Alcohol withdrawals and insomnia /nightmares
 

So I quit alcohol on Saturday at 3 am. Ive been almost 48 hrs sober and I keep getting the most vivid dreams. My symptoms aren't even that bad during the day. No shakes except when I come out of my 20 minutes terror naps. So my question is:how long do they last? I was about a 24 beer a day drinker for a week.

My mouth still tastes like pennies and I drink about a bottle of water ever 30 mins.

Hi TG - welcome :) Both the vivid dreaming and the insomnia are common.

the dreams lasted 1- 2 weeks for me and then occasionally after that - the insomnia got better over time - by day 10 or so I was sleeping normally :)

D

The dreams along with the 40 min or long naps, or just the nightmares go away in 1-2 weeks? I have till tomorrow to get back to work.

Glad you are sober.

We can't tell you how long yours will last, only our experiences.

For me, I had extremely vivid nightmares at the end (last few months) of my drinking, which became very vivid dreams in sobriety, and faded to "normal dreams" which I occasionally remember. Along the way (I am now 20+ mo sober), during the first 6-9 mo I think, I had a few "drinking dreams" that stunned me awake. Still remembering the feeling of waking up from a couple and realizing it was just a dream.

I still struggle with night sweats, though usually not drenching like at the beginning, and I drink a TON of fluids so I often wake up to use the bathroom. Sometimes I still get a parched mouth and I am pretty much obsessive about always having water and another "flavor" bev on hand, at all times. For me, these symptoms plus a need to nap more days than not - it either stems from "emotional overload" and a need for a "break", or fatigue because I expend a LOT of energy in my daily life now (i do hot yoga 90 min, 6x a week, I run a 5K or two every month, I am on the board of a recovery group, I do AA 4-6 times a week, I have a fiance and a step-daughter-to-be to take care of and....) - are fine alternatives to the terrible-ness of my drinking days.

Staying sober means I kept getting- keep getting- healthier. Learning to listen to what my body needs is an ongoing process and it has to be a priority in order for everything else to be do-able.

You can get through this early part. Keep going.

I'm the opposite. When I drink, which isn't daily, but heavily, I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. I have a sleep disorder (diagnosed as a teen) and take meds for it. Even WITH meds (and without alcohol) I wake up a few times a night. I guess restful sleep for me is slightly different than everyone else. IF I ever conquer 8 hours of actual sleep, drunk/sober, healthy/unhealthy, it is really rare. Four solid hours is a dream for me. Jealous of all you folk, even the insomnia ones as you at least have a way out of it.

I'm the same. When I drink I sleep nice. But first few weeks off the alcohol I will have night sweats, and nocturnal panic attacks and night terrors. Just like you I'm fine in the day time.

I have these strange attacks where I wake up but feel trapped and unable to move. I can see everything around but my brain doesn't process much and I feel trapped in my body. As soon as I wake up my entire body is tensed for about 5 minutes as I calm down. Always sends me into a state of sever panic and impending doom.

Only happens when I first come of alcohol, or I'm severely stressed. First time it happened was 10 years ago while I was at university.

Definitely a stress response for me.