Progress thread for ne

[gratitude]

Progress thread for ne

P.s.
It's a fallacy put forth by the meat industry that you can't get enough protein without meat.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

Morning, everybody!

Yep. You've pretty much summed it up. And after reading too much and not enough, I come bac(k) to a simple truth that has stood me in good stead. Keep it simple. This is not, after all, rocket science. It's simple neurochemistry.
All the nutrition stuff I've read has one thing in common. (And it's also what I've learned from the people here.) Refined sugar, simple carbs, chemical additives=not good for the body or brain. I have a preference not to eat meat. ("In all my future lives, ...May I never harm even a single hair of any living being..." Traditional Tibetan prayer I can't attest to what the future is going to bring, but I'm here now. Ya' know? Plus, it tastes bad. To me.)

Red, A stricter diet? :H oy. How is that even possible?
There is no question (in my mind) that aminos interact with bac for all of the reasons that you succinctly summed up on the other thread re. the brain chemistry. Whether they enhance or limit the effectiveness, depends on the amino, I suppose. (And I don't have time to investigate right now.) In the meantime, and forevermore, I will be careful with aminos in particular, supplements in general. Protein is...just an element of the big picture. I'm going to eat Greek yogurt, eggs, beans, quinoa, lentils. And yes, I'm already a gasbag. :blush: I skipped yoga yesterday because of it. (ok. I didn't really want to go anyway. But that would be embarrassing! And inevitable.)

Hiya, Grat! I saw your response on a thread re. anxiety. I cannot describe it. Everything I write can be summed up in this: Try it. You might like it! And you know what? It's not a sentence, irrevocable, a done deal. It's not even voodoo. It's simple neurochemistry. I think you're right about the meat. Thanks for the websites. I'll look!

Pro, I'm betting that there the entire book (Seven Weeks to Sobriety) is around here in various forms. It is predicated on the idea that we can heal our bodies/brains with supplements and nutrition. Good stuff for the most part. I also happened on Gershwin's Miracle yesterday. Oy. So much damn information out there! But he too suggests plants as the root of all goodness.

Ginger-That is taken verbatim from 7 weeks, (see what I mean Pro?) and it's what convinced me to try that as an option. I don't like taking a bunch of supplements I don't understand (or anything, for that matter, if it doesn't make sense.) I'm going to trust a little bit. Hypoglycemia is definitely something to look at, for me. And all of this is related to the disease...The fundamental chemical imbalance. For me. Now that I've got the beastly booze out of the way, I can do something about it.

Slipperish... Wow. That's really funny. And I did it again. I thought I was waiting for you! oy. Apologies. Again.

Susiesmum, if you should happen by, xxoo.

I am still freaking out a little bit about school and realized that I was not keeping that, or my life in general, very simple. Ugh. Which things to shelve? Which things to strictly adhere to? In some ways, as has been mentioned before, it's harder when it's not summed up by, "just keep taking the damn pills." But it shouldn't be. (And really, it isn't. Hardest thing I've ever done is take those damn pills. But I drove through a literal snowstorm to do it. And I'd do it again. Oh. Wait. I never stopped. :H whew. That's one thing I don't have to think about...)

Thanks for letting me air it all here. And, um, jkttdp!
:l
Ne

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

PM box is full, and it panics me a bit to dump it, so bear with me until I get that under control.
If you've asked and not gotten an answer, ask again! I promise there is someone around here with a suggestion!
And dammit, does anyone know of anything I can take for the whole bandaid effect? This is a helluvalotta work, the treating the cause and not the symptoms thing. I'd give my...well, nothing, but it would be nice to pop an adderall and get on with it. It'd even make adhering to the diet easier! :H and

[spacebebe01]

Progress thread for ne

Ne I have been wondering about the 7 weeks thing and trying it out, I notice there is also a 7 weeks books on depression, I will probably order it re getting a proper protocal going. I would be very intersted in getting a thread going on nutrition. Im worried tho are you trying to do too much wanting to quit so much so soon? wouldnt it be easier to do iti n baby steps one or two things at a time?

I dont know what you are talking about "the bandaid effect". is adderall for ADD? OK Ive just googled it, my son has had ADHD since childhood and has been on Ritalin, and then Concerta in the past, right now he is being left untreated by our crap NHS system, I am glad you have reminded me about this, I will get back onto them tomorrow. Have you been diagnosed with adult ADD?, that is what we are now having the problem with.

[Bminor]

Progress thread for ne

Ne- tried to respond to your PM this morning but you mailbox is full!!!

Anyway, alive and well and still not drinking... I think I've been off baclofen for like a month and a half now too? I did try to respond to you though!!! :H

[Cassander]

Progress thread for ne

A holiday weekend (in the USA) bump for newbies and lurkers

This thread is an inspiring story of one member's "ups and downs" getting to sobriety with baclofen. Worth reading from first to last.

Bac works!

Cass

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

Thanks, Cass.
In a fit of pique, I erased the entire first half. Partly because I was embarrassed by how completely desperate and hopeless I was. Silly me. I didn't know then that I was taking out the most important part. I really didn't believe that baclofen could make me not want to drink. But it did.

I'm working on the PM thing. I'll have a limitless box sometime soon and will get back to everyone. I promise.
xo

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

I have been keeping up with what is going on via email updates. This is very convenient, but then I can't remember where I saw what question or who asked it. So I thought I'd put some stuff here, and hope that whoever asked the question of me will find the answer! (Sorry!!!)

Ed (my husband) threatens to participate here every now and then when he wants my attention. But it's not his cup of tea. WAY to hard to navigate if one just wants to pop in every now and then, and he doesn't have a lot of time. He's here for Q and A, though. As I write I'm annoying him with comments and questions related to this. Neither of us can even remember our anniversary, so I've got to ask him the relevant questions. He indulges me.
He's taking 160mg/day. Down from 320mg/day. He stopped drinking against his will on July 6, 2011. He took xanax when he started to get anxious. I credit this early and consistent intervention with his basically effortless titration up. Plus we talked about it if something came up or I noticed that something was going on. (ie. he started having weird dreams. So I'd wake him up and then we'd talk about it later, and then he would get a bit annoyed and remind me that he was fine, and then he was.) Communication and support is a big plus. He's also a pretty moderate guy, in all ways except the one related to booze and drugs.
He stopped using xanax one day after taking it pretty regularly for a month or so. He did this without repercussion. He also stopped smoking pot when I told him how disturbing/frustrating/annoying I found it. He threw it out and hasn't smoked since. That was...about 3 months ago maybe? We're not sure. He's smoked pot every single day of his life except when he couldn't. I was very worried about him being able to stop. It was effortless. And according to him, right now, from the other room, he never thinks about it at all.

Someone else asked about how much I take.
I'm taking 200mg/day. I have been up and down and all around. I took 140mg/day for a couple of months, and then went up to 200mg because I was feeling anxious and out of sorts and baclofen seems to fix what ails me. I have definitely had SEs every time I switch the dose. Mostly sleep disruption stuff. The weird reality-dreams happen, and the sweating my sheets through. Very annoying, but nothing I can't deal with. I'm still indifferent. Still incredibly happy and optimistic, in spite of the up and down nature of trying to do this life-living-thing.

Hope it's a good day, everybody.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

Thanks, Reg.

[spacebebe01]

Progress thread for ne

Hi Ne, after reading what cass wrote I was going to spend this evening reading through all your thread, then you go and tell me you deleated the first part, oh well we all do daft things. I find it amazing that both you and your hubby stopped drinking using bac, I have also only just noticed that you found all this from getting the book out of the library, I do believe that things just seem to turn up in life just as and when we want them, and your finding a whole new life for both of you just from going to the library and finding one book is cosmic

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

Hiya, MWOers!

This morning I woke up, brushed my teeth, took my bac, and got a cuppa joe. Same routine I've been doing for 16 months. A year ago today, on my way home from a job I was desperate to be done with, I decided that it was too damn cold and dreary to bother stopping to pick up something to drink. The fact that there was not a case of wine in our apartment was pretty telling, in and of itself. But that night was the first night, in a long string of them, that I didn't drink against my will.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

Morning, MWO!

I'm going through a bad case of the "eff its". This always scares me a bit. So here I am, on the old thread...

I have completely stopped doing all of those things that have made such a huge difference. Exercise, meditation, nutrition, the search for inner meaning and truth above all else. Screw it! I mean, come on. A girl needs a friggin break every now and then.

I posted yesterday on another thread such glowing reviews of my life now. And the reviews are glowing. From almost everyone, not just me! But! A lot of people would find my life incredibly boring. Or would find me incredibly annoying. And it is and I am. I am, from some people's perspective, all work and no play. I am incredibly focused. I am also incredibly inpatient.

All that is to say that life, such as it is, is no different for me than it is for everyone else, I guess. EXCEPT that I am really, really content just having a life that isn't dictated by a secret. A shameful secret...

Someone mentioned my private girls high school yesterday. This filled me with "ugh". But I woke up this morning and I thought about it and I cannot really remember why it was so bad. No one was ever really mean to me. Things went okay. (Well, socially anyway. The academic part was a feckin' nightmare.) But I was already floundering.

The point, though, is this: I woke up with out dreaded and dreadful thoughts whirring around in my head when I thought about a time in my life that fills me with remorse and anger and regret. And that is the miracle of the chemical equilibrium. That is one of the reasons that I am still taking baclofen. Sobriety never gave me the ability to see through the negative mind spatter, the carousel of thoughts that kept me revolving around this same central theme (shame! regret! resentment!). And sobriety, with baclofen (and other work, I suppose) has stopped that damn merry-go-round. I don't sit on the back of that menacing pony anymore.

I am still struggling in some ways. I just don't struggle about booze. Or shameful secrets. But at the moment, I feel like crap. I'm a little dizzy. A little foggy. I want to go back to bed.

I have an exam in two hours and I couldn't thoroughly prepare for it because I can't really concentrate. I am very, very worried that if I can't find a solution to this quandary, I'm going to have to go way down on bac so I can take an adderall while I'm in school. I loathe this option for both reasons--going down on bac, and taking a medication that is a bandaid and not a fix.

These are random thoughts, I know. But I think I'm going to start posting here a bit. (maybe.)

I gotta go exercise. And meditate. And study. And, in the mortal and misled words of JayZ, get on to the next one.
Later.

Bminor, I don't think I messaged you. Thanks for responding here, and I'm so glad you're doing well. It's about time for another update.

Space, it IS amazing that Ed and I have whole new lives. And yes, the library thing...Wow. It's profound for me in so many ways...The power of the written word is not the least of it!

[GingerDust]

Progress thread for ne

Ne, maybe it won't be as bad as you think as far as having to go way down on baclofen and taking adderall for your ADD. Maybe you would have success with a smallish reduction in baclofen. As you know, sometimes it doesn't take a big difference in dose to have a big impact.

If adderall gets you through the semester, there's nothing wrong with that. Band-aids aren't bad. They aren't cures, so what? They work.

It's good to hear that life is going well for the most part. Good luck on the test. While you are struggling with having patience with the world, please try to remember to have some patience with yourself too.

[RedThread12]

Progress thread for ne

Dearest Ne:

Who knows? Maybe you're tired and need more rest. Maybe you're "about" to come down with something, and rest would keep that away. Just recall what has been coming to your attention more and more . . . and remember that we really don't have a clue, most of the time.

So to get "down" because of that is kind of futile.

My ex-husband recently gave me mp3's of 3 books by and "enlightened" guy. The phrase that has stuck with me the most is: "If you don't wake up each morning, realizing how naive you were yesterday, you are definitely NOT on the path to enlightenment." So now, when I wake up and realize that had I known then what I know now, I would have done it differently, I chalk it up as one more step.

And when I wake up in the morning and hear the thought: "You said you'd do WHAT?" I just forget about, because it is of no use at all. Then I do whatever the next thing is. Sounds like there's a loop having to do with "regrets" that has arisen for you. GOOD that it has arisen. Something to pay attention to, with some different skills, so you don't get bored.

My emoticons are still on strike (except smiley there, which I do with keystrokes.) Huggy thing, here.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Progress thread for ne

GingerDust;1262029 wrote: Ne, maybe it won't be as bad as you think as far as having to go way down on baclofen and taking adderall for your ADD. Maybe you would have success with a smallish reduction in baclofen. As you know, sometimes it doesn't take a big difference in dose to have a big impact.

Thanks, Ginger. I have had similar thoughts. There are two things that make me very nervous about going down on bac. Indifference is...freedom. I won't belabor the point, because I am not trying to...make anyone change their minds about what path they've chosen to achieve sobriety. It is sobriety that matters. But indifference is a whole different ball game. It's not that the choice has been removed, it's that given the choice, I choose not to drink. And could and have and will if I want. (Rarely. Very, very rarely. But this doesn't matter because I really and truly don't care.)

Indifference was hard won. It took months of titrating up and dealing with SEs. Then finding the right balance. And finally, working on what it means to be both sober and abstinent. While I'm not scared of booze anymore on a day-to-day level, I'm very scared of both craving and relapse. I'm pretty sure that given the choice between craving and taking a pill everyday, I'd quit taking the pill. I always have before.

I wonder too if it's kind of like having a diabetic stop taking insulin and manage sugar on their own. OA has a better analogy in his response to the paper that called baclofen a substitute. (grrrr. What a mistake that is. Makes me mad that the guy did that.) I can't remember what it is at the moment, though.

But yes, perhaps there is a middle ground. I'm going down 10mg/week. Maybe less. It's not just craving I'm worried about. And in fact, I've taken 1/2 of what I'm currently taking (180mg, down from 200mg two weeks ago) with no thoughts of booze entering the picture. But I was also becoming a Nervous Nellie again. Anxious and jumpy with thoughts of worst-case-scenarios running through my mind all the time. ugh.

Btw, someone asked me about my current side effects on a different thread and I think I forgot to answer. I don't have any.

Thanks for your thoughts, too, Redt. More later...
Reg, love your av.