Kys

I'm sure it's been asked many time before, but it's hard for me to understand if it's more physical or mental.

Back at day 2 and almost slipped tonight. Actually I bought alcohol, I resigned to drinking, but then I poured it all down the sink without touching it. A positive in that when I've resigned to drinking I've never once 'talked myself out of it' so to speak, so that's a plus for me.

I know I don't need to think so far ahead, but curious in how it gets easier, if at all.

I know life gets better though.

LadyinBC

For me it was both. Physical and mental in the beginning and then more just mental.

I have been sober just over a year now and yes, the cravings still do come, but they are less and they are different. And it does get easier to deal with them once you learn the different ways to cope with them.

Congrats on day 2 and for throwing it down the drain. That was one thing I could never do.

Stimmed

As life gets better, having stopped alcohol, (in my view) so does one's ability to cope with a great deal of things - better.

Well done for tipping the alcohol down the sink!

I've never been able to do that, myself. The only thing that works for me is, either, burning or throwing away the money to buy alcohol. Sounds ridiculous, I know but it works for me!

soberhawk

I am at least counting on it gets easier.

Well done that you kept on going.

Kys

Thanks guys, and it's funny, now that I've eaten and am winding up with a book and on SR I don't feel like drinking at all.

Posted this half an hour ago but feels like ages ago if that makes sense. No compulsion to drink right now whatsoever.

LadyinBC

When you get craving think HALT. Are you hungry, angry, lonely or tired. These are big triggers and if you think about these things, you can take stock and see if any of these apply to you. I used this in the beginning and I still use it.

bigsombrero

Yes, they change in my experience. The first month they were mainly physical. After that it became a mental battle against myself - mainly because I was fighting to discover my "new self" underneath all those years of drinking. Another part of me wanted to try and live like my "old self", just while sober. For example I was trying to figure out how I could go to bars as a sober person, etc. It was a cerebral puzzle and trying to figure out how I wanted to live my life. I realized that, in my case, I needed to change my friends, my attitude, and take a new angle on what it means to be a human being. It was very deep and emotional and frustrating and enlightening.

These first days and weeks, my recommendation would be to focus on keeping alcohol out of your house and away from your sight. Good luck.

Kys

Very encouraging words.

I want this so much. Another night drinking alone is another night I put off pursuing or working towards a fulfilling life, at least towards achieving the things that really matter to me. I've realised that the fear of perhaps not getting them keeps me in this state. Drinking is the quickest way to keep me there and not have to think about it.

That's not a healthy outlook, I pray I can hold onto that (the healthy outlook) until it simply becomes a part of who I am

GroundhogDay

Be prepared. The cravings will get stronger before they lessen. By 90 days you should be at a place where they don't bother you much. I still get them, but am having more confidence now in recognizing and handling them.

instant

By six months any sort of physical reaction was gone. I am now 813 days (just checked today LOL). The only thing I get now is occasionally some ideas that promote drinking- these are easily recognised for what they are and they are by no means a daily occurrence- maybe once a week or two. I am aware of the sorts of situations in which I will get them-

visch1

Congratulations on dumping your poison. Alcoholics are not something that comes out of a mold we all fit into and as a result our "specifications" differ. In my last year drinking the consumption rate was about a quart of vodka an evening and never missed a day of work. I used AA and in about a week lost all desire to drink until this day many years later. In that first week I was inpatient also and the answer was always "it takes time" darn I hated that four letter word because that was the answer I got for many questions. We want it when we want it. I'll say that it does get much better one day at a time if we hang in there. This is a great "Remember When" period though tends to fade away with so many of us. My saying is if we don't pick up the first drink we don't have to get sober AGAIN! BE WELL

Marcher13

Kys it's a good question. I'm a few days short of five months and I now find I can go for days on end with no cravings or thoughts of drinking. Like LadyinBC and bigsombrero I found the cravings more physical in the beginning, now it's more a mental thing. For me it's definitely become easier but I still stay alert, checking in to SR is an important part of my day.

It really is worth working at this and dealing with those difficult physical cravings of the first few weeks.

EternalQ

Yes. much easier!! Less intense. Less frequent. Meanwhile your determination, strength, coping and commitment become greater.
That is why the beginning is so hard. Your craving is high and your coping is low. This ratio changes. You just have to trust us on this one.

mecanix

Day 702 here ,
I've had no cravings or yearnings for alcohol in the last year , i've had the odd moment where i ask myself was it really that bad and the answer is always yes , especially when i read all of the posts by all you newcomers still in the early days or those gone back to the early days .

For me i had to work on new ways of understanding and dealing with the world and my feelings , it is very comfortable but i have to work at it , but that work is a pleasure

Bestwishes, m

Dee74

If it didn't get easier Kys, I'm not sure there'd be many of us here

It does get easier - for me I used booze for a lot of things - boredom, stress, fear, anger, relaxation, anxiety - the more I dealt with those things without booze the less my cravings got...

it will happen for you too

D

forabetterlife

I think it's different for everyone, but they have lessened dramatically for me, even at just about 3 weeks. I still get cravings around the same time everyday, but now I know to expect them and I have some strategies to get through them. I think it's a process, learning about yourself, your triggers, your tough hours, and finding ways to get through them that work for you.

Ptcapote

Yep, this is my experience too, Kys. The first month was definitely physical and then the next two or three were mostly mental. It was all about distraction and, as Big Sombrero says, keeping myself firmly away from any compromising situations. Since my own home was my bar at the end, it definitely meant keeping all booze out of there. If this is you too, then you have to reprogram your brain and adjust your habits so your home is your home/sanctuary again, not your bar. That was the most difficult for me.

Today I was in a awful mood for most of the day for no reason, really. Just snarky and cranky. Took me until about two hours ago to realize I hadn't thought of drinking over it once today. Didn't even enter my mind. Not saying all days are like that but the fact that I can have that day now, and it is more common than less? Yeah, that put me in a much better mood.

Hang in there, and good on you for chucking the booze. Keep going

Nighthawk8820

Everything will get easier as you get more and more time under your belt. At first, it sucks.........no doubt about that, but then the veil is lifted and you start enjoying life. I pretty much never even think about alcohol anymore and I have been sober 2+ years.

RobbyRobot

Easier is such a personal experience, I have discovered. I've successfully remained sober thru failures which no way did I believe I could stay quit in my early months of quitting; but I did stay sober nonetheless. What a surprise, lol. What did get much easier was my growing understanding of quitting really working for me as a best obvious solution to my chronic drinking. Too simple. It became something I could trust and embrace with my head, heart, and soul. Not drinking eventually "felt" right when things went south for me in my challenges with my journey. Each sober success made me stronger even as I endured other failures in my life. Not drinking soon happily became its own reward!

I wouldn't exactly say for myself life got better as a direct result of and because I quit drinking - rather I would say it this way: my appreciation of how impossible my drinking life was to live, as compared to my non-drinking life was to live, was like totally night and day differences.

Not drinking gave me the chance to believe in myself again. Not drinking allowed for me to live and learn that no matter how bad or good things became, drinking would only wreck it worse then I could ever imagine.

Not drinking gave me a chance to step away from myself and realise that nothing changes if nothing changes, and my not drinking absolutely changed everything about how I could make choices I would never have made while drinking. Never is a long time to ignorantly suffer even when drunk.

Not drinking was the initial change which began all the chain-reaction linked changes which continue to this very day!

Awesome going on keeping sober, Kys!! Keep with it!!

DoubleBarrel

Things get WAY easier.

After time, like all things, that voice that tells you a drink would be the answer gets smaller weaker and more pathetic.

I go days without even thinking about drinking anymore. Recover and getting better is much more about managing my life than thinking about drinking, and learning how to do things differently. I spent thirty years drinking, so... Lots of unlearning.

I did figure out that I work better with two hands than one hand and another as a drink holder. Lol