SoberFish

Good morning SR,

In my first week of sobriety I had a strange experience. As I made my way to the bathroom I felt horrible and dehydrated. I chalked it up to drinking too much of course and would start ingesting water as soon as possible. This has been a routine of mine for the past 8 years or so. Get off work, drink 12-15 beers, go to sleep and wake up to do it again. I've been binge drinking since my teens and early adulthood, but not at the level of the past 8.

I was well into the first week of sobriety when this "hangover" took place and my brain finally realized...hey we didn't drink last night! BAM! Hangover symptoms disappeared and I felt completely normal like a switch was turned off. I can't explain how beside myself I was. I've googled the situation. All that I've found are hangover hallucinations which is a different experience when you actually hallucinate during a real hangover. Has anyone else experienced something like this before early on? Just wanted to share too.

Week 3 is winding down for me and I'm looking forward to reaching 4. This SR forum is fantastic and I'm glad I tried it. I don't go to AA or have any other alcoholic support. Family and friends are great, but it's nice to speak with people who can relate to this. Have great Friday everyone!

ScottFromWI

A lot of strange things can happen in early withdrawal, your body really needs time to recover from all the damage done over the years of abuse. Your mind does too, and sometimes that takes even longer. Googling these kinds of things is a really bad idea as you'll invariably find horror stories or terminal conditions associated with just about any possible scenario you can come up with.

Of course seeing a doctor is always warranted if you have true medical concerns, have you had a checkup since you quit? Many of us end up with deficiencies due to malnutrition ( or poor nutrition ) while we were drinking, and it may require supplements or a special diet to help yourself along...but again only a doctor can make that determination.

Week 3 is a great achievement, keep up the good work. And remember to get enough rest, food and water - the basics can go a long way in helping with the physical recovery.

Soberwolf

Your doing great seeing a Dr every 2 weeks became a priority of mine in early sobriety and I still see the Dr regularly although not every 2 weeks now

SoberFish

No I have not seen a Dr. yet but plan too. Only you guys would understand how big a deal 3 weeks is and thank you. I'm only looking forward. I do take vitamins but have not cleaned up my diet yet. I have urges to eat sweets all the sudden and I have given in to that to get me by for now. I've never had a sweet tooth either. I've read this recently as a common side effect of sobriety. Don't want to trade one bad habit for another, but I'm still in the infant stages of quitting so I'm letting things like this slide for the time being.

biminiblue

In the first month, I allowed myself all the food I wanted. I also had a serious sugar craving for the first three months, then I tapered off that - but that was difficult, too. I think sugar helped me, it replaced all the sugar in alcohol and the juice I had been drinking with it. . .but I had to eventually break up with Ben & Jerry.

Congrats on three weeks! May it be the start of your new life.

Holds1325

My first week involved intermittent panic attacks, insomnia followed by over-sleeping, anxiety, night sweats, extreme irritability where any small thing would just cause me to flip out, no appetite whatsoever, and slight agoraphobia because I didn't want to see anyone outside of my house whatsoever,

Looking back it is actually better now than it was. Although four weeks in, I don't want anything healthy at all I just want junk food, which is probably not a good thing. For example when dinner comes around its like salad? grilled chicken? NOPE pizza! burger and fries! and no exercise whatsoever

ZetaP38

Nice work on three weeks and your observations! Keep it going...don't give up. As they say in AA, "We didn't tell you it would be easy, we said it would be worth it." That was my experience, both sides.

I didn't have the 'sober hangovers' myself, although I've read others who have (through the years). Sometimes the problem is just finding the right search term, which can be elusive in early recovery when so much is new. Maybe try the link below and see if it gets you closer to others who will identify with your experience. It *is* very helpful to identify where we can.

Alcoholic Help Support Group


Sweets, per reports, do have a positive mental effect: "...causes the brain to release endorphins, chemicals that make us feel good."

Sweets are undeniably helpful for many of us, but you may benefit even more if questioning, before indulging, what mental/emotional state you are in. It isn't something to stress over; it's a matter of becoming aware of the emotions we used to drink over ("what I'm unwilling to see, can't be healed/understood"). The 'mind tools' to deal with emotions may come later if you go that route in a program (or if you pick them up along the way).

However it goes, awareness is the answer in sobriety. Vigilance of my thought-life and emotions went a long way to preventing relapse. Hungry, angry, lonely, tired (HALT) are major, but there are many other 'states' that trigger pressure from Ego.

All the best to you...keep in touch - it helps all of us to 'stay green' in our recoveries.

P.S. Just read in that link the term, "phantom hangovers". Even better description?

SoberFish

Thanks everyone, and a big thanks to you Zeta. I read others experiences and one post was exactly what I experienced. Very good information as well. 😎

Soberwolf

Your doing great Soberfish

skipper123

I can understand the junk food and sweets my days of eating salads have gone by the wayside for now but at least im 2 months sober. baking a cake right now!! good luck to you and glad the hangover was not real!!