Alcoholism and cross addiction

[nycphoenix 0]

sobriety date june 29 1997 and will be banded in 7 hours

[kiwiluver 2]

I have been clean in Narcotics Anonymous since 06/21/81. I attend at least 2 meetings a week. My sponsor was my model for doing this. He has been clean 37 years in NA and has been banded for some 3 years now with a high degree of success. He looks great. I will pick up 29 years in June. I was banded last Monday. I am facing this using the steps, as I do every other challenge life tosses my way. It is good to know others on here follow the 12 steps.

[ainnjay 1]

I am soooo happy there are others out there that follow the steps!! I was sober for 3 years, then slipped for 2. Now, I have not been going to meetings lately, but have been sober (dry) and am looking at getting banded in May. I am looking forward to getting back to meetings and the steps. It is amazing how quickly the sick thinking comes back when I don't go to meetings. I know the ONLY way I will be successful with my surgery and journey is with the help of my Higher Power, AA, and all of you.

Thanks for being here!! Angie

[imb316 0]

Has anyone ever gone to a detox center for alchohol?

[Shrinking Sam 1]

Hi, My name is Samantha. I'm an alcoholic with 65 days sober and just got the band 13 days ago. I didn't plan this much change in my life all at once... did I mention I'm also newly separated from my husband? YIKES!!! Guess it's time to reinvent myself. I'm VERY involved in AA (I'm a retread) and stick close to my sponsor.

[jbflorida 1]

I was banded 2 years ago tomorrow. I was successful, but it became easy to eat around the band. I did not gain all the weight back, but I am so disappointed that I gained. I have realized--through meetings of OA and reading--that yes, I am indeed a compulsive overeater eater and I am powerless and this has become unmanageable. I would love to have other 12 steppers (sounds like a country western dance team!), especially in OA, correspond here so we can all support each other.

[everfeels9 22]

Hi! So gIad found you guys. Ive been banded for 3 months and have lost 29lbs so far. Nit bad I know but I also know that most of my calories come from ALCOHOL but I cant stop drinking. I love red wine but have switched tio vodka and sake since they are supposedly less calories per oz. Stiil I know my drinking is going to sabotage my lap band journey. I've been to AA meetings many times and they just make me want to drink more!!! And when I compare myself to others at the meetings i say "I'm not THAT bad"... and the cycle continues. I can stop. I have stopped. When I did my pre-op and post-op diets I stayed away from alcohol completely. Now though Im 3 months in and its summertime and my life si stressful and Ive started drinking again- and entire bottle a day four days a week. Im NEVER going to lose weight this way. HELP!!!!

[cunner 21]

Hi everfeels9,

Your situation sounds remarkably like mine. I gave up beer when I got banded and went to wine then vodka etc.. like you. It got to be a self sustaining cycle and I finally realized I was no longer in control of it. I finally reached out for help and surprisingly it was more difficult that I thought it would be. I seemed to think that making one phone call to a doctor,mental health center/detox would be all that was needed and all would be fixed. For me it required persistence, self realization and discovery and talking honestly about my problem and loss of control.

There are some medications that can help make things a bit easier (naltrexone/vivtrol) but there is no magic pill that does it for you as I have no doubt you are aware.

I was down about 55 pounds and feeling much better weight wise but much worse in other ways at my 1 year anniversary of being banded. With the help of nurses at the surgical weight loss dept were I went for followups as well as doctors and counselors I was referred to I will be 8 months sober as of next week. I have also lost an additional 25-30 pounds since then and have reached a normal weight for the first time in almost 18 years.

I highly recommend talking honestly to your Dr./Nurse who you do you band followup appointments with. They have invested time and work in helping you to this point and if they are as committed to your success and holistic well being as they are where I was banded they will hopefully work with you to help with this issue. Cross Addiction should be nothing new to them and with honesty and a commitment to your own success you may be able to work together with them to lose the alcohol and get back on track to weight loss success.

Best of Luck and send me a PM if you would like to discuss further.

[Ric 89]

WOW!!! I see this and realize it isn't just me!! I was sober for almost 5 years and then 3 years ago my 2nd marriage failed so I began havibng pitty parties for myself! For 2 years I was able to manage well!!!! pretty good!! Get drunk every once in a while stay clean for a while and do it all over again. I was banded june of last year and Lately even my bar friends have been saying to me that I am drinking far more than they ever remember me to be doing! Some of these friends I have known for for most of my life! Its an easy drunk after 2 or 3 but in the last 6 months its been multiple drinks spending 100 dollars a night most nights of the week. I ended up in an accident a few months ago but before I went to the ER I stopped by my favorite watering hole and had a couple stiff drinks to calm my nerves. The owner told me he thought I needed to go ER and so I went to the hospital the cops ended up there just a few minutes after I arrived in the ER. Mind you this is at 7 am and when I got in the accident I was on my way to work. Well they did the little breathalizer and said I blew high and then a sample of my blood was taken by the gracious ER nurse and now 3 months later I was charged with a point 8 DUI!! Now I am out of my nerves not knowing what is going to happen as well as the $$$$$, Well just thought I would vent!! No more drinking for me at least for a while!! Thanks!!

[kiwiluver 2]

Wow, this thread is old. Since I have last posted to it I have now picked up my 31 year medallion in Narcotics Anonymous. I think the reason so many here have trouble from this is they look at alcohol as a seperate problem. AA teaches that unfortunatly and I believe it kills manypeople. Addiction is a disease. It is not, "I have a problem with alcohol, ________ "fill in the blank. Alcohol, weed, sexual issues, herion, gambling, eating, pick your posion, is like switching seats on the Titanic. I am glad I am an NA member, we look at it all as addiction, an all encompassing disease and don't split them into categories. I laugh when I hear, "I'm clean and sober" that's like saying, "I'm sober and sober", or "I'm clean and clean", one disease. plain and simple. This is just my experience, and I am not trying to make light of anyone on here. I respect everyone's situation, I just think to seperate things into little boxes can be fatal for some people. God Bless everyone of you and I wish you well on your travel. PS I have gone from size 54 pants to size 40 pants since being banded, I do not weigh.

[RouxDude 20]

I got sober 4 months after this thread originally started! I just figured I pop in and say I'm still sober and grinding it out on the first couple weeks of my post op diet. It is a struggle every day and I swear I will never eat another bite of cream of ANYTHING soup!!

HW: 437

SW: 376

RNY on 5/16/16