Posted on 06/02/2019 3:58:14 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
"If you're trying to stop drinking, you need something better than alcohol.
I never was a big drinker, maybe a few beers and a scotch/bourbon per week. After 50, I just lost the taste for it. A good porter or stout once a month when we go out to eat. That’s about it.
I don't think I was an addict, per se, but I have seen great changes in myself since quitting alcohol.
I have known some serious addicts though and will say this about their quitting.
Alcohol can be a real demon. When a man or woman who is addicted or nearabouts addicted decides to quit, they face a tough fight. But after getting down into the trenches and fighting and winning--after a long and rugged fight--they build new character (and it is never too late, even for an old man or woman).
After all, character is built in battle, it is not something you are born with. The weaker you are when you start or the weaker you become in the battle, the more character you build in victory.
I wish more addicts understood this because one of the greatest strengths of their enemy is his ability to shake their confidence and faith in self.
I have been around addicts who have defeated the demon of alcohol and/or drugs. They are men and women of great bravery and character.
It is a battle that can be won. For many, it is a battle of life or death.
quitting is only part of stopping drinking. It means you stopped picking up.
Otherwise you are just a dry-drunk.
Doing the same bogus things you do drunk.
The other part is recovering.
Learning to be in the world sober and less self centered, more aware of feelings and reactions, more resposible for the self.
recovery takes a lifetime.
Good for you.
The best thing my dad did for me-—I was 10 when he died-—was take me into Norton’s Corner Tavern where he used to have a few before lunch. He put me on a stool and I said, “I want a beer.” He gave me a Pabst Blue Ribbon and I took one sip and said, “This tastes like horse pee.”
I never drank again, never smoked, and even through 10 years in rock bands, I virtually never did drugs (maybe a handful of occasions). Never LSD, never H.
I credit that, in large part, with the fact that at 68, I just have never ever been sick. Pneumonia once in my Yut. Had to have bone chips removed from my knee (got me out of Veet Nam). Otherwise, never been in a hospital for anything.
PS - It's been two months since I've been off of Facebook. That certainly was a useless and semi-destructive addiction I thought I'd never shed.
You should be proud. I am sure your family and friends thank you and are very proud of you.
I think because I had tapered off slowly, my physical effects were minimized to some degree. I had absolutely NO cravings. I thought that was strange.
Within the first week I started having intense and painful intestinal cramps due, I think, to the fact that my diet was no longer partly liquid. My intestines were not used to handling so much solid food. To solve that problem, I added generic Mirolax (my pharmacist recommendation). Worked like a charm. Still use it.
Things were relatively easy after the cramps.
Headaches as my head began to adjust. Took BC Powder for that. Worked like a charm.
For a few months, I had brain fog, but that cleared up steadily over time. Best to just ignore that problem with the faith that it will clear up gradually.
Had insomnia for a few weeks. Just went with the flow on that. Took some Sleepy Time Tea for a little while. That worked but left me groggier than usual.
Then came the drowsiness. All I wanted to do was nap. Short naps. Long naps. Wonderful, dreamy naps.
Getting up without a hangover in the morning was wonderful, but after an hour of being up, I wanted a nap.
The sleep in recovery is the best sleep you have ever had. Better than baby sleep. Incredible sleep...making up for lost time.
After a while, the need for naps begins to taper off but the sleep is still top notch.
Anyway, that's my experience.
BTW, I drank a lot of coffee.
I could drink a cup of coffee before bedtime and still sleep like a baby.
Thank God for coffee...and tea. Used to drink hot tea (black no sugar) by the pot full. Yummm.
I do an hour a day of cardio (spin bike HIIT class or take my bike on a local trail). I lift weights too. Energy in surplus now that I don't drink.
Lost 15 pounds too.
Thx. I recommend quitting to everyone.
Bologna. Some people feel sorry for themselves and blame it all on alcohol. I am not a dry drunk. I am not recovering. I am just not drinking. Decided not to just like I decided never to buy Sargento cheese again. You can try and convince me I have deeper problems but honestly I don’t. I liked drinking. I liked 18 year old blonds as well. I am doing neither. ;-)
What do you mean learn to be sober? Hell, I was born sober. What do I have to learn to be sober again. I was extremely functional as a drunk, more so than most people sober. It is like riding a bike. One or two pedals and boom... back riding again. At least it was for me. Like it or not quitting drinking other than the physical withdrawal has been as easy as pie for me.
It was harder giving up the blonds and I still crave them... LOL.
I don’t understand the whole needing a sponsor thing one bit, nor the 12 steps but I am extremely stubborn and once I set my mind to something come “Hell or High Water” I make it so.
I also had no cravings and like you thought that strange. Everyone told me it was so hard to quit and it wasn’t.
Can vouch for your sleep experience.
I have actually gained weight since quitting but I eat like a horse. I only eat one huge meal a day but might snack a couple of times a week.
My BP/Cholesterol/Metabolic Panel/Weight are all excellent.
Mentally all I have noticed a slight improvement in short term memory but accessing long term memories seems to have slowed down slightly. I have to think about them for a second rather than them being instant.
I have minor aches and pains I either didn’t notice or didn’t have while drinking.
I have been lax on the exercise.
Overall I feel better sober.
Roger that.
It's like my conscious brain is running at a faster tempo than my memory centers. Sometimes it takes my memory several hours to produce something I used to be able to recall instantly.
I have heard that this is because the brain is readjusting to being sober all the time. I have noticed that my brain is slowly getting in sync, but I guess it will take time.
As to exercise, the body and the brain are deeply intertwined and, I am told, exercise (mental and physical), a good diet (I am on keto), and rest will in time bring things back to normal or better.
And, as always, I am certain that a positive, can-do attitude is a powerful supplement in a return to peak conditioning.
Best of luck to you. Hang tough and fight the good fight.
Sometimes it takes my memory several hours to produce something I used to be able to recall instantly.
I have heard that this is because the brain is readjusting to being sober all the time.
My mother watched Hannity everyday and had perfect recall until she died at 94. Ergo, Hannity might be the secret to a perfect memory.;-)
My memory is getting better since I stopped drinking, after initially getting out of sync.
As an aside, I was told that I wasn't an alcoholic because I never had cravings (I don't know if I agree with that). That said, I don't think there is an accurate definition of "alcoholic" (it is itself a somewhat fuzzy term).
As much as I hate the NY times, I do the NY Times crossword puzzle everyday and that keeps my memory sharp.
On the other hand, as we get old, our memory files get larger and larger...takes more time to dig a single detail out of that vast array of old manila folders.;-)
Even now, I am amazed at how powerful the human mind is.
OK.
Here is a dry-drunk. I understand what you meant. Glen Beck perfectly fits your description. It could be that if you are a loony unstable drunk you will be loony and unstable sober because you are loony and unstable by nature.
Truly - thank you for this thread. Appreciate knowing about the video and all the comments that have been shared are appreciated even more.
What does "stopped picking up" mean?
Otherwise, I completely agree that not drinking also means a complete overhaul of your life...a growing up, if you will.
I think that's what Peterson meant when he said that alcohol had to be replaced by something better. That better thing has to be something that is meaningful, responsible, and enduring (like the things you mentioned). It can't just be another person, though it can certainly include other people.
Glenn Beck is the perfect example of a “dry drunk.” And what a shame because he is such a gifted guy.
Picking up the glass/bottle.
Absolutely agree with you.
Here is a dry-drunk. I understand what you meant. Glen Beck perfectly fits your description. It could be that if you are a loony unstable drunk you will be loony and unstable sober because you are loony and unstable by nature.
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Glenn Beck appears to be a poorlyregulated bipolar IMHO.
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