More than what it seems?
 

I fell into a tight spot a few days ago. A lethargic feeling coupled with melancholy on a saturday afternoon had me entertaining thoughts of a drink. I can honestly say that the thoughts arose because that was my old response to quelling depression. A few drinks and then depression banished. Of course we all know that giving in to such temptation always led to depression coming back as a regular but unwelcome guest.

After a couple of hours I went to the local health food store to hopefully find some gaba. When I found out they were out, I bought some L-theanine and took it quickly with water on an empty stomach. It worked like magic. I won't explain what it did for me but the urge to drink vanished and I felt better in my thinking.

I just wonder know how much of the "restless, irritable, and discontent" thinking and feeling is really a cry from our bodies and brains for a physiological change needed at that moment, and the sooner, the better. Good to be sober today. Thank you all.

I never took anything but a multivitamin but I'm glad you were able to get through that, Stellar.

D

Great post steller45 and good question. Our diet has everything to do with it. But what is the best thing to consume at the time of cravings?...great question.

Remember HALT -- don't get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. They're triggers for craving.

I must admit that I have been guilty of turning to sugar and caffeine to give me a quick boost out of my funky moments, and that has probably not helped me in the long run. Since many alcoholics in recovery are hypoglycemic to an extent, our blood sugar can get out of whack. The flip side to the sugar and caffeine rush is that whatever goes up must come down and thus, the subsequent crash.

I read something about gaba effecting the neurotransmitters in our brains in a good way, undoing some of the damage done there by alcohol. I heard also some good things about L-theanine. If using nutritional science can give me an edge in sobriety then I am definitely down with it. Perhaps it's time for me to include it in my outlook of "going to any lengths." Have a great night one and all.

Even today I can go nuts without food. It doesn't take me close to drinking or bring up any cravings, but it is very uncomfortable.

A while ago a woman I knew in AA was climbing the walls so to speak. Very emotional, felt everything was going wrong. I popped round and cooked her a nice lunch. Problem dissappeared.

Especially for newly sober alcoholics, basic life disciplines and decision making skills may be badly impaired. Mine were. It took me half an hour some mornings just to decide what socks to wear. Learning how to do the simple things like cook a meal on a regular basis, took some time. Learning to think took even longer.

Stellar- without asking Dr Google, I cannot comment on what you took (do you know more importantly). Perhaps placebo effect? Perhaps the ritual of going through the motions? Either way no drinking. Be careful with even health product stuff. The label 'health' does not always mean it is. Even one doc . I had did not know about the effects of St John's Wort AND antidepressants can have in raising liver enzymes- which it did in me.

Thank you all for your input. I really do appreciate it.
Phoenix J, you bring up a much needed point about learning the effects of any supplement when one is also using prescription mess for a health condition. I apologize for overlooking that. I myself have not taken a prescription in over 7 months so I carelessly overlooked that area for all my fellow alcoholics in recovery.
I do know what I took. I do not just research the internet but also get input from physicians, health practitoners and just people in general regarding their experiences.
Gottalife, I get what your saying. No amount of uneasiness justifies a drink and do not overlook the importance of eating when necessary.
There's something I heard in the rooms called "contempt prior to investigation." This has led me to read rational recovery, analyze the smart recovery handbook, etc. Along with the big book.I will not dicount the importance of nutritional support or other people's experience either as it pertains to sobriety.
Never tried phenibut Puddlejumper. Have a blessed sober day everyone!

for me, alcohol was only a symptom of deeper problems- problems within me.
problems that there were solutions for.
restless,irritable,and discontent- people around me said I was ornary. :) prolly the same.
I blamed it on being irish. that was a lie and excuse.
found the causes with the steps of AA
and the solutions,too.

Twice that I remember when having close to 3 years of sobriety, for some crazy reasons I started to entertain the thoughts of drinking, yet again. In one case it only took me a few minutes to talk myself into it and in the other case I entertained the thought for a few days (driving by a local bar after work and wondering what ((a drink)) would be like after so much time away?), surly it wouldn't turn out like before? Telling myself, I would keep my drinking under control this time -- right? Sure I will! I'll just go ahead and prove it. Only ONE drink! Well, I stopped at the bar and walked in quickly so as to not give the drunken tape a chance to play out and ordered a TALL beer and a DOUBLE margarita just for starters. Oh yes, once again I had proven -- I can drink JUST ONE!

A fool is one who fools themselve.

M-Bob

A reminder that we do not allow for medical advice to be given ( or requested ) in the forums per policy. Even OTC supplements can be dangerous if not used correctly. Seeing a doctor is your best bet if you feel you have a chemical or nutritional imbalance.

Hi Stella. Well done to you for resisting that urge to drink, and taking something else to help combat the cravings. :)

I'm quite like you when I'm feeling bad about something ( currently suffering from relationship problems that's really breaking me apart) i will turn to alcohol..

Can someone explain to me what Gaba and L-theanine is?

I have a local health food store too, and if this is some type of pill to help with the chemicals in the brain to combat cravings I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Both GABA and L-theanine are supplements you can purchase over the counter. There are literally hundreds of others, some natural and some not. Our site policy is that we don't allow for advice to be given out about usage of medicines or supplements as it would be considered medical advice. Even OTC supplements can have unintended side effects.

The real bottom line though is that there is no "Magic Pill" that will eliminate cravings. There are some prescribed meds you can talk to your doctor about that can sometimes help - but they don't always work and they are designed to be used in conjunction with a sobriety plan/regimen/program.

Thanks for the reply Scott. Really appreciated :)