healing
xuse
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ga (Dixie Land)
Posts: 342
healing
Just wondering about any tips on taking care of myself while recovering tips on anxiety ,sleeping ,vitamins,diet,or stories on what you did when you started recovery anybody have night sweats not like sleeping pills ,xanax ect i dont want to replace one addiction with another my doc suggest meds but i would rather no from people whom been through and continue to ect. thanks.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Posts: 645
Well I took serapax as I was already prescribed it at the time. I feel that was really helpful to me in combatting the major anxiety I felt in that first week. There are lots of options with medication and the doctor can often prescribe you as little as 2-5 pills if your worried about the responsibility/temptation of taking more and becoming addicted to something else. You dont even have to take them, but having them handy wouldnt be a bad move.....
I read about addiction and did whatever I could to distract myself from thinking about alcohol - for the first week anyhow. I rediscovered television - it sounds stupid but I hadnt watched a tv program for years....I was always out drinking! I talked to other people in recovery for support and stayed away from people I knew would tempt me to drink.....and it took a while before I had the courage to meet up with certain people from my past again.
Hope that helps in some way
I read about addiction and did whatever I could to distract myself from thinking about alcohol - for the first week anyhow. I rediscovered television - it sounds stupid but I hadnt watched a tv program for years....I was always out drinking! I talked to other people in recovery for support and stayed away from people I knew would tempt me to drink.....and it took a while before I had the courage to meet up with certain people from my past again.
Hope that helps in some way
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: England
Posts: 137
Hi hun,
I too suffer with sleep issues but I found something that helped a lot. I find that when I go to bed I cant stop thinking about this that and the other my mind goes on and on and on keeping me awake. I get fixated about minor things, like if someone doled out a minor insult, I keep turning it over in mind lol. Because I cant get to sleep I get more agitated flipping this why and that way in bed and it makes the whole thing worse, sometimes I even cried in frustration of it all. Reading didnt help as I would realise after about 20 minutes I was still on the same page as my mind had drifted away from the book and was turning over all the issues I had.
After a good few sleepless nights I downloaded my favourite songs onto my ipod and now find that if I plug it in my ears when I go to bed the music relaxes me and instead of thinking non stop I listen to the music and suprisingly enough I have started to drift into sleep quite easily after the first few tracks. My ipod will shut off after the selected tracks have finished and I often wake up in the morning with it still in my ears. Even if this doesnt work at the start, at least your mind is on some nice music instead of concentrating on not being able to sleep.
Suzie x
I too suffer with sleep issues but I found something that helped a lot. I find that when I go to bed I cant stop thinking about this that and the other my mind goes on and on and on keeping me awake. I get fixated about minor things, like if someone doled out a minor insult, I keep turning it over in mind lol. Because I cant get to sleep I get more agitated flipping this why and that way in bed and it makes the whole thing worse, sometimes I even cried in frustration of it all. Reading didnt help as I would realise after about 20 minutes I was still on the same page as my mind had drifted away from the book and was turning over all the issues I had.
After a good few sleepless nights I downloaded my favourite songs onto my ipod and now find that if I plug it in my ears when I go to bed the music relaxes me and instead of thinking non stop I listen to the music and suprisingly enough I have started to drift into sleep quite easily after the first few tracks. My ipod will shut off after the selected tracks have finished and I often wake up in the morning with it still in my ears. Even if this doesnt work at the start, at least your mind is on some nice music instead of concentrating on not being able to sleep.
Suzie x
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: England
Posts: 137
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)?
I dont suffer with that but after stopping drinking (the first time for 3 years this time for 11 days). I suffered constantly with constipation, something that never happend when I was drinking. I solved this by eating Bran Flakes Yuk! (not to bad if you put yoghurt and fruit with it) I eat this every morning for breakfast.
Did you get diagnosed with IBS if not its worth checking with the Doctor to make sure it is that, and getting some diet tips on how to improve it.
Suzie x
I dont suffer with that but after stopping drinking (the first time for 3 years this time for 11 days). I suffered constantly with constipation, something that never happend when I was drinking. I solved this by eating Bran Flakes Yuk! (not to bad if you put yoghurt and fruit with it) I eat this every morning for breakfast.
Did you get diagnosed with IBS if not its worth checking with the Doctor to make sure it is that, and getting some diet tips on how to improve it.
Suzie x
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Home is where my cat is...
Posts: 228
Night sweats, lethargy, exhaustion, diarrhea, bad dreams and TONS of anxiety are all part of what I'm experiencing. Honestly xuse, there is no shame in asking your doc for an anti depressant to help stabilize your mood. The key here is to quiet your racing thoughts so that you may be able to sleep as well as cope with emotions you don't know what to do with while sober.
I believe a healthy diet will also help you feel like you are doing something good for yourself-and rightfully you are. I've been taking in veggies, sliced deli turkey on whole wheat, salsa w/chips, baked potato with spray butter, salad, shrimp, plenty of liquid like Powerade, diet green tea, water. Don't forget to give yourself a treat sometimes though. Although I am avoiding processed foods, my weakness is Twizzlers! Oh and I took my daughter out for a nice steak on Sunday.
Muti vitamins are always great. Milk Thistle and odorless fish oil tabs are also SUPER beneficial.
Recovery is hard but I'm glad you are doing it. You so deserve to be sober and live well. Good luck!
I believe a healthy diet will also help you feel like you are doing something good for yourself-and rightfully you are. I've been taking in veggies, sliced deli turkey on whole wheat, salsa w/chips, baked potato with spray butter, salad, shrimp, plenty of liquid like Powerade, diet green tea, water. Don't forget to give yourself a treat sometimes though. Although I am avoiding processed foods, my weakness is Twizzlers! Oh and I took my daughter out for a nice steak on Sunday.
Muti vitamins are always great. Milk Thistle and odorless fish oil tabs are also SUPER beneficial.
Recovery is hard but I'm glad you are doing it. You so deserve to be sober and live well. Good luck!
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 426
You can try melatonin for your insomnia. I helps me out evey now and then but I found that you should start with a very small dosage (1mg or so) and go up from there cause of you take too much you will be knocked out fast but wake up in the middle of the night again with insomnia. It is OTC and 'natural' and creates a dull sleepiness feeling that lets you relax a bit. Of course I have to say you should check with a doc before taking anything. CYA
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between Serenity and Despair
Posts: 522
I could have typed Suzie's post about laying awake with my mind racing. I have 2.5+ years sobriety, and I still do this. It was worse, though, right after I quit drinking. I was used to the booze knocking me out.
There are a lot of things you can try--dietary supplements, relaxing teas, hot baths, meditation, you name it. When I first quit drinking, though, my tolerance was so high that the dietary supplements and teas didn't do a thing to relax me. Hot baths and meditation probably came the closest to helping during those early days. Even those weren't that great.
The truth is, these first few weeks are just miserable. Your mind/body is trying to adjust to not having the alcohol it had learned to depend on -- to help it sleep, to help it feel happy, to take away the anxiety. Now that you don't have your crutch, all the feelings the alcohol was helping you avoid are crashing down on you.
Do talk to your doctor about any natural sleep aids you plan to use. But also remember that some doctors just don't know much about dietary supplements or are not interested in suggesting them to their patients. If your doctor is discouraging, but you still want to try some natural sleep aids, be sure to read the side effects of anything you want to try.
I tried melatonin a few times and woke up horribly depressed. After I read up on it, I learned that some people feel depressed after use. The depression lessened as soon as I quit taking it. Remember, side effects are not the same for everybody. What affected me may not affect you, and what works for me may not work for you.
The thing to remember: What works is different for everybody. If prescribed meds work for you, that's great. If toughing it out and seeing where you are a month from now works, that's cool too. If running five miles one hour before bedtime does it for you, go for it. This is a new life you're beginning and you'll have to play trial and error until you figure out what works.
There are a lot of things you can try--dietary supplements, relaxing teas, hot baths, meditation, you name it. When I first quit drinking, though, my tolerance was so high that the dietary supplements and teas didn't do a thing to relax me. Hot baths and meditation probably came the closest to helping during those early days. Even those weren't that great.
The truth is, these first few weeks are just miserable. Your mind/body is trying to adjust to not having the alcohol it had learned to depend on -- to help it sleep, to help it feel happy, to take away the anxiety. Now that you don't have your crutch, all the feelings the alcohol was helping you avoid are crashing down on you.
Do talk to your doctor about any natural sleep aids you plan to use. But also remember that some doctors just don't know much about dietary supplements or are not interested in suggesting them to their patients. If your doctor is discouraging, but you still want to try some natural sleep aids, be sure to read the side effects of anything you want to try.
I tried melatonin a few times and woke up horribly depressed. After I read up on it, I learned that some people feel depressed after use. The depression lessened as soon as I quit taking it. Remember, side effects are not the same for everybody. What affected me may not affect you, and what works for me may not work for you.
The thing to remember: What works is different for everybody. If prescribed meds work for you, that's great. If toughing it out and seeing where you are a month from now works, that's cool too. If running five miles one hour before bedtime does it for you, go for it. This is a new life you're beginning and you'll have to play trial and error until you figure out what works.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Home is where my cat is...
Posts: 228
Originally Posted by lildawg 
The thing to remember: What works is different for everybody. If prescribed meds work for you, that's great.
Your doc can tell you what is right for you but it may be worth discussing.
Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 85
Originally Posted by xuse
Just wondering about any tips on taking care of myself while recovering tips on anxiety ,sleeping ,vitamins,diet,or stories on what you did when you started recovery anybody have night sweats not like sleeping pills ,xanax ect i dont want to replace one addiction with another my doc suggest meds but i would rather no from people whom been through and continue to ect. thanks.
My therapist suggested I listen to this CD and it has helped. Don't know how you are financially but I love it, it relaxes me and sometimes I fall asleep with it on!!
Alcohol and Other Drugs - Health Journeys by Belleruth Naparstek at Health Journeys
capra laeviculus
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: German Village, OH
Posts: 3,427
I have been thinking a lot today about the way my body reacts to B-complex vitamins, even when I'm sober, and how it may play a part in the horrible hangovers that I have.
First of all, when I haven't been drinking, taking a B-vitamin pill just makes me feel good. So many of my stress-related issues disappear for the day. I think perhaps I am quite sensitive to this particular kind of vitamins.
Second of all, alcohol washes out all the water soluble vitamins (including all the B vitamins) and just to be extra insidious, it makes it hard for your body to absorb B-vitamins while you're recovering.
But today is day 2 of the hangover for me, and about an hour ago I gave the B-vitamin a try (along with some nexium, 'cause my stomach is producing a lot of acid). And I believe it is helping!
It's not a total fix, but I think my palpitations are gone and I've stopped shaking!
It makes me wonder if a B-vitamin sensitivity is part of the whole alcoholism package!
-Goat
First of all, when I haven't been drinking, taking a B-vitamin pill just makes me feel good. So many of my stress-related issues disappear for the day. I think perhaps I am quite sensitive to this particular kind of vitamins.
Second of all, alcohol washes out all the water soluble vitamins (including all the B vitamins) and just to be extra insidious, it makes it hard for your body to absorb B-vitamins while you're recovering.
But today is day 2 of the hangover for me, and about an hour ago I gave the B-vitamin a try (along with some nexium, 'cause my stomach is producing a lot of acid). And I believe it is helping!
It's not a total fix, but I think my palpitations are gone and I've stopped shaking!
It makes me wonder if a B-vitamin sensitivity is part of the whole alcoholism package!
-Goat
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 426
Try getting some VITAMIN D. As in some sunshine. Watch out for sunburn. Seriously....I think that many of us when we get into a pickle with alcohol we tend to stay inside with a hangover or inside drunk, or whatever. This certainly seems to make more sense in the winter as well. I feel that sometimes we get Vitamin D deficient and I find that supplements, as well as old fashioned sunshine can make us feel better as well. What do you have to lose??
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: BC
Posts: 43
I'm a little embarrassed to share something which sounds so fluffy, but I have found something that works for me. Even when towards the end I was drinking, I would wake up in the wee hours ruminating, thinking about everything I had to do, every way I had messed up, and on and on. Once I started down those paths, it was hard to shut it off. At some point, however, I discovered something that worked to stop that process. I started thinking about the good things about me. I am not normally one for affirmations, they remind me of that Stuart Smalley skit on Saturday Night Live, but I let myself get right into it in the middle of the night. I complement myself. I remember every complement I have been given. I become my biggest fan explaining how great I am. I gush over my accomplishments. I describe my sunny smile. I relive moments of pride. It sounds utterly ridiculous, but it is so opposite to what would normally be going through my mind at those times, that it shakes me right out of the bad thought routine and I fall asleep. If I am going to be spending time in the night repeating thoughts, I want them to be good, healing thoughts, not the toxic ones that fed my addiction.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 5,285
Shalisan..I like that:-)
Regarding B vitamins...B-12 which is the most important B vitamin in terms of depression and mental well being, can not be taken orally. A monthly B-12 shot is the best way to take it and most alcoholics are massively deficient in it.
Regarding B vitamins...B-12 which is the most important B vitamin in terms of depression and mental well being, can not be taken orally. A monthly B-12 shot is the best way to take it and most alcoholics are massively deficient in it.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 275
Originally Posted by zenchaser
Try exercising. It's great for reducing stress and anxiety. It also helps you to fall asleep. Plus all those endorphines help you feel great for hours afterwards.
xuse
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ga (Dixie Land)
Posts: 342
thanks every one ill try getting out in the son and some exercise this place is wonderful it will be my new crutch i will come here every day is how long does it take to start feeling energetic again
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Home is where my cat is...
Posts: 228
Originally Posted by LaFemme
They say that having a bedtime routine helps with sleep. Also stay away from your computer or tv the hour prior to sleep, the light from the screen makes your brain think its day.
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