GreatInquiry7

Hey all - haven't posted here in a while, and I hope you're all doing well.

I'm grateful to say I'm just over 3 years sober at this point, and it is the best decision I've made.

That said: recently, even at 3 years sober: I've been having this feeling of discontent/restlessness even though everything in my life is pretty good.

It's like a feeling that something is missing, or something is wrong. I begin to question if the things in my life are "good enough", I feel a "restless" feeling that I can't quite pinpoint.

I try and do gratitude daily, meditation/prayer and all that stuff, but the feeling tends to come back.

Often, when it comes I simply work or pursue a hobby - these things help a lot, but when I get back to relaxing or doing nothing the feeling comes back.

So my question is: in the experience of others, and I would assume the answer is yes: do you think this is directly driven by an alcoholic mind?

And if so, have you experienced it and how have you remedied it?

If there's anything I've been slacking on it's probably been spiritual growth, and going to meetings/speaking to other alcoholics often.

Thanks all.

SproutLife

Oh man, congrats on tge 3 years sober, you are a beacon of inspiration! The spiritual fullfilment or growth has been a struggle for me for sure. I've also wondered if its related to an alcoholic mind, if a penchant for asking the big questions also lends itself to self medicating.

If you want a wacky rabbit hole to go down Ive been reading Penny Kelly's books on consciousness! She has some really big takes on the personal spiritual journey. Shes far out there but Ive liked them, its a fun. Maybe we should start a book club? Or is there already one on SR?

Mizz

Congrats on 3 years sober! Awesome work.

I dont know much about the alcoholic mind as I think this is a part of AA language or the program. I do think you have the feeling this restlessness may have something to do with your spiritual growth. I did experience a restless feeling after quitting on many occasions.

For myself, I have to take care of my spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical body every day. I find a lot of stability when all of these are nurtured or rather when I am in a Growth Mindset. It looks like:

Spiritual practice when I wake
Gratitude Journal and journaling
Exercise daily
Reading literature or talking with trusted people on topics of interest. Mental stimulation.

I also think we as humans go through seasons, alcoholic mind or not. We can get restless. We can feel like something is a miss or missing. This is a part of the human experience, in my opinion.

dbyrer

My opinion only: we all have those feelings. When they are uncomfortable we do something about it. For a long time what you did was drink. Now you don't. Ergo, the feels.