shaun00

Day five ex navy..........congratulations.

For me....the worst of the physicals were over after 6/7 days...ie tremours..sweats..pink cats with big teeth..stomach knotted up.....etc

Different for different people i guess.........full night sleep( god bless) after about 2 weeks.

I wouldnt berate myself for the odd "snooze"......body just healing itself maybe......

Dont forget to take it easy.........trucker..

ExNavyInHouston

Day 5 - Here we go. I feel good.

Hitting a 9 AM Spin Class, then going by the office for the Office Party. We are a trucking company so there is never any liquor there.

Should be a fairly easy day, but my radar is up and running.

I do want to add that yesterday as the day was winding down, I had some weird anxiety, the head crush feeling, etc. I was in bed. I didn't answer my phone and just rode it out without bothering anyone. I posted on here, but for the most part just isolated. I never felt it was serious, but I was pretty keyed up.

I'll check in later.

Lenina

EX-Navy,

You're doing great! A little TLC like some extra rack time is OK. Do keep up with the exercise though. It's a great stress-buster and will help you sleep a bit better.

What CD's did you get for yourself?

Love,

Lenina

ExNavyInHouston

I got all the of the Liquid Mind CDs ... well maybe I left one or two off. They have told changed my sleeping habits. I slept through the night last night.

Lenina

Glad you got some good rest! Do you like movies? I love to watch DVDs. I have some old stand bys to watch when I'm feeling unsocial. Mostly silly comedies. I love "Harold and Maude" and "The Full Monty". Any faves for you?

Love,

Lenina

snowdog

Ex Navy- Congrats! I too have made it to day 5! Like you, last night I slept the best I have since I started this journey. When I woke up this morning and realized I had actually slept, I was so excited! I read your original post on this thread and like you- this time is 'it' for me. I had a health scare that started last Friday night and ended with me in ER on Sunday. I don't ever want to go thru that again. Also, I too am single with no kids and wonder how much my drinking contriuted to that. How sad. But the future is still ahead!

Good luck to both of us!

ExNavyInHouston

SnowDog - I can tell you I ended a relationship just this summer with a great gal because I didn't want her to find out about my drinking life.

For 2/3 of the day I was nice, polite, funny, and smart guy (all my adjectives - others may debate it - lol), but when I wasn't with her or the people I didn't want to know about my darker side, I was doing what we do (did).

As far as kids, I always have known I never wanted children. Some people just know. So when I was 42 I got snipped to make sure it never happens.

Plus, my crazy personality led me to have 3 marriages and divorces by 30. Even though I have been single since 1993, I think I might not have that going for me either.

Although I met #2 in a 12-Step Program, and my 3rd was a crazy drunk. She had that wild Kim Basinger from Blind Date drunk behavior, whereas I was always the happy drunk. But we both sobered up for that one for 2 years. Then of course reality hit us that maybe you shouldn't pick a mate when you are both like Mickey Rourke and Fay Dunaway from the movie BarFlys.

ExNavyInHouston

Lenina - I love going to the movies, but it is hard to get me to settle down on a consistent basis and watch DVDs.

I say that, but I am also a NetFlix guy. Have been watching more. I like dumb comedies and some scary movies and documentaries.

It is hard to pigeon hole exactly what I like the more I think about it. I even will watch Chick Flix as long as the girl lead is a hottie and everyone in the cast doesn't all have an accent.

Lenina

ExNavy,

Here's a recommend for you: "Lone Star". It's a little indie I really enjoyed and should be in Netflix. Takes place in a small Texas border town about a man resolving his relationship with his father and an old murder mystery. A surprising twist at the end too!

Love,

Lenina

ExNavyInHouston

I saw that one ... I remembered it had Kris Kristofferson.

Ok, I have one for you -- but only if you can handle a movie that is full of drugs and using and all that stuff.

"Bug" by William Friedkin (The French Connection/The Exorcist) ... it is a freaky mind F**k of a movie. It has Ashley Judd in it.

It is a twisted look at going insane.

It is made low budget style and wreaks of Indie style movie no one ever sees at the movies, like "Teeth."

Lenina

Hmmm, sounds interesting. Did you see "Memento"? Twisted. A story told backward so you might want to watch it twice.

Thanks for the recommend.

Love.

Lenina

ExNavyInHouston

What an awesome to wake up to Day 6!

I'm starting to think the weird head pressure I'm getting late in the day may not be withdrawals.

It may have been there and drinking may have been masking it.

I'm curious from any of you who may have dealt with mental issues, such as Bi-Polar, Depression, etc., if you ever had the symptom where you had head pressure that feels like your head is in a vise and someone is lightly closing it in. Combine that with an anxiety that makes you unable to concentrate and irritable with people.

Mine is not constant, but comes on later in the day for me after 6 PM.

HLBlue

Ex. I am bipolar and have never had that experience. I can say this though. I have chronich sinusitis and usually every evening starting around 5 or 6. I start getting a build of pressure in my head or my sinsuses and that is just my allergies and sinuses kicking in.

ExNavyInHouston

Chardoll -- thanks for answering back. I am focused on addressing any issues that surface as I get further away from my stop day.

Everyone says when you quit, you then need to start understanding what got you drinking. So if things start surfacing after the fog clears I want to get right to it so I don't go back to that lifestyle.

NewDayNow

My 6th day of sobriety was a bench mark for me. That was the day I began to actually believe I could do this. The fog didn't wear off for a while after that. Still comes back once in a while. You may want to read up on the PAW information.

The information at the top of the Alcoholism thread is helpful. Especially the excerpts from "Under The Influence". It helped me to understand my disease.

Congrates on day 6 and Merry Christmas

Ed

gravity

Congrats on day 6!

Just a suggestion...be careful with the self-diagnosis. It will likely go away in time...the anxiety/pressure may be normal. Maybe get a medical check-up.

I used to drive myself crazy trying to figure out what was wrong with me and it would pass or turn out to be a manageable physical symptom (eg. tired, dehydration, stress...all things that can be addressed in healthy ways).

Take care.

gravity

I actually wrote this stuff down. What really helped was identifying better ways to deal with those emotions. For example I used to drink to relieve stress. Better ways to deal with it are exercise, talking it out with a friend, watching a movie, posting on SR, etc. I also used to drink to celebrate. Instead, I take my family out for supper, buy myself a treat, etc. Really, the possibilities are endless!

four812

welcome ExNavy

keep up the good work....you never have to drink again !!

snowdog

ExNavy, Congrats on Day 6! I am still hanging in there too!

ExNavyInHouston

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am back from Mom's and now I get to assemble all the stuff I got - or read directions for new electronics.

I will also be careful to not diagnose too much. I think I am just being enthusiastic and proud.

The nature of the net is to assume if we are writing something down (i.e. willing to say it out loud) that it might be burdening the author.

So far I have not felt a weak moment, other that regretting not visiting the Napa/Sonoma Wineries anymore, but that was fleeting.

I have been smart enough to stay out of my old drinking places for now. There are several places I go that are more restaurants than bars that I liked to drink at because I am single and would sit at the bar and eat and watch a game or whatever was on.

I will go back to those places and just start ordering tea. Those are not likely to be my trigger locations, not like my Irish Pubs where I would start out on Guinness and make my way to the Scotch.

Every day is a new day and I don't want to get too ahead of myself.

Right now at 12:46 on Christmas Day afternoon every thing is super groovy.