Are these feelings normal in Recovery????
dianna
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: monroe,michigan
Posts: 14
Are these feelings normal in Recovery????
Hi everyone,I"ve been sober for about 2 and a half months now after 10 years of daily drinking,Feeling great most days,but then there are days like today where I just feel depressed.So I went for a 3 mile walk,went to an A.A. meeting tonight and actually felt a little better,but here I am just feeling BLAH.Just want to go to bed early,and so then i feel bad about wanting to go to bed early,sometimes I think maybe it's my mind shutting down from an overload of emotions that it's not used to dealing with!! I have heard about something they call post acute withdrawal symptoms and I am wondering if I am going through that and how long that lasts.I have tried to sit down tonight and read some of the Big Book but I'm just not into it tonight.I just want to go sleep for about 10 hours!! It would be so kind if anyone would share their thoughts and experiences,and also any good info on post acute withdrawal symptoms. Dianna 
Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: The Field of Dreams
Posts: 7,249
Diana,congrats on you 2 1/2 months.Something that really helps me is going to the gym.Nothing speacial,3 or 4 times a week I go work-out.Some other things I have found that help me is to start a journal.Music also helps me a lot.Another suggestion is service work.That gives me a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of being needed.Check with some of your AA groups to see what is available.Im sure they can always use someone to come early help set up,make coffee etc.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,469
Hi Roxie,
I think your feelings are perfectly normal. I drank for a period of about 3 years and I repressed a lot of emotion during that time. When I became sober, things began coming to the surface and it took quite awhile to take a good look at things, at myself and the life I had created. And, during that time I experienced many emotions including sadness. I think what kept me going then and still does now, was a deep belief that I was on the right path and moving ahead.
Like Chy said, there are many things you can do to try to make yourself feel better. And, sometimes just believing that there is a reason that you're feeling the way you are and that you will feel better soon is enough.
Love, Anna
I think your feelings are perfectly normal. I drank for a period of about 3 years and I repressed a lot of emotion during that time. When I became sober, things began coming to the surface and it took quite awhile to take a good look at things, at myself and the life I had created. And, during that time I experienced many emotions including sadness. I think what kept me going then and still does now, was a deep belief that I was on the right path and moving ahead.
Like Chy said, there are many things you can do to try to make yourself feel better. And, sometimes just believing that there is a reason that you're feeling the way you are and that you will feel better soon is enough.
Love, Anna
Not the center of the Universe
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Orchard Lake, Michigan
Posts: 974
Originally Posted by roxiepoxie
Just want to go to bed early,and so then i feel bad about wanting to go to bed early,sometimes I think maybe it's my mind shutting down from an overload of emotions that it's not used to dealing with!!
What's so bad about going to bed early? I think you are correct that it is your mind wanting to take a rest. I slept so poorly the last two years of my drinking that sometimes I think I'm still catching up
. You got some excercise, you went to a meeting, you did what you needed to do. Sleep is good and sometimes it's the only way to shake the blahs (well, except for the way that is no longer an option for us.) Jah Bless
Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Zion, Illinois
Posts: 3,411
Hi roxie,
Well, you mentioned going to a meeting....that's good. I've found that what works for me is working with someone else. I think that when I forget to be grateful for my sobriety and the gifts that come with it, I start to get bored. Boredom usually means inactivity for me. I need to be doing something. I go to a couple meetings a week and sponsor several guys. There are plenty of people to call, go out for coffee with and talk about anything that happens to pop up. But the best feeling I get comes from working with a new person. Right from the get go. I'm never so hyped up as I am when I have a new guy to pick up and get to a meeting, spend time with before and after the meeting and start talking about working the steps with. If I'm doing these things I just don't have time to get in a funk.
Suggestion: Try stepping up your meetings a little and when you go, look around the room for someone who looks like they're in the funk. Go over to them and let that person know you're glad to see him, and talk about feeling funky. See what happens.
Well, you mentioned going to a meeting....that's good. I've found that what works for me is working with someone else. I think that when I forget to be grateful for my sobriety and the gifts that come with it, I start to get bored. Boredom usually means inactivity for me. I need to be doing something. I go to a couple meetings a week and sponsor several guys. There are plenty of people to call, go out for coffee with and talk about anything that happens to pop up. But the best feeling I get comes from working with a new person. Right from the get go. I'm never so hyped up as I am when I have a new guy to pick up and get to a meeting, spend time with before and after the meeting and start talking about working the steps with. If I'm doing these things I just don't have time to get in a funk.
Suggestion: Try stepping up your meetings a little and when you go, look around the room for someone who looks like they're in the funk. Go over to them and let that person know you're glad to see him, and talk about feeling funky. See what happens.
Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: England, UK
Posts: 197
Hi Roxie
Sounds like you are filling your time effectively, so it's not surprising you're tired. Just go with your feelings.
I'm around the same time sober as you are and it feels simply great. I'm finding all the little jobs that I used to ignore when I was drinking. Whether it's something practical like fixing a shelf, reading the Sunday papers or sitting down to watch a movie which I'd fallen asleep through in the past, I just find the simple things so rewarding.
You're in the right place. Enjoy yourself every day.
Rich
Sounds like you are filling your time effectively, so it's not surprising you're tired. Just go with your feelings.
I'm around the same time sober as you are and it feels simply great. I'm finding all the little jobs that I used to ignore when I was drinking. Whether it's something practical like fixing a shelf, reading the Sunday papers or sitting down to watch a movie which I'd fallen asleep through in the past, I just find the simple things so rewarding.
You're in the right place. Enjoy yourself every day.
Rich
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