Ramblon

Its been over 16 days since last drink. My attention span is horrendous! I'm almost 50, and been drinkin for over 30 yrs, last fewyears was getting super drunk almost every other day. I hope that sometime in the future I'll be able to focus alot better. Some of this may be due to age also, cause when I was younger I could concentrate on something for hours on end. Asuming I'm not gonna drink anymore, will this get any better? What were some of your experiences? Thanks.

Dee74

My attention span was pretty bad for a while...but it slowly came back.
As long as we stay off the drink, it can only get better for most of us, I think

D

sugarbear1

I'm an April 1961 baby. At 133 days (there's a sober calculator on this site) I can think better than at day 16! There IS hope! I also indulged in smoking marijuana. I miss my weed, but I will suggest my memory is a tad better now. Prepare now, between 2-3 months I could barely count my toes. Call it brain reorganization. You are you, maybe you won't go through that. Tired & fuzzy brained was my experience. It all gets different, then it gets better. That was my experience. Just stay sober today! Best wishes!

Eddiebuckle

That's par for the course in my experience. I had been in rehab for two weeks when my gf first visited. I remember every time she said something that I wanted to respond to if I didn't interrupt and say it more or less immediately, I couldn't remember what it was I wanted to say. I was flabbergasted. Fortunately, it is temporary, and will improve over time. I recommend you pick up a copy of the book Under the Influence - it has tons of information on alcohol and the physiological process of withdrawal one goes through when getting sober. It's an $8 paperback - worth every penny.

Good luck Ramblon - sobriety is so much better than I had expected or hoped. Stick with it, you won't regret it.

Boleo

My experience was that my memory improved every day for the first month or so after I quit drinking. However, due to age, I still need vitamin B supplements. To give you an idea just how important vitamin B-50 is for me now, if I forget to take it for 2 days, I forget where I keep my vitamins.

Supercrew

It gets better, but it takes time. My short term memory has gotten alot better over the past year...when I was drinking I attributed it all to aging. Come to find out I'm dumber when I drink.

RaiderRuss

I found that my attention span got better & I was a much better communicator. This sober life strengthened my tolenrance for small talk, lol

Beebizzy

Too soon to say in my case (just over 5 weeks). I do know that alcohol reduced my memory to mush - I am hoping it comes back. Concentration is a big issue for me now - frustratingly, I cannot read more than 1-2 pages of a book (and I am a big reader) or watch more than 30 mins of a movie or anything. But I think this has more to do with medications I am on, than with quitting alcohol.

I do think it's par for the course, as has been said.

Good luck,
BB

CarolD

My drinking history was a lot like yours....long term and heavy by the end
I was 53 when I quit.

By the end of 2 months...I felt back in balance mentally physically.
Each few days I saw improvement....in different and aspects...

I began eating healthy foods...took a multi vitamin + a B complex...walked often...
went to AA each morning.. ..prayed for peace in my life .
......drank oceans of water....all which I consider vital to my recovery

welcome to our recovery community...

Ramblon

Thanks guys, your posts are very encouraging. Eddie I will pick up a copy of Under The Influence. Thank you, since I'm a bit of a nerd, I should enjoy all the technical and physiological aspects of this gripping addiction. Best wishes to you all.

Ramblon

Carol, thanks for your input. I have heard fish oil does wonders too. Gonna start taking this each day as well. I'll let you guys know what happens.

AprilMay1895

I'm 26 and when I was 24 my psychiatrist put me on a type of anti-depressant that would help me focus more. I never told that psychiatrist I drank and could never understand why he thought I couldn't focus. lol But I think it's a drinking thing because I remember being way more effective, at well, pretty much everything in sobriety as compared to in between getting drunk.