McBinger

Hello all, been searching around the net for a little info advice when i found the forum, was wondering if anyone could help out. Quick little background.. im 32 been a pretty heavy drinker (mostly binge drinking) for at least 10 years with a ton of "party" drugs mixed in throughout the years. Been off the drugs for quite a while (years)

Just recently i decided to kick the booze as well after waking up in a hospital after a binge. First week sucked, hallucinations, anxiety, etc., week two was oddly a bit euphoric, felt mostly good/happy, almost medicated. Now into the end of week three, i have been very easily angered, like hulk mad, cant see straight. I wake up EXTREMELY exhausted, felt like i ran a marathon, even breathing feels like a chore. Throughout the day everything feels like a lost cause since i lack the energy to really get anything accomplished.

Anyway, i know this isn't a place for medical advice, nor am i seeking such, just wondering if anyone has a bit more info on how long it takes to "clean up" and when, or if i might start feeling physically better. The not drinking part hasn't been a real issue, although the fact that i feel so lethargic and crappy has probably played a role. Any thought or comments are greatly appreciated.


Thanks!
_McBinger

NewBeginning010

Hi MB,

Yeah it can take a while for everything to get back to "normal" if you will. The anxiety was bad for a bit but seems to have lessened compared to the day after anxiety I use to have.

They call it PAWS, we have done a lot damage over the years & its going to take some time for your body/mind to heal. I will be back with some links for you to read.

Congratulations on your decision to quit drinking & welcome to SR

NB

Post?acute withdrawal syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html

Post?acute withdrawal syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

dan5555

Hi Mc Binger.....

My story is very similar to yours:

I am a 28 year old guy and have been binge drinking for about 10 years mixed in with a load of party drugs. I gave up the party drugs a few years back because they were causing a few problems mainly in sleeping (Insomnia and Sleep paralysis). After that it was mainly just alcohol for a few years.

I have been trying to give up for some time now as I have had a few embarrassing trips to hospital in addition to causing alot of problems with my girlfriend and family. I have managed 3 weeks before but when i go though withdrawal i always seem to go through the same cycle...which ultimately leads to drinking again

Week 1: Horrible unbearable anxiety and the shakes where all i do all day is pace around. Can't think clearly , cant concentrate...its the worst feeling every. Also the ususal shakes, sleep problems etc etc

Week 2: Slight depression but a general feeling of accomplishment of having not drank for more than 7 days.... most of the anxiety is gone but i still have the ususal worries and racing thoughts. I cant seem to control my emotions however and even a sad movie can bring tears to my eyes...

Week 3: Depression.... this is always what kills me and this is where I am now!!!!
I feel so lethargic, I have trouble getting words out of my mouth because even the simplest of tasks seems difficult (even switching he days TV).... the day seems so long and i just feel hopeless all the time just wishing night time will come so i can sleep.....(if i can get to sleep)

Are you also suffering from memory problems at the moment because this is the worst for me???.....

Anyway, i am confident that I wont make the same mistake this time and start drinking again. i just HAVE to break the cycle this time.!!!!!.. I have heard that it can take a few more weeks until this feeling of hopelessness lifts so I wish us both good luck in riding it out...

Take care

dan

Tom_Leafs

have you ever tired going to A.A it helps millions of people in so many ways

Rusty Zipper

Mc'B

welcome to the Fam

as mentioned, A.A., or some recovery program...

the booze & drugs are just the tip of the real problem...

good wishes on your journey...

rz

thirtybubba

MB, Dan (welcome, both of y'all...),

Both of y'all pretty much have my symptom-ology for these three weeks (halfway through the third), so I daresay with three people, it's normal.

And tell me about the memory loss... I never needed to write much down before, now I *will* forget to do it it I don't write it down. Not convenient.

Apparently there's going to be a couple of 'moments' where we'll see great improvement, don't know if that means it's a slow improvement you notice at once, or if you improve at once. No telling when it'll happen in one individual person, I hear.

Bottom line, they say it does get better, and that seems to be a consistent comment from people with years clean.


-TB, who drank for 20 years and is only sober for 18 days so isn't much of an expert here

CarolD

By the end of 2 months I was back in mental and physical balance.

I was ttending AA before work...following an eating plan for hypoglycemia
taking a multi-vitamin + B complex daily....walking a lot.

Welcome to our recovery community.
MB .....Dan...

Tazman53

Welcome to SR McBinger & Dan, for me to stay stopped I needed a recovery program and face to face support, I use AA and owe my life to the program and the fellowship, but there are other recovery programs out there as well as AA, the one thing I have found in AA that can not be found in other face to face recovery programs is I can find an AA meeting almost anywhere in the world.

I tried for many years to quit drinking alone and my way and I always wound up drinking again, in my mid 20s I quit for a year and a half and started again.

McBinger & Dan I always experienced what you both described as far as the mental and physical parts, the physical part improved for me slowly but surely. WHat would always wind up getting me back to drinking was the ups and downs, the mental obsession and the battle in my head.

If things were going good I would start to convince myself that I must not of had a problem at all because of how good I was doing, so I would reward myself with a drink, which became 2 drinks, then 3 then........

Or there were times where I was going nuts for a drink or things were really going bad in life and I "Deserved" a drink, so I would have a drink, which became 2 drinks, then 3 then........

Times like what I describe above are where I found a program and support group to be the key. In AA there are people with many years of sobriety who know how to stay sober long term, I can call them when ever I want to and seek their experience, strength and hope on anything.

Another big thing with face to face support is the realization that I was not alone, nor were my problems totally unique to me, there are other people with the same problems I had, not one person had all the problems I had, but combining every one there is experience in dealing with them and staying sober doing it.

Think about it this way, your car is stuck in a ditch, maybe you could get it out alone, but one must agree that getting that car unstuck would be easier with a group of people who had unstuck thier own cars with the help of others to help you.

tommyk

The people in AA can help you, they've been there.

Wolfchild

Welcome to the Sober Recovery community.

Charmie

hello and welcome to sr.stopping drinking is dealing with the physical part,if you dont deal with the mental side of things it is likely you will drink again,may not be for some time,but likely.i could not stop and stay stopped on my own,i drank alcoholically for 20 years and it was chaos.i went to AA got a sponsor and got on the 12 step recovery programme.my life,my thinking,my attitudes have all changed,rarely do i think of booze and if i do it is nowhere near the thought of actually picking up.it holds no interest to me.i have a life now i never thought possible.i have made a handful of very good sober friends in AA that life a good life also.i wish you well.

McBinger

Thanks everyone for the welcome, Im sure these questions are asked consonantly, so i appreciate everyone taking the time to help a noob.


CarolD, I was just reading about the affect of sugars, had no clue they were so tied in with alcoholic use. I have bad cravings for sweets and have been indulging them frequently, figured sweets were better than booze, but it seems im still binging, just not with the booze, ate a half gallon of ice cream last night, thinking about it now, i get a similar feeling when eating large quantites of sweets, as i did when drinking alchohol.

This probably explains why not drinking hasn't been real hard for me (yet)
I feel kicking my current sugar habit is going to be harder than the booze lol.

Anyone have any good tips for better eating to help combat the affects of PAWS, or to give a boost to help my body.


Thanks again to all,
Mcbinger

NewBeginning010

Good question MB, here is what I found on part 2 of this site, interesting read on the sugar part of it all. I have been hitting the chocolate/candy section pretty hard lately too. Its starting to show on the scale ;-( End of the day balanced meals are recommended.

Paws - Part 1 PAWS part 1 - Research - Health Pages - MedHelp

Paws - Part 2 PAWS part 2 - Research - Health Pages - MedHelp

Paws - Part 3 PAWS part 3 - Research - Health Pages - MedHelp

(Digital Dharma): This site also had some great information Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) — Why we don’t get better immediately) Digital Dharma

Nutrition

The way you eat has a lot to do with the level of stress you experience and your ability to manage the symptoms of post-acute withdrawal. Poor health itself contributes to stress, and malnutrition contributes to poor health. You may be malnourished because of poor eating habits or because your body, damaged by alcohol or drugs, was unable to use the nutrients that you consumed.

Abstinence from alcohol and drugs will bring about some improvement but abstinence alone is not sufficient to rebuild damaged body tissue and maintain good health. New eating habits must be established and practiced regularly and permanently. Your daily diet should contain a balance of vegetables, fruit, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and dairy products. Ask a nutritionist to help you figure out how many calories you need each day and what quantities of each type of food.

DIET FOR A RECOVERING PERSON

- Three Well-Balanced Meals Daily –

- Three Nutritious Snacks Daily –

- No Sugar and Caffeine –

Hunger produces stress. Try to plan your eating schedule so that you do not skip meals and so that you can have periodic nutritious snacks. Do not eat candy, donuts, soft drinks, potato chips, or other high calorie, low nutrient foods. You should specifically avoid foods that produce stress such as concentrated sweets and caffeine. Both of these produce the same kind of chemical reaction in your body as being frightened or overly excited. Concentrated sweets such as candy, jelly, syrup, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks will give you a quick “pick-up,” but you will experience a let-down about an hour later accompanied by nervousness and irritability. Remember that your reason for eating a snack is to combat fatigue and nervousness. Have a nutritious snack before you feel hungry to prevent a craving for sweets.

Jayne, a recovering alcoholic, was in the habit of eating a large quantity of ice cream every night. She often talked about the craving for it she felt, and believed that by eating it she was reducing a craving for alcohol. The next morning she always felt sluggish and irritable. Throughout the day her stress increased until it was relieved by the ice cream. When her counselor suggested that she remove the ice cream from her diet she felt she could not get along without it. When she and her counselor examined her diet they found that she ate no breakfast and was not getting adequate nutrition throughout the day. She agreed to try eating a balanced diet and to eliminate the ice cream on a trial basis. She discovered that when she ate a balanced diet and ate regular meals and several nutritious snacks throughout the day her craving for ice cream disappeared and she could easily eliminate it from her life.

Caffeine also causes nervousness and restlessness. It may also interfere with concentration and your ability to sleep. Loss of sleep or irregular sleep causes irritability, depression, and anxiety.