Shouldn't be Surprised *urp*

Several months ago, I discovered that the sugar-free fruit flavored soda I'd been drinking mixes very nicely with vodka. You can mix them really strong & they still taste good, so you can get your buzz on rather quickly.

Well...

Considering the amount of stress I'd been handling, and other factors - hell, I have no idea why, but I started enjoying a couple of drinks late in the evening to wind down. You know how it goes - a couple of drinks becomes a few, each having a few shots in them, getting a bit stronger, and in a short while I found my self imbibing these tasty and very relaxing treats pretty much every night and in large quantities.

Now, I've done my fair share of drinking throughout my life, but it's never been what I would refer to as an "issue." I never got hangovers - could get completely hammered and be just fine the next morning. Alas, as one gets a bit older, the body changes and handles things differently. *sigh*

After a couple of months of peach (my favorite flavor) vodkas, I've been feeling the effects to an alarming extent. I've noticed that my kidneys hurt some times and I've been getting horrible stomach aches in the mornings. I also noticed that, when I cut myself, I bleed like crazy - there have been a few times that I had a terrible time getting the bleeding to stop. Even though I haven't changed my eating, I've gained a little weight (much to my dismay). I've had a lot of nose bleeds, and have been suffering from frequent headaches. I've also been having this very annoying trouble with clenching my jaw so that the muscles hurt.

I've also noticed that my tolerance is building up quite a bit. I'll spare myself the embarrassment of telling you how much I've been consuming - let's just say it's a lot.

It's been almost like a sick kind of experiment, really. Now, I'm not stupid nor am I particularly fond of this kind of pain and discomfort. As of about last Friday, I stopped drinking the peach vodkas. You know what? I'm feeling MUCH better! Amazing, eh? Quit abusing yourself and your body recovers rather quickly.

So, last night, after several days "off," I had a couple of peach vodkas. This morning, I'm paying the price. I awoke to a dull ache in the head and a wonderfully crampy stomach. I guess that's that - no more peach vodkas for me.

I've never had an addictive personality - hell, I quit smoking cold-turkey and never had problems with any cravings. I can see how someone could become an alcoholic, though. I'm glad my body has sent me so many signals saying "stop, damnit!" so that I can stop before it becomes an addiction. I get the hint! Sheesh!

Considering all this (as if it isn't enough!) and the recent health scare I had, I'm done. So, here's to drying up and getting back on track with my weight loss - and feeling "normal" again. Cheers!