Me, myself and getting sober

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

Anither bloody night with hardly any sleep

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Me, myself and getting sober

spacebebe01;1212278 wrote: Anither bloody night with hardly any sleep

Morning, (for me) Space!

IMHO the sleep thing can be a really important key to doing this thing. Guard your sleep! (That meant for me staying in bed no matter what, learning some coping strategies, exercising--no gym membership needed, and taking medicines to help with the process--starting with Benadryl. I forget what that's called in Europe. Something else! And then using some other meds when that didn't work.)

Take a look around, lots of threads dealing with this issue.

Power on! You're doing great and I love reading your posts!
:l
Ne

[tiptronic_ct]

Me, myself and getting sober

Not sleeping is the pits, and almost drove me round the bend.

I tried all of the following, with varying degrees of success:

- No bac after 7.00 p.m
- Amitriptyline (a tricyclic anti-depressant, often used off-label for pain management and insomnia. You can use it as / when needed about an hour before sleep)
- Phenergan (an anthistamine. This might be the European name for Benadryl?). Don't use chronically, as its efficacy wears off.
- Melatonin tablets (a natural sleep aid, you can double or even triple the dose safely. Preferably the slow release variety)
- Chamomile tea and a banana about 30 minutes before bed.
- Exercise, like NE said. Yuck.

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

Last nite I came downstairs with a quilt and got a few hours on the couch, for some reason I seem to be able to doze off there. I will try - no bac after 7pm, I cant take amitriptyline, my doc prescribes it to me but I cant take it with antabuse its one og the things you shouldnt mix it with, I dont know if I can buy phenergan at the chemist or if its prescription only, will ask doc for it, I have thought about buying melatonin on line, money tight at the moment but will prob try these when I can afford them, I have got some chamomile tea here never think to drink it tho but will have some tonight, excercise I would like to go out for a walk of an evening but its so cold and dark here thats not going to happen I could go of a day but then when would I find the time to come on here! I dont half waggle on dont I?
I got my cocnut oil this morning at 7.45, tried some in tea but dont think thats will be my prefared way of having it, does it loose its goodness when used for cooking? I often make chips in the oven and could easily use it for that. Feeling a lot better today, not sure if its the bac or gabapentin doing it but somethings working right, my whole mood has changed for the better.

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

If I dont take bac after 7pm I dont know how to space it out, I take it 4 times a day when I get up, lunchtime, dinner times and before bed, so to take it 4 times before 7 I will have to start spacing it out every 3 hours, does that sound right? Wont I get more daytime sleepiness doing that? And how come I need to sleep of a day and not of a night on bac that doesnt make sense to me, surely if it makes me tired I should be taking a big dose at bedtime! I dont understand

[tiptronic_ct]

Me, myself and getting sober

spacebebe01;1212395 wrote: If I dont take bac after 7pm I dont know how to space it out, I take it 4 times a day when I get up, lunchtime, dinner times and before bed, so to take it 4 times before 7 I will have to start spacing it out every 3 hours, does that sound right? Wont I get more daytime sleepiness doing that? And how come I need to sleep of a day and not of a night on bac that doesnt make sense to me, surely if it makes me tired I should be taking a big dose at bedtime! I dont understand

That's the thing with HDB - I was sleepy as hell during the day, but couldn't sleep at night.

How about spacing your doses more or less like this:
- at waking up
- mid-morning
- mid-afternoon
- at dinnertime / around 7.00

There is a chance that your daytime sleepiness will get worse. I used to rely on caffeine (three very strong coffees in the morning) and Ritalin during the day. I'm not sure what your personal circumstances are, but getting up and walking around if you feel you're starting to nod off, having a sip of water, listening to music... all of it can help you stay awake in the daytime and hopefully sleep better at night.

Above all, try to remember that this is all temporary. I know it doesn't always feel that way, but you WILL reach the point where it gets better.

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

Im not on HDB yet only going to 25mg a day today, I started last week on 15mg but then went to 10 because I was ill, but I will try taking it earlier, I am managing to stay awake during the day its when I sit down with my son to watch tv of an evening it hits me, he woke me up on saturday evening because I was snoring and he couldnt hear the tv . I am sure it will all sort itself out in time and today and yesterday I have felt so much better, I cant believe it I dont really want to add ritalin into the mix of meds I am taking, I think with the bac, antabuse, campral, gabapentin and effexor Im taking enough! Also my son was prescribed ritalin for years as a child for ADHD and I used to swallow handfulls of them in the days when I was doing cocaine then crack, I dont want to stir up and memories of those times.

[tiptronic_ct]

Me, myself and getting sober

I thought you were on a higher dose already.

Yep. Trying to watch TV was a killer for me too. Do you have a Wii console? They're dirt cheap 2nd hand if you don't. If you get the balance board it can help you get exercise and you and your son can have fun together in the process. My kids laugh their arses off at me :upset:

I would avoid Ritalin too under the circumstances you describe :H

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

Last night I went to an AA meeting again, I have previously done a lot of AA and did work the steps and do the praying and all that caper and even got into some of the cliques and gossiping although that made me feel very bad at the time I did it, I also saw the harm AA can do, and in my oppinion did to me, The treatment centre I went to was 12 step and very confrontational and harmful I thought so after the years of that and constant relapsing when I stopped going I said I would never go back. So why you are probably asking yourself did I go back last Monday and last night again. After thought and caonsidereation I looked at my current situation which is very isolated, because my drinking got so bad I virtually never went out for a drink, I was a solitary hiding drinker, I would have bottles stashed all over the house, my bar was usually the back of the kichen cupboard and I went from drinking vodka out of a mug to swigging it from the bottle, if I couldnt get it into the house because my son would frisk me on the way in I would drink it in the street of the woods. The only friend I still have is still drinking on an all day basis. I need company and were am I going to meet people who I can relate to and who dont invite me to go for a drink, I am not at the stage where I can tell the norms that I dont drink, so I got in touch with a girl who'es mum lives round the corner from me and arranged to meed up, I pick her up from her mums and we go to the meeting together , I have fallen into a routine already, I pick her up, go to the meeting, have a chat outside before it starts, go in, have a cup of tea listen to the chair, then doze off until the end, say the serenity prayer and have another chat with the peeps their, because I have past experience I pretty much know who to avoid, and then I come home feeling pretty good.
I am still taking 25mg of bac divided into 4 doses, campral, antabuse and effexor, last night I took a zopiclone and had a good noghts sleep, I dont want to risk dependence on these so try to timit them to a couple a week, also gabapebtin, I split the capsule in half and take every other day. This seems to be working quite well for me at the moment, I am not getting any side effects that are worht boring about except for slleepiness of a day which I can fight during the day by coming on here oor doing other stuff so it only effects me really when I sit down of an evening, and I consider this to be a big plus on the night I go to AA Thats it really, I havnt change my dosage times yet because I am going to a drama class tonight with a gut I know who I allso got back in touch with on facebook and dont want to be nodding off there. I have never been before and am nervous both about the class and the idea of going out into town and staying out late. (thats after 10pm for me). Thanks everyone who has joined my thread and managed to wade through my too long posts, I will have to learn to keep things short I think

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

Aften thinking about it and reading other threads I think Im going too slowley with the bac, also I want to get away from having to cut the pills as they are tiny and keep breaking into bits. So Im thinking -
on waking 5mg
around 11am 10mg
around 3pm 5mg
7pm 10mg
how does this sound to you? after 4 days or so of this is intend to increase the 3pm to 10mg then next week increase the waking to 10mg, I will see how it goes with se's but then I will have got to equal doses totaling 40mg day with no need to cut pills.

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

I was just looking in my dishes cupboard, this was a place I used to hide drink, I would have it in cups, bottles, flasks ect and I got a sudden flash that there could be drink in there, I was hoping to find drink in there, as I have many times in the past I remember finding a cup at the back which had an dead earwig floating on the top of vodka and lemonade and I just took the earwig out and drank it. Thank god for antabuse I can visualise the cup of vodka and coke in that cupboard that I could just put my hand in and get and feel the relief of it going down, I want to taste it. I am going to make the tea now (sorry that means dinner here not a drink of tea) and I know I cannot drink.

[tiptronic_ct]

Me, myself and getting sober

I'm sure you'll already feel better after your tea

Sounds like you're getting a solid titration plan together. Just be on the lookout for an increase in SEs. I guess the speed of titration must really be determined by one's personal circumstances and physical reaction to bac.

You also need to keep in mind that you might very well need to go back to a more evenly spaced (over 24 hours) schedule if this approach doesn't help with the sleep problems. The general consensus seems to be that even spacing works best for most. I couldn't handle high doses at night, though - it felt as if I was suffocating every time I did finally manage to drop off for a bit.

[Doggygirl]

Me, myself and getting sober

Hi space. Boy I can relate to taking a bug out of a glass of vodka and ????? and drinking it. Or taking a drink with cigarette ashes in the bottom of it, and carefully pouring into another glass with hopefully not TOO many of the ashes going with it...and drinking it. Finishing off other people's drinks at the end of a party so as not to "waste" anything. Oy. NOT NORMAL!!!

I always try to remember at AA that I'm with a whole bunch of people who are just as imperfect as I am. You are wise to just gravitate to the people you like and respect, and avoid the rest. That's what I do too. Take what you need, etc. etc. I had to smile as you reminded me of a guy who often sits in the back of my home group meeting and takes a nap most times. He's a super nice guy and I see him around town sometimes. He talks more then than he ever has at a meeting. :H

Do whatever you need to do to keep AL out of the drivers seat of your life! You are doing GREAT.

How are you loving your coconut oil?

DG

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

Tip and doggy I just got all emotional then reading your lovely posts to me, its great to know there are peeps out there who care enough to spend the time for me and also great to know that others understand me and have done similar yukky things! Doggy I used to notice people who would go to meetings and have a nap, in my not so well days I would think tp myself or worse still say to someone else "I dont know why they bother coming if they are just going to go to sleep", well now I know because I am one of them what is that saying "Never judge a man until you have walked a man in his shoes" how true.

The coconut oil is getting better, this morning I had a spoonful in warm weetabix and then tonight I had some in camomile tea, but I think I just remembered that I read somewhere not to take it too late as it can disturb sleep, maybe thats got something to do with me sitting here now in my kitchen at 1.20am typing this to you haha

[spacebebe01]

Me, myself and getting sober

3.30am exhausted can get to sleep