Sober for 3 months and a couple of question.
 

First, will I ever fall asleep before 2 pm again? I go to bed at 10 and just lay there awake tossing and turning. Hubby comes to bed about 11-12 after watching tv and drinking and passes out. I do wake up feeling well rested and not a bit groggy and my dreams are very vivid, despite the dreams I hate being up all night tossing and turning. I love dreaming I don't think I dreamed at all when I was drinking.
Second question, daughter is coming to visit and wants me to make beef stew. I have always made it with either a dark beer or red wine. Once we stop drinking is cooking with alcohol a big no no?

I want to say a big thank you for this website.

I cook with all kinds of alcohol. But that's me. There is a huge difference in my mind in sitting down and a having a sip of booze with the intention of drinking alcohol, compared to having it flavour my food. Having said that though, I do wait till most of it has burned off before tasting if I'm the one doing the cooking.

I still would use alcohol in cooking, if it was drinkable I gave it to someone else or dumped it down the drain. But are you kidding?? Cooking with alcohol is yummy... not that I'm trying to encourage you, but that's where I had to draw a line, I can cook with it, but NO DRINKING!!! ;)

Nice to know I can still cook with it especially since the alcohol is burnt off whan its cooked.

This food topic is taking a beating today.

It doesn't burn off as much as people think.
Alcohol Burn-off Chart

I'm a non drinker.
I don't use alcohol in my cooking.

Have you seen a Dr about your insomnia, klp?
D

it took a while for my sleeping to get back to normal lot longer then 3 months. i took sleeping aids for a good while i'd say at least 6 months then i went without them it got better and does get normal sooner or later. just watch the obvios like caffine to late in the day etc..

I dont cook with alcohol wife did it once it repulsed me the taste. I like to think i've lost my taste for booze but im not abot to find out. I guess it was an aquired taste to begin with many years i hated the flavor of any of it. But with any luck i'll never find out the answer to that question.

When I cook with wine it's added to a pan with onions or garlic sizzling or used to de-glaze a pan to make gravy or broth.

I don't flambe, I won't just add booze to a sauce, and I avoid deserts that are just soaked in booze.

Early in sobriety I wouldn't dare keep alcohol around though and today I'm cautious about what I will and won't keep on hand. If I'm thinking about the booze I have, where it is, how much is left, or generally if I think about that anymore than I think about the worcestershire sauce bottle it's gotta go.


Also, individual results will vary as far as sleep normalizing. Good diet and physical activity will help.

It kind of amazes me the things I had to think about after I quit drinking. Like mouthwash, cough syrup, cooking with it and even those liquor chocolates you get in the stores!

As for the sleeping I went thru periods of not being able to sleep or waking up at 2 and not going back to sleep. Lucky for me I'm not working now so it hasn't effected me too much. It does get better I am now 5 months sober and sleeping better.

I sleep really well now (7+ months out) but it took awhile. I had to stop taking anything for sleep (only took Benadryl) and wait it out.
As for cooking with alcohol, I don't ever. I also don't use vanilla extract, mouthwash, nyquil or anything else that might trigger me.

Klp, Sober for 3 months? You are FANTASTIC. I think with the time it takes to cook beef stew most of the alcohol will evaporate away. :egypt:

Can always use O'Douls if you aren't comfortable, or use a beef stock or beef base. I love Penzey's beef and chicken soup bases. Big ole spoonful, then add water. Adds great flavor! You can find other options at most grocery stores.

If I cooked with alcohol that would mean I would have to have alcohol in the house, and I don't. There's plenty for me to eat that doesn't have alcohol in it, cooked off or not. Sober since July '91.

My husband has alcohol in the house he is a on going alcholic.

I have decided not to use alchol in my cooking, maybe when I have a year soberity, I'm afraid the taste might make me fall...and to me going back to drinking is more scary then standing naked in frount of a crowd.

I have been to a doctor since I stopped drinking but from embarrassment I could not bring my drinking or stopping drinking up with her and did not mention my insomnia.

I was alway under the impression that close to 100% burned off. One more thing to add to the long list of things I was wrong about in sobriety.

Thanks for the post but what am I going to do with my french toast and vanilla :react

I would suggest non alcoholic cooking wine. I loved cooking with wine and beer, but I don't do it any more. At a minimum I would use cooking wine if I ever cook with booze again.

My sobriety is so important to me that I won't chance it, I respect myself that much.

Others might be able to have it around and cook with it and not be tempted. I'm not that awesome.

Intentions is what it comes down to for me.

I am a chef by trade, 20 years now, and I cook with alcohol often at work. I don't at home, even though my wife keeps a bottle of wine in the house. Wine and beer add acidity, color, and some flavor. The chance of getting a buzz off of dish is practically nil. (Pastries soaked in booze is a different animal - I don't touch them). The tannins in wine react with the amino acids in red meat to help clarify sauces and braising liquids. The acidity of wine and beer help to balance out the flavor profile of dishes. Flavor is usually muted, but perhaps more pronounced in things like coq au vin.

Now, I went through a phase where I didn't even use Dijon mustard (mustard seeds soaked in wine and vinegar) or touch anything like vanillla extract, etc. That was early in my recovery and I felt safer that way. I got to a point in my recovery that I felt that I didn't need to worry about that stuff anymore - it was intentions, again. My intention when making a sandwich with Dijon is not to get buzzed - I am eating.

But for those who are concerned, or think that alcohol in any form, cooked out or not, then there are ways around it when cooking. I would use cider vinegar or rice vinegar for acidity without adding too much flavor of the vinegar. I add a touch of soy to my stews and braising liquids that normally ask for red wine (which adds colour). I use stock or juice as needed to certain soups or stews instead of alcohol.

Cook on!

Congrats. I am an alcoholic and have been sober for just over 6 months.

As for me, I would never cook with alcohol. If someone else makes a brisket infused with whiskey or beer, or some kind of wine-seared dish, I might feel okay to try it, but I personally would not be the one handling the alcohol.

You could serve your family a burnt **** sandwich, and they would be happy. They care about you and SUPPORT your recovery! If that means no more wine in your cooking, then I'm sure they can deal with it. It sounds like you might be looking for an excuse to have a bottle in the house (I know you are NOT, but it could set off alarms to your family). I would advise against it. That said, it's just my .02. I don't do everything by the book myself, so do what works for you. However, again I would just say no and try not to handle bottles, whether it's for cooking or other reasons.

GL