Trouble Sleeping
Several years ago, I started having random nightmares and/or hallucinations. They all went something like: I get home from work and am dead tired from the previous night's drinking. I need to take a nap for a couple hours so I have enough energy to drink later in the night, get a buzz, and be ready for work the next day. I lay down on the couch (or whatever) staring at the wall across the room and doze off to find myself dreaming of looking at the same wall. However, there is this mysterious horrifying presence there. Not something I can see or understand, but something that I can feel...and it is closing in on me. I try to wake up, but I can't. I'm staring at the wall terrified and I have no control over my body. I keep telling myself to wake up but still can't. Eventually, I focus enough energy on waking up to seemingly do it...just to find out that I am still sleeping and still don't have control over my body. Finally in a burst of anger and rage, I force myself to wake up (and do) to find that I'm laying on the couch with my heart beating double time, I'm sweating, and am ready to attack some entity across the room that doesn't exist.
So thanks for reading the story. This still happens quite frequently to me and has gotten progressively worse as time passed. I tried to figure out why for the longest time, but I'm pretty sure the experience is linked to trying to fall asleep unsedated by alcohol. I am trying to go through a self-recovery process right now and I find sleeping without being buzzed or drunk very difficult.
Has anyone else had this or a similar experience? If so, my main question: when sober how long does this last???? It is not fun.