I hope you guys have/had a safe year end, and a sober one too if that's what you want. It's what I want.

Sadly, I had some bad news from my buddy I mentioned earlier, in that the docs have given up the treatment of his lifelong friend, and are just making the end as painless as possible now. Maybe we didn't need one, and I sure didn't, but it is a reminder that there is a heavy price to pay when we abuse the stuff. Still, it is very very sad in the end, something you don't wish on your worst enemy.

Finally, the last week or so, I'm having spurious weird sensations in my legs/feet, and it feels like nerves firing and misfiring. Not painful, it feels a bit like the EMG I had a few years ago. I don't know if it's good news or not, but for now that's what I'm going for.

Wide-O, I am sorry to read about your friend.

I have kept safe. Today (1 Jan) is my birthday. It will be a pensive time for me. I got some prawns which I will share with my kittens.

I sincerely hope that all other NT members who have alcohol issues can stay safe and sober in 2017.

Happy Birthday, Kiwi!

Happy birthday Kiwi

Edit: I should of waited to post this today ('cause you know I post every 2nd day of the month )

1981 days sober

Not even a craving for me...I went to a "sober" party and gorged on pizza and soda instead....and then on the way home at 1am I did not hit ONE sobriety checkpoint....not one!!

For years now I have been looking forward to telling an officer I have not had a drink in years....maybe next year!

My best friend's best friend passed away on January 1. Although I didn't know her well, I knew her from all the stories. It's baffling how quick someone can completely fall away. I needed some time processing this, still do.

In other news, we have a curious phenomenon here in my country. A campaign for an alcohol free February is turning out to be much more popular than expected. It's a campaign where you can register if you want to participate. They expected 10 to 15,000 people, but 50,666 already registered, 3 times more. The media campaign is only starting up, so this number is still expected to grow significantly. Major companies, but also city councils, cancer prevention orgs are participating.

Somehow, I think this shows there are quite a few people who are worried enough about their consumption - and the effect it has on their bodies - to actually sign up for this. Sure, there's no way to gauge how honest the self-reporting will be, but I think it will achieve its goal if awareness is raised.

Whoa....neat idea.

Alcohol free February sounds similar to our Dry July. It's been quite successful and every year more and more participate, like you, I think there are many out there who are quietly concerned over their consumption and the dry July gives them a chance to see if they can get by without.
I'm sorry your friends friend went down hill so very fast, I hope she felt no pain.

I am new here. Alcohol has brought me to my knees literally. My legs are so weak that I feel they will give out from under me. The burning, numbness, pins and needles.....you know the story. This is my last chance if I am going to have any resemblance of a life worth saving.
Mrs D and others, I just wish to stress that supplements must be entered into with caution. I did buy the Benfotiamine and had been taking them only to find out that with the type of cancer I had, this is a dangerous supplement. In an attempt to wellness and not being able to afford a naturopath I devised my own plan and ran things pass my oncologist, only to find out thru much research that I may be doing more hard than good given my specific issue so be mindful of that.
I commend you all for this wonderful site and a safe place to share. You help more than you know and even though many do not post, many lurk and gain much insight from your efforts.

Thank you for bringing this up.

My understanding is that it is high doses of benfotiamine (and I mean HIGH) that are to be avoided in certain people with specific cancers. I have not read that benfotiamine causes cancer but only enables an already present cancer to grow more quickly depending on how much is taken.

Thiamine supplementation to cancer patients: a double edged sword. - PubMed - NCBI
of course this is an older paper, and there may be new guidelines.

Here is another article that discusses cancer and use of thiamine: (2015)

Introduction to Benfotiamine :: The Benfotiamine Project

It is always a good idea to discuss anything you read here with your doctor. But I will share that I have talked to oncologists a bit over the years and many are not up on supplement use.

Folate also has been discussed as a cancer flaring supplement and that still is going back and forth in medical studies. That was seen in young women taking 5mg a day to prevent neural tube defects in their babies. Colon cancers have been found in some of these patients and set up an alarm of sorts.

This is one reason I do not recommend really high doses of anything here. We have a medical suggestion/disclaimer here at NT which you can read in my signature.