My tongue is dressed for winter
I was prepared for all sorts of weird physical effects of withdrawal and recovery. I was not prepared for the thick tongue coating I've recently been experiencing. I thought I had just burned it really bad, but couldn't remember how. And then of course the hypochondriac alcoholic mind kicked in and suggested that it might be related to recovery. Turns out that a coated tongue is common with excessive alcohol use (which makes sense to me, as I was pouring vast quantities of fire-water over it for years). I otherwise have good oral hygiene. So, my tongue is apparently joining the rest of my body in expelling all the crap left over from years of abuse, and working on growing healthy new cells.
As a possibly-related aside, I've also realized that my sense of taste was drastically altered while I was drinking, and only just now is it getting back to normal. Finally, my morning coffee is tasting the way it used to!