and absolutely nothing works as good as a 1-1/2 oz shot of vodka in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. It's contrary to everything that is "common knowledge" about alcohol, no doctor would endorse it, but it is the only thing that works for me...and has for several years now with no habituation/dependence/withdrawal.
Gerald, how frequently do you do this? Do you tend to wake up every night hungry for it? I am asking because I recently allow myself about 1 oz. of cognac in the evenings; because my brain is in mile-a-minute overdrive (frequently happens at NIGHT). This small amount of alcohol, sipped very slowly throughout the evening, switches off the "wildfire thoughts" and lightens the malaise (my main CFS complaint) so I can relax and be asleep before midnight. I don't come anywhere near drunkenness, but it really changes the whole pattern of my evening. I have recently been experimenting with my own version of Lightning Process-type mental disciplines. I know this is frowned on at PR, but because (since early adulthood) I definitely DO have a problem with overthinking everything, almost like "thinking in a fever", I cannot help but wonder if this contributed to my getting sick originally, and if finding a way to "turn it off" might help me.
Since the cognac is becoming an every night thing, I worry a little about becoming dependent on alcohol. I am in the midst of a deep crash right now, since May, and I still must work; my part time job involves outdoor physical labor... I can hardly move some days and my head feels so sick and heavy that I wish I was home with my Maker... but recently it seems like the small amount of alcohol at night helps me to function better the next day. It seems to moderate the extreme crash-y sick-as-a-dog feeling. So reading this thread is REAL interesting to me. I have been desperate this summer to feel better. I am always just a few steps away from the homeless shelter.
A curious thing is when I had my sudden onset of CFS in 1993, I OVERNIGHT became alcohol intolerant. Alcohol went down like liquid fire, seemed to burn and boil in my stomach, and caused immediate extreme headache malaise. No more. Makes me ponder the other things that have shifted in 22 years. I am sicker than I have been in many years this summer, but the symptoms have shifted themselves around.
Though I do not post often, I continue to value the information and flow of ideas on this forum.