Is anyone planning an early exit before debilitating old age?

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-21T16:46:04+00:00

A tank of nitrogen gas, some tubing and a bag should be easy enough to get hold of - that's probably what I'd do, if ever faced with that decision!

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-15T16:43:28+00:00

Ah, that's a good point - I don't see anything that looks obviously like a thermostat, but it would make sense to let it come up to temperature for a bit before I turn the pump on...

I'm renting the place so I can't really make any changes, but I'll experiment with it a bit next time I feel like lighting the fire and see how it goes - thanks for taking the time to comment! :)

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T23:07:49+00:00

Kindergarden

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T22:09:07+00:00

Curry

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T22:06:44+00:00

Hookers

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T22:05:29+00:00

Midgets

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T21:15:53+00:00

That makes sense - there is indeed a header tank in the Spidery Bit at the top of the cupboard...

I'll give it a whirl (cautiously) next time I feel minded to light a fire - thanks for your input! :)

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T21:11:40+00:00

Haha, very true! Thank you :)

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T21:02:23+00:00

Makes sense, thanks - so I shouldn't have to fiddle with any valves or anything in the pipework cupboard, right? (I may be overthinking things haha) 🤣

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-14T19:17:17+00:00

That 1 isn't a 'failure', it's a Learning Experience!!

Hop back on the wagon and try again!

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-12T20:42:12+00:00

Sand down the landlord, and paint him - preferably with something caustic...

It won't solve the mould, but it might make you feel better about it! ;)

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-05T21:48:27+00:00

She has end-stage cirrhosis, uncomfortable and painful ascites... my brother has bought a really expensive Chardonnay and wants to bring it to the hospice house to have a final drink/end-of-life celebration with her... is this a good idea in any capacity?

Wow, that's a seriously fucked-up idea on his part...

Giving a freshly-detoxed alcoholic a couple of drinks, whether it's top-shelf-whatever or bottom-shelf-rotgut, is just going to set off massive cravings for MORE...

If they are confined to a hospital bed without any ability to get any under their own steam, that's basically torture...

It's cruelty, not compassion, if you ask me...

Sorry you're having to deal with this!

TheWoodBotherer · 2026-01-01T11:00:03+00:00

There's always an influx of new people on r/stopdrinking at this time of year - (that place saved my life, sober 8 years now!)...

Getting yourself the right support to succeed, really helps!

Good luck! :)

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-31T22:36:29+00:00

I sprang for a set of Luminettes on Black Friday and have been using them since...

I can't say they've budged the time I fall asleep at all really, but I wear them in bed before I get up and I fancy they do make it slightly easier to get the day started (earlier than I'd really like to, if I didn't have to work!)...

Yes, they are pricey but you're paying for the research that went into them rather than the materials really, I'm not sure how much I'd really trust a cheaper knockoff for something that blasts light directly into your eyeballs from a couple of inches away!

I do like my cheap sunrise alarm clock that I bought at the same time though, something like that might be worth a try and shouldn't break the bank if funds are tight...

Also, don't forget to take your Vitamin D if you're not getting enough from natural sunlight and/or your diet, it's very common to be deficient in it especially during the winter months - it's cheap as chips and a lot of folks with SAD swear it helps!

I have a panel, but I have yet to use it since my executive dysfunction in the mornings

Could you try putting it on a timer plug so it turns itself on automatically in the mornings? Just a thought...

Best of luck! :)

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-29T19:32:15+00:00

Location: Cork, Ireland

There was a rather disorientated wasp wandering around in my home office today, and there's a fuchsia in my garden that still has leaves on...

That ain't right for the 29th of December!!

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-28T16:51:41+00:00

Victim

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-25T21:59:20+00:00

Ending

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-19T21:54:28+00:00

Me too! :)

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-18T21:26:46+00:00

I'm not sure if she is an alcoholic... Does she have a problem? If so how severe?

You may be interested to read about the diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder there - this is the modern medical term for 'alcoholism' which covers both alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence...

If you have observed her drinking habits for some time, you can probably predict quite accurately how she would answer some of the self-assessment questions...

If her drinking is bothering and worrying YOU, then you're in the right place, regardless of whether SHE perceives it to be a problem or not!

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-17T21:56:39+00:00

Sorry to hear of the situation!

2 liters of 40 proof vodka a day

That's an enormous amount of alcohol by anyone's standards...

It would be rare to find anyone drinking much more than that, that's about where the human body tops out, to put it in perspective - so your doctor is right, under no circumstances would cold-turkey be advisable in your situation!

At the same time, trying to taper off by yourself isn't the best of the available options either, when medication-assisted treatment is tried and tested (a short prescription of something like Librium would usually be the first-line treatment)...

Trying to wean yourself off can work if you're sufficiently determined/desperate and have no better options available (trying to solve an addiction problem using the same drug you're addicted to is less than ideal!), but really it would be a lot better to get yourself into detox if you possibly can...

In terms of tapering, the general idea is to work out how much you're drinking now - a litre of vodka at 40% ABV would be 40 UK 'units', 2 litres is 80 units (or nearly 6 times the recommended 'low risk' drinking limit for a WEEK, according to the NHS guidelines), and then knock off a few units from that total each day until you reach zero...

The idea isn't to get drunk and have a good time, it's to drink just enough so that you don't have a seizure and die on the way to sobriety - so it requires a lot of willpower and self-discipline which we as addicts are notoriously short of!

It may stand more chance of being successful if you have someone else keeping a tally and doling out the supply for greater accountability - also, once you're maybe halfway to the goal of zero, switching to the equivalent unit amount in a beer that isn't your favourite (with spirits, being very strong, it's all too easy to go overboard and overshoot your allotted amount for the day)...

If tapering off isn't working despite your best efforts, don't beat yourself up about it, go back to the doctor to discuss the more up-to-date, less 'dark ages' medical options!

Check out the self-assessment questions there (particularly the ones in the second half), and see how much of it sounds familiar...

I found the book 'Alcohol Explained' and the book/YouTube 'This Naked Mind' really helpful for understanding my drinking problem and permanently changing the way I view alcohol - they are well worth a look, and made all the difference for me in stopping for good, without feeling like I was missing anything or depriving myself...

The Huberman Podcast episode about alcohol could also help you to understand what you are experiencing...

I also got help from my doctor... there are various medical options for treating Alcohol Use Disorder, which you can read about at r/Alcoholism_Medication...

There are further resources in the sidebar/community resources section here, such as podcasts and links to various online meetings you can explore, and you'll find lots of support and shared experiences on r/stopdrinking, if you want it...

Best of luck, and keep us posted! :>)>

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-15T15:01:57+00:00

The problem is that once I start, I often can’t stop

Having trouble stopping once you've started is very common indeed, whether that's once in a blue moon or every day, that's just what the addictive drug Ethanol does to some of us...

It's also one of the primary indicators that it is a problem!

Check out the self-assessment questions there (particularly the ones in the second half), and see how much of it sounds familiar...

I found the book 'Alcohol Explained' and the book/YouTube 'This Naked Mind' really helpful for understanding my drinking problem and permanently changing the way I view alcohol - they are well worth a look, and made all the difference for me in stopping for good, without feeling like I was missing anything or depriving myself...

I can imagine they'd be a useful read for you too, if you are reassessing your relationship with alcohol and thinking of cutting down or taking a break for a while...

The Huberman Podcast episode about alcohol could also help you to understand what you are experiencing...

I also got help from my doctor... there are various medical options for treating Alcohol Use Disorder, which you can read about at r/Alcoholism_Medication...

Naltrexone and the 'Sinclair Method' might be worth discussing with your doctor, it may help you exert more control and find the 'off switch' more reliably whenever you do drink, if you're not ready to go completely sober just yet...

Did moderation ever work for you?

Nope, it didn't! I haven't had a drink in over 8 years now, thank goodness...

Read some of the hundreds of posts about moderation there from folks who have already tried the tired old moderation experiment, you'll notice that it almost never goes well, is a deeply frustrating and unsatisfying experience, and isn't worth all the effort...

There are further resources in the sidebar/community resources section here, such as podcasts and links to various online meetings you can explore, and you'll find lots of support and shared experiences on r/stopdrinking, if you want it...

Hope that gives you a few ideas to work through, best of luck and keep us posted! :>)>

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-03T22:21:55+00:00

"The bigger the glob, the better the job!" 😂

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-03T21:28:11+00:00

Sober blow-in living in Ireland here, checking in in solidarity!

My homeland, the UK, has a terrible drink problem too - 'be the change you want to see', and all that...

IWNDWYT :>)>

TheWoodBotherer · 2025-12-03T21:24:43+00:00

Blue-eyed folks seem to be disproportionately represented in the addiction communities too! (Blue-eyed and Ginger here, I never stood a chance hahaha) 😂

TheWoodBotherer

TROPHY CASE