StayTrue

We'll I figured I'd post since when I was in the baby steps of recovering from alcohol I just couldnt get enough information on what to expect and normal symptoms of withdrawal.

I'm on day 12 right now and I'm feeling great now. I dont know what it was but the first 10 days I had overwhelming anxiety 24/7 along with depresssion and I cried many days just to get through. On day 10 something miraculous happened as my Anxiety was way down and I could actually live and go about normal things in life. It was my first day of actual relief. Oh and I got my appetite back for the first time in years. Day 11 it got even better, my hands and arms were no longer numb/cold/stiff, I actually enjoyed the day and I felt almost like my old self again. I still had the perspirating hands and occasional sunken heavy heart feeling but my overall disposition was 100% better. Well, today is day 12 and I woke up slightly anxious like usual. Today feels like day 11 but even better. No more bad worrisome thoughts, only slight shortness of breath, and my appetite is back to normal.

It seems that each passing day is getting better. The first 10 days were hell. I didnt really expect it to last that long and that severe and I was worried sick during those days. From everything I had read, it seemed nobody really could relate to my experiences so everyday I got increasingly worried and was already trying to diagnose myself with GAD.

My mind has drastically turned around and if this keeps up for another week and improves I will probably not go see a physchiatrist as it seems like normal recovery and I wont need the meds. I had tried to see one earlier but got denied since I hadnt been to VA in over 3 yrs so they needed paperwork first... Maybe for the better

I still suffer from insomnia quite bad, last night I got 5 hrs of sleep which is the most Ive gotten since recovery. In the last 12 nights I have had somewhere around 27 hrs of sleep where most nights I get 2 hrs. Anyway just rambling on, I thought I would post my recovery since that is what proved most useful to me when I first quit drinking but there seemed to be a lack of them.

bevin

I think our situation is similar in many ways. Let me tell you, I have had some real "moments" today. Kind of a hellish day 4 actually, but I'm still not drinking. Thanks for sharing your experience.

bdixon

Hi there! I am currently 3 months and 1 week sober! I am 26. I was drinking/smoking pot almost everyday for 4 years. I decided to quit ultimately because i was losing control and i was developing some mild anxiety(which i had never had before). After talking with an addiction counselor I realized that the drinking was causing my anxiety. After having an "anxiety attack" at work I decided to quit(smoking and drinking). The last few months have been a rollercoaster for sure. It seems my anxiety will lighten up and almost be gone, and then i wake up freaking out about nothing. it seems that i try to FIND things wrong or things to worry about. which is so annoying because i know all of these fears are unrealistic. most of my anxiety seems to be worse at work, because that is where i had my first anxiety attack, and it scared the crap out of me. BUT! despite all this i have hope. I meet with an addiction counselor regularly that assures me this is TOTALLY normal. my brain is reparing itself after many years of abuse. I am going through PAWS. I have good and bad days. I am having to relearn how to "think" because for so long i didnt have to. this site has helped me so much in realizing i am not the only one that feels this way and i just need to stay strong. Does anyone have any advice for me, i feel that i am doing all i can, exercising, eating right, water, vitimans, the whole shebang? I just have a hard time tuning out that negative voice that replays over and over in my head. anyone have any teqniques for getting through the rough patches??

tanja

bdixon,

I am reading an excellent book on cognitive behaviour therapy by Dr. David Burns. "The feeling good handbook". I think it has really good exercises for countering negative thinking.

originalhirevs

I am two months sober, and I also have some slight anxiety. I cannot pinpoint what it is exactly, it's not chest tightening or fear, its more like I feel at odds. I actually start worrying that I might be going crazy. I have told my husband and he says it is my brain being active, perhaps thinking to much. I have always been a bit obsessive, but as I have grown older, I worry less about things. I think that my brain has just put me in a more self aware state since I am healthier. Before, I was just drinking when I was upset about anything, so the next day, all I thought about was how lousy I felt. This seemed to occupy my thoughts mostly - that I felt bad and I should quit. So when I finally did quit, my brain seems to miss the drinking or I am just too conscious of everything. The good thing is that these feelings come and go and some days they don't even occur. One way I obliterate the thoughts is by being active, working or playing. Then when the strange thoughts come back I think to myself, well, they were gone when I was busy, so they will go away again, and I feel that eventually they will dissapate all together. It has helped to read that others suffer from this as well, and it can be related to the alchohol. Since I never had any mental issues before except depression many years ago brought on by trauma in my life, I feel that the anxiety is related to my sobriety of two months. It makes sense to me. Thanks for all your posts above and I hope maybe my advice helps a bit too. I try to stay positive and be thankfull that I quit, that I am alive, that there are good things around me.

underoath

Don't worry, it's just anxiety. It can make you feel like you're losing your mind, and is very strange- which I am sure you are well aware of this already. The best thing to do is just what you said- stay active. Find things that engage your intellect and give your mind something to chew on. You will discover that while you are engaged in these activities, that you won't even be thinking about anxiety. Eventually, you will completely get rid of your high levels of anxiety, if you stay busy and just remind yourself that it's anxiety and nothing more. Also, what helped me was to quit posting on anxiety forums, and to quit monitoring how I am feeling, as well as quit looking for answers on the internet. It's hard, but once you get into a routine of non anxious behavior for a few weeks, you pretty much "cure" yourself. All it is is a conditioned behavior. Thoughts like "when will this end?" and constant checking to see if it has gone away is only counterproductive and perpetuates the condition. You, unknowingly, are keeping your anxiety alive and thriving. Which is in essence what an anxiety disorder is. A condition, learned through repetition, which can be quite hard to break. But trust me, it can be done.

missg

Hey Folks

I have been sober for about 18 years. Alcohol does a real number on your brain and basically once you quit it takes a couple of years until it rewire/readjusts itself and functions well again. Ironically,unless you have been drinking for a gazillion years which totally destroys your brain,for many of us our brains worked better while drinking than they did when we first get sober,which can be quite frustrating. This does get better and go away with time and the sober brain way better than the old booze soaked one.

I had huge amounts of anxiety the first year I was sober. It was the only time in my life that I had panic attacks. It was awful to live with but went away after a while.

For those of you feeling anxious after only a few days,this is a symptom of withdrawal.It can actually be quite dangerous to quit alcohol on your own.

Anyway,just don't drink and things will get better!

cecilialove

I have recently struggled with the same thing. If alcohol gives you any problems, then you probably have a problem with alcohol itself and should not drink again. I have tried to drink again, even after dealing with a stomach ulcer from drinking. If you have gone this far without it, maybe you should continue to do so.

Astro

Cecilia, welcome to SR!

Plure

My anxiety peaked at 3 months being sober, then slowly started improving. Sober for 11 months now and, although anxiety comes creeping in some days (seemingly when I haven't slept well), it's very manageable.

Hang in there!

Spiketheguru

This will pass..
My own anxiety was awful when drinking,actually it was fine whilst drinking but awful the day after..

Three months on its so much better and getting better by the day.
Hang in there and keep busy.Well done for a three month milestone!!!

Introvrtd1

Hi Water4ever,

Its been over 5 years since my last post on this thread, but Im glad I saw it come up again.....

My last post I was still drinking off and on and not really comitted to quitting... I would quit for a week or two but that was it....back to my daily binge routine... For a while the drink kept my anxiety under control... but then it would get progressively worse and ai would have to drink more to keep the anxiety down.

Fast forward to just about two months ago (my longest quit yet) when I decided to stop the bingeing. To date my anxiety still hasn't gone away completely. It has however gotten less frequent and less intense.

It also comes back really bad sometimes.

I noticed you said it was six months for you and it comes only at night and all the symptoms I recognize as the same thing that happens to me....at night. I dont smoke and never have and I haven't had any cravings at all in two months. So since you're at six months Im only at two months which tells me I still have a ways to go....I guess just as it took time for us to progress into our drinking habit, its gonna take time for us to digress back to our normal healthy selves....

This I really look forward to with all patience and faith.

Good luck Water, and like me, I hope you see that day when you wake up and your body has forgotten all about anxiety and panic and functions normally without concern for the anticipation thereof....

Intro

SlowMeDown

Hello,

I had 3 months and relapsed twice but it's been 3 months again. This second round has been very stressful. During the first three months I was stressed but it was more physical had a bulging disc and I thought that was making me depressed b/c my back and neck constantly hurt. In retrospect, I believe I was feeling the effects of not drinking. I'm 40 and have been drinking for over 20 years. Every year I would quit for like 3 months no big deal and ive made numerous attempts to quit. I really genuinely feel this is it. I can't do it anymore. Anyways, my anxiety is overwhelming at times and I have been having more good than bad days. Today was a bad day and I've really been drained as a result. I tried to exercise for 15 min but that turned into anxiety as my heart rate increased. I've seen several dr and ended up in the ER twice in 6 months. Always check out okay so I have to assume it's my creative mind leading me astray. I even quit my job b/c I was so overwhelmed and consumed with my personal life that I couldn't focus on work. I have a great spouse who's really supportive and a therapist but I still don't feel "normal" I don't feel as sharp although my Brain fog isn't as bad I'm still numb. I know I need to be patient but it's tough. Reading the many journeys in here really help and give me hope. Thanks for listening.

Astro

Welcome to SR, SMD. I hope you find this site useful and continue to share your experience with others.