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Friday November 7th

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    #16
    Friday November 7th

    Cheers everyone,

    Glad to hear so many of you are doing well with ABs!

    LVT25, so sorry to hear about your canine friend. My prayers are with you; it is never an easy thing to do regardless of what your relationship is with the animal. Rest assured you'll be doing the right thing if it is in kidney failure.

    RE: sleepless nights: I am the Queen of Insomnia -- drinking or not. (and I'm married to the King of Snoring, how grand!) Anyway, here are some things that have helped me:

    Melatonin: an herbal supplement available at health food / vitamin stores. Supplements a naturally occurring chemical in our brains that we secrete less and less of as we age; why older people sleep less. Not habit forming.

    Valerian: an herbal supplement derived from the Valerian root. Tastes gross. Relaxes the body and can help sleep. Available at health food / vitamin stores. Again, not habit forming.

    Sleepytime Tea: available in many grocery stores, made by Celestial Seasonings. Has chamomile in it. There are other herbal teas that are meant to relax.

    Glass of milk (warm or cold): the chemical that is in turkey that can make people sleepy is tryptophan, which aids in the production of seratonin in your brain and makes you feel good. Tryptophan is also present in similar quantities in cheese, milk and chicken among other things, but milk is easier for most folks to digest at bedtime (unless you're lactose intolerant) due to the molecular structure (or so I've read). Warming it slightly supposedly activates the tryptophan to work better. People who are lactose intolerant sometimes can tolerate goats milk products.

    Hot tub / sauna / hot shower: relaxes your body and mind.

    Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.

    Refrain from TV and reading 1 hour before bedtime (personally I find this the hardest) to quiet your mind. Its harder to sleep when you're reeling from what you just saw on the news or engrossed in an interesting plot twist.

    Try a simple meditation technique: imagine lying on the beach (easy to do if you're listening to the sleep hypno). When you start out, your whole body is in the shade. Imagine that the sun hits one section of your body at a time, like its moving on its natural course. First its on your feet. When you feel your feet get warm, move up. Now its in your feet, ankles and lower legs up to your knees. When that feels warm, move up. Its shining on your legs up to your waist. etc. By the time the sun is shining on your face you should be good and relaxed!

    Have a good day!

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      #17
      Friday November 7th

      Bloody hell SpottyDingo...I've stumbled onto a sleep therapist...

      Loads of fantastic advice here today...One or more have got to work..
      I think we still got some melatonin in the meds cabinet..We tried in our youngest a few months back..He is Autistic and apparently one of the traites of Autism is poor sleeping...Which Callum definatly has..Sorry to say it had no effect on him...It doesnt mean it wont work on me though...Gonna give that a whirl tonight..
      Thanks all...Top notch advice as usual..:l
      I don't care who you are...Your not walking on water while i'm fishing..
      One drink is too many... A thousand is never enough...Sober since July 2nd 2009

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        #18
        Friday November 7th

        Everyone: It's good to read this thread. I had a difficult week that I made worse by drinking (a lot). I'm back on track as of yesterday, but I didn't feel I could go forward wo/coming out w/what I did.

        As far as sleep: I'm a terrible sleeper. But while I'm tossing & turning, I'm just so grateful that the drinking-to-fall-asleep habit is no longer there. That's how I started down the alcoholic path in the first place. And drinking to fall asleep is the very first thing I eliminated when I came here a year & a half ago. I'd much rather wake up tired than hungover.

        As far as my progress: I'm determined. I feel that I'm going to be an abstinent person. I've got 2 days of abs & feel all the better for it.

        Take care of yourselves & your sobriety. You'll never know how much you mean to me.

        Mary
        Wisdom, Courage, Strength
        October 3, 2012

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          #19
          Friday November 7th

          Hey, Mary, GREAT you are back, and sounding strong and determined! Do you feel as if you know what triggered the relapse?

          wip

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            #20
            Friday November 7th

            WIP: I was at my daughter's home b-sitting, & AL was there & open. That started me. We went to an election day party & again, the booze was flowing. I didn't prepare myself enough. I've got to realize that I'm living a world w/AL (though nobody I know drinks like I drink), & I'm going to have to learn to navigate it completely AF. I feel that message has finally taken root in my brain: I CANNOT DRINK NO MATTER WHAT! Mary
            Wisdom, Courage, Strength
            October 3, 2012

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              #21
              Friday November 7th

              WIP: Thank you so much for being so accepting. Mary
              Wisdom, Courage, Strength
              October 3, 2012

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                #22
                Friday November 7th

                hi there Ret. ahh, 'when the student is ready, the (ret)teacher will appear'. A big hello, and just like to say i find your posts inspiring..G.

                'I am part of all that I have met, yet all experience is an arch wherethro', gleams that untravelled world whose margins fade, forever and forever when I move'

                Zen soul Warrior. Freedom today-

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                  #23
                  Friday November 7th

                  Mary, XXXXXXX hon

                  sorry you had a rough couple days. something that really helped me get over the initial acceptance phase (after years of trying) was antabuse. I had no side effects and it really made a profound change in how I looked at things. It's almost as though it transported me to a parallel universe without al. It just takes it right off the table as an option so you can get along with things. just a thought.
                  glad you are here again, please stay
                  nosce te ipsum
                  (Know Thyself)

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                    #24
                    Friday November 7th

                    Yeah, makes sense, it threw you for a loop, didn't it? You're right.... the mental preparation is SO important... living in a world where alcohol is not only all around us, but actively promoted, consumed by our friends and family. It takes some serious mental (and emotional) work, doesn't it?

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                      #25
                      Friday November 7th

                      Great to see you Retteacher,

                      I'm on the antibuse..It does change how you think...Even after a few days...Even if i want it i cant have it...Takes all the option away..
                      I don't care who you are...Your not walking on water while i'm fishing..
                      One drink is too many... A thousand is never enough...Sober since July 2nd 2009

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                        #26
                        Friday November 7th

                        Thank you everyone so much. I will think about what you've said. Mary
                        Wisdom, Courage, Strength
                        October 3, 2012

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