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Old 05-22-2003, 08:09 AM
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Hi friends. Well I am wondering about your experiences with this. I am 13 days sober today! I am having the worst time with sleeping. I have gotten off of all pills, alchohol etc..... which did include Ambien for sleep. My dr. said that they are not addictive physically but could be mentally. I never took more than the prescribed amount and actually took half of the Rx amt. This not sleeping is awful and I am wondering, do I loose sober time if I take my Ambien to sleep at night. This is the only time I take it and I achieve NO FLOAT from it. I dont want to screw up here.... but I have to sleep! I have refills at the pharmacy for Klonopin just sitting there taunting me to fill it..... and I know that I have a serious issue with that. Help! Any suggestions very welcome! I want to stay sober!!!! I am going to AA meetings 3-4 times per week . During the day I am so anxious and hands are shaky that I cannot concentrate. My stomach has an actual feeling in it of nervousness!! I know I have serious anxiety, but Valium or Xanex is not an option for me any more. Thanks for the ear!
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Old 05-22-2003, 10:18 AM
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My expereience after 6 weeks of sobriety is that the sleep quality does get better. Just give it time. Whatever you do, stay away from the Klonopin!!

It only gets better with time. Congrats on the 13 days.
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Old 05-22-2003, 10:40 AM
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Subtle yet overstated....
 
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Hang in there...

A lot of the anxiety and sleeplessness is from your body readjusting to the absence of all the foriegn chemicals. It took me quite a while to finally get a good night's sleep, probably a month. Part of that was physical and part of that was mental. I was very jittery and my mood swings were just horrendous. It has gotten a lot better.
This is a point where I diverge from a lot of AA's and that is on the issue of meds. If you are taking them as prescribed under a doctor's supervision that can help, however, I did have some bad experiences with Klonopin especially and to an extent with Xanax (I don't take either at this point). I never took Valium except when a buddy had a couple extras he wanted to sell me so I can't say much about that
Part of the issue with me was identifying which symptoms were withdrawl symptoms and which ones were part of my overall mental illness (another issue entirely) and taking action accordingly.
Anyhow, keep it up! 13 days is a long time. It really does get better!
Hope that made sense, I'm at work trying to eat lunch and reading the boards.

Tim
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Old 05-22-2003, 10:44 AM
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This is a question you really must discuss with your doctor.People will give you all sorts of well intended advice...but advice can be a dangerous thing.No one knows your medical history as well as your doc.Talk honestly and follow his directions.Congrats on the 13 days...it really will get better.Take care and keep posting.

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Old 05-22-2003, 10:47 AM
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Subtle yet overstated....
 
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THAT's the part I forgot

Hi Phoenix,
After all my rambling, I forgot the most important point! Thanks for stressing that :o

Tim
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Old 05-22-2003, 11:00 AM
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I agree with Phoenix and Tim - Be honest with your doctor about your addiction and follow his advice.

When I got sober, I was taking Celexa and Klonopin for anxiety. My doctor (who dealt alot with addictive medicine) took me right off the Klonopin - which, of course, was doing the best job of managing the anxiety.

Like you, I went through big time mood swings and was generally unpleasant to be around for several weeks. But it gets better. With me, I had to learn to cope without the booze crutch to relieve stress.

"Like all things, this too shall pass." Your situation will get better. You're doing the right thing.

I hope this is of some use or comfort to you. Congrats on your time.

Good luck and God Bless.
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Old 05-22-2003, 01:21 PM
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Understand what your going through. Only 16 days sober and still waking in the middle of the night like clock work at 1 and 3 am. But I have been doing this for over a year. Took the sleeping pills doc gave but they didn't help me much. They helped me get to sleep but not stay asleep. Being terrified of becoming addicted to pills all my life, kinda funny coming from an alcoholic, I tossed them.

There is a natural supplement my doc approved called melatonin, it's an alternative to controled sleeping aides, but like the above mentioned, you should check with your doctor.

I am simply going to be patient and hopefully my sobriety, combined with exercise which I haven't done in eons, will present itself to a good ole nights sleep.

At least I don't wake up grasping for water and wondering how hungover I am going to be for the day!
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Old 05-22-2003, 03:04 PM
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Originally posted by phoenix
This is a question you really must discuss with your doctor.People will give you all sorts of well intended advice...but advice can be a dangerous thing.No one knows your medical history as well as your doc.Talk honestly and follow his directions.Congrats on the 13 days...it really will get better.Take care and keep posting.

phoenix
What phoenix said!! Don't know anyone who ever died from lack of sleep. When you get tired enough, you'll sleep. Just take it easy.
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Old 05-22-2003, 06:32 PM
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I had trouble sleeping when I first got sober.It actually seems to be pretty common among many people during the first couple of weeks of recovery.

Very often my mind would race and my thoughts would all seem to fly off in different directions at the same time.Alcohol was one of the things that used to help to quiet the clamor in my head.

Without alcohol so many thought would just keep flying around inside my head that I found sleep virtually impossible.

Talking with other people that had experienced what I was going through helped to reassure me that it was a phase of recovery that would pass eventually.

I did a lot of reading during those first nights of sleeplessness.I read the AA Big Book and just about every pamphlet that AA had ever published at the time.

Someone also introduced me to "Celestial Seasons Sleepy Time" tea and I found it very soothing and it also helped me to sleep.
It is all natural and safe and most major supermarkets should have it.

As long as we stay focused on our recovery the sleeplessness will pass.

Peter.
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Old 05-23-2003, 10:40 AM
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Thanks

Thanks to all for your input. I do appreciate it. I guess the answer is to probably wait it out. You are right, no one ever died from lack of sleep! LOL.... This board is such a help.
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Old 05-23-2003, 11:32 PM
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Was wondering, reading through this thread, if drinking Celestial Seasonings tea would be a good alternative for sleep. My favorite is Tension Tamer Extra w/Valerian Root, but it's not in all stores. Sleepy Time is good too.

Anyone have experience with Valerian Root? A Chiropractor I saw recommended it as a natural relaxing agent. Works well.

Don't really trust M.D.'s all that much, and don't like taking meds, unless it's a last resort for a serious injury or something.

God Bless
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Old 05-24-2003, 01:42 AM
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Re: Thanks

Originally posted by LettingGo
Thanks to all for your input. I do appreciate it. I guess the answer is to probably wait it out. You are right, no one ever died from lack of sleep! LOL.... This board is such a help.
It used to drive me crazy to hear people say that.Sleep deprivation can have some very serious consequences.Falling asleep at the wheel,lapses in judgement,and even a kind of psychotic state if it goes on long enough.

Losing a night or two here and there may be no big deal.But if it's worse than that or becomes chronic a person may have deeper problems.Again,honest discussion with your doctor is the best solution.Take care and keep posting.

phoenix
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Old 05-24-2003, 05:59 AM
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Letting Go,
I like flavored teas too but one of the tools I use is physical exercise. I'm up in the morning at 0400 and in the gym from 0530 until about 0800. Then I work. I'm usually moving from early morning until after dinner in the evening and then it's time to start winding down. Try getting out of the house and staying physically active for eight to ten hours a day do something, anything. Go to a meeting "every" day and get that load off your mind....dump all the crap on a daily basis. Sure, drink some tea if that'll help but don't sit around. I don't know how active you are so I'm just sharing what works for me. Man, when 8:00 PM rolls around I'm ready for bed, unless of course, I'm in the middle of a meeting.
Personnaly, I have nothing against going to a doctor if there's something wrong. However, nowadays, doctors are in such fear of law suits and such that they sometimes go to such lengths to cover their own butts, that the patients butt gets messed up in the process. If I have a problem that I'm aware of, I'll go to a doctor and tell him to take care of that problem. But, I try every thing at my disposal first. If you've tried everything else and a doctor seems the only way to go, then by all means go. What have you got to lose? There's always more pills....
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Old 05-25-2003, 06:59 PM
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Racing Thoughts?

Peter and company:

I hang over in the alanon side, and stop here occasionally to try to understand what you all are going through.

You mentioned racing thoughts..... that's something that my husband talks about having too. I think he is addicted to alcohol, but, of course, his opinion differs.

Did you ever get an explaination of what that is about? Is that common side affect of drinking or did it happen when you went without alcohol?

Just trying to figure out what exactly it is that I'm living with.......

Thanks,
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Old 05-25-2003, 07:29 PM
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Indy 500 in my head

Racing thoughts - no concentration or focus is all to common for me. Drinking helped me relax and slow everything down - caused more problems that it solved.

I was diagnosed as hyper active before starting grade school, but I also have some of the signs of being bipolar too. I hate being labeled, though

Sleeping is not all that easy, unless I've worn myself out or relaxed a little with some Tension Tamer Tea. I find myself trying to focus on one thing, then on a really bad night especially when I'm stressed, having thought after thought come and go about whatever I'm trying to deal with in my life. I'm getting better at controling it. Find that if I can force my self to focus on one thing - I can eventually fall asleep.

Haven't had a really deep rem sleep in a long time - no dreams either. Was like this, even before I started drinking.

Last edited by solotraveler; 05-25-2003 at 07:35 PM.
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Old 05-25-2003, 08:51 PM
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Similar to what Solo described I had a very real problem focusing my mind and concentrating.

I would have a hundred different thoughts all at the same time.

Because my thoughts were constantly "racing" I had difficulty reading a book,following a conversation or even making a simple decision about where to go for lunch.I also tended to be very forgetful.

I would have three or four different tasks going on at the same time and not be able to properly complete even one of them.

As I mentioned alcohol was one of the few things that would help to "quiet my mind" so I could sleep.

However alcohol was a double edged sword that only helped in perpetuating and compounding the problem

It is a very uncomfortable place this state of "restlessness and unease",but AA helped me to develop an understanding of myself and my condition.

Working The Steps and developing a relationship with my Higher Power was able to instill in me a sense of calmness and peace that I had not known in a long time.

Peter.
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Old 05-26-2003, 04:24 AM
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Seems to me the Big Book describes a practicing alkie as being "restless, irritable, and discontent" until they can get that next drink. Maybe, just maybe this sleepless situation is just part of the process....what do y'all think??
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Old 05-26-2003, 08:32 AM
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Hi Letting Go - I sympathize with the lack of sleep problem - it can make the following day difficult in many ways. Your body will adjust over time, but as you are reluctant to use prescribed meds in the meantime, there are many alternative herbal and/or naturopathic products that are helpful. Juls has posted before about a product called "Calms Forte" which is all natural and available from health food stores - she also had difficulty with sleeping and she found this product to be particularly helpful. Good luck, and hope you're having sweet dreams again soon!
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Old 05-27-2003, 04:24 PM
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Thanks to all for your input. I do appreciate it. I guess the answer is to probably wait it out. You are right, no one ever died from lack of sleep! LOL.... This board is such a help.
Oh man!! I once didn't sleep for 5 days. No drugs, just unable to sleep. It was one of the most miserable times of my life.... and one of the reasons I started drinking (again). Anyway, I wound up in a mental hospital.... I did become psychotic.

Now that I've quit drinking, I get around 5-6 hours of sleep per night (with a couple of sleepless nights) and its driving me nuts. And yes, I'm working with my doc..... he won't give me anything strong enough to knock me out because I'm an alcoholic/drug addict (can't blame him)

Don't underestimate sleep!
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