Ozgirl

I am on day 3. I feel so angry at the moment. Nervous stomach, dizzy headed angry. I either feel like murdering someone or breaking down in tears. Is this normal? I last drank and smoked on Friday and think it is maybe Nicotine withdrawals as well. I am craving a cigarette but I don't want to give in because I feel healthier and look better when I don't smoke. I am going to an AA meeting in a couple of hours so hopefully that will help.

CarolD

Try taking a shower and yell at the top of your lungs.
crying is also good...drink some water...dance around the room.

Hope you feel better soon...yes..it's not unusal in early sobriety.
Another day or so....it will ase as long as you stay stong.

This can be your final de tox period...

5brats

Take a steaming hot bath, hot as you can tolerate. Light one or two candle, bring some ice water or ice cold fruit juice ( the sugar seems to help calm you down) in with you and just stay in as long as you can. Usually after about a half hour I am completely calm, sleepy even. Drink the cold juice while your in there the combo of the hot bath low light and cold drink just works like a charm for me
I hope this helps and you feel better soon. I went through alot of anger at first too, now I'm just depressed alot. It's a process and I guess we all just have too go through it.
Good luck and congrats on 3 days

Dee74

I think a lot of us were angry, yeah, Ozgirl.

It's pretty common with people giving up drinking or smoking, so you're probably getting a double dose.

I found it useful to remember it was normal and not me going mad.

I think we often rediscover feelings too. Quite apart from normal withdrawal irritability, I'd repressed a lot of rage for a long time.

Hope you feel better after your meeting

D

ozbloke

Gday I'm new here (but not to lurking and reading the posts through the last couple of weeks) and ozgirl you're not alone, I'm a few days in front of you, but I had the exact same thing around day 3, I'm on day 6 at the moment about to tick into day 7 (at around 7:30pm WST) but I found a dramatic improvement on day 4 and day 5 with moods, not saying I was stable... but it will get better just hang in there.
Suggest some nicotine patches, I use them when I'm at work because we cant smoke there, but they work a charm and if you really want to quit they will help you immensely.

Just remember the emotions etc are all a _normal_ part of your body's readjustment to life without either drug in its system.

Sorry I haven't introduced myself elsewhere, given the timing of ozgirl's detox and my own I felt I could contribute, but to everyone else I've been reading these past couple of weeks.. GDAY!
Cheers
MC

GodsHolyWill

I hope you have a great meeting!!! Congratulations on Day 3!!!

Bingen

Ozgirl, I can relate to the same. Uncontrollable rage and anger on stupid things which does not make sense. This is a very profound withdrawal symptom , both for Nicotine and Alcohol.

I can also relate to you very well for Nicotine addiction. I was a chain Chewer of raw tobacco for 10 years . I have read so many times that Nicotine is the most addictive substance and very difficult to quit. Well, I quit tobacco completely and replaced it with Alcohol, around 7 years ago. The only difference being, I was under Nicotine influence for all the hours in a day , when I was awake. Then, replaced with Alcohol , only during evening. But it did not help much and I did become heavy drinker.

Now I realize that I should have got myself treated by a qualified doctor to relieve Nicotine withdrawal symptoms and should not have started alcohol.

Currently , I am sober on and off and my alcohol cravings and consumption has reduced a lot . So to come to the point, YOU WILL NEED SOME HELP to tackle withdrawal symptoms for each of the substance. I can suggest a book,

How to quit without feeling S**T by Patrick Holford. It may be against Forum rules but I have no direct interests and this book has helped me a lot . It also helped, one of my friend to quit smoking ...All the best and YOU MUST CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR before withdrawal symptoms get worse.

Dee74

welcome to SR OzBloke

D

ozbloke

Thank you Dee, I've been meaning to post because I've been reading them for the past 6 days to keep me sane, just haven't been able to construct a sentence, what from lack of sleep, and those horrid Stephen King type dreams, but today I feel good.

Ozgirl - Hope your meeting went well and congratulations on getting this far!! Hang in there, I'm proof it does get better soon!

Ozgirl

Aww thanks everyone for the great advice. Welcome OzBloke!! What a difference a few hours can make. My meeting was really good and I felt a lot lighter when I left. I had a coffee with a couple of other members after which I hadn't done before which was nice. I also apologized to my husband for being so cranky earlier (understatement) and he said he is expecting my moods to change, apparently he has been reading some info about what to expect in early recovery which was a nice surprise. It's so weird, I am having so many different moods, which I guess is to be expected after paralysing my brain with poison for so many years.

BullDog777

exercise also helps ALOT and will get you through the withdrawal quicker.

try to keep some chilled fruit in the house because they really do cut down on cravings.

ozbloke

Ozgirl - Glad to hear you are feeling a lot better!! Yes the moods will change but i made a decision not to fight it (or the anxiety) and just accept that it's there and it will get better.. as hard as it feels to do so at the time, it will day by day get better and my mood has been a lot more stable today! And I'm usually a happy kind of guy (without alcohol) so I'm looking forward to that.

Just some background info on myself - I wasn't a daily drinker (maybe the occasional beer while making dinner but never more than 1), every 6 months or so I'd find some perfectly "rational" excuse to drink myself into oblivion for about 4 or 5 fun filled (or so it seemed) days that for brief periods I'm sure I did some stupid, stupid things (which also at the time probably seemed perfectly rational), so I just had to deal with withdrawals each time... this latest escapade (read: bender) started in Sydney, continued onto Melbourne (and by the time I realised I was far too smashed to even go home to Tassie and see my girlfriend), had to fly back to my parents place in Perth and detox (I already had some diazepam ready).. I realised I'd had enough and just wanted to get better and fit again as I'm a bloody active triathlete aiming for a Half Ironman in May (a very slow one at this rate) I've had some pretty solid withdrawals myself as I'm sure most people here have so hang in there, every day is an achievement
Cheers
Mark

Pete55

I'm stuck for words at the moment, but welcome Ozbloke.
More meetings and the Serenity Prayer got me through those early days.
Try to find a AA book titled "Living Sober", as well as the Big Book.
It helps to get the thinking off the thought of picking up a drink, these thoughts fade after a while, just don't pick up the first drink and they do fade away or the intensity lessesns.

ozbloke

Thanks for the welcome Pete, funnily enough this time around I'm craving drinks, but not necessarily alcoholic as strange as that sounds..perhaps I've finally awoken to the fact that drinking and getting off my face isn't as much fun as my mind used to think it was, or make life any better.
I have been abusing water and lemonade though (moreso water). I don't mind that kind of trade-off if this is how I will feel in future
Cheers
Mark

CarolD

ozbloke....
welcome to our recovery community

Good to know you are improving and decided to share.

I too still drink a lot..only nothing with alcohol

ozbloke

Thanks Carol - I've found it very very good at keeping me sane and busy over the first few horrible days to read various posts just to remind myself exactly why I was putting myself through it, and that it's only a temporary physical feeling.

So thanks for the SR community for that!!

I normally drink a lot of water owing to my physical activity anyway (train 1-2 times per day 7 days per week), so consuming bulk liquid seems to be easy for me. Just need to learn that it cannot be anything containing ethanol. ;-)

PS: Sorry Ozgirl - didn't mean to hijack your thread! Check-in tomorrow and let us know how you're getting on!!

Ozgirl

No worries Ozbloke, I am doing well today, not much sleep, I couldn't fall asleep till about 12 and was up at 3.00am but I have a busy day ahead of me, which is good, less time to dwell on myself. Will hit a meeting later tonight.

aussieblue

Ozgirl, I have been struggling with the moods swings also . Hang in there it will get better.


Welcome Ozbloke!!!

Aussieblue


(Thats a whole lot of Oz in one place)

Stevie1

((hugs))
Huge issue for me too.

In the past, I've found the anger and intense irritation to be much, much worse with quitting nicotine although it's definitely there with not drinking as well.

Glad you are feeling better after your meeting, and your husband sounds like a keeper.

Welcome to ozbloke as well too!

UniqueNewYork

I second this. I get my anger out in the gym.