Dreams About Using/Returning To My Old Ways
 

I have 3 months of cleantime under my belt and for the first 6 weeks I was having nightmares about using substances and relapsing. These nightmares stopped being so regular and now only return every now and then. I have noticed they have started increasing in frequency again and it is worrying me.

After these nightmares I wake up and feel like I have been using. I end up having what essentially feels like a comedown afterwards. I am struggling to see what is triggering these dreams. I know it's something to do with my mood and stress levels but I have yet to pinpoint what is causing them. I have been told they are normal but I just wish they would go away.

Tom

x

Hi Tom

I have no idea what causes them either but I know almost everyone has them.

I'm not a big believer in dreams signifying anything so I treated them the same as any other dream...forgot it and got on with my day...including all the stuff I usually do daily to stay sober.

seems to work well for me anyway :)
D

I normally do forget about them within a short period of time but I just wander how long I will be having these dreams for. Do they ever go away?

Tom

x

I still have them occasionally at 4 years - not regularly tho by any means - maybe 3 or 4 in the last year?

D

I have occasional dreams that I drink again, typically when I'm under stress. In the dream, I get very depressed that I have done so.

It's always such a relief when I awake and realize it was just a dream

I can relate with that. Once I get out of bed and wake up it's all over and just doesn't seem so horrible.

Tom

This is a very common post. Pretty much everyone gets them.

I've got almost 4 years in recovery, and had a "using dream" a couple of weeks ago. I was glad, when I woke up, to realize it was only a dream, and when I thought about the dream, said "blech" and went on with my day. This is the first time I've had one in a while, so I do believe they get rarer as time goes on.

I'm not much into trying to figure out what dreams mean, mostly because I have dreams that make NO sense. However, I was stressed, and I wouldn't doubt that that had something to do with it. To me, it was a good reminder of what I didn't want to go back to.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

It's been five years for me....and I still get them. I had one the other night....i was crawling to a refrigerator saying "I need a beer." I opened the fridge. took out a huge can and began to drink...then I noticed the can had "Coffee"...written all over it. lol
It's not funny, I know....but I woke up smiling. I'll share something my sponsor gives me.
"Did you stay sober today? Then you've done well!" Dreams can't hurt us.

Just be glad it was a dream like everyone else said!

i had one of these dreams last night and was very relieved this morning when I woke up. i dreamt I was drinking socially at a house party, i've had these at least once a month since I stopped drinking almost 6 months ago. i always wake up feeling kind of sad and angry at myself but this goes away as I quickly realize that it was just a dream. the dreams tend to range from dreaming about drinking/using socially to nightmares where I'm stuck in a terrible bender like the one I had before I quit (these are always the most harrowing). my counselor has told me that these are symptoms of a "prolonged withdrawl" that I'm experiencing.

All my dreams have gotten much more vivid since I got sober. The "drunk" dreams scare the daylights out of me. They are the most vivid of all and they carry over, emotionally, after I wake up. I know they're common but they're still nasty to experience.

I think everybody gets them. For me it's usually when my craving is at a bit of a high level. Doesn't mean anything but that my brain's trying to trick me.

Damn brain, nothing but problems. :)