Raeven

The crystal, the soothing, the flavor. I don't want to drink, but I'm SOOOO tired of water! If I thought I could have one, I would, but that has been my downfall before, one drops my resistance and then I'm spiraling.

I'm also craving carbs like crazy, what is up with that?

countrygirl2014

Your body is missing it's sugar source. Try cranberry juice with tonic over ice. That got me through the sugar cravings and the holidays.

Jennifer

secretchord

Sugar free cranberry juice and diet 7Up.

JD

Get the thoughts of rituals, taste, etc out of your mind. That's the AV talking.

LexieCat

I made a ritual of a nightly cup of ice cream right before bed. It took some time, but it became something I looked forward to--snuggling into my bed with my cup of ice cream and a good book.

Anna

Yeah, it's all about changing your rituals and changing your thinking.

thomas11

Mine is chocolate chip cookies and glass of cold milk. Feel like a kid again.

LexieCat

For me, the bedtime reading really reinforced the pleasure. It used to be my favorite thing to do before falling asleep. For years, though, I was too drunk when I fell into bed (assuming I MADE it to bed) to focus.

Rituals are important. You just need to create new, healthy ones, that have meaning for you and enhance your new sober life.

Raeven

Great suggestions, thank you. Completely forgot I had Hagen Daz in the freezer and the book is a great suggestion. You are right. I can still use crystal, just with water or juice, or relax with cocoa instead of whiskey

dwtbd

H
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Oh yeah!

countrygirl2014

Besides the cranberry, my other routines early on were chamomile tea and a book before bed. Now, because I'm not drinking, I take a bubble bath with some Native American flute music, burn some incense, drink whatever herbal tea I'm in the mood for and talk to the creator, the universe, whatever you want to call it. Sometimes I just veg out in there for like 45 minutes. It's awesome. When I was drinking it was a good day if I took a shower. I was too busy drinking. I love this new life.

Jennifer

Soberwolf

Awesome thread

Austin4Wyo

One of my favorites has been to indulge my cowboy upbringing and set myself outside with a cup of brutally strong, viciously hot coffee and a few country tunes on Spotify for an hour or so a few times a week. Coffee was and remains a big part of companionship and fellowship in the hometown on the Wyoming prairie. It's awfully nice to reconnect to something fulfilling from BEFORE the drinking took over. Quite meditative.