Interrupting the Binge--The Nap

Tis the season to eat like crazy. I understand that starting October 31, eating season begins. Most of humankind gains a few to a thousand pounds by January 2. In the northern climes it's Fatten Up to Melt the Snow. Beyond Blue tells us not to be so hard on ourselves, leaves off saying, remember, if you screw up (over-eat) tomorrow's another day.

I think it's time for me to introduce the One Minute at a Time concept. Although it seems to me that One Minute at a Time should be in every addicts lexicon (it is in MY office), it's One Day at a Time that is far more popular, probably because it works. *

One Day at a Time probably works because the western mind thinks in terms of the Day, the 24-hour cycle of a day. The eastern mind thinks of the Moment. I suppose that growing up in the sixtie's (Be Here Now) has had more of a profound effect upon me than I care to admit. But being ruled by a 24-hour clock seems such a slave mentality.

Taking things a minute at a time means not having to wait until tomorrow to start over. You can start anywhere, anytime, about anything. Say you're about to grab that cookie (drink, smoke, powder). You sit down cross-legged and focus on your mantra and voila! No more craving.

Joke right? Indeed. Joke. Who do you know who does that? Who do I know who does that? The best of the 12-steppers will tell you to call your sponsor or to pray (I guess sitting cross-legged and meditating is like praying). Or read your affirmations (thoughts that make sobriety worthwhile). Or go to a meeting, even a board meeting, I suppose. Call a friend.

Those unaffiliated with 12-steps will do retail therapy. A couple of months ago I was thrown for a loop about something and my daughter-in-law, the one in California, grabbed me by the elbow and said, We're going to Marshall's. You'll feel better, Ma.

And I did. Like having a built-in sponsor.

But we were talking about stopping the binge, and one day at a time, not coping with an immediate crisis. Still, retail therapy fit in this post right there, didn't it?

To me this is about changing the way your brain is "feeling." If it's in a place that it hates and it's been wired to go for some kind of substance to self-correct, then we're directed to the source of satisfaction: the cookie jar or the liquor cabinet or in our case, Marshall's.

Nieman's (needless mark-ups around here) would okay, too. The job is to change your sensorium, the way you feel. Showers are good, and someone told me that merely letting hot water stream over your hands while washing dishes is awesome. And it is.

Thus exercise works, too, does it not? Ask a jogger.

But let's say we're not so ambitious, and our knees hurt, and face it, who wants to go running.

Let us consider the nap. The NAP is perhaps the most under-rated, yet effective way to stop a binge, and it need not be a cat nap (short) or a sexual nap (preferably long). It can just be a NAP. And you can reach for the sack in a minute, seriously, crawl right under that afghan and close those baby blues, refresh your rhodopsin and reboot your head. And it costs NOTHING.

Americans hate naps. They do, they really do. No siestas here, baby. So dysfunctional, sleeping when you could be doing something eminently productive. Oh yes, and let's make sure we drink so much coffee that a nap is impossible. Remind me to rant on this one day.

Yet it is calorie-free, the nap, and so delicious. It is a Shut down and Restart the ol' computer.

Start over as soon as you begin to lose it, if you ask me. It's another form of Be Here Now, but more like, Be Asleep Here Now.

(You're right, I just want those yoga gurus on the Internet to love this blog).

Let's not go with "tomorrow's another day."

Yawn.

copyright 2007, therapydoc

* I shouldn't have to say it, but this is all (almost all) tongue in cheek and should not substitute for real treatment for a substance abuse disorder which is fairly complicated and includes a myriad of interventions, and you're right, yes, I should post on them, and okay, no promises, I will in the coming months.

The THIRD, Count 'Em, THIRD Carnival of All Substances

And here we are. Has anyone seen this movie? That's Seth Rogen playing pot-head Ben Stone, a do-nothing stoner who hangs out with his stoner friends and goes to clubs or works on a pornographic web site, his fresh idea that's already been done.

But one day he's exceedingly lucky. He meets gorgeous Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) and she's so drunk she has sex with him, and you can guess the rest of the story. Suffice it to say the movie thinks it's Parenthood, but it's not.

I had a nice dinner party recently and 8 of the 9 guest had seen Knocked Up. All opinions ranged from liking to loving it. I have a problem watching people get stoned or be stoned like that, and I also have a problem watching people have sex, so I gave it the minority 2 thumbs down.

It's so cringe to me and why would I volunteer to cringe.

Recovery posts sometimes make you cringe. But from what I understand, most people LOVE it. So without further ado, here's a fantastic, smart bunch of sober bloggers, The 3rd Carnival of All Substances.

We're starting with a fabulous pic of the boring, empty, but amazingly beautiful state of North Dakota. Scout tells us that she couldn't possibly wait to leave N. D. as a kid, but now waxes nostalgic, affectionately remembering that flat-line horizon. Scout, dear, this is just the way it is, sorry. And wasn't that where they filmed Close Encounters? And why do I think of rattle snakes when I think of N.D.?

Scout's completed 11 years, mazal tov (you know what that means, right, not the mazal tov, but the 11 years--we're talking 11 sober years). Congrats Scout.

Bill, over at Addiction Recovery Basics has a great list of irrational core beliefs that royally mess with your self-esteem (personality, life, relationships. . . all kinds of nasty realities). He's my kind of cognitive doc, puts the compulsive into compulsive behavior--for our purposes, using.

Vicarious Rising inspires, as always, with Hope Says Yes When Nobody Asked, a Laotian proverb. I really like the picture and the thought.

Meg at You and Me are Floating on a Tidal Wave, always eloquent, reminds us withMASK that a combination of speed and alcohol makes for a high with more than a little rock and roll. It can bring out the tiger in you, a less than likable tiger, unfortunately. Makes my bruise on the face post pale by comparison.

Denial can't last forever, unfortunately, and over at The Practice of Recovery you'll learn that following a rude awakening, some people take the first step in the 12-step program. This is tough cringe stuff at its best, but don't let it scare you away from AA.

At some point in your life, if you need it, you'll know it.

By including food addictions I'm way overfed with submissions. But check them out. How about starting with Emotional Freedom and weight loss without cravings? If Karen's method doesn't work, remind me to hypnotize you the old fashioned way with a hanging watch on a gold chain.

Next up is JoLynne's post at The Fit Shack, on addiction pyramids. Makes me want to stop eating altogether, seriously.

Isabella Mori, one of our very with it mental heatlth professional bloggers fills us in on Step 3 (and some of you don't even care how many there are, right?). But this is great. She says,

Step 3 reads "made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of G-d as we understood G-d." How can someone who does not believe in G-dgod use this step?

I so love this stuff.

Over at the Philosophy of Change you'll find a before and after post, 12 months of change, very graphic and well-done post. Our philosopher won't tell you how he got straight in this story but if you read a little farther into the website, perhaps you'll find out. I like philosophy as much as the next doc.

And finally, So Sioux Me invites you over to a smoke-free blog, dreaming of the easy beat-your-addiction fix. What's that say, Sioux?

And that's it for now. Thanks all for your submissions. The next Carnival of All Substances will be held on August 10, 2007, with the Old Mighty's help, of course. Tell your friends.

I'm looking for 12-Step in-jokes. What do you say? Oh, and you have to explain why they're funny. Please? People need to know this stuff.

You can enter right here.

therapydoc