acer67

Happy Friday!

Lately I have been having dreams of drinking. I have seen posts on this before. Is this a normal transition of sobriety? I am very disturbed by this. I am happy to be drinking in my dream and wake up confused until I realize it was a dream. Then I am relieved. Obviously, alcohol is still front and foremost in my mind - even after 46 days sober.

Tazman53

Acer it is pretty normal, almost every person I know who has quit has dreams, I had them quite reguarly at first, the longer I stayed sober the less often, I have been sober now for over 2 1/2 years and it has been at least 6 months since I had one. They are realistic and kind of scary in a way....... but we are alcoholics and drinking is what we do best so it would seem natural that drinking would come in our dreams.

Wolfchild

Then it's a good thing that staying clean is a priority in your heart! It gives you another day of life!!
Our mind and the emotions suffered a great deal when we were in active addiction. Your dreams are much like your feelings and thoughts. They can't hurt you as long as you don't make them a reality! Easy Does It!!

Wednesday

I have had those dreams too when I have stopped drinking. It is always such a relief to know it was a dream.

Mark75

Yea, I get those dreams... I had one in rehab... freaked me out... someone gave a bottle of Corona, didn't know what to do with it... so I figured I'd drink it to get rid of it, but then what do with bottle??? Woke up figuring I'd be kicked out... so relieved when I realized it was a dream, took a couple of minutes though.

Mark

serenityqueen

I've been in Recovery for going on 4 years and I still having using dreams occassionally. But now in my dreams, I have people coming at me from every angle offering me dope and alcohol, but I don't use. I can't remember when they shifted from me using to me not using. Please don't let yourself get upset by this. I did at first when I was fairly new in Recovery and it drove me crazy! I was so scared it meant that I wanted to get high, that I was in a relapse . . . The only thing this did was make me crazy. Now, I just see it as a reminder that I am an addict/alcoholic and I always need to be aware of what's going on around me. When you wake up and realize it was only a nightmare thank your HP and be grateful that that's all it was.

God Bless,
Judy

ClaretandBlue

Wow, thanks for bringing this up, I was wondering the same thing. I've never actually experienced guilt in a dream before, but I certainly do when I dream about drinking/using. Terrifying, and I even feel guilty for a bit after I wake up. Glad to hear they change or decrease in frequency!

jamdls

Just a couple of days ago I had a drinking dream and I've been sober nearly 2 years, they scare the heck out of me! The one this week upset me even more than usual because I kept saying "it's only champagne, it doesn't count" the other times I was usually tricked into drinking. I also discovered this week that people who are not recovering alcoholics do NOT understand those dreams, I told a couple of people and they thought the dream was funny and there was NOTHING funny about it.

joedris

I used to have dreams about drinking after I quit and smoking after I quit. It was always a great relief to wake up and know it was only a dream, as I never wanted to have go through quitting either again.

barb dwyer

I dunno about 'normal' ... but it's very 'common'.

I've only had one.
In almost three years.
And in the dream,
I turnede to the person sitting next to me and said
"Hell i know I'm dreaming, look what I'm drinking!"
It was a wine cooler.
I NEVER drank wine coolers.

:P:!

I've met people who have had such vivid dreams of drinking that they're feeling as
GUILTY as if they actually *had* drank.

The point is -
they hadn't.

And you haven't.

You're doing great by not drinking
in THIS world.
GOOD for you!!

OceanBound

At 40 days sober, I have them from time to time. Always realizing that drinking is bad, always feeling guilty and ashamed. Hope they'll go away.

Toomutch

Acer - I had one just a few nights ago; I have over 15 months sober. It is always such a MAJOR relief when I wake up and realize it was all a dream.

north

In the first week of my sobriety, I had my first "drunk dream" and it scared the Hell out of me. The next few times, I would wake up feeling both a bit perturbed but also relieved it was only a dream. Now, I rarely have 'em (or simply don't recall them) and if I do, I shrug them off as it's now no different from when I fly, kill aliens from outer space, bend time, etc as usual in my dreams.

optra

Hi Acer
I just passed 9 months sober and yes I have had deams about drinking. Not lately though, my last one was just after 90 days and it was pretty scary. Like others have said I don't think you need to be too worried about them too much.
Congratulations on your sobriety.
Steve

FizzyWater

Think probably everyone has had dreams, I know I have.

Think you have more dreams in general when your sober as your mind is clearer.

When I think though that drinking was something that I did every day over a nearly 20 year period it would be strange if I didn't have the odd dream about it.

treefrog

my dreams nearly alway's revolve around me drinking. It's ok. Dreams are are healthy for the sub concious mind to release angst etc. Last night was wierd though. I dreamt a chicken was trying to push me out of bed!!??

Bamboozle

I have them every once in a while, but it's just a dream. My dreams are weird anyways...so I don't pay them much attention...unless I've had one of my rare flying dreams. Other than that? Most of what my mind produces at night is garbage. I dump what I don't care for in my mental trash bin in the mornings.

Daydreams for me, however, are tough.

jacknscoob

Hi Guys

Interesting post.

I frequently dream about alcohol both when I am drinking and when sober (I am on day 10 sober at the mo). Now sober when I dream of drinking I don't feel guilty or upset just pleased it was a dream. Last night I dreamt of drinking iced vodka (which I rarely drink in real life) and I was part of a group campaigning to keep the rock club open that I used to go as a teenager, lol...whatever that means.

Alot of my alcohol dreams are about worrying if there is enough alcohol to last the day or night. Or dreams of hiding alcohol and not being able to find it.

Some nights I will dream and something bad happens which bolts me awake and every hair in my body is standing on end, I then have to make efforts to try and relax to let it subside, sometimes this can happen several times a night.

Other dreams I have are searching for a drink of water which I cannot find...obviously I am completely dehydrated, which I am...lol.

Wednesday

Lol I used to have those dreams a lot when I drank heavily.

I had a dream I drank a bottle of wine last night, it was so vivid.