Hey - first post
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 60
Hey - first post
Hi Anyone who is reading this
I have joined today, spent the day reading some really inspiring posts by ZaBoozer.
I guess my full story will come out in time, based on ZaBoozer's recommendation, I am writing this thread so that I can come back to the reasons for giving up alcohol for good. My habit with the drink has been going on for a fairly long time, I have in the past recognised that it caused problems with my relationships, family/friends, but it is not until recently that I realised until I gave it up, I would only be living a half life.
So as well as bearing my soul here, stopping myself going crazy for the biggest mistake in my life, I am also charting my experiences.
I gave up alcohol over 2 days ago. Have experienced some side effects to giving it up but not on a very extreme scale, appetite is low, sleep is poor, I have anxious feelings and sometimes I feel very low and depressed. I am not sure how much of that is down to WD or down to the recent situation I have found myself in, but I am hoping access to this site, a place to just put my thoughts and feelings down, will help me to make sense of what is going on within me.
I will post more soon, thanks for reading x
I have joined today, spent the day reading some really inspiring posts by ZaBoozer.
I guess my full story will come out in time, based on ZaBoozer's recommendation, I am writing this thread so that I can come back to the reasons for giving up alcohol for good. My habit with the drink has been going on for a fairly long time, I have in the past recognised that it caused problems with my relationships, family/friends, but it is not until recently that I realised until I gave it up, I would only be living a half life.
So as well as bearing my soul here, stopping myself going crazy for the biggest mistake in my life, I am also charting my experiences.
I gave up alcohol over 2 days ago. Have experienced some side effects to giving it up but not on a very extreme scale, appetite is low, sleep is poor, I have anxious feelings and sometimes I feel very low and depressed. I am not sure how much of that is down to WD or down to the recent situation I have found myself in, but I am hoping access to this site, a place to just put my thoughts and feelings down, will help me to make sense of what is going on within me.
I will post more soon, thanks for reading x
Re-Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 7,909
Welcome to SR, K8Fazz. I highly suggest joining and actively participating in the Class of September 2015 thread found on this same forum. It's a great way to learn from and help others who are also in early sobriety.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 60
Hi All
Thank you for being so welcoming, it is very encouraging
I have struggled to know how to start this post, so I will just start and see where it leads us.
I am on day 3 of not drinking. I have not been a daily drinker, nor one that feels the need for a drink until the end of the day. I have read some of your posts and know that you have suffered far more than I have, but I did come to realise recently that my drinking had become a problem.
Over the last 5 years, I have ruined a lot of relationships and pushed a lot of people away because of a combination of the drinking and other baggage that I have. Earlier this year, I met a man that I absolutely fell head over heels for, him and our relationship was what I had been looking for, probably forever. However, every time I drank I would nit pick at him about the most stupid thing, it is like the drink lifted a veil of common sense from me that made me push him and push him until he had no choice but to leave me. Then when he did, rather than leave him to the space he needed I tried to find the answer in the bottom of a bottle (or several) and kept picking at him some more until we have got to the point this recent weekend where the man I love, and would do anything not to hurt has threatened me with going to the police over harassment. Don't get me wrong, he could have handled things better, but I know that if I had removed the influence of alcohol sooner, I may still be with him and at least would have listened to him and given him the time that he needed. That is about all I can say about that situation for now.
On the WD side of things, being on day 3 and having not had many symptoms up to now, I was surprised that this morning I have suffered a few things. Firstly, quite bad stomach cramps, I have had some sweats and I have shaking in my hands. I am not sure how much that has to do with the amount of cigarettes I have smoked since waking or the fact that I haven't eaten yet, but for now I am putting it down to the WD. My mind feels slightly calmer than it has in days, but I will suddenly have moments of anxiousness where my heart will feel like it is going to beat right out of my chest.
Thankfully, my appetite seems to be returning, and sleep is not a big problem, I have slept the last two evenings for at least 6 or 7 hours. Sleep was a big problem when I was drinking and going through the first few days/weeks of the break up.
I have reached out for some help (counselling) to work through some of the baggage that I still have and I have a call with someone today, I believe to see if I am a good candidate for counselling, but I'm not totally sure as to the point of the call as yet. Will update you when I know more.
Thank you again for the welcomes, and thank you for reading.
K8
Thank you for being so welcoming, it is very encouraging
I have struggled to know how to start this post, so I will just start and see where it leads us.
I am on day 3 of not drinking. I have not been a daily drinker, nor one that feels the need for a drink until the end of the day. I have read some of your posts and know that you have suffered far more than I have, but I did come to realise recently that my drinking had become a problem.
Over the last 5 years, I have ruined a lot of relationships and pushed a lot of people away because of a combination of the drinking and other baggage that I have. Earlier this year, I met a man that I absolutely fell head over heels for, him and our relationship was what I had been looking for, probably forever. However, every time I drank I would nit pick at him about the most stupid thing, it is like the drink lifted a veil of common sense from me that made me push him and push him until he had no choice but to leave me. Then when he did, rather than leave him to the space he needed I tried to find the answer in the bottom of a bottle (or several) and kept picking at him some more until we have got to the point this recent weekend where the man I love, and would do anything not to hurt has threatened me with going to the police over harassment. Don't get me wrong, he could have handled things better, but I know that if I had removed the influence of alcohol sooner, I may still be with him and at least would have listened to him and given him the time that he needed. That is about all I can say about that situation for now.
On the WD side of things, being on day 3 and having not had many symptoms up to now, I was surprised that this morning I have suffered a few things. Firstly, quite bad stomach cramps, I have had some sweats and I have shaking in my hands. I am not sure how much that has to do with the amount of cigarettes I have smoked since waking or the fact that I haven't eaten yet, but for now I am putting it down to the WD. My mind feels slightly calmer than it has in days, but I will suddenly have moments of anxiousness where my heart will feel like it is going to beat right out of my chest.
Thankfully, my appetite seems to be returning, and sleep is not a big problem, I have slept the last two evenings for at least 6 or 7 hours. Sleep was a big problem when I was drinking and going through the first few days/weeks of the break up.
I have reached out for some help (counselling) to work through some of the baggage that I still have and I have a call with someone today, I believe to see if I am a good candidate for counselling, but I'm not totally sure as to the point of the call as yet. Will update you when I know more.
Thank you again for the welcomes, and thank you for reading.
K8
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 60
Wowzers
Today has been a toughie! And it isn't even over in my little corner of the world yet! I have a buzzing on the left side of my head that comes on about lunch time, it has been doing that since yesterday, shakes in my hands are not bad, but noticeable. My ears keep burning as well, so unless someone is talking about me, then that is also a WD symptom I guess. Stomach cramps have eased off, but this afternoon I was so thirsty! (Don't worry, stuck to water!)
What has been rough about today was the emotional element, I feel so sad about everything, and so despairing. I could have foreseen that this would have been the downfall of this great relationship that I had and yet I waited until I lost the man of my dreams until I did anything about it. Drink certainly is so destructive and I can't wait to be over the other side of this and happy again.
Thanks for reading, hope you are all doing okay out there
K8
Today has been a toughie! And it isn't even over in my little corner of the world yet! I have a buzzing on the left side of my head that comes on about lunch time, it has been doing that since yesterday, shakes in my hands are not bad, but noticeable. My ears keep burning as well, so unless someone is talking about me, then that is also a WD symptom I guess. Stomach cramps have eased off, but this afternoon I was so thirsty! (Don't worry, stuck to water!)
What has been rough about today was the emotional element, I feel so sad about everything, and so despairing. I could have foreseen that this would have been the downfall of this great relationship that I had and yet I waited until I lost the man of my dreams until I did anything about it. Drink certainly is so destructive and I can't wait to be over the other side of this and happy again.
Thanks for reading, hope you are all doing okay out there
K8
Community Greeter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 51,526
K8 - I had all sorts of weird stuff happen in the first weeks - physical & emotional. We're all over the place as we begin to heal - and most of those feelings all went away as I grew stronger.
Great work on 3 days. We know how hard you're working to do this!
Great work on 3 days. We know how hard you're working to do this!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 60
Thanks All
I am so grateful for all your encouragement!
So here we are...Day 4! Woop woop!!
I managed a whopping 8 hours of sleep last night, I took a product you can get off the shelf over here in the UK called Kalms which has valerian root in it. I'd read on a previous post that it helped so thought I would give it a go and it gave me a full uninterrupted night of sleep and as I say, 8 hours.
I've got the shakes this morning, not too bad, but noticeable, and a bit of a muzzy head. As you might tell, I am feeling a little less emotional this morning, so I completely hear you Hevyn - all over the place in the first few days!
I have been off work this week which has been both a blessing and in some ways not, but at least it has given me time to 100% focus on what I am trying to do. I am looking forward to getting back to work and getting stuck in to the final quarter of the year. I have been caught out smelling of alcohol from the night before at work in the past and I'm looking forward to changing that perception of myself professionally over the coming months.
Did you all notice that you'd started to change routines when you gave up drinking? For instance, the first thing I used to do, (and still do) every morning was have a cigarette, it used to give stimulation to my dull brain + other things, and then I would hit the tea big time. Even three large cups of tea would still see me guzzling water on the train as I would still be really thirsty. I'm now not so desperate for either, so thinking I might need to think about how I change my morning routine to suit.
Anyway, thought I would give you a positive update!
Hope everyone is doing okay out there
K8
I am so grateful for all your encouragement!
So here we are...Day 4! Woop woop!!
I managed a whopping 8 hours of sleep last night, I took a product you can get off the shelf over here in the UK called Kalms which has valerian root in it. I'd read on a previous post that it helped so thought I would give it a go and it gave me a full uninterrupted night of sleep and as I say, 8 hours.
I've got the shakes this morning, not too bad, but noticeable, and a bit of a muzzy head. As you might tell, I am feeling a little less emotional this morning, so I completely hear you Hevyn - all over the place in the first few days!
I have been off work this week which has been both a blessing and in some ways not, but at least it has given me time to 100% focus on what I am trying to do. I am looking forward to getting back to work and getting stuck in to the final quarter of the year. I have been caught out smelling of alcohol from the night before at work in the past and I'm looking forward to changing that perception of myself professionally over the coming months.
Did you all notice that you'd started to change routines when you gave up drinking? For instance, the first thing I used to do, (and still do) every morning was have a cigarette, it used to give stimulation to my dull brain + other things, and then I would hit the tea big time. Even three large cups of tea would still see me guzzling water on the train as I would still be really thirsty. I'm now not so desperate for either, so thinking I might need to think about how I change my morning routine to suit.
Anyway, thought I would give you a positive update!
Hope everyone is doing okay out there
K8
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
