Old Bags No More - The Brave Babes & the Battle with the Booze

[MoominMags]

Well, here we go ladies (and MIFLAW)! The new thread to follow on from JWN's 'me and alcohol have ruined my family'. I hope no one minds that I decided to go with 'brave'? I just think that it describes us!

As a quick recap, I am 33 and on day 22 of sobriety (on this occasion!)

sod it. typed a long one then lost it. Family trait here too through fathers side. Totally not going to blame that, I'm too fond of excuses, but I guess it probably isn't entirely coincidence...

Occurred to me last night as I snuck in to her room, maybe dd will forget the way I smelled for her first seven years...

Another sober morning. Still feel like pants in the morning, but guess maybe it's because my sleep is deeper or something?

Morning everyone,

Alcoholic traits run down both sides of my family unfortunately. Not my parents or my brother but all over the family otherwise!

I went to a really good meeting again last night so I am feeling refreshed and ready to go! Another meeting tonight. Have amended my aim of 5 a week to 4 as with working full time and the fact that most of the meetings are in the next town I was getting exhausted.

algee, I am still really tired at the moment - I am hoping it will pass soon!

ido - well done on not drinking since Friday.

wasindie - what's going on?! The suspense is killing us!

Hope to hear from everyone soon! Here's to another sober day. (Day 27!)

Hi algee, I sometimes feel like that too, and I put it down to my body working hard to repair the damage that alcohol has done. I woke this morning feeling really rubbish, infact in my sleepy half awake stage I had to think back just to check that I'd not been drinking (I hadn't). The difference is that once I wake up properly and have a shower, I feel fine. I'm not spending the day shaking off a headache or craving salty food and sugary drinks.

I don't think I have a family history of alcoholics (or maybe I just have a family who are very good at hiding 'secrets', I know I was ). But there is lots of middle class 'social drinking'. My parents always have a drink before dinner. We never have a meal without wine. Often something in the evening before bed. Drink much more that the government 'safe limits' but no-one else appears to have the problem that I do in stopping, or at least not yet.

Hope you all have a good day, and hope indie's little babies are doing well. JWN, enjoy your meditation [need a tranced-out emoticon].

Algee

Remember that, though it's momentous in itself, all you've done is stop drinking. So feeling shit in the morning might be down to something else entirely and nothing to do with the drinking. In fact, the drinking may have been masking it - I only really grasped how bad coffee and fags could make me feel when I stopped drinking because I was so used to feeling shit all the time that the impact of an extra latte or an extra 10 fags (I didn't do things by halves ...) got largely swallowed up in the hangover.

Perhaps you need more sleep? Or you're worrying about something else? Or not getting enough exrercise or fresh air?

morning everyone! - nice to see im not alone in having a barmy family

meeting at lunch time, looking forward to that! then meditation this evening!, i am really filling my life with pleasant activities, it feels really nice

algee - just keep with it!, if you still feel crappy in the couple of weeks perhaps you should talk to the doc - maybe anemic? (sp?)

catch up with you later!

Algee, how about going to the docs for an mot?

liver & blood tests, that kind of thing.

Or to the health food shop?
I think milk thistle is a restorative after alcohol abuse?

i know alcohol abuse can cause some long term damage but not sure in which ways.

It has long been said that alcoholism is genetic, i think this thread echoes that somewhat, its my family pattern too.

Glad to be getting free, though have lost my buzz from last week?
have beeen overeating though, eating rubbish, got to get back on my health kick.

back later.
be happy

Hey all! True enough, whilst I've been working fitness has nosedived, probably that's it...and coffeee too MIFLAW, guzzling gallons since I dropped the plonk and I've had the odd fag, which is totally ridiculous as I'm a non-smoker ( I like to think that makes sense in my own little algee world, but realise how deluded iot makes me sound!!)

Back on to my long dog walks at the moment, which is lovely, especially without the shakes, dark glasses, and general feeling of nausea etc...venus that rang right, I might feel pants when I wake, but it does tend to wash away in the shower.

Unfortunately I can only muster the confidence to go to the quack when, as happens on rare occassions, my leg drops off or similar! Pathetic but true... years ago when I was ill, when this mad drinking started rather than the social up front blow outs, my doctor asked if I was drinking too much. I was SOOOOOO angry with him. Of course I was drinking, I had way too much on my mind, but even then I knew it was becoming a problem. I can't imagine going to him now, I might punch his 'I thought so' face!

Meditation sounds good JWN, I'm looking forward to lots of gardening after the move...lots of decorarting, DIYing and packing to do before then though!

Good to have you out there in computer fairy land! Day 12

oh, and wasindie???
News???

Get yourself to the doc's algee. It won't be as bad as you think. And even if there is something a bit dodgy it's far better to know now and be able to do something about it. I think I mentioned before that my gamma wotsit test on my liver showed that I was outside the normal levels but I got it re-tested after a few months of non-drinking and it was already back to normal. The doctor will be pleased that you are doing something to address your problems. Or ask to see a different one.

wasindie?!! The babies are most likely here and extremely demanding I would think!

...and another thing!
thanks kate, car smelling ok. We were travelling about 90 (though of course I will deny that!) and I found traces on the front windscreen. I calculate that means that it must have come out of her at about 100mph! Surely I must be wrong though, maths isn't necessarily my strongest point!! Tmi??? Sorry

Hope so! Guess we're not top of her 'to do list'!!

Well, we should be, ha ha!!

God, it's so exciting! (Isn't it weird how connected we feel to wasindie, her dp and the babies when we did not know of each others' existences a few short weeks ago?!)

odd, isn't it...mind you, if anyone had suggested to me a few weeks ago that I'd be 12 days dry, and posting on a forum board, I'd have laughed my ruddy head orf! So looking forward to hearing from her, hope all is well!

Odd but lovely at the same time!

And well done on 12 days! (I feel like I need to keep a spreadsheet of who is on what day!)

curry - are you out there? Come back to us!

moomin - i just spat my tea out!!
an alkie speadsheet!!, i would like to hear you explaining that one to the boss!

yes, curry, it would be so lovely to hear from you...

moomin, may I ask, though you probably posted before, or maybe I'm being too nosey... how did you find yourself drinking again after such a long spell of abstinance? Did it creep up on you? Sorry if that's an inappropriate question.

Not at all algee! Hmm, I just decided that I was going to have a drink! I was pissed off with dh, feeling grumpy and because I am an alky, what did I do??! Hit the bottle! For me, I was just not attending enough AA meetings. I was going to 1 or 2 a week and that just did not work for me. Basically I decided I wanted to 'slip' so off I went. God, it's really hard to put into words. I think a lot of it is to do with feeling things (emotions) and not wanting to hence drowing it with booze.

That was so rambling, sorry algee! No idea if you could follow it at all!

JWN - sorry about nearly causing a tea explosion there!

Algee

Paradoxically, it gets easier to go to the doctor's when you do not already know in advance what the real problem is ... You go with normal-sized fears instead of fearing the worst (i.e. "it's clearly just a cold" instead of, "well, that's it, I've obviously got liver disease")

...I think that's pretty well why i'm off to a meeting tomorrow; can't seem to shake that feeling that I've cracked it, so I could just have the one. I am way too self aware to believe that, but still the little voice persists... emotion thing rings particularly true with me, happy sad pissed off jolly, you name it, alchohol is just the ticket, whatever the occasion.

Any of you watch Father Ted? Just reminded myself of Fr Jack accidentally stumbling in to an AA meeting, and repeating 'drink drink drink', and everybody there nodding and saying 'it's so true'...that's me!!!

's ok, I don't need a doctor! Fresh air, water, reduction in gigantic meal portions and a clear head just what I need.

I think of that episode too - makes me laugh, even now! There's also the one where they have a guest on the island (maybe a quiz show host?) and they force him to take a small drink - one sip and he leaps out of the window such is the change to his personality. That's me! (Well, no jumping out of windows to date but you know what I mean.)

That's brilliant re the meeting. When are you going?

yeah, the guy with the syrup! me too, i turn in to bitch troll from hell (on whiskey) irritating and chatty (not the chatty type sober) on most other stuff...

tomorrow evening for me, haven't asked anyone to meet me just going to turn up, clench my butt cheeks and march on in...

...god, re-running various Fr Ted scenarios in my mind now, might have to dig out a DVD tonight!

Hi all,
New to this Mumsnet thing. Have just spent the past hour reading every post on this thread with a mixture of relief (it's not just me )and horror, (I do need to face up to this). After getting totally drunk on Saturday and swearing on Sundday never to touch another drop I had to have a drink or two or three last night, which I justified by telling myself that I can't get to sleep without one.
From the moment of waking up I have been telling myself I will not drink today and will be strong, but I tell myself that every day and usually fail by 8 p.m.
Fellng very sorry for myself which doesn't help I guess