Question for those who have experienced protracted withdrawal...
 

Does it ever get better?

I'm now about 7 1/2 months sober, and I still feel absolutely horrible most days. Since quitting drinking I have...

-- Extreme anxiety (I even have panic attacks doing normal things like sitting in a restaurant or watching a movie). I avoid being around groups of people because they trigger anxiety.

-- Major sleep problems. I wake up a lot at night and sometimes have a hard time going back to sleep. I also now have restless leg syndrome which makes the problem even worse.

-- Depression/Anhedonia. I feel down in the dumps most days. Nothing brings me any happiness anymore. Nothing. I occasionally have suicidal thoughts.

-- Weight gain. I crave sugar/carbs/junk late of the evenings and when I wake up throughout the night. The cravings are powerful. I feel bloated and unattractive.

I have absolutely no desire to drink again, but I also have a foreboding feeling that these horrible withdrawal effects are never going to end.

Any encouraging words you have for me would be greatly appreciated.

I'd suggest seeing a Dr. They may not be withdrawal but some other underlying issues. There are a number of us who suffer anxiety and depression that is not due to alcohol use. Infact, we tired to self medicate using alcohol.

Nice job on your time!!

I agree with JD, go see your doctor it really helped me! I can totally relate! I partied like a rock star for 20+ years, I know I burned some circuits in my brain.. A physician can help.

Eating healthy, exercise and a good nights rest is good too!!

I agree that talking to your dr is a good idea.

Congrats on your sober time, and on your commitment to continuing it! There are a lot of things in your body that become depleted during long-term alcoholism that are not directly associated with alcohol withdrawal. I would agree with others here that the best course of action would be to discuss your symptoms with a doctor. Best wishes to you.

Know you always have us and your not alone in how you feel have you joined a SR class or come hang out on the weekender thread that runs throughout the week and the 24 h thread meditation & breathing exercises help but it really helped me telling a Dr and getting help through therapy

I agree it sounds like you have underlying depression and anxiety issues. I fight with the same and it's very common for people in our shoes to just throw the alcohol blanket over our problems, but once that fades, the issues will still be there. Getting into therapy with a mental health professional will help.

I had all the same issues. In time it eased up. It was at about 7 months I started excess icing and changed my diet in time this helped too. I hate to say it but time helps keep talking it out etc.

I can tell you that this was certainly true for me, and I've observed it in others as well:

That "foreboding feeling" that the horrible withdrawal effects will never end is itself part and parcel of the protracted withdrawal symptoms package. It's tied in with the anxiety and depression that result when the brain's "pleasure center" circuitry is knocked badly out of whack by alcohol.

Trust me, they DO end.

Keep doing all the right things -- staying sober, exercising, eating right, therapy, meditation, anti-depressant meds (blah, blah, I've sure you've heard it all before) -- and you WILL feel better eventually.

There's no timetable -- it takes however long it takes -- but it DOES get better.

I speak from personal experience here.

What you describe, apart from the weight gain, was my normal state when not drinking. It was why the idea of sobriety seemed so unattractive. Sobriety had always been a miserable affair for me.

I discovered that it was because just stopping drinking does not treat alcoholism. As long as I tried to live with untreated alcoholism, it just got worse until I returned to my old soltuion, alcohol. It was only with the aid of a few drinks that I could feel half ok, but that relief turned out to be temporary.

Maybe you have a condition that medication will fix. That wasn't the case for me. The answer could not be found in a different type of bottle. I needed to treat my alcoholism.

That's my bad for failing to mention AA's solution as an option.

Ramennoodles, I don't know your history, but have you given AA a fair shot?

I have been sober for one year and I have noticed PAWS symptoms peaked for me at 9 months. At 9 months I had some days during which I felt completely unprepared for anything, big or small. It felt like I didn't have my brain attached to my body.

I think weight can fluctuate due to stress and poor eating habits. When I first attempted sobriety I lost weight but I was exercising a lot. Now I am trying to return to exercising and I feel more lethargic these days.

PAWS I think can take up to 2 years to become manageable. Right now I'm not taking any anxiety medication because I want to focus on being naturally healthy.

Also, I know for me that reading things on the internet over, and over, and over is not healthy. Sometimes I need to just sit back and quit analyzing everything. I hope you feel better soon.

This is absolutely right. Suffering from, and trying to treat the symptoms instead of the problem is what I did also. After more than TWO YEARS of dysfunctional sobriety, I returned to AA and a spiritual (but not religious) solution. It is slowly but surely helping me recover my peace of mind and a joyful life.

I'm approaching six months and notice a lot of what you describe. For the mood and anxiety, mine is greatly improved by physical activity. It can be as simple as daily walks or more intense exercise; if I fail to do this for more than two days in a row, my mood tanks and my anxiety and sense of depression returns.

I can confirm, I also experienced that feeling that it was never going to end.

I try my best to ignore it because I know it's not true - these symptoms only started after I drank too much, so they have to go away eventually if I'm stopped, right?

I'm at 5 and a half months sober and I've just started to see some improvement in the last few weeks. It does get better if you just hang in there.

It will get better ramennoodles, I know that for sure, but I would go see a Doctor as well.
As others have said, it is different for everyone but also different in other ways. A few years ago I gave up for three months and felt great. Slept like a baby and full of energy. Then I relapsed.
Now I'm sober 16 months but it has been a lot harder. I had a lot of trouble sleeping for about 9 months and felt low on energy and mentally. I'm over a lot of that now and glad I stuck with it. I hope you do too.

Thanks for the encouraging words, everyone. They really have helped and they mean a lot to me.

It's strange. I sometimes can go a few days where one of the withdrawal symptoms calms down or completely goes away. And then, just when I think I might actually be getting better, the symptoms return again...with a vengeance.

Some have mentioned in this thread that I should see a doctor. That isn't an option for me. I can no longer afford health insurance thanks to Obamacare. I'm not trying to make a political statement by saying that. It's just that...it is what it is. I used to carry my own policy, but it's now so expensive that I can't afford it anymore.

This is quite common unfortunately. Our bodies and minds take a lot of time to heal and things can flare up over time. I had the same issue and also have the same thing with anxiety - it will be great for weeks at a time and then I just have a "bad" day now and then.

If you cannot afford insurance, you might want to consider seeing a drug/alcohol counselor. Most cities have subsidized clinics that offer free or sliding scale fees. And a basic counseling session will most likely cost much less than what you would have spent on booze for a week. You may have some underlying issues that can be addressed by a counselor.

Most cities also have subsidized medical clinics or even "quick clinics" where you can get a basic physical or quick health checks for a small fee. You might consider that if your physical symptoms do not improve.

There's a lot of things you can do yourself just to help your health in general - drink enough plain water each day ( not soda, sugary juices, etc ) - get enough rest when you can - eat fresh/healthy foods - get some light exercise daily, even just going for a walk can help the body and the spirit.