Calm before the storm?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Brixton
Posts: 250
Calm before the storm?
Hello everyone,
Wishing you all a very happy Friday.
Something strange seems to be happening - for the last couple of days, I haven't had any cravings for alcohol. Yesterday I walked past a pub, and there were some people sitting outside, drinking. Usually I would feel really envious, and the thought of the glasses filled with beer or wine would haunt me for a while after passing by. But yesterday I didn't feel envious at all - infact, the idea of even taking a sip of beer or wine was actually quite repulsive to me.
Perhaps it's because, after the last time I drank, when I had a relapse 10 days ago, I ended up quite sick with terrible tummy pains and was in bed for 4 days afterwards. Perhaps my body is saying I can't tolerate any more relapses, please!
But surely the cravings can't have disappeared so easily? For the last few years I've felt an urge to drink on virtually a daily basis. I've only been in SR and AA for less than a month. It would be nice to think that the cravings have gone for good, but surely it can't be that easy? Is this the calm before the storm, do you think? I'm keeping my defenses up, bracing myself in case the cravings come back unexpectedly...
PB
:praying
Wishing you all a very happy Friday.
Something strange seems to be happening - for the last couple of days, I haven't had any cravings for alcohol. Yesterday I walked past a pub, and there were some people sitting outside, drinking. Usually I would feel really envious, and the thought of the glasses filled with beer or wine would haunt me for a while after passing by. But yesterday I didn't feel envious at all - infact, the idea of even taking a sip of beer or wine was actually quite repulsive to me.
Perhaps it's because, after the last time I drank, when I had a relapse 10 days ago, I ended up quite sick with terrible tummy pains and was in bed for 4 days afterwards. Perhaps my body is saying I can't tolerate any more relapses, please!
But surely the cravings can't have disappeared so easily? For the last few years I've felt an urge to drink on virtually a daily basis. I've only been in SR and AA for less than a month. It would be nice to think that the cravings have gone for good, but surely it can't be that easy? Is this the calm before the storm, do you think? I'm keeping my defenses up, bracing myself in case the cravings come back unexpectedly...
PB
:praying
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: my room in ct.
Posts: 58,110
PB, we all dont have to suffer from the cravings...
for me, i dove into recovery...
turned it "ALL!!!" over, and within less then one month, the cravings were gone...
was one time the "less thens" were good! lol
rz
for me, i dove into recovery...
turned it "ALL!!!" over, and within less then one month, the cravings were gone...
was one time the "less thens" were good! lol
rz
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
It says in the BB:
Every one of us is different, in my case I was like you at about a month some days, other days the obsession would work on me pretty bad. I was going to meetings every day, at about the 2 month point the obsession started to work over time, I let folks in the meetings know that and I heard those that had worked the steps say time and time again, that the obsession was lifted for them only while or after working the steps!
Well thank God I listened to them, I was at the point where I was either going to drink again or work the steps, I got a different sponsor and got to work on the steps..... the obsession started to lift slowly and by the 6th or 7th step it was gone!
In your case it may be the calm before storm, or the obsession may be gone, everyone is different. I will say this, I have never heard of a single person who wanted a drink more after working the steps!
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
Well thank God I listened to them, I was at the point where I was either going to drink again or work the steps, I got a different sponsor and got to work on the steps..... the obsession started to lift slowly and by the 6th or 7th step it was gone!
In your case it may be the calm before storm, or the obsession may be gone, everyone is different. I will say this, I have never heard of a single person who wanted a drink more after working the steps!
Guest
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 176
I'm freshly detoxed for the first in alot of yrs.... i don't know much about the calm before the storm but i'm sure some more seasoned members may know a lil of this.
I too have these concerns... i will not and cannot tolerate drinking... cravings are very sly.
in the last week i've craved like a manic in the midst of the storm....
yet today 13days sober i'm numb/somewhat repulsed toward alcohol or the thought of drinking it.
unfortunately today Temptation was horrific... road trip 500kms (using mates car coz mine died), blocked radiatior n overheated in a rural area.
past lunchtime n 2 kids in tow. the nearest convinent payphone to call road service n get a bite to eat was a Country Club about 500 metres up the highway.
I know its probably no surprise to find a pub in the middle of bloody nowhere but hell!!! i wished it was a fish n chip shop or something else at least!!!
I Craved as soon as the smell hit me n could almost taste it (beer) on my lips watching it tapped.
Amazed... i ate lunch, waited for the roadside mechanic n played with the kids @ the park (in the pub mind u... we're kid friendly these days.lol)
all this without a single drop
A it was hard but i remain sober for today....
now with this thought process that took place... sorta akin to when i'm on a health kick or new diet.... i can abstain from all the things i know are bad for me... gain peace/strength thru the positive choices...
until i hit some sorta downfall (trigger a crave) n landside back to poor health n 10 kgs more than before....
knowing my mentality with this thought process... try relate to my sobriety.
i too believe my willpower today, yeah pat myself on the back,is...
as u put it...
the calm before the storm.
Thanx for sharing PB:ghug3
I too have these concerns... i will not and cannot tolerate drinking... cravings are very sly.
in the last week i've craved like a manic in the midst of the storm....
yet today 13days sober i'm numb/somewhat repulsed toward alcohol or the thought of drinking it.
unfortunately today Temptation was horrific... road trip 500kms (using mates car coz mine died), blocked radiatior n overheated in a rural area.
past lunchtime n 2 kids in tow. the nearest convinent payphone to call road service n get a bite to eat was a Country Club about 500 metres up the highway.
I know its probably no surprise to find a pub in the middle of bloody nowhere but hell!!! i wished it was a fish n chip shop or something else at least!!!
I Craved as soon as the smell hit me n could almost taste it (beer) on my lips watching it tapped.
Amazed... i ate lunch, waited for the roadside mechanic n played with the kids @ the park (in the pub mind u... we're kid friendly these days.lol)
all this without a single drop
A it was hard but i remain sober for today....now with this thought process that took place... sorta akin to when i'm on a health kick or new diet.... i can abstain from all the things i know are bad for me... gain peace/strength thru the positive choices...
until i hit some sorta downfall (trigger a crave) n landside back to poor health n 10 kgs more than before....
knowing my mentality with this thought process... try relate to my sobriety.
i too believe my willpower today, yeah pat myself on the back,is...
as u put it...
the calm before the storm.
Thanx for sharing PB:ghug3
not a greeter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: padmasana
Posts: 13,927
Originally Posted by PaddingtonBear 
But surely the cravings can't have disappeared so easily? For the last few years I've felt an urge to drink on virtually a daily basis. I've only been in SR and AA for less than a month. It would be nice to think that the cravings have gone for good, but surely it can't be that easy? Is this the calm before the storm, do you think? I'm keeping my defenses up, bracing myself in case the cravings come back unexpectedly...
.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,746
I'm on day thirteen and I haven't had but a few times I 'wanted' a drink... but I fought off the craving cause I didn't want to destroy what I've been building up. Keep going strong, PB. I know we can do this - together!:ghug3
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
There are some that will disagree with me but I believe once you have made the commitment to stop, to really stop and change your life... cravings will disappear.
Guest
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 176
Quote:
There are some that will disagree with me but I believe once you have made the commitment to stop, to really stop and change your life... cravings will disappear.
i too agree, searching to make those life changes.... hope to break the cycle of obsession/cravings.
thanx for sharing :ghug as it gives me peace for today that this will not last forever.
There are some that will disagree with me but I believe once you have made the commitment to stop, to really stop and change your life... cravings will disappear.
Originally Posted by Tazman53
I sure will not disagree with that statement, changing ones life is key, that is what the steps helped me to do, change my life, once I changed via the steps the obsession/cravings were gone.
thanx for sharing :ghug as it gives me peace for today that this will not last forever.
same planet...different world
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Butte, America
Posts: 10,946
I went six months ... with nothing.
Then ker WHAM! all it took -
was me SEEING the St paddy's day decorations uptown...
and I had a full blown "body memory' event.
I think that's what the book means about vigilance'...
cuz sure enough - my guard was down.
IT doesn't have to be a full metal jacket thing .. but watchful... is good.
and it's GREAT that any suffering - is being lifted for you!!!!
what a blessing!
Then ker WHAM! all it took -
was me SEEING the St paddy's day decorations uptown...
and I had a full blown "body memory' event.
I think that's what the book means about vigilance'...
cuz sure enough - my guard was down.
IT doesn't have to be a full metal jacket thing .. but watchful... is good.
and it's GREAT that any suffering - is being lifted for you!!!!
what a blessing!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: 49 degrees north
Posts: 1,036
PB
Great replies above. I am at eight weeks and feel wonderful. You know, I'm not sure what cravings really are. I'm not sure it is a good word, but I've yet to come up with another. It's something close to a full body visualization, with all senses involved.
I do know with me that feeling this good is dangerous. I've been here before. It is when the dialog begins between me and the demon. He's trying to convince me that he's just a gentle stuffed animal. Why fear me? Cuddle me in moderation and I'll make you feel good.
Yeah, right. Been there, done that. Went to sleep with a cuddle toy and woke up with a freakin' grizzly that proceeded to maul me into submission. Sometimes I wish I had ugly, ugly withdrawals, so painful that once was enough.
But I'm wiser now and so are you. That is the "gift" of relapse. If you wish to open and examine it.
I am not trying to incite any fear, PB. But beware feeling good. Beware feeling bulletproof. The demon's final and most cunning trick is to appear harmless. A roadside bomb disguised as a toy. Just don't pick it up!
I think the defenses we need at this point reside in our rational brain. The brain that has been through this before and been blown up. I don't think we need to live in constant fear, but we need to be very, very wise.
Way to go, PB!
warren
Great replies above. I am at eight weeks and feel wonderful. You know, I'm not sure what cravings really are. I'm not sure it is a good word, but I've yet to come up with another. It's something close to a full body visualization, with all senses involved.
I do know with me that feeling this good is dangerous. I've been here before. It is when the dialog begins between me and the demon. He's trying to convince me that he's just a gentle stuffed animal. Why fear me? Cuddle me in moderation and I'll make you feel good.
Yeah, right. Been there, done that. Went to sleep with a cuddle toy and woke up with a freakin' grizzly that proceeded to maul me into submission. Sometimes I wish I had ugly, ugly withdrawals, so painful that once was enough.
But I'm wiser now and so are you. That is the "gift" of relapse. If you wish to open and examine it.
I am not trying to incite any fear, PB. But beware feeling good. Beware feeling bulletproof. The demon's final and most cunning trick is to appear harmless. A roadside bomb disguised as a toy. Just don't pick it up!
I think the defenses we need at this point reside in our rational brain. The brain that has been through this before and been blown up. I don't think we need to live in constant fear, but we need to be very, very wise.
Way to go, PB!
warren
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Brixton
Posts: 250
Hi everyone, 
I just want to thank everyone for their really great replies above, it's really helped me to think more clearly about what's going on at this stage in my recovery. Thanks for taking the time to share. I do feel an amazing sense of relief that, at the moment anyway, the urge to drink has gone. I'm happy and grateful about that. At the same time I'm going to stay cautious and keep working through the steps. Thanks, Barb, for sharing your experience - it reinforces to me why daily vigilance is so important. And thanks, Tazman, for sharing your experience of the steps. It's great to hear from others who have much more experience of recovery that working the steps really does help - it encourages me to keep at it!
Well done Conez and least for being on day 13 - that's wonderful news! And congratulations Conez for not drinking there at the Country Club - way to go!!! Well done you! :ghug3
And Warren, 8 weeks is just fantastic!!! I'm really thrilled about that! Hearing such good news gives me hope, like a light at the end of the tunnel. I really like your illustration, too, about going to bed with a cuddly toy and waking up with a grizzly - it really touched me. I'm going to remember that if I ever start to think that my alcoholism was just a "myth" and that I can drink sensibly and moderately - it's so dangerous.
Thank you again, everyone, SR is truly a very special place.
PB
I just want to thank everyone for their really great replies above, it's really helped me to think more clearly about what's going on at this stage in my recovery. Thanks for taking the time to share. I do feel an amazing sense of relief that, at the moment anyway, the urge to drink has gone. I'm happy and grateful about that. At the same time I'm going to stay cautious and keep working through the steps. Thanks, Barb, for sharing your experience - it reinforces to me why daily vigilance is so important. And thanks, Tazman, for sharing your experience of the steps. It's great to hear from others who have much more experience of recovery that working the steps really does help - it encourages me to keep at it!
Well done Conez and least for being on day 13 - that's wonderful news! And congratulations Conez for not drinking there at the Country Club - way to go!!! Well done you! :ghug3
And Warren, 8 weeks is just fantastic!!! I'm really thrilled about that! Hearing such good news gives me hope, like a light at the end of the tunnel. I really like your illustration, too, about going to bed with a cuddly toy and waking up with a grizzly - it really touched me. I'm going to remember that if I ever start to think that my alcoholism was just a "myth" and that I can drink sensibly and moderately - it's so dangerous.
Thank you again, everyone, SR is truly a very special place.
PB
Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,697
I am a member of AA - the being said:
Craving (AA sense) - is the direct result of the substance of alcohol on the body of an alcoholic. When you take the alcohol away and the body begins to repair, the craving disappears (see the Doctor's Opinion and More About Alcoholism in the big book).
Obsession of the mind - tends to hang around a long time for some (it has never been the case for me - the obsession came out of thin air). That is where my mind gets me back to the drink. (The car salesmen, Carl Jung's patient, the jaywalker etc - examples from the big book)
For me, it was critical to recovery to differentiate the two. Alcoholism is more than just what goes on when I drink (I want to drink more) - my mind will get me to think it's ok to have a drink (regardless of outside circumstance).
Keeping 'spiritually fit' - carries me through times where there is no way I could think myself out of taking the first drink - then the craving kicks in and I take the second.
I think we all know where it goes from there.
Gravity had a wonderful post about this in the alcoholism thread...a good read.
Craving (AA sense) - is the direct result of the substance of alcohol on the body of an alcoholic. When you take the alcohol away and the body begins to repair, the craving disappears (see the Doctor's Opinion and More About Alcoholism in the big book).
Obsession of the mind - tends to hang around a long time for some (it has never been the case for me - the obsession came out of thin air). That is where my mind gets me back to the drink. (The car salesmen, Carl Jung's patient, the jaywalker etc - examples from the big book)
For me, it was critical to recovery to differentiate the two. Alcoholism is more than just what goes on when I drink (I want to drink more) - my mind will get me to think it's ok to have a drink (regardless of outside circumstance).
Keeping 'spiritually fit' - carries me through times where there is no way I could think myself out of taking the first drink - then the craving kicks in and I take the second.
I think we all know where it goes from there.
Gravity had a wonderful post about this in the alcoholism thread...a good read.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 55
I have found for me that the cravings are the worst during the first 3-5 days. On my 7th day I didn't really care about not drinking anymore. I didn't even want to. (But I'm an idiot and drank last night on my 8th day so I could hang out with my best friend. Stupid, I know). But I think it's different for everyone. Glad you're feeling good and not craving!
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