Symptoms Day 8--Opinions?
 

Hello Everyone...I wish everyone strength and blessings to get through or to continue. I am on day 8....The first 5 nights were restless sleep that sucked but I did it without Ambien or anything...just got through it. The last few nights have been lucid dreams and heavy sleep, waking up once or twice but falling back asleep....Yippeeeeeee.

My concerns are as follows: I drank for almost a decade and every day...it was either 1/2 to 3/4 bottle of vodka or 2 or so bottles of wine. I haven't had any shakes or withdrawal symptons yet!!!! The only thing that is going on is my thirst for water....seems like I am drinking 6-8 glasses a night..

Is the water thing normal? Should I look forward to withdrawaa symptons at some later date? Is this lethargy during the day from all the heavy sleep? (I am guessing my body is trying to mend)

Just seeking opinions from you great peopel so I can prepare.

Thanks, Alex

Congrats on day 8!
Yup, the water thing is normal, I think your safe at this point in experiancing any physical withdrawal, and yes, fatigue was normal to. I found exercise..grrrrr.. and taking multivitamins helped with that and avoiding caffeine and sweet stuff helped. Now if you haven't experianced it already, a huge craving for sweets is normal to. In the next couple of weeks don't be alarmed if you experiance "drunk dreams". Those can be frightening but normal as well, they begin to fade away after awhile, and become less frequent. When I have them now I take them as my reminder as to why I should stay stopped.

If it's been awhile you may want to consider getting a physical to get a baseline of how well your sobriety is going to affect your overall physical health.

Your doing great!

Yeah, I expect you're in the clear as far as physical withdrawal! Congratulations! And Welcome to SR, Alex! Keep up the good work.
Love and hugs,
Eddie

You're doing great, Alex! Wow, 8 days is fantastic! Something I found which was quite uncomfortable on day 5 (not that long ago!) was feeling very raw and exposed emotionally. And feeling hurt by something and just feeling the tears course down my cheeks! Unstoppable! Also VERY vivid dreams including those drunk ones!
Good luck = lots of water is a great sign!
Keep it up!
Cathy31
x

I was wondering too
 

Hi Alex,

I'm new and have gone 2 days. Looks like you and me had exactly the same habit in terms of type of alcohol and amount. I was also expecting withdrawal symptoms and wondered if I had to wait longer for bad ones to kick in. So far, nothing but a bit of feeling antsy.

Thx for posting your question because I've been worrying about what's coming in the short term.

tenK,
I imagine you've escaped physical withdrawal as well. If you were going to have any symptoms, they'd generally begin with the first 24 hours. Congrats on your two days! Keep it up, y'all!
Love and hugs,
Eddie

Alex...
 

I love your screen name! Says it all...

Hey, water can't get you drunk, right? I drink (habitually) probably a gallon + a day anyway. Hydration is key to good health.

I am not a doctor, but I would say after 8 days without heavy withdrawals, you are through the rough spots -- but if it will reassure you, get with your doc.

My big thing when I quit was sweets -- I'm still pretty addicted to sugar, so I'm going to take that as my next one day at a time habit to kill...

Keep the faith, and work a great recovery program.

ken

You are not far behind me, I am at 22 days today. I had my physical withdrawls around day 8. I also drank everyday for 10 years. The worst symptom I felt was muscle tremors all over my body, that was only for one night, then it seems to just be antsy, and anxiety, and trying to fill my time. You will be fine! And congrats on your 8 days, it's a wonderful start!! Hang in there!!
Sincerely,
Eagee13

Alex,welcome to SR and congradulations on your 8 days.tenk,congrats on your 2 days,and Eagee13 congrats on 22 days.

Hi Alex, and congratulations on 8 days! I am on day 6 myself. I drank daily for most of the last five years (not as much as you, but I'm a reasonably petite woman, so proportionally, it was pretty close to your consumption). I found that I was sweating bullets for the first three days or so, but if anything, my thirst has decreased. Go figure! I guess everyone's experience is different.

I am guessing that the worst of the withdrawal symptoms is probably over. I expected more, to be honest. This place I called regarding inpatient rehab told me that "if you have been drinking daily, you need detox, you need drugs for it, and you need to give us a lot of money to dispense those drugs" (well OK, that's not exactly how she said it, lol!).

Strangely enough, I had far more shakes when I woke up after a particularly nasty night of drinking! For me, it's been sweats and it's been sweets. I have also been drinking Sleepytime tea at bedtime, plus trying to stay up later, so I sleep better.

By the way, it was very reassuring to read of so many people's cravings for sweets, because that has been happening to me all week...and I am someone who eats very little sweets otherwise. Many thanks for sharing your experiences.

I hope this helps!

LOL - love the name GreyGoose. Vodka was my beverage of choice - in fact, I used to joke that the Soviet economy collapsed when I gave up Stoli. :clown:

I drank for 20 years, and I experienced withdrawal within 24 hours of my last drink. It was tough - and it was Labor Day weekend, doing double shift in a restaurant. I felt like I was about 10 feet tall, made of straw, and someone was going to just breathe on me and I would shatter.

You've definitely passed the critical point for physical withdrawal. The rest isn't exactly a free ride on a pink duck - but it beats the heck out of the alternative. Stick around - you'll be rocketed into a new dimension!

My worst day sober is better than my best day drunk. :wave:

I'm on day 7
 

and I have absolutely NO patience. I'm usually a very patient person, not one to get angry, but I am on such a short fuse. Maybe because I'm dealing with life without the dulling effects of alcohol??

BINGO!!

Have you been to any meetings yet? I would go to a meeting and share some about it. "Pain shared is pain lessened!" It really does work!

Love and hugs and congrats again on your week!
-ez