August: Official Montrose Sobriety Month

By: Erin Dyer

The past few months I’ve been in a constant state of physical discomfort. Chronic heartburn, chest pains, and a mysterious fainting spell. Even I will admit that I can be a little dramatic at times, but I knew this was not something to swat away like a summer mosquito. After Google-searching and WebMDing the shit out of my symptoms, I had myself fully convinced that I had experienced a heart attack– so I finally got myself to the doc.

Okay, so it turns out my drama got the best of me; I didn’t have a heart attack. What I do have is something called Gastroesophageal Reflux Syndrome, or GERD. You might find yourself asking what the crap that means, and instead of directing you to our mutual friend named Google (like the sassy side of me would like to do), I’ll just tell you. So, you know that little flap that divides the esophagus and the stomach? The one that opens up when you swallow to let the food go down, and then closes back up afterwards? When that flap gets too relaxed, stomach acid creeps up the throat. If this acid reflux worsens and becomes chronic, it results in GERD.

So, according to my doc, treatment for GERD is a combination of modifications and medications to tighten up that flap. Lifestyle changes are key, and include: no drinking alcohol, no smoking cigarettes, no drinking coffee, no eating before bed, etc.

To me, hearing these words was like hearing my death sentence, like walking the plank. Welp, looks like I’ll be joining the Stay at Home Club and spending tons of quality time with my kitty! I’m hoping that my sobriety stint will be easier and more exciting if others joined in as well, which is why we at the FPH office have officially named August as Montrose Sobriety Month .

Yeah, you heard me. Participate.

I know some (or most) of you Montrosians could use a little periodic detox anyways. So, stock up on board games, plenty of Disney VHS tapes, or whatever gets you going because we’re about to get sober as a kitten up in here!