Be123

Hi - been sober a month - last three or four days I’ve been physically exhausted. I’m sleeping well. It’s not something I need medical advice for, I can rest it off, just wondered if anyone else had similar stuff in their recovery?

I was ok til this week, I feel like standing up is a struggle!! Luckily it’s the weekend and I’m off work but it’s a bit annoying. I feel like I’ve run a marathon all the time

Anna

It's very normal. I think that recovery is not a straight line and there will be ups and downs. If you're concerned, you might check with your doctor.

Congratulations on a month of sobriety!

Be123

What’s that Anna? I should just eat as much as I can and rest up? Ok, tough advice but if you say so 😂

Seriously I could eat a horse, trying to balance one voice that says ‘Relax and do what your body says’ and another that says ‘Don’t make yourself feel crap by eating crap and doing nothing’.

The first is winning currently!!!!!!

Loveisallweneed

Well done Ben on a month, I also found I was really tired.. I wanted all the coffee in the world and all the bad foods! I don’t know what “normal” is I never have haha but I definitely struggled in the beginning! Maybe try some gentle excercise and some meditation over the weekend, I found if I was excercizing I didn’t feel so bad about the cake! But whatever you do with your weekend keep up the sobriety!

P.s now I want cake haha!

MyLittleHorsie

Absolutely tired first couple months. Our bodies are miraculous at healing itself. I you just had major surgery you would sleep a lot while healing. Think of it the same way. Neuro transmitters are rewiring, our stomachs, livers, pancreas, brain et al are healing. We heal the most during sleep. Depending on how long you drank and your bodies reaction, it can be a long process or relatively short. For me personally the first week or two was rough, I was way better at the month mark but still had days where a 6pm bedtime sounded awesome. Now I am good for me, bed about 10pm, up just before 5, I am not a gym rat by any stretch of the imagination, we have a family membership but only use in winter. I have a barn of horses so that tends to be my summer workouts, plus gardening or as I call it, war with the birds, chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits over veggies.

If it really worries you, see a doctor. Otherwise, for me, it was totally normal.

CaptainHaddock

From being on SR it seems to me that a number of people experience strange, often subtle physical and psychological changes as they are getting sober. By far the majority are positive, but there are some, that seem to be mostly temporary, that are sometimes puzzling and often attributed to PAWS.

I am 3 months in and physically I never felt better. I have felt exhausted at times, but can easily link it to something normal, such as being overworked.

What I did notice during the past week or so, is that my concentration is struggling ever so slightly, and I am suddenly prone to make more typing errors than usual (I’m not a typist, but nowadays most of us have to do some typing regardless of occupation).

I am sure this will past. Our brains and bodies are now functioning without alcohol, and I think we should expect there to be be some changes.

Hopefully this will not be construed as medical advice. If you feel there’s anything that should be checked out, the safest is obviously to consult a doctor.

Be123

Cheers guys. I’m sitting on a park bench in the sun having forced myself for a ten minute walk. I used to run ten miles for fun 😥

I drank hard and daily, took occasional class A’s, didn’t eat for days on end etc over a 22 year period. I’m happy to repair slowly as this sobriety is planned on being looooooonnnnng. Time I have (hopefully).

I’ve also realised I haven’t been ‘ILL’ sober since I was a kid. All of my adult illness was pickled in alcohol. Maybe I’m just a bit ill

It’s a lovely day now, rain had passed and the sun is warm in an end-of-Autumn way. Seasons in the UK are the best, I love them all

BigShoe

Park bench and fresh air sounds lovely.
Been a bit knackered here in the pnw of USA and filled with forest fire smoke which hasn’t helped the energy. Looking forward to having get up and go

August252015

Ben, the abuse my body took is similar in some ways to yours though mine didn't much get to pills or drugs, and I was very ill when I quit. It took time to heal. Anna gives a good short description of how it is an up and down journey. One that only keeps getting better and smoothing those flux times out when we stay sober.

At 2.5 years sober, putting aside my back injury in the spring and making a comeback from that, I had gotten to a great level of fitness and overall health for my age, especially since I gave myself a life threatening state to overcome!

Keep going.

Ladysadie

Sadly, as we age, it is harder to bounce back. I know all too well. A good reason to get sober for sure. And you're right about eating crap food will make you feel like crap. Sugars and salt really bogs down the body as well as the brain.

Good work on the 30 days!!

Dee74

Hi Ben
I had some other things going on but it was pretty much 3 months for me to get back substantial energy.

Should be quicker for you

D

kevlarsjal2

I was extremely exhausted for the first weeks or even months. I think the body is and mind is adapting to a lot of changes and doing some serious repairing, all of that takes energy of course.

Primativo

I had been suffering a severe lack of energy for years, I never thought it may have been attributed to my alcohol intake and lack of exercise.

however, I have now been exercising and sober for 4 months and I noticed by the 3 month mark I suddenly had much more energy.

I believe the exercise has helped but I'm sure it was the alcohol that was mainly causing my lack of energy and tiredness.

Hevyn

Hi Ben. Like the others, I was completely exhausted when I quit. We've beaten ourselves up rather badly - it takes time to heal & feel well rested. For me it was a few months.

Congratulations on your month sober - you're doing great - & things will continue to get better.

plop

Hi Ben, I know how you feel. I was tired all the time for the first two months. It will pass.

Keto

I was a braon foggy zombie for over 6 months- not a great reward for doing spmething so difficult

Gabe1980

Yep, I'm still at the shattered all the time, coffee and cake stage. We have been promised by many that it will pass!

I think just taking care of yourself and resting when you need to is the way to go. The motivation will come back xx

Kaytea

I have been sober for eight whole days and today’s my ninth. I feel like a rock star when I wake up but by 630 pm I’m done for the day! I think it’s exhausting to think about being sober.

prettiekittie

Day 11 here. We’re on a family vacation and I fell asleep at 6:30 last night and slept through until 7 this morning. All in a tiny room with my husband and four year old. I’m exhausted all of the time. Hoping it’ll pass soon—even if it doesn’t it’s still better than being sick all the time, I guess.