SecondChances, that is excellent news !

It's today. And tomorrow. Both are true.

Today because, well, it's 1825 days. Tomorrow, because last year was a leap year (for the nerdies: a year that can be divided by 4, but not by 100, unless it's by 400 ), and my sobriety started on June 13th, 2012. And it's almost tomorrow in Australia - it always is.

5 years sober. I did not have a fun year personally (understatement), but that had nothing to do with staying sober. In fact, more than ever, during difficult times, it's one of the most comforting things in my life, that I'm staying sober, and don't even think about alcohol much. I might not even have had the personal struggles I had this year, if I had continued drinking, because, well..., I'd be dead by now. (try guzzling 1,825 liters of whisky...)

Part of me always says "you shouldn't be proud, most people don't start off with abusing alcohol anyway, do you want a cookie or something?". But on a day like today I'll allow myself some pride.

Here's to year six and beyond.

You can be humble in the big picture, but do take pride; even if just for a moment, it's a quality achievement. Congrats

Wide-O, I think that you have earned the right to feel proud.

It has been your hard work and determination which has got you where you are today.

Well done !

Be proud (if only for one day of the year)! We are proud of you!

Have some chocolate and a soda....

I am here and checking in. Ugh....neuropathy, like alcoholism is "bafflingly and cunning". The pins and needles and creepy crawlers that I have suffered from for 6+ years have greatly improved but the weakness is worse and the burning that began slowly over the last year has intensified. Is this progress? I choose to believe so.

I was actually drinking a can of Coke, and eating a Mars bar while reading that. Not good for health reasons, but hey, I still need some guilty pleasures.

BTW, the PN is very manageable lately. I'm suspecting I feel better in summer. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's that I am a lot more active with the gardening stuff etc.

Mrs D & Wide-O - thanks, I went straight back on to my previous daily dosage of B vitamins. It was on a forum which I can't find now.

Second Chances - I found when my burning was intolerable, I'd get the occasional hour or so where it would relent. And then that hour would be 2, then eventually it became the norm.

I've given up caffeine, diet & sugary drinks, and gluten. Which ultimately means I now get no symptoms at all during the day. Now it's just slight pain and numbness on an evening...but that is also getting better. Coffee and diet drinks now, and previously alcohol and opiate based medication have been very strong triggers for burning pain in my experience.


And that's the main thing I want to share this time - I'd still have constant burning now if I drank a few coffees and diet drinks a day, and ate a lot sugary food. So you're maybe waiting for the improvement since abstaining from alcohol but there could be other factors affecting your nerves. And for me...it has always taken between 48 hours and a week from giving something up to seeing the improvement. I'm also down a lot of weight too...30kg in total, and exercise a couple of hours a day. Not certain if that's helping or not with the PN.

I started on the Taurine too..which takes me to about 30 supplements I experiment with!

Congratulations Wide-O, can't wait to be celebrating 5 years myself!

This is important, and the reason we ask people to read this thread from the beginning. I did exactly the same a year after getting sober: stop sugar (fructose) intake, and start an anti-inflammation diet. I had spectacular results after about a month, and also lost 34 kg in the process (after 4 months). These days, when I feel it's getting worse again, I go back on a low sugar diet. I know I should do that 24/7/365 but the good is not the enemy of the perfect.

But I do still maintain the fresh food/if it comes in a box the box has more nutrients than the content (), self-prepared, lots of olive oil, lots of variation, etc. - routine.

And yes, exactly, when you try something, give it some time, a couple of weeks. PN is a constant search of what works and what doesn't, and some patience is needed. Stressing about it only makes it worse. Make notes, or a journal, so you can find your way back into what exactly you did to make it worse/better.

Sugar is so very close to alcohol for the liver (in the end, alcohol is fermented sugar) that it pays to stay clear of it for a while. And by that, I mean: fructose. Fruit juice is just as bad as sodas. Fructose is in a lot more products than you'd ever imagine, and has a lot more names. There is no difference between "natural" and processed. Honey is... fructose, and has the same working as HFCS.

Do a search on glycemic load/glycemic index when it comes to food and ingredients, and how to combine those with other foodstuffs. Don't think it's the kind of boring diet that leaves you hungry and cranky all day long. It's not - and losing excess weight is just a bonus.