Bashley and Friends

[magic]

Bashley and Friends

Hi Beatle

I'm sorry, you are of course correct.

One can have an aura prior to a seizure (stilll blaming the topamax here). The smell of burnt toast is one I believe. Flashing lights...

I spent a few minutes googling and didn't find anything up to date but if I get a chance I will try again later. I wouldn't rely on an aura though to give you any real warning though, I would just avoid the situation altogether.

If you are about to have a seizure due to alcohol withdrawal you are unlikely to notice or recognize an aura regardless, IMHO. I don't recall an aura but perhaps I was too busy seeing too many other things. Bash was kind enough to share his Boogeyman with me.

I have read so many different time frames I honestly don't know. Mine were almost exactly 48 hours after my last drink.

I wish I could come and mind the children for you beatle so you wouldn't have to worry so much. How are you today?

I am going now to throw cold water on two teenage boys to get them out of bed.
That will be the screaming you hear.

m. xx

[Bashley]

Bashley and Friends

African Aqualung

[COLOR=Purple]Having "done my time" in Nigeria in 1981, I was tranfered to the Camerouns, West Africa as Drilling Coordinator.

With this promotion came some nice perks such as Co. car, house, servants and a generous expense account which I may add made it easy to fuel my by now daily drinking habit and fit right in with everybody else doing the same thing. There was no television yet, so we really partied hearty.

My gardener/guard Daniel, only spoke African French and was a keen cultivator of "banga", the local wacky backie, which he grew and smoked regularly in my garden. His job was also to keep the pool clean, make chocolate banga cakes(Lethal!), keep the fridge well stocked with beer and generally be the man about the house.

One evening some friends came over for dinner. Mixed company and languages and the topic of conversation turned to diving in Victoria, on the coast, at the foot of the live volcano Mt. Cameroun 14,000 ft.. (Some of you may have seen the movie "Tarzan, Lord Greystoke" which was filmed there).
Whilst serving his very excellent banga dessert, Camerounian coffee and liqueurs, Daniel made the remark that the boys of his village did not need tanks to swim underwater and could stay down for as long as 15 minutes by breathing the air trapped under their armpits. We had all heard of Japanese pearl divers enormous lung capacity- but 15minutes with or without armpits? !!
The effects of fine living on both Daniel and ourselves having begun to take effect, we all adjourned pool-side and I fetched my camera. The challenge was on!

(All local dialect should be read as if Robin Williams was recounting a trip to Africa...)

Daniel was showing signs of nevousness , shifting left and right so I asked him in the local patois " What di problem?"
"Mastah," he replied,"di problehm be dat I not know how to swim, my Fada nevah don teech me."
Feeling that we were all in for some real enetertainment; I egged him on.
"Not worry dat head fo'h you. What'if you make get a bocket an' we fill de 'ting wit wahtah, wetin' yu' put di head an' stey deh for 15 minute fo'de clok on my a'hm. Dis O.K.?"
His face lit up and ever eager, he nodded and trotted off to get the bucket from the pump room. We were getting primed by this stage and definitely looking forward to some real black magic, you know, voodoo trances and stuff!

The bucket in place in front of us, duly filled with pool water; Daniel removes his uniform jacket and shirt, kneels down and signals us that he is ready. I started my chronograph and down he went up to his shoulders, under the water. Click! Photo.

10, 20, 40, a full minute and we're just starting to think that his village really does have something hidden from Jaques Coustaux up thier communal sleeves, when up comes Daniel, black wet as a sea lion, spluttering, chest heaving.
"What di mattah' Daniel, you sick?" I asked
"Oh no Mastah! Jus a small problim".
" Small? How small dis problim yu' be havin' undah di wahtah?" I urged fighting to control myself.
" Mastah, so sorry baht wid mi head in di boket, A'm not eble to tek air from ander mi aahmpeets !!"

Well, I can still feel the stitch in my side from us all rolling about laughing!!
Daniel's uneducated innocence continued to be an almost unceasing source of entertaiment for us all.

Gave up all that partying and valley of the dolls routine a long way back but only started paying the price for all those years of drinking a couple of months ago. So far so good - I'm just keeping my :fingers: ...

BFN

Bashley :goodluck:
/COLOR]

[Bashley]

Bashley and Friends

Any experiences with "AF Beer"?

Hello Everyone,

I've had quite a stressfull weekend on the quiet. What with everybody around me partying their butts off and my daughter's 9th birthday n'all. Being talked at, get me this and that, not enough ice cream/soft drinks/assemble this/incessant loud cellphone calls while dining, Blah d Blah d Blah..
All enough to drive anyone to drink, so:- I tried a German Non- Alcohol beer, 2 actually. It was only when the waitress brought the second one, that I read the lable.
0.5% alcohol!
Have I fallen off the wagon and have any of you nice people heard anything about this stuff? I must admit that later on Friday evening, my craving was so bad that I had to take a taxi home and leave the revelers to their own devices.
Probably should have listened to my inner voice which told me not to join them in the first place...

Any experiences would be much appreciated.
Thanks and stay at it folks

Bashley :beach: ull

[betty boop]

Bashley and Friends

Hi Bashley, I've never wrote on your posts before but have been reading them avidly, you are an excellent writer.

No I don't think that you fell off the wagon with the alcohol free beer, but thanks for sharing that with us.

As for the seizures, my daughter has suffered with epilepsy since birth due to a bleed in the brain during labour, I have researched quite a lot, sometimes the aura can be pins and needles in the fingers, a funny smell, or just a strange feeling, my advice is if you feel anything unusual then lie down on the floor until it passes, just in case.

Love & Hugs to you all, BB xx

[Cinders]

Bashley and Friends

Bashley,

Many people on this site drink the AF Beer or Wine. I believe .5% alcohol is a pretty small amount.

Some of the "old" timers here can give you some advice on dealing with the cravings after being sober for a while. I understand they come on you for quite some time.

My reading and researching has shown that they last for many months/years after quitting, so it is something we will all have to deal with for a while.

It is good you decided to leave rather than cave. Shows you are in it for the long haul.

Hang in there,
Cindi

[beatle]

Bashley and Friends

I have heard that non-alcoholic beer is actually not quite that. But I guess it's supposed to be close enough... still, that little bit might have been enough to trigger the cravings. Good for you for removing yourself from temptation.

Thanks for your great stories. They also remind us why we don't want to be drunk-- fun at the time, yes, but maybe a tad embarrassing in retrospect?

[Beaches]

Bashley and Friends

Bashley, I haven't posted here either but have been reading. You are an excellent writer.
I don't think that you are in any risk of falling off the wagon with the AF beer and think it was a very wise decision to leave when you did. Many would have just stayed and then regretted it in the morning after giving into the cravings. Good for you!

[Bashley]

Bashley and Friends

Thank Folks on "AF Beer".

Thanks to all of you who took the trouble to contribute. Great!
I will however limit my consumption, as it seems that just the taste and smell of beer, triggers my mind to wanting more of the same and/or blowing things completely. It's a personal battle and a matter of pride.
You know; sometimes I get the feeling that people(on the outside) are just waiting for me to fall flat on my arse. Hell I've done it before!!
My heavy drinking friends don't want to come over any more since I've become a party- pooper by not drinking. They must be scared of looking at themselves in the mirror.
Bye the way- apologies for being a little too blas?e in Daniel's story.:truce: The article has been edited to suit certain ethnic technicalities.:xxx:
BFN

Bashley ( goin' on 70+ days with the :crazymonkey: just behind me!)
:beach:

[Hannah]

Bashley and Friends

Thank you Bashley. Much more easy to read. Your story about the Bush Hawg and the fellows at the General Store reminds me of a trip my hubby & I took through B.C. (That's British Columbia, Canada) one year. We were fairly close to the US/Canada border , so decided to go across and buy some American beer. Ended up in a little town called Danville, Washington. Hick town, for sure. Looked like something out of Deliverance. Old guys sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of the General Store, chewing and spitting. Hubby went into the store, I elected to wait in the truck. Well, he didn't come out. And he didn't come out. I was sitting in the truck absolutely panicing, thinking they had him out back and were beating him up and/or worse, and finally he walks out of the store w a case of beer under his arm. He had gotten into a conversation w someone, can you imagine - and was standing in there VISITING while I was freaking out wondering what to do. Never have forgotten that experience.:H

[IAD]

Bashley and Friends

Bashley,
Non Alcoloic beer has alcohol. It's just in small amounts. I quess the FDA has to set standards for these types of beer. If you drink St. Pauly Girl, it's going to have more alcohol then let's say some of the American non-alcoholic stuff. Non-Alcoholic beer can have up to 2.0% alcohol. IAD

[diamond]

Bashley and Friends

I like your last post Bashley !!! - certain E.T. censored! see my pm ......

I get the feeling your just a little bit cheeky.....

Diamond

[Bashley]

Bashley and Friends

Cheers IAD et al.

Another evening with my wife's family over - daughter's birthday.
Felt strange. Most people were opting for beer when stronger stuff was offered. Almost as if they were controling themselves on my account because I know before my "internship", they would have been right into the single malt. My wife, who was on Aguardiente (local ouzo), made the comment that she felt like she was being monitored more closely than me. Quiet chuckle to myself for all the times I was being "controlled" by some of the hypocrits in our midst.
Anyway had a Becks Non-Alcoholic which labeled itself as 0.2% with the Nasi Goreng. Tasted O.K., but the 2nd with Maracuya(passion fruit) & chocolate birthday cake, tasted like something the cat brought in. :yukko: Maracuya juice tasted much better. Will use the one taste bottle mixed with shampoo tomorrow morning as a great conditioner and rinse it down the drain where it belongs. Thanks for the heads up on the international differences IAD.
Good night everyone and sleep well. :baaah: Best Regards
Bash. :byebye: :byebye:

[Niblet]

Bashley and Friends

Hey Bash, I just read and laughed my head off at all your stories !!! You are doing soo great !! Keep up the good work !

[betty boop]

Bashley and Friends

Yep, Bashley you are great xx

[happycamper68]

Bashley and Friends

Bashley you really are the best! I just got to read all of this!