RJY9

I'm on day 22 now and if im honest Nothing seems exciting and I have zero enthusiasm to do anything. I cant stop thinking about that cold Beer I so desperately want. I feel like there's no point doing anything coz at the end of it I cant have that relaxation that I so crave. Its starting to make me very unhappy. Sobriety is equally as complicated as drinking i'm starting to learn.

lessgravity

Day 22 here too. The poison doesn't relax you - it may cause you to forget this moment, to end up in sweet oblivion, but if it really relaxed us we wouldn't be on this site, seeking help etc.

You need a plan and some resources. Do you have either?

Nattythreads

No one said it would be easy mate. I can tell you that the obsession does go. Your brain is devoting a humongous amount of energy in convincing you that there is only one way to fill this seemingly empty void that you've selfishly and needlessly created on the spurious notion that you'd quite like to have a life

You have to get off the one-track mind road and bombard it with multi-track actions. They might seem continuous the cravings but they're actually not. Go with them for a bit and ask yourself "ok is that really all you've got? Because I'm not arsed about a beer at the moment cos I know where that goes. So kindly do me a favour and feck right off."

And then go and do something else. Anything menial, cerebral, physical or just lazy. Anything so long as it's different from what you'd normally do. Anything that takes you outside of your habit or comfort zone.

You do that frequently and enough times and slowly your habits, thinking and reaction to thoughts begins to change.

I can absolutely promise you that.

Ride it out man.

lorelei

Keep fighting, it will get better, I keep reminding myself that after my slip x

Threshold

I spent some time in early sobriety focused on "not drinking"...and that's probably something we all inevitably do. Things got better for me when I started focusing on life and all the things I was doing, could do, would do. Filling my life up with things, rather than dancing on the edge of that void.

I had to be intentional about it. Get up, and make a list of things to do, mental or written, then do them. I didn't make a list of things I wouldn't do, I made a list of things I was going to do.

I had to build a life that didn't revolve around drinking in any way shape or form.

I'm I'm 17 months in and there are still days I make a list, to make sure I don't fritter my day away.

Received

I just took a quick look at your posting history and it appears to me your mood bounces up and down. My experience tells me this is quite normal especially in the early days.

Thing is. I don't drink. That's not going to change EVER, so, I take a walk, call somebody, work out, rearrange things in my tiny little apartment. What I don't do entertain the crazy AV that only wants to drink.

Take that card off the table. You don't drink.

doggonecarl

Twenty two days is awesome! No wonder your addiction is unhappy.

zombiebre

Understand that your brain is also changing in a chemical way too... when you were drinking your brain was being chemically altered. (All that Serotonin and endorphin stuff lol). It takes time for your body to get back to full operation. the boredom sucks! I've got 142 days and let me assure you that (if you make the effort) everyday you will think about drinking but it will get less intense. It sounds stupid but Im working on retraining my brain to have fun, what I thought was fun before (getting drunk) I now find annoying when others are drunk around me.

ersatzmatriarch

rjy...

you're doing great! tell that alcoholic inside you to take a hike, do anything you want except drink, and keep going. it really does get better...

mecanix

I think my anxiety peaked at about 6 weeks , time wise i think we're all different .

So in my experience we do hit a watershead, if we keep sober we then reach a new level of sobriety on the other side ...
I thought of it as the death throws of a rotten and selfish idea ..

Stay true , bestwishes, m

jkb

Damn, I read this and I remembered so clearly that horrid feeling of "I have to get to a drink NOW". Every time I beat one of those miserable cravings (beast activity situations) I was so proud and a lot of times shocked.

All I can tell you is 6 months later they aren't nearly as bad. ((hugs))

Jess