Wholesome

All morning at work today I was making the dumbest mistakes. Things that I know but for some reason my brain just was not functioning. Soooo embarrassing to have to keep owning up to stupid errors. At one point my co-worker said the name of a company and my brain registered a totally different name so I passed out the wrong mail and then had to go retrieve it. Over and over I kept messing up and it's really not like me at all. I felt like such a moron. I've also been opening my mouth and the wrong words come out sometimes. Things just aren't firing right in my mind..... it's creeping me out. I hope this goes away.

SDH73

I feel you, zen. I'm having cognitive issues, too. It's like language doesn't come fluidly anymore. I'm jumbling words, stopping mid-sentence to figure out what I'm trying to say. Making silly mistakes on things that should be simple.

Last night I was trying to tell someone that I had a dog that was a husky collie mix when I was a kid. I was horrified to hear myself say the words "hollie collie". Pretty sure that's not a thing!

I'm sure this stuff will improve, but it sure is a pain in the butt here and now!

SoberLeigh

Hang in. It will get better, I promise, but it does take time.

I had major foggy-brain/cognitive issues for about six months, at which time I experienced gradual yet consistent improvement.

Soberwolf

Hang in there Zenchaser this happened to me it does go away you can do this if you ever want to chat vent etc pm if you want bud

Soberpotamus

Zenchaser, take heart... it does get better. I went through these same things. Many of us have.

Nofearnobeer

Same thing here....Still going on...I work in a high stress job working on the phone...I do get some chuckles on the other end of the phone sometimes , I just shrug it off ...I can't tell if it's from quitting drinking or the results of a serious head injury back in 01...Both have effected me in many ways..And that doesn't include the time I got hit by lightning either....Not kidding.. lol ..

Hang in there....

Wholesome

That cracked me up! I have literally opened my mouth and said a sentence pretty much backwards and then tried to to correct it and still said it all jumbled! Like whoa! Sometimes words I was just going to say will all of a sudden escape me...... On the other hand I am way more organized and together and present. Even if I am making fuktard mistakes at work I'm not suffering from a crippling hangover and acting grumpy and tired. Can't say it's not disconcerting though.

Wholesome

Dude, you were hit by lightening? I would like to hear that story! That's messed up!

SoberLeigh

Oh my heavens, Nofear!!!!!!!!! How awful.

SoberLeigh

Oh my heavens, Nofear!!!!!! How awful.

PurpleKnight

Hang in there!! It gets better!!

I used to spend ages looking for my keys in the morning, hangover free mornings and still couldn't remember where I put them, then at work I needed to keep going for fresh air on breaks, just to stay alert!!

Give it time!!

Dee74

It really does get better - like nofear I had some brain injury as well...but things do improve zenchaser

D

Wholesome

Yeah I hope so. It seems to come and go. Sometimes I'm hyper alert and other times I'm just not all there. But all around I feel such an incredible improvement from the general malaise of daily drinking. I highly recommend quitting! Sober is better

Nofearnobeer

Zenchaser...This thread is about you , so i'll make it short...

Where I live , we get alot of sever weather with loads of cloud to ground strikes..

Just so happens , the night this happened , got a cloud to house strike that came through the window and threw me across the room into the wall...Apparently I was out for a few hours , woke up with negative photo vision , black and white which last an hour...Just nauseous as heck for a day...Felt weird as heck for a week.

Saw a Dr. and she said I had minor nerve damage , which did clear up after a while...

Now back to you , Awesome Job! The confusion is weird but at some moments , almost funny....Hang in there....

matilda123

Nofearnobeer, that is scary! Seems relevant, though, to our discussion: alcohol and its effects are like that bolt of lightening: it hits us and leaves us damaged in various ways that (hopefully) clear up with sobriety.

Zenchaser, I had the same brain fog for a good month and a half, although those same crystal clear moments of clarity. I recall once in the middle of a lecture I couldn't think of the word "intentional," of all things. My students filled it in for me.

PS: If a holliecollie isn't a dog, it should be!

MelindaFlowers

My brain was not working properly in early sobriety. Simple things like entering a PIN number, remembering passwords to websites, and reading and retaining information was quite a challenge.

I had to keep reminding myself that it would get better and drinking again would only make it worse.

Your brain is healing. You know how things often hurt more when they are healing? Like when you roll your ankle running, walk the rest of the day no problem, and then wake up and can barely stand on it? That's how I viewed my brain and healing. It would get a little worse before it got better but it would get better.

Fluffer

Here's a question about recovery from brain damage: I started smoking pot and drinking on weekends at about 16 and just quit drinking 2 months ago after nearly 30 years of mostly weekend binge drinking. I stopped smoking pot 25 years ago. My short term memory has been shot since the beginning. I've been able to function in demanding jobs and can do mental work for hours on end but I have a terrible short term memory and can only remember a name after being introduced 5 times, sometimes grope for a word, etc. One big reason for me quitting is that I'm afraid of Alzheimers or other dementia. My guess is my short term memory ain't coming back no matter what. Any one have any insight they want to share?

ubntubnt

I played golf in Florida with a guy once who had been struck by lightening twice on the golf course. He had a speech impediment that the first strike left him with. Mid way through the round the sky darkened, I have never ran so fast in my life.

MelindaFlowers

My short term memory has improved greatly at seven months sober. It took quite awhile though.

For me I think some of it was psychosomatic like I didn't trust my own brain after eight years of being hungover everyday.

I still don't feel 100 percent but maybe 90? I have heard that long-term heavy drinking alcoholics can take up to two years to heal. I also try to do basic healthy things like stay hydrated get enough sleep, and take omega-3 fish oil.

Fluffer

Thanks, Melinda. I'd take 90% any day! I'm trying to live healthily and I'm hoping that rigorous aerobic exercise helps, which I have read. Maybe I'll try the fish oil as well.

Cheers!