Flare-Ups
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 985
Flare-Ups
I mentioned this phenomena in a response post yesterday, but couldn't remember who originally posted the information. A friend PMed me, asking for the source, and I checked the folder at work in which I copy meaningful bits that I find on SR - a big chunk of it was there.
There is no original poster name in my notes, so if it was you, please take credit for the info (I suspect folks might also be curious about who did the studies referenced).
This information has been very, very useful to me. It helped me move past many of these periods. I typically would have been questioning myself and my recovery; instead, I just identify it as a symptom of flare-up and move on, looking forward to the related healing leap.
Here is the copy of the original post that I had in my notes; there was more, but this is apparently what I pulled from it/thought was important:
The term "flare up periods" or "flare ups" refer to definite time periods during which the recovering alcoholic/addict experiences an increased amount of tension and anxiety. Should he return to the use of alcohol or drugs, it will most likely be during one of these flare up periods. It is important, therefore, that the recovering alcoholic/addict, his family, his friends, his employer and anyone else who may play an important role during these periods become aware of how to recognize the onset of a flare up period and what to do when one occurs.
Flare ups occur at predictable intervals: five to six days, four to five weeks, eight to ten weeks, thirteen weeks, six months, nine months, and eleven to thirteen months after the last use of alcohol/drugs.
Factors in recognizing the onset of a flare up include feelings of irritability, moodiness, boredom, restlessness and difficulty in eating and sleeping. These emotional states grow in intensity and come to a peak which lasts up to three days. During these three days, the recovering alcoholic/ addict may be extremely depressed and irritable. He may feel all is hopeless, that nothing can go right and display outbursts of anger for almost no reason or because of something which would ordinarily be considered insignificant. There are also some physical signs indicating that he is approaching a danger zone. He may develop aches and pains, he may perspire more than ordinary and he may have headaches. There also may be behavior changes. These changes are sometimes so slight that they would be passed off without undue attention unless one is watching for them. Uncharacteristic juvenile behavior, unreasonable giggling and joy, expressions of weariness, restlessness or boredom, and a sudden concern about his health, job, family, loneliness, etc. are examples of such behavior changes.
Hospitals have studied druggies/alkies that were brought in with brain damage severe enough to induce coma. The patients had to be fed through a tube. While they were hooked up to the IV's they took daily blood samples. A curious pattern started to emerge when they compared the tests for several hundred people who had stopped drinking/drugging when they were admitted to the hospitals. (comas do that ya know... help you stop using that is...)
They found that the level of endorphins (pleasure receptors) dropped to zero after 4-7 days. Then after about 24-72 hours the endorphins came back AT A HIGHER LEVEL than they had been. Then at about 30 days the levels dropped to zero again. But after another 24-72 hours they came back, again at a higher level! This phenomenon repeats itself at a suspiciously familiar interval...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ normal endorphine level
~~++++++++++++++++ users level -- drugs/alcohol (+) provide the balance
~~ 1st week sober (notice the lack of drug support)
FLARE UP (24-72 hours each time)
~~~~ after 1st flare up (4-7 days)
~~~~~~ after 30 day's flare up
~~~~~~~~ after 60 day's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~ after 90 day's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~ after 6 month's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ after 9 month's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ after a year's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ normal level reached after 1 1/2 years or more.
Notice how the Flare-ups occur in the same time periods as we give chips? Makes one wonder doesn't it?
There is no original poster name in my notes, so if it was you, please take credit for the info (I suspect folks might also be curious about who did the studies referenced).
This information has been very, very useful to me. It helped me move past many of these periods. I typically would have been questioning myself and my recovery; instead, I just identify it as a symptom of flare-up and move on, looking forward to the related healing leap.
Here is the copy of the original post that I had in my notes; there was more, but this is apparently what I pulled from it/thought was important:
The term "flare up periods" or "flare ups" refer to definite time periods during which the recovering alcoholic/addict experiences an increased amount of tension and anxiety. Should he return to the use of alcohol or drugs, it will most likely be during one of these flare up periods. It is important, therefore, that the recovering alcoholic/addict, his family, his friends, his employer and anyone else who may play an important role during these periods become aware of how to recognize the onset of a flare up period and what to do when one occurs.
Flare ups occur at predictable intervals: five to six days, four to five weeks, eight to ten weeks, thirteen weeks, six months, nine months, and eleven to thirteen months after the last use of alcohol/drugs.
Factors in recognizing the onset of a flare up include feelings of irritability, moodiness, boredom, restlessness and difficulty in eating and sleeping. These emotional states grow in intensity and come to a peak which lasts up to three days. During these three days, the recovering alcoholic/ addict may be extremely depressed and irritable. He may feel all is hopeless, that nothing can go right and display outbursts of anger for almost no reason or because of something which would ordinarily be considered insignificant. There are also some physical signs indicating that he is approaching a danger zone. He may develop aches and pains, he may perspire more than ordinary and he may have headaches. There also may be behavior changes. These changes are sometimes so slight that they would be passed off without undue attention unless one is watching for them. Uncharacteristic juvenile behavior, unreasonable giggling and joy, expressions of weariness, restlessness or boredom, and a sudden concern about his health, job, family, loneliness, etc. are examples of such behavior changes.
Hospitals have studied druggies/alkies that were brought in with brain damage severe enough to induce coma. The patients had to be fed through a tube. While they were hooked up to the IV's they took daily blood samples. A curious pattern started to emerge when they compared the tests for several hundred people who had stopped drinking/drugging when they were admitted to the hospitals. (comas do that ya know... help you stop using that is...)
They found that the level of endorphins (pleasure receptors) dropped to zero after 4-7 days. Then after about 24-72 hours the endorphins came back AT A HIGHER LEVEL than they had been. Then at about 30 days the levels dropped to zero again. But after another 24-72 hours they came back, again at a higher level! This phenomenon repeats itself at a suspiciously familiar interval...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ normal endorphine level
~~++++++++++++++++ users level -- drugs/alcohol (+) provide the balance
~~ 1st week sober (notice the lack of drug support)
FLARE UP (24-72 hours each time)
~~~~ after 1st flare up (4-7 days)
~~~~~~ after 30 day's flare up
~~~~~~~~ after 60 day's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~ after 90 day's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~ after 6 month's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ after 9 month's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ after a year's flare up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ normal level reached after 1 1/2 years or more.
Notice how the Flare-ups occur in the same time periods as we give chips? Makes one wonder doesn't it?
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,456
original is here:
Flare Up Periods
Interesting site
we had a Dan here in the early days of SR - before my time...dunno if it's the same guy. Someone else here might now
D
Flare Up Periods
Interesting site
we had a Dan here in the early days of SR - before my time...dunno if it's the same guy. Someone else here might now
D
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 6,348
Good Stuff heartcore and thanks for the link Dee!
Yes, the full moon! Interesting - just commented to an SR friend about this today. I definitely can feel the pull of a full moon and it puts my bio-rhythms off - just funky
I know when it's Moon Time and try to deal with it as best I can
peace
Yes, the full moon! Interesting - just commented to an SR friend about this today. I definitely can feel the pull of a full moon and it puts my bio-rhythms off - just funky
I know when it's Moon Time and try to deal with it as best I can
peace
Guest
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 1,476
Originally Posted by chickippo 
the last 3 days have been hell on wheels.
Author makes the point that in her experiences, emotional turmoil seems to last approximately 3 days and then a break through happens.
I read that yesterday afternoon.(Wednesday) .... Funnily enough, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I was in the crappiest mood I'd been in for a while and then It dawned on me that I was being very impatient about something.
Emotional turmoil.... Breakthrough.
Again, interestingly, I'm right about the 3 month mark in sobriety.
Anyhoo... I guess I can look forward to more cycles
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 985
Next Full Moon is Nov. 6...
It just occurred to me, are full moon dates different from different hemispheres/regions? Since it has to do with angle of the Earth, it would make sense that we would see the moon differently...
Huh. Surely there is a science person out there who can answer this for me. Since we're an international group, maybe our experience of the moon travels in a wave across the world, like time zones, but in different days? Curious. Please advise.
It just occurred to me, are full moon dates different from different hemispheres/regions? Since it has to do with angle of the Earth, it would make sense that we would see the moon differently...
Huh. Surely there is a science person out there who can answer this for me. Since we're an international group, maybe our experience of the moon travels in a wave across the world, like time zones, but in different days? Curious. Please advise.
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 6,348
Full moon everywhere, same 24 hours - at night of course! Werewolves everywhere at different times!
Cheated - looked it up. I would have probably said no, slight variations. Guess that why I have mattresses stores!
peace
Cheated - looked it up. I would have probably said no, slight variations. Guess that why I have mattresses stores!
peace
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 985
Found the answer to my question:
The phases of the Moon that we see are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The phase of the Moon is defined by the proportion of the Moon lit up by the Sun that is visible from Earth. Over the 24 hour period that it takes for the Earth to spin so that all areas can see the Moon, these relative positions wouldn’t alter enough to see a different phase of the Moon around the world.
However the Moon does not look completely identical from every location on Earth; depending how far South or North you are (your latitudinal position) the Moon appears to be rotated. In the northern hemisphere the sunlit part of the Moon travels from right to left while from the southern hemisphere the light appears to travel from left to right. This is simply down to the differing angles you are observing the Moon from.
The Internet is such an amazing tool....OK, back to work...
The phases of the Moon that we see are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The phase of the Moon is defined by the proportion of the Moon lit up by the Sun that is visible from Earth. Over the 24 hour period that it takes for the Earth to spin so that all areas can see the Moon, these relative positions wouldn’t alter enough to see a different phase of the Moon around the world.
However the Moon does not look completely identical from every location on Earth; depending how far South or North you are (your latitudinal position) the Moon appears to be rotated. In the northern hemisphere the sunlit part of the Moon travels from right to left while from the southern hemisphere the light appears to travel from left to right. This is simply down to the differing angles you are observing the Moon from.
The Internet is such an amazing tool....OK, back to work...
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 1,066
I think the very last sentence (from Dee's link and missing in the OP is worth taking note of:
That's hopeful.
I'd like to see some authoritative cites for the flare-up theory, though.
I imagine you are asking yourself... So? So - if you relapse you start back at the beginning of the chart because your body stopped making endorphines when the drugs/alcohol started supplying them. That is one of the reasons people don't want to come back - they don't feel all right. Another reason is ego. Hang in there and you WILL feel better.
I'd like to see some authoritative cites for the flare-up theory, though.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 1,066
Huh, well I've been googling and the only references I see to monthly alcoholic flare-ups is here on SR, and they go back to that same page, which is simply an unsupported theory, rife with grammatical and spelling mistakes, written by Dan Dickey from Reno, NV. *
His home page is here.
*All public record through a whois search, as well as on his personal page.
His home page is here.
*All public record through a whois search, as well as on his personal page.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,456
Y'know...I'm not sure it's necessary, or good manners, to out an AA member Stevie - and I'm glad you're not proofing my posts ... 
Seems a lot of folks here subscribe to the theory, but everyone has the choice to go with it or not
It's not worth getting het up over
D
Seems a lot of folks here subscribe to the theory, but everyone has the choice to go with it or not
It's not worth getting het up over
D
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