Motivation to work
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: salt Lake
Posts: 488
Motivation to work
Hi Everyone,
I have made so much progress. I am feeling better in so many ways. I just cannot seem to get into my job. I am doing the phone calls, emails, and all the small day to day tasks but I cannot seem to get the movitation to begin on the larger projects, the more complex tasks that require a lot more concentration. Why is this?
I have made so much progress. I am feeling better in so many ways. I just cannot seem to get into my job. I am doing the phone calls, emails, and all the small day to day tasks but I cannot seem to get the movitation to begin on the larger projects, the more complex tasks that require a lot more concentration. Why is this?
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: east coast
Posts: 1,711
Hey pkitty, glad to hear you are feeling better! When did you quit drinking? It took me a good month or so to get my concentration and motivation back. Maybe 2 months..Anyway, just keep at it and I am sure you will see the improvement extend to all areas.
I told myself that if I didn't feel better after a couple months I would see my Dr.
I told myself that if I didn't feel better after a couple months I would see my Dr.
Every Mother's Worst Nightmare
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Deep in the heart of LaLa land
Posts: 688
Hey Precious
Going through much the same just now. But then I looked at whether I was any different when I was binging badly last time. And I wasn't. I was just as unmotivated punctuated by manic periods of creativity!
I'm well in to Month 3 now and only beginning to start having ideas and working on them. Don't stress on it and just let it naturally flow back. It will come.
Going through much the same just now. But then I looked at whether I was any different when I was binging badly last time. And I wasn't. I was just as unmotivated punctuated by manic periods of creativity!
I'm well in to Month 3 now and only beginning to start having ideas and working on them. Don't stress on it and just let it naturally flow back. It will come.
Hears The Voice
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
I've been having the same problem, and I found this explanation:
Your hedonic set point has been altered.
Addiction, reward and the hedonic set-point
"Withdrawal from chronic administration of cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, and tetrahydrocannabinol raises thresholds for brain stimulation reward. "
In other words, you can expect a period where things don't tickle your fancy as much as they ordinarily would.
The good news is our brains will heal in time.
Keep plugging away, and I will, too!
Your hedonic set point has been altered.
Addiction, reward and the hedonic set-point
"Withdrawal from chronic administration of cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, and tetrahydrocannabinol raises thresholds for brain stimulation reward. "
In other words, you can expect a period where things don't tickle your fancy as much as they ordinarily would.
The good news is our brains will heal in time.
Keep plugging away, and I will, too!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: salt Lake
Posts: 488
Originally Posted by Nonsensical 
I've been having the same problem, and I found this explanation:
Your hedonic set point has been altered.
Addiction, reward and the hedonic set-point
"Withdrawal from chronic administration of cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, and tetrahydrocannabinol raises thresholds for brain stimulation reward. "
In other words, you can expect a period where things don't tickle your fancy as much as they ordinarily would.
The good news is our brains will heal in time. Keep plugging away, and I will, too!
Your hedonic set point has been altered.
Addiction, reward and the hedonic set-point
"Withdrawal from chronic administration of cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, and tetrahydrocannabinol raises thresholds for brain stimulation reward. "
In other words, you can expect a period where things don't tickle your fancy as much as they ordinarily would.
The good news is our brains will heal in time.
Keep plugging away, and I will, too!There is a lot to read. Which part is the specific part that explains this in detal? Specifically the time frame it takes to get better? All of it?
Sobriety is Traditional
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Orcas Island, Washington
Posts: 9,067
I thought you might need advice finding a job, but that's not the case...
My advice is that if you don't feel better after a couple months I would see my HR.
Umm, if you don't like the job, I heard they are hiring at the convenience store!
My advice is that if you don't feel better after a couple months I would see my HR.
Umm, if you don't like the job, I heard they are hiring at the convenience store!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: salt Lake
Posts: 488
Originally Posted by HappyDestiny3
Good advice all..
We miss you on the newby bus..
Glad to see your still here posting..
We miss you on the newby bus..
Glad to see your still here posting..
Thanks Happy. I was spending two to three hours on here a day so had to cut something out. I love and miss the bus. I will jump back on the next stop :s
Hears The Voice
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
Originally Posted by PreciousKitty
Specifically the time frame it takes to get better? All of it?
My takeaway was that it varies for different people. Brains are different, levels of abuse were different, etc. For many people it's around 3 months - so there's some solid reasoning behind the "90 meetings in 90 days" you hear about.
One of the keys is to not artificially spike your dopamine with another substance. For example, my caffeine intake tripled when I quit drinking. I just wanted coffee and tea more than usual. As it turns out caffeine can cause a dopamine spike, so my brain was getting a little secondary satisfaction for its addiction with caffeine. Unfortunately, this has been tied to delaying the restoration of hedonic set-point to normal (pre-addiction) levels.
Fandy turned me onto a documentary available on youtube called "Pleasure Unwoven". It does a great job of explaining the brain's normal functions and what happens when you become addicted. Just search for it. Its an hour well spent, and its where I first heard of the hedonic set-point.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SoCal, California
Posts: 990
That happened to me too. But for me I was just enjoying the new sensation of being sober.
It was a like a new thing so I was just sitting around thinking, "Hey - so THIS is what it feels like not to be rundown, guilty and generally feeling like crapola."
Oh yeah, I have to work too!
It was a like a new thing so I was just sitting around thinking, "Hey - so THIS is what it feels like not to be rundown, guilty and generally feeling like crapola."
Oh yeah, I have to work too!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: salt Lake
Posts: 488
Originally Posted by Nonsensical
I have been reading all over the place, and I can't remember which reference led me to which things anymore. D'Oh!
My takeaway was that it varies for different people. Brains are different, levels of abuse were different, etc. For many people it's around 3 months - so there's some solid reasoning behind the "90 meetings in 90 days" you hear about.
One of the keys is to not artificially spike your dopamine with another substance. For example, my caffeine intake tripled when I quit drinking. I just wanted coffee and tea more than usual. As it turns out caffeine can cause a dopamine spike, so my brain was getting a little secondary satisfaction for its addiction with caffeine. Unfortunately, this has been tied to delaying the restoration of hedonic set-point to normal (pre-addiction) levels.
Fandy turned me onto a documentary available on youtube called "Pleasure Unwoven". It does a great job of explaining the brain's normal functions and what happens when you become addicted. Just search for it. Its an hour well spent, and its where I first heard of the hedonic set-point.
My takeaway was that it varies for different people. Brains are different, levels of abuse were different, etc. For many people it's around 3 months - so there's some solid reasoning behind the "90 meetings in 90 days" you hear about.
One of the keys is to not artificially spike your dopamine with another substance. For example, my caffeine intake tripled when I quit drinking. I just wanted coffee and tea more than usual. As it turns out caffeine can cause a dopamine spike, so my brain was getting a little secondary satisfaction for its addiction with caffeine. Unfortunately, this has been tied to delaying the restoration of hedonic set-point to normal (pre-addiction) levels.
Fandy turned me onto a documentary available on youtube called "Pleasure Unwoven". It does a great job of explaining the brain's normal functions and what happens when you become addicted. Just search for it. Its an hour well spent, and its where I first heard of the hedonic set-point.
I am getting a little better each week. However, have you heard it take a year or longer.
now's the time
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,181
I've heard it can take a year, but I've also been told by my psych that for "most people" it's 3 - 6 months to get through the PAWS symptoms.
There's also the five month mark in lots of addiction literature as being the end of "the wall" stage, meaning many people have a hard time somewhere between 40 and 120 days. (you can google the stages, "honeymoon", "the wall", and "adjustment" to turn up some literature on this; I wasn't able to find much in-depth info about what these stages are based on, just the fact that many rehab facilities train their staff on this model).
I've been looking all over trying to get more information about what's going on in the brain during months 2 - 6, but so far that's all I've come up with.
Thanks for the link, nonsensical! For some reason that page won't load for me but I'll check it out later.
There's also the five month mark in lots of addiction literature as being the end of "the wall" stage, meaning many people have a hard time somewhere between 40 and 120 days. (you can google the stages, "honeymoon", "the wall", and "adjustment" to turn up some literature on this; I wasn't able to find much in-depth info about what these stages are based on, just the fact that many rehab facilities train their staff on this model).
I've been looking all over trying to get more information about what's going on in the brain during months 2 - 6, but so far that's all I've come up with.
Thanks for the link, nonsensical! For some reason that page won't load for me but I'll check it out later.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 348
Exact same thing here, I'm on day 14 and having a very difficult time getting things done. Yes I am doing my day to day to day job but i just cannot get "into it".
I too have looked back (not very far) to when I was drinking and working and i find that I had a great deal of these days they were usually followed by sporadic lengthy periods of high activity.
So I guess I'm just waiting to see what happens maybe it'll just pick back up again. It sure as h3ll is annoying though I care that I have realised i dont seem to care, but want to
I too have looked back (not very far) to when I was drinking and working and i find that I had a great deal of these days they were usually followed by sporadic lengthy periods of high activity.
So I guess I'm just waiting to see what happens maybe it'll just pick back up again. It sure as h3ll is annoying though I care that I have realised i dont seem to care, but want to
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