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    #16
    Sabby's Progress Thread

    baked goods are a good alternative to drinking. i think they turn into the same stuff as booze, especially beer, though more slowly.

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      #17
      Sabby's Progress Thread

      Hi All,

      Another AF night. I had a loooooooong but good day. I did everything I said I would in my last post except bake some holiday cookies. I just ran out of time.

      Another dose of bac - no SE that I can see (they, that rhymes!). I'm tired but that's because I got up at 5am, I ran 11 miles today, biked 14 miles, had a very productive but busy day at work, ran my kid around for his afterschool stuff, and made a pizza (which came out great!).

      I'm BEAT!

      So far, though, this is the most boring progress thread ever...

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        #18
        Sabby's Progress Thread

        I haven't read the whole thread but just wanted to say well done with the AF nights. I have found that the more of them you have, the easier it gets to have further nights without booze (or other drugs too, in my case).

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          #19
          Sabby's Progress Thread

          Hi Greg,

          Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the kind words! Although, I don't feel accomplished yet. I still have a little anxiety that my ability to have some AF nights (before the bac really kicks in) will diminish. I actually normally have 2-4 AF nights in a week. It's Thurs-Sun where it tends to fall apart. So...let's see if I can make it through the weekend.

          And this weekend I have a holiday party every night!!!!

          So, part of me is anxious about that. But another part of me reminds myself that it's when I'm alone that have the most trouble. I can usually make it through a social gathering that's got lots of booze, normally because I need to be really fresh the next day, like for a really long run.

          So, I will document every day but I'm excited and nervous about what the weekend will bring.

          Sabby

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            #20
            Sabby's Progress Thread

            SabbyATL;1225786 wrote: So far, though, this is the most boring progress thread ever...
            That's a good thing!
            Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness.
            George Santayana

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              #21
              Sabby's Progress Thread

              Haha, I guess so!

              So, I'm sooooo tired. I have been getting the lightest, most broken sleep ever. I think because I've been AF. I know I said I usually have several AF days in a row before all hell breaks loose on a weekend but I've actually had almost no AF days since Thanksgiving. :/

              So I'm thinking it's withdrawal. But if it's the worse symptom then I suppose I will be okay in a day or two. I don't think it's the bac. I'm still only on 5mg a day, taken at 6:30pm, though today I took it at 7 because I was still at the store...

              I am still trying to fill my day with interesting stuff to stave off cravings. I biked to/from work. And now I 'm cooking dinner.

              In fact, right now I am making beef stew and ugali (which is an African dish made of cornmeal - it looks like mashed potatoes and is sort of like grits, except thicker and dryer. Great with beef stew over it!).

              Then I am going to try to make some peanut brittle and some biscotti.

              I had a little bit of craving for beer today while I was grocery shopping. Went over to the beer aisle and checked out all the NA beers. I think they have them all.

              Anyone here ever drink NA beer when they crave beer? Does it make the cravings worse? Or will it satisfy a little without being Al?

              Oh, while I was in the health food aisle I was by the cold beverage section, where they serve all the weird teas. I bought some komboucha. Man, that stuff tastes like bad wine! But I don't think it has Al in it, right? Anyway, I stuck it in the fridge. Thought it was gross. Will have to mix it with Diet Sprite to get it down (which makes me think, why bother, just chuck it).

              Anyway, off to cook and read some of your threads!

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                #22
                Sabby's Progress Thread

                SabbyATL;1226395 wrote: So, I'm sooooo tired. ...
                Hi Sabby

                Is that because you ran 11 miles and biked 14 miles yesterday?


                FWIW, and my opinion may not count (since I quit AL cold turkey and am therefore undoubtedly going to relapse some day), but I replaced my numerous evening martinis with occasional O'Doul's or Beck's NA, and it gives me something cold and tart and tasty to drink before dinner but has no effect on craving, etc. I actually kinda like the taste of them.

                Frankly, while you are titting up it doesn't much matter whether you drink NA Beer since in some short period of time you will be indifferent!

                Nevertheless, I am sure there is a lot of negative opinion about NA Beer out there...just not mine.

                Best,

                Cassander
                With profound appreciation to Dr Olivier Ameisen for his brilliant insight and courageous determination

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                  #23
                  Sabby's Progress Thread

                  sabby, i'm trying real hard to stay in the spirit of replying to your post, but now my ex has his gf on speaker phone and i'm suddenly annoyed.

                  anywhoot, refocus...

                  um, i think non-al beer is just fine. it's more than just the al that we like about beer. go easy on yourself and give yourself permission to continue to enjoy the other things about it that you like. one unique thing about the bac route is that you needn't pressure yourself to stop drinking, because soon enough you'll do so without effort. it's wild! kombucha became for me a nice alternative to beer, as the good stuff is tart and bubbly, sharp and fulfilling in a way similar to a nice bitter ale. if you need the sprite for starts, so be it. but i'd say don't chuck it, chug it! it's an acquired taste, to be sure (tho i have always had a taste for that kind of weird stuff; forgetaboutit, i like drinking sauerkraut juice!).

                  yeah, skip the judgement on what's good or not. drink the o'douls or kaliber, or the wolaver's organic vermont ale, or whatever favorite familiar you imbibe. enjoy it while you still enjoy it, 'cause soon you won't! you'll be onto the charms of detox tea and chilled yogurt water or somesuches. you might grope for a minute to find an alternative liquid, but the wonderful thing about baclofen is that you can chillax while you do so, and rest in the trust (might's'well) that the end is near, the end to the morbidity of being a drinker
                  .

                  it's great that you're filling your day w interesting stuff, that is key
                  ! my golly, you're a fine cook, aren't you?! sounds like you've got it going on
                  ! to say nothing of the running and biking ~ sheeeit! (whaddya have to say about the whole marathoners as addicts thing? i recently made a friend who could've been a long-term problem drinker, but switched her fixation onto exercise. hmm...)

                  welcome to the world of broken sleep! who knows if it's bac yet or not, but it may become something you get used to. i have (def bac-related in my case). i don't fight it anymore, and it's become rather nice: extra time just for myself.

                  i wonder how your appetite is, and how hunger might relate to your drinking. i find that the more exercise i get, the less i want to eat, yet the less i eat, the more susceptible i am to drink. please share your experience, sister exerciser. (and also let me know how the peanut brittle comes out. if it works, i'd like to try it...)

                  xo rudy

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                    #24
                    Sabby's Progress Thread

                    Hi Cassander,

                    Why do you say you're UNDOUBTEDLY going to relapse? I hope not! That's so negative...makes me sad...be positive!!! Also, from your signature it looks like you're a fan of Dr A. That would imply you're on bac. You're not?

                    It's good to know that NA beer won't trigger cravings because sometimes the craving for a beer isn't about Al but about a COLD BEER!

                    As for tired and all that running and biking...it's always possible but I run a lot so running 11 miles, or even 20, in a day isn't a real big deal.

                    I just can't seem to get some solid sleep. That's not all that unusual for me when I'm not drinking or when I drink REAL heavy. It's when I drink to a high buzz that I get the best night's sleep.

                    :/

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Sabby's Progress Thread

                      Hi Rudy!

                      I'm sorry to hear about your ex and his rudeness talking to his girlfriend and you having to hear it...

                      It's true, I like beer for that beer taste as much as for the Al. So maybe I will drink some this weekend when everyone else is having real beer. Trick myself. As for komboucha...maybe recommend the good stuff? The stuff I bought was "GT's Enlightened Raw Organic Koumboucha". It's a bit startling to drink...but prehaps I could get used to it...

                      I'm definitely ready to be done with THAT particular co-morbidity of being a heavy drinker.

                      Yes, I am a pretty good cook. But that's because I'm a pretty good eater. And I'm originally from Louisiana, so good food comes naturally.

                      And definitely, marathons/exercise as a transfer of addiction. In fact, that's how I got into it. I was trying to stop drinking so I did, for a while, and started running. And for about 8 months that worked. But back then I suppose I wasn't thinking of giving it up for good. I just wanted to lose weight and get into shape and I knew I couldn't do that while I was drinking. But once I lost weight and got into shape I started drinking again. Slowly and far apart at first, then closer together. And now I can put it away and still get up early and go run a half marathon. And I've become used to how it sucks to run hungover. But when I go for a long run after a night of NOT drinking it feels GREAT and I tell myself I need to control myself. And I keep failing.

                      I don't mind broken sleep so much but I'm having a lack of sleep, in general. So I get all tired between 3pm-8pm. But i seemed to have perked up now!

                      Well, when I drink too much I don't have much of an appetite...but I binge eat. That's MO. I binge eat when I binge drink. I'd be at least 20lbs lighter if I could stop all of it.

                      And when I exercise I generally don't have an appetite right after. For instance, for every half marathon, full marathon, and 50K race I've ever run I didn't want to eat anything for the rest of the day. But then the next day I was all like "I WANT TO EAT ALL THE THINGS!"

                      It's not the same for drinking. After a long distance race all I want is non-stop beer.

                      I'm going to make the peanut brittle now! It's a microwave version:

                      Microwave Peanut Brittle Recipe | Real Simple Recipes

                      I'll tell you how it comes out!

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Sabby's Progress Thread

                        wow, sabby, great job addressing all of my inquiries, thanks! i'll get back to the most of it next time (i gotta go to bed, speaking of sleep!), but for now: gt's is my favorite brand, stick with it. the others tend to be too sweet and generally unsatisfying for me. i'd say keep trying it, maybe when you're a little bit hungry and want something but not necessarily beer (or its alcohol). i bet you'll swing over into liking it very much. and it's great to have before you eat, or any time, as it has all those helpful enzymes and probiotics that are soo good for digestion.

                        ok, i promised myself i'd be in bed almost asleep by 9:30, so here i go...

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                          #27
                          Sabby's Progress Thread

                          SabbyATL;1226432 wrote:
                          Why do you say you're UNDOUBTEDLY going to relapse?
                          Sorry...just my sense of humor which sometimes doesn't come off so funny...just ask my wife!

                          Nope. I'm done with drinking. FWIW, I run a bit...about 15 miles a week...like you I started running to lose weight and for heart health, but then discovered it really addressed my anxiety and improved my overall balance and sense of well-being...so I kept going. Now I find I need to go run or work out four or five times a week. But no marathons yet or half marathons...

                          A pet theory of mine, so far unproven so far as I know, is that exercise can "replace" some of the benefit of bac on the tit-down, perhaps allowing a lower maintenance dose...but its just a theory.

                          Anyway, you're well on your way...

                          Cass
                          With profound appreciation to Dr Olivier Ameisen for his brilliant insight and courageous determination

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Sabby's Progress Thread

                            Rudy - have a good night's sleep!

                            BTW, the peanut brittle came out smelling good. It's not as brown as most brittles. More of a buttery color. And I used dry roasted peanuts to make it saltier. The stuff left over in the bowl, before it started to harden, tasted really good.

                            But I'm worried the blonder color means it won't harden all the way...

                            Cassander, oh good! I'm glad you didn't mean it!

                            15 miles a week is good for general purpose fitness and mental health. The only reason to do more is if you want to train for a long distance race. Though I have to say there's something addictive about a really long distance race, a zen like thing, to use a tired phrase. The REAL mental health high comes from trail running. Because then you can stop and take in the beauty, check out some interesting nature, then take off again.

                            If what you say is true then I'll be glad to take care of this addiction with a lower dose!

                            Sabby

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                              #29
                              Sabby's Progress Thread

                              So, my brittle came out AWESOME! I used dry roasted peanuts and a lower sugar/peanut ratio than you normally see, by using slightly more peanuts than the recipe called for. It came out real well.

                              So, last night I slept VERY soundly. I didn't have broken sleep. I fell asleep around 12:30 (that's too late, but it's normal) and suddenly my alarm was going off at 5am. I reset it for 5:30 and it seemed like as soon as I set it, it was going off.

                              I think this means I am VERY tired. I don't think I absolutely need to get up by 5 tomorrow so I am going to sleep to maybe 6:30, if I can.

                              That was my third AF day. Let's see if I can make it 4!

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                                #30
                                Sabby's Progress Thread

                                Ok, so today at work I've been fighting top stay awake. I'm get the massive unde.niable urge to fall asleep.

                                I've perked up but I can feel it coming on again.

                                Don't know if that's the bac or several days of really poor sleep...

                                I'm supposed to have one more day on 5mg but I think I'm going to titrate up to 10mg tonight. Other than this sleepiness I feel great!

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