PMS Un-masked
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 268
PMS Un-masked
My my my...where should I begin? I have really bad hormonal issues around that time of the month but I haven't felt them in 3 years, as I unknowingly start picking up on the drinking a little more around that time of the month not realizing why. The anger, irritability, sadness, and anxiety all creep up on me and last for a week and a half. I didn't notice before but those are the times I would drink the most. Now I've got to deal with it. Well, no...now I HAVE to deal with it because I don't want to lose these precious 19 days sober I've accomplished. Looking back on those PMS days, alcohol didn't help it, it actually turned me into a beast! Arguments turned into brawls, feelings of sadness turned into suicidal thoughts, I would be at my worst without knowing why and then lo and behold...I'd find out a week later by mother nature, smh. The AV gives me a couple hours in the morning of peace but then it stays with me most of the day. This time is the hardest time for me, but at least I know it's happening.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: US
Posts: 5,095
I'm past the PMS stage of life, but remember it well. What always amazed me is I had a built in forgetter each month "what is happening to me?".....oh the same thing that's been happening for twenty years. Duh. Can't explain that one. If you think you're suffering overly have your homones checked. And drinking messes with ones hormones so you may experience more intense feelings, even if you don't drink through them. And maybe you have to learn to simply deal with it though different coping mechanisms. Healthy diet (sugar sounds good but the insulin rush and crash can exacerbate irritability) and good ole exercise really help. Indulge In something that is just for you. Hang in there. Before you know it you'll be like me and just wish you had some hormones 
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: East Coast, USA
Posts: 214
I, too, have struggled with PMS over the years. When I first got sober, I noticed my PMS more and my emotions were out of control. These days my PMS isn't nearly as bad. I think giving by body time to heal and regulate itself helped. I'm also more aware of myself and can be more proactive. When I was drinking, I would drink everyday, blow up at people, cry, go crazy and then oops! my cycle would come out of nowhere. I'd be so frustrated that I had completely forgotten to stop by the drug store for tampons on the way to the liquor store. Ha!! I'm almost at a year sober and I control my PMS (relatively speaking), it doesn't control me.
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 268
Originally Posted by StayStrong33 
When I was drinking, I would drink everyday, blow up at people, cry, go crazy and then oops! my cycle would come out of nowhere.
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: ohio
Posts: 3,615
The first few cycles sober are rough, not gonna lie. As others have said, early sobriety is already full of crazy emotions. Then add your period, yaaayyyy! Lol
It gets a lot easier after a few. It really does. Nowadays I feel a little shift in my mood, a bit of bloating, and I know the next day there it is. Sobriety not only calms you after a while in general, but it also gives your mind a chance to get in tune with your body.
Congrats on 19 days!!!
It gets a lot easier after a few. It really does. Nowadays I feel a little shift in my mood, a bit of bloating, and I know the next day there it is. Sobriety not only calms you after a while in general, but it also gives your mind a chance to get in tune with your body.
Congrats on 19 days!!!
Professional zombie fighter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Texas
Posts: 341
You know, you could talk to your doctor about this. Most studies show that PMS as it's generally talked about is actually a myth, but that there are women (between 1 and 9 percent of women have it, I think I read) affected by something called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which can be serious. So if you genuinely feel a lot worse emotionally before your period, you could have that. There are treatments for it.
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Georgia
Posts: 3,062
I found one of the challenging components of sobriety was feeling......not only feeling in my mind but in my body too! You rock for reaching out because it helps you realize you aren't alone in this reality. We have to learn to take care of ourselves mentally AND physically. You will get better at this as your sober time marches on as was mentioned earlier. It's a blessing to feel....really it is!
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 10,912
The biggest difficulty with PMS in early sobriety for me was that it came with intense cravings for alcohol and for other crazy behaviors (and I had enough of those even without hormonal peaks). My anxiety also tends to be worst during the ~two days before my period. Like the OP and I believe many of us, the awareness of this natural pattern got lost when I was drinking as I was feeling crappy most of the time, so it took a few months in the beginning to clearly recognize and accept the natural course of things and then develop healthy ways to cope with it (including not reacting).
Approaching two years sober, I still am clearly most prone to being mentally hyper, tired, or just generally "out of it" around that time of the month, I also get cravings for instant gratification such as food or sex... My thinking sometimes becomes a bit foggy and it's harder to concentrate. These things are normal, I just run with it, it always passes quickly. Still much, much better and less amount of time feeling unsteady than when I was drinking!
I agree with others, a checkup with the doctor may not be a bad idea. Many women also experience significant improvement on hormonal birth control and other forms of treatment. I find that it helps to especially watch my diet around that time and make healthy choices. My cycle was sometimes really off when I was drinking but in sobriety it's like clockwork, very predictable including the two bad mood / concentration days. I try to keep it in mind in advance and not plan the most challenging tasks for those couple days if possible. Of course I can't always afford to act this way, then I just stick it out and not react to it much. I am actually happy that I got sober before I hit perimenopause, I guess from the hormonal challenges women experience, that's probably more difficult combined with early sobriety than the predictable PMS days.
Approaching two years sober, I still am clearly most prone to being mentally hyper, tired, or just generally "out of it" around that time of the month, I also get cravings for instant gratification such as food or sex... My thinking sometimes becomes a bit foggy and it's harder to concentrate. These things are normal, I just run with it, it always passes quickly. Still much, much better and less amount of time feeling unsteady than when I was drinking!
I agree with others, a checkup with the doctor may not be a bad idea. Many women also experience significant improvement on hormonal birth control and other forms of treatment. I find that it helps to especially watch my diet around that time and make healthy choices. My cycle was sometimes really off when I was drinking but in sobriety it's like clockwork, very predictable including the two bad mood / concentration days. I try to keep it in mind in advance and not plan the most challenging tasks for those couple days if possible. Of course I can't always afford to act this way, then I just stick it out and not react to it much. I am actually happy that I got sober before I hit perimenopause, I guess from the hormonal challenges women experience, that's probably more difficult combined with early sobriety than the predictable PMS days.
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