Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

[Sarasmiles]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hey Everyone! I love logging on and finding that their are new posts at the Mod Squad. It's always good to hear from all of you, no matter how everyone's doing.

I'm so happy to have company for being AF this week! Let's try and appreciate all the good effects it has...

Fellow PMSers, I have tried fish oil for the PMS, as well as calcium, Evening Primrose Oil, Magnesium...Cutting back on caffeine, etc. etc. I would love to go the natural route, but I think it has just gotten too bad. I recognize a pattern with drinking, too. I go along doing great AF until that time of the month when my moods shift and it gets harder and harder each day for several days. This month it was a whole week of increasing irritability; finally started my period yesterday. My gynecologist recommended I try a few cycles on "Yaz", a birth control pill that's FDA approved to treat Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. I'll keep you posted. If I gain a lot of weight or get even nuttier, I'll go back to the drawing boards.

I'm working today, in spite of its being a holiday. Taking the kids to a movie late in the day though, so I'm looking forward to that. I have a good feeling about being AF this week...looking forward to the good stuff that comes with it.

Have a great day everyone.
Sara

[Maia]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hi Sara,

Count me in for an AF week. Im looking forward to it and I too have a good feeling! Im happy you enjoy your Valentine's evening! It sounds like you have a beautiful family!

Sun, enjoy your vacation in Florida!! The weather has been beautiful here!!!

Deebe, knowing that you used to be in my shoes, and that it hasnt happened to you in over a year, gives me so much hope and trust in what im doing is right! Im 29, so I try to believe that, although i have been a heavy drinker for years, Im still young and able to change and improve my life and my health!

My husband stayed home today for the holiday (I actually had to convince him) so, we are renting a boat with kids, we've been talking about this a while and never do it!, so today is the day!!

Have a great day!

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

hi
sara your vday sounded great! right up my alley. i spent my vday with my hubby, child and my inlaws who were in town for my son's bday. nice dinner at my fav restaurant last night. i ended up with 3 drinks which is ok. about 2 months ago i would have had 4, so...i guess it's better. also, i would have had a drink everyday leading up to that 4, so...in that since it is better.

i am on the fence about tonight. i may or may not have 1.
i have to admit, my ocd brain again is telling me that i had 3 drinks last night so i can't just have zero tonight or i might have withdrawals. part of me knows that is ridiculous, but there is that little(big)doubt part that says "what if". so, i looked back at my drink tracker....which for february, looks like this:
1 0 1 2 2 3 1.5 0 0 0 1.5 2 0 3

i hate to ask for reassurance again, but....well, a little would help me alot

anyway, i think i may just try AF either m,t,w,th or t,w,th this week. i have bookclub fri nite, so i will likely have 3.

which brings me back to ....you can't have serious withdrawals off of 3 drinks...right?

y'all are all doing so well. deebee, i'm jealous of the summer you are enjoying! i am sick of this dreary winter.

can't help y'all on the pms thing...i'm 44 and had a hysterectomy in '08. i'm loving it. i'd suggest it

[DeeBee]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Personally, I don't think you'll have serious withdrawals after 3 drinks (but I'm not a Doc) -- maybe serious discomfit but that you can live with. Do it LetGo -- Go another night AF, you'll be so pleased with yourself in the morning.

[Sarasmiles]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Sorry I didn't see your post earlier, Letgo...I too would have reassured you that you won't have withdrawal from going AF after a night of 3 drinks!! Withdrawal comes from suddenly going cold turkey after chronic, heavy drinking.

Hopefully you've found this out for yourself tonight! If not, then go for it tomorrow...

I'm exhausted after working all day and then being "on" with the kids all evening. But I feel good about being AF, and am going now to post my little zero on the drink tracker!

G'night all.

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

letgolaughing;806485 wrote:
which brings me back to ....you can't have serious withdrawals off of 3 drinks...right?

Letgo,

Remember even the "morning after" hangover of someone who only occasionally drinks to excess, is actually a mild form of alcohol withdrawal from the excesses of the night before, as the alcohol content of their blood begins to drop. The symptoms can appear within a few hours after not drinking.

I've personally had hangovers with just 3 drinks the night before. My symptoms are usually headache and if I've had 4-5 drinks (rare but I've done it) I've had an upset stomach as well as shakey hands. Typical mild withdrawal symptoms are things like getting the shakes, or the sweats -- or perhaps nausea, headache, anxiety, a rapid heart beat, and increased blood pressure. Although these symptoms are uncomfortable and irritating, they are not necessarily dangerous.

If you are obsessing and worrying about severe DT's that's not going to happen with three drinks or your history this past month of intake. This happens to chronic, daily heavy drinkers and DT's don't usually occur until after 3-5 days without alcohol. These symptoms include things such as profound confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, hyperactivity, and extreme cardiovascular disturbances. That's why hospitals screen alcohol intake when people are admitted and hopefully chronic alcoholics tell the truth so DT's can be avoided with a medication regimen prescribed by the physician.

Does that help? There's lots of good info on the internet as well so if you continue to feel anxious about things, just google alcohol information and do a little research which should help calm your fears.

Hi Jolie and to all my mod squad friends and lurkers.
:l
Eve11

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hey Sara,
We posted at the same time with yours beating mine by seconds. Sweet dreams and I'm going to join you with a big fat 0 on the drinktracker!!
Big cyber (( )) to you my friend.
Eve11

[DeeBee]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hi Mod Squad Friends and Lurkers!
I'm proud to report my big fat 0 for last night.
It feels good to say that this morning.

Not too much planned for today -- DH is (finally) installing the cupboards in our bedroom, spareroom and office so a bit later I'll start packing things away (yay). We are seriously short on storage space so for the last 6 months since we began our renovations there have been boxes and just general crap lying around that I'm looking forward to spring cleaning and packing away.

I was a bit annoyed this morning, okay to be honest I was totally p*ssed off with the brother because he claimed to be too busy to run an errand for me whilst I went for my morning run so i ended up sulking and not addressing the issue in a positive manner -- this has left me feeling a bit otherswise this morning as I know my communication skills in these situations really suck and I have to work on it.

Anyhoo, it's being aware of these little things instead of pretending they aren't a problem that will help me grow.... right?

I love this quote by Joseph Hall --
“Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues.”
:l

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

thanks for the reassurance. i ended up having a nice relaxing night with my hubby and child and had 1.5 drinks. I will go AF the rest of the week.
actually looking forward to it

geez, i hope soon i get to convince my brain that there is no need to worry about seizures or dt's. i swear, even if i quit drinking for a year, then had 3 drinks, i'd worry the next day about withdrawals. that's how ocd this worry is.
i know it's irrational, but it's real to me.

oh well, AF we go.

[Maia]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

Hi Letgo, I wrote a few paragraphs and now it's all gone!! im so upset!! Well, i was basically saying that im glad that you enjoyed last night and I hope you can anjoy your AF week aven more!

DeeBee, sorry about your morning... but I read your post about being named your daughter's class mom ! That's nice! I have two daughters, they are still little (3 and 12 months) but it would be a complement to be chosen for that, thats cute

Well, the girls are screaming so I better go, enjoy your night!

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

maia- i HATE when that happens!

hope y'all are all enjoying your AF selves tonight.

i struggled from about 6 to 7p tonight but got passed it. i was planning AF and thought my hubby probably wouldn't have a drink tonight, but he came home from work and fixed a drink. i told him i thought we weren't drinking tonight and he said he'd like to have one. (he has no problem moderating). so, anyway, i had already thought that i wanted to have one tonight while watching American Idol and was a little 'sad' that i would be AF...so when he said he was having one, I almost caved in and said, well i'll have one too.

instead, i said, i would wait til after dinner then if i still wanted one i'd have it.
well, i don't want one so, yay! i'm AF tonight!

i'm exhausted too...so, good night

[Sarasmiles]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

DeeBee;806929 wrote: i ended up sulking and not addressing the issue in a positive manner -- this has left me feeling a bit otherswise this morning as I know my communication skills in these situations really suck and I have to work on it.

Anyhoo, it's being aware of these little things instead of pretending they aren't a problem that will help me grow.... right?

:l

Absolutely right, DeeBee! I'm more apt to let it all out, and sometimes regret that, so moderation in all things I guess! My husband is a sulker (or withdrawer) by nature, and yet he seems to be learning how to say what's on his mind. It makes it so much easier to work out conflicts when they're out in the open.

Maia, I think it's wonderful that you're addressing your alcohol use while your kids are so little. Mine are young too, but not as young as yours (6,8,10). If you continue to work on this and get better as you have been, you'll never have to have any regrets about these early years! I'm heart-broken when I read posts by people with grown children who will always feel regret and remorse over how their drinking affected their young kids. We are so fortunate to be dealing with this now!

Letgo, good for you for getting through that tough hour tonight, even with Hubby having one! I really wanted wine at 5:00ish. For me, this is the worst and hardest thing about choosing moderation over abstinence. We've discussed this lots of times on this thread...The exposure to alcohol re-awakens those cravings. We have to struggle more because of shifting back and forth between being AF and drinking moderately. The problem is, if I just told myself "it's okay, have a drink, you're moderating, not abstaining" I'd likely have a drink (or two) every night. For me, that just doesn't work. I have to make a conscious choice. But the cravings seem to last only a few days and then I shift into AF mode, and don't think about it much, or even want it. I did order some Kudzu a few days ago. It's helped me before. My mom's upcoming visit (Thursday) will be a challenge, and I want to be AF while she's here. I think the Kudzu will help.

Hello and hugs to Eve and Jolie and all other friends and lurkers.

Take care everyone!
Sara

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

letgolaughing;807328 wrote:
instead, i said, i would wait til after dinner then if i still wanted one i'd have it.
well, i don't want one so, yay! i'm AF tonight!

It is amazing when that happens and it does so many times...if you just wait it out a bit!
Good for you!

Actually everyone sounds really good. I feel like we're really supporting each other better than we ever have. Remember, we welcome new lurkers who could share stories we could relate to and they'll end up helping us as much as we help them...I'm sure. We challenge you to come onboard. :loke:

:l
Eve11

[letgolaughing]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

this thread is SO supportive for me. I am fairly new here and i'm grateful to all of you for making me feel so comfortable joining in. so to any lurkers out there, jump in any time. this is not a clique. i was welcomed despite my annoying-ness HA

sara- you're right about AF and modding. I find that once i go AF one night, the 2nd and 3rd are usually much easier. BUT, i'm hoping that I'm changing my habit. I hope that the habit of drinking wine every night becames a different habit. perhaps a habit of NOT drinking wine every night. Does that make sense? I have a good friend who watches what she eats, exercises, applies face cream, etc...she also has a plan about drinking. she only drinks fri, sat, sun. and even on vacation she has a rule of never before 5pm. she usually sticks to 1-4 drinks. anyway, she THINKS it out. she can go AF without any difficulty. when she visits her parents she doesn't drink(they don't drink). BUT, she likes to have a glass of wine. She looks forward to it. She enjoys it. She is basically modding. It is her "habit". She doesn't have an AL problem and I look to her as a normal drinker. So, I think it is ok if you look forward to a glass of wine or you sort of have a "plan". So, she's someone I plan to imitate.

ok, ramble over.

i'm doing the big fat zero dance from last night!!

[vlad]

Mod Squad Febuary Thread!

I'm doing the big fat zero dance too! Said I was starting from today drinking only on occasion, but I already have 2 days AF in a row. I have visitors at the weekend so plan to have a couple of drinks then. Other than that, I don't think there are any other occasions for a while, certainly not ones where alcohol will be on the scene.