MelindaFlowers

Question:

Has anyone experienced any difficulty with typing since becoming sober? I can type my normal speed but I find myself leaving out letters, typing words twice in a row, adding extra letters to words, etc. in at least a few words in each post. Normally I am a very good speller and good with grammar. I suppose it's just my brain resetting itself. Day 4 here. Nightly binger before.


My Memory Tonight

About six months ago I got a mild/medium intensity flu and didn't drink for three days. On the second day I remember thinking that I actually felt better with the flu than I did normally; my normal being hung over every single day.

Not sure if that is terribly interesting but it just came to me tonight and made me take a pause.

Feeling grrrrrrrreat today and this evening. (When you read that say it in your head like Tony the Tiger from those old Frosted Flakes commercials)

penny74

l can relate to the bit about the typing !
l thought it was wierd too !

Nevertheless

I do a lot more writing than typing. But YES I have this problem a lot. I go to write something down, and write the letters out of sequence, or leave them out.
It all started when I quit drinking.
I have been sober over 15 months, and am still doing it. Not as bad though.
I have made mistakes at work that I know are because I quit drinking. Don't get me wrong. I am far better off with the weird mistakes than all the hangovers. But my memory and attitude have changed bigtime.
It's kind of scary when you really think about it. Alcohol alters brain chemistry and the way we think. Iduno. But I figure it took me 30 years of drinking to get as screwed up as I am so common sense to me says it might take 2 or 3 years to heal. I sure ain't gonna start drinking again to "get back to normal" No way.
Fred

Norther

Weird, but I have the same thing. I find too that I seem to have a fair number of "duh" moments through the day. I don't know, though, whether I am actually having more of them or am just noticing them more. Neither of these things bothers me particularly: I"m happier overall for sure, slowly-typing duh-guy though I may be.

CarolD

Well done on your early sober days.....

Yes....my brain and body went thru many strange
"events" for about 2 months.

Toronto68

With the understanding that I am not giving you a medical diagnosis, I would say it varies for people after they quit. I began to work on my own business in the last year and I noticed after I quit drinking that I didn't seem as sharp or inspired. When I would hear myself speak, I thought my pronunciation was unusual. I tested myself on one of those online typing tests out of curiosity and got pretty impressive results for someone who does not know how to type "properly." When it comes to handwriting, I had a rough time with it, but I think that comes with being in the generation I am in, kind of like how I can understand pounds better than kilograms. In the last month or two it has been feeling like I can physically write with my hand. It's all a mixed bag. And then everyone else will have their own variation on the experience. I put myself in the category of extremely lucky though. I think I am still getting better, but the things above don't concern me anymore.

Removing alcohol is removing complications for people that feel like they are chipping away at their body and soul (and need to stop).

Boleo

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-syndrome.html

artsoul

Hi Melinda - I had alot of "brain glitches" the first two weeks especially. I would forget things, get confused, call things by their wrong name, put non-food items in the fridge, even had times when it felt like a few seconds would pass that missed me entirely. It was a little disconcerting at first (and I started empathizing with Alzheimer patients!?!), but after reading up on PAWS, I felt better and decided it would just take some time. It got alot better after a couple weeks, and after month, I can say that if I'm not 100% yet, at least I don't notice it!

It sure is nice to come here and talk/learn about all this stuff, isn't it? It helps to know what we're going through is both normal and most likely temporary.

hadit

Hey Melinda,
glad you mentioned this! I thought it was just me. Same thing here with typing and writing. Interesting reading about artsoul putting non food items in the fridge. What i've been doing is taking food items (full bottles of ketchup, mustard ect.) using a bit, then throwing the bottles in the trash.

Just read the link to PAWS as well. I'm hoping it's just paws! lol.

MelindaFlowers

Oh hadit,
You gave me just what I needed: a good hearty laugh.

BullDog777

i had the same thing happen to me..it was more than 6 months for me before i could bust out a paragraph without having to re-write it 10 times.

it does get better, but it's slow progress.

maybe it's just different parts of your brain re-wiring. what's odd, is that when i stopped drinking, i could draw and paint 100% better than i ever could drinking, and i was a painter/illustrator , professionally. it was like a lightbulb going off in my head...everything became ultra clear creatively.

Peter

You probably felt better with the flu because you hadn't drank for three days. Did you take medication with a decongestant?

I know some cold medicines sometimes made me feel more alert and energetic.

I had shaking in my hands for weeks after i stopped drinking. It was barely noticeable but I was always aware of my hands trembling. It was probably a combination of alcohol withdrawal and excessive coffee consumption but I don't recall it affecting my typing.I type slow anyway.

MelindaFlowers

Hey Peter,
You're exactly right. It was the first time in several years I did not have a hangover. Even with the bug my 1-100 scale of feeling good was much higher than my daily hangover. For several years I did not remember what it was like not to be drunk or hungover.