Gottalife

It has been quite a while since I was in your shoes, but something about your post caught my interest. First you have to stop drinking is what they say. Nice thought, logical, and I would have long ago if I had the power. But I didn't, so the first thing for me to do was to find the power.

When I realised that and got busy with my quest, I found myself sober, with no inclination to drink.

I can certainly relate to the racing mind. It was a problem I had whenever I was sober, and alone, particularly when I wanted to sleep. The racing mind and the sweats and the tiredness etc were all part of withdrawal, but while the physical symptoms eased off, my mind was a mad house for quite a time after I had my last drink.

Maybe it was brain damage, maybe a spiritual disconnect, but I had lost the ability to think my way through the most simple of things. Just choosing what socks to wear was a major undertaking. My mind was not functioning very well. It certainly was in no state to bring about a miracle cure in me. It was like having a head full of scrambled eggs.

What did I do? The very first day after my last drink I was at an AA meeting. I didn't speak (couldn't string together a sentence), just took comfort from the others that there was a way out. I listened. I did some of those basic things like eating and washing. I hung out with some other newbies during the day. Then after a week or two I started to act on some of the other things I was hearing, then I blinked and I was three months sober and the whole world had changed.

The racing mind was largely gone, I remember exactly the day that happened. Ultimately it was the result of keeping an open mind and being willing to take action. Like I said, the action started with very small stuff, eating and washing, then listening then seeking, then doing.