Matthew123

So today is my month sober from alcohol I have had ups and downs but for the most it seems to be getting better. I didn’t know alcohol withdrawals were so bad. Every day has been something new. The first week I didn’t leave my house I had really bad anxiety and depression and headaches. The second week I had Bad brain fog, And was feeling really confused and still bad anxiety. The third week brain fog was a little better and so was anxiety. so my fourth week the last day The anxiety had gotten bad but I had also not need to take my Xanax for two days, I believe this is the reason I started feeling bad again but I’m not sure because I’ve only been taking Xanax for a month and I have been decreasing the amount each week .Has anyone else had this problem and is it normal to still feel bad after a month? I don’t want to get addicted to Xanax but I also feel like I need more time to get over withdrawals from alcohol . Any personal experiences similar to this would be greatly appreciated so I know what else to expect and how long I will have to keep feeling like this. Thank you

thomas11

The acute withdrawal would likely have subsided after 7 days. We can't give medical advice, but it seems the xanax might be playing into this a little bit. Try to get off of it as soon as you can (if approved by your doctor).

biminiblue

Xanax - I was on it. It's bad news in so many ways. They call it booze in a pill for a reason.

I got off it, but there is an adjustment period and you'll be uncomfortable for a few days. Don't keep taking it if you had alcohol problems - it's trading one for the other; they both act on similar pathways in the brain and if you do keep taking it you chance getting addicted and that's a whole other nightmare to get off benzos.

Anxiety is normal in early sobriety. Discomfort will go away. You're past the detox, and now it's just about learning to live life on life's terms.

It took me several months for the anxiety to go away completely, and I was working hard at it with diet, exercise and psychological tools. I did it all med-free. I'll never go back to benzos.

Anna

The physical withdrawal symptoms should only last about a week. It might be a good idea to talk to your dr about the xanax and possible side-effects. Congratulations on a month of sobriety!

least

Xanax is highly addictive and benzos are hard to get off of. Acute (physical) withdrawal from alcohol only lasts about a week so you're no longer in withdrawal. It takes a while to normalize, but stay sober and it should get better day by day.

apollo986

Beminublue is absolutely correct. Zanax is highly addictive and has terrible wd
consequences. Much worse than alcohol in my opinion. Congrats on 30 days!

teatreeoil007

The anxiety in early recovery is very common. So then, what to do about anxiety? I know you don't want to just keep taking Xanax because it's highly addictive and has a nasty withdrawal. So, here are some tips on coping with anxiety: Slow deep breathing. Exercise. Doing things you enjoy doing that don't involve substance use. Sometimes I just stop and give myself permission to enjoy myself and slow down a little.

Matthew123

Thank you for this reply. It gives me hope. It’s just hard to get over anxiety with out Xanax. And it’s also hard to make it through work and school without Xanax when I have anxiety so bad. When I’m home I wait my anxiety out and it can take hours but at school and work it’s so hard to try to work through it with out it. It just gets worse and worse to the point where I feel like I’m going to faint or go insane

Berrybean

Yep. I remember that. A month in was horrible. The faint feeling. Washing machine head. Anxiety. I thought I was going insane as well.

I found that AA meetings helped me. (Could have helped me much more as well if I'd have taken more of the peoples suggestions on board, but despite my academic credentials it'd seem that I'm a slow learning where recovery is concerned).

Have you read the threads on making a recovery plan? If not then I'd suggest you do so, and as others have suggested, speak to your doc again re the meds. I know you say that it helps the anxiety, but it also seems to come with problems of its own.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-plans-1.html

Wishing you all the best for your sobriety and recovery.

BB

Dee74

Hi and welcome Matthew.

If you haven;t maybe have a talk with your Dr before you adjust the dose - thats a good rule of thumb for any medications IMO

Hope you feel better soon
D

biminiblue

Well, there's the problem though.

I created anxiety by believing it had control of me. Letting my thoughts go down that path over and over created a groove in my brain that became a very bad habit. I also told myself I was just someone who needed medication. At one point my doctor had me on five different pills (at the same time!) including Xanax, for anxiety and resulting panic attacks and migraines so I understand that "belief."

It was all in what I told myself.

Sure, the Xanax is like a little cloud of wonderfulness. That's a problem, not a solution.

I am completely med-free and alcohol-free now and I don't have chronic anxiety. Go figure.

ScottFromWI

I would agree with Bimini - anxiety itself creates a rollercoaster that's difficult to get off, and drugs don't fix the real problem - they just temporarily smooth out the edges, and eventually quit working completely. Benzo's are literally like alcohol in pill form - they affect the brain in a very similar way, and they are never supposed to be used long-term. Were the benzo's prescribed by a medical doctor or a psychologist? I'd highly recommend seeing a psychologist or therapist if you have not, anxiety is a very treatable thing and many can do it completely without any drugs too. I am diagnosed with GAD and I did try a few meds over the years, but i've learned a lot of non-drug strategies to cope and live with it. Most days I don't even think about it anymore if that gives you some hope!

Matthew123

Yes that give me a lot of hope. The main worry about my anxiety is will this ever go away or will I be like this forever. I had a bad Xanax addiction when I was 22 because I had a really bad trip on mushrooms when I was 21 and didn’t leave my house for months. Then I was hooked on Xanax and all other Benzo for 3 months. I’ve overdosed. And went right back to taking them. Luckily I got off them then but then started drinking and it helped with anxiety for years, like I didn’t take Xanax at all for many years. I’m 26 now and had to start taking them again but only take them when I really need them and I try to take the lowest dose possible. I know how bad I was when I was 22 and I’m lucky to be alive from it, that’s why I want to quit taking them as soon as possible now. I can’t not wait until the day I don’t think about anxiety anymore. And this time I’m not substituting for anything else unless it’s natural. That’s for everything. It helps a lot to hear that it’s only a matter of time.

Matthew123

Thanks I do feel like its the problem. I have one day left for school and then I really can focus on quitting Xanax. Also did u have vision problems when u quit drinking and taking Xanax. Like the light bothers my eyes and I feel like I’m out of it at night as well. I went to the eye doctor and they said every thing was fine. I feel like it may be part of brain fog or anxiety?

biminiblue

Well, eye problems could be the alcohol - that can be a side effect of alcoholism. Or it might be nothing. Give it time.

I've read on here that many people get a lot of health anxieties in early sobriety, and it makes sense because the extended healing period after alcohol and/or benzo abuse causes all kinds of hyper-awareness. Everything seems to be too much to handle. Completely common and to be expected after removing a sedating drug like alcohol or benzos. I kept saying, "I want to crawl out of my own skin."

I just toughed it out. I was determined to get back to a clean slate with no added medications or mind altering substances, and so I had to tough it out. I spent too many years putting too many things in my body to change how I felt - and I don't believe I was created to live that way. Between my penchant for the dramatic over-reaction and my doctors' method of throwing pills at that, it was a vicious cycle.

I was fine as a kid and early teen, it was when life got complicated and I started taking things that my emotional, psychological, and physical problems began. I did have a bunch of traumas in my teens, but dealing with that with alcohol and street drugs was not the path to healing, and I'm sure I made myself worse.

I had to get back to square one. I had to find my baseline again. Clean from everything. (Except one cup of coffee per day - but in early sobriety I even cut that out.) So I toughed it out and found other ways to deal with my anxiety and fear.

Matthew123

Thanks I’ll just keep telling myself that it will heal in time. It just gets depressing when ur fighting your hardest for a month and your not a good as you want to be. I keep apologizing to my loved ones because I feel like I’m annoying them by calling them all the time when I feel bad and I keep talking to them about the same things. It’s just hard, like the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. and what helps me the most is to keep talking and hearing from other people that have made it through the same problems. It is just great to hear from everyone on here. This is the biggest relief yet and I am very excited to see what I will be like in another 2 months. I hope you and everyone else on this form understands that you all are saving lives. And just hearing everyone being supportive and taking the time to message me back is amazing. Thank you

biminiblue

It's gonna take time, Matthew. That's all you need, time and continuous sober days strung together.

You're going to be okay - keep reading and keep posting.

Here's a link to the "Class of April 2018" thread...you'll find other people who also quit in April and are going through the same things. Take a look-see:

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-part-2-a.html