Third day sober and feel like crap
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 39
Third day sober and feel like crap
Hi
I'm sure you've all heard my story by now. I've been drinking beer off and on for years now, had various relapses, etc. My last binge was 3 days ago when I drank 8 beers and woke up the next morning feeling sick, disoriented, dizzy, loads of anxiety and panic, electric shock feelings in my head, surreal feeling like the floors/walls were moving, crazy feelings in my head, etc. Very scary and it had been getting worse and worse over the months so that I could'nt even drink one beer with feeling absolutely horrible (like I was going to die) for several days thereafter. Alcohol intolerance I assume.
Anyway, it's been 3 days now and I feel sort of weak, fatigued, lethargic, unmotivated, sleepy, fuzzy-headed and generally "unhealthy". My stomach has also been upset, I have been waking up too early each morning and my eyes feel buggy and unfocused. I just feel like crap but my next drink could very well be a death sentence. I just can't handle alcohol anymore. I've slept on the floor for 3 days now with my dog (and I have allergies) and each morning I get up I take an Ativan witch makes me very sleepy and lethargic too. Maybe it's a combination of things that contribute to the way I feel or maybe most of it is PAWS symptoms.
My question is this. Does what I've described above sound like normal alcohol withdrawl, PAWS or something else and how much longer before I feel well again?. Anything I can do to speed up my recovery?. I keep hearing people talking about how "great" they felt after they got sober and how they were "floating on a pink cloud", etc. I feel cheated. Where's MY "pink cloud"?. I've been sober for 3 days now so why aren't I dancing the Irish jig in the streets with a big clown-smile on my face?.
PS: I'm taking Campral in addition to Ativan and Atarax for sleep (sometimes)
- Thanks, NoFunInSuds (and NO, there IS no "fun in suds"!!)
I'm sure you've all heard my story by now. I've been drinking beer off and on for years now, had various relapses, etc. My last binge was 3 days ago when I drank 8 beers and woke up the next morning feeling sick, disoriented, dizzy, loads of anxiety and panic, electric shock feelings in my head, surreal feeling like the floors/walls were moving, crazy feelings in my head, etc. Very scary and it had been getting worse and worse over the months so that I could'nt even drink one beer with feeling absolutely horrible (like I was going to die) for several days thereafter. Alcohol intolerance I assume.
Anyway, it's been 3 days now and I feel sort of weak, fatigued, lethargic, unmotivated, sleepy, fuzzy-headed and generally "unhealthy". My stomach has also been upset, I have been waking up too early each morning and my eyes feel buggy and unfocused. I just feel like crap but my next drink could very well be a death sentence. I just can't handle alcohol anymore. I've slept on the floor for 3 days now with my dog (and I have allergies) and each morning I get up I take an Ativan witch makes me very sleepy and lethargic too. Maybe it's a combination of things that contribute to the way I feel or maybe most of it is PAWS symptoms.
My question is this. Does what I've described above sound like normal alcohol withdrawl, PAWS or something else and how much longer before I feel well again?. Anything I can do to speed up my recovery?. I keep hearing people talking about how "great" they felt after they got sober and how they were "floating on a pink cloud", etc. I feel cheated. Where's MY "pink cloud"?. I've been sober for 3 days now so why aren't I dancing the Irish jig in the streets with a big clown-smile on my face?.
PS: I'm taking Campral in addition to Ativan and Atarax for sleep (sometimes)
- Thanks, NoFunInSuds (and NO, there IS no "fun in suds"!!)
Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: California
Posts: 972
Hmm.. The Pink Cloud.. Yep, it happens. Not sure about taking camparal and ativan. Both those things keep you dulled out don't they?
I think most people get their first hit of pink cloudness around a month sober... I believe I experienced it when I had that incredible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I never had to go backward again. Amazing how doing what you told yourself you were gonna do boosts your self esteem!
Hang in there.. you got a support group besides SR?
I think most people get their first hit of pink cloudness around a month sober... I believe I experienced it when I had that incredible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I never had to go backward again. Amazing how doing what you told yourself you were gonna do boosts your self esteem!
Hang in there.. you got a support group besides SR?
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,469
I never discovered the pink cloud either. I was dealing with too much guilt and shame.
I really think you need to talk to your dr. about your alcohol withdrawl. It can be very dangerous. And, yes, as michski said, the other meds you are taking could certainly contribute to your feeling out of it.
Hang in there, talk to your dr and stay sober.
I really think you need to talk to your dr. about your alcohol withdrawl. It can be very dangerous. And, yes, as michski said, the other meds you are taking could certainly contribute to your feeling out of it.
Hang in there, talk to your dr and stay sober.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Newark,DE
Posts: 404
I think the pink cloud is real, usually hits me about 5-10 days out. (I know, I should not know so much about quitting, but I do.)
Sounds like too many drugs mixed up in there. You may want to try to get some exercise, if you are not already doing that.
JMHO
S
Sounds like too many drugs mixed up in there. You may want to try to get some exercise, if you are not already doing that.
JMHO
S
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: anomaly
Posts: 2,180
Oki Doki.....don't get well enough so you can go do it again.
Go to AA and get a sip of AA mojo.lol
Drink lots of water to flush your system.
Take bubble bath or a detox bath.
I took showers 4-5 five time a day at first becuase
I had to start my days over again at first.
excercize....there's no substitute for this.
Start off easy...just take simple walks to a park, enjoy the sunset..etc
plus it'll get ya out of the house in a open or a different enviornment.
It helps to clear out the mind to be in open space and fresh air.
Eat food.lol
I read somewhere that eating sunflower seeds, spinish
help reduces anxiety and depression.
It works for me...I don't feel depress or have mood swings.
It didn't happened overnite thou.
Go to AA and get a sip of AA mojo.lol
Drink lots of water to flush your system.
Take bubble bath or a detox bath.
I took showers 4-5 five time a day at first becuase
I had to start my days over again at first.
excercize....there's no substitute for this.
Start off easy...just take simple walks to a park, enjoy the sunset..etc
plus it'll get ya out of the house in a open or a different enviornment.
It helps to clear out the mind to be in open space and fresh air.
Eat food.lol
I read somewhere that eating sunflower seeds, spinish
help reduces anxiety and depression.
It works for me...I don't feel depress or have mood swings.
It didn't happened overnite thou.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 19
Hi Nofun,
One word in your post sounded alarm bells in my head...Ativan.
Maybe I am not one to give advice as I am not 100% sober yet, but I was put on this drug a few years ago and let me tell you, it is addictive and greatly enhances the effects of alcohol. You should NEVER mix it with the drink. Maybe that is why you are suffering such horrible hangovers after what is not a HUGE amount of alcohol. One thing is for sure, pills and booze are a terrible mix.
One word in your post sounded alarm bells in my head...Ativan.
Maybe I am not one to give advice as I am not 100% sober yet, but I was put on this drug a few years ago and let me tell you, it is addictive and greatly enhances the effects of alcohol. You should NEVER mix it with the drink. Maybe that is why you are suffering such horrible hangovers after what is not a HUGE amount of alcohol. One thing is for sure, pills and booze are a terrible mix.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 47
It sounds like a lot of strong meds. Without the meds (and alcohol), you should start feeling better within 2 days, since your last binge wasn't an "extreme" amount of alcohol.
Have you tried Melatonin for your temporary insomnia? It's a natural hormone that is normally produced in our bodies to help us sleep. Our bodies stop producing this hormone when we poison ourselves with alcohol. I read that taking this over-the-counter product is a very good way to speed up the recovery. It has helped me feel a lot better and get a good night sleep without making you drowsy and sluggish. I'm on day 4 and I'm starting to feel human again (and believe me, my last beer binge included 16 beers a day).
Good luck to you.
Have you tried Melatonin for your temporary insomnia? It's a natural hormone that is normally produced in our bodies to help us sleep. Our bodies stop producing this hormone when we poison ourselves with alcohol. I read that taking this over-the-counter product is a very good way to speed up the recovery. It has helped me feel a lot better and get a good night sleep without making you drowsy and sluggish. I'm on day 4 and I'm starting to feel human again (and believe me, my last beer binge included 16 beers a day).
Good luck to you.
Old & Sober Member of AA
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Nursing Home in Brick, New Jersey
Posts: 5,174
Hi, there, NoFun...as has already been said here, you're playing with what could be a lethal mixture of drugs...not a good thing to do.
Thinking way back to when I, myself, detoxed...or when I sponsored folks who were newly detoxed...it takes at least five days for the alcohol to totally leave the system.
Drinking lots of fluids (orange juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, water, of course) helps to flush your system. Sucking on hard candy seemed to do something (I think there may be a lot of sugar in alcoholic drinks that the body is now craving). Cut down (or cut out) caffeine for a while...stands to reason, it would interfere with your sleep. Do go to see your doctor...B12 shots did wonders when I was in detox...you might ask him about that.
It took a looooong time for my sleep patterns to even out...my sponsor's only response to that complaint was, "Nobody ever died from lack of sleep." You know what...she was right. Hang in there...it will be worth it!
Thinking way back to when I, myself, detoxed...or when I sponsored folks who were newly detoxed...it takes at least five days for the alcohol to totally leave the system.
Drinking lots of fluids (orange juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, water, of course) helps to flush your system. Sucking on hard candy seemed to do something (I think there may be a lot of sugar in alcoholic drinks that the body is now craving). Cut down (or cut out) caffeine for a while...stands to reason, it would interfere with your sleep. Do go to see your doctor...B12 shots did wonders when I was in detox...you might ask him about that.
It took a looooong time for my sleep patterns to even out...my sponsor's only response to that complaint was, "Nobody ever died from lack of sleep." You know what...she was right. Hang in there...it will be worth it!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 39
First of all, thank you all for the wonderful replies and although I can't respond to each individual one (at least not the way I feel right now), I have found a lot of good advice and encouragement from them and I appreciate it a lot 
.
Ok, my latest issue is this: I'm on the evening of my fourth day without alcohol and although it's been a very slow climb up that big mountain of sobriety, I have been feeling just a tiny bit better each day.
Late this afternoon was when I felt like my brain chemicals were begining to normalize and I actually began to feel pretty good and like my old self again. Then the evening came and the cravings began raging within me beyond belief. While these cravings were going on, I also felt like I was on speed. My mind was racing, I felt really jittery (as if I'd just drank a whole pot of expresso), I was talking a mile-a-minute and I almost felt like I was "racing" too fast. I wasn't sure if this was normal for people going through the later stages of withdrawal or not but I do know that about 10 years ago when I went off Xanax for a few days I felt the same way (mind racing, felt like I was on speed, like a nervous junkie wanting a "fix" real bad, etc). So is this all normal for alcohol withdrawal on day 4?.
Anyway, I took a Campral and a 1/2 mg of Ativan to calm/slow me down a little bit and now I feel like I've come back down to earth again.
So what's the deal here with me?
- Regards, No Fun In Suds
.Ok, my latest issue is this: I'm on the evening of my fourth day without alcohol and although it's been a very slow climb up that big mountain of sobriety, I have been feeling just a tiny bit better each day.
Late this afternoon was when I felt like my brain chemicals were begining to normalize and I actually began to feel pretty good and like my old self again. Then the evening came and the cravings began raging within me beyond belief. While these cravings were going on, I also felt like I was on speed. My mind was racing, I felt really jittery (as if I'd just drank a whole pot of expresso), I was talking a mile-a-minute and I almost felt like I was "racing" too fast. I wasn't sure if this was normal for people going through the later stages of withdrawal or not but I do know that about 10 years ago when I went off Xanax for a few days I felt the same way (mind racing, felt like I was on speed, like a nervous junkie wanting a "fix" real bad, etc). So is this all normal for alcohol withdrawal on day 4?.
Anyway, I took a Campral and a 1/2 mg of Ativan to calm/slow me down a little bit and now I feel like I've come back down to earth again.
So what's the deal here with me?
- Regards, No Fun In Suds
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Somwhere over the rainbow
Posts: 1,175
I think the symptoms you are describing are about on par for my third day of sobriety. It took a week before I began to feel normal. It was a month or more before I truly began to feel happy. I was severely depressed and trying to drink myself to death.
I wish I would have only drank eight beer and felt the way you did, what a great incentive not to drink. For me I built up a tolerance that allowed me to consume up to 26 oz in a day of hard liquor without severe side effects. I was hung over no doubt, dehydrated beyond belief, totally miserable, and hated life, but I lived like that for several months. During the week a mickey (13 oz) a night and then weekends 26'rs. Glad I stopped.
Keep on with the struggle it will get better. The only things I found that really helped were sleep, water and exercise (walking). I have since found that HONEST prayer does help. It can be a struggle, but it can help. For me that meant getting down on my hands and knees and showing that I was serious about it and meant it.
In terms of ativan, that is actually a sleep agent. Why are you taking it in the morning?
Peace, Levi
I wish I would have only drank eight beer and felt the way you did, what a great incentive not to drink. For me I built up a tolerance that allowed me to consume up to 26 oz in a day of hard liquor without severe side effects. I was hung over no doubt, dehydrated beyond belief, totally miserable, and hated life, but I lived like that for several months. During the week a mickey (13 oz) a night and then weekends 26'rs. Glad I stopped.
Keep on with the struggle it will get better. The only things I found that really helped were sleep, water and exercise (walking). I have since found that HONEST prayer does help. It can be a struggle, but it can help. For me that meant getting down on my hands and knees and showing that I was serious about it and meant it.
In terms of ativan, that is actually a sleep agent. Why are you taking it in the morning?
Peace, Levi
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 39
Thank's again. What a great bunch of people here and I don't think I could find this level of support anywhere else. I'm on day 5 now and going strong but it almost feels like I'm suffering from delayed withdrawal symptoms because the cravings didn't start until 4 whole days after I stopped drinking. Plus, this morning I knelt down to put some laundry on the floor to be washed and all of a sudden I got this frightening sensation that my foot/leg wasn't there. We do have "soft spots" in the floor in various places so perhaps I stepped on one and that's what caused the sensation but I'm not sure. Can detox play with your mind like that and cause wierd sensations/feelings?
- Thanks again for all your helps guys/gals!
- Thanks again for all your helps guys/gals!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 39
I am so dissapointed in myself and so sad. After going almost 5 days without a drop of alcohol, yesterday evening I drank almost a whole case of beer.
I spent much of yesterday putting up new panelling in the bedroom and when it was all over and done with, the cravings began to kick in again and I was thinking "wow, it sure would be nice to be able to relax after a hard day's work with a few icey cold beers". This is what always seems to snare me in alcohol's trap...this "I've worked hard, I deserve to relax with a few beers" attitude.
This morning, I woke up staggering around and my head felt soupy. My heart was racing too and I just generally felt "out of it". Now I'm floating around in the Twilight Zone and my head is spinning. I HATE this feeling and it lasts for days sometimes.
I act really nutty when I get drunk too. One time I'm Superman and another time I'm a space alien from the planet Zebulon-5 who has come to rescue the earthlings. One time I got drunk, put a pet carrier (containing my pet goose along with pine shavings) in the bathtub, turned the shower on and climbed in with my cloths on and hollered for my room mate to "rescue" me. He came inside to find me soaking wet and I pretended to be a "submarine training drill seargent" and was barking orders at him to "save" me and had him hoist me out and put an ace bandage on my "injuries", etc. What a crazy night that was. Each binge brings a different "trip".
I have to get sober again. Today can be day 1# for me all over again if I can just stay away from this evil stuff. I'm not an AA person so it's going to have to be support groups like this one, lots of prayer and Campral that keeps me from drinking again. Thank you for allowing me to share and thank you all for your support!.
- Regards, NoFunInSuds
I spent much of yesterday putting up new panelling in the bedroom and when it was all over and done with, the cravings began to kick in again and I was thinking "wow, it sure would be nice to be able to relax after a hard day's work with a few icey cold beers". This is what always seems to snare me in alcohol's trap...this "I've worked hard, I deserve to relax with a few beers" attitude.
This morning, I woke up staggering around and my head felt soupy. My heart was racing too and I just generally felt "out of it". Now I'm floating around in the Twilight Zone and my head is spinning. I HATE this feeling and it lasts for days sometimes.
I act really nutty when I get drunk too. One time I'm Superman and another time I'm a space alien from the planet Zebulon-5 who has come to rescue the earthlings. One time I got drunk, put a pet carrier (containing my pet goose along with pine shavings) in the bathtub, turned the shower on and climbed in with my cloths on and hollered for my room mate to "rescue" me. He came inside to find me soaking wet and I pretended to be a "submarine training drill seargent" and was barking orders at him to "save" me and had him hoist me out and put an ace bandage on my "injuries", etc. What a crazy night that was. Each binge brings a different "trip".
I have to get sober again. Today can be day 1# for me all over again if I can just stay away from this evil stuff. I'm not an AA person so it's going to have to be support groups like this one, lots of prayer and Campral that keeps me from drinking again. Thank you for allowing me to share and thank you all for your support!.
- Regards, NoFunInSuds
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Alive
Posts: 168
Hi no fun
Today is day 4 for me & this morning is the hardest yet. I feel very, very sad. Start your journey again, today & forgive yourself for yesterday! (Hard to do I know) you have to to move forward. I hope tomorrow or even this afternoon is better
Today is day 4 for me & this morning is the hardest yet. I feel very, very sad. Start your journey again, today & forgive yourself for yesterday! (Hard to do I know) you have to to move forward. I hope tomorrow or even this afternoon is better
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