sweetichick

Its 1.30am and Im on Day 4 and can't sleep. I tried to stay busy all day to get my mind off the withdrawals I'm having with no benzos. Normally I used to have valium to take if I couldn't sleep. I'd been on valium for 2 years and I felt better knowing it was there if I needed it. My house is filled with cigarette smoke because its been dark for so long. I feel like the world has crashed around me or maybe its just me facing up to reality. Maybe I'm just scared that I'll drink again and end up dead. So scared in fact. It only takes a couple to set me off and then I just keep going. I know it takes a year for you to really recover if your health is bad. Not really sure where I am going with this or even making sense.

sweetichick

In 3 hours I will have made it to day 5. Or maybe I can call it day 5 now because its after midnight. My brain seems to be lost somewhere atm.

Behappy1

I don't have experience with benzo's, but do with alcohol. Have you tried hot baths, sleepy time/chamomile or kava tea? Stick with it - the only way out is through it.

Zanna

There are a few of us in the chatroom, if you or anyone wants to join us

Anna

I'm a chronic insomniac and I know that lack of sleep can be so difficult to manage. It's hard to keep your focus when you feel so tired and you can't sleep. Can you 'rest'? Meaning, can you lay down, close your eyes and let your mind wander and relax. It's not sleep, but it might help a bit.

Mountainmanbob

[QUOTE=sweetichick;6155131]

Its 1.30am and Im on Day 4 and can't sleep. I tried to stay busy all day to get my mind off the withdrawals I'm having with no benzos.

I'd been on valium for 2 years

[r/QUOTE]

My drugs of choice were alcohol and valium. I understand what you are going through and I remember how hard it was to relax and sleep when sobering up. You have made it to day 4 and that is a great start. Things should improve for you daily -- keep putting up the good fight.

M-Bob

Wastinglife

I am just over 4 months sober and was in your place not too long ago. It took 2 months sobriety before I could sleep more than a couple hours without waking up with a pounding heart. My anxiety levels are much better now but things got worse before they got better. I just accepted that I was going to be miserable for a while and thought of the light at the end of the tunnel. When I came out the other side, I realized how alcohol had damaged my mental health. Literally, alcohol causes brain damage and recovering from alcoholism is akin to recovering from a head injury. It takes time, sobriety, and self-care.

sweetichick

Hey Zanna, tried to join the chatroom but my computer has the wrong browser. I'll look into changing it tomorrow so I can get to the chatroom. Hey Anna, that's a good idea I'll try that. Thanks M-Bob its nice to know I'm not the only benzo person in the world.

Soberwolf

I suffer with insomnia and to combat it I tried lots of things but what really seems to work is exercise, i go out for around 2 hours and walk jog & sprint throughout. Im doing it more to lose weight but I noticed straight away it cuts into my energy reserves and more often than not I'm normally asleep for around 11pm- 11.30pm most nights. Sometimes even earlier like 9-10pm which is great when it happens

I try to be up in the mornings between 5-7am and I think reading helps tire my eyes

The most obvious is turning off all electronic devices & having as little light as possible if sleeping seems miles away I just double down in my efforts by focusing on nothing with my eyes closed x

Zanna

I had to download Firefox to get in x

AnvilheadII

commit to NOT DRINKING no matter what. get those shades and windows open, let fresh air IN. that is your best metaphor for what sobriety brings......FRESH AIR.

sweetichick

Hey WL, It looks like I'm in for a couple of months of pure hell then. I looked up today about alcohol brain damage and I've definitely got some I believe.

Zanna

I think it varies for everyone - after a week or so, I have trouble staying awake x

sweetichick

Thanks SWolf, I'll try and go for a short walk in a few hours if I'm still awake. I've always had trouble sleeping even as a teenager.

sweetichick

That's funny Zanna, the same thing happened to me one time I got sober.

sugarangel

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. On day 7 here off benzos a d pain pills, and I haven't slept at all in o er 2 days, so I understand.
I've been doing what Anna suggested and I just lay there and try to think about nothing. Which is really hard to do with racing thoughts!!
So I started repeating tha same mantra ovdr and over in my head to stop the screaming in there. I tell myself I ha e nowhere to go and noting to do, so just breathe. I find focusing on my breathing helps calm me down a lttle. Oh, and really hot baths. Lots of them.
Wishing you all the best.

Ooona

You can find some wonderful yotube videos on relaxation that always help me fall asleep even if Im trying not to!

The other thing I do is to think about a gratitude list and I use the alphabet to do it, so starting with the letter A- something Im grateful for that starts with that letter, then move on to letter B and so on and so on. It turns off racing thoughts and the furthest I have gotten is to letter J! I fall asleep while doing it and I think having good thoughts when I go to sleep helps me sleep better.

Best wishes to you! No drinking , NO MATTER WHAT!

rubythrill

In the middle of day 3 (west coast USA)... don't have any benzos or anything, as I haven't seen a doctor, I have just been taking melatonin and Tylenol pm. I dread going to bed tonight, I am lucky to get 5 hours or less of broken sleep. But I have been just laying in bed and I count back from a hundred, when I get to zero I start all over again. I have also been timing my breathing to my counting. 99--inhale--98 exhale--97 inhale etc... For some reason this helps me not think about anything else, and I will drift off.

tekink

when I kicked opiates the insomnia was insane. I'd get maybe 2 hours every 3 or 4 nights for the first two months. 30 months later I still have issues with it though not nearly as bad. it sucked but my life is much better for it now!

sweetichick

Wow! You guys are great. So many good ideas flooding in. I hope I'm not awake 2 nights running. Its 5.30 am now and time to start the day. 3 valium would be great right now to get 5 or 6 hours but looks like I've got to learn to live without it. On the plus side I'm not hungover and searching the house for more alcohol that I may have forgotten to drink or hanging out till the bottleshop opens at nine.