Practical Advice About Detox and Getting Sober

[Topcat]

Here's a LINK Maria

[Maria]

Thanks Topcat

[smudge]

One of the things I worried about before I gave up drinking was whether or not I was an alcoholic. If I wasn't an alcoholic then did I really need to give up drinking? Only alcoholics HAD to give up didn't they?

Worrying about that label helped to keep me drinking, because if I gave up drink I felt I was admitting to the world that I was an alcoholic. And I didn't want to do that.

This short blog article from Smart Recovery points out the problems with worrying about labels :

But I’m Not an “Alcoholic!”

And can I just say that I couldn't give a monkey's whether people call me an alcoholic or not now. I don't drink and that is the only thing that matters to me about the subject.

[Blueberry]

Smudge, thanks for the link! It really resonated with me

[Rachel]

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/07/17/they-could-stop-if-they-wanted-to-common-myths-about-addicts-addiction/

Some perhaps basic info, but worth reminding yourself if you are in the early stages of gving up alcohol.

[Maypole]

This thread has helped me so much today...

Went and bought thiamin and some colloidal silver plant minerals.

Scared

[smudge]

I've mentioned "urge surfing" in an earlier post on this thread as a means to help people deal with cravings. There are other things (supplements) which might help reduce cravings for some people. I wrote this in a post elsewhere and thought it was worth copying to this thread :

"Another thing you could do some research on - have you ever heard of L-Glutamine? It has various uses. I think the main customers for it are body builders but I don't know what they get out of it. For people like us it has the benefit of reducing sugar and alcohol cravings. Do a search on the forum for the word "glutamine" (the search function doesn't like hyphens), and google L-Glutamine as well. If it interests you, don't get capsules (the dose is much too low), buy the loose powder. I use one heaped teaspoon (approximately 5g) per day, mixed with my morning orange juice. It is odourless and tasteless. It mustn't be mixed with anything hot because heat destroys it. So keep it separate from your morning coffee and your porridge!

Another thing some people swear helps with cravings is chromium picolinate. I don't know much about this but you could research it yourself."

I should add that the dose of L-Glutamine I take is quite a low one in comparison to what some body builders take. Always do your own research and make your own decisions! It is your body and your responsibility.

Another little bit of advice - some people are convinced that L-Glutamine helps them to sleep, and they take it in the evening or just before bed. Others are convinced it has the opposite effect and take it earlier in the day. I'm sure there must be a third group who believe it has no effect on sleep at all and take it whenever they want.

[smudge]

Sometimes it is a good idea to state the blindingly obvious. So here goes.

Anyone going through detox and withdrawal or learning to live sober should try searching the web for the following things (and anything else that occurs to them that could be relevant, but always make sure alcohol is mentioned in the search somehow). You never know what might turn up that helps you or solves a problem.

"Nutrition for alcoholics" or "Menus for alcoholics" or "Menus for alcohol detox" or ...

"Supplements for alcoholics" or "Supplements for alcohol withdrawal" or "Supplements for alcohol detox"

"Alcohol and sleep problems" or "Alcohol withdrawal and sleep problems" or "Alcohol detox and sleep problems"

Same as above but substitute "insomnia" for "sleep problems"

Same as above but substitute "stress" for "sleep problems"

[smudge]

I wrote a version of this post for someone I sent a PM too. I thought it was worth fleshing out and putting here.

Insomnia is probably the biggest problem that most people face when they sober up. And I suspect it is the biggest contributor to relapse too. So, having suffered with the problem myself for longer than I care to remember I thought I would write as complete a list of things which might help as I could come up with.

Dealing with insomnia isn't a case of "find just the right sleeping pill - job done". It is a multi-step problem that requires lots of experimentation. You may find that you need to do a combination of things before you finally get to sleep on a regular basis.

1) Do a web search and read about "improving sleep hygiene" and "improving sleep latency". It always helps if you know the correct jargon to search for.

2) There are lots of teas that claim to help people to relax throughout the evening or just before bedtime. Most sleepy teas can be bought in supermarkets, but some may need to be bought in supplement shops or specialist tea shops or online. Some of these can be an acquired taste - but try and finish the box anyway - you might find you start liking them.

1. Pukka Night Time Tea
2. Heath & Heather Night Time Herbal Infusions
3. Clipper Organic Snore and Peace
4. Clipper Organic Sleep Easy Infusion

3) Some teas might help people to de-stress. I drink this one throughout the day. I've only found it online or in Holland & Barrett. Tulsi is another name for Holy Basil, if you want to search for information on it.

1. Pukka Three Tulsi Tea

4) Herbal sleep remedies and calming remedies. There are loads of different brands and they can be found on open supermarket shelves - no need to see a pharmacist for any of them that I am aware of. The supermarket brands are by far the cheapest.

5) Non-herbal sleep remedies. They usually contain diphenhydramine hydrochloride. This is an antihistamine. If you have ever taken stuff for hay fever that made you sleepy, that was most likely because it contained an antihistamine. Also, cough medicines and flu remedies that make you a bit sleepy probably contain this ingredient or something similar. There are lot of brands available. I only ever found them available from a pharmacist or online. The cheapest I ever found was Tesco Extra Strength 50mg Sleep Aid. I took this for quite a few months but had to give it up eventually because it started to give me restless legs and began to make me feel a bit unwell. In the early months of sobriety it was a life saver though.

6) Magnesium citrate supplements - thank you to MissCheese for this suggestion. They act as a muscle relaxant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001MJT6IA/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Please note : Cheap magnesium supplements are made of different compounds of magnesium, such as magnesium oxide, and they do nothing - take it from me, I've tried them! I read recently that only about 4% of the magnesium in magnesium oxide supplements is actually absorbed, so don't waste your money.

7) Horlicks or hot milk.

8) Cut out all caffeine, or at the very least try stopping all caffeine after midday.

9) Learn to meditate.

10) Try listening to soothing sounds on a walkman or ipod or equivalent.

11) Make sure you are not dehydrated before you try to sleep.

12) Eat a small snack before bed - something with complex carbs - so that you aren't woken by your blood sugar levels dropping during the night. When blood sugar drops below a certain level, cortisol rises. And cortisol wakes you up.

13) Are you taking vitamins and minerals? If you are then, where possible, take vitamins in the morning and minerals at night or much later in the day. I was given this advice on another forum, and apparently it helps with absorption and sleep. I tried it, and it seems to help me, although I have no idea of the logic behind it. Obviously if you are taking more than one of a particular pill then you may want to spread the doses out a bit, so don't adhere to this suggestion too slavishly.

14) Melatonin - this is not a sleeping tablet and should not be treated like one. It is a naturally occurring hormone. It should be used in tiny quantities. More is not better, and treating it like a sleeping pill is likely to ruin your sleep pattern in a catastrophic fashion. I bought some 3mg tablets and ended up breaking them into quarters. I usually take one quarter per night. Sometimes if sleep eludes me I take a second quarter. If you live in the UK Melatonin can only be bought online.

15) 5-HTP - for depression - must NOT be mixed with other anti-depressants. Doesn't work for everyone. Over time it increases your body's output of melatonin and helps you sleep but the process can sometimes take a while. In my case it took about three weeks, for some people it can be much quicker.

16) Wear bed socks! Sounds weird but it definitely helps. They must be loose and comfortable - if they leave elastic marks they aren't loose enough.

Hope this helps someone.

Edit : Two more threads which are worth a look :

Insomnia/Sleeplessness

Tiredness and Fatigue After Stopping Drinking

[FuzzyDuck]

Thanks for the tiredness post Smudge. And while I'm at it thanks for lots of your posts - nice and substantial and full of practical advice that's where I am at the moment.

I'm not sleeping too badly and when I have to get up earlier some mornings for work, I'm functional but I'm having weird dreams and interrupted sleep. Some of it is doubtless withdrawal / readjustment and some of it lessening hormones at my age (49) and some of it is also being overweight and having some apnea. I'm losing a bit of weight and trying not to eat too much or close to bed but an unbroken night's deep sleep is worth diamonds to me.

I have to say I did have a great sleep one night a few weeks ago when I took a night nurse capsule for a cold and that's got antihistamine in. I may lay some Nytol in for emergencies. I prefer not to take anything though so will try the non-drug suggestions.

x Fuzzy

[MissCheese]

Awesome post Smudge plenty of things for me to consider, especially those teas. Thanks.


Edited to add another thumbs up for the bedsock suggestion, they do help you to drop off.

[smudge]

I'm glad you found it helpful, Fuzzy and MissC.