Gertron

Hey, was just wondering if anyone here who's been sober for a long time has had any long lasting effects or if you quit alcohol do you return mostly to normal? Pretty vague question I know, I just can't seem to get a clear answer when I look around on the internet.

pangur

I can't share personal experience since I'm still a newbie (despite joining 2 years ago), from what I've read and heard from others, there are 3 or 4 major changes.
1 week: alcohol is out of your system (been through that, the first few days are hell)
1 month: your body starts to adjust, during the first 21 days there is a risk of DT's so be careful.
3 months: your brain starts to function sober
1 year: most of the darkness lifts

Some of the long term sober members can add to this or disagree, plus keep in mind, we're all different.

MsJax

Hi Gertron. My brain & body were really screwed up by the time I quit in March 2011. Physically I was so bloated with alcohol & had horribly scary lower body numbness/tingling. Sometimes I would stand up & could hardly feel my lower body Those things started going away in the first few weeks. Lots of other little physical issues went away too. The shakes, bathroom issues, red face...

Mentally I am lots better too. Just the peace of mind that I gained with sobriety, the ability to deal with life as it comes to me, good or bad. I am so very thankful for my sobriety. I'm sure I would be dead by now had I not quit when I did.

How are you? What are your thoughts on it?

ReadyAndAble

One lasting effect is I'm a lot happier, a lot more appreciative of the simple things in life.

NYCDoglvr

Physically I was ok when I stopped drinking (nearly a magnum of wine/day over eight years). But as it says in AA's Big Book, "drinking was but a symptom". Alcoholics are self-centered, self-willed, grandiose, mentally ill people. The past 20 years of sobriety have required a lot of hard work on myself to have a balanced, constructive life.

camedown

Not sure what you mean by returning to normal. I can't be normal, I'm an alcoholic.

At eight months, physically I feel ok. The damage booze did to my system has healed, but I'm still getting old and no amount of sobriety is going to change that. Mentally I'm doing well. I still get squirrely from time to time, but the obsession has for the most part left me, and as long as I do my work, it will stay away. I have heard in my therapy groups that eight years is when most of the healing is finished, but that doesn't change that sobriety is a lifelong commitment.

Sunny27

I would say I am not remotely self-centred, grandiose or mentally ill.

If anything, my friends would say i am very caring, level-headed and genuine - even when I was drinking.

What I have found changing is my mindset and the ability to feel real emotions again, although I am only 25 days sober so I don't have a great deal to base any noticeable changes on yet.

Gertron

I just relapsed on the weekend. I drank quite a bit and am still recovering slightly. I think I was just in panic since my head was feeling foggy and I couldn't think properly or focus and just wanted firsthand knowledge on the topic.

RobbyRobot

Yeah, pretty vague, and really depends on personal experience in the journey from active alcoholism into sustained sobriety.

I continue to have memory problems. Although I can concentrate and focus a whole hell of alot easier since becoming sober, whatever I lost thru blackouts and brownouts is still lost even after decades of sobriety. That is both a blessing and a curse....

And as others have already mentioned... what is normal?!

As it turns out, sobriety rocks so much, you'll not care what normal is if your living a sober life, lol.

fuel.injected

Nicely stated. Is anything really ever normal anyway?