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Old 05-27-2014, 08:19 PM
  # 21 (permalink)  
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Though saying that 6 months is a sizeable chunk of time, keep pushing through and it'll get better with time!!
My experience has been that clarity gets a little better with time. Enlightenment gets a lot better with action.
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Old 05-27-2014, 08:20 PM
  # 22 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by Croissant View Post
Yes, this happened to me a lot in the beginning. Particularly at work...I'd be there thinking..."um, what do I do next", and worse, "how do I do it"....just frozen moments, as you say, Scott..
Exactly. Today I went to the fridge for pico salsa, opened the door, stared at said salsa for a few seconds, closed door and wondered to myself why it wasn't there. wtf? It's like I didn't leave the stupid part of drunk behind when I quit.

Thanks for the encouragement that the fog will indeed clear eventually. It helps to hear it.
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Old 05-27-2014, 08:47 PM
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Dee's right about working out. It really does help. Also, try and keep your sense of humor handy at all times. We humans are a silly bunch.
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Old 05-28-2014, 09:08 AM
  # 24 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by gardendiva View Post
I'm not sure why you would direct someone with a specific question to the forum homepage but whatever.
yeah, that didn't work out too well; was supposed to be a link to something else , so here's a copy. (don't know why 'recovery' is in red all through the article.)

it gets easier, gd, it just also took a lot longer than i had expected. and i don't know where my expectations came from, at the time, either.
hang in there...

"stages" of recovery

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this is from a handout i got years ago. don't know who the author is, so no-one gets the credit, but do know many have said it's been of help to them.
if it's not appropriate here, maybe a moderator can put it where it fits better.


withdrawal stage(1 to 2 weeks): people who drank alcohol in large amounts may have severe withdrawal symptoms. these may include nausea,low energy, anxiety, shakiness, depression, intense emotions, insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating and memory problems. these symptoms typically last 3 to 5 days, but can last up to several weeks.


early abstinence (4 weeks; follows withdrawal): for people who used alcohol, this period is marked most by the brain's recovery. although the physical withdrawal symptoms have ended, the client's brain is still getting used to the absence of the substance. thinking may be unclear, concentration may be poor, nervousness and anxiety may be troubling, sleep is often irregular, and, in many ways, life feels too intense.


protracted abstinence (2 to 5 months; follows early abstinence): from six weeks to five months after clients stop using, they may experience a variety of annoying and troublesome symptoms. these symptoms -difficulties with thoughts and feelings- are caused buy the continual healing process in the brain. this period is called 'The Wall'. it is important for clients to be aware that some of the feelings during this period are the result of changes in brain chemistry. if clients remain abstinent, the feelings will pass. the most common symptoms are depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating, low energy and a general lack of enthusiasm. clients also may experience strong cravings during protracted abstinence. relapse risk goes up during this period. it is helpful to stay focused on staying abstinent one day at a time. exercise helps tremendously during this period. for most clients, completing this phase in recovery is a major achievement.


readjustment (2 months; follows protracted abstinence):after five months, the brain has recovered substantially. now the client's main task is developing a life that has fulfilling activities that support continued recovery. because cravings occur less often and feel less intense, clients may be less aware of relapse risk and put themselves in high-risk situations and increase their relapse risk.


avoiding relapse drift: relapse does not happen without warning, and it usually does not happen quickly. the gradual movement from abstinence to relapse can be subtle and often underestimated. so it often feels as if it happens suddenly. this slow movement away from abstinence can be compared to a ship gradually drifting away from where it was moored. the drifting movement can be so slow that you don't even notice it.

during recovery, people do specific things that keep them abstinent. these activities can be called "mooring lines". try and see what you are doing to keep yourself abstinent. list the mooring lines in a specific way so they are clear and measurable. these activities are the "ropes" that hold recovery in place and prevent relapse drift from happening without being noticed......

(.....here follows a chart of a column to list all specific mooring lines( for example going to gym, reading sobriety stuff, recreational activities, peer support activities et cetera) followed by columns for the days of the week. i don't know how to do charts on the computer, so use your imagination)

it is helpful to complete you mooring lines chart weekly. place a checkmark next to each mooring line that you know is secure and record the date. when two or more items cannot be checked, it may mean that relapse drift is happening. .....blablabla..... use the chart to recognize when you are more likely to relapse and decide what to do to keep this from happening.
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Old 05-28-2014, 09:26 AM
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I was still fuzzy at 2 months. 6 months was a turning point for me. That was the point at which I was finally able to accept that my drinking days were behind me. That made it a lot easier. Once you can do that you stop feeling like you are under attack and move on to fixing other things. Still have moments of fuzzy now and then but they are getting better.
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Old 05-28-2014, 10:02 AM
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Fini that was VERY helpful.
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Old 05-28-2014, 11:35 AM
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Patience is the name of the game. The brain is a dynamic organ and changes throughout life, and can repair itself to a certain extent given time and healthy behavior. Stay away from the alcohol and the fuzziness starts to resolve itself. I'm at 23 months off alcohol and every day my perspective changes and improves to some degree. I remember when I was drinking, my worldview never shifted. The world owed me everything, and I owed it nothing. Now I'm beginning to understand that the reverse is the truth, or at least a way to live a more fulfilling life.
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Old 05-28-2014, 11:49 AM
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The idea that we will pass a threshold and feel better at X number of days can be detrimental in some ways I think. I'm looking out the window right now and it's beautiful outside, but it's easy for me to think that I'm not seeing it with the clarity I should, that something is missing, like I'm viewing life through an extra screen or layer.

Is this even real? Maybe it's always been this way, maybe it's self created. I don't think I ever payed much attention to how I perceived things, prior to my drinking and drugging. Only afterwards, when I was waiting to get back to "normal" did I make up my mind what normal really was.
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