NQTD

Dee74

Welcome NQTD

Whatever the cause, irritability is pretty common in early sobriety. Having people to talk to, and other people to help, such as you'll find here at SR, really helped me not be as irritable.

NQTD

nez

When I stopped drinking, it took away my coping mechanism. The world continued on it's merry way oblivious to the fact that I had stopped drinking. The world didn't change at all despite the fact that I had been left defenseless with no coping mechanism for dealing with my real foe. My real foe was sitting atop my shoulders.

LiveLikeGold6

Truer words have not been written ^^^

MindfulMan

Oh good God yes, and I'm still working through some of it nearly two years later. Therapy is a wonderful thing.

DriGuy

Not that alcohol was a coping mechanism for me, but in dealing with the cravings, I had nothing left for other bothersome things in my environment. So their effects were magnified.

DontRemember

For me it 'went away' in layers. AA(court ordered) and therapy helped me through that. Basically I RE-learned how to live with other people on "MY planet". Including my daughter that I've raised since she was 4(how 'sick' is that?). Takes some time and a lot of continued work...just don't drink the 1st sip,ever, and you're already ahead of the game!

BrianK

I feel what you're saying, NQTD! For me it seems to come from living so long in my own little world, separated from everyone and everything else. Even during periods where I wasn't drinking heavily, everyone and everything was "out there", then there was "me, here," and we needed to respect each other's space, or else!!! I describe it as feeling brittle or prickly. Like I have a sunburn on my soul and don't want anyone even close to me or to make me change my course or plans at all. (God help the soul who takes too long to make a right turn in traffic )

The more aware of it I become, the more I see it as bait the enemy is laying out for me to cut me off from people. I notice myself offering the lady behind me my grocery and getting myself another one, for example, versus being impatient with the person in front of me who is struggling to pull a jammed cart out of the lineup (probably the same incompetent slob who took to long to turn right earlier ) Not that this is my default setting all the time now. Sometimes I feel it, sometimes I fake it, and sometimes I say to hell with it, skip the errand till tomorrow, and head home.

But anyways, YES, I feel that irritability. Yesterday morning, especially. And it told me, "Ok, something's going on, I'm not sure what (it seems to come from nowhere, doesn't it?), but I need to be careful" It didn't make the day suddenly awesome, but on a scale of 1 to 10 things went from a 2 to a 4, so to speak. Hey, I'll take any improvement I can get this early in sobriety

NQTD

D122y

When I first quit, for over 6 months, lights were too bright, shadows on the road scared me, driving at night was terrible, conversations were too loud. The world moved too fast.

Not any more. I didn't really get better. I got used to it. Weird way of feeling. I am still getting used to everything.

I learned here that when I relapse, it begins again only worse. I experienced this, unknowingly, over and over before I stopped drinking.

Yay!

Thanks.

Thanks.

Misssy2

Congratulations on 5 weeks...I think these feelings will eventually subside for you...

Irritability for me comes with sobriety
Just as hangovers for me come with drinking.

I would rather be irritable than hungover and irritable.
This too shall pass.

nadt

5 weeks is awesome! Way to go. I definitely understand your feelings of frustration. You have worked so hard to get where you are.... don't let your aggravation bring you down.