Welcome back, Pipedreamer! I am very close to two years sober now. It was tough at first; I learned that I had never so much "fell asleep" as just passed out. In the past I would have a target time in mind when I wanted to be asleep and time my drinking to be unconscious by then. Not a great plan but that's how I lived for a couple decades.
Everything has to change. I guess if you were sober for two years you have some idea how to get started. I'm not sure why you began drinking again...you'll have to figure that out to avoid the same fate.
The first week was the hardest. I relied on OTC sleep meds and melatonin for a few weeks. I wasn't crazy about that but it was better than panic attacks at bedtime.
Winding down was actually pretty easy- without being drunk all the time I found I never really got wound up in the first place. I had thought booze was an outlet for my stress but in actually booze was causing it. I drank to get over a crappy day, but the resultant hangover made the next day even worse. So of course I needed to get drunk again to get over
that day. Chased my tail that way for 25 years.
Ultimately in time you just discover your life again. It takes care of itself to a degree. I always liked to read so being sober gave me time for that. Plus all my other hobbies.
I'm glad you found your way back again, Pipedreamer, and I hope you'll stick around. You can get back that zest for life you used to have!
