The transfer thing.................

Cara,

I am proud of you!  Get back to to the success you acheived and be proud of yourself.

Yes, I am looking at my coping skills.  I went back to the psych eval doctor this summer.  I am making some good headway on the task of knowing what pushes me.

I will keep an eye on my behavior.  I do think I need to be clear about what is bad for me.

Thank you!

Vicky

 Don't play with fire if you can't afford to get burned.  Loosing count and having to be put to bed is loss of control and like the previous post said, it is a slippery slope.  I found it interesting your comment about being raised in a fundamental church that forbade alcohol.  When we can't have something it becomes more appealing (remember dieting?).  I found that after my "new body" and "new life" post op that I felt like a proverbial kid in the candy store and for the first time in my life could actually do whatever I wanted...but there are consequences to actions and after a few "bumps" I finally wised up and learned to live within moderation...which was something unknown to me at 376 pounds.  Best wishes on your journey, this is something to examine.

Not only is the forbidden more appealing, but as we grow into our own choices, we have to decide what rules apply.  I think part of the good news is I am looking at everything now..........while it is still a choice.

Thank you!

My husband is a recovering alcoholic. It is my belief that for some people, as in my husband's case, alcohol is a self medication. For my husband it was a medication for very severe social anxiety which he had dealt with his whole life. Alcohol gave him a relaxed feeling which he seemed unable to ever feel without it. At one point he quit drinking for 13 yrs, but his social anxiety was still there and he was often in the public eye. When we would go places we would always run into people who knew him. If he could see them before they saw him he would go the other way or hide. When he started drinking again he rediscovered the "benefits" of alcohol and went down hill fast. It is true that you pretty much pick up where you left off with this disease.
What I suggest is you evaluate just what the alcohol's "benefit" for you is and try and decide if there is another way to achieve that benefit. For my husband counseling and Paxil have made him a different person. He talks to people now that he never would have before.
He knows how to make small talk that he was unable to do very well before. He no longer carries the burden of constant anxiety.

I might add that though it sounds like my husband would have used alcohol as a social lubricant, he actually drank mostly when he was alone. I think it was just because he always seemed to be suffering anxiety (related to social pressures) and alcohol just relaxed him.

While I like the "looseness" of a few drinks, I don't like being drunk and have always had a hard time understanding why my husband liked it so much. It wasn't until much later after he quit that I began to understand it somewhat. He has been dry for 7 yrs. Needless to say, I drink very little now, living with a recovering alcoholic!

I have transfered my addiction to shopping now I think.  If I overeat, I just throw up.  So I guess I cannot do that anymore.  I find myself  becoming very into my looks and fashion, which is something I never cared about before.  Maybe it is because I can wear a 4 or 6 and never could before, or maybe it is because I just have that need to satisfy myself.  The RNY did not cure my head hunger, or my stress hunger.  I need to get help with it I think.  Sometimes I overeat knowing I will throw up, but I do it anyway.  You are not alone my friend.  Our addictive behavior is still there and we have to address it.  You take care of yourself and I support you.