How long does it take for your body to fully recover from alcoholism? (physically)
 

I know "once and alcoholic always an alcoholic", but what I meant by this...is when you want to stop drinking...when do you stop feeling terrible physically? A month? 6 months? a whole year?

Just curious as to what happened for everyone else.

Thanks.

I stopped for seven days, caved and had two glasses of wine, and i stopped for the past 5 days and I'm still feeling quite lethargic.

Each person is different.
Exercise, diet, nutrition, general health condition, Fitness level. Length of abuse.
Many things can cause it to be longer or shorter for one person over another.
Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water and you will feel better faster.
For you it could be a month (just a guess) but with a healthy diet and maybe some exercise added in, it could shorten to 2 weeks (just a guess again)
I can't know how long for you..just used those numbers as an example.
What I do know... it does get better the longer we remain sober but a return to our old ways can have the feelings return in an instant.

I am in total agreement with best.

Everyone's body is different.

I think it all depends on your basic health.
It's always wise to have a medical check up
and be honest with the doctor.

:)...Good to see you are hading
towards a sober future.

I think it was around 14 days, 1 hour (morning meeting) 5 minutes.


I recall thinking -"I actually feel really good right now". The strong meeting and strong coffee helped.

I was drinking 1 pint vodka/day for about 5 years. It took 1 year for my blood work to return to normal. Blood pressure came down to normal in 2 weeks.

jane

For me I started feeling better physically in about 2 weeks, I was still far from "right" but I felt better every day after for a good 3 months, my liver enzymes returned to normal levels after 3 months as well as the puffyness in my face, the swelling of my liver was gone at about 6 months, my energy levels still are not all the way back to normal after 16 months, but they are getting close to being back to normal, of course after drinking for 40 years I am not sure what my normal energy level really should be at 54! LOL

Mentally I still am seeing improvements. I take vitamins, I eat well, I quit smoking in Sept., I am now going to the gym on a regular basis.

No matter how long or how much one has drank, the longer they stay sober the better they will feel.

I was wondering this today as well. I haven't been sober for long yet. Not even two weeks. All of the physical and mental pains I was dousing in alcohol are hard to deal with at times. Sleepless nights, muscle twitches like crazy, itching all the time, complexion good one day and then looking like a 14 yr old with acne the next, aches and pains I haven't felt in years or maybe never had them before and now do because I've abused the hell out of my body with the booze. But each day I see things getting better. I'm gaining weight, eating better and drink nearly as much water as I was drinking alcohol. Brain isn't foggy anymore, for the most part. Everyone says it takes time and all depends on physical condition, amount of booze was being consumed and activity level. Just have to be patient and hope that one day soon, I'll sleep through the night without twitching and wake up without the itches.

I'm wondering this too. Last time I consciously stopped drinking, it only took a few days and I felt great. This time, it's been 12 days and I'm still tired all the time. That could be from not drinking, or it could be out of depression (which is what made me drink more than I should in the first place). The only thing for certain is that with time, you'll feel better if you keep at the sobriety than if you have a drink.

Lando.....:wavey:.......seeleybooth....:wavey:

Early sobriety is diffuclt for most of us
and it will get easier for most who stay on track...:yup:

Checking with your doctor is always a wise idea

Welcome to our Alcoholism Forum

I'm 36 and drank over a 12 pack a day for the last 5 years prior to that binge drank away 3 nights a week plus for 10 years maybe more...I stopped drinking 2 months ago and I'm just now starting to feel better again. I still have stomach and back pains and I'm depressed all the time and worried sick about my health...God, I should of done this years ago right. The important thing is I did it but now I'm super worried about the long term effects. I hope I can heal up nicely and continue to have a good life...

welcome to SR robbieg :)

If you're worried about what you may have done to yourself, why not see your Dr and have a check up?

I know it's scary, but chances are you're healthier than you fear and it will put your mind at ease :)

D

Just my experience: I slept a ton the first two weeks and then noticed a gradual improvement. For the first 6-8 months I got every illness that looked in my direction (I never got sick when I drank, my body was too toxic for germs:)). At about 8 months I stopped getting sick and started to feel really good. At 17 months I am feeling good but still working on repairing the damage that a decade of excess brought (I smoked as well as drank, that makes a difference I think).

Everyone is different. I quit for 6 days 4 years before I quit for good and by the end of those 6 days I looked and felt like a new woman...I wish I had stayed quit then because i didn't bounce back like that this time.

A few people have already said this but it deserves to be repeated:DRINK LOTS OF WATER! It really helps in many ways. Working out is great. I'm at 48 days and I still feel like crap some days (but still waaaay better than a "standard issue" hangover). The good days make me feel like I can fly. One thing that will not make you feel better is taking a drink!

19th day for me, and my blood pressure has gone wayyy down to normal. Also, my resting heart rate was at 85 beats per minute and now it's down to 68. I can't believe what a drastic difference it has made to quit drinking. So if I stop putting copious amounts of liquid poison in my body, I'll get healthier...who would've guessed?

I should note these results are from daily exercise (biked 12+ miles, or ran 3-4 miles, or took 2+ hr walks) and eating an almost vegetarian diet.

I think it may depend on how long you drank. Two years? 15 years? Of course there will be a difference.

You won't be able to recover physically to the state you were in before drinking. The reason is, you've gotten older (well duh!).

If you've been drinking for many years it might be hard to tell if physical changes are the result of drinking, or just aging. Regardless, the sooner you quit, the better your physical health can get. Myself, I now work out several times a week (I'm 50+) and feel like I'm in pretty decent shape.

Would I be in better shape if I hadn't drank so much? Probably, but who really knows. If I hadn't been drunk at home some night years ago, I might instead have gotten hitten by a bus while jogging.

I am new at this, I can stay sober for a 21 days and then slip up, with wine and beer, now since 3 days in a row... ugh tired of slipping.

As mentioned above; so many factors come into play. The last time I made it over a year I started feeling really good after a month or so (which was also the time I started drinking again on my prior two attempts). I have noticed that each subsequent time My withdrawal experience had become a little worse. I was never an all day drinker but would chase oblivion by slamming strong iced/malted beer at least a couple time a week. Then It became every night. This time, just prior to quitting, I was able to drink regular beer all day with out really getting a buzz (which I did a couple time a month). All our experiences differ somewhat, but I think the important thing is that they are all so similar.

Welcome to SR Faustina :)

D