Sober January!

[skullbabyland]

Sober January!

BK and Friend- so glad you guys are jumping on board with us The first week, then 2 weeks, then 3 then 4, are so weird and exciting boring and fun and cool and shitty and hard, all together in a weird mix. Please expect all of the above and know that it keeps getting better, not in a dumb cliche way but truly I speak from my own meager experience

And I'm so glad all you others are here too, awesome that a bunch of us are committing to doing this sober January thing together.

Also, halo- thanks for the book recommendation, I'm putting it on my kindle now...

[bkyogagurl]

Sober January!

Skull~ thanks for putting up with me. The anxiety from drinking for almost 2 weeks is dissipating and I am feeing much more grounded.

Whewwww~ I am excited today to think about being AF. Its nice.:happy:

Thank you to everyone who is here to share. I'm gonna look that book up. Thanks Halo.

[halo]

Sober January!

bkyogagurl;1607405 wrote: Whewwww~ I am excited today to think about being AF. Its nice.:happy:

That' s the spirit bkyogagurl!! Love the positive vibe.
Thanks skull for starting the thread, it was exactly what many of us needed to start the new year off right!

[NoSugar]

Sober January!

halo;1607389 wrote: . After 5 1/2 months AF time, I have been slipping and sliding since August. I didn't protect my quit , and I am determined to get the month of January under my belt, one day at a time... I want and need to get back to AF living!

That must be so frustrating. One good thing about hanging around here, though, is you know it isn't because of something weird about you -- that difficulty getting back with the program after it's interrupted seems to be a hallmark feature of this whole business. I hope you can just take that option to drink off the table and get through the few really uncomfortable periods. As you know from last time, it gets easier the longer you are AF.

How about coming and reading and posting first next time you're thinking of having "just one"? I bet someone here will be able to help you make a different choice (and you just better hope mean old NoSugar isn't online :H).

You can do it, Halo - you've already proved that. :l

[halo]

Sober January!

No Sugar, you have such great words of wisdom, falling down does seem to be a pattern, because AL is everwhere, it's all around us (I'm not stating this as an excuse but it is a reality)

Personally I believe I started AL again because I was not posting on MWO as often and I thought I could handle AL now. I convinced myself I could be a normal drinker,hell I hadn't had a drink in 5 1/2 months! I could finally be the one in control of AL. All these thoughts by the way are Absolutely FALSE. It's hard to actually look in the mirror and honestly say I am and will always be an addict to AL.

I achieved my past success due to the MWO and the monthly threads were a HUGE help in gaining all those AF days. I think many of us need that tough love approach No Sugar, so I am sticking to the MWO and am listening to the words of wisdom, no matter what! All of us deserve a better life, an AF life. Sending out some hugs to the Sober January group. We can do this!! :l

[MntGirl]

Sober January!

Day 3 of the Sober January month for me....and year. Really craving a shooter, but I know I wont stop at that. these freaking hot flashes and anxiety attacks are really getting to me....what do you do when all you want to do is sleep but cant?

[Pavati]

Sober January!

skullbabyland;1607399 wrote: BK and Friend- so glad you guys are jumping on board with us The first week, then 2 weeks, then 3 then 4, are so weird and exciting boring and fun and cool and shitty and hard, all together in a weird mix. Please expect all of the above and know that it keeps getting better, not in a dumb cliche way but truly I speak from my own meager experience

Boy, isn't that the truth. I am way behind you and it is all of the above. But it does get better and better (through ups and downs). Happy to have a big group in the Jan. thread. We can do this peeps - one day at a time.

MntLady - sleeping gets much better. One thing I do is listen to relaxation CDs. I saw on a different thread that you understand exercise is key to sobriety - it is also key to sleep.

End of Day 33 for me - I really can't believe it. Stay sober, folks.

[Unwasted]

Sober January!

Just checking in after an over-the-top wonderful night's sleep. That NEVER EVER happens when I drink. Day 11

[halo]

Sober January!

Congrats Pavati on your 33 days!!! That is awesome, hopefully all of us on the Jan thread will be right behind you!!!

Relaxation tapes sound good, I always try a hot bath and a cup of sleepytime tea..Here's to a well rested AF January. :l

[skullbabyland]

Sober January!

Hi all. Regarding sleep, a few things that work great for me. I've done a fair amount of research on this because I think sleep is almost as important as food and water!

3 to 10mg melatonin (you can also find versions of this with a couple herbs infused, such as chamomile-- in my experience these work even better) EDIT- most people do great with 3mg. 10mg is more than most people need to take, though melatonin is perfectly safe.
raw honey, 2 tbsp (gotta be the raw unfiltered kind, with all the stuff in it)
hot bath
sleepytime tea
reading (note- if you read on a phone or kindle or other type of hypno-square, it's important to use a screen dimmer app that changes the color hue to a reddish brownish, ie "warm" color, as that helps trigger the brain to sleep. The regular unfiltered brightness has a lot of bright blueish "cool" color, which triggers the brain to keep awake. Truly, this works). EDIT- this also applies to watching TV. You'll get better sleep if you turn off the TV an hour or two before bed. Again, the blueish "cool temperature" of the TV triggers the brain to keep awake.

I also sleep with foam earplugs and a soft eyemask to block sound and light. Between these, I sleep like a rock for 8 hours consistently. On the very odd night that I still have trouble, I'll take a 25mg diphendydramine sleep aid (same as benadryl). Keep in mind that both or either of the melatonin and diphenhydramine may keep you feeling groggy throughout your morning.

EDIT- these all worked particularly well for me as I was increasing dose on baclofen, when the side effect of insomnia was keeping me awake which was maddening. But even now that my dosage has evened out, I use these tools nightly for great sleep.

[skullbabyland]

Sober January!

oh- the iphone app that dims your screen to a warm color is called i.flux

if you search i.flux in Android you'll find the comparable Android apps for it, too. It'll likely look odd and dim at first but trust me, your eyes will adjust quickly and thank you for it.

[skullbabyland]

Sober January!

halo;1607389 wrote: No Sugar, I've been reading but not posting very often, it is so nice to see you around, love reading your positive posts! Have just finished reading Drink by Ann Johston, a very good read that reinforces the need for an AF life. After 5 1/2 months AF time, I have been slipping and sliding since August. I didn't protect my quit , and I am determined to get the month of January under my belt, one day at a time... I want and need to get back to AF living! Here's to a sober January, We can do it everyone!!!:l:l

Halo's mention of "Drink" reminded me- has anyone seen the movie "Smashed" with Aaron Paul (of Breaking Bad fame)? If so, how is it? Good, sobering, realistic? Does it romanticize drinking, is it crave-triggering?

[bkyogagurl]

Sober January!

Day 4 and not to mention weekend... I'm happy in my heart.

Smashed is a good movie and supports the AA theme. It definitely did not make me want to go out and drink. Another good one is "When a man loves a women" shows how alcohol can affect children too. And another one that I totally bawled thru was "Homeless to Harvard Liz Murray story" this poor girl had a severely alcoholic mother and it shows her own struggles because of her mom. It almost scared me as I am a mom. I thought that would never happen to me or could it?

I think any movie that shows how alcohol affects a persons life is worth watching. I also watch the police shows ie..like the Alaska state troopers..They show a lot of really drunk people behaving horribly and in parts of Alaska alcohol is illegal because it has such a harsh effect on some communities.

Awesome for everyone today!!! Thank you for being here I like checking in each day and being accountable.

[spuddleduck]

Sober January!

just a quick fly by to support you all in your sober January. skullbaby, great sleep information. I find I cant use a sleep mask as it seems to catch my eyelashes or something but I always put something over my head (well, over my eyes, with breathing space at nose and mouth). however dark the room I need my 'dark hood'. I also sometimes use 'sominex' which is an anti-histamine (like Benadryl I think) but I have found if I use it too often it stops working.
im not sure where it is but there is a recent post asking about movies with alcohol issues in. I find things like that a good addition to the ammunition against al.

[Pavati]

Sober January!

Evening, all. There is also some research that maybe a full 8 hours every night is a modern construct. There are some references to "second sleep" in some literature, and some researchers are thinking that maybe we should embrace that early (2-3am) wake up, get up and do something for an hour or so, and then go back to sleep. Maybe not so practical for those of us who only have 8 total hours (or less) to sleep to begin with, but I think part of my past insomnia was due to my anxiety about it.

Anyway - hope you all get some sleep if you need it. Happy Sober Saturday!