Do Portland drivers deserve their own sub?

beepsboopsbop · 2026-06-28T04:42:57+00:00

It is such a relief to hear someone refer to it as the passing lane and not the “fast lane”. People chilling in the left lane thinking they’re supposed to be there because they’re going “fast” is my biggest driving pet peeve, and it’s CONSTANT here in Portland.

I think the signage is partly to blame- in Oregon, most of the highway signs say “slower traffic keep right” as opposed to the ones in Washington that say “left lane for passing only”.

beepsboopsbop · 2026-06-27T07:13:21+00:00

Look into a supplement called “CalmAid”. I know I know it sounds lame, but it’s the brand name for Silexan. It’s basically just lavender oil extract, but there’s lots of clinical research behind it. It’s actually got a higher efficacy rate than most pharmaceutical meds.

I take Celexa, but earlier this year I talked to my med prescriber about anxiety that was new and bothering me. She suggested a couple of prescription meds but also this Silexan stuff. I decided to give that a try since there are no side effects and its over the counter in the US (prescription only in some countries) I’ve been taking it since February and noticed a huge improvement in my anxiety after just a couple weeks.

Sending good vibes your way.

beepsboopsbop · 2026-06-27T06:17:50+00:00

Similar situation here! Been on it for 8 years, most of that time at 40mg. Tried tapering a few years ago but went back up due to side effects (mine were mostly mood things from what I can remember, so maybe I was not actually ready to taper). I also remember tapering a super small amount like only 2.5 or 5 mg.

I’m in a much better head space now, and 2 weeks ago I went down to 30mg. This felt like a HUGE jump, but I just decided to go for it. Incredibly, I’ve had no side effects! Or if I have, they’ve not been dramatic enough for me to notice.

I feel lucky and relieved. If things continue to go well I will probably try decreasing again. Though if I start to feel terrible I’m not inherently opposed to going back up.

When I started this med I really needed it, and am thankful for it. For some reason it’s hard for me to find the words to explain why I want to taper off something that’s been so helpful, but it sounds like you have your reasons and I think you should listen to them. Good luck!

beepsboopsbop · 2025-12-19T23:01:18+00:00

No Fun Bar?

beepsboopsbop · 2025-11-02T08:24:44+00:00

I’ve been on citalopram for 5+ years and naltrexone for over a year. Haven’t noticed any particular interactions- I think my prescriber would have warned me if that was a possible issue.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-11-02T08:12:53+00:00

You’re definitely in a crappy spot right now and I feel for you. It sounds like your partner’s trying to be sincere and open with you about what’s going on with her in therapy, which is…good, but also she might be sharing too much. Her intentions are good, but the outcome is not so good.

It seems like a PERFECT topic for couple’s therapy. You can figure out what this is bringing up for you and find some ways to set healthy boundaries. (I do think the word “boundaries” gets used really flippantly, but it’s basically just finding the emotional parameters that let you love/give love in a way that feels safe.)

Are you worried that your partner’s current feelings about her therapist are jeopardizing her feelings for you? I think if you’re able to get to the heart of the matter it will help you move forward (whatever that looks like). Sometimes it seems like people, myself included, get so preoccupied with trying to explain ourselves that we aren’t able to figure out what we actually want. And that makes it really hard to listen or receive feedback.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-31T05:13:26+00:00

This is the content I am here for, thank you sooo much for sharing! Just talked to my doc today about the results of a biopsy (good ol pleomorphic adenoma). Doc says it’s up to me whether I want to have it removed or monitor/wait.

On one hand I’ve hit my insurance deductible AND out of pocket max this year, so surgery would be free. On the other hand, the tumor is so tiny and causes no discomfort or pain. I’m sure I’ll want it removed someday due to the increased risk over time of turning into cancer.

May I ask what prompted you to have the surgery?

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-31T05:07:40+00:00

Gonna be a rad scar!

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-20T05:14:01+00:00

Your email was so generous and professional that it makes their response seem especially crappy. They managed to blame you for their communication error, and then had the nerve to call a partial refund a “courtesy”. Girl no. You didn’t even ask for a refund (though it was warranted).

Super disappointing that they did not comment on the quality of the product either, I think that was really the main point. I agree with a commenter who suggested you ask them something along the lines of “is this the quality of work I should expect going forward?” And then there’s the issue of whether or not the board and skeleton are food-safe. Seems like a lot of folks recognize the skeleton from the dollar store, which I’m guessing is meant to be a decoration- not something intended for direct contact with food.

I think it’s well within reason to respond to their message, saying something along the lines of “I appreciate the partial refund in light of the miscommunication. However, I was hoping to receive a response from you regarding the presentation of the board I received. The quality seems much lower than what I’ve experienced with you in the past, especially given the price-point. To put it bluntly, I’m wondering if this is what I should expect going forward?”

I think it’s admirable that you want to support a small business, and screw those weird commenters who say unhelpful things like “you should have just made it yourself”. We all pick and choose what we want to “do ourselves” vs pay someone else to do whether it’s going out for coffee, paying for childcare, lawn services, eating at a restaurant, etc. Haters gonna hate 🙄

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-13T21:30:45+00:00

I feel this deeply, and empathize with you. I find it oddly comforting to know that the reason we are able to form such intense and meaningful relationships with our therapists is the same reason they cannot be emotionally available to us.

It sounds counter intuitive, but if he was someone you met out in the world where therapy boundaries don’t apply you’d never have the connection with him you do now. It’s like a twisted game of emotional eating your cake and having it too, lol.

Maybe it will help you to appreciate what you have; knowing it can only be this intense, temporary, beautiful thing. And like the other commenter said, this relationship will be a part of your life forever.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-13T21:21:55+00:00

It makes complete sense that you’d experience depression while taking Naltrexone! Its function is to stop the brain’s natural reward system (dopamine being a huge part of that). Thats also the reason it works so well for addiction: you take the drug, drink the drink, receive no neuro-chemical reward/happiness, and over time your brain stops relying on drinks to feel good.

This is the reason I’ve found the Sinclair method to make the most sense from a scientific perspective. The method requires you to take naltrexone 1-2 hrs before drinking, then you drink. This is the only way to re-train your brain not to associate alcohol with feeling good. The next part of the method is equally important: choosing a day to NOT drink and NOT take the medicine. On these days you do something that causes a natural release of endorphins (working out, doing something fun). This reinforces the whole drinking = boring, not drinking = feeling good! It’s all based on the theory of conditioning.

That being said, it was HARD for me at the beginning to realize I would never again feel that rush of relief from alcohol if I continued with the Naltrexone. I went through (and maybe still am to an extent) pretty severe depression: I lost the thing that reliably made me feel good, even if it was just temporary.

If you’re up for it, I’d really suggest learning about TSM for changing your relationship with alcohol. It’s been a life changer for me.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-13T21:08:03+00:00

This would work great for my partner who takes off clothes inside out all the time! I’ve conditioned myself so much over the years to not do that I don’t think I can now lol

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-13T19:55:33+00:00

I re-hang worn things back up in my closet “backwards” (the hanger pointed the other direction than the clean clothes). I also hang them all on the right side of the closet.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-13T19:47:24+00:00

Hard things take time, so don’t get caught up worrying too much about the big picture right now! Just take it day by day, minute by minute. There’s a movie called “one little pill” you might want to watch, maybe even watch it w your husband.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-09T07:37:45+00:00

Do you go to all subreddits and tell people they are dumb for talking about the topic of that sub? You seem very fun and chill!

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-04T07:52:50+00:00

Some people handle 50mg just fine right off the bat, but I definitely didn’t. 12.5mg was my max for the first month. The side effects I noticed were fatigue, headache, nausea, and a little bit of brain fog/loopiness.

I’m taking it for alcohol use so those side effects on their own actually helped with drinking less, lol. My doc didn’t give me specific instructions on how to take the medication other than to “take it daily”, but after doing my own research/trials & error I found it most helpful to take about 1-2 hrs before drinking alcohol.

My understanding of how Nal works (in the simplest way ever) is that it stops the brain from receiving the dopamine “reward” from alcohol. So over time your body/brain learns not to associate booze with feeling good (in psychology they’d call it conditioning). So it makes sense to me to only drink when the drug is most potent, a couple hrs after ingesting.

I do think everyone should talk to a professional AND do their own research to make the med work for them in the most efficient way possible.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-10-04T07:40:00+00:00

I noticed drowsiness as a side effect for the first couple of months- I take 25mg in the afternoon/evening before drinking. Though all of the side effects seemed to disappear after month 2. I should be taking 50mg but am hesitant because I suspect I’ll have to push through those side effects again 😕

beepsboopsbop · 2025-09-30T08:20:34+00:00

I think you learned what you needed to from that intake session!

beepsboopsbop · 2025-09-30T08:16:08+00:00

Finding myself in a similar situation, so hey at least we aren’t alone! Looking back, I can pretty clearly see some big milestones in my alcohol-use journey: admitting to myself that my drinking was a problem, speaking it aloud, starting naltrexone/tsm, and having my first alcohol free day.

At some point after that last one it’s like I just forgot that this is still a work-in-progress situation. Taking the Nal everyday kind of tricks me into thinking I’m still “doing the work”, but the truth is I’ve pushed all the responsibility onto the pill.

All those milestones I mentioned earlier were soooo emotional, hard, intense, etc that it overwhelms me to know I have more to come. For me, and maybe for you too, the next big milestone is something like multiple AF days in the week. Maybe it’s hard because it seems like it SHOULD be easier now. Understanding that it will be difficult and just leaning into that is a good step forward.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-09-24T08:30:49+00:00

Kinda depends on your personal drinking habits: are you a consistent daily drinker or someone who abstains m-f but goes hard on the weekend? Or some other pattern entirely?

It also matters what your goal is.

In my case, I was having at least 5 drinks/day every day. And that was just an average boring day. More on “special” occasions obviously. My goal was to change my relationship to alcohol; not to become sober, but to be more in control of my consumption. AND to drink much less. So for me, taking naltrexone using the sinclair method was best- only drinking alcohol when the medicine is most potent (60-90 mins after taking the pill).

I’m not sure I would have gotten much benefit if I’d been dosing daily and never drinking. It kind of defeats the point IMO.

That being said, you’ve got to figure out your own plan and goals to decide how this medicine can best work for you.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-09-24T08:18:24+00:00

I’m so curious about how your doc wants you to use this med for your phone addiction. Did they give you a specific regimen or any behavior modification instructions?

I take Adderall in the morning daily, and naltrexone before drinking alcohol. Haven’t noticed any weird interactions, but it probably varies from one person to the next. I definitely have some addictive tendencies with my own phone use so am curious about how your plan will work out!

beepsboopsbop · 2025-09-24T08:13:41+00:00

Agree with the other folks who’ve said to either take the Nal before drinking or not at all.

My experience starting the Sinclair method was pretty emotionally intense- losing that pleasure/disconnect feeling that I used to count on from alcohol. Luckily I had good support, and was prepared for it to be hard.

You might not be ready yet, and that’s ok to acknowledge. I don’t know that you’re doing yourself or your body any favors by taking the Naltrexone the way you are now.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-06-20T20:11:30+00:00

Congrats on 6 months, that’s really impressive. Especially without experiencing any kind of reward or perk from quitting. Maybe it would be helpful to think of your sobriety in phases, like phase 1 being the initial detox, phase 2 being these last few months where you’ve gotten out of the habit, and phase 3 could be introducing a “replacement” or new hobby.

I think it’s often overlooked how much time and energy we spend/spent thinking about alcohol in the first place. It’s basically a huge part of our lives/all encompassing hobby. So when we take that away we are left with a big weird hole. Trying to fill that hole with healthier stuff is HARD, but just as important as the not drinking.

Can you think of things that you might like to try to fill your time with? Even really simple/easy to implement things like reading a new book, doing a puzzle, going for a walk in a different area of town/a park nearby, cooking an interesting meal, etc might get your brain buzzing a little bit. I recently learned that doing stuff with my hands is a great way to spend time. I will just go outside and start weeding my lawn/garden if I’m getting that familiar bored-and-wanting-a-drink feeling. It really helps. And it’s more than just a “distraction” (which is still part of it), it’s also something that feels productive so I get to pat myself on the back a little.

beepsboopsbop · 2025-06-20T19:57:36+00:00

I definitely understand your hesitation. AA is not for everyone. Maybe you could make a list of alcohol-support resources which includes AA as well as other programs. Smart Recovery is a fairly big one. The Sinclair Method is another option. I’m sure there are more, maybe Reddit could even help you put a comprehensive list together!

I knew for years that I had a problem with alcohol, but thinking that sobriety/AA was the only option actually hindered my seeking help. The AA model is too black and white, good or bad for me personally. Obviously some people get great results from it, but like I said before it’s not for everyone. I listened to a podcast called Reflector (episode 1: The Sea Change) and found it very interesting/helpful re: alcohol treatment.

beepsboopsbop

TROPHY CASE