Afraidtosleep

Hello, I'm fairly new to this forum thing but at this point, I'm just trying to occupy my time to keep my mind off things. I feel too young to be an alcoholic but it has become abundantly clear to myself that I am. I am only 25 years old and have been binge drinking since i was 18. When I turned 21, i basically just partied all the time and now, for the last 2 1/2 years i have been downing a 6 pack and a 1/2 pint+ of Whiskey 5 to 6 nights a week. I want to say the catalyst was my brother's death 2 years ago or losing the girl of my dreams around the same time, but it seems that it's really just my irresponsibility. (insert embarrassing story that makes me feel terrible or a friend i have drunk texted one too many times.) So now....

I have not gone more then 2 days straight of sober sleep for that amount of time. Today, is my "first" 3rd night and I am having a VERY hard time. In just 4 minutes, the liquor store closes and Ill know I will have made it. However....

For the nights that i have been sober, I have been sooooo restless. I may have gotten 3 hours of sleep a night and i work LONG hours at a job i hate more then anything. I am sooo exhausted but i can't seem to fall asleep. I have nightmares that last all night and what appears to be panic attacks where i wake up feeling like i have schizophrenia or something. lol. It's bad. I keep reading how people stop drinking and they get crazy good sleep. This is unfair and I don't understand it. Is this normal?

Hope4Recovery

The crazy good sleep didn't start for me until about two weeks clean. It's getting better every day and I'm starting to feel less exhausted.

StevenD

Congratulations on 3 Days man.

I too started drinking at 18 and was a full fledged alcoholic by 25. The difference between you and I is that I am now 42 and am just stopping now. I applaud you for recognizing it and taking steps now to give youself an incredible future! It's admirable and you should be proud of yourself. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache (and money!) if I'd admitted it to myself when I was 25.

Regarding sleep, hang in there - it defniitely gets better. I started to notice a difference at around day 4. And it continued to get better from there. I'm on Day 12 now and the sleep is really getting much better. It can take a couple of weeks from what I hear. Compared to what I was getting, I am VERY happy with the 7 hours I"m getting now. And the anxiety is so much better than it was. Every day I feel stronger both mentally and physically.

Hang in there...you can do this. Keep posting and reading. It has helped me so much. Wishing you a good night,

Steven

smacked

It really gets better..promise, and yes..you're experiencing normal stuff, but if you're worried see a doc! Withdrawal can be dangerous. Getting sober is easy, staying that way is rough. What support do you have lined up?

Afraidtosleep

Well, that's the problem... Most of my close friends drink themselves. They don't know i drink alone nor does my family(unless they were to check my hiding spots) I have...errrr had about 30 empty 1/2 pints scattered under mattresses, in coat pockets hung up etc. Its actually kind of funny thinking about it and a bit embarrassing.

Basically, I just wanna do this without anyone knowing. However, I got a 3 day camping trip this weekend with them all and am struggling with the idea of going cause it normally turns into a "**** show". pardon my french. God knows, making it to Friday will be a much harder feat.

NewBeginning010

Welcome to SR ATS Nice work on working on this now at 25. You will find a lot of support here.

The camping trip/s**t show doesnt sound like a good start right now, maybe hang back and find some healthy non alcohol related events/things to do.

Cheers,

NB

Draciack

Afraidtosleep, sleep does get easier over time. But I have to emphasize the over time aspect. Early sobriety takes some patience but if you stick with I guarantee the rewards are worth it. Check out the Insomnia/Nightmares sub-forum if you want some tips about alleviating insomnia. Welcome to SR.

least

You're on the third night? Well of course you feel crummy. The first few days can be really rough. But yes, again, it DOES get better with time. Hang in there and don't give in to the lie of drinking to make the w/d symptoms fade. That will just prolong the process of getting sober.

And I don't think the camping trip sounds like a good idea either. Very early for you to be around people drinking a lot. Can you get out of going? It's your call, I just know I couldn't have done it that early in sobriety.

Please do hang in there. You're nearly to the end of the worst of the physical w/d. It will start getting better if you just don't drink. And please get medical help right away if you start feeling really bad. Be safe while detoxing.

Welcome to a good place to get sober.

Dee74

Hi afraidtosleep

As you can see sleep issues are pretty common. It does sort itself out.

If it's really messing with you, see a doctor - don't go back to the booze.

Here are some insomnia tips - they may come in useful?
Insomnia? 42 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures

Welcome to SR
D

artsoul

Welcome Afraid! I couldn't quit drinking on my own either. I had to read and post alot here at SR to preserve my sanity during the first few days. I also tried to take it a day at a time (or an hour, or whatever). It helped alot.

As far as the canoe trip, I was just thinking: what if you got the flu and couldn't go? You would somehow accept it and concentrate on getting better, right? Well, what you're going through is at least as important to your health, you know? So, be good to yourself and think about it, OK?:ghug3Glad you're here!