Hoping to start back into lifting tomorrow. Many good friends have asked why I don't train anymore and I always give them some half-ass answer about school and kids. The real reason is that I'll be weak as fuck, I've gained a ton of disgusting weight and people will bother me with negatively-toned questions like "Haven't seen you in here for awhile. What happened?" Or comments like "I thought you gave up." If I could rock a sign that said "Leave me alone for the Summer" I'd be so much happier.
Tossed the occasional lap swimming in the mix as an escape plan for getting antsy at our neighborhood pool and have been getting gradually more active with dog walks and yard work but I've hit a weight loss plateau and need to crank up the workload. It's funny how weightlifting can give me so much confidence and then draw me down into depression with lack of consistency or progress. I'm slowly acknowledging my lack of coping skills due to addiction and am trying to overcome these repetitious thought patterns but it's fucking hard!
No alcohol coming up on 6 months and no trees in over 50 days and it still is all-encompassing: the triggers, anxiety, depression... daily occurrences unfortunately. Lower cravings due to Wellbutrin and less anxiety than the first 90 days because of Prozac, but damn... there's a long road ahead still. No wonder I was an advocate of whiskey and deadlifts smh.
It's been tough going through recovery and trying to lose weight. One of the keys to fighting alcoholism is omitting things slowly. It was hard not to stop drinking, go on a keto diet and hit the gym heavy. Two counselors talked me off that cliff so that I didn't fail the most important part - getting sober. They even advised I continue to smoke, continued caffeine intake, even continued to not follow a diet. I chose to cut the trees out after 3 months of no drinking because I'm hooked on researching this disease to learn how it works, the expected experiences I'll encounter, ways to understand the monster so I can better fight it... turns out weed becomes a coping mechanism and replaces the drinking so it doesn't allow me to create natural coping skills. Dopamine receptors acting almost the same for both smoking and drinking, I now have no way of "relaxing" other than relaxing. Can't take the edge off so I'm hoping for the right medicinal cocktail coupled with therapy and hard work to achieve a mental homeostasis. I know this might not feel like the right place to vent for some of y'all reading, but if it helps one more person in addressing their addiction or pushing forward with their recovery it's worth it to me. And fuck it, it's me being selfish because it's cathartic as hell.
I really want to get back to the iron. My shoulder feels better, my mind is clearing and I'm overweight. I need a lifting plan I enjoy, a diet that's easily attainable and not some super-restricting willpower struggle, and some guilt-free time away from the family. I lucked out recently - our daughter has shown signs of accelerated maturity and can stay home on her own if I go to lift. My son can also post up on a tablet and not have to color with screaming babies in the Kids' Zone. And for now, it won't be marathon two hour training sessions - just a quick 45 minute hit and a walk with the puppy in the neighborhood.
Apologies to those who helped me out so much in my quest for Elite these last couple years. I know I received special treatment and attention as I continued to smash PRs and then all of a sudden I turned into a ghost. It wasn't out of intentional disrespect - I never wanted to let y'all down. I just wasn't ready to give it my all, even though I presented the opposite picture. I was more ready to get blackout drunk and apologize to everyone in the morning.
Ok, enough sob-story shit.
Wish me luck. Should be pressing some plates in the upcoming days...