December Determination ~ AF

[Sheri]

Good Morning, Good Afternoon & Good Evening to All, depending on your time zone! Twas an early morning Xmas shopping day for me, in the rain, but after one more spree next weekend, I should be all done and free to enjoy the rest of the holiday season without all the chaos!

Red...So sorry to hear you're not feeling well and hope you feel better soon!

Lav...Let us know how you make out with the osteo supplements, 'cause I may be needing them soon myself!

Lil...Never heard of the tooth brushing diversion before, but it makes perfect sense and is sure to please the dentist, too!

Tylyr...I recently read that if you talk out loud to someone (or yourself ) about anything but alcohol, it will steer your mind in the direction of whatever you're talking about and away from alcohol! Or, take any action--straighten your house, take a walk, shine your shoes--to steer your mind in the direction of what you're doing. The key is to do the something else for at least 5 minutes. And, of course, the old standbys in the article below usually work. The most important thing to remember is that cravings always pass!

Alcoholism - 4 Proven Remedies to Reduce Alcohol Cravings

Sooty... for resisting! That's determination!

LBH...I just love pansies...and they love me back, too! They're such a hearty flower and the only thing that I can ever seem to grow in my garden with any long-term success. Hope you all enjoyed your breakfast!

Dill...I had 7 stores that I would rotate between which never seemed like enough because I was so full of shame walking in and felt like everyone could see right through me, like I had a huge blinking neon sign on my head. So glad that's behind me now!

SD...Kudos to you, too, and congrats on the almost 30 days! That's fantastic!

Kimberley...Can't think of a nicer way to spend the holidays than helping someone else in need! Will your ankle be all healed by then?

Best wishes to all and to all a Good Night, Good Afternoon or Good Morning!

Sheri

[Lavande]

Good evening Determinators,

I DID start my decorating......yay for me
Also squeezed in a trip to Toys R Us to buy a gift for my grandson. Now I remember why I was so happy when my kids outgrew toy stores - what a crazy place, filled with crazed shoppers - all of us with a 25% off coupon in our hands..........it's done now!!!!!

Our rain did indeed turn to snow - it's quite pretty outside, the first snowfall of the season

Sheri, I'm reading up on alkaline diets - one of the changes I need to make on the bone improvement program..........this should be interesting, to say the least.

SD - hitting 30 days, very good for you! I'm smiling at the D-fuzzy thinking reference......it sure is true

Red, feel better soon!

Tylyr, learning the art of distraction is essential. Whenever a drinking thought enters your head just distract yourself for 5 minutes or so & the thought leaves - you win!!

I hope everyone is having a peaceful evening.........we all deserve it

[cuckoosnest83]

Good morning, all. Another night with out alcohol but feeling groggy from lack of sleep. I bought melatonin yesterday but didn't do much to help. Oh well, I guess it is better to wake up with red eyes, feeling groggy, and not quite with it due to not drinking than it is to wake up that way due to drinking.

It is 6:20 am here and I'm heading out to the grocery store then home to finish decorating. Prefer shopping when store is less crowded.

Hope everyone has a good day.

[Sheri]

Happy Sober Sunday All,

Lav...Here's a website that I found with a lot of articles on the benefits of an alkalizing diet: Lemon Water - Alkalising Superstar. I followed it for about 3 months when I first quit drinking to give my liver a break and it really helped to cut my cravings for sugar/carbs. I'd like to get back to following it more religiously again because I'm a bit of a carboholic (and not the good kind) and the more I eat, the more I want. Have you read The ph Miracle by Robert & Shelly Young yet? I saw them on Oprah around this time last year and they were very convincing. It's very interesting stuff, at least to me!

Cuckoo...So glad you're hanging in despite the lack of sleep. It took me about 3 months before I was sleeping more normally again. I tried all the natural products suggested here, but none seemed to work very well for me either. In the end it was old father time that finally did the trick for me!

Hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend shopping, decorating and just plain relaxing which is my favorite thing to do!

Sheri

[cuckoosnest83]

Sheri, thank you so much for your post. I'm so tired I feel as if I have been drinking and my mind is trying to rationalize: Well if you feel this crappy not drinking then you may as well drink. I know this isn't the solution so knowing with time it does get better helps although I must admit 3 months seems like a long time to go without sleep. I can't begin to imagine what I will look like after 3 months of sleepless nights.

[dill]

Greetings Determined Ones!

SD, The event with your sister sounds very upsetting. It is good that you were sober and level-headed and "present" for her.

amazing how D-fuzzy your thinking becomes once the poison is gone!

I have been noticing this too. My perceptions about drinking seem to be changing as my thinking seems to be changing. I am looking more clearly at my past drinking habits and past behaviors and am having a feeling of revulsion as I see more clearly.

Sheri, thanks for the link to the Alkalising Superstar site. I have never heard of this alkaline water, alkaline diet, etc., until you all started talking about it in this thread. Very interesting.

Lav, I am curious about your water. You live in the country, as do I. We drink well water. We sit on mostly limestone around here which provides alkalinity. Have you ever had your water analized? I went to the alkaline diet website and saw a list of foods that are alkaline. Cucumber was on the list. Have you ever put a slice of cucumber in your water? It's very refreshing.

Cucks, I'm sorry you are having trouble with your sleep patterns. It will take some time to adjust, but the sleep I have now is genuine and rejuvinating. It didn't take me much more than a week or two to get back to a somewhat more normal sleep. I think you might try adding valerian and l-tryptophan to your melatonin. It works well for me. I also sometimes take a half dose of diphenhydramine. It is the ingredient in allergy meds that makes you sleepy. Problem is, it can act a bit like alc, in that it helps you get drowsy and go to sleep, but it may cause wakefulness in the middle of the night.

[cuckoosnest83]

Thank you, Dill. Tonight I am going to get on-line to do some shopping and I will look into alteril which is suppose to combine melatonin, valerian, and l-tryptophan. I have valerian and melatonin but can't find l-tryptophan in the vitamin shop. I bought it before but I think they took it off the market here in the US.

It really is nice to have people to rely on when I am feeling like this. Thanks all.

After I posted this, I went on-line and found l-tryptophan. I don't know why I can't find it in stores. Anyway, like I said I have the valerian and melatonin so we'll see what happens when I get the l-tryptophan.

Again, thanks.

[Kimberley]

Cuckoo I'm sorry you're not sleeping- I had that too after getting off the al. Trazodone/Molipaxin knocked me out in the past. These days I can have chatter in my head but it's easier to ignore and just go to sleep.

Wish you well with it X

[Lavande]

Good morning Sheri, Cucks & Dill,

The sun is out melting all the pretty snow we received yesterday!

Thanks for the link Sheri. Apparently cinnamon & ginger are good to add to your diet as well. I drink a lot of decaf green tea so I've been stirring ginger in - it's pretty good

Dill, I actually got the Dx of osteoporosis 5 years ago.........this latest Dexa Scan showed that it's gotten much worse, I'm at the highest risk now for spinal fractures now & moderate risk for a right hip fracture. God, the nursing homes are filled with little old ladies post hip fractures - I don't want to join them!!!! I lived all my life using city water. Moved here 6 years ago, switched to well water. We had to have the water tested when it was drilled, it passed all the tests for bacteria, etc. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a sample analyzed for mineral content. I just may look into that. I think my biggest problem is genetics. My Mom had very severe osteoporosis, suffered terribly painful spinal fractures. That motivated me to get serious about taking calcium supplements but they apparently haven't helped. This is very frustrating, to say the least!!!!

Cucks, sorry about the sleep problem, I do understand. I suddenly acquired insomnia at the age of 42 when my first perimenopausal night sweat occured - and that was BEFORE I started drinking. I won't try sleeping pills but have tried just about everything else. Just keep trying, something will work for you, at some point. I'm still not an excellent sleeper but much better these days. It really does take a bit of time for your body to adjust. Chamomile tea at bedtime is helpful too

Wishing everyone a terrific Sunday, enjoy!
Lav

[sooty]

Good afternoon friends, I spent most of this morning shouting at the internet people - no connection at all yesterday in case you thought I'd gone AWOL.
Anyway it seems to be back now - but I'm losing faith in it by the minute, so frustrating.
Its amazing how hard it is to be without the internet - which considering I didn't have it until a few years ago just goes to show something ....
So in summary I'm ok and its lovely to have a quick glance at the posts and see that we're all doing fine.
Hopefully I'll be back later but if not I'll be back as soon as I can!!!
Take care and have a good sunday folks
Sooty