unintentionally swapping one addiction for another

[BeverlyM]

I'm tired, sore, irritated, starving, and I really want a drink. I know its a bad idea BC I'm going to use it to "comfort" myself from here on out BC I started now, while quitting Adderall. Anybody else have this issue? Maybe not alcohol, but swappin one addiction for another?

Also, is food addiction a real thing?

[Doge]

God yes.  I smoked a lot of pot and ate a lot of comfort food.  About a month into recovery I went out to pubs a lot with friends (I started becoming known as a bad influence on people, hehe) just because I was depressed and couldn't focus on work.

This wasn't necessarily a good thing but I seemed to have shaken it and I am where I am now so I don't regret it.

As for the first few days, having a few beers isn't so bad to help relax I don't think, just make sure you're nourishing yourself.

 

Note:  I wouldn't advice getting drunk to the point of a hangover, then you'll REALLY want to take more pills.  Plus, you're body really needs to heal from being in over-drive.

I'd say go with food everytime over alcohol.

[BeverlyM]

Thank you that helps a lot.

[Doge]

Watching any good TV shows while you rest?  I'm hooked on House of Cards right now.

[Zerokewl]

When I first quit I drank more than usual and sometimes alone. This also occurred when i quit smoking. I drank a more mostly going to pubs for pub food and a few pints.  My drinking now is normal, getting older I can't pound back the beers as I did so I  keep it to a minimum.  Lots of calories in beer trying to lose that post adderall post smoking weight.  

[BeverlyM]

Yeah actually, ive been watchin revenge when I talk myself into thinking there's a purpose in television. Its hard to enjoy anything.

And im not really a beer drinker. I looove wine. Pino grigio is my fav

[BeverlyM]

And if u have any Netflix suggestions, I'm fixin to post a thread in the lounge for ideas. I need tv shows mostly BC its harder for me to pay attention to a whole movie at once. And I find myself getting up like, every 15 or 20 minutes for absolutely no reason other than I can't sit in one place anymore. I get up... Walk to the other room.. Sometimes ill grab a snack or something I don't really want, and come back in my room. Then I stare at the paused tv wondering why the hell I'm doing this, but there's nothing else to do so I turn the tv back on.

Itd be ok if this was like, once a day. I literally di this over and over until I go to sleep.

[Doge]

A couple of ideas to help get the positivity juices flowing as soon as possible.  Sorry if I am pushing these exercises too heavily but I LOVE them and they helped me so much in initial recovery.

1) Every time you get up, do a stretch routine.  I personally do these 3 times a day and it helps my back feel great.  And the pulling helps your grip strength a lot, which is important for helping your body *feel* strong.

 

http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/fitness/pilatessketches/HamStrngStre2.gif
 

People use towels or rubber bands but I find that an old pair of jeans works best.

 

2) Try those wall-pushups I mentioned before.  They are a great way to get your blood flowing again naturally, and start getting your strength back.

 

http://www.fitnesstipoftheday.net/fittip/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/wall-pushups.jpg

 

They are harder than they look!  You can focus on keeping your back perfectly straight, which is a good way to help those inner balancing muscles get stronger again.  If you are anything like me, you spent a lot of time sitting in a chair hunched over a desk with horrible posture.  This is a great way to start undoing that damage.

Do them every day until you can do three sets of 20.  Then switch to once every 2 days until you can do 3 sets of 40.

 

3) Jump back into bed and turn the TV back on and resume snacking.  You'll probably have a nice little head rush (A NATURAL ONE ) to make watching TV feel better, and then the calories from your snacks will at least partially be channeled towards your muscles getting stronger.

 

I emphasize these two things in particular because they worked SO WELL for me during those early days where I just didn't want to do ANYTHING, not even the things I enjoyed.

[BeverlyM]

Wow, thank you. I really appreciate it.

[Doge]

Shows I really enjoyed on (Canadian) Netflix:

House of Cards

Boss*
Hemlock Grove

The Fall

Camelot

Dexter

The 100*

Arrested Development

The Office*

Downtown Abbey

Once upon a time

Community*

Marco Polo*

Derek*

Rescue Me

Trailer Park Boys

Breaking Bad*

 

* - my personal favorites

 

Some of these aren't available in the US (though the US selection is far superior if you ask me).

Checkout this addon if you want to access other regions (I'm amazed at what Mexico has!)

http://hola.org/

 

Not on netflix, but if you are comfortable obtaining tv shows by "other means" these are AMAZING shows:

Game of Thrones (obviously!)
The Wire (my favorite show of all time)

Shameless (this is a guilty pleasure of mine)

 

I probably watched all of these during recovery, since I went through the binge/crash/recover cycle every month or so for the last 2 years.  I was a pro at recoverying hahaha (it's not really funny but what else can I do now but laugh?).

 

Happy resting!

[Doge]

I'll go back and edit the list as I think of more.  There are plenty I didn't mention.

[BeverlyM]

Thank you

[survived]

I think its interesting that you can't really sit and watch television. I haven't really been able to watch much myself because I get easily distracted. Not too sure why, I mean watching tv shows would have helped me pass some time.

 

No, new addictions here. But I have picked up some new hobbies and I do enjoy food a lot more. There are times I have to keep snacking to a minimum.

[BeverlyM]

I can't do much of anything.

[Zerokewl]

Shows I really enjoyed on (Canadian) Netflix:

House of Cards

Boss*

Hemlock Grove

The Fall

Camelot

Dexter

The 100*

Arrested Development

The Office*

Downtown Abbey

Once upon a time

Community*

Marco Polo*

Derek*

Rescue Me

Trailer Park Boys

Breaking Bad*

 

* - my personal favorites

 

Some of these aren't available in the US (though the US selection is far superior if you ask me).

Checkout this addon if you want to access other regions (I'm amazed at what Mexico has!)

http://hola.org/

 

Not on netflix, but if you are comfortable obtaining tv shows by "other means" these are AMAZING shows:

Game of Thrones (obviously!)

The Wire (my favorite show of all time)

Shameless (this is a guilty pleasure of mine)

 

I probably watched all of these during recovery, since I went through the binge/crash/recover cycle every month or so for the last 2 years.  I was a pro at recoverying hahaha (it's not really funny but what else can I do now but laugh?).

 

Happy resting!

 

This is a good Netflix list pretty similar to my playlist in early recovery.  I would add the West Wing and Ken Burns the History of Jazz is my all time favorite for sleeping/ watching Netflix. 

[better_morgan]

Beverly I am always hungry...I love food...so being hungry and loving to eat food...its a bad combination.  I don't call it a food addiction though.  During recovery its ok to switch to something else like food or TV.  

 

That guy above sure gave us a great list to watch...although I dont sit still during the day long enough to watch any show. Still have ADD behavior.

What I am changing at home is to stop buying junk food, easy snacks, full of empty calories.  Now I buy crispy veggies and fruit & nuts to fill my cravings.  Low sugar yogurts and granola I love for breakfast but then by 10 am I am hungry again.  Then a cup coffee and protein bar to fill me up.  I get hungry mid afternoon and will do a cup of hot tea (quick energy boost) with 1 cookie (can't be totally guilt free).  They do have these 100 cal packages at the grocery stores in the cookie aisle.  So if you love food and eat throughout the day, like me, then try to make good healthy choices.  I can't go completely diet & sugar free, but I try to pick low calories when possible.  I make my own lunches so the sandwich I eat is not 800 calories as some store bought ones are.  I cook at night, and use a small plate to serve myself.

 

You are always one meal away of being back on track!  I keep that motto.  Trying to stay on track is what we need to do one day at a time, all year long.  Whether food or medications or alcohol...keep the faith and we can recover.

[AlwaysAwesome]

I went semi paleo (I love cheese!) and it has made me feel so much better.  It is hard at first, but getting rid of grains has helped me the most.  Sugar is harder, but I keep trying.  Sugar and wheat are super addictive!  My problem is that I can't just have a little bit of sugar.  Like Adderall, I have to quit cold turkey.  It is easier to quit Adderall though, because I was able to cut off my supply.  Sugar is everywhere...