Newbies Nest

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Hey Ally! Sorry to hear about the Friday night party, but on the positive side, you didn't enjoy the wine! It took a long time for me to realize I hadn't really enjoyed drinking for a very long time. I wasn't drinking to enjoy it, I was drinking to get a fix. So here's to figuring that out sooner than later! ALSO, one of the many contributing factors to my quitting were my liver enzymes. I had them tested....high. Went back 6 months later, HIGHER! But then once I stopped AL, I had them retested 3 and a half months later >>> NORMAL! Thank goodness, for me anyway, the liver is a very forgiving organ, but I was going downhill fast. Good on you for recognizing all this and taking steps to correct. I am very proud of you.
Have a wonderful Sunday! B

[Mick]

Newbies Nest

Byrdie off to Tenerife in the morning....fingers crossed for an af week..take care

[almost free]

Newbies Nest

Hi Ally,

One thing that helps tremendously in rehabilitating the liver in very short time is Milk Thistle, available at any health food store. I belive the theraputic dose is 150mg, 4 times a day. It doesn't conflict with any known meds and has been around for over 2,000 years.

If you start taking them now, I believe that when you go for testing, you will come up normal. Get a good quality one. Jarrow is one I use, aroung $12 for a month supply. Milk thistle not only intercepts the free radicals caused by alcohol ingestion, but helps to regenerate the liver's tissues.

I've always taken it, even when drinking, and I've never had a liver problem. Hope this helps.

I'm having to count day 1 for me as Saturday, the 17th, because I was finishing off my supply up until 5am on Friday. When I woke up a couple of hours later, I didn't drink the whole day, but am not sure I can really count that day, due to the early morning hour drinking. Good luck to us both. Let's hope this is our last 'quit'.

Congratulations Navasana! And thanks to everyone for being there for all of us struggling Newbies. The last couple of withdrawal were so horrible, I want to forever more Thank God everyday for the gift of sobriety, instead of harboring the resentment that I can't enjoy drinking like all the people on those (especiallly holiday) commercials.

I am going to resort, as suggested, to an actual slap in my own face, everytime those sneaky AL thoughts worm their way in. It is such a mystery, that these thoughts can still come, even a day after recovering from a hellish withdrawal. True insanity! But I'm willing to try anything, no matter how strange it sounds. It just may work!

[kuya]

Newbies Nest

Navasana;1413449 wrote: Oh gosh I wrote a long message and it disappeared. I am struggling with emotions and frustrations. I am not handling the little things well. Like losing an earrring and coping with the ipad since we still have no internet and verizon wont say when they are coming. I look forward to encouraging others and responding personally. I just went to see all your names so i could respond on an individual basis to comments and lost everything i wrote. We went to a 50th a party last night for my sister in law. I drank a lot! ; ) a bottle of tonic and a bottle of seltzer. I feel exhausted today. Like a drank two bottles of wine!! Anyway. Trying to stay positive. I slept late but wanted to get up bright and early. We have another party today but that's in the afternoon for a little niece so should be fine there. Tonight is night 7AF. I will be back. Thanks brdlady, alcoholic and others!!!

NAV...... Be VERY proud of yourself, 7 days is awesome! .......you even get a prize LOL.
Don't worry about helping anyone but yourself in the first couple of weeks. Just focus and post as often as you can. Irritability is normal......you are withdrawing and it is a massive shock to the body......anyway :goodjob:

[Pinecone]

Newbies Nest

Hi friends! I hope everyone is having a great AF weekend.

Navasana, hi and welcome! You are doing so well this far, and it makes me glad to see. There were some highs and lows for me too at the beginning. I kind of figured that my body was resetting itself at different points. Staying hydrated, eating well, excercising and eating well are pretty important at all times, but especially for you right now. Like Byrdie often says you'll almost never have two bad days in a row, pretty true in my experience! Stay strong, you have alot to contribute here!

Kradle, I hope you are doing better today. Good thoughts sent your way.

Take care, everybody!

[Mom21961]

Newbies Nest

So... Close to three weeks in to my sobriety, I figure I can moderate with the help of the supplements. Ummm... NO!!! Holy hell, I was hoping to be able to have a glass of wine on Thanksgiving, so I decided to try a small bottle this week... Which led to a litre, which led to a box. My dh, bless his heart is clueless to my drinking, but my 13 year old can tell in a heart beat. I was a daily drinker and moderation is a freaking pipe dream for me. I guess I had to find it out for myself. So, back on the wagon I go. Damn.

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Mick, what is Tenerlife? I'm sorry, you UK'rs speak a different English! Hope you have a wonderful Holiday! XO, B

[Alcoholic]

Newbies Nest

Almost free: where do you buy the Jarrow brand of milk thistle?

[RunningCourage]

Newbies Nest

Mom2JTx3;1413551 wrote: So... Close to three weeks in to my sobriety, I figure I can moderate with the help of the supplements. Ummm... NO!!! Holy hell, I was hoping to be able to have a glass of wine on Thanksgiving, so I decided to try a small bottle this week... Which led to a litre, which led to a box. My dh, bless his heart is clueless to my drinking, but my 13 year old can tell in a heart beat. I was a daily drinker and moderation is a freaking pipe dream for me. I guess I had to find it out for myself. So, back on the wagon I go. Damn.

It's maddeningly quick, how quick we can go back to where we once were! I tried to mod the week before last, and went down fast. I've never been scared by drinking, but that scared me a bit - just how easy it was.

But it's brilliant how you have come back, brushed yourself down and are here to try again. Of course it's not easy, but it's so, SO much more worth it than the alternative.

I had to remind myself of what one hit would lead to. I'm at my folks in the beautiful Scottish countryside by myself for some peace this weekend. While making dinner tonight, I opened a can of coke and took a sip and then thought how a really large helping of vodka, rum or whisky would be with that coke. It was the initial hit I was a thinking about, almost craving. And i thought of what happened last week... and i reckoned that if i had that one, then i'd want more (even now when i think about it, if i have one, i do want more... i do find it hard to compute one with being well, just one!)... and would then be slumped here flicking through TV channels, not being able to write coherently, or get ready for teaching first thing tomorrow morning - and oh, god, the thought of teaching with a hangover... NO!

It's not easy, but it's worth it.

[Mom21961]

Newbies Nest

Thanks RC. It's good to know we're not in this fight alone!! Congrats on staying strong!

[Byrdlady]

Newbies Nest

Fin, I just checked back in to see that you have posted to the roll! On behalf of the Newbie's Nest, please accept this small token of a job well done! :moon: We all know what a big task this is. Winning awards may not be your biggest incentive to be AF, but keep in mind at 30 days you get a hat! I am so happy for you!

Mom2, if you take what you did and repeat it about 70 times, you have me. I never drank harder than the year I tried to moderate. Good on you for recognizing the trap sooner than later. RC is so right, it's not easy, but so worth it. To get thru the course of a day without thinking about AL....well, THAT's a good day! It is possible, and you're looking at her! Well done to you! Byrdie

[Mom21961]

Newbies Nest

Thank you byrdlady! Your experience makes me believe there's a way out.

[kuya]

Newbies Nest

Mom2JTx3;1413551 wrote: So... Close to three weeks in to my sobriety, I figure I can moderate with the help of the supplements. Ummm... NO!!! Holy hell, I was hoping to be able to have a glass of wine on Thanksgiving, so I decided to try a small bottle this week... Which led to a litre, which led to a box. My dh, bless his heart is clueless to my drinking, but my 13 year old can tell in a heart beat. I was a daily drinker and moderation is a freaking pipe dream for me. I guess I had to find it out for myself. So, back on the wagon I go. Damn.

Everybody needs to find this out for themselves.......AF is just easier IMHO...... and WHY would you wanna drink poison anyway?

Try and put your words into a story where it was heroin addiction...... What would you say to someone who tried to moderate their heroin?

[Dottie Belle]

Newbies Nest

Picked up a few things from my dads...I am NOT ready to start going through all the stuff in that house just yet...they moved there in 1959. Going to be a lot of work and when I am ready we will take one room at a time....I will of course have to look through the stuff and also plan to take a shredder.

Cleaned out the tomato beds today. Looks good for the winter. going to plant differently next year. I do like to garden...retirement hobby...also plan to take some courses on horticulture.

dottie

[almost free]

Newbies Nest

Hi Ally,

If you are in the States, I believe most big chain health stores, Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe have it. The chain where I used to get it went out of business, like many have, in this recession. If they don't have Jarrow, just ask for a good brand that is not generic. It should say something like "standandardized to contain 80% silymarin" (the active ingredient). Some brands contain other ingredients that are supposed to be good for the liver, but are generally much more expensive. I usually just got the straight milk thistle, because I was spending so much on so many other supps.

Believe it or not, I am/was very into healthy eating, vitamins, and supplements when not drinking. Did tons of reading on the subject, in the earlier years when I was trying to quit. Ended up reading, (among many many articles and online health sites), "Seven Weeks to Sobriety' by Joan Larson, (available at most libraries, you can even put a hold and have it sent to your local branch).

She takes a more orthomolecular/nutritional approach. I spoke with her on the phone after reading how much success she had with this approach. She was so kind, even though I had had a few drinks when I called her in despair. She was written about in a small health publication. She made it her life's work, after her teenage son, suffering so terribly with alcoholism after the death of his father, committed suicide. I will never forget her kindness.

She has an outpatient clinic or mail order of the supplements and program. I basically found out what I needed, how to take them and purchased everything at my local health food store. That, and a change of diet, to eliminate sugar and junk, made a huge difference and allowed me to achieve my two (now lost) years of sobriety.

So sorry I let all that go. Not so easy to get back as I thought, but still trying, like so many others. Sorry to go on and on.......