Class of April 2015 Part 9
Quit 4/17/15
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Pa
Posts: 15,150
Hope you got some sleep Inc. I hate playing the "look at the clock and calculate how little sleep I am going to get before work game."
I need to start cutting down on the sugar and caffeine also. I was never a sweets fan, but once I stopped drinking, my body had an incredible desire for sugar. Guess it was missing all of the sugar from the rum and wine. Caffeine will be a tough nut to crack working retail, but I hope to limit myself to one or two cups of coffee a day and then switch to tea after the mornings. We will see...there are worse addictions!
I need to start cutting down on the sugar and caffeine also. I was never a sweets fan, but once I stopped drinking, my body had an incredible desire for sugar. Guess it was missing all of the sugar from the rum and wine. Caffeine will be a tough nut to crack working retail, but I hope to limit myself to one or two cups of coffee a day and then switch to tea after the mornings. We will see...there are worse addictions!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spain
Posts: 2,004
I too am going to try to cut out the sugar, although given I just put down a can of coke, right now it looks like it could take a bit of work!!!
Same thing has happened to me with the sugar. I never realised how much sugar there was in alcoholic drinks and my body is clearly compensating driving me on to chocolate, sugary drinks and other sweet stuff I wouldn't usually touch. I guess I'll get onto it after the holidays which continue here till after epiphany on the 6th.
Same thing has happened to me with the sugar. I never realised how much sugar there was in alcoholic drinks and my body is clearly compensating driving me on to chocolate, sugary drinks and other sweet stuff I wouldn't usually touch. I guess I'll get onto it after the holidays which continue here till after epiphany on the 6th.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 560
Inc,
I don't know whether tapering is the right way or wrong way but I quit without tapering. I had sweats and headaches etc. for a few days but the actual physical symptoms were then completely minimal. It was then all in my head - a sort of nagging that it would be good to have a smoke, and many reasons why etc. So whether or not you taper I think the key is to get your head in the new game. Once you've done that you won't want to taper - you'll be keen just to get on
To the sugar addicts: me too. I will work on it.
Caffeine - not sure it's that big a deal but I am ready to be corrected...
Good luck
OMD
I don't know whether tapering is the right way or wrong way but I quit without tapering. I had sweats and headaches etc. for a few days but the actual physical symptoms were then completely minimal. It was then all in my head - a sort of nagging that it would be good to have a smoke, and many reasons why etc. So whether or not you taper I think the key is to get your head in the new game. Once you've done that you won't want to taper - you'll be keen just to get on
To the sugar addicts: me too. I will work on it.
Caffeine - not sure it's that big a deal but I am ready to be corrected...
Good luck
OMD
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,412
Thanks OMD...of everyone here, I know you'll be most proud when I quit for good given your past experience.
If this 21day program does not work, then it's going to be cold turkey for me. I'm all too familiar what CT nicotine is like, so it's a good motivator for me.
Kinda like what I did when quitting alcohol. If my plan did not work, then I was going all-in with AA. I know that sounds bad using not going to AA as a motivator, but that's how I felt about it. I was gonna have to go to meetings regularly, find a sponsor, and do the 12 steps.
My head is in the game which is the most important factor. Otherwise I would quit quitting. There just comes a time when you feel now is the time. That's where I am. Now is the time.
Sounds weird saying now is the time but I have not completely stopped. My "now is the time" is NOW is the time to put my quit plan in force. Now is the time to initiate and take action. Enough thinking about, enough planning for it. Now it's DO.
Given the amount I was dipping/chewing and smoking, I was putting a TON of nicotine into my body.
1 can of chew is equivalent to 4 packs of cigs according to the Mayo Clinic. 30min of dipping equals 3 cigs. I was going through anywhere from 3/4 to a full can a day.
Plus I was smoking 15-20 cigs a day on top of that. Crazy. In the past I did one of the two. Either dipped for a while or smoked for a while. Since quitting alcohol, I have done both.
I estimate that I was ingesting about 3 - 5 packs of cigs worth of nicotine a day!! Crazy when I think about it.
My plan is to smooth out the experience. I have too much going on in my life to deal with the rage and depression that I experience during cold turkey quit. That means I will be suffering from WD's for a longer period of time. Instead of 2wks of hell, I'm going to have 3wks being uncomfortable while still smoking to some degree, then another 2wks being uncomfortable after my first no smoke say (or so I assume). Maybe 1 week being uncomfortable. IDK what to expect there.
I know one thing for sure...if rage and depression settles in after this 3week taper, I'm going to be really pissed off. lol.
If this 21day program does not work, then it's going to be cold turkey for me. I'm all too familiar what CT nicotine is like, so it's a good motivator for me.
Kinda like what I did when quitting alcohol. If my plan did not work, then I was going all-in with AA. I know that sounds bad using not going to AA as a motivator, but that's how I felt about it. I was gonna have to go to meetings regularly, find a sponsor, and do the 12 steps.
My head is in the game which is the most important factor. Otherwise I would quit quitting. There just comes a time when you feel now is the time. That's where I am. Now is the time.
Sounds weird saying now is the time but I have not completely stopped. My "now is the time" is NOW is the time to put my quit plan in force. Now is the time to initiate and take action. Enough thinking about, enough planning for it. Now it's DO.
Given the amount I was dipping/chewing and smoking, I was putting a TON of nicotine into my body.
1 can of chew is equivalent to 4 packs of cigs according to the Mayo Clinic. 30min of dipping equals 3 cigs. I was going through anywhere from 3/4 to a full can a day.
Plus I was smoking 15-20 cigs a day on top of that. Crazy. In the past I did one of the two. Either dipped for a while or smoked for a while. Since quitting alcohol, I have done both.
I estimate that I was ingesting about 3 - 5 packs of cigs worth of nicotine a day!! Crazy when I think about it.
My plan is to smooth out the experience. I have too much going on in my life to deal with the rage and depression that I experience during cold turkey quit. That means I will be suffering from WD's for a longer period of time. Instead of 2wks of hell, I'm going to have 3wks being uncomfortable while still smoking to some degree, then another 2wks being uncomfortable after my first no smoke say (or so I assume). Maybe 1 week being uncomfortable. IDK what to expect there.
I know one thing for sure...if rage and depression settles in after this 3week taper, I'm going to be really pissed off. lol.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,412
This time last year, I was a raging alcoholic.
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts on a regular basis.
I was out trying to sell insurance. Spent money I didn't have in bars for lunch and at the liquor store buying vodka to mix into red bull or rum into coke while driving.
Not today.
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts on a regular basis.
I was out trying to sell insurance. Spent money I didn't have in bars for lunch and at the liquor store buying vodka to mix into red bull or rum into coke while driving.
Not today.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 691
Originally Posted by Cauliflower 
........ I was thinking about how I can strengthen my resolve on my sobriety over the Christmas holidays in Mexico, where a bottle of beer is cheaper then a bottle of water (and also, more readily available).
I am taking books, I am taking all my meditations, I am packing my journal and my sober recover "plan", I am subscribing to this gal's blog, I am hitting the workout room, I am planning on hanging with my 9 year old (he is just so much fun!), I am going to practice my pre-school level Spanish skills, and I'm going to whip up some crazy fun smoothies (or mocktails, whatever you want to call them). With all that said, I am going to just have fun, act like a child, and not worry about a relapse, because that ain't happening!
This is an excerpt from the article Amp posted:
6. I started acting like a kid. One of the things I loved so much about drinking was the complete shedding of having to be anything in those moments of zero inhibition. To capture that free-spirit essence I found at certain levels of intoxication, I committed to an attitude of wonderment and play. This meant dancing when I wanted to dance and singing when I wanted to sing, running through fields or down stairs, and simply doing what my heart desired to do, no matter how crazy I looked or uncomfortable I made people or myself feel. I made it a point to find fascination in the things that surround me, and to look at the world through a fresh, childlike perspective.
I am taking books, I am taking all my meditations, I am packing my journal and my sober recover "plan", I am subscribing to this gal's blog, I am hitting the workout room, I am planning on hanging with my 9 year old (he is just so much fun!), I am going to practice my pre-school level Spanish skills, and I'm going to whip up some crazy fun smoothies (or mocktails, whatever you want to call them). With all that said, I am going to just have fun, act like a child, and not worry about a relapse, because that ain't happening!
This is an excerpt from the article Amp posted:
6. I started acting like a kid. One of the things I loved so much about drinking was the complete shedding of having to be anything in those moments of zero inhibition. To capture that free-spirit essence I found at certain levels of intoxication, I committed to an attitude of wonderment and play. This meant dancing when I wanted to dance and singing when I wanted to sing, running through fields or down stairs, and simply doing what my heart desired to do, no matter how crazy I looked or uncomfortable I made people or myself feel. I made it a point to find fascination in the things that surround me, and to look at the world through a fresh, childlike perspective.
On more then one occasion (which causes me to delve deeper) my 9 year old son said, “Mom, have some wine, have fun.” My eyebrows went up for sure. I told him I am way more fun without alcohol. This forced me to really let loose and have fun! I just acted like a kid as much as I could. I figured I would never see these people ever again, and if I was dancing in the street or singing along to the band, or doing the “wave” at the dinner table with my kids (hockey game was on and we were checking the scores online), who cares! It was just plain fun! At one point my son says, “ Are you sure there is no rum in your lemonade?” I said, I’m sure kiddo! Then I knew my plan was working! I hope I can continue to be role model the fact that you can have a fun, crazy time with out booze.
PS: not once did I crack open my sobriety plan, journal or meditate.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 691
PSS: today is Day 1 of quitting smoking. I am using the nicotine patch, and drinking tons and tons of water to flush out the nicotine and toxins from my body. It's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Inc, we can do this together!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spain
Posts: 2,004
Good luck Cauliflower and Inc with the smoking. I kicked it almost 20 years ago (I smoked between 15 and 25yrs old, pack and a half a day by the end). It was tough but it's been years since I even thought about smoking. Not quite there with the booze yet but SO MUCH better. This time last year I was a mess. What a difference 8 or 9 months makes!!!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,412
Reduction plan failed again. So it's cold turkey for me. My birthday is Sunday. Thought about waiting so I wouldn't be a bastard. Instead I decided no more kidding myself and no more waiting for the inevitable.
Day 263 no alcohol.
Day 0 no nicotine. Will see that number jump.
I am an addict. The more I think about it, the more I realize I became a raging alcoholic when I quit chew and smoking in 2012. I had quit various drugs and nicotine. The only way my addiction could feed itself was through alcohol.
When I quit alcohol, nicotine use ramped up. And I caved in pot a while back. It's always looking for a source of food.
No more. Instead I am pulling together some ideas where I can let my addiction nature feed off things that are more productive and useful.
Like being a workaholic again. Not the most healthy, but it's something I'm good at. Hitting the gym. Went yesterday and felt good. Reading Books can be addictive too.
Day 263 no alcohol.
Day 0 no nicotine. Will see that number jump.
I am an addict. The more I think about it, the more I realize I became a raging alcoholic when I quit chew and smoking in 2012. I had quit various drugs and nicotine. The only way my addiction could feed itself was through alcohol.
When I quit alcohol, nicotine use ramped up. And I caved in pot a while back. It's always looking for a source of food.
No more. Instead I am pulling together some ideas where I can let my addiction nature feed off things that are more productive and useful.
Like being a workaholic again. Not the most healthy, but it's something I'm good at. Hitting the gym. Went yesterday and felt good. Reading Books can be addictive too.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spain
Posts: 2,004
I guess some of us have just got the sort of personality that gets us addicted to the stuff we like. If it's addictive I get addicted to it. Forewarned is fore armed at least! Something to bear in mind for future reference!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,412
Indeed Amp. Indeed.
So the idea of focusing that addiction towards healthy avenues is appealing to me. I don't think I can stuff it away or always try to avoid things that are addicting. Instead I want to be looking for new addictions.
Much like woodwork was for me or music was for you. They were healthy addictions that would give my OCD nature something to work on mentally.
I sold off all my tools so no more woodwork. Which is fine because it would bring me back mentally to a place I do not want to revisit.
I have an addiction to forums now. That is good. But it does take away my attention from people around me at times.
I'm trying to make meditation a new addiction. Maybe it's just not for me. Tried before and it never stuck. But I think it's like going to the gym. It takes 21days for a habit to form. I just need to stick with it for a while.
I'm also looking for outside meditation groups. Some place where I can strengthen my mindfulness muscle and let my mind expand to places it's never been.
Addiction is in me. It's there for life. What I feed it will make the difference. Some people are addicted to God and religion. Maybe that's my answer too. I often think about that. What if this addiction was given to me for a reason. What if my addiction was intended to connect with God and to help others make the same connection.
So the idea of focusing that addiction towards healthy avenues is appealing to me. I don't think I can stuff it away or always try to avoid things that are addicting. Instead I want to be looking for new addictions.
Much like woodwork was for me or music was for you. They were healthy addictions that would give my OCD nature something to work on mentally.
I sold off all my tools so no more woodwork. Which is fine because it would bring me back mentally to a place I do not want to revisit.
I have an addiction to forums now. That is good. But it does take away my attention from people around me at times.
I'm trying to make meditation a new addiction. Maybe it's just not for me. Tried before and it never stuck. But I think it's like going to the gym. It takes 21days for a habit to form. I just need to stick with it for a while.
I'm also looking for outside meditation groups. Some place where I can strengthen my mindfulness muscle and let my mind expand to places it's never been.
Addiction is in me. It's there for life. What I feed it will make the difference. Some people are addicted to God and religion. Maybe that's my answer too. I often think about that. What if this addiction was given to me for a reason. What if my addiction was intended to connect with God and to help others make the same connection.
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