Avoiding the Slippery Slope

[stephenMM]

It's not necessarily a slippery slope, everyone is different, and the different time periods in our lives are not the same. Alcohol was never my drug of choice to abuse, so having a drink or not is OK w/ me. I do like an oz of Bourbon before bed because as the op says it relaxes me.

Just watch out for "maintenance alcoholics". These are people who drink socially and/or alone, and they don't get slathered, but enough to get more than a buzz. They're sometimes hard to spot because unlike your usual alcoholic they function well, especially in business.......until they don't.

I second the idea of exercise, but don't do it right before bed or it can wire you up. As we get older (I'm 72) our brain doesn't make as much serotonin, so getting to sleep and staying asleep becomes more difficult, especially if we just sit around too much during the day. Melatonin sometimes works but it gave me dreams that were too vivid. I take gabapentin, which is mostly for neuropathy but has a mild sedating effect w/ no hangover because its not an opioid.

[Yogacatt]

Originally Posted by stephenMM

It's not necessarily a slippery slope, everyone is different, and the different time periods in our lives are not the same. Alcohol was never my drug of choice to abuse, so having a drink or not is OK w/ me. I do like an oz of Bourbon before bed because as the op says it relaxes me.

Just watch out for "maintenance alcoholics". These are people who drink socially and/or alone, and they don't get slathered, but enough to get more than a buzz. They're sometimes hard to spot because unlike your usual alcoholic they function well, especially in business.......until they don't.

I second the idea of exercise, but don't do it right before bed or it can wire you up. As we get older (I'm 72) our brain doesn't make as much serotonin, so getting to sleep and staying asleep becomes more difficult, especially if we just sit around too much during the day. Melatonin sometimes works but it gave me dreams that were too vivid. I take gabapentin, which is mostly for neuropathy but has a mild sedating effect w/ no hangover because its not an opioid.

Thanks. I exercised this morning and am about to take a Yoga class this evening.

I don't have issues with sleep, I go to bed relatively early and then up early. On occasion I wake up in the middle of the night but I can get back to sleep relatively quickly.

For years I exercised and ate very well, I just got out of the routine and chose two drink 1-2 glasses of wine to unwind. Exercise made me feel good, but unlike drinking, it's not a "quick fix." I just started noticing that I was doing it daily, even though I really didn't need to.

I've always been able to self regulate my behavior. I suppose you can't loosen up too much if you are going to be responsible to some degree. I was always able to not drink where I was the only sober person and call it a night, no matter how lively the people or me felt.

I have not heard of gabapentin used for sleep. I feel for those that struggle with sleep. I wonder if there are earthier ways to promote sleep. Eg meditation?