The Sober Squad- Alcohol Free Living
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Hello everyone. I’m so glad I discovered this community support group. I’ve been on MFP for several years and I’ve been sober since June 3, 1982. Although I don’t have the daily struggles with alcohol, it’s never too far away and I respect the power of it and how I could take a drink and totally destroy my life, or even die if I take a drink. My addiction comes out in different ways - food is one of them! But having an addictive personality I get addicted to many things - I need to pay attention to the dangerous things. Some of my addictions are okay - such as line dancing. I know that sounds strange but once I discovered line dancing it has become an obsession of mine.5
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FeelinFooFoo wrote: »Confession time. I drank on Saturday night. Had no intentions to drink but my partner fancied a few drinks. Must admit it didn't take much to twist my arm. We have basically been cleaning non stop and it was like a toast to the new kitchen. This makes me realise how difficult it can be to stay sober I felt as if my not drinking was ruining my partners buzz somehow so I joined in. He went to shop and bought more booze than I would have bought if I had been to shop. I ended up being sick all night so it wasn't great. Maybe the break in drinking has made my tolerance levels much lower now. I'm still feeling out of sorts so only good thing is it's put me off drinking again !
New day, new week, new month so not gona dwell on it too much.
Hugs to you. It is a bummer that for a few hours of fun, we suffer later. After I drink, the next day besides being sick, I feel jittery and anxious. So, it's double trouble. These episodes are always a good reminder of why we want to stay sober. Sometimes, we just have to roll with it, analyze how it happened and what we can do to improve. Life is a dress rehearsal. The positive is I bet the next night you slept so well. Look forward to a new week!4 -
lorrainequiche59 wrote: »RubyRed427 wrote: »Good morning friends! Wishing you a happy weekend! I am looking forward to Labor Day- a day off to relax.
Quotes from The Language of Letting Go (Aug. 30 entry):
"We don't have to do it any better than we can-ever. Do our best for the moment, then let it go.
If we have to redo it, we can do our best another moment, later.
There are days when our best is less than we hoped for. Let those times go too. Start over tomorrow. Work things through, until our best becomes better. "
LOVE this...thank you from sharing from one of my fave authors.
Have a relaxing day off!
I got to know this author because of you!! Thanks so much!2 -
Hi Guys, I just saw online that they got rid of "Woo" and will add "disagree" button but of course use not to judge or dislike someone, just a polite disagree with their idea. By the way, I wouldn't use the disagree because I don't like to hurt anyone's feelings. Just my personality type.
I keep giving my Uber drives a 5 star because I don't want to hurt their feelings. I must get stronger that way and be more honest.5 -
Hello all. I am really, really struggling. I think worse than I've ever struggled. It's because this constant (and apparently permanent) tinnitus gets so bad, and a couple of drinks can really calm it down. It's not just that I myself get calmer, I don't think because I've experimented with anti-anxiety meds and they don't seem to have the same effect. I wish they did, but then I surely don't need a new addiction.
Anyway, as I'm sure most of you can relate to, the two drinks don't seem to be enough for "me," even though they do take care of the ringing temporarily. Last night I had way too much alcohol. I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and the ringing was so bad I had to get up. It's now 1:30 p.m. and I haven't been back to bed. I believe the excessive drinking is probably making the tinnitus much worse because alcohol is an aggravating factor. Talk about a vicious circle!!! So far I just haven't been able to power through a whole evening, but I really do want to do that and let the tinnitus calm down if it will without the alcohol. I do not wish this horrible condition on anyone.
The other thing is that since I am not working at the moment, I don't have the "brakes" I had all last school year when I had to be showered, dressed, and out of the house at 7 a.m. I have been working seriously on writing a screenplay based on the year in juvie, but I would like to hop out of bed clear-eyed, take an early morning walk, enjoy my coffee and get to work. That just is not happening right now. Anyway, it is my intention to once again go AF, but I have never had to do it with this demon. I believe meditation, herbal tea, and not drinking will probably lessen it . . . I just haven't had the courage to try it yet. I'm sure I will join your AF ranks very soon, and maybe these crickets will pipe down a bit. Sorry to complain, but I know y'all understand.7 -
Hello everyone. I’m so glad I discovered this community support group. I’ve been on MFP for several years and I’ve been sober since June 3, 1982. Although I don’t have the daily struggles with alcohol, it’s never too far away and I respect the power of it and how I could take a drink and totally destroy my life, or even die if I take a drink. My addiction comes out in different ways - food is one of them! But having an addictive personality I get addicted to many things - I need to pay attention to the dangerous things. Some of my addictions are okay - such as line dancing. I know that sounds strange but once I discovered line dancing it has become an obsession of mine.
Glad you found this thread also...I can relate to the "addictive" personality....I envy your addiction to line dancing cause if I could only become addicted to something active it may counteract my addictive foodie behavior!!
Welcome and thanks for sharing.4 -
RubyRed427 wrote: »Hi Guys, I just saw online that they got rid of "Woo" and will add "disagree" button but of course use not to judge or dislike someone, just a polite disagree with their idea. By the way, I wouldn't use the disagree because I don't like to hurt anyone's feelings. Just my personality type.
I keep giving my Uber drives a 5 star because I don't want to hurt their feelings. I must get stronger that way and be more honest.
I never noticed that the "woo" is gone till now...good riddance...good idea! Unsure of why they feel the need to replace it with anything. After all, if we disagree with someone, we can just say our version of whatever we don't agree with and leave it at that, but what the heck do I know anyway!3 -
@Donimfp So sorry to hear of your continued struggles with your tinnitus. If I could give you courage to face it without alcohol I certainly would. NO judgement here. I can't imagine how annoying that would be. I do have confidence though that you will work this out and find a way to cope with it. Have you ever done "guided" mindfulness meditation? I'm wondering if you could find a guided one online with someone who has a soothing voice that could lull you to sleep? Hoping the best for you and please know that you have valid reasons to vent it out, complain, however you prefer to refer to it...that's what this space is for. Support!!3
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Thanks you all for your compassion. @aroze0928, I do sleep with a fan whirring away. I've always done that. But it doesn't drown out the tinnitus. Sometimes it helps to softly play a movie I've seen a thousand times on my phone beside the bed. I'm usually asleep after two or three scenes. I have done mindfulness meditation in the past and should probably turn to that again.
BUT . . . the GOOD news is that yesterday evening I managed to avoid alcohol and just take melatonin and went to sleep well and slept all night. Also . . . the tinnitus is almost unnoticeable today. That hasn't happened since May. So, it may be a coincidence, but I don't think so. That means I have a new, powerful motivation not to drink. Maybe God knew I needed that! The difference in my ear is unbelievable to me. I don't dare drink and thus invite the misery to return. I knew alcohol is considered an aggravating factor, along with nicotine and excess salt. But I hadn't had the courage to go one day without its temporary relief until yesterday. If this is the reality (this vast difference I'm experiencing today), and not just a one-time coincidence, I will very willingly give up any "pleasure" or "relief" I get from alcohol.8 -
I truly stink at trying to be sober. I know it is what I need to do. I hurt my hand with a hedge trimmer in July and I broke a finger. It was very painful. I turn to alcohol when i am in pain. I have drank a lot since then. I got an infection which does not seem to be getting better and a messed up gi tract. Well googling away I see that alcohol impairs recovering from infection and is brutal on your gi tract. I got to stop my stupid pity party and quit drinking as I do think it is seriously messing with my health. I am very single and turn to alcohol when I am lonely or sad. I know it does not fix anything but it numbs it for a while. I think I need to stop worrying about dating and just do stuff. Had a date last night but I felt like crap and he was so not my type. At least I did not drink. I have been feeling yucky since Friday I hope not drinking for a while will fix it and get me in the right mindset to stop drinking for good.
Sorry for the pity party but I have got to stop this stupidity.7 -
@trishfit2014 No need to apologize. We all vent here. That's what this support group is for. I drank a little white wine on Saturday night and was as sick as a dog Sunday. I think it was a coincidence as I was running a fever, but it was enough to remind me I don't want wine, even in small doses. I can't handle it anymore. So it's Sept 3 and day 3. I'm going on a beach vacation with the family tomorrow (grand daughters, daughter) so I need to be on the top of my game. I look forward to enjoying and remembering it all.8
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Thanks @JenT304. Enjoy your vacation4
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@donimfp I feel so badly for you. I can see how it is just easier to drink than to deal with constant ringing. It's probably a catch 22 where you trade one misery for another. But I do not judge. I don't know what I'd do if I were in your shoes.
Recently my doctor prescribed me a non-addictive, non habit forming sleep medicine. I took it and slept 8 hours which I haven't done in many years. I woke up and felt like sleeping Beauty. It was amazing. If you want the name of the sleep med, message me.
@trishfit2014 We can relate. After you stop for awhile and then go back to drinking, it's a downhill slide and before you know It you are back to where you were. At least you recognize that it is becoming an issue in your life.
I wonder if many of us could use a prescription like anti depressant or anti anxiety; I remember awhile ago mentioning that I read that people who have anxiety are more likely to be heavy drinkers. I know some people would say no to any "Mind altering drugs" but for some people, it really can be a relief to feel better emotionally. I started an antidepressent five days ago and maybe it's a placebo effect, but I do feel a lot better. No more crying these past five days. Anyway, I'm just thinking out loud for ways to feel better without alcohol.5 -
FeelinFooFoo wrote: »I hope this link posts alright, me and technology don't always go well..😄 I found this story really shocking and eye opening about how devastating alcohol can be on the human body. I like the guys honestly about what he went through, it makes me want to avoid alcohol even more!
https://www.thefix.com/body-horror-slow-process-falling-apart-alcoholism
I just read this. Oh my! How disturbing, how real, how shocking... this is extremely important read for people like me/us. I was shaking as I read it but because of fear. Thank you for sharing this.3 -
Thanks for the article FeelingFooFoo,I recognize a few of those symptoms 😵 glad the author is sober now,@donimfp glad the tinitus seems to be letting up,not much going on here but heading to California tomorrow just to chill on the beach yay! No worries about drinking cuz it's a family trip, besides I only worry about drinking when I am alone,at home with time on my hands,that's when it gets difficult,anyhoo waves to all and wishes for a fab AF day!❤️5
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Morning friends, Feeling FooFoo,I think alot of us didn't start out at that level of abuse bit the sad part is that alcohol abuse is progressive,when I first started drinking I was in my early 30's and would drink 1-2 Heineken beers to fall asleep,it worked a treat and I thought I found a cure for my insomnia I was just smug about it,3 years later and I was drinking every night but still able to get up and function at work and life,2 years later I was basically drinking all day everyday cuz I was having a hard time coping sober,my hands would shake,I'd throw up unless I had some alcohol in me, not saying that everyone gets to that level just pointing out that I didn't start off right out the gate being a wild boozehound I just evolved into one,RubyRed what A.D did you start if you don't mind me asking? I swore I'd never take one again but I do have some Lexapro that's been beckoning cuz it seems my anxiety has been on turbo mode lately and my natural supps aren't doing much😭 I just worry constantly and work myself up too much and it's making me unable to cope sometimes,I NEVER want to drink again so yeah I'm about to go the med route I think even though I reaaallly didn't want to,waves to the gang and wishes for a great AF day,I'm off to California this afternoon so if you don't hear much outta me I'm actually enjoying life haha🌺4
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Good Morn All I Agree with all of the above about the progression of alcoholism...the interesting thing to me though, from what I've been reading, some heavy drinkers remain "heavy" drinkers and do not progress to alcoholism. For myself, I think I was fortunate to quit when I did because I wonder, with family history and other factors, if I would have progressed to alcoholism...and that is scary because once a person progresses to that point they lose the desire to stop and some never do.
I watched a Craig Beck video "Why It's OK to Hate AA" LOL No offence to those who have received help there & credit AA with their sobriety, but it isn't for everyone. In fact, Craig says (and I read these stats from other sources also) that only 8%-10% of people who quit drinking do so with the help of AA and 80% go it alone. And of the 8%-10% that quit with the help of AA, most have already decided to do so before they attend the program.
Yet, whether someone is a heavy drinker or an alcoholic or somewhere in between, it is the addictive nature of alcohol that we should all be concerned about because as our own experiences prove, it takes control of us in some way regardless of what label we accept.
It is more than a desire to stop drinking...it takes work and that is the one thing I will agree with AA, you cannot just want to stop and be successful. You may be able to stop putting a drink to your lips, but if we don't deal with the underlying issues, then we'll just be a non-drinker, not necessarily a better person. It's working on our 'stuff' that will make us a better person which = success, and there are various ways to do that. We just need to find the way that works for us.
Happy, successful AF day and may all of us continue to work toward finding the way that works for each of us5 -
Good morning! Not doing well here. Alcohol intake zero. But sleep medicine doest work ; one night it did, the others nights it caused worse insomnia. Interestingly the sleep med also is used to stop alcohol cravings.
Second, the antidepressants are making me jittery more than normal. I think I'm going to stop it; it has only been a week taking them. Ok. Now have to get back to basics. And just chill and not let my mind go crazy.
Will try to regroup this weekend. I have a sore throat which interestingly enough can be side effect from sleep med. But I think my sore throat is from my students who are sick. Sorry to be a downer. Will try to change my attitude today. Hugs to all!! xoxox4
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