a twofold burst in brain cell proliferation at day seven of abstinence.

"We looked at dividing cells after our four-day binge model of alcohol dependency and confirmed what we previously observed: When the animals were intoxicated, the measure of dividing cells decreases," said Nixon. "And after abstinence for one week, we saw a huge burst in the number of new cells being born."


Brain Grows, Spaces Shrink

Nixon said the findings were confirmed by use of several biological markers, including bromodeoxyuridine, BrdU. Animals were injected with BrdU, which labels dividing cells. BrdU inserts itself into the DNA of a cell during cell division, so that it's found only in cells that have divided during the two hours that the substance is in the animals' system.
Imaging studies report shrinkage in brain ventricles - the fluid-filled spaces within the brain - indicating that the brain is growing as the spaces shrink as alcoholics recover from alcohol dependence.

"And when they stop drinking, you can show in a period of weeks, months, years, the brain grows back, there's a return of metabolic activity, and cognitive tests show a return of function," Crews said.

The findings may have significant implications for treatment of alcoholism during recovery. The discovery of regeneration of neurons in recovery opens up new avenues of therapies aimed at regeneration of brain cells. "When animals learn, they make more neurons. When animals exercise, they make more neurons and learn faster, as well," Crews said.


Physical Activity Helps

"Pharmacological agents such as antidepressants and behaviors such as running, increased physical activity and learning experiences apparently help regulate the process of neurogenesis," he added. "Our research suggests they could be considered in the treatment of chronic alcohol dependency."
In their report, Nixon and Crews also said that their findings for the first time provide a neuronal regeneration mechanism that may underlie the return of normal cognitive function and brain volume associated with recovery from addiction during abstinence from alcohol.

"This is really the first biological measure of a major change in neuronal structure consistent with changes that are known to occur when individuals are able to stop drinking," said Crews.


Number of Brain Cells Not Fixed

For decades, neuroscientists believed the number of new cells, or neurons, in the adult brain was fixed early in life. Adaptive processes such as learning, memory and mood were thought tied to changes in synapses, connections between neurons.
More recently, studies have shown that the adult human brain is capable of producing new brain cells throughout life, a neurogenesis resulting in formation of hundreds of thousands of new neurons each month. "Prior to our work, everyone merely assumed that glia, the supporting cells of the brain, regenerated or that existing brain cells altered their connections," said Nixon. "We have shown a burst in new cell birth that may be part of the brain's recovery after the cessation of alcohol."

Chronic alcoholism, a disease affecting more than 8 percent of the adult U.S. population, or more than 17 million Americans, produces cognitive impairments and decreased brain volumes, both of which are partially reversed during abstinence.

[Quiescent]

Dangerous thinking

BFF,

congratulations on staying AF!

but here's why you shuould stay that way in your own words.

is to STOP, while you're contemplating having a drink, and size up the duration of the "giddiness" you'll get from the booze (for me it's about 1 hour, then it turns the corner into being "wrecked" or "useless" which really is NO fun), compared to how absolutely crappy (not to mention guilty) you'll feel for about the next 18 hours.
Do I really want to destroy the next 3/4 of a day for about 1 hour of silliness?

In addition, I LOVE good sleep. Alcohol destroys my sleep. Ask: do I really want to give up one more night of the thing I really love (not to mention is probably really good for me)?

Sometimes just slamming on the brakes and really focusing on the BADNESS that will follow is enough to stop me. Maybe it's a strategy that will work for you on certain days.
All is not lost. Hang in there. Our thoughts are with you.

[BoozeFreeFox]

Dangerous thinking

Thank you all.

I know every word that you all said is true. I just made this post to play "devil's advocate" and conjure up some encouraging words and THAT I did.
Everyone here is so nice, but you all have your own unique way of injecting a alittle "firmness" into your messages also, which we all need from time to time.
I especially liked the sentiments of:
don't be like everyone in society nowadays and expect a "quick fix"
and
don't let the "glamour" and "comfort" perceptions of booze start working on you to the point that you think it's OK to drink again

You are all correct--drinking sucks, and my life is so much more comfy now that I'v abstained for a bunch of days (I lost count--I think 15 now).

I'll tell you the coolest thing: I woke up at 2AM last night to take a whiz, climbed back in bed and instead of saying "holy crap, I feel awful and can't get back to sleep", I said "AHHHHHHHH, all comfy and cozy" and fell back asleep just like my little boys.
This is great. Thank you all.

BFF

[YoungAtHeart]

Dangerous thinking

Devils' Advocate, eh? That was a foxy one, Fox!! I'm glad you got the responses that you wanted. There are many good reasons to stay AF, and you brought up many of the reasons that we sometimes trick ourselves into thinking that it's "okay" to drink again. Thanks for the thought provoking thread.