Do the nightmares ever go away?
Reality...what a concept!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CT, USA
Posts: 1,232
Do the nightmares ever go away?
Uggghh it's 3:30 AM and once again I'm awake due to yet another nightmare...its usually around the same time (between 2 and 4 AM) and mostly its flashbacks of the night I had a seizure from drinking and ended up in the ED. It's been 69 days and I have this dream nearly every night. I've tried going to bed later, earlier, using OTC sleep aids like melatonin and diphenhydramine. Sometimes I get back to sleep but mostly I don't so its been difficult especially during the work week.
Anyone got any ideas?
Anyone got any ideas?
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 8,674
Sorry you are going through this. I too had very vivid nightmares at first, then they turned into vivid dreams, then they tapered off to "normal" dreams, if I remember. Sometimes one gets me like last night, actually- that's usually my brain's way of working through something big on my mind.
have you talked to a dr? I do take a nightly rx for sleep and it also has an anti-anxiety component (an issue for me) and it helps.
Great job on 69 days! I found that my physical (and emotional and mental) health kept improving the longer I have been sober - and tried to remember that everyone is different and just get through my personal "uncomfortable" spots best I can, and with whatever dr support I can/need.
Take care of yourself - one last thing- can you nap during the day? I still have a habit of this.
have you talked to a dr? I do take a nightly rx for sleep and it also has an anti-anxiety component (an issue for me) and it helps.
Great job on 69 days! I found that my physical (and emotional and mental) health kept improving the longer I have been sober - and tried to remember that everyone is different and just get through my personal "uncomfortable" spots best I can, and with whatever dr support I can/need.
Take care of yourself - one last thing- can you nap during the day? I still have a habit of this.
Reality...what a concept!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: CT, USA
Posts: 1,232
Thank you August 🤗 I know nightmares are a common thing and I have been reading up on other's experience with it, but it seems the experiences are varied.
I have seen a dr about my alcoholism and was prescribed Naltrexone - which has helped alot - but the problem with asking for help with addiction is that the provider is now hesitant to prescribe ANYTHING with any sort of addictive properties even though alcohol is the only substance I've had a problem with. (For example - I had previously been prescribed Xanax for anxiety - and even though I still had the majority of a one month supply after 18 months, I was told it could no longer be prescribed). But I'm going to another dr soon and will definitely bring it up.
I have seen a dr about my alcoholism and was prescribed Naltrexone - which has helped alot - but the problem with asking for help with addiction is that the provider is now hesitant to prescribe ANYTHING with any sort of addictive properties even though alcohol is the only substance I've had a problem with. (For example - I had previously been prescribed Xanax for anxiety - and even though I still had the majority of a one month supply after 18 months, I was told it could no longer be prescribed). But I'm going to another dr soon and will definitely bring it up.
Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 82
I have had nightmares for 15 years - I have PTSD - and almost got used to them, but the nightmares I had when drinking were really something special.
I have been sober roughly as long as you - little bit more, maybe ( I don't count the days ) and now I am back to the regular nightmares that I can deal with.
I have been sober roughly as long as you - little bit more, maybe ( I don't count the days ) and now I am back to the regular nightmares that I can deal with.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,095
I am almost 9 months sober and I sleep pretty good now.
During my years of drinking I would often wake up in the middle of the night - heart racing and in a panic. Not sure if it was a nightmare, my then untreated sleep apnea, alcohol withdrawal or a combination of all of it.
A few weeks ago I was out of town for a funeral and woke up in the middle of the night in my hotel room in a panic - other then that the last several months have been calm. Stress cause sleep disturbances - when I am low stress I sleep and feel better.
During my years of drinking I would often wake up in the middle of the night - heart racing and in a panic. Not sure if it was a nightmare, my then untreated sleep apnea, alcohol withdrawal or a combination of all of it.
A few weeks ago I was out of town for a funeral and woke up in the middle of the night in my hotel room in a panic - other then that the last several months have been calm. Stress cause sleep disturbances - when I am low stress I sleep and feel better.
2/2016
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Texas
Posts: 582
when we drink, we do not enter REM sleep very easily. we do not dream much. our brains need to dream, they need REM sleep to function. You are simply making up for lost time. i did the same. my dreams stopped, but man were they non-stop at first. and drinking dreams....I was always so relieved when i woke up and realized I had not drank.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,909
My nightmares, usually centered around my seizure and ER trip, went away.
I looked at them as reinforcement. I would wake up in a total panic. Start to calm down when it set in that it was not real.
I would say a heartfelt "thank you" out loud. The calming continued as I felt the gratitude for my new way of life radiating through every fiber of my being and I could drift back to sleep.
I looked at them as reinforcement. I would wake up in a total panic. Start to calm down when it set in that it was not real.
I would say a heartfelt "thank you" out loud. The calming continued as I felt the gratitude for my new way of life radiating through every fiber of my being and I could drift back to sleep.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Wappingers Falls, NY
Posts: 618
Re: Does Nightmares ever go Away?
Our mind seems to work in mysterious ways. It gives us a visual roadmap that stretches far beyond any traditional boundary. And its counterpart, the subconscious, does not speak in traditional languages, but uses images, like sounds, sensations, and emotions to convey a message.
An event that happened 20 years ago can still be lodged in our memory and so can our emotions. Let’s use my past as an example.
I had a hard time separating fact from fiction, even with 15 years of experience under my belt. My mind was probably the biggest culprit of all. It was either too fragile or too impractical to change overnight. It felt like an open sieve that soaked up every emotion known to man.
And it seemed to affect me in the most unconventional ways. So I had to revert back to some ‘old school philosophy’ to help subdue my anxiety. It was probably the best decision I ever made, and I’m going to use the following analogy as an example.
I used to live across the street from a construction site. The noise was truly unbearable. Every morning, around 6 A.M., the jackhammers would pound viciously for what seemed like hours and the hammers would only accentuate it; not to mention the sea of loud voices that filled the morning air. It became so loud that it even drowned out the usual fanfare. After about a month or so, those sounds became decreasingly relevant.
And just like the sounds of a construction site, an unusual dream or even a strange emotion will gradually fade over time. Will those emotions ever surface again? Probably, but one never knows.
I don’t think our emotions die a slow death like everything else. It seems a bit impractical to me, as events continue to arise from time to time. And any emotion that surfaces in the future, whether directly related or not, can only compound the original problem. Then, those feelings will surface once again. It’s a revolving door that never stays closed. The best you can hope for is some form of resolution that can take your mind off the original problem, whether it’ temporary or long-term. It seems to work for me.
When things don’t go my way I try to put it all behind me. Once I release those feelings, whether, by grace or open dialogue, the mind will start to mend and the healing process begins. It’s something I had to learn ‘over the course of time’. So can you. Onward.
An event that happened 20 years ago can still be lodged in our memory and so can our emotions. Let’s use my past as an example.
I had a hard time separating fact from fiction, even with 15 years of experience under my belt. My mind was probably the biggest culprit of all. It was either too fragile or too impractical to change overnight. It felt like an open sieve that soaked up every emotion known to man.
And it seemed to affect me in the most unconventional ways. So I had to revert back to some ‘old school philosophy’ to help subdue my anxiety. It was probably the best decision I ever made, and I’m going to use the following analogy as an example.
I used to live across the street from a construction site. The noise was truly unbearable. Every morning, around 6 A.M., the jackhammers would pound viciously for what seemed like hours and the hammers would only accentuate it; not to mention the sea of loud voices that filled the morning air. It became so loud that it even drowned out the usual fanfare. After about a month or so, those sounds became decreasingly relevant.
And just like the sounds of a construction site, an unusual dream or even a strange emotion will gradually fade over time. Will those emotions ever surface again? Probably, but one never knows.
I don’t think our emotions die a slow death like everything else. It seems a bit impractical to me, as events continue to arise from time to time. And any emotion that surfaces in the future, whether directly related or not, can only compound the original problem. Then, those feelings will surface once again. It’s a revolving door that never stays closed. The best you can hope for is some form of resolution that can take your mind off the original problem, whether it’ temporary or long-term. It seems to work for me.
When things don’t go my way I try to put it all behind me. Once I release those feelings, whether, by grace or open dialogue, the mind will start to mend and the healing process begins. It’s something I had to learn ‘over the course of time’. So can you. Onward.
Soberado
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Cleveland Ohio-ish
Posts: 395
I'm the same way minus the nightmares but my witching hour is 2:00 AM rinse and repeat for the past twelve weeks of not drinking. I cut out most caffeine and sugar close to bedtime and it helps me at least get back to sleep faster. I tried the OTC sleep stuff, it definitely put me out but woke up feeling dopey and sluggish.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 6,262
When I had recurring bad dreams my cognitive therapist suggested this: Before closing my eyes say out loud "if I dream about _______ I will wake up immediately". It worked beautifully. Congrats on 69 days!
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