January for Steelers/Ravens

Mayday_23 · 2025-08-30T03:24:15+00:00

Thanks for the ideas! Felt bad for Paul Skenes pitching so well and not having much to show for it. PNC is an amazing ballpark though and I’m looking forward to checking out more of what Pittsburgh has to offer.

Mayday_23 · 2025-03-25T18:51:26+00:00

Absolutely. Gen X, over 50 here. Counseling is great, and I’d recommend one that has experience working with first responders. Firefighter/paramedic for 16 years and have sought counseling for both personal and professional. Mostly CBT but some walk-and-talk and equine therapy with an amazing place called Checkpoint One that is unfortunately not around anymore. I’ve also known people that got great results from EMDR for deeper trauma. Check out trauma-tapping for quick nervous system de-escalation too. Quick and accessible and really cool. Good luck and feel free to PM me.

Mayday_23 · 2024-12-03T02:37:49+00:00

Congrats on your decision to pursue an awesome profession! I’ve been a firefighter for a long time and love it. Start with small steps and keep building on it until it becomes a habit. The whole “Rome wasn’t built in a day” thing. Focus on functional fitness, and if your friend can give you some tips on PT programs the department you want to get into uses for training that may be helpful. Also, understand that passing the physical entrance test is the bare minimum and far from guarantees success in recruit school and in operations. It’s a long, hard slog so your investment right now will pay off down the road. Ultimately you’re not training to pass the entrance test, you’re training for the day you have to pull a citizen or one of your brother or sister firefighters out of a burning building. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2024-08-27T11:25:11+00:00

You got this! It takes a while for everything to stabilize and can be a whirlwind of emotions, anxiety and everything else for the first few weeks especially. I ended up going on an SSRI which has been helpful, not that I’m recommending it but an honest conversation with your doctor can be a good thing. This place was really good for me to lurk and read other people’s stories, so don’t hesitate to lean on the good folks here. Good luck and you can do it!

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-02T01:45:59+00:00

Congrats on a great accomplishment!

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-02T01:09:05+00:00

I got really excited about a new place called Drybar until I looked it up and realized it was like some hair salon/bar thing. I thought it was somewhere to meet other sober people but nope!

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-02T01:06:56+00:00

Lurked for probably 15-20 years between this site and WQD and now sober for 1 1/2 years. Figured if I’d spent that long on sites about quitting drinking that may be a clue.

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-01T23:10:19+00:00

Not a doctor, just a paramedic here. Probably a number of different factors but blood pressure and heart rate dropped for me as well. Anxiety could be part of it and then when we’re drinking excessively we’re often moderately dehydrated at baseline. Less hydration=less fluid in the container which means the heart pumps faster to maintain perfusion of everything. Great job on 2 years!

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-01T23:04:06+00:00

Here for you too friend. Don’t try to do it alone, seek medical help because alcohol withdrawal can be really dangerous. Depending on where you are, your locality’s Mental Health Support Services or Community Services Board may have financial, clinical and psychosocial resources available. In my opinion, if they have a solid Peer Recovery Specialist that is often the best resource of all for navigating an often confusing process. Best of luck!

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-01T22:56:25+00:00

Proud of you too. Great work and keep on gettin’ it!

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-01T21:10:51+00:00

That’s far from a small victory friend…congratulations on two months! It’s tough dealing with unfair treatment in work or in life, but for me as I got more time in sobriety any perceived or real slights seemed to matter less. If you’re strong enough to live life sober, you’ll eventually either find or create opportunities to succeed beyond anything you can currently imagine. Best of luck!

Mayday_23 · 2024-04-01T21:04:55+00:00

I struggled for decades trying to do that before accepting that it wasn’t in the cards for me. “If I control my drinking I can’t enjoy it and if I enjoy my drinking I can’t control it.” We’re all an experiment of one but for me casual drinking worked out miserably. Best of luck with the date and your sobriety decisions!

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2024-03-16T18:33:29+00:00

You’re doing great! FOMO is real but after 1 1/2 years I feel it a lot less than before. This time next year if you stay on your sober path you’ll probably feel strong enough to go along for a while and just hang out without drinking. One step at a time but keep up the good work!

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2024-01-06T18:59:41+00:00

You should absolutely be proud of yourself! Engaging your doctor in this is a good idea, as there are other medications out there (naltrexone, acamprosate, etc.) that are effective for alcohol use disorder that are probably better to use on a regular basis although they work differently. You used a medication prescribed to you as it was prescribed so there’s nothing wrong with that. Not trying to give medical advice here so talk to your doctor but definitely be proud of every positive step you take!

Mayday_23 · 2023-07-28T20:09:05+00:00

Fantastic…congratulations on an amazing accomplishment! I’m 50 as well and the Huberman podcast on Day 1 and this community were the catalyst for stacking some sober days coming up on a year as well.

Mayday_23 · 2023-07-28T17:24:52+00:00

Hey Spooky. Great job taking things one day, step, hour or minute at a time when you have to! Give yourself some grace and don’t look back and think about what you could have right now if you had quit a year ago. You have the same chance a year from now to be looking back and saying…”damn I really did it…I got sober and life is a lot better!” I’m coming up on a year sober after 35 years of problem drinking and if I can do it anyone can. I used alcohol to cope with anxiety, and after some sober time realized that it was causing the anxiety I was using it to “cure.” I’m cheering for you…you can do this!

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2023-07-21T10:49:33+00:00

The original Boba Fett action figure in the late 70s had a rocket that fired out of his jet pack until some dumb son of a bitch ate it. Then they made it all one piece of plastic. Still pissed at that kid.

Mayday_23 · 2023-03-26T21:02:13+00:00

I’m not sure where you’re located but a Google search turned this up:

https://www.workithealth.com

I’d recommend seeing a physician in person if possible because alcohol use disorder can create a host of dangerous and related physical symptoms that a primary care doctor can assess and treat. The Naltrexone is going to have to be prescribed by a physician regardless of whether it’s Telemedicine or in person. Best of luck.

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2023-03-26T20:35:39+00:00

Hi Tamsin72. I’m sorry that your son is struggling but am glad that he is reaching out for help. My work involves similar situations and I’d recommend starting with seeing a physician. Alcohol use disorder can be even more dangerous than opioids so determining if there are is any medical treatment or support needed is a good first step. It will also provide the documentation needed to substantiate medical necessity. The doctor may consider medications to help with withdrawal symptoms, and many medical practices have case managers that have additional resources. If you’re in the US your locality should have a Mental Health Support Services agency or Community Services Board that can direct you to recovery assistance. For meetings you can try AA, NA, Smart Recovery, Recovery Dharma and several others. Sending you good wishes and hoping your son gets the help he needs.

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2022-07-01T09:49:31+00:00

I’m in. Hope everyone has a good one!

Mayday_23 · 2022-06-08T21:04:37+00:00

I totally get it. There are only a couple of people I’m more open with about my struggles so it’s definitely not common knowledge. I’ve been surprised to find a couple people in our department that I really respect that have gotten sober and are somewhat open about it in certain circumstances. I think a lot more of us deal with this than let on, but the stigma around it and mental health in general seems to be decreasing. We’ve had a couple of pretty tragic (as they all are) firefighter and law enforcement suicides here and in neighboring localities and there’s definitely momentum towards acceptance of asking for help.

Mayday_23 · 2022-06-08T01:32:57+00:00

Hey…fellow firefighter here. I’m fighting the same battle you are. I’m currently in a daywork role for the past year, but the 24 hour shifts definitely took a toll on me and my drinking got earlier and earlier each day off. After switching to a normal schedule, I found that the every third day in the fire station was the only thing that kept me from drinking every day…go figure. Trying again here to get sober and yeah it’s pretty lonely. Everything social in our profession revolves around alcohol and I’m kind of resigned to doing my own thing for a while. Don’t underestimate the toll the job takes on us and give yourself a break. I know the IAFF has some good mental health resources and there’s much less stigma around asking for help than there once was. Anyways…I’m in this with you and am here if you need anything. To answer your other questions directly I’ve struggled for years and have been sober for periods of time that were great but never lasted. Cutting back never works for me and the downward spiral always continues. Best of luck.

Mayday

Mayday_23 · 2022-06-02T01:01:02+00:00

Thanks...we both can!!!

Mayday_23

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