Alcoholism Support Group

Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.

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Loved1 04/01/2008

I am not looking for someone to tell me what to do. I want to know if you have any related experience or feedback. Thank you.

Well I went to a newer AA meeting for me last night. I have this thing that happened near New Years. I took medicine that contained alchohol. I have 3 years clean and sober. Instead of spitting it out I took it as prescribed, 2 teaspoons 3 times a day for a week. It had 18% alcohol. Any questioning that I am alcholic was really tested because I had cravings and using dreams like mad. Anyway I thought a lot about changing my sobriey date because of it, but I didn't, because I was taking medicine not a drink. So I still feel like a fraud for claiming 3 years sober because damnit, I had alcohol in my system medicinally. So I shared about that. It is so hard for me. I wish I spit the stuff out, I thought I could handle it. I am seeing though I consciously took it for the medicine I knew it contained alcohol and I continued to take it, but not for the effects of the alcohol, for the herbs prescribed. Damn. I am still struggling with this. If I changed my sobriety date to reflect this I feel like that is not honest, if I don't change date I feel like that is not honest. I know it's an individual thing. I know some people who are in AA have probably taken Nyquil and not changed their sobriety date, it is a similar thing. I didn't realize this medicine had alcohol until I took it, and I convinced myself it was ok, but part of me thought I should change my date because I swallowed it. Part of me thinks to change my date would mean I was ingesting a drink, and I wasnt. SIGH.

deleted_user 04/01/2008

Listen, what does your gut tell you? WHen I got sober I took librium to avoid seizure, I in my heart felt my sobriety date was when I stopped drinking. On the other hand, when I was in rehab, (this is unbelievable) I said my back was in pain and they gave me MORPHINE..I was high as hell and did this intentionally, I marked by sobriety date after I came off the opiates. In my heart, I knew I was not "in the solution". Go with your heart, my old sponsor told me I was not sober because I was taking prozac-not everyone in AA has the answer Loved. It is within you I say

deleted_user 04/01/2008

Two teaspoonfuls is 10ml. times 18% = 1.8 ml of alcohol. If that caused you to lose your sobirety, something is drastically wrong.

To avoid problems in the future ask the doctor for alcohol free medication.

You do not need to change your sobriety date. Those guys with the Night Quill guzzle it like a drink.

Loved1 04/01/2008

I appreciate the replies, thank you.

deleted_user 04/01/2008

i guess this is a question of motive - why did you take the medicine to begin with really. was it strictly and honestly a mistake? if so, i would not sweat it. a deliberate swallow to sleep or change the way you feel ( anxiety or whatever) may be questionable but from what i read it seems as if you've beaten up on yourself enough. i changed my date but that was entirely a different issue - i was taking benzo's which are a real no-no and i knew it and did it anyway. i will tell you this story, though. a friend of mine - candy - was buried 2 years ago. she was in the fellowship as was her husband. though we did not know it, she was visiting various $1 stores and the like buying bottles of cough syrup. her husband and friends knew something was wrong but didn't figure it out until it was too late. she was found naked, dead in her home by fellow a.a. members face down next to her fireplace. later, it was determined that there were over 60 bottles of empty cough syrup bottles hidden in her home. she died not from the alcohol but from a ingrediant common as an over the counter sedative commonly found in sleep aids. apparently, she initially just wanted to get some sleep.... she did. devon

Loved1 04/01/2008

I took the medicine prescribed for cold, it had a mixture of herbs and cost $30. It was strictly for immune system boost, and it worked quite well for that, though the side affects from introducing alcohol into my stystem had long lasting affects as you can see.
I am grateful for the feedback, thank you.

deleted_user 04/01/2008

Bread

Question: What makes bread dough rise?

Answer: Yeast acting on carbohydrates to make carbon dioxide and alcohol.

The air pollution agency here makes the large bakeries put after burners on their emission stacks to burn off the alcohol the is emitted when they bake the bread.

Is there a tiny bit of alcohol left in each loaf?

4mytasha 04/01/2008

Unless you drank the whole bottle to catch a buzz, what's the big deal?

4mytasha 04/01/2008

itsmylife~I'm just about done here but I have to ask..
You changed your sobriety date because of Benzos?
Would you also do that with anti-depressants?
I'm getting WAY confused here!!!!
Nyquil, benzos....unless you people are taking these for the HIGH, what is up with the "new sobriety dates??"

deleted_user 04/01/2008

If your motives were were in check, this is not a problem. If honestly done as prescribed, your sobriety date is cool. Like mytasha said if you did it to get a buzz..........All I can say is I changed my sobriety date because of dry drugs.

deleted_user 04/01/2008

Mytasha,, benzo's are commonly referred to as "beer in a pill". I stayed sober for nearly three years and was eating 5 norco's in the morning, and 5 footballs in the evening.
I am almost positive she wasn't doing them as prescribed. I know Devon!

BTW thats 3250mg. of pure hydrocodone(vicotin),in the A.M.

and that's 5mg. xanax in the P.M.

that's being a fraud and not sober, I sure claimed to be though.

deleted_user 04/01/2008

thanks, my brother, you got that right. if you look back at my postings in the fall and winter of last year you will find an angry, confrontative human being, 4mytasha. if i took them as directed it was only because i didn't have any more money, or i ran out of doctors, or the pharmacies (namely cvs) decided that they weren't in need of my business any longer. yes, i have an anxiety disorder but i can no longer have that luxury of medicating to get through the day. some days are an absolute hell for me given the agorophobia and panic and depression (no, i did not take anti-depressants as i did the benzo's- the benzo's being addictive/the anti-depressants not) but i am making progress. today, i chaired a meeting, worked a step with my sponsor, got a speaker for another a.a. meeting, visited with a neighbor, looked at a momma duck sitting on her eggs and i'm on my way back outside to watch some kids fish from the bay in my backyard. a damn good day i'd say. tomorrow, well, that's tomorrow. xxx, devon

4mytasha 04/01/2008

itsmylife~You're my friend and I meant nothing BAD about asking you WHY you decided that you weren't SOBER taking benzos?
I was on Klonopin for 7 years out of my 14 years of alcohol sobriety but I would NEVER discount those 7 years as NOT being sober as I never took them "recreationally."
THAT was what I was asking.

deleted_user 04/01/2008

Hey Mytasha, I'll put this in perspective, the reason they say some are sicker than others.
I ate 15 1mg. klonopin drank a half case a beer and started in on a fifth of rum, and I remembered it all. I just got sleepy.
I do luck up to the way you stay sober, but some of us are just a little bit more f.ck.d up.

nickyj18022002 04/01/2008

AA has a really good leaflet called The AA member: medication and other drugs.

It makes it really clear the difference between using medications in the way they were intended for a valid reason and abusing them.

I have a health condition for which I have to take several medications at times including synthetic opiates and benzo's. I also take antidepressents.

I do all of this under the supervision of a primary care doctor, hospital consultant, psychiatrist and therapist.

They are all aware of my history and everything is monitored closely with this in mind.

I have to take these medications otherwise my quality of life would be terrible. I only take them when I absolutely need to and never in a way outside what has been prescribed.

As far as I am concerned, I am in fit spiritual condition, and these medications have nothing to do with my sobriety.

If I was abusing them or using them to avoid feelings etc that would be different.

4mytasha 04/01/2008

NO! I'm still f.ck.d up GNR! Just because I haven't drank in a LOOOONNNNG time does NOT mean that I'm not depressed/anxious!
I'm just as sick as the next person.
Just PROUD as HELL I'm not drinking as that would just make the depression/anxiety worse.

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