Starting over alcohol free

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Replies

  • AmberlyMarlene
    AmberlyMarlene Posts: 120 Member
    @Darlene_Oregon Just do it! You've got this. I am cheering for you!!!
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @AmberlyMarlene I think I can do this. By drinking more the next day is just avoiding the inevitable. I might have to be uncomfortable for a couple of days. But, eventually, it has to be done.
    Please keep up your good work. People like us can't just drink socially.
    Stay Tuned!
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @AmberlyMarlene and Everyone - I blew it again. I feel bad that I gave in. I don't know why Day 1 is so hard for me. I wasn't shaky or anything. Day 1 has always been difficult for me. In the past, once I have one day under my belt, it's usually pretty easy.
    If I'm successful tomorrow, I'll only have five AF days before I have to do my labs. I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed. It probably sounds weird to most; but I really don't want my doctor to know that I'm drinking. But I guess it's best to tell them the truth.
    Have a great day!
  • Aesop101
    Aesop101 Posts: 758 Member
    jimwaters1016 wrote: »
    Today is day 15 alcohol free. Starting over with diet and exercise today. About a year and a half or so ago, I went a couple of months with no alcohol and dieting and exercising regularly. Lost 20+ pounds, and then one day, decided margaritas would be a good idea. Well, that ended December 3 when I was detoxing so bad I could not hold a glass and was vomiting. I should have gone to the ER but I could not even drive myself.

    I guess I am posting this as much for my own sake and sort of a diary to keep me motivated as much as to see if there are others who might need some motivation and encouragement. I will be posting daily so I hope I don't upset or offend. Thanks

    I'm praying that you overcome this addiction. Personally, I have never had a problem. I liked a beer now and then and wine on holidays. Fate stepped in, every time I had some wine I wouldn't feel good. Turns out I had a bad case of Diabetes, A1C of 14.7. That's what you get when you are morbidly obese for years. 95 pounds later I'm no longer morbidly obese, I'm just fat. LOL

    Keep in mind that you are more important than alcohol. I wish you well!
  • AmberlyMarlene
    AmberlyMarlene Posts: 120 Member
    You've got this @Darlene_Oregon! I try to remind myself it's a lot harder to start over back with a day one than keep it going, though I know the first week in general is a difficult one. Hang in there
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @AmberlyMarlene Thanks! It is a lot harder to start over. For me, Day 1 is the hardest. I start feeling a little bad and I end up giving in and going to the liquor store.
    Today is Day 2. And it's hasn't been that bad so far.
    We're going into town In a few minutes. I thought I'd get a haircut. We have to drive about 15 miles to do much of anything. We do have some shopping, etc in the small town we live in (pop 7000). But not much.
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,225 Member
    Darlene_Oregon wrote: »
    I finally made it to Day 1 Alcohol free! It feels good. Now I'm aiming for Day 2 👌

    WooHoo, good for you Darlene! I'm so happy to hear that. Keep focusing on the good you're feeling and you'll be able to keep pushing for more days. Hang in there.
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @SparkSpringtime69 Thanks! Today is Day 2.
  • lilith40
    lilith40 Posts: 110 Member
    @Darlene_Oregon - that's wonderful congratulations! One day at a time - you got this!!
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @lilith40, @AmberlyMarlene , @SparkSpringtime69 The liquor store just closed. So this is Day 2 😁 I have to keep going because I did my labs today and my liver enzymes and other liver function tests were elevated/off. Also, my glucose level was high - 114 (I never had that problem before). I believe that is pre-diabetic. I see my doctor on Wed and the eye doctor on Thu. I can't remember if you knew. But I've been having vision problems in one eye. I think that is related to the blood sugar issue. So I'm trying to lose weight and getting more active. Losing weight, exercising and eating healthy should help.
  • AmberlyMarlene
    AmberlyMarlene Posts: 120 Member
    @Darlene_Oregon I had similar labs. Everything to do with my liver was in the "bad" area and as a trickle effect I have bad cholesterol too! Darn. It's no fun, but it is a kick in the butt in the right direction. Have you been having difficulty with sleep? That's my ongoing issue since I quit drinking. Hang in there. Every day you keep it going is a day your body is thanking you, even if it doesn't feel like it haha
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @AmberlyMarlene The only good part of my labs was my cholesterol.
    As far as sleep, it hasn't been too bad. But I cheat 😎
    I've had a prescription for Xanax for many years. I don't abuse it and have never had a problem. I'm running low on that because I cancelled my last doctor appointment (I didn't feel like going in because of drinking and being overweight). So the last two nights, I took Unisom. Last night, I woke up at 1:20am. So I took a half of a 0.5 Xanax. And slept until around 8am.
    My doctor is supposed to refill my prescription tomorrow. But, since I'll have to fess up that I have been drinking, he may not refill it. That's why I didn't want to tell him that I fell off of the wagon. So, we'll see!
  • ByeByeToDiabetes
    ByeByeToDiabetes Posts: 61 Member
    Darlene_Oregon wrote: »
    @AmberlyMarlene The only good part of my labs was my cholesterol.
    So, we'll see!

    Darlene, I don't know where you live and how old you are, but you might want to try some Magnesium Fizz drink (Calm) at night. It puts my brain hamster to sleep, relaxes me and it helps me to sleep through the night. A lot of women my age use it. Of course there is no scientific proof, but then there was neve a study either because there is no money in it and no money to gain.

    Yes, 114 is pre-diabetic but you should get your A1C checked
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @ByeByeToDiabetes I live in Oregon and am 66 years old.
    Thanks for the info, I will check it out. Magnesium is known to help with sleep.
    I had my A1C checked today. But I don't have the results yet. What are good and bad A1C numbers?
  • ByeByeToDiabetes
    ByeByeToDiabetes Posts: 61 Member
    Borrowed from Doctor Google:
    A normal A1C level is below 5.7%, a level of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates prediabetes and a level of 6.5% or more indicates diabetes. Within the 5.7% to 6.4% prediabetes range, the higher your A1C, the greater your risk is for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @ByeByeToDiabetes I just noticed your post. So I went to the medical center patient portal. And my A1C was 4.8%. So that's good news!
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,225 Member
    Darlene_Oregon wrote: »
    BTW - Today is Day 4 Alcohol Free 😀
    I can't believe I was having such a difficult time. After Day 1, it's been fairly easy. I know that after a while, I'll be tempted to have "just a few". But I have to remember that it wouldn't stop after "just a few". And my liver really needs some rest and recuperation!

    Darlene, you're doing great!! Happy to hear your A1C is normal.
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,876 Member
    How's it going @Darlene_Oregon ?
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @Adventurista - It's going good. For a while, I was having difficulty just getting to Day 1 Alcohol Free. But I got past that. I'm no longer afraid of quitting (for fear of withdrawals). I no longer have to have it!
    Day 1 was April 7th. I went 6 days and then slipped up and drank just a few drinks the next day (after dinner). Now I'm back on Day 6 😊
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,876 Member
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    Wonderful! Sounds like you're up on your feet and going! Woot!
  • Darlene_Oregon
    Darlene_Oregon Posts: 186 Member
    @AmberlyMarlene You hinted in your post to check back here. Thanks for coming back. This discussion has really helped me. 98 days is great. After I almost died in November of 2021, I went one day short of four months. It really does feel good.
    I haven't had my liver checked in a while. I had a falling out with the only GI doctor in our town. I had an appointment in Eugene OR today. But I cancelled because I'm drinking. I rescheduled for August 1st. It seems a bit silly to drive 60 miles for a doctor appointment. But, I guess that's what I'll have to do.
    I've decided what to do about the alcohol in the house. I'm not going to dump it out. But, tomorrow I will not get anymore...Serious! It may be uncomfortable for a day or two. But delaying doesn't help.

  • jeanpfourie
    jeanpfourie Posts: 5 Member
    Tomorrow will be 180 days dry, and 130 lbs lighter . 100 to go. Easiest way to stay dry - was by making sure i don't have any money for booze. Spend every cent on good food, new shoes , tools, home improvements ect. Was a real shock seeing everything i bought with just 6 months of booze money . Now saving up for a decent treadmill , to keep active during the winter .
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,876 Member
    edited July 1
    Glad to see you trying @DarleneInOregon

    <3 care. Had been wondering. Cold turkey, on your own is maybe the hardest way, but one of these times, you will get back on your feet again. Keep at it.

    In fact, everyone who has shared here is inspiring, and you may never know who, how or when you helped someone. Your shares are not wasted, you do matter.

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  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,876 Member
    jeanpfourie wrote: »
    Tomorrow will be 180 days dry, and 130 lbs lighter . 100 to go. Easiest way to stay dry - was by making sure i don't have any money for booze. Spend every cent on good food, new shoes , tools, home improvements ect. Was a real shock seeing everything i bought with just 6 months of booze money . Now saving up for a decent treadmill , to keep active during the winter .

    Wow! So tickled for you! <3
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,876 Member
    AmberlyMarlene wrote: »
    I haven't checked in on here in AGES and I will make an effort to do so more often. For those who don't know me here's a summary of my alcohol experience:

    I used to drink 750 ml a night (vodka). In 2021 I detoxed and went to rehab while I was in the military. They random tested me for a few months which kept me sober. I got out in 2022 and for more than the last 2 years I have drank 500 to 1000 ml almost every night (now rum). I was in substance abuse counseling February through the beginning of this month, but apparently an income of 30k is too much for government assistance in my state so even though I am not offered benefits at work I can no longer afford to go to therapy to help keep me sober.

    I first gave up drinking Jan 17 (2024) and had a couple slip ups, the last time I drank was Feb 21st. I don't count days typically, but I've crunched the numbers for this post and am excited to see I'm at 98 days sober!

    When I was in rehab I didn't make it to 2 months sober, so I suppose I'm on a new personal best. I want to keep it going for at least a year as I learned in January I had some bodily damage with cholesterol and liver damage. I have not had the opportunity to see how those are doing now, but I'm guessing pretty good. I'm now down 36 lbs since Jan 17.

    I hope everyone is happy to and willing to do the work (whatever that looks like for you) to make themselves and their health a priority. I believe in you!

    I also strongly agree with Darlene as in my experience day 1 is the most difficult, and the following 2 weeks following can be tough, however it's worth pushing through.

    I'll be popping in at least once a week.

    Wow to you too... hope the next tests show improvement... appreciate the updates :)

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