How long does it last?
The hangover. Not the gut wrenching, head pounding, shameful hangover of a night out. No. I know how long that lasts. I am talking of the early recovery leap into the unknown hangover. I am talking of the sober alcoholic.
I read somewhere that in sobriety we become the people we were always meant to be. If that is the case then I am not very impressed with the real me. Four months into recovery I find that I am more impatient and intolerant than I have ever been as a drunk. While drinking to excess I somehow found it easier to accept other people, to overlook character flaws and to ignore downright stupidity. I suppose I knew that as a drunk many overlooked my bad behaviour and I reciprocated.
Either this is the real me, or this is still part of the long term effect of abusive drinking. Whatever it is, I will have to work a lot harder at becoming a more acceptable human being, not only for others but also for myself.