Rockbottom1964

After almost forty days, the trembling, shakes, bad dreams, bad sleep, headaches, brain-fog, nausea, dry mouth at night, and most of the aches and pains have all but gone. Even my muscle-tone has improved a lot (with some exercise, of course.) A few things still bother me, though: I get liver-cramps a few times a day (at least not the ever-present constant dull ache I used to have for years), my hands and the skin on top of my feet keeps getting dry and need cream at least once a day, and then there’s my face. I just had a look in the mirror and my face is still red. Not blotchy like it used to be, but not healthy either - just red. I’m sure I’m not the first and/or only one on SR who have that problems; if you have or had them, please let me know. Is there something I can do, or is time – like with a lot of things – the best healer in the end… Not asking medical advice here, simply some input from those who have been there – or still is.
8Pm Saturday night. Sober and already in bed. 38 Days clean…

suki44883

Not sure where you are, but there is an OTC ointment called Aquaphor, that I use on my terribly dry skin. It is a little like Vaseline, but not quite as greasy. For some reason, all of a sudden the skin on my forearms and shins got so dry, it would flake off onto whatever I was wearing. My shins were so bad that when I took off my socks or jeans, it looked like it was snowing! LOL

Anyway, my daughter recommended the Aquaphor, and it has really worked wonders. If it is available where you are, I highly recommend it.

Derringer

My experience, not medical advice, it all clears up eventually.

My red face was somewhere around the 4 month mark.

On the mental fog. Looking back, I felt mine was gone after a month, got to 2 months, could now see it hadn't gone at 1 month, but it's gone now .... surely, got to 4 months, could see it hadn't lifted at 2 months.

Got to one year, it must be gone now surely, got to two years, nope I was still foggy at one year.

That fog will take a while, but you'll only see it looking back, sober.

Briansy

This is a very interesting post. Especially as these changes are subtle aren't they? I'm seeing some things at 50 days in terms of my anxiety that I never saw at 30 yet I thought I was fine. And lots of other things too. Very well stated though. I haven't quite heard articulated like this before.

SnazzyDresser

I try to be grateful for the way my body has been able to heal itself, miraculous really when I think of all the years I spent poisoning it. I try to be accepting of the ways in which it hasn't yet!

D122y

I have been super clean a good while and physically thing are improving still.

I was pretty much barely active while drinking. Definitely had no stamina that could be respected.

The issue I deal with most of all is mental.

My mind tries to slip into negative thoughts when it is not engaged.

Generally the thoughts are work related and center around me not being appreciated like a God.

Of course this is delusional and pretty much a joke. So I must remind myself of my good fortune etc. 100x daily.

It gets old. I am confident my obsessing will continue to lesson as my clean years count up.

I know a relapse would not help. I tried that for 40 us years.

Thanks.

AAPJ

Removing alcohol and other drugs from your system will help you improve over time. Another area for me that had room for improvement was my diet. Almost any doctor or dietician will tell you that refined sugar is bad for you. I eat so little refined sugar now that if I eat a big piece of chocolate cake in the evening I will sleep poorly and almost feel hung over the next morning.

And then there is exercise. More is better.

PS - Read the food labels carefully. "Low Fat" products often include more added sugars. That's no good.

Rockbottom1964

Thanks, AAPJ. I hear you about the sugar. And not just the refined stuff. I’ve been using Coke as a substitute to alcohol for the last month +, but tomorrow I’m kicking that habit as well. And not just the sugar-stuff; starches like potato chips as well. Our bodies, apparently, converts starches into sugar. The sugar hangovers I wake up with frequently, but they – I must say – are not half as bad as the booze-induced ones were. Tomorrow I’ll have 40 days clean under my belt, and I think it’s time I kicked the alcohol substitutes as well…

Derringer

I came unstuck a few times trying to run before I could walk.

My experience is if you are still counting days, it's too early to start worrying about fixing all the other little bits and pieces we tend to think are important.

Add a little exercise sure.

But if you have a few little crutches that are still helping you move away from alcohol, don't throw them away yet.

Move the boulder, it's a marathon not a sprint

Rockbottom1964

Thanks for the advice, Derringer. Yes, I agree that it’s early days yet, but I’ve been past this point a couple of times, and this time, something is just different. Maybe it’s the surrounds I find myself in – living with elderly alcoholic parents and seeing myself there in a decade or two (if I’m still alive) ; maybe – hopefully – it’s that I finally made a mindshift – as I had with smoking almost 18 years ago – that I’ve had enough. That my body won’t take much more for much longer. Maybe, maybe… I’d like to believe it’s that I’ve simply had enough. I’m exercising, eating healthier, and saving a lot of money.
I’ll probably keep counting the days until the end of the first year (God willing) and then start counting months, then years, if I’m lucky. The physical and mental stuff I mention in my thread are not really things that (already) worries me this early on, but I'm just curious I suppose, about how long it took to right itself with other SR members. I would have liked jumping the next six months of my life, though, and come out the other end feeling – and looking great…
 

Upstairs

I sometimes wish I’d kept a ledger or something on various changes after I quit drinking. Most my early recovery was spent just trying to avoid thinking about alcohol. I do think your whole body, liver especially, will recover and start working better. As your body works better, everything will start to improve. Give your body what it needs. Lots of water, vitamins, and a balanced diet. Just give yourself time.

joe801

Most of my physical ailments were gone by 60 days, other than slight abdominal discomfort and muscle spasms/twitches. Same for mental/psychological, 90 days is were the remaining aches/pains mental fog etc started to fade for good. I personally felt good at 30 days, considering the amount of time I drank.

38 days is great, and yes Suki is right about Aquaphor. It helped with my calves and top of my feet from scratching those into sores early on.

Rockbottom1964

Thanks Upstairs and Joe for your positive input.

FBL

In my experience, recovery is progressive.

My first year was one of physical and mental healing.

I'm now a couple days away from 10 years and 7 months and every single year has been better than the one before. The past year, especially, has been one of tremendous spiritual and personal growth. I've also become heavily involved with service to others and that has also helped.

I've found that the more I put into my recovery, the greater the rewards.

NYCDoglvr

What sobriety has given me is peace of mind, but it's taken quite a while to get there. But if you stay sober you can expect to feel better, both mentally and physically. Big hug.

August252015

I counted days til 2 yrs I think Still do but not every day. 4 yrs is in a few weeks (2/21).

I felt a huge shift in a lot of ways around 100 days, as I recall. Things had improved before that, certainly, but even this notable point was baby days compared to what has followed. Around 6 mo I saw a few people I hadn't seen since right before I quit and that's the first time I recall someone gaping at the changes! That felt awesome.

A year or so in, I got a new drivers license which was a stunning comparison from drunk time 2015 to 2017.

Life and age happen and sober me has what I consider a pretty awesome deal at 43, probably compared to lots of people and absolutely given what I did to myself with alcohol. I get headaches pretty much every day, at least a little, for awhile here, I had back surgery 4.5 mo ago, I take a thyroid med and a couple other maintenance meds for mental health and bone health (that back fusion). I struggle with sleep. I'm getting back to exercise this year after about 9 mo now of pain then surgery. And so on.

I've also got healthy hair and nails and take care of my skin, I'm OK with my jean size even tho I do eat ice cream a lot, I laugh easily, my memory is (pretty) good, I show up for people and life because I've (usually) got good energy. And so on

But honestly? Everything is better sober and the biggest reason is because I know what's up and can deal with it, in every area.

Keep going!!

Hawkeye13

I have had some aphasia issues since this last relapse and at nearly 7 months it is better but not gone.

Red face, flushing, dry skin, liver pain all resolved.

My energy and sleep continue to improve and I think part of that has been adaptation of Keto diet—down thirty pounds from that too so all in all, good progress.

August252015

^^^I had the aphasia too and it was really scary. Spatial distortion as well. Driving made me quite nervous. It took 5 ish months for those to normalize completely.

I also find that keeping those notes of how I feel has indeed been useful! At the start and along the way- never too late

Hawkeye13

I didn't have spatial issues with driving as August mentions, but I did have some anxiety around driving when drinking and for a few weeks after--especially over big bridges.

I agree with her that keeping notes about your symptoms and their level--maybe on a 10 point scale of how severe will allow you to track progress more effectively over time.

It's easy to forget how it was when we are in the middle of things.

One thing all of us can say with consistence is that whatever symptoms we had that were impacted by our drinking have gotten better and better with longer term sobriety

August252015

The note thing helps this alcoholic for one reason in particular - how long x or y has been going on! Dunno about y'all but it is easy for something to be happening a lot longer than I realize. Like, it's prob been 3 mo now that I've had really bad headaches a couple days a wk. Might look into that