Newbies Nest

[KENSHO]

Byrdie, have safe travels!

Hanna, congratulations on starting your 30 days. All I can say is that you will never regret not drinking.

Enzo'smom, I liked your link! One of the most amazing things about not drinking for me is that my brain does seem to function better. A LOT better. It's like a bunch of mud and muck has been removed, and it has been re-oiled to work more smoothly. My husband drinks and the mornings after, he is forgetful and grumpy and slow in responding. I truly believe alcohol is one of those things that is really damaging to EVERYone who drinks it. Like the sugar industry, the alcohol industry has done its best to make sure that they are romanticized as things that enhance life - not as damaging drugs. It's capitalism at the expense of health - how sad.

On the topic of "what to tell others", I worried about this a lot at first. It was a big stumbling block for me. Somehow, after a few times of just saying "I don't drink", I got to a point that I just don't care what others think. And I think others care much less than we think they do. Of course, the challenge is saying "I don't drink" if you are not fully committed to the statement.

I have the kids unexpectedly today. I have a short work week already so I'm feeling a bit of pressure as to HOW to get the work done. But I am going to try to enjoy being with them. They are young and still want their mama - soon enough they will want nothing to do with me!

Happy sober Monday everyone. It's worth every effort!

[NoSugar]

Glad you're on the "alcohol is the problem" team, Kensho. It is just nasty stuff.

Hanna, I was trying to distill what worked for me to the shortest list I could:
1. High involvement with complete honesty here.
2. Constant awareness of and gratitude for how much better my life is without alcohol.
3. Development of alternative ways to deal with stress (exercise, yoga, meditation, hypnosis apps).
4. Eating quality food to avoid hypoglycemia AT ALL TIMES.
5. Willingness to do anything other than drink for that first 30 days (with the initial plan to reassess at that time but because of 1-4 above, there was no need - I knew I wanted an AF life).

All the best, NS

[Hanna]

Thank you for the kind words and the "likes" 2 pm and thinking about (drumroll) DINNER. Yes, dinner. In about 3 hours I plan to eat a really nice dinner (Greek food) after which, I can enjoy my workout (even if full) and an evening FREE from craving. BTW, been checking out L Glut. What do you guys think about it? Was it of help? Also, do you know the recommended amounts? I think I read 2,000 MSG 3 times a day but not sure. Would be a bummer if I quit drinking and overdosed on an amino acid

[KENSHO]

I don't think that there is any question that alcohol is very damaging to our bodies, especially our brains. It isn't even a debate. We are all on the same team that alcohol has been damaging to our lives and we are here to change that.

Great list NS! I second ALL your bullets, especially not getting hungry, and learning other ways to deal with stress. In addition, I would add:

1. keep quality alcohol-free drinks on hand and IN HAND at all times when there is a temptation.
2. Keep connected to this website or another support, and post BEFORE you think of drinking. There is always someone here. If you try to tackle a strong craving yourself, chances are that AL will win. I posted this weekend that I was having "thoughts" and got a response from NS - that was enough to keep me on the right track and adjust my thinking.

[Hanna]

Thank you. I wanted to "like" this, but haven't figured out how to do that yet!

[BeachGirly]

Great list NS and Kenso - thank you for sharing this.

Totally agree.
I have not been sugar free. I had tried to do that at the beginning, which is only over 50 days ago, and I felt it was a bit too much to take on at once. Now that I am feeling much stronger on the AL front, it is time to take on this next bit. Thanks for the kickstart.

BG

[NoSugar]

I have not been sugar free. I had tried to do that at the beginning, which is only over 50 days ago, and I felt it was a bit too much to take on at once. Now that I am feeling much stronger on the AL front, it is time to take on this next bit. Thanks for the kickstart.

BTW, been checking out L Glut. What do you guys think about it? Was it of help? Also, do you know the recommended amounts? I think I read 2,000 MSG 3 times a day but not sure. Would be a bummer if I quit drinking and overdosed on an amino acid

There seems to be a lot of variation among individuals re: sugar. For some, it is a really great substitute for alcohol at the beginning (hopefully not over the long term). For others, it just fires up the reward cycle and increases the desire for alcohol. The important thing is to figure out what works for you. I'd encourage anyone who is unsuccessfully using sugar as an AL substitute to give the other approach a try.

The L-Glutamine is pretty useful for sugar and AL cravings, principally b/c our brains can metabolize it so we don't get that signal of starving for sugar or craving for alcohol. As long as your kidneys and liver are ok and you don't have cancer, it is a safe supplement. There are trials using 10 g/d and you'll need much less than that. My approach was to buy the 500 mg gelatin capsules of L-glutamine and allow one to just dissolve slowly under my tongue as needed. Usually 1 was enough - might need another an hour or so later (so that was more like 1 g/day with more occasionally). It varied and I think related to how well I was doing eating good food that supplied my brain with plenty of nutrition so there were no cravings to start with. Some people take set doses of L-Glutamine throughout the day, like you noted, Hanna. I found the as-needed approach to work for me.

[Hanna]

Thank you NS.

[Healthybutempty]

Hello everyone, how are you? ive been sober for over 11 months but the last little while have started getting depressed/ anxious and paranoid and my rheumatoid arthritis has been getting worse. It has been getting harder and harder for me to stay sober; today has been especially bad. I just learned about post acute withdrawal which i never knew about before, but im not sure what to do to stop from relapsing other than just tough it out?

[Guitarista]

Greetings Nester's near and not so far.

Hi Hanna! :checkin:

YOGA. Here's a free 10 day yoga course beginning feb 16th. Thanks for the link My happy place.

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/10-day-core-strength-challenge

Have a great week y'all.

[Guitarista]

Hi Healthy but empty. Welcome to you friend.

Great going on 11 months AF. You are almost at 1 year off the booze! What a huge achievement for yourself to date. Congratulations and be proud. The arthritis sounds tough, but hang in there and i hope you can find some relief without resorting to the ultimately damaging effects of booze.

Have you read our toolbox thread? There are some posts there that talks about our thinking. Gratitude thinking versus deprivation thinking. I will find the link for you.......https://www.mywayout.org/community/sh...l=1#post481120

The above link is a couple of pages into the toolbox. I think you will find it very useful reading from page 1.

All the best, G

[See the Light]

The L-Glut was one of greatest things for me initially to break that physical need for alcohol. I’ve never considered myself to have a “sweet-tooth” as I’m not really a fan of cakes, pies, cookies candy, etc..but alcohol was the one sugar my brain got hooked on. I don’t take the L-Glut anymore, but considered it very helpful the 1st few weeks when the urge for just one more drink was overwhelming.
Glutamine is the most abundant single amino acid found in the bloodstream, but is considered non-essential, so whether it works for you is an individual preference and depends on a lot of things.. L-glut supplements, along with plenty of water, can make a difference for you when you feel you “have to have a drink right now”, or they may do nothing for you. Starting off slow and building up could help see if it makes a difference.

Healthy animal-based sources also include lean meat, skinless poultry, fish and low-fat or nonfat dairy products. You’ll also get glutamine from beans, wheat germ, oats, spinach and cabbage. Since it’s not an essential amino acid, a recommended daily intake has not been established. The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests supplemental doses of 500 milligrams taken one to three times daily. Glutamine is safe for most people, but consult your physician before taking supplements if you have kidney disease, you’re sensitive to monosodium glutamate or you take anti-epilepsy drugs.

Best wishes on your sober journey…

[Byrdlady]

Evening, nesters!
Made it to south Florida for my sales meeting!
Great to meet you, HBE, you've come to a great place to get your batteries recharged!!!
A hectic day, (they've just about sucked all the fun out of flying!) getting for for the Meet and Greet tonight. It will be good to see old friends! If I can do this, I know you can, too! Byrdie

[Healthybutempty]

Thank you, i have been reading through the toolbox and there is some interesting stuff there. ive been trying to take my mind off drinking by watching tv and studying a bit and drinking tea, but i am still really craving it...
One thing I still have not been able to do is forgive myself for my past drug use and addiction and alcohol addiction. I feel down on myself and depressed alot. I need to learn how to love myself again. This coming september I am returning to school but I am hoping to get my addictions and paranoia/depression under control before then so it doesnt interfere with how well i do in my courses....

[Resolve]

Hey HBE - sounds like you've got some significant AF time under your belt and it's worth every bit of energy you have to preserve that. The toolbox is loaded with good stuff, and maybe some new coping methods or tools might do the trick to get you over this rough patch. Nearly a year of sobriety is a tremendous feat, one I'm certain means everything to you and that you worked incredibly hard to achieve. Hold on tightly to that and don't let this wobble take you back to a place you don't want to be again. I'm nowhere near you in terms of AF time but imagine I'd fight like hell to hang onto it too.

Maybe you've seen or read the relapse thread, but here's a link to help give you some additional perspective. Keep pushing through as best you can and stay strong.

https://www.mywayout.org/community/showthread.php?73619-Relapse-in-Retrospect