How long was it before you felt "normal" or healthy?
 

I'm just curious what each of your experiences have been coming off of this trainwreck! I'm four weeks sober coming off of 14 years of pretty heavy drinking and I know my body isn't going to magically recover in a month, but this time (the last time) getting sober things seem to be moving way slower than the others. Do you remember when you had that moment where you felt yourself again mentally and physically? I'm eating healthy for the most part and exercise hasn't really gotten into my agenda yet as it gives me massive anxiety. I'm 29 and feel like I'm a 70 year old man right now! (no offense to seventy year old men of course) :dee

:wall:

You'll probably get a lot of different answers, from a few days to much longer. I am in the latter category and I am sticking it out. What is really important is that no matter what, just keep collecting those sober days and it will be a move in the right direction.

I have no idea. I am at day 104 and I have no idea what "normal" is suppose to feel. One day at a time for the rest of my life.

I'm not sure what "normal" is, but physically I've been feeling pretty good for a good few months now (17 months sober very soon), mentally I think for me that's the long haul.
29 sounds a good age to make a great recovery and that's what I wish for you.
xx

i had various turning points along the way. I dunno points where i was like huh i think i'm getting somewhere or I'm starting to feel better. But i was not there yet or totally better or something.

I had a lot of work to do but I guess at about 18 months or so I had lost the weight and had gotten in shape. My social skills left a lot to be desired and i still felt pretty screwed up mentally tho i was getting somewhere i guess.

this took a ton of work for me strict diet and daily walks / runs and a routine I kept to try and keep my anxiety in check etc..

and even at 18months it was not perfect. I recall at 2 years thinking geeze i'm still not like there yet??!??!

I started to realize that I'm not sure what "normal" is or if i'll ever get "there" I just know its a daily journey for me at this point. If i wanna feel good i gotta eat right excercise make proper choices not drink etc.. Maybe I'll get "there" one day.

I can best share my experience and you can take from it anything that sounds similar to you - first, do read this article on PAWS. You are young, but also sound like a long time drinker (not sure how heavy it was, though) - getting well is not an immediate process - https://digital-dharma.net/post-acut...r-immediately/

I was extremely sick. As in, 12-18mo to live if I didn't quit drinking, kind of sick. I am 6mo, 1 week sober now.

I don't remember much of the first 5 weeks because I was just focusing on living- starting to eat, drinking a lot of non-caff bevs, SLEEPING (big naps) and such.

It took around 2mo for what I thought of as "all" the detox/getting physically sober symptoms to pass. I went through night sweats, nightmares that turned into vivid dreams then normal dreams, cramping and muscle spasms throughout my legs/calves/feet, some early vomiting, pretty much the whole gamut.

I needed to gain weight so as I was eating again I tried to be as healthful as possible - around 60 days I started really craving sugar. I still eat too much of it (mostly in "real" foods, though, not candy - though ice cream is still a regular part of my diet). I am beginning a new routine with pro-biotics this week (the suite of drink/supplements has to come in the mail) and focusing on decreasing sugar drastically.

I started running around 100 days and just completed my second in a three part race series. I have a very active job and I would say I feel great 99% of the time, whatever I am doing. This happened by around 4 mo. I sleep well, and eat plenty, and given my past weight issues/eating disorders, I am focusing on how I feel - and listening to the feedback others give me that I look better than I ever have- I think that is because I look healthy, and everything about my recovered life shows through.

Like I said, take what I have shared and extrapolate/interpolate to your situation. You WILL get better, in time, and as your body adjusts. I just turned 40 and indeed, feel healthy and "normal" or, truthfully, I imagine better than what a lot of people's "normal" is!! If I can come back from near cirrhosis, anemia, dangerously low potassium and other things - anyone can get their best version of well.

Do see your doctor and have good ongoing check ins and care, if you haven't started that.

Good luck!!

Alcoholism is progressive, but so is recovery! I felt better and better as time went on. Over the course of the past 7+ years I've dealt with things that I never did in my nearly 30 years of heavy drinking. When you face your problems instead of hiding from them, things can't help but improve.

Six months to a year before mind, body and soul improvement were noticed.
I had a very hard time this last time sobering up eight years ago.
Don't drink and I (we) won't have to go through that again.
M-Bob

A year to feel centered, normalized, running on all cylinders, calm, and stable.

I am completely and totally used to not drinking alcohol.

I feel like a car on cruise control. Can I take my eyes off the road? God no. But my day to day life goes very smoothly without alcohol.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...mal-normal.jpg


http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ml#post6088281

^^What Boleo "said" - normal/casual - living life in the 40mph lane, in all ways, gets and keeps us healthy!

6 months here and it's finally coming together xxx

I only read the title. It took me around 4 weeks to start to feel normal again. By that I mean physically. Mentally the problems were still there but they weren't as severe after 4 weeks sober. As I like to say at the moment (song lyrics) "time heals, but you just can't escape your mind, 'cause the memory's still alive, it's there for life". Think about that for a minute.

J - Newly relapsed and recovering again.

At a month my washing-machine head finally reached the stage of crazy that I finally managed to get in the door of my first AA meeting. Physically things started getting better,and I took on board tips about staying away from the first drink and dealing with cravings etc. BUT, despite going to meetings, I still didn't engage in a daily program of recovery of my own (I though that was just for the hard-core alcoholics ) so emotionally I gradually sank lower, until at 6 to 7 months I was in a really bad way and actually did start working on my plan of recovery. Things started to get properly better then.

I would say it definitely took several months. I am going for 8 months sober currently. I feel normal now, physically speaking.

I don't think il ever be normal but saying that I don't believe in normal everyone has thier quirks & idiosyncrasies it's what makes us human & me a little 'macadamian'

I started feeling human the more I worked on myself x

About a year before I felt physically normal and didn't need a noon nap every day, a bit longer (18 months) to feel totally stable in sobriety. It often took us many years to drink ourselves into our holes, and it can take a year or two to fully dig ourselves back out again.

From my experience it depends on how long the binge was and how hard you went at it. I'm on day 5 and feel back to normal. I have been drinking all summer with a couple of days off here and there when I tried to stop. I finally said enough is enough because this cycle will go on forever if I don't take action in bettering myself. I got back to the rooms right away and discovered the power of closed BB discussions. This uplifted me. I then made the decision to make recovery my #1 priority. I feel the fight in me and I think meetings and healthy eating helped get me to my normal faster

I'll give it to you straight.
I got sober at 33. (34 now).

1 week - neuropathy and nausea and vomiting ceased.
3 weeks - appetite came back.
1 month- water retention and bloated face, pale skin went away.
2-3 months - insomnia faded and fatigue set in.
At this time I was walking regularly and could only do about 2 miles.
6 months - hair and nails started to grow back and looked healthy (my hair was falling out in CLUMPS at the end of my drinking and you could see my scalp).
6 months - Fatigue faded
8 Months - I'd say the nervous system got noticeably better (less jumpiness and jitters, nightmares etc.). I was up to walking between 5-6 miles 3x a week.
12 months - more stable in every way! Walking 6-8 miles 2-3x a week.
Today (15 months) - sleeping well, eating well, feeling stable. I walked 12 miles this weekend :)

Now, a lot of things will happen to your body in early sobriety. Just allow it. Sit back and marvel at how your body will work to heal itself. Sleep, drink water, eat right and get some excercise.

Recognize that you've trashed and abused your nervous system, body and metabolism for years.

My skin went NUTS when I got sober. I had the worst eczema after I got sober. I saw 5 doctors and was on a massive dose of prednisone because I could not open my eyes...they were so swollen from the eczema. 15 months later it is so much better but it was horrible at first and I felt defeated. I also gained about 30 lbs (I reached for food as comfort and I think my body, being starved of nutrients, held onto every last calorie). Okay. My body did what it needed to heal itself. I allowed it to do that. I learned to love my body and let it heal. Recently I cut out gluten and am following a healthy eating plan with lots of water, veggies, protein and good fats. I've lost 10 lbs.

My thyroid also went wacky and I Was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in my 13th month of sobriety. I went gluten free, I take my medicine, I get my rest and see my physician. I added in a high energy vitamin and am feeling better and more well rounded.

Whenever I would get upset at the slowness of my recovery my sponsor would tell me "you're right where you need to be. Accept where you are at and be greatful." Another thing an old timer told me was a tale of walking into a forest...if you spent 6 years walking into a forest...it is going to take you 6 years to walk back out. Things take time. Just rest and take it easy.

Its been 3 weeks for me and the constant head ache has gotten better. Feel way better but honestly I forgot what normal feels like.