Good on ya Jen....these are the things that can mess you up, best to keep on top of it (like you are doing). Part of the reason for my relapse was taking prescription meds. Seemed ok to me at the time cuz a Doctor was prescribing them.....WRONG....totally my responsibility now. The way it was explained to me was: any mood altering drug (benzodiazipines, opiates etc) hit the same pleasure center in the brain that alcohol does. Unfortunately, the receptors in this area cannot differentiate between the various drugs (including alcohol) and when triggered, basically go "hey, welcome back", knowing they are being stimulated by a drug. For me, several surgeries resulted in me getting Morphine, Demerol, Percaset and many others. It was absolutely heaven for me but created the most unbearable cravings for alcohol afterwards. I had no idea why or what was happening and did end up drinking again after 12 years of sobriety. I even use alcohol free mouthwash now, lol. My sponsor is a Pharmacist, lucky me! They are the best ones to ask about any medications you may have to take, as long as you tell them you are an addict. Hope you get rid of the cold, dontcha hate those!!!!!!
Scott
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Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. ~Buddha
Doll hit it on the nose. You took the medicine (key word here....medicine) for an illness, not with the intention of getting 'buzz'.
If you still have doubts, the only other question I would ask myself, would be, "Did I enjoy the type of high it gave, particularly to the point of thinking that I can't wait to take the next 'hit'?"
Did your brain immediately go the the "I want more!" button? If it did, you might want to find another cold medicine.
PS. I gotta say that I have taken sudafed for a cold, and really couldn't say that I got any kind of 'high' from it that could be compared to the mellow mood I got from the first few drinks or the maryjane I did 35 years ago in my college days. The only type of 'high' that antihistamines/decongestants have given me was a kind of light headedness that didn't really put me in the mood for more.
-- Edited by Sick of being sick at 12:56, 2008-03-13
All the above suggestions are right on the money. I was so lucky in my early sobriety my doctor was in the program and worked fairly exclusively with us nut jobs Had a great attitude, "Ask me first, I'm a doctor".
Not sure on the high associated with sudafed but one time, about 2 -3 weeks into my sobriety, I couldn't sleep so I took a sleeping pill. It certainly didn't put me to sleep, if anything it accelerated the crazy thoughts that were keeping me awake. It felt like my body needed something - anything to get high again.
As Scott shared, the fear of accidentally abusing is a healthy fear.
Thanks again for being here. You do so much for us. Keep coming back
Ditto to what the others said. Taking it exactly how the directions say, and check and see if you feel that you are obsessing about it. That's the test for me. Although sudafed just makes your scalp twitch and tends to keep me awake, I wouldn't call euphoric lol. I've found using a vaporizer next to my bed with some vicks is a lot more effective at clearing sinuses. Zicam products work amazingly well along with coldeze, large doses of vitimen C and zinc lozengers. None of those have nasty side affects.
Alka seltzer plus!!!! Hot tea with honey, fluids, rest and no alcohol containing cough medicine!!! They even have night time mediciane thats alcohol free!
Hope your feeling better-be glad its not that dreaded flu!!!!!! Pooppy!!!!
L
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
Meds can be a problem, I avoid Nyquil and cough syrups with alcohol. Dentist can be really quick to prescribe Vicadin whether you really need it or not, root canals have caused many addict to relapse. I cut 2 of my fingers on the tablesaw at work right after I got clean. I told the Dr. I was in recovery and couldn't take narcotics and he still tried tried to give me a script for vicadin. The 600 lb Gorilla that's my disease is sleeping in his cage and I try to keep him there because I know it's easier to stay sober then to get sober. If I drink my disease has progressed in the almost 12 years I've been sober, I'll be way worse then I was before so being careful is a matter of life or death for me. Thats not to say if I was being operated on I would want pain meds, taking meds as prescribed is okay but we mustn't forget who or what we are. Bob.
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Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like no one is watching.
I avoid Alka seltzer plus also. I happen to like sudafed but I cannot take the long acting ones. Just the tiny red pill. there are a lot of sudafed variations. The little red one they use to make meth but if I take it as directed I don't feel much if anything at all. Another thing for sinus is claritin. No buzz at all if its allergy based. All the 24 hour ones, night time ones and multisyptom ones are nothing but a kludge of poisons in my opinion. I used to get bronchitis every year and my doctor helped me find out that it was over the counter cold meds that dried me out so much I got infections.
To fight colds I take zinc. It is very rough on the stomach but I take 50 mg every few hours until I get sick and then back off to a couple times a day. I use it to fight flu too. If I get chest congestion its Robitussin but only the DM or even better their congestion formula just has an expectorant Guaifenesin. Got a good deal on generic Guaifenesin at a small drug store. :)
Another thing is the nety pot. It is a baby tea kettle that you pour saline through your nose. haven't tried it but when I first got sober I was told to snort salt which was very violent and bloody decongestant. This netty pot seems to be getting popular for chronic nasal problems. You'll have to look it up. Pouring water through my nose is too gross for me to even google lol.
I had cement sludged into mine. :)
Some doctors are allright and others are owned by the drug companies. I have a couple doctors in recovery that help. Advil is max for pain. I've taken 600 mg for pain but thats a lot and I was disabled at the time.
I do believe that is my entire pharmacy except for a few simple vitamins. I have known a few to relapse on mouthwash without even swallowing it. Always read the label.
I have never tried this and as such have no opinion here's some comments I found.
"I was in and out of the hospital with my Son (who is 6) twice today for very high fevers, swelling eyes, and a rash that keeps spreading. On top of all of that he has a bad cough. He has had this for 2-3 weeks now. The doctors finally prescribed something, but I can't fill it until the morning. After all of this I am told by a friend to try the VICKS on the bottom of the feet and put socks over it. IT WORKS!! I haven't heard one cough out of him since I put him to bed. I wish I knew about this 3 weeks ago. Thanks VICKS!!! -- Anonymous on November 22, 2007"
"We rubbed Vicks on the bottoms of our 3 and 1 year olds feet and it stopped the coughing immediately. They slept better that night than they had all week. This product is fabulous even with the weird recommendation of putting it on your feet. -- Anonymous on November 9, 2007"
LOL wow. I was just as amazed it worked too. Of course I used it as a kid but it gave way to the modern medicines that came out. They certainly seemed much better until your an alcoholic looking for relief without a buzz. Good old vicks and Mentholtaum too.
Don't try camphophenique on open poison Ivy by the way. Its 40% alcohol. I had a big patch on the soft part of my belly that was going systemic and I was just going nuts. The pain of the camphophenigue overshadowed the itch. So I would spray and scream but I started noticing a little whoosh in my head.
Damn stuff was going into my blood through the broken skin. I wouldn't be surprised if it could penetrate any soft skin. I never bathed in alcohol so I don't know but I bet I could get drunk if I swam in it. :)
Damn stuff was going into my blood through the broken skin. I wouldn't be surprised if it could penetrate any soft skin. I never bathed in alcohol so I don't know but I bet I could get drunk if I swam in it. :)
I can feel drunk just watching other people drink .
I got a camphor tree in my front yard. just break a branch or crush some leaves and smells strongly just like vicks
Had a great attitude, "Ask me first, I'm a doctor". 
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