~cattleman cafe~ & another 24...

[dill]

Cowboy, thanks for those marvelous pancakes yesterday. We'll be having those again here soon!

Yes Jude, a hangover fee Monday never gets old!

I'll take another day of freedom. 24 more for all of us here, please and thank you.

[abcowboy]

4:48am in Alberta, another 24 please, and thanks...

In the last 24 hours, these friends have joined in for 24 hours of wellness:
Jude58 dill Rava Ginger999

Today is going to be a darn good day not to drink!

[abcowboy]

I'll join y'all being grateful for a hangover free Monday!

[Rava]

Good morning Cafe. Jude, I am joining you in a hangover free Monday! 24 more please and thank you!

[Slo]

Good morning,

Yesterday I traveled, and got to spend time with family. With my sister, to go to our mother’s; then the three of us down to meet for lunch with my aunt & uncle. Then stopped by a brother’s house to drop something off, and got to spend a bit of time with him and a niece and nephew. It assuaged my loneliness, and replenished some oxytocin.

But was also the mixed bag of pain too, that family can bring. Like how the generational dysfunction & abuse has left so many of us scarred & traumatized and not functioning well.
Like how thanks to my mother’s rejection, my brother is now drowning in severe, chronic alcoholism; and I have realized of late that he is essentially gone…he isn’t choosing the path of trying to find a way out. It is so sad. But we all have to choose this for ourselves, and we can’t do it for anyone else.

Thanks for the reminder, Jude, to use the strategy of gratitude to try to rebalance when things aren’t going well. I hope you have a better day today.

I am committed to another 24 hours!

[Ginger999]

Slo, that sounds like a BIG day. I got tired just reading about it. So sorry for the trauma you and your brother had to endure. My thoughts go out to your brother and his situation.

Taking the new truck on a road trip. Hope all goes well! Grateful forvall if you. I'll take another day of freedom!

[Mulburry]

Slo, I was on lexapro years back and I never really felt it was helping me. In addition, it seemed to coincide with weight gain so I think it may've been causal. Anyway, I went off of it, but did it without doctor's guidance and oh my! That was a mistake. Definitely one I will not repeat. Tapering would have been the better choice for certain!

Jude, we are going to be in the 30s today! It's going to feel like Spring.

That sounds horrible Dill. I've considered anti-depressants a few times in the past, but the idea of having to get off them eventually and deal with withdrawals from that scared the hell out of me. Just because something is prescribed legally doesn't mean it can't have a profound effect on your brain, and also doesn't mean you can't develop a dependence on it (the opposite in fact). Dealing with a severe dependence on one psychoactive substance (ie alcohol) was enough for me for a lifetime, so no thank you. I'd rather just tough it out, and try to deal with my issues in other ways. Best of luck with your tapering Slo , and remember, there's never any downside to going more slowly, whereas there may be with going too fast.

We are also still in a gorgeous sunny (and relatively warm- 5c) weather stretch, with 2 more days to go. I was finally feeling good enough to get a short hike in today, and boy was it magnificent being up at the viewpoint with nothing but mountains and blue skies all around.

[Jude58]

Mulburry, sounds like you had a great hike with a wonderful view at the top. I live in a very hilly area but the Adirondack mountains are about an hours drive north of us. They are beautiful and I definitely need to get up there for some hiking when the weather improves.

Slo, dealing with family dynamics can be tricky, especially when you throw addiction into the mix. I would try to remember the good times and forget the bad as much as you can.

Who wants to join me in another 24 hours of freedom?

[dill]

I will gladly join you, Jude! I hope you do get to take some time to visit the Adirondacks. It's funny how we tend not to go to the wonderful places in our own backyards.

Mul, I was not honest with my doctor at that time so she did not know of my dependence on alcohol when she prescribed the lexapro. So I continued to struggle with the alcohol and was taking lexapro simultaneously. I was living dangerously and felt more lost than ever. I'm so glad those days are behind me. I

A day of freedom for all of us here, please and thank you.

[Rava]

Good morning Cafe. Slo, It sounds like you had a rough day yesterday. You are right about your brother and not being able to change him. Glad that you took a different path. Mul, sounds like your hike was a beautiful part of your day. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be. Hope everyone has a great day. Volunteer job today. 24 more please and thank you.

[abcowboy]

5:21am in Alberta, 24 more for me please, and thanks...

In the last 24 hours, these friends have joined in for 24 hours of wellness:
Jude58 dill Rava Slo Ginger999 Mulburry

Today is going to be a darn good day not to drink!

[abcowboy]

It does sound like a very busy day Slo, but you did manage to see lots of family.

we're having those same mild temps Mulburry. Last time it was warm I did beef steaks on the smoker, today I think it'll be pork tenderloin.

Waving to the rest of the gang, let's all have a day of freedom as Jude suggested.

[Slo]

There will be delicious meat at Cowboy’s house soon! Maybe we’ll get some of the leftovers for Sunday brunch!

Yes, I plan to enjoy my brother while I still have him, and remember what an amazing little brother he once was.

Mulberry, going even slower on my Lexapro taper would have been better, but I have just accidentally just done two tapers in a row 5 days apart (due to confusion between cutting up 5mg or 10mg tablets), so I have had a bumpy ride here! Well, at least now next month’s final cessation will be easier.
Yes, I have found even caffeine to be too hard to go off of! So I stay on that.

I have an opportunity to vacation in Florida for a few days! My friend has invited me to stay at her rental, in between when her husband can be there and when her daughter is coming. I fly out tomorrow morning. So looking forward to warmth and relaxation!

I’ll take another day of freedom from alcohol.

[Ginger999]

Slo, that trip sounds wonderful! Enjoy.

Hmmmm I've taken an antidepressant for years and never thought of going off. I have had suicidal ideations since I was young. Don't want to ever feel like that again!

Headed into Mexico for the day. Sister has never been so going across at Las Algodones for a couple hours.

No alcohol for me! I'll take another day of freedom