Hey Alyce, I am glad you are here. The first day is scary and difficult but you feel a huge victory waking up for day 2. The beginning of the day was pretty easy as I always began at 5 pm but once evening came I became moody, agitated, and not much for conversation. These are tips that helped me to get through the first day. And in all honesty it wasn't that bad looking back it sure felt like it at the time. Here are my tips from a week ago:
*I actively took it as easy as I could on myself. I set myself up on the couch in a nest of blankets, my laptop so I could read posts on here, and everything I needed in arm's reach: water bottle, soda, TV controller, phone, snacks. I was too scattered to focus on a movie or show but reading posts on here made the time pass more quickly. I was fortunate to not have major withdrawals but I was definitely in a foul mood.
*I avoided stressful discussions with hubby/friends/children. I didn't feel like talking much the first few days and just focused on myself. You can always argue about politics, cleaning the house, religion, or finances another day.
*I made an inventory of the positives and negatives of your drinking. My positives are 1) I want to feel good when I wake up. 2) I want to lose weight and get healthy 3) I want to be in control of what I say and do. No more blackout humiliation. 4) I want to be more alert, centered, and productive at work. 5) I want to feel that sense of calm and ordinary happiness I had before I ever drank. My list is long but those are my main reasons.
*I allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted. I had macaroni and cheese for dinner with ice cream plus some thin pizzas from Trader Joes. I also found that I didn't feel guilty because I wasn't drinking my 1200 calories of alcohol. A full stomach eased my mind.
*When bedtime came, I took my laptop to bed to keep reading here but I found that kept me more alert and awake than I should be at night. I didn't sleep very well so the next night I took a magazine to bed and read under the lamp and banned myself from the laptop and phone. If I didn't fall asleep in 20 minutes the lamp came back on and I read a bit more. I fell asleep on maybe the third try.
I hope these tips help you get through day 1. It wasn't easy but I knew I had to get active in making it easier. Waking up on day 2 feels like a small victory and my strength and resolve gets stronger with each day. You can do it! Keep us posted on your progress.
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