Today is day 21 - and I've been having dreams that I'm drinking/drunk!
 

Hi all - things are going well so far. Feeling good. Strange thing is this past week, I've been having what I'll call, "drinking dreams". They are jumbled (just like when you're drunk...), but I know I'm drinking, etc. I wake up so disappointed in myself, as it takes me a minute to realize it was just a dream. This has happened several times. During the dreams, I've not experienced the drinking as fun, just that I am drinking.

Has this happened to anyone else? My mind must be trying to tell me something - but I don't know what. Maybe the relief I feel at the realization that it was just a dream is GOOD...vs. waking up and saying, "Oh wow, wish that had been real, want that experience in my life again."

Thoughts, experiences?

They're known as "drunk dreams" and yes, are very common.

I used to wake up remembering the same kind of dreams and felt like it was only a dream!! In mine, I remember feeling guilty and sneaking drinks.

I have them infrequently now the longer I'm sober and mostly now it's about being around "other" people who are drinking.

Amazing how the subconscious works, huh?

Yep, it's normal and thank God it's only a dream! :-)

I haven't had one in a while, but boy were they kinda fun. Especially waking up to find it wasn't real. Like doing coke with my sponsor (wtf) or passing out on the grass in front of my friends apartment building, being kicked awake.

They're strange little buggers, the dreams.

Oh my gosh! I have been having these as well. I have dreams that I was drinking and then I will wake up and be like... "Ugh, I failed myself..." and I feel horrible, then it takes a second then I remember... wait, no I didnt.

I think it is just that you dream about what you think about... in my case my new found sobriety and thinking about my life when I was drinking has been on my mind a lot lately.

Your not alone... :)

drinking and using dreams are good for me, they remind what is was like and sometimes they act as a pointer to something I need to look at and do.

I believe that in early days (first 3 months) they are a release of tension

What do they mean? They don't have to mean anything they just are. Have not had one for a few years but when I did, I just let it go and carried on with the day.

Kevin

about 3 months sober I had one...well sorta

I had a dream I was on the phone telling my family I drank again, woke up and felt all absolutely horrible and riddled with guilt. Took me a good 5 minutes of sitting in bed to convince myself I was still sober. When I realized it was a dream I was so happy.

At the meeting the next day someone said I got a "freebee", all the emotions and none of the compulsion and or jackpots that come with a real relapse.

I recollect that was one of the things that helped me stay sober back then.

had a few dreams like that since, always cool.

Thanks for all the replies!

Congratulations on Day 21.....that is AweSome!! Rock on!!

I haven't had drinking dreams this time but last year in rehab they were bad!! Surprisingly in my dreams, I stood firm that I had quit drinking but was faced with many temptations!! Such a GREAT feeling waking up and realize it was just a dream!!

These will subside the more work you do on yourself and the more you change in my experience...otherwise get used to them...either way don't worry, you will hopefully get to learn that most of the things that happen on a day to day basis do not require deep analysis as much as everytime the sun rises you don't think wow i wonder what that means;-)

Congrats on 21 days!

And yeah, those dreams... ugh. I get them every now and then... some times terrifying (I do far worse thing drunk in dreams than in real life) some times not so bad... just wake up feeling queasy thinking I've drank again...

Yeah, they seem to subside...

Take care,
TB

Accept that they will come and go.

Oh lordy lordy, I got a username just to reply to this topic. I wake up all the time in a panic, convinced that I've drunk booze, done drugs, or eaten tons of food without purging. I HATE it, humblestudent; the confusion and disappointment seem to last for eons before I figure out the truth. Even though we'd really rather be dreaming that we were making out with Robert Downey Jr on a balmy day in Barbados, I think our only recourse is to accept this unpleasantry as it stands. Bah!

I still have them sometimes.. they don't bother me as much as they used to. I'm sure my brain has a lot of leftover 'stuff' swimming around in there when it comes to thoughts and feelings about drinking and everything that came with it. I do love waking up and realizing that it wasn't real, that I'm still sober.. My counselor once said to me that I should just take it as an opportunity for an unconscious reminder of what going back out drinking would feel like.. usually in my 'drinking dreams' I'm hiding it, or regretful or ashamed of it, disappointed in myself, horrified at my choices.. it is kinda nice to experience that type of reality without it being real :)

Welcome to SR, Homunculesse :)

D

Congrats on 21 days, Humble. I had several similar dreams during my first several months of sobriety. I'm at almost 9 months now, and I couldn't tell you the last time I had such a dream. So they apparently subside. Early in my sobriety, I spent many waking hours considering and analyzing my drinking and devotion to sobriety. Go figure that when you're thinking about drinking all day, your brain holds onto that theme at night. Now that sobriety has become more and more a lifestyle, I really don't think about it as much (some around here might call it taking for granted). Perhaps that's why it invades my dreams less frequently. I take that as a positive. Unfortunately, given my New Year's Resolution to lose weight, it's Lindt's chocolates invading my dreams these days...

Also, about to spend two nights in Vegas on business. First time in Vegas sober, but I'm prepared -- mentally and physically.

I've had a lot of them too, and always in the strangest places; like Alice In Wonderland meets Las Vegas strange. I kinda enjoy the "no, I didn't drink" revelation in the morning.

I saw Father Tom speak a few weeks ago and he mentioned drinking dreams. He said they are normal and healthy and that he still has them after twenty-something years.

Hi humblestudent,

I am day 19 off booze and the last couple of nights I have had so many dreams. Really quite vivid ones, not pleasant but not quite nightmares. I am constantly waking and reminding myself it is not real.

I keep saying "this too shall pass" My body and mind has a lot of healing to do as far as alcohol is concerned.

3 wks. sober, that is wonderful! As I said to LauraS - I remember those first 3 wks. being very rough going.

Yes, I've had dreams where I was drinking & had one the other night. I even wake up with a phantom hangover, complete with cotton mouth & confusion. The relief I felt when I realized it hadn't really happened helped me know I never wanted to go back there again. In the dreams I'm not happy or having fun, just worried and stressed. At 2 yrs. sober, the dreams have diminished. Now it's just one every 6 mos. or so.

Forge ahead, Humblestudent - you're doing great!

WOW!! I had soooo many of these during my sober year! I'd even dream that I lost important people in my life because I was DRUNK and acting like a DAMN FOOL. Ha ha ha ha. I'd wake up in a blind panic, grab my clothes, and suddenly realize that I wasn't hungover, it wasn't the middle of the day, it was morning and I hadn't slept in with some horrid hangover. Wow. Those dreams were intense.

I always thought, in my case, that these dreams were my subconscious mind running worst-case-scenarios past my conscious mind, to see how I'd handle the situation. A lot of my bad dreams have that same basic logic behind them. I've done some research into dreams and dreaming, and this is a very common way for your brain to work out how you'll handle things you most fear. Good news was, one of my top fears was...drinking! So I took it as a really good sign.

Hey Humble,

Congrats on your first 3+ weeks. Being in the same boat, I have to admit I was surprised when I had a few of these in this last month. I've woken up with the guilty feelings and been like 'nooooooo'. But then I realize it was just a dream, and the day starts off on a really good foot. I usually have coffee and make toast, which signifies the beginning of a good day for me. :)

It's weird that a 'bad dream' can shape your day that way (help to make it a good one), but in this first month, thats how it has been for me. Kinda nutty.

Congrats on your sobriety!!