Day 3 and my first post.
Hi. I've been lurkin through the posts here and have found some really awesome advise and stories! I had no idea what PAW was until I came here... and that changed EVERYTHING! I drank for about 7 years, the last 2 pretty hard! I tried to quit a few times but could not get over the "hump". Also, friends would always "pressure" me to drink (as if that wasn't our main social activity), or something to any degree of misfortune would occur, and I would cave pretty quick. This caused me to never really come out of the fog I had been living in for more than a few days at a time. I have really had some clarity reading on this forum...I learned that the same pattern I found myself in is the same as a lot of you guys and it's awesome to hear that there's a way to win the battle!
I'm 30, I had just graduated paramedic school (after being an EMT for 5 years) when I got a DUI. This made the year my toughest and drinking got HARD! A half pint of Sailor Jerry in the first 2 hours of a night then beer after. A party night consisted of drink after drink of anything until complete failure with little recollection afterward. My GF came over mon. night n we drank, thus ending a short attempt to "slow down" (the moderation game we all seem to play for a while). I dealt with the hangover as usual. The next day I decided I can't do this anymore. I've thought that before, but this time I decided it was true.
So... That first day was pretty standard. Shakes, body aches. CRAZY emotions, anxiety and worst of all an an-shakeable sense of impending doom... as if my life was never going to get better again. Had a misunderstanding with the ladyfriend and I made it into a god-forsaken phone war! Very irritable...
The next day felt better and I started chowin' down in the evening. I believe I consumed about 3000 calories yesterday.
Today I feel a lot better but... as with everytime I have put drinking on hold, the PAW symptoms are still around and this is the first time I have been aware of it! My brain is friggin useless. I can't remember what I walked in a room for. I have to really concentrate to get anything done. I'm listless. Not depressed, cause I'm hopeful and even excited for sobriety. Can't wait to start feelin' normal again!