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Treating the physical body after quitting.

Old 11-06-2012, 01:33 PM
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Treating the physical body after quitting.

I have been a hardcore boozer for over 25 years. I quit drinking for a year about 5 years ago but started back up and for the life of me cannot remember how long things took and / or what I did to detox and get healthy.

This time I am at day 7 and feel ok but am looking at jumpstarting my health. I am obsessive compulsive so with everything I do I put 100% into it. Spite seems to drive me but lack of knowledge is hindering my recovery( at least in my mind ).

Background:
I quit drinking because:
1. my eye sight was failing. I couldn't seem to focus when desperately trying to read a computer screen.
2. I couldn't concentrate or form complex ideas.
3. I couldn't remember the simplest things. ( like what I had for supper last night) promises I made even a day prior.
4. My face and head started feeling numb. Not completely but desensitized.
5. I started putting on 5 -7 lbs of water weight on the weekends because my liver couldn't keep up.
6. When having conversations I couldn't formulate intelligent responses.
7. Sevier back pain when standing up but it would go away after walking a few yards.

What I am doing now.
1. Obviously not drinking booze.
2. Exercising intensely for 40 min a day. ( Insanity workout )
3. Eating 3 square meals a day.
4. Weight it staying constant which is ok but a little frustrating that its not falling off. I assume I was consuming between 1500 - 2000 calories in booze per day and still eating a meal or 2 per day.
5. taking an all-purpose vitamin, B12, C, Testosterone boost, Milk Thistle, Ginseng, and D.

What I am still hoping to accomplish other than sobriety is a way to clean out my liver, colon, other toxins, increase mental alertness, rebuild brain cells, etc...

Any ideas or past experiences would be great.


What I have accomplished so far..
1. Back pain is minimal
2. Eyes sight is good for 3/4 of the day and getting better
3. Mental clarity is much better
4. Intellectual confidence is starting to get back to normal
5. Remembering the majority of what happened the past couple days.
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Old 11-06-2012, 01:50 PM
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you seem to have an awful lot of self-diagnosis. You can't *see* if you liver isn't functioning. but the best way to stay motivated to be healthy is to make an appt with your doctor and be honest about your history during the physical.

congrats on your 7 days, you sure are doing a lot. your eyesight might be better because you are much more hydrated too. it takes a different amount of time for everyone to balance out. I hope you feel well.
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Old 11-06-2012, 01:53 PM
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Welcome to SR Crawdaddy

Glad to hear you are doing so well not drinking and have seen so many improvements already! Have you spoken to your doctor about quitting? It might be an idea to get a vitamin test to make sure you're not short on anything, maybe you might need higher doses of some things? And you didn't mention water, drink plenty of it x
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Old 11-06-2012, 01:56 PM
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Hi Crawdaddy - welcome

I was actually conscious of my all or nothing obsessive tendencies so I'm afraid I didn't do much at all beyond not drinking for a while.

I did the opposite approach really... I tried to sleep right, eat well and get some gentle exercise, and I let my liver take care of the detox.

I figured my body needed to recuperate, not be pushed harder.
However long it took, I accepted I needed to be patient.

That made sense to me.

D
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Old 11-06-2012, 02:08 PM
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I am not really self diagnosing, more just trying to help my body help itself. I do need to get to the DR but that is a whole additional step that I am not sure I am ready for yet. The forum lends itself to a semblance of anonymity which; for me, is easier to deal with right now. When I get my confidence back I hope to extend my reaching out to people like my Doctor and such. The only other person I have spoken with is my wife of 20 years. Looking at it now I am not sure why she stuck around but I am grateful.

Thanks for the tip on sleep and water. I have been drinking plenty of soda and coffee. I suppose the real deal it much better. As for sleep, I have been sleeping very well but nightmares are getting in the way from time to time.
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Old 11-06-2012, 02:13 PM
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One quick question. When can I expect the emotions to settle down. I watch the karate kid and it took all I had to not let a few tears roll down my cheek.
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Old 11-06-2012, 02:15 PM
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just feel those emotions, most likely many of them are old and need to come out....

real people feel emotions appropriately!
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Old 11-06-2012, 05:36 PM
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Craw,

Wow man you sound like your doing great...Insanity workout? NICE!
The only thing I can tell you would be is to try to drink at least a 1/2 gallon of water...soda and coffee will dehydrate you, and I know insanity is an intense workout. Keep on pressin' play on your dvd player though, great job!
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Old 11-06-2012, 05:46 PM
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i do think that the exercise and hydration will make you feel better and more in control, maybe another week or so as you get used to the work-out. If you can cut the soda with seltzer (some of us like the bubbles) and reduce your sugar you will feel even better.

try to read the information on Real Age dot com, there are a lot of good articles and take one day off per week to rest yourself physically...(a pizza day)
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Old 11-06-2012, 08:55 PM
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Obviously a doctor must make any medical diagnosis but your body definitely starts healing the minute you quit pouring poison into it.
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Old 11-07-2012, 03:52 AM
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You'll fnd info about nutrition in 'UNDER THE INFLUENCE' by J R Milam and K Ketcham. Amazon has it. Best wishes and good luck.
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Old 11-07-2012, 05:36 AM
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One thing that has a noticeable impact on my own health is drinking lots of green tea. The health benefits are fairly well documented and I can certainly feel them almost immediately. Also, I have done the same thing as you, where I quit drinking and smoking, started exercising vigorously, went on a Paleo diet, etc. Lost 30 pounds very quickly. Then went back to drinking for a while. I only regained a few pounds but I realized that I needed to ease in to the transition a little more. Your body really wants good nutrition and sleep to recover. I would ramp up the exercise so you don't burn out. What you eat truly is 85% of shedding the pounds. I've proven it several times in my life.

My only goal is to be sober. If I fall asleep sober and wake up sans hangover, I've already won the day. Good luck!
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Old 11-08-2012, 11:51 AM
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Thanks for the info. This week is flying by, Thinking about drinking it mostly only during "trigger times". One strange thing I notices the other day was that when I thought about having a drink, I could actually feel my mouth watering. Fairly creepy..
Still hanging on. I have been working out, incorporating water as much as possible. I must have been severely dehydrated because I have gained 6lbs this week on an 1800 calorie diet.. Wowza.. Oh well, its not like I was fat prior so I am not fretting but I would like to see my childhood abs again. Thanks for the support!
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