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Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

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Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#161

Last year, at age 35, I started drinking heavily. I would buy a bottle of Absolute and would not stop till I see the bottom of it. 2 bottles a week at min. About 5-6 months, I've stopped drinking without anyone's help. Yesterday and today, I'm having a strong urge to get completely wasted. Just go to the store around the block, buy bottle of Absolute. Yesterday, while driving on I-695, I saw a guy with a child seat o…

Good for you for stopping. If you need further help, you can find a medical treatment program through your doctor that prescribes antabuse or naltrexone. Antabuse makes you vomit and have extreme nausea if you drink. That may help curb the physical dependence and feelings since your body will associate alcohol with being poisonous.

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#162
post #150

If someone gets a cancer, we don't judge them for having weak DNA replication. If someone gets an infectious disease, we don't judge them for having a weak immune system. If someone becomes addicted to a substance, we shouldn't judge them for having a weak physical or psychiatric system. Addiction is a disease and should be treated as such. All of the xA (Alcoholics/Narcotics/Gambling etc) Anonymous are fine communal…

You are completely right.

Mental diseases, however, look to other people completely different compared to regular diseases. Some argue they are not diseases at all, since they may lack known biological / cellular component. This becomes more complicated in case when they do not seek treatment.

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe those physicians, who are licensed to practice medicine in the United States, know better than you do. There is nowhere near a consensus among professional physicians that this drug is as good as you claim it to be. Meanwhile I can find plenty of physicians like Dr. Oz who are snake oil salesmen, so I reject your fallacious appeal to authority. EDIT: I see that you have now edited your comment to say "(An app…

The Sinclair method faces a lot of institutional incentive-related difficulties (generic drug, permanent treatment). It also has some aspects that are counterintuitive at first glance (e.g. it requires drinking alcohol, which creates skepticism when proposed by an alcoholic) but which are scientifically grounded. To anyone facing the problem of alcoholism: please do take the time to research it, read the studies, and…

Considering my experience with Varenicline and how it effectively worked in abandoning nicotine, I tend to agree that a deconditioning drug taken while consuming is a very effective therapeutic path.

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#164
post #153
post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no such thing as "illicit" and "legal" substances on the internet - it depends on where each poster and reader is located.

Unless it's LSD. I enjoy LSD as much as anyone here, but it's globally illegal. And it's pretty unlikely that anyone is posting on HN from the international space station, so it's safe to say that LSD is definitely illicit regardless of their location.

Which is a shame.

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#165
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> appalling to see this comment being downvoted I didn’t downvote. But AA has a mixed track record with respect to effectiveness [1]. It’s also been likened to a cult [2]. This might explain some downvoted. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2746426/ [2] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irr...

While I have personally found AA to e very useful, it may not be the right solution for everyone (personally, it took me a long time until it helped). I'd also like to add, each group is different and yes, some can be cult-like. I'd suggest trying more than one. I'm really not trying to promote AA, just mentioning that it's one of many options (in addition to medically assistant therapy, individual and group counseli…

The main reason that AA/NA helped me was that it brought me around sober/clean people that I could hang out with and make friends with. The step work is BS in my opinion. But the sober friends kept me alive.

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#166

I’ve never been a heavy drinker, but at one point 2 years ago I handled a project by myself to move 6 million dollars a month in charity transactions from one uncooperative payment processor to another. I normally handled stress well, but this was a different level and it was physically taxing on me. I had a glass of wine one night about 3 weeks into this and immediately felt so much better that I ended up having 3-4…

There are certain substances I've found to be helpful for managing intense stress in-lieu of alcohol. If interested, I'd suggest experimenting with each and seeing if any work (or work in combination) for you, as they're all significantly less harmful than alcohol.

1. Agmatine

bonus, reduces alcohol cravings:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288735721_Effect_of...

2. L-theanine

3. Taurine

4. Rhodiola rosacea

5. Tulsi

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#167
post #150

If someone gets a cancer, we don't judge them for having weak DNA replication. If someone gets an infectious disease, we don't judge them for having a weak immune system. If someone becomes addicted to a substance, we shouldn't judge them for having a weak physical or psychiatric system. Addiction is a disease and should be treated as such. All of the xA (Alcoholics/Narcotics/Gambling etc) Anonymous are fine communal…

> If someone becomes addicted to a substance

Are you mad? Nobody suddenly becomes 'addicted'. Addiction is something you do willfully and deliberately to yourself. Addiction is not a disease, it is a form of self-harm.

Re: Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O’Tierney Dies at 35

#170
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish there was a way to reduce stress the way you describe alcohol does, but without the tolerance-related escalation and the addiction. I have been trying meditation and progressive relaxation - they do work, but only for a limited duration. 2 hours later, you're back to being jittery and edge-of-the-seat.

There is. It's called physical exercise.

People have a wide range of different responses to both exercise and alcohol (along with everything else). For me, exercise does feel like it helps but it also takes physical and mental resources. Also, I tend to exercise more when I have more time available, ie. when I'm less busy and under less pressure, so there's a pretty strong confounding factor involved.

Used for relaxation, alcohol is a quick-fix solution but sometimes that's what you need. A crutch is great for a few days when you've got a sprained ankle and still need to march. Just don't make it a permanent part of your life.

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