It's a relief to know he has been so thorough. Maybe overly, but docs are very paranoid these days about failure to diagnose. We see it all the time where my husband works. It's like an epidemic! Take care! I'll definitely keep my eyes crossed and hope you start feeling better ASAP!!!
Still smoking support and chat thread
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Andria: Just got back from Angry Vaper and I love your, Third Hand Stupid! I truly believe it's easier to get the smell of cigarettes out of your home than The Smell of Stupid out of the carpet!!!
vape Suzette" data-source="post: 16754156" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">vape Suzette said:Andria: Just got back from Angry Vaper and I love your, Third Hand Stupid! I truly believe it's easier to get the smell of cigarettes out of your home than The Smell of Stupid out of the carpet!!!
Heh... glad you enjoyed that, but it's certainly not mine; it's a Carl V. Phillips blog post, one of his better ones.
It's great when former ANTZ wind up on our side, ain't it?
But I'm sure glad you drew my attention to my weblinks in the site, because they're supposed to be opening in a new page, and I find that they're not...
Gotta track that down, find out why they aren't.Andria
He-he! Hi, Andria:
I LOVE your Halloween avatar!!! By the time I find my pictures from a pumpkin contest that I won, it will be too late! We are sooo disorganized around here. After redecorating last year we can't find anything! I think I almost lost the cat!!!
I LOVE your Halloween avatar!!! By the time I find my pictures from a pumpkin contest that I won, it will be too late! We are sooo disorganized around here. After redecorating last year we can't find anything! I think I almost lost the cat!!!
vape Suzette" data-source="post: 16756135" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">vape Suzette said:
It's impossible to lose a cat... they will find YOU when it's time to eat.
Our baby girl is well on her way to resembling a black fuzzy pumpkin, but she still plays the "I'm starving, can't you see I'm wasting away here...?!?!" card every morning and every night when we eat dinner. For the morning feeding... my husband (in whose room she sleeps) has discovered the truth of there being no snooze-button on a cat. Once, she woke him at 4am instead of the customary 5am, and he kept telling her wait an hour, it's not time yet... she hops on the nightstand and over to the bed, and bit him on the forehead! He tossed her across the room. She gave him the evil eye all the next day... till dinnertime. Andria
HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! TOO FUNNY!!! I nearly choked on my morning coffee!!! How ya feeling today? Any better? You are sooo funny that it's hard to tell if you are having trouble with those awful flu symptoms. You look just beautiful in your avatar. I love your description of a black fuzzy pumpkin!!! And "no snooze button!" What is your kitties name? My last kitty was named Coblyn, a Welsh word for little elf. I miss her so much! They are such comedians! "Meow-wow-wow-wow ... I'm hungry!!!"It's impossible to lose a cat... they will find YOU when it's time to eat.
Andria
Today isn't too bad; I actually managed to get some sleep last night, by starting out on the couch, "sneaking up" on a nap. When my husband got up, I took some ibuprofen to stave off those horrible chills, and went to bed in my actual bed, and went right back to sleep, and stayed that way till about 10:30, not feeling horrible when I finally woke. I'll start my antibiotics tonight -- we did have to finally give up on the Ceftin, and I called the doc this morning and they're gonna call in the Bactrim scrip to Publix.
Our baby is Tuxie -- when this starving scruffy skin-and-bones-and-fleas kitten turned up on our carport 4 yrs ago, I called the kitten "Tux" -- for the coloring -- but then my husband determined she was a she, so I said well then, she's TuxIE!
This is our formalwear-clad kitty, trying out the CatTrap that came in the mail...
She had to circle around 4 or 5 times in that bitty box, trying to find a way to fit... I wasn't sure she could do it, but somehow she managed.
Andria
When my husband got up, I took some ibuprofen to stave off those horrible chills, and went to bed in my actual bed, and went right back to sleep, and stayed that way till about 10:30, not feeling horrible when I finally woke. I'll start my antibiotics tonight -- we did have to finally give up on the Ceftin, and I called the doc this morning and they're gonna call in the Bactrim scrip to Publix.Our baby is Tuxie -- when this starving scruffy skin-and-bones-and-fleas kitten turned up on our carport 4 yrs ago, I called the kitten "Tux" -- for the coloring -- but then my husband determined she was a she, so I said well then, she's TuxIE!
This is our formalwear-clad kitty, trying out the CatTrap that came in the mail...
She had to circle around 4 or 5 times in that bitty box, trying to find a way to fit... I wasn't sure she could do it, but somehow she managed.
Andria
Tuxie is a Beauty!!! I adore cats. The problems trying to adopt have been borderline insane for us. We have always made a point to take home a shelter kitten or young cat, but we always have gotten a Siamese kitten first so we would know what kind of personality they would fit with. At one time we had three cats. I'll have to ask my husband if he could figure out how to post old pics of our cats!Today isn't too bad; I actually managed to get some sleep last night, by starting out on the couch, "sneaking up" on a nap.
Our baby is Tuxie -- when this starving scruffy skin-and-bones-and-fleas kitten turned up on our carport 4 yrs ago, I called the kitten "Tux" -- for the coloring -- but then my husband determined she was a she, so I said well then, she's TuxIE!
This is our formalwear-clad kitty, trying out the CatTrap that came in the mail...
View attachment 500841
She had to circle around 4 or 5 times in that bitty box, trying to find a way to fit... I wasn't sure she could do it, but somehow she managed.
Andria
Andria, I am so far behind in the technical world that asking a question like this makes me feel like a total idiot, but, (deep breath) would it be easier if we actually got a cell phone and took pics with that first --well, would it be easier for us to post pics if we got a cell phone? My husband has been going to Walgreens with pics we have already had developed with what now would be considered, an old fashioned camera. We used our old camera until it broke last year and we have been buying disposable cameras ever since! The quality is horrible! I doubt people do that anymore -- right? I think my husband and I may have taken being "anti-consumers" a bit too far!!!
Pics of your quality and seeing the green eyes of pretty Tuxie, rather than the 'red eye glare' that I have on ALL my kitty pics is exactly what I am looking for. I have no idea how to accomplish posting a pic that beautifully. We really fell far behind.
It all happened so fast that my head spins! My dear, sweet brother-in-law got into deep trouble with alcohol, and by the time he came to us for help, it was too late to detox him. It still breaks our hearts. We both had no idea how far it had progressed. He lived in Phoenix and we were in Boston until we transferred out here to Colorado. We offered to pay his plane fare and we did not know why he was not coming to visit us. Now we understand he must have been trying to hide the disease. We tried every treatment center that would take him, fought for his disability, and tried getting medicaid to cover his inpatient stays. But then at the age of only 46 he had a massive stroke and passed away. This was late in 2012. It often feels like yesterday. The cost of a decent hospice, then funeral, came to us in shock waves. We just could not believe something so bad could happen to one of the nicest people to ever grace our lives. He had avoided us for about five years and we did not even know his marriage had broken up, so we kept on sending the anniversary cards, while having no idea.
We have a great friend who is a physician. He's a radiologist, and was one of my BILs best friends growing up. My BIL graduated with him. He helped us find the hospice and pay for the medical. We will always owe him far more than money. Since all this happened, we have completely lost touch with technology, and the world seems to have moved faster than we could have believed. I am trying to help my husband as much as possible. I have seen what you have accomplished and it is obvious you really know what I would need to get in the way of cameras, smart phones that have cameras, or whatever they are called ... etc. Christmas and our anniversary is coming, and I want to get my husband what ever he needs to take pics and make it hassle free for him.
The steps we are going through to post even one pic is ridiculous! Can you please recommend a method for me? I honestly would appreciate it more than I can ever, ever say. I realize this is probably the last type of question you would have ever expected from me ... or anyone!!! I finally have everything all together so I can make a purchase of significance for my husband. He has always been there for me ... through heart attacks and cancer, and all kinds of strange diseases and disorders ... that only I could have cooked up!!! We really do laugh a lot around here -- sometimes our laughter sounds NUTZ!!! If I, or if WE, ever lost the ability to laugh about all this stuff, we'd be in the laughing academy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We would graduate first in our class!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!I'm determined to really surprise him this year!!! But I need advice from you in order not to really mess this up ... BIG TIME!!! I am glad I have enough time! Our anniversary is Dec 15th! I'm not much of a shopper either, so I am lucky to have three credit cards that I have to use every so often, just so I could develop a great credit rating!
Your website, your writing, and the gorgeous picture of Tuxie just blew my mind!!! How is it possible that there are some people who have all this beauty around them and do not notice it -- or take it for granted??? What a wonderful world! I am grateful for every day!!! No matter how crumby! And I think there has just got to be a reason for nearly everything -- and then, sometimes not. What Is Wrong With Me?????
That really is sad about your BIL, and you have my sympathies; my husband and I both have struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, because it just freaking GALLOPS thru both our families. His mother died of a burst berry-aneurysm when she was younger than I am now, no doubt thanks to her 3-fifths of Jim Beam daily. My dad was actually the one I turned to when I'd had enough of that lifestyle, at that time he'd been sober for 10 yrs, and he helped me get started with 12-steps, put me on a bus back to Michigan to my then-husband so I could go into rehab and everything else. That marriage didn't last, that period of sobriety lasted only 89 days, but at least it pointed me in the right direction for when I really was ready to stop killing myself one sip at a time -- and that first go-round with sobriety was when I met the guy I've now been married to for 28 yrs, and believe me, people you meet at AA are sooooooooo much better than those you meet in bars -- at least you're both heading in the right direction! (and he and I have now been sober for over 23 yrs! 
)
That pic of Tuxie actually was taken with a cell phone; I took one at the same time with my digital camera, but the flash gave her the glowing eyes, so I kept the one my husband took. His phone is a Samsung Galaxy S5, which is the next-to-last version in the Galaxy S series -- it's from his company, who get a company-wide discount by getting the next-to-last versions of phones when new versions come out, so they can afford to equip all their employees who need them. All he needed to do was email me the pic from his phone, so I could crop and resize it. A cellphone probably is the easiest way to take pics that you want to use online. Since the Galaxy S6's have been out for a while now, the S5's are probably dirt cheap, and seem to be really nice devices.
I've never had a cellphone, never needed one; I've had a couple of digital cameras, and I have to say, I'm not best pleased with my current Canon, despite that it has 16 megapixels; my last one was a Nikon, only 8 megapixels but it took MUCH better pics, probably because of the Nikkor lenses. Sadly, the "image stabilization" crapped out, so now that camera is only fit for use on a fixed tripod in bright daylight; dimmer light requires a longer opening of the lens aperture, which causes blur when there is no digital image stabilization. But I'll be buying another Nikon when I buy another. I wish I could afford the DSLR cameras, but $1000-ish for a camera is wayyyyyyyyyyyyy out of my ballpark; I stick with the $50-$100 "instamatic" type, though nowadays they're digital. But for ease of sending, uploading online, etc, then definitely a cellphone is the way to go, with the added benefit that one usually always has one's phone handy, and can snap pics when the opportunity pops up -- definitely better than my usual "oh I wish I had my camera" when something photo-worthy happens right in front of me.
Andria
(and he and I have now been sober for over 23 yrs! )That pic of Tuxie actually was taken with a cell phone; I took one at the same time with my digital camera, but the flash gave her the glowing eyes, so I kept the one my husband took. His phone is a Samsung Galaxy S5, which is the next-to-last version in the Galaxy S series -- it's from his company, who get a company-wide discount by getting the next-to-last versions of phones when new versions come out, so they can afford to equip all their employees who need them. All he needed to do was email me the pic from his phone, so I could crop and resize it. A cellphone probably is the easiest way to take pics that you want to use online. Since the Galaxy S6's have been out for a while now, the S5's are probably dirt cheap, and seem to be really nice devices.
I've never had a cellphone, never needed one; I've had a couple of digital cameras, and I have to say, I'm not best pleased with my current Canon, despite that it has 16 megapixels; my last one was a Nikon, only 8 megapixels but it took MUCH better pics, probably because of the Nikkor lenses. Sadly, the "image stabilization" crapped out, so now that camera is only fit for use on a fixed tripod in bright daylight; dimmer light requires a longer opening of the lens aperture, which causes blur when there is no digital image stabilization. But I'll be buying another Nikon when I buy another. I wish I could afford the DSLR cameras, but $1000-ish for a camera is wayyyyyyyyyyyyy out of my ballpark; I stick with the $50-$100 "instamatic" type, though nowadays they're digital. But for ease of sending, uploading online, etc, then definitely a cellphone is the way to go, with the added benefit that one usually always has one's phone handy, and can snap pics when the opportunity pops up -- definitely better than my usual "oh I wish I had my camera" when something photo-worthy happens right in front of me.
Andria
Dear Andria:
CONGRATS on over 23 years!!! YAY! I had a well-intentioned doctor who put me on Percocet for wwway too long and I got myself all cleaned up from that nightmare back in 2010! I was in severe pain so it made sense to take something, but then again, four years of pain medication??? WTH? I could not stop without seeking professional help. I have found the people in AA to be much less judgmental than the people I met in NA! You have my condolences on your MIL. My mom was addicted to Valium her entire life. That was back in the day when heart attack survivors were told to not exercise and stay calm -- even if it meant drugging yourself into chemical restraint! I had a heart attack 15 years ago and luckily, it did not leave as much damage as they first had thought. After recovery, they got me up and exercising like crazy! I swam thirty laps a day. They know so much more than they used to.
I kept smoking even after the heart attack.
Incredibly addictive substance. Do you recall the big tobacco CEOs (The Seven Dwarves) who testified, all stating that cigarettes were not addictive? I watched it over and over again in amazement on Youtube just a few weeks back. Did you ever see the movie The Insider? I have an article filed away somewhere about a scientist who quit in disgust -- if I am not mistaken, he worked for R.J. Reynolds, and his job was to potentiate the nicotine and get it past the blood/brain barrier faster. The chemicals he was experimenting with were so deadly he resigned. One of the hundreds of chemicals was a coumadin analog. The cigarette companies were worried he would leak it to the press, which he did in a Mike Wallace interview. They threatened his family and stalked him just to scare him into submission.
I was thinking of you and of the pic of Tuxie. I have hundreds of pics of my cats and feel bad that they all have that red glare in their eyes -- as if they are cats outta hell or something!!! Oh, no, my cats were all little angels!!!
And they never caused us a bit of trouble either!
The Samsung Galaxy S5 sounds just right for us! Just think, Andria, you are helping us out of the stone age! THANK YOU!!
CONGRATS on over 23 years!!! YAY! I had a well-intentioned doctor who put me on Percocet for wwway too long and I got myself all cleaned up from that nightmare back in 2010! I was in severe pain so it made sense to take something, but then again, four years of pain medication??? WTH? I could not stop without seeking professional help. I have found the people in AA to be much less judgmental than the people I met in NA! You have my condolences on your MIL. My mom was addicted to Valium her entire life. That was back in the day when heart attack survivors were told to not exercise and stay calm -- even if it meant drugging yourself into chemical restraint! I had a heart attack 15 years ago and luckily, it did not leave as much damage as they first had thought. After recovery, they got me up and exercising like crazy! I swam thirty laps a day. They know so much more than they used to.
I kept smoking even after the heart attack.
Incredibly addictive substance. Do you recall the big tobacco CEOs (The Seven Dwarves) who testified, all stating that cigarettes were not addictive? I watched it over and over again in amazement on Youtube just a few weeks back. Did you ever see the movie The Insider? I have an article filed away somewhere about a scientist who quit in disgust -- if I am not mistaken, he worked for R.J. Reynolds, and his job was to potentiate the nicotine and get it past the blood/brain barrier faster. The chemicals he was experimenting with were so deadly he resigned. One of the hundreds of chemicals was a coumadin analog. The cigarette companies were worried he would leak it to the press, which he did in a Mike Wallace interview. They threatened his family and stalked him just to scare him into submission. I was thinking of you and of the pic of Tuxie. I have hundreds of pics of my cats and feel bad that they all have that red glare in their eyes -- as if they are cats outta hell or something!!! Oh, no, my cats were all little angels!!!
And they never caused us a bit of trouble either!
The Samsung Galaxy S5 sounds just right for us! Just think, Andria, you are helping us out of the stone age! THANK YOU!!
Dear Andria:
CONGRATS on over 23 years!!! YAY! I had a well-intentioned doctor who put me on Percocet for wwway too long and I got myself all cleaned up from that nightmare back in 2010! I was in severe pain so it made sense to take something, but then again, four years of pain medication??? WTH? I could not stop without seeking professional help. I have found the people in AA to be much less judgmental than the people I met in NA! You have my condolences on your MIL. My mom was addicted to Valium her entire life. That was back in the day when heart attack survivors were told to not exercise and stay calm -- even if it meant drugging yourself into chemical restraint! I had a heart attack 15 years ago and luckily, it did not leave as much damage as they first had thought. After recovery, they got me up and exercising like crazy! I swam thirty laps a day. They know so much more than they used to.
I kept smoking even after the heart attack.
I was thinking of you and of the pic of Tuxie. I have hundreds of pics of my cats and feel bad that they all have that red glare in their eyes -- as if they are cats outta hell or something!!! Oh, no, my cats were all little angels!!!
And they never caused us a bit of trouble either!
The Samsung Galaxy S5 sounds just right for us! Just think, Andria, you are helping us out of the stone age! THANK YOU!!
My biggest problem with NA was all the damn hugging. I don't know those people from Adam's housecat, why would I want to hug them? I don't even like to shake hands, spreads too many germs. The only thing judgmental I've found about AA is their insistence that if you don't LIVE at an AA meeting, then you're not "really" sober. What total BS. I used the 12 steps as a TOOL to get a life. Now that I have one, I live it, not spend all my time at AA meetings! You do come to a point where you have internalized the 12 steps. They always say "Just don't drink, and go to meetings." For me, "just don't drink," works exceedingly well, and if I'm BSing myself about anything, I know about it right away and deal with it, same for those infamous 'resentments.' Swallowing one's emotions is a really good way to get back into swallowing things that you damn well know you shouldn't.
I kept smoking for 29 yrs after being diagnosed with adult-onset asthma, even after being told that if I didn't quit, I would DEFINITELY get COPD. I didn't. Still got the asthma though, which I thought would improve after I quit smoking. HAH! It got worse! So many chemicals in cigarettes that are put there *specifically* to make your body blind to how toxic it is; now that they're gone, every little thing drives my lungs crazy.
Glad I didn't know that before I quit, or I might not have. Andria
Wow! I hated the spiel about how powerless we all were. I had thought the whole point was to become empowered. It's interesting that in the northeast, they did not do any hugging ... thankfully!!! The stupid sing-song at the end made me feel like I was back in kindergarten. Keep coming back, and give a lot of love, it works!!!
I'm happy we both found our way through such BS. Good thing vaping came along to save me. I really could not quit using willpower, which made me feel as if I had NO character whatsoever.
I'm happy we both found our way through such BS. Good thing vaping came along to save me. I really could not quit using willpower, which made me feel as if I had NO character whatsoever.
If I'm drinking, I'm powerless. The only thing that empowers me is to not drink at all -- but there are other aspects of the "addiction disease," psychological aspects, and until we know about them, we are kinda powerless over them. My son isn't an alcoholic; he can drink one beer, not even finish it, and switch to coke, no problem. But his personality? Oh dear... he's definitely in the "I want what I want and I want it NOW" club.
Fortunately he's been raised with a core value of personal responsibility, so he's not terribly prone to the "it's everyone's fault but mine" mentality that plagued me so horribly until I got sober. When he was 7 yrs old, I told him I was going to tell him a secret, and I even whispered it to him, to make him really pay attention: that I, or his dad, or his teachers, could not MAKE him do anything -- he had to choose. If he chose well, he'd get rewards -- good grades, friendly smiles, and a bright future -- and lots of cool reading matter for those good grades. But if he chose poorly, he would receive various punishments -- groundings, privileges like TV/video games removed, and not so many friendly smiles, and probably not nearly as bright a future. But the choice was his to make: did he want rewards or punishments? About 99% of the time, punishments weren't necessary, though I did sometimes have to unclutter his mind of TV and video games, so he could get his homework done.
But NEVER on Buffy night; that one was sacrosanct, to me as much as him. Andria
I wish my parents had told me that secret! If they had imparted half of that wisdom, everything would be different! You must have raised a great kid!If I'm drinking, I'm powerless. The only thing that empowers me is to not drink at all -- but there are other aspects of the "addiction disease," psychological aspects, and until we know about them, we are kinda powerless over them. My son isn't an alcoholic; he can drink one beer, not even finish it, and switch to coke, no problem. But his personality? Oh dear... he's definitely in the "I want what I want and I want it NOW" club.
When he was 7 yrs old, I told him I was going to tell him a secret, and I even whispered it to him, to make him really pay attention: that I, or his dad, or his teachers, could not MAKE him do anything -- he had to choose. If he chose well, he'd get rewards -- good grades, friendly smiles, and a bright future -- and lots of cool reading matter for those good grades. But if he chose poorly, he would receive various punishments -- groundings, privileges like TV/video games removed, and not so many friendly smiles, and probably not nearly as bright a future. But the choice was his to make: did he want rewards or punishments? About 99% of the time, punishments weren't necessary, though I did sometimes have to unclutter his mind of TV and video games, so he could get his homework done.
Andria
How are you feeling? Have the antibiotics had a chance to kick in? Lots of people who live in Colorado are afraid of vaccinations, so the flu can spread through here quite virulently. I get my flu shot early since I can't rely on herd immunity -- many of our citizens are cows!!!
Everything I have read or learned about addiction has baffled me. My husband used to smoke maybe two cigarettes per week and it just never became an addiction with him. I would go to beer parties as an older teenager but always got sick from alcohol if I drank too much. I was talking with a few other patients who take the same cardiology meds, and they can't drink much more than a few sips of wine, so it must have something to do with it butting heads with certain meds. We watched Dracula last night to get in the spirit, and my husband had never seen it before. We can start using that line from Bela Lugosi, "I never drink ... wine!" when we are out and anyone offers us wine. I just hope they get the reference!
We stayed up really late last night to tape a movie that even our library doesn't own called Blue in the Face. I loved Lou Reed and didn't know he had done any acting. I bet they censored it right and left. Now I just have to see the original uncensored version. Jim Jarmusch was in it, along with Harvey Keitel, Lily Tomlin and Roseanne Barr.
My favorite movie about smoking is Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch. There is a skit in that movie called "Somewhere in California" that never ceases to crack me up, with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop! I got it from my husband when I quit smoking and went to vaping full-time. It is the funniest I have ever, ever seen on the logic of cigarettes! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!! It is every smoker's and ex-smoker's black comedy!!!
Well... he was a great, wonderful, terrific kid, hardly ever gave us that "typical adolescent" attitude, we generally always had fun as a family, though sometimes it was a real battle to get him to do that homework. He's made some bad choices in adulthood, and is currently dealing with the consequences, but at least he accepts full responsibility, which is something that many people never learn to do. So he's got a good character, but has been afflicted with some of the usual early-adulthood stupidity.
When I first got sober, I admit, if someone offered me a beer or something, I probably acted like a complete donkey, but I've arrived at simply "No thanks, I don't drink." They don't need the full massacree. Addiction truly is a mystifying condition, but what I've found is really the key to solving the problem is absolute 100% honesty with yourself. It even says something like that in the AA Big Book. This unyielding honesty forces me to admit that if I drank 1 beer, I would absolutely not stop there -- where alcohol is concerned, I simply don't have an "off switch," until I pass out.
But the real thing that got me sober and has kept me that way for 23 yrs is that I am "emetophobic," and if you drink enough, there's gonna be some emesis going on -- when my drinking reached the point that it was going to be a regular everyday thing, I said DONE. When I had some bad cravings after being sober for about a year, a good online friend who was also recovering asked me, "well Andria, have you changed your opinion of throwing up?" To which I will always reply, "not only NO, but
NO!" So at some point, I would have to get sober all over again... and I really don't know if I could do it again, the first few years of it were so hard. At that time I had a little kid, he was 4 when I quit, so I had great motivation right in front of me -- and he even helped me sometimes, when I'd have bad cravings, reminding me that alcohol would just make me sick. But now he's a grownup, so a lot of the motivation just wouldn't be there. So I fall back on, no my opinion of emesis has not changed ONE IOTA and never will. If I never have to do that again in my life, that will be fine with me.
Andria
When I first got sober, I admit, if someone offered me a beer or something, I probably acted like a complete donkey, but I've arrived at simply "No thanks, I don't drink." They don't need the full massacree.
Addiction truly is a mystifying condition, but what I've found is really the key to solving the problem is absolute 100% honesty with yourself. It even says something like that in the AA Big Book. This unyielding honesty forces me to admit that if I drank 1 beer, I would absolutely not stop there -- where alcohol is concerned, I simply don't have an "off switch," until I pass out. But the real thing that got me sober and has kept me that way for 23 yrs is that I am "emetophobic," and if you drink enough, there's gonna be some emesis going on -- when my drinking reached the point that it was going to be a regular everyday thing, I said DONE. When I had some bad cravings after being sober for about a year, a good online friend who was also recovering asked me, "well Andria, have you changed your opinion of throwing up?" To which I will always reply, "not only NO, but
NO!" So at some point, I would have to get sober all over again... and I really don't know if I could do it again, the first few years of it were so hard. At that time I had a little kid, he was 4 when I quit, so I had great motivation right in front of me -- and he even helped me sometimes, when I'd have bad cravings, reminding me that alcohol would just make me sick. But now he's a grownup, so a lot of the motivation just wouldn't be there. So I fall back on, no my opinion of emesis has not changed ONE IOTA and never will. If I never have to do that again in my life, that will be fine with me. Andria
I agree with absolute honesty in order to truly change things around. I have seen many people who never get to really know themselves for sure. Some are afraid, and some have been so damaged that they run away from themselves, many reasons. Too bad there is not enough help out there available for everyone.
If I were to have a cigarette, I'd finish the entire pack. I know that about me. Even if I got sick, I'd keep on smoking. I smoked three packs of Carltons and sometimes more per day. I'd buy a carton every three days for certain. That's insanity. When I was in severe pain and even neurologists thought it was originating from my low back, no one thought that a 17-centimeter tumor might be hitting the back of my spine. It finally got so big that they could feel it, but there is no test for ovarian cancer. Several doctors thought I was exaggerating the pain to get narcotics. Boy, were their faces red when they saw the CAT scan after I drank the tracer.
If not for just a few doctors who really knew me, I would have stroked out from the pain. The major giveaway that I wasn't after pain meds was that my blood pressure was just soaring out of control and my heart rate was as if I were undergoing a dobutamine stress test. Doctors in the ER drug tested me for speed and all sorts of substances. It was an awful experience. I came through it better than several doctors thought I would and was not bitter towards them.
They have every type of scam coming in the ER looking for narcotics. I was reading about one guy who pricked his finger and put a few drops of blood in his urine sample to fake kidney stones. My poor husband had over 100 kidney stones surgically removed back in 1996! It was Halloween night and I called an ambulance when he fell on the bathroom floor. Scared me to death! We reenact the event every Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just kidding) Nah, we are not that CRAZY!!! He underwent four major surgeries at New England Medical Center.
It is a genuine miracle when someone can stay sober from any addictive substance -- especially alcohol. When I saw many of my teachers, my BIL, and friends being pulled under the spell of alcoholism, it scared me away from drinking because of the availability. It is the most ubiquitous substance on every street corner and in any American city -- with the exception of Utah!!!
KUDOS TO YOU, ANDRIA!!! Not many people make it the way you have. I totally agree with the one day at a time way of looking at not just alcohol, but nearly anything that prevents us from living up to our best selves.
If I were to have a cigarette, I'd finish the entire pack. I know that about me. Even if I got sick, I'd keep on smoking. I smoked three packs of Carltons and sometimes more per day. I'd buy a carton every three days for certain. That's insanity. When I was in severe pain and even neurologists thought it was originating from my low back, no one thought that a 17-centimeter tumor might be hitting the back of my spine. It finally got so big that they could feel it, but there is no test for ovarian cancer. Several doctors thought I was exaggerating the pain to get narcotics. Boy, were their faces red when they saw the CAT scan after I drank the tracer.
If not for just a few doctors who really knew me, I would have stroked out from the pain. The major giveaway that I wasn't after pain meds was that my blood pressure was just soaring out of control and my heart rate was as if I were undergoing a dobutamine stress test. Doctors in the ER drug tested me for speed and all sorts of substances. It was an awful experience. I came through it better than several doctors thought I would and was not bitter towards them.
They have every type of scam coming in the ER looking for narcotics. I was reading about one guy who pricked his finger and put a few drops of blood in his urine sample to fake kidney stones. My poor husband had over 100 kidney stones surgically removed back in 1996! It was Halloween night and I called an ambulance when he fell on the bathroom floor. Scared me to death! We reenact the event every Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just kidding)
Nah, we are not that CRAZY!!! He underwent four major surgeries at New England Medical Center.It is a genuine miracle when someone can stay sober from any addictive substance -- especially alcohol. When I saw many of my teachers, my BIL, and friends being pulled under the spell of alcoholism, it scared me away from drinking because of the availability. It is the most ubiquitous substance on every street corner and in any American city -- with the exception of Utah!!!
KUDOS TO YOU, ANDRIA!!!
Not many people make it the way you have. I totally agree with the one day at a time way of looking at not just alcohol, but nearly anything that prevents us from living up to our best selves.
I agree with absolute honesty in order to truly change things around. I have seen many people who never get to really know themselves for sure. Some are afraid, and some have been so damaged that they run away from themselves, many reasons. Too bad there is not enough help out there available for everyone.
If I were to have a cigarette, I'd finish the entire pack. I know that about me. Even if I got sick, I'd keep on smoking. I smoked three packs of Carltons and sometimes more per day. I'd buy a carton every three days for certain. That's insanity. When I was in severe pain and even neurologists thought it was originating from my low back, no one thought that a 17-centimeter tumor might be hitting the back of my spine. It finally got so big that they could feel it, but there is no test for ovarian cancer. Several doctors thought I was exaggerating the pain to get narcotics. Boy, were their faces red when they saw the CAT scan after I drank the tracer.
If not for just a few doctors who really knew me, I would have stroked out from the pain. The major giveaway that I wasn't after pain meds was that my blood pressure was just soaring out of control and my heart rate was as if I were undergoing a dobutamine stress test. Doctors in the ER drug tested me for speed and all sorts of substances. It was an awful experience. I came through it better than several doctors thought I would and was not bitter towards them.
They have every type of scam coming in the ER looking for narcotics. I was reading about one guy who pricked his finger and put a few drops of blood in his urine sample to fake kidney stones. My poor husband had over 100 kidney stones surgically removed back in 1996! It was Halloween night and I called an ambulance when he fell on the bathroom floor. Scared me to death! We reenact the event every Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just kidding)
It is a genuine miracle when someone can stay sober from any addictive substance -- especially alcohol. When I saw many of my teachers, my BIL, and friends being pulled under the spell of alcoholism, it scared me away from drinking because of the availability. It is the most ubiquitous substance on every street corner and in any American city -- with the exception of Utah!!!
KUDOS TO YOU, ANDRIA!!!
Heh... at one point I had a whole lot of root canal work. Everytime we were done and I'd get out of the chair, the dentist would ask me if I needed something for pain. I'd say "Nah, I'll just take some ibuprofen." He told me I was the weirdest patient he had, everybody else would carry on like they were dying just to get some Percocet. I pointed out that I was a recovering alkie, and still fairly recently at that time; I *will* take narcotics if they're really warranted (morphine when I had appendicitis was a GODSEND!), but only then; not for entertainment. Back in the spring I had a BAD burn on my finger, it just wouldn't stop burning, so I took one of the hydrocodones I had left over after the appendectomy -- and found I don't even LIKE that feeling anymore; I went to bed! But that was really my reason for taking it, to make it stop hurting long enough for me to fall asleep.
When my husband had a motorcycle wreckcident and broke his foot (clean break right across the bones, thx to his steel-toed boot!) he had to take some kind of narcotic, and man, he was loving it. After about 3 days I told him if he didn't flush 'em I was going to, because they made him as big a PITA as alcohol did!
He's also very prone to kidney stones; gets the bad pain every few years and has to go to the ER, but he's always managed to pass them.Andria
Okay, you have me laughing out loud here! You happy??? I was reading along and got to PITA and thought to myself "She must mean people for the ethical treatment of animals!" I guess I am living proof that a person does not really NEED drugs at all!!!!!!!!!!! I figured out what your acronym was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy, do I feel stupid!!!!!!!!!!!
I was reading along and got to PITA and thought to myself "She must mean people for the ethical treatment of animals!" I guess I am living proof that a person does not really NEED drugs at all!!!!!!!!!!! I figured out what your acronym was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy, do I feel stupid!!!!!!!!!!!Where has everyone disappeared to? I hope you are all doing well and having holiday fun!
--Best wishes--
--Best wishes--
I'm just trying to get well. Woke up today feeling ok, but kinda gone downhill since then. I think it might be the 500/50 Advair; I'd been sticking with the 250/50 while I've been sick, but this morning used the 500/50, and shortly after that is when I started not feeling so hot, and had zero appetite at dinner. So I'm thinking it's just too high a dose of steroids for me, and I should just stick with the 250/50. Don't think I'll use either, at bedtime, and just use the 250/50 tomorrow when I get up.
Andria
I think it might be the 500/50 Advair; I'd been sticking with the 250/50 while I've been sick, but this morning used the 500/50, and shortly after that is when I started not feeling so hot, and had zero appetite at dinner. So I'm thinking it's just too high a dose of steroids for me, and I should just stick with the 250/50. Don't think I'll use either, at bedtime, and just use the 250/50 tomorrow when I get up.Andria
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