Originally Posted by 1stthingsfirst

I am on day 8 and have not touched any alcohol.All in all, it has been pretty easy for me to abstain and stand up to the Addictive Voice - at least in that aspect. It is easy NOT to do something; but getting the hang of other aspects of day-to-day living is challenging.

The last two days have been especially stressful. Nothing major, just lots of annoyances, some in my control, others out of my control. On a day like this, I would have most certainly had more wine or beer than was healthy for me. I am resolute in being sober for the rest of my life and although I don't really feel like getting drunk now, I am just constantly frustrated with everything and having a hard time settling down.

It feels like swimming in deep water, with nowhere to stop. I just have to keep going...

I realize that for me, alcohol addiction/reliance was destructive because instead of developing coping and stress management skills, I used alcohol to subdue uncomfortable feelings. I stunted my emotional growth and emotional intelligence as a result. I have to figure it out now, at the same time I am trying to amend relationships, finances and my health. It is very hard to do this.

Please tell me that this gets easier as I go along... I have been doing my very best to get healthy over the last week; I just feel like I have hit a brick wall.

Frustrated.