Ashley, Health Educator

Hi Libera,

Thank you so much, your my first response and it feels very good. Todays a new day a new start.

Hi my names Libera and I am also just starting over. The first day is so hard, to try to not think of yesterday and how I hurt others with drinking, the depressive state until the sun shines again is hard. I cant wait until I am a few days sober so I can start feeling whole again.

Welcome For My Boys,

I hope you have decided to stop drinking for yourself and not just for others. The reason is that if one day you get it in your head that nobody cares anyway, you’ll just go back to it only possibly much worse.

Since I started my own journey I have been on a quest to learn as much as I can about health. As you probably already know, although it is good that you have a healthy diet, which can mean many different things to different people, because you drink, your gut has become notoriously inefficient in utilizing the nutrients from your food. Alcohol also makes your gut far more permeable making it easier to become damaged subsequently allowing food particles, bacteria and fungus to enter the blood stream which ultimately causes autoimmune disorders.

One of the things I’ve been studying lately is the effects of the Candida Fungus. It lives naturally in small numbers in the healthy gut to aid in digestion. However, when we drink we create a very acidic environment that allows this fungus to flourish. The fungus loves sugars and the more you drink, eat processed food, sweets, grains and dairy, the more it multiplies. That is part of the reason why many people will crave sweets when they stop drinking. Also, you are not only detoxing from alcohol, your body is trying to get rid of this fungus as it dies and releases even more toxins. There is all kinds of info on youtube….check it out.

There is a simple test to determine if you may have this. First thing in the morning before you drink, eat or brush, fill a clear glass with water, work up a good spit and spit in the water. Give it a few minutes or up to an hour to sit. If you see strings or legs drifting to the bottom of the glass or the spit is cloudy, or you can see cloudy specks suspended in the water, you are probably infected. There are other tests to confirm…please see:   

http://www.yeastinfection.org/5-home-tests-to-detect-a-yeast-infection/

This condition can eventually lead to serious health issues and it is only one of the many things we invite when we continue to drink. Educating myself and seeing the potential for long term suffering made it easy for me to leave it alone finally.

For My Boys, alcohol is poison, nothing more. Do this for yourself and the rest will follow.

Ts

  Hi everyone, I am just starting my journey to a life with less (or no!!!) alcohol, not that it hasn't been a daily thought for years now. A little about myself:  I used to have a food addiction and had gastric by pass surgery 8 years ago.  I was warned that I may addiction transfer but of course thought "not me".  Here I am 8 years later and have been drinking daily for a good 5 years now.  I drink beer, love beer really...it has replaced my food addictions but as time goes by I am slowly gaining weight from the beer calories.  I have even changed to low calorie beers as an attempt to make it "better" but when I drink twice as many to get the same affects it is pointless, ridiculous really.  As time goes on I am finding my moods changing with certain beer types, I do not cope will with stressful situations.  My spouse recently has been diagnosed with PTSD and I drink more to deal with his moods too.  He is getting help, I attend the counselling sessions with him but the clinic only helps military and police, so individual free counselling is not offered to me there.  We are leaving for vacation this friday and as much as I'd like to say I am not going to drink I know that is not true.  I believe that once I return it is time to make the commitment to get better.  Everything else in my life reflects a healthy lifestyle, I workout almost daily and eat very healthy, but if you join me in my closet......it's a completely different reflection compared to how the world sees me.  I am not as good at hiding my drinking to the world anymore, people are noticing, I make jokes about it at my expense.  I have amazing intentions from when I wake up until around noon, then I'm back on the path to drinks after work till bedtime.  I grew up with parents that lived this lifestyle but I want to break the cycle!!!!  for my kids I need to.  I plan to depend on this site and all of you to guide me and support me through this journey and I hope to be able to help others once I am healthier!!!  Thanks for listening!!