An Alcoholic's Journal page

[LizNC]

Hello all,

I've been lurking for 1.5 years and figure it's well about time that I start posting. I'm starting a journal to help me stay accountable. I've been dabbling off-and-on with Primal eating for 1.5 years. I think that I have failed over and over due to: my sugar cravings, alcoholism, and my general lack of commitment. Once again, being an active alcoholic doesn't help any...

1. Eat as Primal as possible with a carb-loving husband. He is fully supportive of my choices, but honestly, it is hard making different meals. This means we make our own food, or he makes separate sides for himself.

2. Stop drinking alcohol. This is a must and a necessity for me, as when I drink, then I am hungover the next day = then I want carbs! I really think that I am addicted to sugar (as well as alcohol, which is sugar) and this is what I need to stop. I have made it 30 days in the past without alcohol, my goal is now to stop completely. You know the song lyrics "one is one too many, 100 is never enough", that is me....Another issue is that my husband is an active alcoholic, and thus I need to change up my routines surrounding our previous "drinking times" together (i.e., don't come home on Friday nights and drink for 5 hours)...I'm thinking of starting "happy hour" workouts for myself....

3. Work out more consistently. I like to run (I know, Chronic Cardio and all of that, but it helps me relieve stress), and I do like P90X (push-ups, squats, lunges, etc). I still can't do a pull-up to save my life though. Hangovers certainly don't help with consistency.

I work full-time, am doing graduate school full-time at night, and have outside research projects going on = I know that I am way over scheduled. This has all taken a toll on me physically and emotionally, as I am just TIRED. But this should all slow down dramatically at the end of this calendar year. I've also experienced depression and anxiety most of my adult life....

Has anybody out there struggled with alcoholism and sugar addiction???? What has helped?

Stats: 5'6" tall, 138 lbs...

Thanks for the support!

[PrimalPotter]

Yes, yes & yes! Primal Blueprint made me realize that my drinking was a problem. I tried to control it, but couldn't, so I got some help. I don't drink anymore, and I feel 1000% better, just for being sober.

I too have struggled with depression all of my life. I also have ADD, so I am easily overwhelmed, and I have the attention span of a gnat. Medication has helped with both of those things. Particularly now that I don't drink.

You have a LOT on your plate. So pick the most important thing first. Looking from the outside it seems to me that your biggest obstacle right now is the booze. If you quit drinking & eat Primally, the sugar craving will take care of itself, almost immediately. As far as cooking for two, make your meat & vegetables as you would for you, and add a side of starch to keep hubby happy. If he likes potatoes, make some for him. If he likes rice or noodles, make some of that. If he likes pasta, put meat sauce aside for you to put over spaghetti squash, and he can eat noodles. He may even love yams, and those are totally Primal. A crock pot is a God send for a busy life.

If you haven't already, I recommend that you get some support around your own drinking. It is really hard to quit by yourself, particularly if you live with an active alcoholic. Try to remember that you are getting healthy first of all for YOU, and that you have no control over your husband's drinking. Take care of yourself, first. Do what you need to do to claim & keep your sobriety. If he sees you happy & healthy & loving, he may just want what you have.

Feel free to PM me, if you want to chat about any of this. I send you my sincerest best wishes & hope for recovery.

[EagleRiverDee]

I have a friend who is an alcoholic and he was told during treatment that he needed to quit eating sugar in order to effectively quit drinking alcohol. Apparently sugar can kick-start cravings for alcohol. I know with me when I used to stop drinking I'd start craving sweets. Now that I'm primal, I have no problem controlling my cravings for alcohol. I actually find it makes me feel kind of crappy, even that one "healthy" 5oz glass of red wine in the evening.

[LizNC]

Thank you so much PrimalPotter for your support! I appreciate your ideas for cooking for my non-Primal husband, I've found the rice-cooker to be my friend thus far for his "sides". I agree that my biggest obstacle is the booze. I will have eaten Primal for days, and then ruin it all by drinking and eating pizza or pasta (because at that point I'm too drunk and don't care, nevermind the insulin that is ravaging my body at that point!!)

EagleRiverDee: you are so correct in that sugar can kick-start cravings for alcohol. I find it to be a cyclical process, with constant ups and downs re: sugar cravings and then crashes.

Liz

[fiercehunter]

Try Bach Flower Essences:
The Original Bach Flower Remedies - www.BachFlower.com

Keep the milk and even a little Hagen Daazs and hold on.

[jo]

Hi!! You might get some additional support from a forum called WQD (we quit drinking). Lots of helpful advice on there - check out the healthy living section.

WQD Forums

[PrimalPotter]

Awesome, jo!

[bamabelle]

Hi and congrats for being here! I'm new new. I've read a story from someone on here (wish that I could remember who) in the last week in which the person swears up and down that primal eating completely cured her of alcoholism and that she does not even crave alcohol. Good luck on your journey on all fronts!

[missblue]

I don't drink anymore, and I feel 1000% better, just for being sober.


You have a LOT on your plate. So pick the most important thing first. Looking from the outside it seems to me that your biggest obstacle right now is the booze. If you quit drinking & eat Primally, the sugar craving will take care of itself, almost immediately. As far as cooking for two, make your meat & vegetables as you would for you, and add a side of starch to keep hubby happy. If he likes potatoes, make some for him. If he likes rice or noodles, make some of that. If he likes pasta, put meat sauce aside for you to put over spaghetti squash, and he can eat noodles. He may even love yams, and those are totally Primal. A crock pot is a God send for a busy life.

If you haven't already, I recommend that you get some support around your own drinking. It is really hard to quit by yourself, particularly if you live with an active alcoholic. Try to remember that you are getting healthy first of all for YOU, and that you have no control over your husband's drinking. Take care of yourself, first. Do what you need to do to claim & keep your sobriety. If he sees you happy & healthy & loving, he may just want what you have.

Feel free to PM me, if you want to chat about any of this. I send you my sincerest best wishes & hope for recovery.

I have to agree with PrimalPotter here--all good advice. I stopped drinking (15 months ago) entirely, and I credit Primal Blueprint and getting into a regular exercise routine for making it much much easier.

I also have a husband who still drinks, and frankly that can be very difficult to deal with at times, but I've noticed that his drinking has been tapering down as his "drinking buddy" (me) moves on to more interesting things in life which involve engaging more in nature and self-discovery. He actually said to me yesterday that he is thinking about stopping entirely himself now as he doesn't really enjoy it anymore.

Fifteen months ago I was in a very bad place with depression and drinking. I can barely remember the daily pain of that now--who da' thunk-- and I hope very much you give yourself some kind treatment and support because life is so much better out of the bottle than in it.

Also feel free to PM me if I can be of any help. Take care and best wishes for a wonderful new you and new year!

[LizNC]

That is great that your husband is considering stopping! Last night, as I was eating my Primal dinner and my husband was eating his CW dinner, he said "I need to change up my eating", so maybe there is hope on that front. The beer front, well, we'll see how he does, as he is losing his drinking buddy (me) as well.

I got up this morning before work and ran 3 miles, did some squats, lunges, pushups, felt great and all done prior to 6:45 am! Ate well today thus far:

breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, coffee with half and half and stevia (have got to nix the stevia, but one step at a time)
snack: snap peas and carrots
lunch: 3 turkey roll ups (2 slices turkey, slice of cucumber, slice of tomato) and plain greek yogurt

I do feel so much better when I eat this way and when I exercise. The real test will be Friday - Sunday nights, when hubby is actively drinking. I didn't drink on New years and had a great time, and i've gone to lots of parties sober. It's not the parties or social situations that are dangerous for me, it's my own living room......My plan for tomorrow night is to do a nice workout when I get home and stay busy. I've even opened up mail/darned socks in the living room while my husband is drinking the night away...have got to stay busy so i don't go nutty out of boredom