Dn915

My problem is not only with alcohol, I have been a daily cannabis smoker for around 14 years, i had a medial license & i still think cannabis shouldn't be made legal,, honestly think its the most deadly drug on this whole planet because it is so easily grown & available but long story short I would binge drink pretty heavily while i smoked,, & over the years it has put such a toll on my health & body, i am 33,, i would pretty much drink few times a week a 12/18 pack of beer, or 1.5L of wine, or 750 vodka, get sick/hung over & use cannabis to ease the sickness then back to drinking again ,, with these two poisons & being a welder, auto body guy & being around all those chemicals im amazed im still alive,, ive quit the cannabis for good but i still have urge to drink,, its hard but i know i can completely get sober for life & not have an early painful agonizing death, but as i get older it takes longer & longer for body to recover from the booze, at 33 it takes me around 2weeks - month off booze to feel normal,, but after getting really sick from drinking/smoking lost 40 pounds, been to ER twice with agonizing stomach & backpain(liver/kidneys) & not having any health benefits because my dumbass over the years didn't care much about my health & that i could get so sick, the recovery has taken me around 4 months,, im feeling better, but still have a long ways, i know if i pushed my body a bit harder id be dead,, but juicing fruits & veg helps a lot(apples,beets,carrots,celery, cabbage),, a lot of water, soups,, less fried food the better, fish helps a lot(not fried!) olive oil,, staying away from any stressful environment helps a lot, reading, music,, etc,,, i know for an adult male 2 beers a day is safe but any thing over 6 beers & you start damaging your liver but like with me the cannabis put a much heavier stress on body,, i just hope i can fully recover my health, it is pure hell on earth when your health is gone

MIRecovery

I have been told and would agree with 5 years before all physical problems are gone and the brain chemistry has returned to normal

RaiseAnchor

Though I don't necessarily condone it... Right out the door with sobriety I changed the way I ate, and paid attention to nutrition. I did start going on walks more often and made it a point to get up and move around at work more often.

However, this is where it gets subjective, I did find myself consuming a 6oz cup of coffee every two hours or so during my work day. This definitely helped with any fatigue that I may have felt during the process. I still consume coffee, and maybe someday I'd like to cease caffeine, but I can't say it's really had any negatives (other than more bathroom breaks, maybe). Does it get better? I don't know, but just waking up everyday without a hangover has made a world of difference in my productivity, concentration, and personal growth.

kamm

I am 35 days sober and still feeling fatigue and major emotional ups and downs.

However, my diarrhea, upset stomach, severe anxiety, and heart palpitations are gone.

I was a binge drinker for about 10 years able to put away a 12 pack of beer 2 or 3 nights a week. I am also a fitness instructor that gets tons of exercise. My diet is so-so.... lots of ice cream recently. I don't miss exercising hung over, though.

Force

Yes, I experienced a rash as well. I saw three different doctors and they were all baffled. I am sure it was due to my liver and the toxins trapped in my body... A year later I got two big patches, one on my leg and one on my elbow... Went to my doc she said it was bacterial, it didnt go away with meds, so I went to a dermatolgist and she said it psoriasis, it still didnt go away with the treatment for that. I QUIT DRINKING, and the patches are gone!

ttamelbon

While I'm happy to see so many people who feel right as rain after two weeks, I'm certainly not one of them.

I'll be sober a year September 4th, and I still have days where my body rebels and simply won't cooperate. For the first five months, I was almost passing out from anxiety any time I left the house, at work, or in social situations. I would try to exercise and would get a panic attack in the middle of a bike ride, or at the gym.

I also have had a rough ride with GI issues. I experienced no appetite, dry heaves (these arose only in sobriety), and a peculiar feeling in my stomach that isn't painful but radiates through my whole body, strongly encouraging me to lay down.

During my first month and again last week, I fell asleep without being able to stop it, not unlike narcolepsy. One minute just sitting then fall asleep, and then next minute awake. Quite disconcerting.

I've experienced dizziness, photophobia, nausea, diarrhea, two occasions of brief paranoia, lack of appetite, anxiety, anhedonia, lethargy, heart palpitations, sensitivity to smells, coordination problems, fits of electrical feelings in my body, and many more symptoms. I drank heavily for about 21 years, with some hard and soft drugs in there for good measure.

The good news is that I've had my health checked quite thoroughly (MRIs, CT scans, blood, ultrasound, etc) and nothing seems to be wrong but my nerves and neurotransmitters. All of the symptoms I mentioned have been steadily improving, but with relapses every week or couple of weeks. But I am getting better. The good stretches are getting longer, and the bad stretches are getting shorter and less intense.

Nowadays, I can exercise more, eat better, and live a more normal life. I am absolutely not all better though. I can feel that my body may have another year or so of working out the kinks. But the future looks promising, and I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel (and not the one I was heading towards before).

I should also say that this community has helped me a lot, even though I'm mostly a lurker. Thank you.

EJDSherman

Kamm- Your story and drinking habits seem to be very close to mine. I have an appointment with my doctor scheduled and am very worried about damage that I may have already done. I'm currently 34 years old.

Had you done much damage to your liver? Was any irreversible?

Thanks.

Silentbrd

I have a brother who spent a week in Icu detoxing, then transferred to a rehab for physical and speech therapy. He is having seizures since detoxing, which they think he will be in this rehab program for 3-4 months. Does anyone have any idea of how long rehab lasts for newly recovering alcoholics? Or has any advice on how I can help my brother?

SoberinSyracuse

I've been sober 69 days. As luck (or lack thereof) would have it, I've picked up a really bad head/sinus/bronchial thing. Crushing fatigue, dizziness, etc. Bad, bad mojo.

Normally, something like that would have me down for about three weeks. But today is Day 5, and I'm going to be ready to return to work tomorrow.

The body is an amazing healing machine. They all recover in their own time, but we just gotta keep faith that we reside in bodies that are fearfully and wonderfully made!

SoberinSyracuse

Hi, I've been on this site for about three months and one thing I've noticed is that everybody's story is a little different.

Please don't worry too much about whether or not your brother's recovery is typical. The important thing is that there's a good medical staff monitoring him closely and helping him get through this.

I was kept on an anti-seizure med for a while; I trust his caretakers are taking steps to minimize his seizures?

Sassysoberchick

I wonder the same. I am 4.5 months out and tired all the time. I drank for 25 years. I'm 40 and just have no energy.

Dee74

Hi sassysoberchick

I started feeling better & more energised when I made myself be a little bit more active.
How active are you?

D

Jade1224

I think it also depends on mental health too. If youre naturally prone to depression and anxiety you might not return to normal faster than you would like.

For me, it's day 2 and I already feel better. Not completely normal but getting there.

Exercise is great for the physical and mental repair!

advbike

I would tend to agree with this actually. I'm about two and a half years sober and making progress now on my emotional recovery.. the physical part takes a year or less. But rewiring the brain and healing those brain chemical receptors so we feel good naturally.. that takes time if you were a steady drinker for decades, like me. I didn't even drink that much, but I used it to suppress my feelings and regulate my emotions. Life is so much better now.

esoxlucius

I'm pretty much the same as Advbike above, took the best part of a year to physically feel better. Once my energy levels got up (after about four or five months) I started exercising a lot more and improving my diet and that definitely helped a lot.

Now I'm coming up on 14 months and feel really good (except from the aches and pains from the gym sessions that is). I know a lot of people focus on diet and exercise as soon as they quit, I had to just focus on not drinking and the diet and exercise came later as I got a little better.

ardy

Hi kids and beans.. my Hubby is 61...started crapping up his body and life at 9 years of age.. how long does it take to get back what you lost.. the next life people you may get to try in the next life.. we are now battling problems with his heart.. he is in hospital and on morphine for that pain. once again.. will he get better... I am honest and truthful to myself.. no babe Dear Ardy he will not get better. we have had our time together in the 1990's.. I am watching my hubby of 24 years slowly melt to the end he thought he would do at 30 years of age and failed at. why well he met me a Lady Clown that grew up in a Marines house. not on my watch Son Not on my Watch...

Che

Imagine you've bought something perishable. You used it up, and now it turns out you don't think it was worth what you paid. But you can't get a refund, because you used it. All you can do is earn more money, so you can have money to spend on something else. It's not really a problem most of the time. What if you didn't spend money a few times on things that turned out to be a waste? I guess you'd be a little richer. You don't have to burn all your money if you wasted some once.

FormerWineGirl

As it has been said, there are so many variables that no two people are going to have the same recovery. The number of years you spent drinking, coupled with overall health probably has a lot to do with it. Like someone said earlier, I drank for so long, and I am older now, so what is my new "normal"? I definitely don't have the energy I once had, but that probably has more to do with my age than anything else, as I am actually (thankfully) a very healthy person. At 18 months, I am still trying to figure out "normal".

MelindaFlowers

I feel better on day two than I ever did with a hangover.

That said though, I experienced one year post-acute withdrawal symptoms, better known as PAWS. It kind of felt like having a mild hangover for a year. Definitely mild but definitely there.

carmen303

Is it unusual to rapidly drop too much unhealthy weight after detox? 6 months sober and no change.