I don't know you well enough to chastise you like I would like to,

Oh I do , and I did !!!

Kick his fucking ass zippyt.

***

On a different note, my kidney stones are back. Last time... it hurt so bad, I thought I was gonna die and I was afraid I wouldn't.

My Dad swears by a teaspoon full of properly fermented apple cider vinegar each morning and night to dissolve those suckers.

plth...shame. :headshake:

What's upsetting me is my friend's dysfunctional family. My friend is almost 50 and has three kids of her own, daughter 25, son 16 and son 13. She also has been her niece's legal guardian and mother since she was about 3 after the death of her sister and brother in law. She also cares for her invalid father and has part time care of another nephew who's parents travel for work constantly.

Anyway, it all works pretty well most of the time except when Daughter Emma comes home again because she gets kicked out of her accommodation. The problem is, Emma is an alcoholic and causes all sorts of strife in the house from stealing and lying to just being plain abusive and ugly when she's drunk (which is most days). She's lovely when she's sober, but you have to get up pretty early to see that.

My friend has been battling breast cancer. she also has lupus and a couple of other health issues, so life for her is challenging enough. I try to support her as much as I can, and be supportive of the other kids when Emma is on a bender, but it's very difficult. Even the little I can do is not much, and nowhere near enough.

I'm not sure how else I can help other than to give the others kids and my friend a soft place to land when they need it.

Is there?

eta: Today I was at my friend's place, and Emma had been drinking all morning. Around lunch time, I had to go in an separate Emma and Casey (niece) because Emma was getting stuck into her and Casey was bawling her eyes out. By the end of it, I was in tears too. And what really shitted me off the most was that Casey's nana died only a couple of days ago and the funeral is tomorrow. I know alcoholics don't give a shit about stuff like that, but it's still heartbreaking to witness.

Ach damn, Ali, that sounds a mess. I doubt there is anything else you can do beyond the help you're already offering. Just be there as a breath of sanity in an otherwise fucked up situation. Everybody needs that.

Cyberhugs babe.

Thanks Dana. :) I'm feeling a bit better than I was when I typed this post after resolving another totally unrelated but stressful issue.

Glad to hear that :)

Do this, Big V. Except make it as much as a Tablespoon, if you can possibly stand it. It tastes like shit, but it will help. Some people say mix it in water to dilute it, but I've found it's most effective to throw back the shot, then chase it with a spoonful of honey to soothe your throat.

Apple cider I have. In an upcoming DIY thread, I may regale you all with my hard cider efforts, properly fermented.

But I confess I do not know "properly fermented apple cider vinegar" is and it's the properly fermented part I don't get. Can I use the apple cider vinegar I have in my basement?

I will drink a glass of it morning and night if that's going to help. I'll drink it and be grateful.

This stuff. It will be stocked next to the regular white vinegars. Definitely will be sold at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, anything of that ilk, and might even be sold at your regular grocery store.

do shots of it followed by a lil water. tsp's and tbs's are for lesser men.
As an aside - that stuff knocks the shit out of a stomachache too.

V, you can get apple cider vinegar that isn't fermented the right way or something. The good stuff will have a residue in the bottom. That's the stuff you want. Not the crystal clear pretty stuff next to the other fancy yum stuff. ;)

nb: the crystal clear stuff is a lot cheaper, but it's also sweeter. I use it when I make chutney.

I think I've mentioned before, but they also make you throw back a shot's worth before a C-section too. Because numbing your lower half means your stomach sphincter is likely to relax, and the last thing they want you doing on the operating table is suddenly screaming that your esophagus is on fire with backflowing stomach acid.

Clodfobble, you may have mentioned it before, but it still doesn't make any sense. Why does drinking a shot of acid (acetic) do anything like what you describe? More acid on stomach acid equals Huh?

Because the acid bonds with Hydrogen ions in the stomach, and by pulling them out makes the remaining bodily fluids less acidic. It's called having an alkaline "ash" when an acidic food has a net alkalinizing result.