Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery

[roygrip]

Mar 22, 2012 8:22:02 GMT -5 kimber45 said:

Thanks Kent and Roy for the info on Lorazepam. When he first quit drinking, he took it more often ( a couple a day). Now he only takes it once in a while.

That makes sense Kimber, they prescribe Lorazapam/Valium(Diazapam) to people when they first quit drinking, to calm them down. As long as he's not taking it regularly and the doses are increasing, he'll be OK.

[roygrip]

Have fun Daphne. DON"T SPILL CHILLI ON THE TRUCK!

[kimber45]

mmmmmm Chili, now I'm craving

DH went to his doc yesterday, the decreased one med and increased another. We will see if that has any effect on his sleeping.

[Deleted]

I was going to go golfing but it looks pretty rainy out. May go bowling or to see Hunger Games instead.

[roygrip]

Mar 23, 2012 19:05:19 GMT -5 suek1958 said:

HI everyone Are you all well?

Lone, I've been thinking of you... any updates on your nephew? We are here for you


I just woke up from a nap... and I think I've come up with a strange and wonderful idea
for our loved ones with addictions!

What if.......
I brainstormed for someone my DS really admires... like an actor, sports figure,
or famous inventor or scientist!
What if........ I wrote to that person, asking for help to 'mentor' my DS.
What if that person agreed to help... by attempting to draw the addict out by
enlisting their help in an interesting project!
Do you see where I'm going? Getting the addict to see there IS a goal to reach for!
A fun/personal reason to want to strive for to get clean and stay clean!!


Something Lone said kept echoing in my brain..... and it hit home with my son too:

"He feels so alone in the world and other than his mother, has no one that cares."
and
"A major problem is that he has nothing in his life that is worth living for, so he drinks."



My son rarely leaves the house (his dad's house) and every time I see him (once or twice a week)
he's playing some damn video game with strangers online!

I know that when I myself am kinda depressed and have no energy or ambition,
I don't leave the house or socialize with others, and it's even hard to get dressed in the morning
and do something constructive.
But if I find/encounter an interesting project to tackle, I'm suddenly a new person!
With renewed energy and drive! and my mood and perspective on life is lifted!
My mind says "I want/need to do this!" and it gives me purpose and energy
to tackle it and finish it with pride!

OK, what do you all think of this idea?? Any other ideas or suggestions?

I want to 'light a fire' under under my DS's butt and also Lone's nephew's butt!
Friendly fire, of course!

Addiction is a disease Suek. Sadly the addict (and I speak about my jouney) has to want it. They have to want to change, they have to want to clean up. They have to hit a bottom. All the outside influences in the world are wonderful, loving, caring, but the truth is the addict/alcoholic has to hit their own bottom and say enough.
Getting him interested in something maybe great for a bit, might even work forever, but the real truth is the addict must face himself. The drinking, the using of drugs is but a symptom of the disease. The problem is the addict/alcoholic.

Here you go, my story. Great parents, college profs, loving, caring, I did well in school, had friends, halfway decent looking. But underneath all this for no apparent reason, I felt less than, lower than, "low self esteem" Why? Who knows! Unimportant, but it's how I felt! Now enter alcohol and drugs, it's the late 60's and 70's here in Hollywood Ca. We kids experimented by 12-13 with pot and booze obtained from older brothers and alcohol from our parents closets. I arrived! It gave me strength, I was the life of the party, I didn't feel low self esteem. As the years went by, I used drugs more and more to make me feel hip, slick, and cool. I thought it did, but what it made was a drunk and a drug addict.
This of course is an abbrieviated version, but my point is when I finally had enough, and through the recovedry process, when I finally made the choice to change, to face those demons, through the help of others and counselors, work on that low self esteem (HEY! I'm just like everyone else!) The need to self medicate went away. That's what Lon e's nephew is doin, that's what I did, that's what your son is doing. We self medicate (we would never tell you this) We are self medicating our pain away. For any addict to get clean, you MUST face that pain. Believe me. I knew I had a problem with drugs in my early 20's, It took until I was 44 for me to figure it out surrender, stop fooling myself and do the work involved in getting sober. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but the most rewarding. I made a choice on Jan 27th 2001.
You love him, but until he choses to change, you keep doing all you can to get him to see. I seriously suggest Al-anon for you. It will give you tools and teach you what he's going thru. The meeting are cool, and you'll meet others in your shoes. You may hear things you don't want to hear, b ut it's the truth.

Sadly recovery has about a 20% success rate. One simple reason, we addicts don't surrender (give up the ship) to easily

Addicts, we live in a fear based existence, we fear change, we fear what if, we fear feeling. The key is we don't want to feel.

I wish you the best, and by no means am I trying to say don't help him, I'm saying, try anything, but these are truths I've learned being sober 11 plus years, being an active member of both AA and NA, going to meetings, having a sponsor, being a sponsor, working the steps repeatedly, working a program of recovery, and beginning my fourth year of my CAADAC program (licensed drug counselor state of California)

[roygrip]

Mar 24, 2012 11:45:56 GMT -5 suek1958 said:

Thanks, Roy, for your comments and your own addiction story.

Yes, I know the addict has to want to change. Change his life. Change his thinking. That was my point.
A lot of addicts must think they have nothing to really live for, or anything worth changing for. Like Lone's nephew and my son. So if that's missing, it might really help to add it to their lives somehow.

I have been to several Al-Anon meetings, in the early 1980s, and also about 7 - 8 years ago.
They were ok.... I did learn about detachment. Or go crazy myself.
I ended up leaving both alcoholics.

I guess I myself am also an addict. Caffeine and nicotine. I'm working on both. I drink the 1/2 decaf blend of coffee, no soda. And I have the nicotine inhaler to start soon.
Been smoking cigs for 35 years

I used to be addicted to pot. I started at 18 and by 28 I could not live w/o it. One morning, while frantically searching the house for a roach, it hit me. Being high was not normal... being straight was!!
I vowed to get clean. I struggled and back-slid for a few weeks, but finally did it!!
My life began changing for the better, and I vowed never to smoke pot again. And I haven't

I have told my son this story a couple of times over the last 3 years. I want him to know I can relate to him and his situation. I don't think he's smoking pot anymore, since his probation started in Nov. 2011, but he seems to be stuck in a rut. He's living with his dad, not looking for a job, just plays video games on his computer. He looks to be underweight too

You get it, I suggest going back to AL Anon, some things have changed in the last 7-8 years, (recovery is on everyone's mind now)
I just want to stress that he needs a reason to want to change. Dad is enabling by supporting him, he has no reason to need to change at this point, so maybe getting him interested will help.

Think about CHANTIX for your smoking, my wife smoked 2 packs a day for 30 yrs. Took Chantix under the DRs care for 6 months hasn't smoked in 3 yrs!

[roygrip]

HELLO! ;D

[kimber45]

Good Morning Roy, it's been pretty quiet in here

[Jake 48]

Hello all

[chiver78]

Mar 21, 2012 5:51:10 GMT -5 @shooby said:

I have issues with insomnia. I have found that Valerian works pretty well. It is an herbal medication that smells like sweaty, stinky gym socks. I get in a capsule. You know you are getting the real thing if you open the bottle and it about knocks you out! You can buy it over the counter any place that sells natural supplements.

I'm not sure how the dosage compares, but I have a sleepytime tea I like from Celestial Seasonings - "sleepytime extra" that is a chamomile with valerian. I'll either drink a big mug of that, or take a 5mg melatonin pill about an hour before I want to head to bed. either one usually does the trick.

[Deleted]

Good morning all!

A robin keeps trying to fly through my window. Have a rhododendron in front of a window and she is perching on there and for some reason wants to go through. I pulled the blind and then knocked on the window a few times to scare her but she keeps coming back.

[chiver78]

I came in here to post about an ESPN documentary I just watched for the second time - Unguarded. it's about a local guy, Chris Herren, who is the Big Man On Campus through HS - complete with the "work hard, play harder" mentality that was very common with athletes in my area when I was in HS. he decided to stay local and go to Boston College. he gets injured in a game very early in the season, and proceeds to fail a couple drug tests while out on injury. the 2-hr documentary goes through his whole career, and absolutely emphasizes his ties to his hometown - and how those old friends would continue to drag him down when he was trying to get clean. by the time he was traded to his hometown Celtics, he was afraid of coming home because he knew the path he'd follow.

suek, I wonder if your son would benefit from seeing this? what roy said about everyone hitting their own rock bottom was absolutely displayed in the documentary. either way, to you. I hope he finds his way out of where he is now.

[suek1958]

Good morning, Daphne How's the truck? ;D

[chiver78]

daphne, yup - he's either southeastern MA or RI, I can't remember. I don't think it was in the documentary, but I heard something about it elsewhere. I remember when all of that was going on. his senior year in HS was my freshman year (not the same school) and Durfee was all over the local sports coverage. I remember when he declared for BC, and then when he left. it's great to see that he's turned his life around.

sue, I'm sorry, thought it could work as a nice kick in the ass. I suppose it means a little more when it's something or someone that you (he) could relate to.
to you.

[roygrip]

Morning all had the reconstructive surgery on my nose. OUCH! Waiting to see if ther skin graphs take! First day back to work, OUCH!

[Jake 48]

RG, did you put your nose somewhere it didn't belong? prayers for everything healing quickly!!

[roygrip]

LOL, Jake, yep! In front of a pitbull with an attitude, took the tip off clean. Not feelin it yet, but it will be an episode of my show "The Doctors" 5 hr operstion, stitches out wed.

[kimber45]

Ouch, Roy. Hope it heals fast.

[roygrip]

Hello!!!!!!!!!! ;D

[roygrip]

My season is about to end too Daphne. Both shows go down in two weeks. Ahhh vacation for 2 months! ;D

[Jake 48]

Hello all, quick update on DSD, National guard "offered" military police, she does not want anything to do with law enforcement for present or future. She is now talking with the Air Force recruiter but is considering full time instead of the part time gig the NG would have been. Other than that she is still a sober PIA ;D

[moxie]

Hey Roy! I was in CA recently! Did the Eureka area redwoods tour thing...awesome!! Fell in love with Lake Tahoe. Saw enough ocean, mountains and deserts to last me awhile. lol Broke even in Reno. That place was pretty dead. Never been to Vegas, but Reno for a few days was all I needed...not my cup of tea. I tried to look up realvh20 (I think that was his name??) in the phone book, but he must be unlisted.

Hey Jake!! I remember YOU! ;D

[Jake 48]

Hello everyone, how are we all doing

[Jake 48]

Good morning Daphne

[kimber45]

Hi Daphne and Jake

Daphne, have a great time on your date tonight ;D

[roygrip]

Hello all! My seasons are over! Both shows wrapped.

So all May 15 is the air date for my story on "The Doctors" segment 3 if you wish go to thedoctorstv.com to see what time it airs in your area. Hope all are well.

[Deleted]

Wouldn't it be nice if you could control the topics? lol

[roygrip]

Apr 28, 2012 7:55:08 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Apr 21, 2012 16:51:38 GMT -5 roygrip said:

Hello all! My seasons are over! Both shows wrapped.

So all May 15 is the air date for my story on "The Doctors" segment 3 if you wish go to thedoctorstv.com to see what time it airs in your area. Hope all are well.

Roy, please, catch me up. Are you in the show? I haven't the time to read this whole thread. Maybe provide the post number, explaining?

Hi Lone. Yes I work on the show "The Doctors" (as well as Dr. Phil) The tip of my nose was taken off just before I got sober 12 yrs ago. The show fixed my nose and did a backstory on my getting sober, the operation and my recovery. It airs May 15, go to "thedoctorstv.com" to find out what time in your area. I am segment three in the show.

[Deleted]

daphne - ;D

[Jake 48]

Hello all, DSD is aggravating the s**t out of me.