rmuser

Hello! I'm new here. Today is my 28th day clean. It's been exactly 1 month since February is so short. I don't want to get into my story but I am 18 and I am an alcoholic and ecstasy addict. Yesterday was my first AA group and I enjoyed it. I like being able to be completely honest without fear of being judged. The bad part was that talking about my experiences made me really want to use again. Now I'm having really bad cravings and it's hard to distract myself. I wish I could take Nyquil or something and just sleep it off. Does anyone have tips to help me sleep?

zandre

rumuser...first off welcome to SR. This is a great place for support. Congrats on your sobriety!

I'm a lot like you as far as having a sleeping problem. I've always been a natural insomniac. A lot of people here, including myself, would recommend melatonin to help with your sleep troubles. It's all-natural and over-the-counter. It won't leave you feeling groggy in the morning either.

Keep up the good work. I'm on day 11 myself.

Taking5

Welcome. It is always extra cool to see someone young getting sober, I really admire and envy you. I beat up my body with various substances, mainly booze, until I was 44. You do not want to do this.

I still get insomnia myself. However I suspect it is the cravings, not insomnia, that has you all wound up. Am I right?

I cannot help on E cravings but for booze, it would be chocolate, hitting the chat room here or an AA meeting. In your area there are about a gazillion AA meetings so that is cool.

There are also some prescription meds available that are supposedly good for alcohol cravings, (campral and naltrexone are 2 of them) but I have never tried them. Call you Dr. if you are interested.

Good luck and keep us posted. We are on 6 continents so there is usually someone here.

Tazman53

Welcome to SR rmuser, I hear there is some great AA out your way, keep going back, it just keeps getting better & better!

In regards to the sleep, one thing that helps is to try to go into a slow down mode for at least an hour or 2 before bed, exercise will get your adrenilan (SP) going which makes sleep difficult.

I will tell you that many of us in early sobriety have a hard time getting sleep, melatonin helps some folks, chamomile tea helps me still. Reading a VERY boring book helps as well, to me it is like my brain starts to shut down when I am reading something that bores me to tears!!

One thing to keep in mind, is when ever you are in a situation where a nap is possible during the day, just lat down & relax. In time normal sleep will return.

Walken

Welcome rumuser, and well done on your 28 days, I myself am on day 15.
Campral seems to do the trick for me as far as alcohol cravings go, have a word with your Dr, he should know the score.
Also, if you get a craving, head off to your nearest AA or NA meeting, they'll usually get you through it.
Well done, I wish you all the best.

marie1956

Hi i too am new here, i really admire you, you are 18 and doing something about your life and i wish i had the good sense to do something earlier, i am now 53 and still struggling with alcohol so good luck and i really mean that. I think this chat room is brilliant, i agree with tazman regarding sleep patterns, i too read a book to sleep, also take natural remedies over the counter to assist sleep, but i think the more i do during the day the better i sleep so lots of walking etc. may help. good luck i think your brilliant

totfit

Congratulations and welcome. I too find that sometimes AA meetings have added more tension than they have solved. There is no requirement to attend AA to stay sober, you only have to have a desire to stay sober to attend AA. If you find it helps then by all means attend. If you find it bothers you, run, bike, swim, got to the gym, walk, read a book, help out a friend, family member, neighbor or stranger, participate in online groups, go to a movie, or just take a deep breath smile and appreciate being clean and sober as opposed to what you could be experiencing. Main thing is just not to drink or use no matter what. Reading helps me sleep. If I wake up in the night, I reach for a book until I am ready to go to sleep again.

CarolD

Good for you! Welcome to our recovery community....

Please check out this link about sleeping
Hope it helps

Insomnia? 42 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures