Thank- you , I'm on hr.90 & just wondered
Interesting and informative post guest. Congrats on doing it. I used to have weird thoughts on balconies etc like i should just jump off, not suicidal but just a weird urge to do it, felt like i may just do it uncontrollably, bit like you and the escalator. The night sweats will go but be very well prepared for moods, irritability and heightened anxiety. You will feel at times youre ok and be tempted to drink but you mustn't. You will feel at times youre no better so why not have a drink but you mustn't.
you have to give it a year, im 8 and a bit months now and am 99% but just get a bit lightheaded and anxious when stressed.
its easy to fall into the trap of drinking too much, I wasnt and am not an alcoholic id just go on stag dos and week long lads holidays when we would compete to see who was the wildest, but at home id only go to bars and drink heavily on Fridays and Saturdays, not mid week. I was really popular, worked out, had a gorgeous girlfriend and on the face of it looked like i was living the perfect life but eventually drinking made me so anxious the next few days so it began to make me ill on Monday and Tuesday from a Saturday night party. After a week long holiday somewhere like a spring break destination i was in bits with night sweats anextreme anxiety.
gave it up and not looked back. Im bit older now but last sat was out with friends and they were all wasted but a gorgeous 18 year old came to talk to me and asked for my number and whilst they were ofmy their heads it kind of clicked -i dont need alcohol its just some stupid crutch or fall back excuse for people.
I know I may sound like a jerk to some people but im only being honest as we will never meet but its a troublesome issue because unless youre a drunk tramp drinking whisky on a park bench people dont think drinking too much is an issue, I used to be the same and thought falling out of a club on a Sunday morning at 3am was normal for a 20 odd year old but i must have been drinking more than everyone else, I was the muscly guy that could hold his booze but it must have played havoc with me.
i feel I live a more balanced life now and work is better than ever. For some reason im not as in shape as i used to be, the drive to look good is not what it was, perhaps because im not going out as much or perhaps because im being more rational.
exercuse, water, gatorade, vitamin b, sleep, no protein powders or processed stuff, less stress, more 'me' time, more relaxation, candles, lavender, massages no caffeine or chocolate and not going hungry seems to be best thing for it but time is the healer. I didnt think id ever get back to being normal, trust me, I was in a dark hole. Wasnt able to sit in a restaurant id have to get up and leave, wasnt able to queue in a shop, wasnt able to sit at traffic lights, i dont mean i was impatient i mean I physically couldn't do it, got aggressive, lightheaded, felt faint and had to hold onto something. Oh, its pj again if youd not guessed. Im only coming on here as this is my first major healthscare and hopefully the last but i couldn't figure out what on earth was going on with me.
To the poster on 8.31.13 keep going, it does get better. Sleep, gatorade, water, vit b, massages all help. Get lots of sleep. Note how you felt so if you get the urge to drink again you can read how you felt.
its a Saturday night here and ive just had a good workout and watched a film, im not joining my mates out tonight but feel good about it. If you learn one thing its that it takes time, you have to be patient.
I am on day 19... it is getting better...couple good days ... a bad day... am under alot of stress right now and that just aggravates it. The one thing I do know is the withdrawals get WORSE everytime I try this. The first few days I thought I was about to die. I never want to feel that again !!! Have been in AA for 2 years... with several relapses along the way. Several folks on here talk about drinking "normal" again. I am sorry to inform you that if you have these severe withdrawals you probably are an Alchoholic and WILL always be one. I know none of us like to here that but it is the truth. This disease only gets worse..never better. Stop now while you still have a life. The other alternative is going crazy or dying or both... This is a disease that kills ! Dont take it lightly. Good luck to all in your journey.
hey guys - this is the fella that wrote the novel up there. just wanted to report back and say ... i honestly don't think i've felt this great in my entire adult life (yup, was pretty much a raging drunk for pretty much all of it). getting out of bed is a breeze; i more often than not find myself waking up before my alarm goes off. like that ever happened sleeping off a hangover. i stop in my same ol liquor store after work - as it's the market just up the corner - and find it easy to walk right past that cooler i opened god knows how many times before and just grab a water and a smoothie for a snack while making dinner. that used to be a 6 pack of beer!
this has even helped my beloved dog. not wasting so much time sitting around just getting wasted means i devote more time to him and his health, and it's certainly shown. who knew that being a drunk could affect not only the humans around me, but my pet as well.
but really what makes me feel best is how incredibly productive i've become. i'm a software engineer and had been TALKING for a long time about working on circuit design and microprocessor programming. "talking" being the operative term here. now, i've actually been doing it and have fired up creative parts of my brain i hadn't used in years. i'm just as excited about my work now as i was when i was a kid.
so, you know ... to everyone struggling ... stay strong and recognize the simple fact that ... you don't HAVE to drink. you WILL feel better eventually.
if *I* can put the brakes on it; ANYONE can. i was seriously at the brink of something terrible happening.
one of my favorite songwriters is a little known fella named richard buckner. he's something in the vein of a modern townes van zandt. my favorite song of his is titled "goodbye rye" off his amazing record "devotion+doubt." (highly recommended, by the way) i always looked at it as a song about the loss of a lover. which i suppose is still the case - but in this case, i don't think it's a girl anymore. i think it's the bottle. i've gone back to these words many times over the last several weeks and just thought i'd share - god knows, they helped me.
once upon a blue thing or two
eyes and sighs and a moon confused
we heard the sparks fly and we watched their lies
some die in retreat, some in jealousy
you know, boredom breeds temptation in its wake
but will you look at what temptation's done?
the spirits here in the hollow, the message at the bottom of the bottle
oh, the sky tonight is grey, the quiver and quake
we drew away a goodbye bye, been bled on down the road
but when the buzz was over, man, it was gettin' cold
the years are slow, so i lie alone
do you want your name to burn away?
oh, but lies aside, will i ride?
along and through and over you?
sleep.
shame.
reno's low behind in flames
so in your misty mist on your lowland frame
won't you sleep, shame?
Pj again. 9 months sober today. Interesting post above mine, you don't notice things are affected by booze but they are and now im sober i see it. I see people having a drink due to stress, see their Mondays at work when theyre tired and stressed and am pleased im sober. Work is going better than ever, im earning more than ever, I can wake up feeling ok, I have no anxiety and no issues. When I was drinking id be aware of my heartbeat which was mild anxiety but now im not.
its amazing how alcohol dictates the life of 80% of western adults imho, all my mates be they pilots, solicitors, police, business owners or whatever all have their lives dictated by booze. Eg a taxi if we go out, get dropped off if we go to a restaurant and how a Saturday and Friday night involves a drink, without question. Amazing how 99% of people have a drink on a Friday or Saturday as regular as clockwork. they would find it a bit weird to always have 4 glasses of grapefruit juice every Friday night without fail!
i hate to say it but i can see why other religions dont tolerate booze, theyre right!
I'm twenty two and have been drinking consistently after turning twenty one. For the last several months I've been drinking more and more and have been drinking everyday for quite sometime. Trying to cut down has become difficult. And not drinking causes bad head aches. It's messed up and makes it hard to perform well in the job department. All I want to do is sit around until it's over. I understand that these symptoms are much more mild than those who's symptoms are more severe. But it's still not fun. :/ I hope they stop sooner than later...
I have quit drinking now a little over 50 days, but still feel like sh*t. I am sleeping fine mostly but my head is fuzzy and I lack clarity of thought, struggle to focus and energy is low. I have been hitting the gym a fair bit and thought that would raise energy levels. Essentially, I still feel hungover....
Any advice? I am not taking any medications and never took anything when I quit early in August.
Drug withdrawal symptoms all vary with the individual person and the drug abused, most will last two days to two weeks. During this time you can receive the supportive care to prevent relapse, avoid temptation and work through your physical addiction to drugs within an Drug Detox Center.
Pj again, nearly 10 months sober.
panmahee 50 days is so little time, stick with it and eventually it will start getting better but its so gradual you barely notice.
im 99.9% now! no lightheaded ness and cope with stress in my stride. I was in a bad bad way with anxiety but now I'm ok.
the trouble is I just start thinking about a nice beer with Sunday dinner etc but I know I shouldn't. I do miss the social aspect though, thinking of trying non alcoholic beer.
anyone any tips?
I am a alcoholic. I have not had a drink in 30yrs. Alcohol is out of your body in 3 days, usually you feel better after 3 days. The hardest thing about quitting is staying stopped. My advice to any and all is go to AA, that was the only way i stopped. Anyone can quite but not everyone can stay off and that is what AA is all about. They all have been through it so you are not alone
I guarantee you everything is better without alcohol. Good luck and stay sober
Pj again.
10.5 months sober.
well had a week long party as it was a stag do so went to Miami with 9 other guys who were drinking heavily. I didn't touch a drop of booze, nor did I feel the need. I was the only non drinker but the holiday was fun and I didn't slope off early and still was one of the louder characters. After night one everyone just accepts you don't drink and once youre in a club and theyve had a few beers you kind of get louder as they get louder in a weird way. Can't say I missed the booze and I was productive and sunbathing etc whilst the others were nursing hangovers etc.
funnily enough though I did feel anxiety one day and I've not felt it for a while. I think it was because I came in at 5am, was jet lagged and then ate nothing that day and by 7pm I was feeling anxious. Not as bad as I used to but still anxious.
Given ive ive had a anything goes stag do
Given ive had an anything goes stag do I cant see why I'd ever need a drink again, the thought of feeling a bit tipsy or having to get a taxi or paying for booze or the hangover I cant say boozing appeals to me anymore. I'll check in on this site once in a while. Oh, I did have 2 non alcoholic beers on holiday, can't really say they were any different to having a sprite and feel no urge for them nor have they made me feel an urge for the real thing.