sunday69

Hi All,

I have 15 days without a drink - the longest I've gone for 12 years. Before I tapered down to three beers a day, I was drinking 9-12 every day. I also have PTSD, GAD, OCD and depression. The anxiety has been worse since I quit, but the depression is improving. I feel sick and out of it. I'm working with a counselor and a psychiatrist, both of whom claim that I will feel much better in 60-90 days.

I have no cravings and no desire to go back to drinking (right now), but I'm so tired of feeling sick and anxious all of the time.

Does it get better? Does the mind clear up like they say it will?

Thanks!

Sunday

Dee74

I wouldn't be sitting here at nearly 5 years sober if it didn't, Sunday

Give it a little time - I see you're like me...you drank for years...it may take a while for mind and body to recoup and regather

Welcome to SR
D

suki44883

Yes, it gets better. MUCH better. Hang in there, you're right where you should be.

Boleo

In my case, my mind cleared up a little bit each day for the first month. However, the anxiety never did go away as the result of just not-drinking.

I had to work a program of action, before I felt the peace of mind, joy and sense of purpose that made sobriety worth having.

ADaisyifyoudo

Yes, yes, yes. For me it took a bit longer than the "standard" 60 to 90 days, but like you, I also suffer from depression, which got much worse before it got better. Hang in there. Someone told me to "treat myself with compassion" and I didn't do it very well, but it's really helpful when I did. I really beat myself up mentally those first couple of weeks.

Good luck.

least

Yes it does get better, but working on your self/your recovery helps a lot in feeling better emotionally. And do give yourself more time to get back to normal functioning. As the analogy goes; if you walk ten miles into the forest you can't walk back out in just a few steps.

WINNC

It gets a lot better I am at six months (almost) and the first 90 days were kind of tough but the last 90 have gotten easier and easier. I have been pretty active in a weekly basis in a recovery program which has also helped. Don't give up

ElvisInASkirt

Yep my experience was that it gets better after a month and easier and easier the longer you leave alcohol in the past.

sugarbear1

The 12 steps work wonders for my anxiety, which really isn't an issue at 5 months! In fact, I worked the steps on days 14 & 15 and was changed almost immediately, then I worked the steps again a month or so ago...

AA saved my life. Today I can think a drink through & do other things not to pick up.

bigguyslimm

Keep up the good work. I just reached the 4 month mark. The mind slowly gets better and better. I've had the days of being tired, dizzy, anxious and just felt run down. Some days are better than others. I started feeling way better in my 3rd month. Best of luck to you.

SparklingSeven

It does get better but probably not as quickly as you would like it to. I got to a point where I looked back and realised that things had gotten better without my noticing. There's not really another option though as to go back will only make things worse - put you right back at square one again. Good luck and most of all keep up the good work!

Stu.

eJoshua

Hi sunday, welcome to SR!

Yes it does get better! There's no magic number of days, but like Stu says it will probably get better without you even noticing it. I think that a little bit of introspection can be very helpful in this case, to really stop and examine your life and think about where you would be if you weren't sober.

CarolD

Please do keep moving forward...Welcome..

Fenris

It does get better, especially when you take action to make it better.

sunday69

Thanks Boleo! What was your program of action like?

Surlyredhead

Hi Sunday (((hug)))

It will get better, I promise...you still have some hard work ahead of you, but if you stay sober, it will so be worth it. It is not until we work through our issues that we can move past them. When we drink, we are just adding to the problem. Stay strong, each sober day is one day closer to the best life you can lead...until then, you are not alone, we have all been where you are now.....(((hug)))

Cathy

sunday69

Thanks very much everyone! You're great!

What's the best way to work the 12 steps? Can you work them alone? I've been too anxious lately to go to meetings, although I have had some good experiences in them before.

I'm ready to do these steps!

Boleo

In my case, I had use some spiritual tools to get to where the "Addictive Voice" in my head quit nagging me. Without going into too much detail in this forum, I had to get honest with myself, admit defeat and start looking for help of a spiritual nature.

MrSilver

Yes, but it might still take a while. In the long run I am sure you will find you are happy you stuck with it.

Fenris

Yeah, you can work the steps alone, but I honestly think that you'd get more out of them if you worked with a sponsor. Having someone else advise you, someone to bounce your thoughts of and get feedback is one of the most important things I can think of to do in recovery. It also helps keep me honest, since I have a habit of lying to myself. As for going to meetings, every time I go to a meeting I either learn something completely new or I learn a new way to look at something familiar to me, not to mention the massive amounts of support I get from my home group. I would encourage you to try to make a meeting despite your anxiety. I've heard people talk about online meetings; perhaps that would be better for you? Anyways, I'm glad you're here and keep coming back and posting.

--Fenris.