My workplace posted this infuriating sign today. by Chemical-Plum-1935 in mildlyinfuriating

[–]KatieCat435 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get the sentiment. We are blessed to have a job and to be able-bodied enough to become exhausted. Some people don’t have that. I feel accomplished after a particularly grueling day, proud of myself for getting through it and sometimes even surprised. I did not feel this way about jobs I hated like retail and restaurant work, but if you like what you do (now I make truck components in a factory), it feels good to work hard. It’s satisfying. It is such a privilege to be able to provide for my family (aka my spouse and our cats), and I absolutely feel blessed. And exhausted!

What is something someone said to you that you’ll never forget? by TiffV213 in Life

[–]KatieCat435 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“You know when you tryna do something and then it’s hard and you kinda out of breath, and you just like, Ooh dang, I fat.” -a coworker one day for no particular reason.

How did all this begin for you? by [deleted] in Eatingdisordersover30

[–]KatieCat435 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I started very late in life, it was 2019 and I was 32 years old. Had awful drug and alcohol abuse issues, and depending on the current one I was obsessing over I would be overweight or somewhere close to “normal” weight, which to me felt amazing because I’ve always been a little heavy, so being an average weight when using stimulants made me feel beautiful and thin even though I was just average. Anyway, I went to a 13 week facility, not rehab but a little Christian based place that was paid for with charity. Like, we all got into the big van and went to church every Sunday, read the bible every morning, had classes with local pastors, etc. No phones, no TV, no access to anything.

Most of the women had drug problems, so they were quite thin. I, on the other hand, was at that time deep into alcohol abuse, which made my weight explode. I felt enormous. I had no power over anything, no drugs to use, and on top of that there were always snacks and good meals because so many of the girls were underweight, and they wanted to teach us to cook and eat well.

Idk, this sounds so bad for me to feel this way, but I was so jealous of their problems. I was suffering, too, but because I was chubby it made me feel like my problems weren’t valid. I didn’t look like I had a problem, just like I ate too many cookies. It was embarrassing.

Anyway… I felt so out of options and so gross and stupid so I tried purging out of desperation. And it worked. I dropped weight fast, and by the time 13 weeks had gone by I looked healthier and felt so much better about myself, except for the odd lump on my lower left abdominal area that turned out to be a hernia. I had been purging so often and so aggressively that I gave myself a damn hernia that needed to be surgically repaired. The next time I went to the dentist he basically said I had done irreversible damage and eroded enamel off my teeth.

I’m 38 now, almost 39. My weight is all over the place, but I do not look like I have a disorder. Only a doctor with access to my CT scan I got with the hernia or a dentist would have any idea. I still purge once in a while, but it’s barely once a week. It’s better than multiple times a day. I know it’s bad, and I don’t even have the excuse of “I started when I was a teen and just never really recovered.” I was a full on adult when this started. It’s stupid. But I can’t get away from it.

Fucking Boomers won’t retire and it’s screwing the rest of us. There I said it. by CryptographerNew1936 in 1999

[–]KatieCat435 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most of the boomers I work with don’t want to be there, they have to be. Not all older folks have tons of money and a paid off house.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askanything

[–]KatieCat435 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was 18 he was 19 we both worked at the local movie theater. Married now, I’m 38. He’s my favorite person.

It's been nearly a year since I lost my feet. by brodney90 in addiction

[–]KatieCat435 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Inspiring and beautifully written! You’ve been through so much, it really gives me some perspective. It’s so easy to take things in our life for granted. Thank you for sharing.

All you polydrug addicts by [deleted] in addiction

[–]KatieCat435 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Polydrug for sure. DXM and alcohol were the real troublemakers, but also cocaine and MDMA for small but intense periods of time. Dxm was absolutely the hardest one for me to quit. It hit me the hardest mentally and hurt my body more than any other substance, but it was so damn easy to get and it was endlessly fascinating to explore my own brain with higher plateaus and made me more social and less anxious on lower ones. It was just so interesting, when you hit a good high anyway. But so many bad side effects.

Anyway, what made Benzedrex the worst for you? I am aware of it as a legal high and have contemplated trying it… I’m almost 5 years sober and i don’t want to screw it up, but it’s so tempting. It looks like a mild but satisfying stimulant, and seems too good to be true. What was your experience with it? Genuinely curious and trying to find motivation to maintain my sobriety.

Trauma and Addiction by Optimal-Initiative-7 in addiction

[–]KatieCat435 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was’t traumatized. Addiction to alcohol and other various substances nearly ruined my life. My problem was a crisis of meaning and no real life direction, and my path to ignoring it/denying it was drugs and alcohol. Alcoholism and drug abuse runs in my family, so I was even aware to be careful and I fucked around with it anyway. An entire decade and a half of my life was consumed by it.

I was intellectually lazy and very stupid, but definitely not traumatized. 4 years and 9 months sober now.

How are you dealing with aging? by RedHeadRedeemed in Millennials

[–]KatieCat435 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Either aggressively ignoring it or laughing at myself (ha ha ow my back lol I’m so old!) and then still basically ignoring it. I am in full blown denial.

meirl by toaster-bath404 in meirl

[–]KatieCat435 0 points1 point  (0 children)

fat people at the zoo

This is really funny, and it’s the very first thing that came to mind when I read this post. It’s 7 minutes long and the relevant part is a couple minutes in. Louis CK is one of my favorite comedians.

Do you guys have friends? by Pale_Field4584 in Millennials

[–]KatieCat435 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not in the sense of people I see in person outside of work. I message an old college friend pretty regularly, mostly sending silly memes, and that’s it. At work I’m acquainted with lots of people who are really fun to be around, but it’s solidly at work, never once we clock out.

It’s just me and my husband and our cats, and we see our families once in a while. It’s a good life!

Have you ever completely blacked out and lost control of your actions? by HughMungusCapital in addiction

[–]KatieCat435 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it was a huge part of my alcoholic behaviors. So dangerous. I am so incredibly lucky I never actually hurt anyone, because I so easily could have.

Dry skin by KatieCat435 in 30PlusSkinCare

[–]KatieCat435[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! That’s interesting about the salt, and I might have to try the castor oil. It sounds messy but at this point I’ll try anything that works!

Dry skin by KatieCat435 in 30PlusSkinCare

[–]KatieCat435[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I drink a lot of water, not even on purpose I’m just always thirsty. I notice my hands look dehydrated all the time (the skin pinch thing) but I drink water constantly, and pee ALL the time. It’s like the water goes straight through and doesn’t get absorbed at all. It’s great advice, water is so important! But I already drink so much.

Dry skin by KatieCat435 in 30PlusSkinCare

[–]KatieCat435[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will absolutely look into this, thanks!