Mentium

I'm at the end of day five here and feeling pretty OK considering. This forum is an amazing resource - and while I'm here let me thank everyone for making it such a great help!..Anyway..

As some sort of normality begins to dawn, however small the chin_k of light is, I am finding that I am experiencing a sort of excitability, an over revving of my mind and a sort of feeling of involuntary energeticness (made up word!). I guess it is the real brain chemistry kicking in and I have no doubt I will have downs as well as these surges.

Anyone else experience this sort of thing and how do you cope? It isn't all that comfortable a feeling! For one thing a bit of a headache comes with it!

NikTes

Hi, Mentium! I very much relate to what you're saying here. I'm just approaching 3 weeks sobriety -- so still early on. From what I remember, you and I have some similarities. Drinking to help ease anxiety? That was for sure me. The first few days of being sober were brutal with anxiety going through the roof -- heart palpitations, dread, you name it. Once that settled out though -- yes indeed! -- involuntary energeticness. (Great word!!) Mentally antsy? Frenetic? Revved? All of it. I think it is the brain chemicals evening out. A GABA rebalance?

Also lately, I'm finding feeling very impatient and the littlest of noises are VERY annoying. Any disturbance to my environment seems magnified and irksome.

Taking a brisk walk, really brisk, seems to help. Power yoga. Anything very active that takes me out of my brain and expends body energy.

Soberwolf

They often say early sobriety is like a rollercoaster because of theese feelings keep interacting and stay active in your sobriety

it will balance out as time goes on

DuhDave

Mentium, congrats on 5 days. The worst is behind you for now.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it sorta "throttles" your brain down where it feels like its just at idle when your drinking. When you stop the drink your brain speeds up so to speak to it's normal cognitive speed.

You feel like your on "Speed" actually. You do think faster, have racing thoughts etc. Actually all of you speeds up. You do chores and different tasks and feel like you cant get them done fast enough!

Eat some chocolate. It helps.

This will pass soon and you will feel better, more relaxed, but it does take some time.
Things should be calming down nicely about Day 10.

You can do this !

DD

Mentium

Thanks DuhDave. I'm not overly worried - just par for the course I am sure and it makes a change from living in a stupor - or with a steel rod of anxiety running uo your stomach and into your chest!

NikTes - yep - that irritability is there too. I have two small dogs. They are pretty well behaved and not too yappy, but the bark of one of them has made me shout (uncharacteristically!) at her to shut the f*** up!! Lol!

sva777

My anxiety was awful for the first week, along with other effects of withdrawal. Each week after that started to be better than the last but the anxiety really felt a lot better by 6 weeks or so.