Week 17: Bored to Death

It's hard to believe another week has rolled by and I'm still an alcoholic!  OK, I'm kidding, but this process does get tiring and rather boring.  Anybody else out there tired and/or bored???

I upped my dose to 75mg because I found myself enjoying myself a leeeeeetle too much again and that extra 1/2 pill seems to do the trick.  I went from 8 units to a more manageable 4 units before one could shout "more chardonnay, please!"

I'm so bored that I don't even want to share my boring, boring, boring drinking observations for Week 17, but here's the mini-condensed version anyway, my mind is still occupying itself with a vast cornucopia of thoughts and ideas and alcohol pops in for a visit from time to time,  drinks continue to get upstaged by a nice meal or an exciting portion of a movie.  But like gum on my shoe, I cannot seem to get rid of the glee that I feel when I take that first sip or two and the warmth washes over my body like a hot towel from the dryer.  Ahhh!  My question at this time steadily remains, "HOW will I become an occasional drinker with this wonderful effect remaining intact?"  Who would want to eliminate that element of magic from their daily life?

Because of my bourgeoning boredom, I'm going to ignore TSM today and chitchat about one of my favorite subjects,  FOOD!  I'm in Asian mode at the moment and I recently perfected my Japanese soup base.  I used to swirl some miso in filtered water, add a dash of wine, and seaweed and call it a broth...I should have called it swill.  Well, I recently added fresh grated ginger and a healthy portion of sake and now I think I should win an award.  After assembling the entire soup (soba noodles, enoki & shiitake mushrooms, spring onion, mung bean sprouts, sesame seeds, a sprinkling of cayenne and then pouring my magic broth over the above in individual soup bowls), I served it to my husband who I'm convinced has now put me in a very special category of magical soup chef.

What's also nice about this soup is that you feel wonderful after you eat it because it's loaded with goodness:  Mung bean sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin C and K and are rich in Omega-3 & 6 fatty acids;  Miso is high in protein and contains many trace minerals, including zinc, manganese, and copper, which help strengthen the immune system; the high amount of nutrients present in miso helps boost energy, too!  Shiitake mushrooms reduce cholesterol and they are a formidable cancer fighter, as well. 

The trick is to also keep the noodles separate until adding to each individual bowl of soup.  If the noodles are allowed to mingle with the entire pot of soup they'll soak up the broth like a hungry tapeworm and you'll be left with a big, heavy, soggy mess, not even worthy of your dog's bowl.

OK, back to the booze!  My biggest challenge beyond the boredom is staying focused on my FEELINGS about all this alcohol business and I must admit, I've been quite lazy about checking in with myself lately.  I will sit on my couch around cocktail hour and wonder if my thought of a drink is a craving or habit.  Physically, I am usually not pining for a drink nor do I get cranky if one isn't in short reach, but I eventually roll around to, "I want a drink...I want a drink."  I feel like Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, who wanted everything from an Oompa-Loompa to a nut-sorting squirrel, the only difference, I want everything from champagne to, well, champagne!

Week 18 starts today and I promise to explore my feelings and perhaps even my feeling's feelings.

Before naltrexone:  42-50 units per week • Week 1:  18units • Week 2:  32units • Week: 3:  39units • Week: 4: 49units • Week 5: 32units • Week: 6:  25units • Week 7:  27units • Week 8:  28units • Week 9:  34units, 1 AF day. • Week 10:  42units • Week 11: 44units • Week 12:  39 units • Week 13:  42units   • Week 14: 35.5units  • Week 15: 37units  • Week 16: 31units  • Week 17:  35 units