Dee74

last part here

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...rt-3-a-20.html (Class of August 2017 Part 3)

D

theVman31

Shotgun

lilymaz

Ah V, you just beat me to it! Part four already? Proud of us all for still being here on the last day of September. Off for my wee overtime shift then babysitting my fave wee guy. Life is good 😊 Have a great Saturday everyone!

teaorcoffee

Wow, didn't think it was the last day yet.
It is coming up to a year since I first came here.
Life has gotten a lot better, but only in the times when I am sober.
At least the last year has seen sober periods which the 20+ years before hadn't.
Happy to think I might just be able to make this stick.

theVman31

Same as you tea.. alot of sober time since mar 2016 and thinking I can make it stick too.
Ive decided or I know I CAN & im CAPABLE of staying sober. I WANT it.
The class is doing nicely this year
If I remember we were in Oct 2016 together too !

Have a good day tea and Lily.

Downthepath

Hello all,

I am new to SR and am 41 days sober - which is my longest stretch for 10 years, or so. Since my first sober day was 21st August 2017, would it be ok for me to join this group? Having had a peep at your posts I can see that you are a tight knit community, so I promise not to be a disruptive influence.

SoberTyger

Welcome to the class! Well done on the 41 days!

Dee74

Welcome downthepath

D

SoberTyger

Good day friends. First weekend since i started working again. Good to have a well deserved weekend, though i have been struggling with bad mood and depressed feelings for a few days. The new job is good, my collegues are nice and I enjoy it, but i just cant seem to get rid of this bad feeling inside atm, and i can't stop all the internal debating - worrying about things I shouldn't worry about.
I just hope it will pass, seems no matter if i pray or whatever i do i cant turn around my thinking at the moment, and i hope it's just my brain rewiring, and it's probably still adjusting to my new sleep pattern, or the season changing, and of course still the effects of my recovery. I have nothing to be worried about, so I hope this too will pass.
I am going to see my sponsor today, maybe he has some clever advise for me too

theVman31

Glad to have another sober classmate, welcome Downthepath.
Glad your job is going well Tyger.
You know what I do when I feel my thoughts racing. .. I think about a simple thing D told me : "you know not to stick your hand in to a burning fire" so you control that frontal impulsive part of the brain. You can beat that AV !

Downthepath

Leanabeana mentioned lingering physical withdrawal symptoms in her post in part 3. I am on day 41. Am I still battling actual physical cravings? Today has been hard and I'm weakening because I can't imagine battling like this every day for the rest of time.

Downthepath

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys.

teaorcoffee

Welcome Path, disrupt away. The more the merrier in this group. We're all trying to do the same thing after all.

teaorcoffee

Be patient with yourself Tyger. Our bodies have taken a bit of a beating as we've decided to sort them out. Add to that returning to work, your body and brain might need some time to sort themselves out.
I get impatient as well, but it's a bit unfair on my brain to expect it to repair rapidly from 20+ years of abuse. I keep on trying to remember that, oh and to be nice to my body with good food, liquids and exercise.
You'll get there tyger, keep chugging along.

leanabeana

Hi Downthepath. It won't last forever, but expect to have some ups and downs for a while. You didn't get here overnight so the recovery won't happen overnight. It is definitely still possible to be having physical withdrawals. Protracted Abstinence Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) isn't recognized by the medical community but it is recognized by the recovery community (those should be in agreement, but that's a whole other topic). If you haven't ready the stages of withdrawal, I highly recommend reviewing it.

withdrawal stage(1 to 2 weeks): people who drank alcohol in large amounts may have severe withdrawal symptoms. these may include nausea,low energy, anxiety, shakiness, depression, intense emotions, insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating and memory problems. these symptoms typically last 3 to 5 days, but can last up to several weeks.


early abstinence (4 weeks ,week 2 - 6, follows withdrawal): for people who used alcohol, this period is marked most by the brain's recovery. although the physical withdrawal symptoms have ended, the client's brain is still getting used to the absence of the substance. thinking may be unclear, concentration may be poor, nervousness and anxiety may be troubling, sleep is often irregular, and, in many ways, life feels too intense.


protracted abstinence (2 to 5 month; follows early abstinence): from six weeks to five months after clients stop using, they may experience a variety of annoying and troublesome symptoms. these symptoms -difficulties with thoughts and feelings- are caused buy the continual healing process in the brain. this period is called 'The Wall'. it is important for clients to be aware that some of the feelings during this period are the result of changes in brain chemistry. if clients remain abstinent, the feelings will pass. the most common symptoms are depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating, low energy and a general lack of enthusiasm. clients also may experience strong cravings during protracted abstinence. relapse risk goes up during this period. it is helpful to stay focused on staying abstinent one day at a time. exercise helps tremendously during this period. for most clients, completing this phase in recovery is a major achievement.


readjustment (2 months; follows protracted abstinence):after five months, the brain has recovered substantially. now the client's main task is developing a life that has fulfilling activities that support continued recovery. because cravings occur less often and feel less intense, clients may be less aware of relapse risk and put themselves in high-risk situations and increase their relapse risk.


avoiding relapse drift: relapse does not happen without warning, and it usually does not happen quickly. the gradual movement from abstinence to relapse can be subtle and often underestimated. so it often feels as if it happens suddenly. this slow movement away from abstinence can be compared to a ship gradually drifting away from where it was moored. the drifting movement can be so slow that you don't even notice it.

during recovery, people do specific things that keep them abstinent. these activities can be called "mooring lines". try and see what you are doing to keep yourself abstinent. list the mooring lines in a specific way so they are clear and measurable. these activities are the "ropes" that hold recovery in place and prevent relapse drift from happening without being noticed......
(.....here follows a chart of a column to list all specific mooring lines( for example going to gym, reading sobriety stuff, recreational activities, peer support activities et cetera) followed by columns for the days of the week. i don't know how to do charts on the computer, so use your imagination)
it is helpful to complete you mooring lines chart weekly. place a checkmark next to each mooring line that you know is secure and record the date. when two or more items cannot be checked, it may mean that relapse drift is happening. .....blablabla..... use the chart to recognize when you are more likely to relapse and decide what to do to keep this from happening.


I'm not sure where I got this from so I can't give you a link (for the chart mentioned). I had it on a sticky note on my macbook from the first time I tried to quit years ago.

leanabeana

I forgot to say welcome Downpath! We are happy to have you here.

leanabeana

As for my AA journey, I have an interesting thread going in the alcoholism forum that pretty much covers my concerns and future plans: https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...et-aa-bus.html (I don't think I can get on the AA bus)

theVman31

So im having an evening all alone.
Mrs Vman and my daughter are gone to her sisters and sleeping overnight.
Its good feeling like an adult and keeping AV at bay.
Feeling like a film.
Over and out for today !
Take care.

teaorcoffee

That timeline is really useful Leana.
Makes sense of a lot of things.

See you all tomorrow

Purplrks3647

Hi everyone!

Thanks Leana for sharing the info about withdrawal stages, and also the link to your thread. It's interesting to see the different opinions/experiences ~ I could stand to be a little more open minded