OnceNice

I find this to be the hardest of all. Not drinking has not been too much of the problem for me. Its the thinking, constant. Making mountains out of mole hills over everything. Analyzing every thing someone says. Defending myself over statements that arent' even attacks. Dwelling on the smallest stupid think, like having to go to the store. Making everything and everyone a chore or a problem.

Is this normal in the beginning. Where are my shakes, where are my hallucinations. I just can't turn my brain off. I have dreams, but not about drinking. About work, and people from my past. Exes, family members. Past animals that I have had to put to sleep. Dreams involve everything but drinking but are all the time. never sleeping through one night. Brain is always on.

Did anyone drink to turn off. Silly question, I'm sure we all did But if so. Was the beginning a drag.

I can't concentrate on anything. Reading, exercise, work. Its like I have ADD or something.

NEEDTOBESOBER

Yes, I have had those problems and I guess it is normal in the beginning, when I had gone 33 days with no alcohol towards the end of that time I was doing the same thing. And as far as my brain went I was always thinking, worrying, stressing out about stupid little things, taking things the wrong way, angry and yelling for no reason. And I know about always thinking, my brain is like that to and I seem to jump from thinking of one thing to another and cant stop it, I have wondered at times if I have ADD, my youngest son has it so I have often wondered if I do to. and even now my brain is like this even after having a couple of relapses, and on my 3rd day.

shyQcodep

About a month after my last drink or drug I had my first therapy session, and ADD was one of my concerns. I had a close recovery friend who had told me that I could "benefit from a bucket of ritalin" and I had *aced* an on-line self-evaluation for ADD. In that first therapy session, after about 15 minutes my therapist asked "Do you by any chance have ADD?", and about 15 minutes later she said "I really think you have ADD."

I didn't address the ADD issue for close to two years (we had some much bigger fish like staying sober and stable which needed frying), but when I finally got on Concerta it really helped. I still have occasional days when my mind wanders and I get some of that ADD "overwhelm", but they are fewer and farther between. Some days I'm so focused that I almost work like a normie and put in a full, productive 8 hour day - go figure.

Rose, in early sobriety the most important thing is just keeping the drink down - don't try to get the ADD symptoms fixed at 34 days. You can certainly share about these symptoms here and at meetings, since even garden variety drunks have pinball machines for brains in early sobriety. Of course, those of us who are more mentally interesting have pinball machines on *TILT*.

Way to go on the 34 days.

James