carebearlost

Hi,

How long does it take to feel happiness with sobriety? How long until the cravings subside? I am on day and feel crappy and craving badly. I won't give in, I can't, alcohol was killing me. I was drinking upwards of 22 ounces of whisky and a few nipper bottles of 99 proof peach stuff. I was doing it to combat severe anxiety and of course, the more I drank the worse the anxiety became. It had gotten to the point where I could not even eat. I would love to hear there a light at the end of the tunnel.

Soberwolf

it's going to take a bit of time but will be one of your wisest decision made the initial cravings should go within 3-5 days and you will start to feel better

Trust me on that

ScottFromWI

I think you forgot to say what day you were actually on, but I see from another post it might be Day 4? The first weeks of sobriety ( the first especially ) are all over the map. It takes a week or two just for your body to start getting over the shock of not having alcohol and also to start repairing all the damage that has been done. There really isn't a definitive time or date that you'll magically start feeling all better, but things do definitely improve in time. So YES - there definitely IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

There is a lot more to sobriety than just not drinking though, having a solid recovery plan is one part and also looking at any underlying issues that you might have been supressing both physical and mental. I personally had some serious GI issues that took some doctor visits and several weeks to start clearing up. I also found that some of my anxiety has always been there and that I needed to treat that accordingly too.

For now though try and get rest, good food and water and maybe even a little light exercise to help get through the rest of the physical symptoms.

BBQBOY

For me, it was the first 3 days until I started feeling human again.....If you really feel bad, please go see your Dr. Withdrawal from alcohol can be rather painful...your Dr. can prescribe some meds to smooth out your anxiety which is likely. Once you pass the physical withdrawals it would be wise to have a recovery plan in place, so you don't have to face this again.....Best Wishes!

Holds1325

Im coming up on 7 weeks and its getting a bit better emotionally but its still rough some days. I think being sober is worth it not to mention if you have these underlying emotional problems, anxiety or whatever, drinking is only going to make it worse in the long run.

I agree that the emotional problems need to be treated but there are several ways to do it, but first a doctors visit is important as none of us here are doctors and cant give that type of advice.

I had some bad acid reflux as the result of drinking alcohol and am just now starting to treat that but its definitely not as bad as it used to be with alcohol. I used to wake up coughing from the acid.

We definitely beat our bodies up in several ways from the alcohol abuse, its just going to take some time to heal, we can speed it up by getting them treated properly and taking care of ourselves.

I will say that it does get tough though since we aren't used to feeling everything so relapse is always at the door on the days it gets super hard whether emotionally or physically.

Hang in there, it does get better, but slowly

fantail

It goes up and down, but for me the very worst of the anxiety and roller coaster emotions are over by two weeks. From that point onward I still have lots of ups and downs, but the ups are less manic and the downs are less devastating.

carebearlost

Thank you for the encouragement, it is such a battle at the moment. I am hoping my appetite and sleep will return soon, I am feeling very low and unsure about what life will be like in the future. I am on day 4, with many more to go.

fantail

Your appetite will come back and it will feel like a ray of sunshine the first time you enjoy a full healthy meal As a multi-relapser, I can definitely say that it's like spring after a bad winter.

Sleep is more up and down, but this time I spoke to my doctor and got a mild, non-addictive sleep aid that's been helping me a lot.

PurpleKnight

It took years of drinking to get to the point of stopping, so it was going to take more than a few weeks for my body to repair and adjust, but it does get better, I guarantee!!

Hang in there!!

Carver

Yeah, it gets a lot better! I was feeling better after one week and the (relatively mild) hallucinations disappeared at end of week 2. It's so worth it though.

"When you're going through Hell - keep going."

Winston Churchill

Ruby2

It gets better. I drank alcohol instead of eating most of the time and my stomach was wrecked in the sense that it rebelled against real food when I quit. Tiny frequent meals or snacks.

My appetite came back with a vengeance eventually. But happiness? Day four is great but it's still really early. Fight it out. The fog will clear. The anxiety will ease substantially. I no longer have anxiety attacks now that I'm not drinking. Keep doing what you are doing. Reach out for support. Take care of yourself. Rest.

At some point you will think "wow! I'm really feeling good." And it will surprise you. Keep going.

ccam1973

Like the other's have said, this is your body's way of adjusting. It does get better, but you've got to reach that point by continuing to not drink.

Day 4 is awesome. Keep going, be strong and just don't drink. You'll be happy you stayed the course you are on, trust me.

Dee74

That's a bit of a how long is a piece of string question carebearlost

I felt things shift around 3 months, but it took a little longer for me to trust that feeling.

Think about it tho - we drank for years - it's going to take a little time for mind and body to heal...it won't take years tho

stick with it

D