Finally Sober - but depressed..
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 200
Finally Sober - but depressed..
Hey everyone..
I stopped drinking.. stopped taking pills.. and am sober.. two weeks sober. Absolutely depressed. This is usually the point where I would relapse but am committed this time since I want to be sober. So.. I checked with my doctor and am cleared to exercise..
My sponsor and a few people at the meetings I go to have suggested to exercise.. and to exercise when I feel depressed.. they say it helps a lot.. any truth to that? As you can imagine I知 too depressed to exercise but figured if you guys say it works, I値l do it.
I知 open to ANY ideas or suggestions.
I stopped drinking.. stopped taking pills.. and am sober.. two weeks sober. Absolutely depressed. This is usually the point where I would relapse but am committed this time since I want to be sober. So.. I checked with my doctor and am cleared to exercise..
My sponsor and a few people at the meetings I go to have suggested to exercise.. and to exercise when I feel depressed.. they say it helps a lot.. any truth to that? As you can imagine I知 too depressed to exercise but figured if you guys say it works, I値l do it.
I知 open to ANY ideas or suggestions.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: canada
Posts: 7,242
yes, exercise, physical activity will help with lots of things. you don't need a formal program....start walking, or biking, or swimming....
glad you decided to carry on with sobriety and see you have a sponsor already, and my next suggestion is to get busy with the step-stuff.
glad you decided to carry on with sobriety and see you have a sponsor already, and my next suggestion is to get busy with the step-stuff.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: canada
Posts: 7,242
you need patience and trust in early sobriety that yes, as most of us will tell you, things get better. you will get better. it takes time and effort. part of that effort is doing things you don't feel like doing, whether that is physical, mental, emotional.
i hear you on not being motivated/finding it hard to get going. doing it anyway is worth doing.
you can break things into small chunks.
i hear you on not being motivated/finding it hard to get going. doing it anyway is worth doing.
you can break things into small chunks.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,909
if you guys say it works
Yes. (short answer)
Life Goes On
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 6,069
Hi Josh,
Exercise most definitely helps - even something as moderate as a daily 30-60 minute walk helps. You know what else helps? Pretty much what fini said - when I drag my sorry self off the couch and do something, anything that needs doing, it's an immediate boost. And mostly i don't ever feel like doing what needs doing. The steps of AA (straight out of the book) helped me too.
It does get better - you can take that to the bank. But it does take living through the crappy rough parts to get there. Which is a bummer, but so is being a drunk, so there you go.
O
Exercise most definitely helps - even something as moderate as a daily 30-60 minute walk helps. You know what else helps? Pretty much what fini said - when I drag my sorry self off the couch and do something, anything that needs doing, it's an immediate boost. And mostly i don't ever feel like doing what needs doing. The steps of AA (straight out of the book) helped me too.
It does get better - you can take that to the bank. But it does take living through the crappy rough parts to get there. Which is a bummer, but so is being a drunk, so there you go.
O
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Melbourne Australia.
Posts: 3,748
(A.C.E.) Action can create enjoyment, especially if it is something you enjoyed in the past besides drinking..
As for depression it would be better to take a suitable anti-depressant than to return to alcohol.
Power walking has even helped my severe sciatica (providing its not a really bad flare up.)
As for depression it would be better to take a suitable anti-depressant than to return to alcohol.
Power walking has even helped my severe sciatica (providing its not a really bad flare up.)
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,444
Hey Josh
it might take a few weeks for your mind and body to repair themselves - feeling depressed at two weeks is by no means unusual and it certainly doesn't mean this is the best it's going to get. Post as much as you need to and use the support here - you're not alone
D
it might take a few weeks for your mind and body to repair themselves - feeling depressed at two weeks is by no means unusual and it certainly doesn't mean this is the best it's going to get. Post as much as you need to and use the support here - you're not alone
D
sober style
Join Date: May 2016
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 2,387
Originally Posted by CallMeJosh 
More specifically: how do I enjoy the things I used to before I drank..? Or how do I enjoy those things sober.. right now it seems like I値l never like them again..
I totally identify with that feeling of being too depressed to exercise btw. I know for dead sure certain that I feel better when I'm walking an hour or 2 every day but even so, when I get to feeling bad, sometimes I can't muster up the wherewithal to put on my shoes and start putting 1 foot in front of the other. That's one of the most sinister things about feeling extra-bad, the way it seems to sap all your energy, mental as well as physical. I still deal with this and I'm almost 4 years sober now. That's just part of being alive for me I think. Could be a lot worse, that's for sure!
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,783
At two weeks sober, I was pretty depressed too. Having to look at my faults and foibles was depressing enough. The early recovery depression should get better tho. Give yourself another couple months and see how you're feeling then.
I find walking to be a great exercise for me. It's easy, it gets me where I want to go, and it gives my little beagirl exercise and a chance to check her peemail.
The other thing I would suggest to help banish the depression and shore up your sobriety is to practice gratitude every day. When you wake up, find something to be grateful for. And when you go to bed, find something(s) to be grateful for. The wonderful thing about being grateful is that the more you do it, the more you find to be grateful for. And it can make you happier too. Here's a good article about it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0
I find walking to be a great exercise for me. It's easy, it gets me where I want to go, and it gives my little beagirl exercise and a chance to check her peemail.
The other thing I would suggest to help banish the depression and shore up your sobriety is to practice gratitude every day. When you wake up, find something to be grateful for. And when you go to bed, find something(s) to be grateful for.
The wonderful thing about being grateful is that the more you do it, the more you find to be grateful for. And it can make you happier too. Here's a good article about it.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,955
I know all to well being so depressed that if I relied on my mood to get me out of the funk, I was doomed. I learned to act first in spite of my 'mood'. Go through the actions (I'm mentally ill BTY) my mood will follow. It works for me. My Psych meds eased the illness symptoms, yet in my head...bad things. I was told move the body the mind will follow. So I did just that. And boy howdy that worked like gravy on biscuits.
Keep plugging away because you are worth it!
Keep plugging away because you are worth it!
Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 74
Originally Posted by SnazzyDresser
Hang in there, Josh. You're still very early in the process at 2 weeks, give it time. Give your body and your mind time to adjust to this new reality. They're still your allies in the long term, don't lose faith in them, just stay sober every day and don't lose that focus on what matters.
I totally identify with that feeling of being too depressed to exercise btw. I know for dead sure certain that I feel better when I'm walking an hour or 2 every day but even so, when I get to feeling bad, sometimes I can't muster up the wherewithal to put on my shoes and start putting 1 foot in front of the other. That's one of the most sinister things about feeling extra-bad, the way it seems to sap all your energy, mental as well as physical. I still deal with this and I'm almost 4 years sober now. That's just part of being alive for me I think. Could be a lot worse, that's for sure!
I totally identify with that feeling of being too depressed to exercise btw. I know for dead sure certain that I feel better when I'm walking an hour or 2 every day but even so, when I get to feeling bad, sometimes I can't muster up the wherewithal to put on my shoes and start putting 1 foot in front of the other. That's one of the most sinister things about feeling extra-bad, the way it seems to sap all your energy, mental as well as physical. I still deal with this and I'm almost 4 years sober now. That's just part of being alive for me I think. Could be a lot worse, that's for sure!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 2,580
Exercise is the best tool I have to lift my mood, absolutely. Any little bit helps ... if you can manage a short walk around a couple of blocks, great, start with that and build from there.
I also find physically writing out a gratitude list helps lift my mood too. It can be something very simple ... sometimes my list is things like "grateful for this cup of tea, grateful that the sun is coming in my window this morning, grateful I have comfortable slippers". One can almost always find a thing or two to be grateful for, and highlighting it in writing does something surprisingly powerful to the brain.
I also find physically writing out a gratitude list helps lift my mood too. It can be something very simple ... sometimes my list is things like "grateful for this cup of tea, grateful that the sun is coming in my window this morning, grateful I have comfortable slippers". One can almost always find a thing or two to be grateful for, and highlighting it in writing does something surprisingly powerful to the brain.
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