SuperMario

Hey everyone. I'm six weeks in now and haven't touched a drop of alcohol. It was easy at first and I felt great, so determined to make the change, the positive change. But right now I feel really low. I feel miserable, angry, frustrated and a million other feelings. I feel so pissed off at everything and I don't know why. My life is great and alcohol did nothing but threaten to ruin what is a brilliant life. So why am I struggling so much? I'm 25 and drank heavily for 9 years. I just want to forget about alcohol and leave these horrible feelings behind but I just feel so upset and angry. Is this normal? I feel like I'm going crazy right now.

Ghostlight1

It's normal. Your emotions that were covered up by alcohol are probably coming through. You're sober now for six weeks now, and that's great. Now, you have to live this thing called life with all it's ups and downs that come with it.
Drinking over it is only going to put the problems on hold till you sober up again.
I went through this many times in my drinking career. Anything that didn't go my way I drank over.
It's like life pissed me off, so I'll show you, I'll get drunk. This led to things only getting worse. Then the hangover and me banging my head thinking how could I do it again?
Take it as it comes. Put your sobriety first. think that first drink through to the end.

I've been there and feel for you. Believe me, things will get better.
Hang in there.

SereneEdition

Hi SuperMario -

Congrats on making it 6 weeks.

Yes, this feeling is normal. While it may not feel great, it is good news: your brain is healing. I started to feel this way about 6 weeks - it does get better.

Here's why: Our brain changes it's chemistry while we are using and it takes some time to re-normalize - it literally rewires itself. Feeling wise, an analogy might be the physical discomfort of starting a new exercise routine, only emotional, and it time it will settle down. Reminding yourself of that this bad feeling is really a good healing process can to manage it.

Also being gentle with yourself in the meantime can help by reducing stressors & not taking on as much, focusing on eating well to help the healing process, and exercise to manage the emotions all worked for me.

Stoogy

Hi, firstly well done on achieving 6 weeks, that in itself is worth giving yourself a pat on the back.

A lot of people have found that when they initially quit they need to change certain ways of life for the better, if that means finding a balance between exercise and perhaps a hobby that would be one way too go, nothing too drastic is really required in my opinion but certainly I found I had too much time on my hands that I would normally consider to be drinking time so I had to fill that void with new interests or something similar.

airwick

Hun, you're 25...I am SO proud of you for deciding to stop drinking. 6 weeks, that is fantastic. Recover is a slow process, and something I feel that we (as former drinkers) have to work on our whole lives. I've been sober for a little over 100 days. You are struggling so much because you are doing without something I just keep asking myself "when I drank, were these feelings any better"? My answer is always no. I had these same feelings, I was just not aware of them. The physical ( sweats, fatigue) go
away in time. A month or so for me. The emotional for me is still there. But I can deal with it, and everyday it becomes a bit easier to handle. I wish you luck, and I hope you do me! Have a Sober Day. * Join the 24 hr club, it under NewComers Threads....you just sign in each day and pledge to be sober for that day. No more, no less. One day at a time

PurpleKnight

6 weeks is fantastic!!

Raider

I understand. Please please please think before you drink. Your withdrawals will be so much worse. Do you feel just flat? No highs no lows? It'll pass. I promise. Praying for you.

SuperMario

Thank you so much everyone. It really does mean a lot to hear all your encouragement and support. I made it through another day! In all honesty, after I posted my thread, I felt a lot better. I love all the time I have that seems to have sprung from nowhere (seriously, I've watched about 10 movies, completed three video games, read five books and had time to visit friends and family. I didn't want to do any of that stuff with my "drinking time". I was a useless drunk - I liked to just sit there and drink till I passed out. Go figure!). I just felt a little drained today. Again, thank you so so much for your support, and I'm rooting for each and every one of us. We'll all be winners without that nasty drink in our lives.