Originally Posted by
FightingIrish 
I realize I didn't really answer your question. Yes, I was anxious and depressed after quitting drinking. Alcohol is a depressant. Withdrawal from alcohol is a sudden change in equilibrium for your brain. The nerves, which are used to over-compensating for repeated exposure to a depressant, become over-excited/excitable when suddenly without alcohol. And if alcohol was the solution to boredom, then suddenly not having it is likely to be disconcerting. We become unaccustomed to constructively using our time when our default has been alcohol.
My depression disappeared about a year or so after abstaining completely. But I was a very heavy, everyday drinker toward the end.
M
I am 65 and have been a heavy evening drinker since I was 15. ( 2 bottles wine per night)Tommorrow marks 6 weeks since I quit. I am going OK, maybe because I have maintained a lot of regular exercise along the way - dont really know.....but this confusion/boredom/hopelessness/tiredness thing has hit me strongly. GREAT To find out that this is " normal" and that I need to be patient. Thanks for being here folks...this means a lot and is seriously helpful right now
