THEOjibway

Being 7 months sober I've been in perfect health and the way I was drinking which was now 7 months ago I was always sick from being hung over. Anyways I couldn't think of any better question to ask except the one in my title for this thread.

Right now I am battling a sore throat and annoying cough and even though I'm not feeling well and feeling dizzy I am determined to go to work tomorrow. After all I rather be legit sick rather then hungover sick.

Which you prefer? Hung over or just plain sick?

I take just plain sick.

What were your symptoms when hung over and how do they compare to being just legit sick?

I was throwing up all day even when there was nothing left in me. I filled two garbage bags of barf. I'm so thankful I wasn't dead because I think I should have been dead. For some reason my feet cramped to the max and the pain was crazy. I remember when both my feet cramped in I couldn't move my toes and when I tried to stand I fell down in pain and was screaming my head off and sweating bullets.

Where as right now I have a runny nose, sore throat and a bit dizzy but it sure beats being hung over sick.

Sapling

Just plain sick...It's cheaper...

Head012

not trying to lie. I am sick. Never really been this sick when i was hung over.

desertsong

Your feet probably cramped due to lack of potassium. That would be my guess.

I'd get dry heaves, shakes, hot and cold sweats, nausea, headache and all-over fatigue. By fatigue, I mean fatigue so bad that I literally could not move ... even breathing was an effort. Lightheadedness, body aches ... ugh.

Thanks for the reminder of how bad it was. Never going back there again.

hypochondriac

I'm only a few weeks sober and haven't been legit sick yet but have to keep reminding myself of how it felt to be hungover, though it was never really a hangover, just a state of being. Numbness down my right leg, migraines that lasted for months, Anxiety and panic attacks, shakes, incredibly dry eyes. Urgh.

InsertNameHere

Probably sick I can get over being sick. I don't want to have to try and get over another 5 years of drinking, and a hangover comes with those risks.

DarkDays

Take being Normal sick all day long, My hangovers at times were verging on deathly affairs with dark depressing thoughts.

KAMRIZ

I'm sick with a silly cold virus and it sucks....but at least I remember what I did last night! :P

Kellye C

Hands down, I'd much rather be just plain ol sick than hungover sick! I have a lot of health problems and never have days anymore where I'm not dealing with something (or multiple somethings) causing a lot of pain and other symptoms. Still, I do not EVER want to go through another hangover/withdrawal and all the hell that they wreaked on my body again.

I can still easily recall how bad I felt 24/7 except when drunk or passed out. Throwing up when there was nothing to come up, going for DAYS unable to eat or drink, shaking all over so hard that even my VOICE shook, jumping a mile high at the merest touch on my skin (not fun when you are driving down the road and accidentally brush up against the armrest of your car and almost drive into the ditch, the severe pain and discomfort in the whole abdominal area, being so frantic and anxiety ridden that I couldn't keep a thought or a sentence together (or heck at times even WALK!) without feeling so very overwhelmed, the crying jags, the despair and hopelessness at the reality of my situation, guilt at what I was doing to my kids and family and all the energy it took to hide my drinking (ha!) from said loved ones.

Thank you so much for your question. You have reinforced in me my commitment and desire to stay sober another 24 hours.

Hugs,
Kellye

ReadyAndAble

Just plain sick. Because if I were hungover, it would mean I had a lot bigger problem than simply being hungover.

Justfor1

I don't think I got hangovers anymore because I drank 24/7 on benders. When I stopped I got major withdrawals. I relate with the cramps in the feet & also had them in my ankles. Doc said it was from dehydration & lack of potassium. I would see spider webs, spiders & rats if I discontinued alcohol without the proper medication. They were DT's I know realize. Thank goodness I don't have to deal with that stuff anymore. Sorry, back to your question, I would prefer having a typical cold/flu.

Kayak

the question is right up there with "do you walk to school or carry your lunch"

i compare a hangover with hitting yourself on the head with a hammer. you hurt, there is pain, but you KNOW what caused it.

sick many times comes with an UNKNOWN; tests, hospital stays, doctors.....etc.

maybe it's my age, but i want neither

eJoshua

I'm not sure I totally get your question... Do you mean would I rather phone in sick to work when I'm actually sick or when I'm hung over? Or do you mean would I rather be sick or hungover?

Actually when I get sick I tend to want to drink. It sounds crazy now to think about it, but often the only way I could tolerate a bad cold was to drink till I didn't feel ill any more. Sore throats aren't as noticeable when you're half in the bag.

It is nice to get over sickness much quicker now, though.

Oddly enough, I find now that I'm sober I hate calling in to work -- even when I'm really quite sick. It's strange, I guess I feel like I wasted so much of my vacation time when I was drinking that I really want to save it for a real vacation now that I'm sober.

BHF

Today I would rather get food-poisoning. It doesn't come with self-pity, self-loathing and remorse, and is usually gone quicker than my hangovers were.

sugarbear1

I had the flu around Thanksgiving and another illness before Christmas. Then I fell on my knee on January 1 and it swelled badly; I found out that over the counter fever medication like advil or muscle pain stuff like alleve really DO work!

midgetcop

I'd take normal sick over hungover ANY day EVERY day hands down. When I was hungover it wasn't just physical - I was also horribly depressed, anxious, guilt-ridden, etc. Now when I'm sick I'm just plain 'ol sick, and don't have to assign myself blame. I can feel good about taking some time off, looking after myself, feeling *compassion* towards myself, etc. I could never do that while hungover.

THEOjibway

No that was my relation to drinking. I'd call in sick because I was either hung over or too drunk. I meant would you rather be SICK or HUNGOVER SICK? Nothing to do with calling in people from work. lol.