letsdance

Do you ever feel like you permanently changed your brain?
I seriously worry if i can get "the old me" back...
I need some positivity i guess.
So for those that have quit what have you noticed? More energy? Clear mind, eating better etc?
For me I am on day 3 so nothing so far but when i went a month i noticed a bit of a clearer mind and more energy but it wasnt like some miracle. I dont know why i expected so much. I mean i drank for 20 years, how would one month sober solve anything? I am not delusional but please tell me it gets better with time. So after one month what did you see? After 2, 3 or 6 months did it get better?

MaximusD

I am coming up on a month. Some things:

1. Not sick/hungover.
2. Sleep is GREAT (although I had to change diet as well)
3. Relationships are improved.
4. Moods are better.
5. More money
6. LOVING LIFE!

Some of these things take longer to get too depending on where you were when you stopped drinking but you CAN get there.

DreamCatcher17

Congrats to day 3!

It took MONTHS before the fog cleared for myself.
By month 3 I was feeling a little better, and then months 6 and 9 but by a year I felt more clear and sharp.
As for energy and eating better, well that can happen at any time. Eat the right foods and force yourself to get up and move!
Don't be so hard on yourself. It took you a while to get to where you are, it is not an overnight fix, one day at a time.
Also, just listen to your body, if you need to rest right now, rest. But if you are able to get outside, do that. This will be so helpful with depression or the "poor me" state of mind.

Blessings,
DC

Anna

It took me a few months to really start feeling better. The changes I noticed the most were peace of mind and feeling less stressed. And, those were changes that I was thrilled to have.

least

I started feeling better at 3 months, even better at 6 months, and by the end of my first year was feeling so much better it was amazing. The first year is an up and down year, with your body and brain healing and getting back to normal functioning. Give yourself time. It does get better.

Surrendered19

Nearly 9 months sober, I have more good days than bad days. At 3 months sober I really noticed my mental sharpness return, although I think this first year there can be ups and downs with all parts of our mind and body. There certainly is for me. A morning here and there I still wake up with a wicked phantom hangover and can barely think. I actually don't mind it as it is a great reminder as to what awaits me each day if I ever drink again. At 6 months I felt big positive changes mentally and physically LetsDance.

Patience in all things. Get 6 months then PM me and we'll compare notes!!! In the meantime, post here every day and let us know how it's going.

Be123

I felt human again physically after a week. For me the anxiety and low mood dropped off a little bit each day and by week 10 I realised I wasn't anxious anymore. What a gift!!

Im just over five months and when I read the title of your thread 'THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED' I was going to answer with one word: EVERYTHING. I'm sure some people can give up easily and maintain their old life, but I've changed everything. Diet, bed time, waking time, relationships, exercise, ways of responding, thought patterns, relationships, my identity.

It's been at times wrenching and embarrassing and heart breaking but it is the most liberating experience of my life. FREEDOM.!!!!!

letsdance

Thank you. I hope my relationships with others improves too. I forgot how much alcohol messed up my marriage. I hope our relationship gets better after some time. My husband keeps saying it will. But i have my doubts. Glad to hear your loving life! Awesome.

letsdance

Be123, I am so glad that someone said the anxiety lifted. I am plagued with anxiety. Although i always just thought i was an anxious person, and i probably am to an extent but i think alcohol made it worse than it had to be. I find it hard to even shop for groceries some days. I feel sweaty and like everyone is looking at me. I was always a little like this but i notice it is much worse if i have been drinking more.

LumenandNyx

Here's what I think - YOU'RE OVERTHINKING YOUR SOBRIETY. Rather than crunch numbers and emotions and concerns, just keep rockin' on. Keep doin' your do. Keep keeping it real. You know?

Enjoy the ride. Because even though - hopefully - you'll never have to go through this again, it's an amazing learning process.

Yes, my brain has changed - thank God.
Yes, I'm a groovier person all 'round.
I too drank for 20 years and I'm super excited to see what kind of person I'll be in another 20. Every new day sober is another flower in my garden. And I love flowers.

lessgravity

I quit drinking at 41 and have been discovering the man I only pretended or hoped to be as a drunk. Anxiety, fear, self-distrust and many other negative feelings are gone almost entirely. Each and every aspect of my life has improved. Peace, strength, calm, rest, power, patience and self-confidence have come to me. Life is still full of suffering and accidents, and crummy days are unavoidable. But a sober life outshines a drunk life in every single meaningful way.

I say that strongly enough?

MaximusD

One thing I can completely promise you is that people don't notice you. People are too caught up in their own worlds and their own problems. i use to shake so bad and some people probably saw me but you know what, oh freakin well as I was in recovery.

Atlast9999

I’m just over 2 years sober and I can honestly tell you that EVERYTHING changed. I am not the person who I thought I was - alcohol had completely taken over and controlled everything about me. I was an anxious, neurotic, angry, insecure mess with alcohol and I honestly thought that is who I was. Spoiler alert: that’s not me at all! I’m actually a mildly anxious, happy, friendly, healthy person. I would not have discovered this if I had kept drinking.

It took me about 4 months to work my way out of the fog. After that, things got noticeably better. Hang in there. It really does get better.

Dee74

Hey letsdance - I promise you no one would stay sober if they thought they lost out on the deal

We really do a number on ourselves when we abandon ourselves to drinking. It takes time for things to right themselves.

You will find that your mind repairs itself and that you'll find a new normal - one you may even remember as the old normal, before addiction.

Like others have said I felt a lot better at 3 months - hang in there!

D