I have been making a list lately of everything that I have appreciated most about spending the past month sober. At the top of my list is starting to feel my physical body making a recovery. Clearly, a month is not going to heal the damage of ten years of heavy drinking, but I have very much enjoyed waking up each morning without the throbbing pain and parched feeling of thirst in my body. I have also enjoyed not thinking "-!LIVER DISEASE!-" in flashing lights every morning when trying to imagine my future of continued drinking.
Ironically, at the height of my drinking I attempted to be physically healthy in all other regards. I eat a healthy vegetarian diet, exercise, and take herbal supplements. I even start the mornings off with a fruit and spinach smoothie. And yet, despite trying to buy fresh vegetables and limit my sugar intake during the day, I was pounding my body with booze every single night, binge eating while drunk, and waking up feeling like a deluge of regret, fear, and anxiety were physically manifesting in my veins. Above all else, I never again want to experience that feeling - combined of course with trying to fish for conscious memories from the night before, regretting the few things I could remember, and lying to myself about this all being normal.
After a month of sobriety I feel like my brain is sharper, I have lost weight, and for whatever reason I feel like my hair is even looking better :P But that's probably just because I have more time to focus on that instead of painfully recalling all of the stupid stuff I did the night before when getting ready for work in the morning.
Thank you all again for your continued encourage and support.
-Adam
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When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.-Paul Brunton
Thanks Adafm.WE always hear of the devastation of the years of abuse our illness has dealt us and its always great to hear the benefits of recovery has to offer.After all we do suffer from a disease of the body,mind and Spirit and it takes work in all areas...Yes and for hair,I can't believe I still got some!!!!!
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Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
1 small handful of frozen berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or whatever
I also add a tablespoon of spirulina powder, but the taste grosses a lot of people out, so I advise people to taste it before buying a large quantity.
I then blend the whole mixture together in a blender until it is very smooth. Feel free to add more water if it isn't smooth. It's not the prettiest meal in the whole world, but it is energizing, filling, and very healthy. It's also a good base from which to work. Some people add ground flax seeds, ginger, cucumbers, etc. The only vegetable I would strongly advise against is tomato. I love tomato, but putting one in a smoothie is a terrible idea. Good luck!
-Adam
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When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.-Paul Brunton
Adam I could have wrote that - add the part where I even went so far as to buy organic wine or beer and you'd be me. LOL Never mind I drank 3 bottles of it a night!!!! Oh but it's organic - and it's anit aging while it's killing me... LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
LOL. Thanks for sharing that. I never went so far as to buy organic beer and wine, but I did tell myself many times that if I was drinking "local" or "microbrew" alcohol, it was somehow less dangerous than the more "mainstream" beer and wine. Or, I would buy an expensive microbrew beer that was 9% alcohol content and tell myself that it was okay for me to only have three or four in one sitting, because... it's just a few beers, right? I cannot believe how much I have lied to myself since I started drinking, and how completely insane so much of my behavior has been. I think a lot about the Blue Book example of the compulsive j-walker who continues to get hit by cars, and yet keeps j-walking despite knowing the inevitable consequence. I'm glad it finally sunk in that no matter how many different ways we try to dance across the street, those cars will always hit us if we play in traffic.
-Adam
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When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.-Paul Brunton
Yup- I, too, could've written that. I was eating healthy, drinking the good wine, taking supplements, etc. One thing I didn't realize is that more often than not I would skip food for booze- so I was actually severely malnourished . I also didn't realize that excessive alcohol consumption impedes upon your body being able to absorb most nutrients. That coupled with pouring tons of toxic poison into ones body is a disaster for health. Also, I didn't know what a good nights sleep was. Falling asleep and passing out aren't the same? Good to hear you are already feeling and seeing (the hair) the benefits of these things! Congrats on 30 days!!
I haven't woken up at 3am with crushing anxiety in four weeks, and I haven't missed it at all. The past couple weeks, in particular, I have been sleeping deeply and waking up feeling genuinely rested instead of like total hell.
Every time I used to drink heavily, I would inevitably wake up in the middle of the night and stand in my kitchen like a ghoul, staring at the empty beer and wine bottles, cursing myself, and trying to re-hydrate before going back to bed and laying there for hours experiencing deep regret and the empty promises that I would never drink again. I cannot believe how many times I have done that.
This doesn't mean that I don't have anxiety any more - far from it - but I have felt comfort in knowing that whatever anxiety I have experienced lately is not accompanied by self-defeat and total loathing. I'm a better person without that.
Speaking of sleep, I'm off to bed. Sleep well, friends.
-Adam
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When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.-Paul Brunton
1 small handful of frozen berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or whatever
I also add a tablespoon of spirulina powder, but the taste grosses a lot of people out, so I advise people to taste it before buying a large quantity.
I then blend the whole mixture together in a blender until it is very smooth. Feel free to add more water if it isn't smooth. It's not the prettiest meal in the whole world, but it is energizing, filling, and very healthy. It's also a good base from which to work. Some people add ground flax seeds, ginger, cucumbers, etc. The only vegetable I would strongly advise against is tomato. I love tomato, but putting one in a smoothie is a terrible idea. Good luck!
-Adam
Okay, I bought this stuff at the grocery store today .... going to give it a shot ... even bought small bottle of that spirulina stuff too ... WOW, $20 for a couple oz. ... ... ... (if this works, then I'll buy it 'on-line' from now on ...)
Oh, if I'm not mistaken Adam, ... a tomato is a fruit ... ... ... LOL ... not that that changes the taste any ...
Oh, ... no 'baby spinach' available, I bought Kale instead, ... ??? ... any thoughts ...
hey, is this stuff really good for you, or are you pulling my leg ??? ... you sure this won't put me in the hospital ?... ... ... (I can hear my doctors now....)(he ate what?)
P.S. Hey Dean? ... is that machine thingy you got better than a regular 'blender' ? ... what was it called again? ... The Juicer 2000 ? ... (like on 'Home Improvement', ... double the size of the regular motor ???) ... will it mow my grass too???
-- Edited by Pythonpappy on Wednesday 13th of March 2013 07:01:09 PM
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Ninja Juicer ??? ..... ... ... ... that has a nice ring to it ... and I do like 'cheap' ... ... ... I'll try my Oyster, Oster, Clam, whatever it's called, tomorrow ... (I think I've used it once since I bought it, 10 years ago ...) ... ... ... silly me, I watched a video on how to use the stupid thing ... ... ...
They say ... You only forget to put the top on ONCE ... HeeeHeee
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I liked this one because the base of my other blenders kept cracking - this one can't do that. I was going through an expensive blender a year. I've only had this one a few months - but so far I like it a lot... good for all my needs.
I'm so glad you've tried this Pappy! The best part for me is how much younger my skin looks. It's noticable - and I think that if my skin looks healthy - that is a relfection of what my other organs look like too...
-- Edited by justadrunk on Thursday 14th of March 2013 09:00:55 AM
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Pappy!! I'm so proud of you! Kale is a great alternative- amongst the most nutrient rich greens. Honey is a great sweetener (raw honey is best)! I had wanted to comment on your excessive sweets intake but didn't want to be preachy:) smoothies are an easy way to squeeze in more veggies. I like to put plain Greek yogurt in mine to give it a nice texture, and add protein. Yeah! Tasha, you're so right about the skin thing. I've noticed that since adding more raw veggies to my diet, my skin has cleared up and looks downright glowing. It's a clear reflection of internal health.
Okay, I'm a country boy so I have to ask, does honey come in any other form than 'raw' ??? ... ... ... When I was a kid, Mom had an old country store we used to sto at and get a quart jar of honey with the 'honey comb' in the jar ... Dad especially loved the comb ...
After today's experiement, I think Ill plop a spoon of honey in it tomorrow ... another question ... I take Centrum Silver (Vitamin for the over 50 crowd) ... do I, or should I take both that and the Spirulina too ... or just make it one or the other ...???
I know, I know, I really gotta cut way down on the suger ... and my doctor also said 'breads' I remember ... it's just I'm struggling with this 'not smoking' and it's got me WAY off my usual diet ...
-- Edited by Pythonpappy on Thursday 14th of March 2013 01:30:06 PM
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Getting ready to try it this a.m. ... just got to finish coffee ... .. ... Wish now I had bought some yogurt too ... ever try frozen yogurt ???
Trying to wrap my mind around the 'Spinach' (I love spinach, but in a smoothie???) ... guess you don't put too much of it in there ... Kale? ... it don't have much of a taste does it? ... HONEY?, ... is it okay to use some honey if you want it sweeter???
Okay, fixin' to check out your 'Ninja' link above ... I'll get back to you later ... and thanks for the help here ... (Hey, still no smokes so far!!!)
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Wooooo hooo Pappy! That's great news! Now all this healthy living can actually 'take' lol!
It's surprising, but spinach doesn't have much taste if you don't over do it. I put a cup or 2 of it in my chili and soups of all kinds - I sneak it into every casserole - every lasangna - every smoothie - and yes - I do use organic ice cream or whole milk yogurt for the smoothie every Sat. and Sunday. It's our tradition to have this treat on the weekends. I have tried all sorts of sweeteners - like stevia, local honey and pure maple syrup - BUT - if you buy organic valley whole milk french vanilla yogurt - add a banana and some type of berries - you can pretty much hide a lot of other stuff and it's still plenty sweet. I make a jam pretty often and I put in a bit if the kids wont drink it. I know the sugar is really bad - but NOT EATING any veggies is worse - IMHO. I could be wrong there though. I've been thinking of just starving them until they give in to the veggies.... LOLOLOLOLOL JUST KIDDING> HOWEVER my mother did this to us as kids and it worked! LOL
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Pappy!! I'm so proud of you! Kale is a great alternative- amongst the most nutrient rich greens. Honey is a great sweetener (raw honey is best)! I had wanted to comment on your excessive sweets intake but didn't want to be preachy:) smoothies are an easy way to squeeze in more veggies. I like to put plain Greek yogurt in mine to give it a nice texture, and add protein. Yeah! Tasha, you're so right about the skin thing. I've noticed that since adding more raw veggies to my diet, my skin has cleared up and looks downright glowing. It's a clear reflection of internal health.
Okay girls, ... ... ... Made my first 'smoothie' ... ... ... Okay, first, I bought a bunch of fruit yesterday ... fresh and some frozen ... cause I was wanting to experiment here with this smoothie thingy ...
I also found a 5 oz. bottle of that Spirulina in the 'Health Food' section ($20 for 5 oz.) that Adam recommended ... (wife 'out-of-town' ... she will stroke out over the cost of the Spirulina and all the expensive fruit, when she gets back tonight) ... (I'm popping grapes right now as I type this ...) ... my mouth will take anything if it can't have a smoke ... LOL ... and I can't tell you here, what some of the other alternatives are, HeeeHeee ...
Here's what I wound up with ... 1 long leafy piece of Kale, 4 medium chunks of Pineapple, 1 Banana, 1/2 cup water, 4 ice cubes, 6 large Strawberries, ... ... ... uh, ... ... ... an old orange that was about to be thrown away, and 1 teaspoon of Spirulina (heavy dried algae???) (very, very dark green) ... ... ... I forgot that I was also going to throw in a raw egg, oh well ...
OKAY, ... ... ... I have to tell you the God's honest truth ... 'Baby poop' looks more appetizing than the way this stuff looked ... I think Adam warned of the appearance when using Spirulina ... and there is no way the Kale made this stuff THIS GREEN ... ... ... I have never ever seen a liquid this green, well except for that one time I let our 'swimming pool' get out of hand and it turned to thick algae ... Okay now, I have changed a few diapers in my time, and I'm here to tell you that this stuff looked about as appealing, or appalling as that stuff ... didn't smell much better either ...
Honestly, with no sweetener added, it really wasn't that bad ... guess I wound up with about 18-20 ozs of the stuff, but I got it down ... Hey!, and it stayed down ... then I ate 5 'sweet rolls' ... ... ... ... JUST KIDDING --- JUST KIDDING!!!!! (it was only 3)(hey, they were left over from yesterday)
Should I try milk? versus water??? ... since I didn't have the yogurt yet, I wasn't too sure of the milk ...
.... ... ... uh oh ... ... ...
think I need to go lie down ... ... ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
