Fallow

Does anyone else have these dead sober. This is the 3rd or 4th time Ive gotten sober and each time this has happened. Mostly I feel great its just if I zone out looking at something too long it will move around usually. Tonight after work I got a few auditory ones, like all of a sudden someone whispered in my ear but Im sitting there alone. Never happened while I was drinking and its pretty scary to be honest. I dont know what to think.

Veritas1

I have had similar thoughts. I don't know what causes them. I guess if it keeps up and is bothersome, ask your doctor?


Here is a link to a past thread. There may be something there that is helpful.

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


I found this...

◦Hallucinations affect many people undergoing the late stages of major alcohol withdrawal. Visual hallucinations are the most common type of hallucination experienced during alcohol withdrawal. People will classically "see" insects or worms crawling on walls or over their skin. Often this is associated with tactile (feeling) hallucinations in which alcoholics think they feel insects crawling on their skin. This phenomenon is called formication. Auditory (hearing) hallucinations can also occur during withdrawal, although less commonly than the other types of hallucinations.

Dee74

I think you're best to see a Dr if you''re suffering any kind of hallucinations, Fallow.
best to get checked out, y'know?

D

Fallow

Thanks Veritas. I could make sense of this if I were detoxing but havent drank since early february. Its crazy sometimes laying here in bed if I stare at the ceiling too long its swirling then im like stuck in a dream I cant tell how long cant move and Im seeing all types of evil spirits. And hearing voices from left to right. Its like they are talking behind my back. Then if I look away everything is back to solid again.

Veritas1

I think withdrawal can last longer than two months...

~

I found this thread ...

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

Dee74

there's a lot of misinformation about PAWS

PAWS | Digital Dharma

Sorry, I've never heard of hallucinations 2 months into sobriety from withdrawal or PAWS.

Not meaning to alarm you Fallow but I think it would be irresponsible to tell you otherwise.

You really owe it to yourself to get a professional medical diagnosis here.

D

Veritas1

What is PAWS?

Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) is a set of impairments that occur immediately after withdrawal from alcohol or other substances. The condition lasts from six to eighteen months after the last use and is marked by a fluctuating but incrementally improving course. It has importance to the recovering addict's ability to benefit from recovery, treatment, function effectively on the job, interact with family and friends, and regain emotional health.

SomethingBetter

424 days here and sometimes I wonder too...

Things are a lot better but I still have things that I might concider PAWS

Fallow

Weird. Woke up this morning and feelin great. No hallucinations now. Yes I know a medical visit is in order but I really dont wanna land in the loony bin. Lol. Im not looking for medical advice on what this is. Sucks to see nobody responded who has had this issue b4. Ill talk to my doc off the record when I go in next week. Im learning this is more likely to happen when Im tired. Seems almost movie like though now that I think back to it..got home from work sitting there eating a sandwich and this voice pops up from nowhere. Creepy. But Ill be alright.

DayTrader

Honestly Fallow... I can't say for sure if I had that stuff or not. I seem to recall similar experiences but I was sooooooo good at blowing stuff like that off, I couldn't now swear that I experienced it.

What I CAN say for sure is that I hope to GOD you're taking sobriety seriously. Usually, it's the lowest bottom drunks ONLY who have stories like yours (and I'm using low-bottom to describe the damage it's doing to you......not to describe how many "things" or possessions you've lost.)

DT

Fallow

Thanks DT.
I think I know what you mean because I am good at blowing stuff like this off. Normally I wouldnt even post/talk to anyone about this but this time I figured what the heck. Im taking sobriety very seriously this time. Im not going back. Im sure you are correct about the low bottom idea, and luckily I havent lost too much.

FLA

I've had similar experiences. Normally it's when I'm about to go to bed tho and its normally a minute or two after I fall asleep, like last night I thought the front door opened and some girl was laughing then I opened my eyes and kinda realized it was nothing. I also experienced little bug type things in the corner of my eyes when I first got sober. And I was only a binge drinker so I thought I was going crazy lol but they went away. Stay sober! Wouldn't want it to get worst would you? By the way your doctor "may" prescribe you a benzo and that would probably take care of it.

GirlFromCO

I remember that feeling well. It got to a point where I couldn't blow it off anymore and that's also when I had a withdrawal seizure. Since it's been 2 months since you stopped drinking, Fallow, it's probably not related. Stress will do that to a lot of people, especially if you get worried about it and start obsessing, and mental illness will too. Nobody is going to put you in the "loony bin" you're obviously coherent and you don't sound like you're a danger to anyone or yourself. There's a lot of people with problems like this. If it bothers you go to a Dr. and see what kind of medicines might help with it. Otherwise, stop paying attention and see if it goes away.

DayTrader

Oh hell yeah dude. Me too. I look back and it's amazing AND scary the things I was able to be alright with blowing off. I see that it's after some time in sobriety that we get enough clarity to look back honestly and see how lucky we were. I also know from my own history that it was almost impossible to scare me into sobriety. For some reason, we alkies are SO blinded by self will to keep drinking, drugging, doing whatever action we "like" that we can completely ignore massively obvious warning signs.

If there's anything I can do to help...please shoot me a pm. I'd be honored.

bitmap

I would see my doctor. I had MAJOR (I was a rough case per my nurse in the hospital) when I went through detox. Auditory and Visual hallucinations, although the spider that was on my ceiling fan was kinda cool looking, thinking and hearing my neighbor screaming he was going to kill me wasn;t......

Lizbass60

I had major hallucinations when detoxing-five days of pretty much nonstop demonic creatures, flashing lights, odd noises, horror movies behind my closed eyelids, dancing/cackling trees, writing and paintings on the walls; I thought people were breaking into my house, staring at me and killing my cats.....I started drinking again when I could stand no more mental torture....finally I went into inpatient detox, had hallucinations and altered mental status, spent a week in hospital full of IV Ativan....then two months inpatient recovery. I have five months of beautiful sobriety but I've had some mild hallucinations recently. Nothing at all to compare to my trip to hell but still annoying; seeing faces in the linoleum, dark shapes darting about, odd shapes and colors when I close my eyes. Usually at night, usually when I'm tired yet unable to sleep. It really makes me very angry--I've worked so hard at my sobriety and I'm still seeing things? Damn....I told my therapist but she didn't seem too concerned, thinks it could be PAWS. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist next week and I'll talk to him about it. Best wishes, Fallow.

12skiptomylue

The hallucinations could still be caused from the alcohol, although you haven't drank in two months.

It's also a little unclear if you hear the voices from outside of you, or inside of you. What do the voices say? Is it like the alcoholic voice, "you should drink", "you don't have a problem", etc. Or are the voices telling you other things? Do they ever tell you to harm yourself?

In terms of the visual hallucinations, it almost sounds like you are more experiencing dissociation/depersonalization, but I can't tell just from what you said. It would be a good idea to get checked out by a doctor and/or psychologist. They won't think you are crazy!!

Fallow

The auditory ones are the scariest. They dont tell me anything specific that I can remember. The whispers directly like in my ear was a womans voice. The more distant sounds like two schoolgirls talkin about me then laughing. They came from outside I think which was hard to ignore. Visually I usually brush off things that I know are not real..as I guess Im more used to them. None of this is like the little voice in my head telling me to drink/use which I will not do. I did have some thoughts of smoking a cig though but Im not gonna. My nerves are shot after these past 2 nights!