wpainterw

Bringing Up Baby

There’s an old Katherine Hepburn-Cary Grant Movie called “Bringing Up Baby” where Hepburn has a pet leopard who responds to “I can’t give you anything but love, Baby!” This reminds me of when I was first starting recovery from alcohol and it always seemed like some of the real old timers, who held forth on how the program worked and how they got sober, were so enormously overweight. Now I’ve got many years of sobriety and, although I’m not too much overweight, I’ve just returned from a wonderful specialty grocery store with stuff like fig squares, lemon squares, a kind of Danish advertised as “Decadent Danish- Guaranteed to be Decadent!”, a baked chicken pie, canned Vichysoisse (called “De Gaulsoisse” back in the early 1940’s because of the German occupation), sugar covered ginger pieces. Have I done enough to confess my “character defects”? Do you want more? My “Higher Power” really screwed up at the store this morning!
Why do I do this? Why were the old timers so fat? My theory is that it’s our old friend (or enemy) the midbrain, that primitive part of the brain which screams and yells like a baby when its booze is taken away. It’s a very nasty and vicious baby, full of all sorts of tricks to plan a relapse. Maybe one way the old timers dealt with it was to give it lots of goodies as a substitute for booze, hoping to quiet it down. If the kid wants booze, then shove a candy bar in its mouth and watch it carefully. Keep it roped into its high chair and don’t let it head for the liquor store or a meeting with old friends for “just one” little glass of wine! Remember that the "Baby" in the film was a leopard. Just as dangerous as a gorilla and the old gorilla joke is "Where does the gorilla sit" (Anywhere it wants to sit!). So what do you give "Baby"? (Anything it wants but booze!)

W.

Leshar

I love that film! Especially the bit where Cary Grant gets caught wearing Katherine
Hepburns frilly robe, although I can't remember how he ends up doing so!

I have a slightly different mind set about your comments.
I'm only into my third month, but the beast, "baby" the leopard is not going to be pacified by me with anything, for I believe in doing so, he just quiets for a time, then will hungrily roar.
I have to battle this baby, and if I indulge in ice cream, that is regarded by me as a nice thing for me, a treat, me being kind to myself, balanced of course with activity, exercise, lots of water.

My "baby" wants only one thing, booze, and he 'ain't gonna get it, not today anyway!

I love lemon squares, btw.
Enjoy!

13unluckyforsom

Lol love this post!

wpainterw

P.S. It just occurred to me that, despite my outrageous behavior in the market today, stocking up on all those goodies (tonight for dinner I had only canned tomato bisque soup followed by cut fruit and canned peaches) fully a third of the store was devoted to liquor. When I checked out I asked about the store in earlier years and was told that it used to sell only liquor. It never occurred to me to buy any of that booze. I have no interest in or craving for booze any more. I just walked out of the liquor section and started looking for the food. I know that I must not be complacent but after 25 years of abstinence I seem to have changed. I am heavily addicted- to my dog. There is no cure for that except another dog. The dog is a co dependent enabler. Perhaps we need counseling or a 12 step program run by the American Kennel Club.

W.

Lyoness

I'll join you in the feline auxiliary, cataholics anonymous!

I think you're right about the midbrain/limbic system thing. I have always craved sugar but getting off the opiates has turned sugar into a full blown addiction or addiction substitute. Some days that's about all I eat. I try to chew gum instead which helps some.

wpainterw

Yes, it's wise to avoid catastrophe and seek a catharsis by catapulting oneself into recovery. That's better than ending up on a catafalque somewhere in a catacomb! Meaow to you!

W.