olympia

A while back, at an AA meeting, I heard a member share that in his early days without alcohol, he used caffeine and nicotine, the small buzz he got off them, as "a hedge" against drinking. This, I thought, was an interesting way to put things, and I think perfectly described what I'm doing now in my efforts to not drink. That is: I don't try to limit my use of any non-intoxicating substances (and this includes sugar, as well as caffeine and nicotine), because using them will ease the drink beast. I know this isn't a perfect strategy, and isn't a substitute for doing other things, but I don't feel any need to do things differently, particularly at this early date. Anyone else have hedges? How do you feel about them?

ebshot

I have them! Coffee and Diet Coke. But the Diet Coke is caffeine free if that makes a difference. I figure that as long as I am not drinking and not twitching from all of the caffeine then for now it's fine. Perhaps after I have a little more sober time I'll try to cut back.

MsJax

Hi Olympia . To me, hedges are in the danger zone for sobriety. Anything that gives any sort of "buzz" or mimics drinking (ie na beer) is not something I would recommend.

Of course I wouldn't want to be quitting alcohol along with tobacco & caffeine! I am simply addressing the 'buzz' factor.

doggonecarl

I don't know if it's a hedge, but I know my sugar use increased. Something had to replace the thousands of calories I was getting from beer.

Now I'm working on cutting down that intake. And if I ever notice that caffeine is making my life unmanagable, I'll quit that.

I think it is quite normal to try to substitute alcohol or our DOC. But frankly, there is no substitute for what we are addicted to except maybe a different addictive substance or behavior. So monitor that.

Congrats on your sober time.

RidingHood

I'm on H20, green tea and celestial seasonings sleepy time tea and of course my 3 cups of coffee in the morning too. I find replacing alcohol with other healthy liquids has been good for me and sometimes I like to drink caffeine free diet coke too but noticed it makes me real thirsty now for some reason.

2granddaughters

I think we all "substitute" in the beginning.
If my warm, fuzzy blanket of denial was ripped off me in one motion I think I would have/would go crazy.

Then, if you're a sick puppy like me, it's hard to tell the difference between normal human behavior and "being restored to sanity" .... what the He!! is sanity anyway??!!

All the best.

Bob R

olympia

Thanks for the input, everyone.

MsJax- Yeah, the buzz thing is definitely an issue for me, especially since I used caffeine and nicotine in conjunction with alcohol. The way I see it, though, caffeine,smokes, and sugar don't have the potential to screw up my life like alcohol has.

Saliena

I will have 9 months sober on the 2nd... goddess be good!
I have used it all... coffee, diet coke, food, sugar.
Because of all of that I am now using another exercise!
I put on about 20 pounds and last week my husband decide to go to the gym. I went with him to entertain him... and now I am hooked!
I haven't replaced the diet coke, and I did get a personal trainer to help me do things the right way.
But, for me whatever I have to do to stay sober I am going to do.
I find that I am a MAJOR thrill seeker, it is part of who I am. It isn't a bad part of who I am. But, it has gotten me into alot of trouble, and into alot of compromising positions I didn't ever intend to be in.
So, for me in sober living I have to embrace that side of myself and attempt to bring it out in a different way.
Crazy enough I am thinking about doing things like... jumping out of an airplane, taking a pottery class, taking a cooking class... these are all things I can do now. Because, I have the extra money and the extra time.

Saliena

olympia

Good for you, Saliena.

I've found exercise an immense help.

onlythetruth

Caffeine, endorphins (from exercise) and sugar were my thing. I still like them all, but in moderation.

Mark75

Burlington is one of my all time favorite cities, there on the lake and all...

Do what you have to do to stay sober. I did limit stuff that gave me a buzz, and since I was not sleeping too well, I real avoided caffeine early on.

Is it OK to get all pumped up on nicotine and caffeine, well... IDK, it's hard on a body you know.

Take up some exercise or something... yoga, pilates, whatever... I ride bike and that gets me there... I did start smoking again after I sobered up, but I quit, thankfully, it made me cough and interfered with my true joy, riding my bike.

But... I never feel guilty with some candy or sweet stuff. And yes, it did help cravings...

olympia

Mark- Yeah, Burlington's great! Walking into there today (I live in the next town over).

Getting pumped up on caffeine/nicotine: I wouldn't say I'm using more than I did when I was drinking (in the case of cigarettes, almost definitely less), but I definitely enjoy them in and of themselves now, whereas before they were just a tool to help with hangovers or drunks. The buzz factor does concern me, though.