mandosca

And its probably a silly one, because I doubt there is a right answer that fits for everyone.. but maybe an estimate? When does it get easier and better? Its night three and Im so bored, anxious, jittery. When will I learn how to entertain myself without alcohol? When will I not being thinking about a drink every five minutes and just once a day instead? I've been drinking approximately four times a week for four years.. i guess a better question would be.. at what point did it start to get easier for you? Was it 50 % better after a month?

Any thought and personal experiences and timelines would be great!
Thanks.

Dee74

Thats a real 'how long is a piece of string question' mandosca

I drank for 20 years and daily for five - I remember I feel pretty cruddy the whole of the first week, but I felt better from there.

As far as easier goes, that took a little longer for me - but it happened - I began to move from focusing on not drinking to focusing on building a new sober life by about 60-90 days...other peoples mileage may vary, of course!

don't lose faith...you're not alone and you're headed in the right direction - keep going!

D

Terminally Unique

Speaking only for myself here, but the first month was horrible, had multiple cravings throughout the day that felt literally like electric shocks in my brain. I would wake up thinking about drinking first thing in the morning, and wouldn't be able to sleep at all at night. The sleep cycle began to improve after a month or so, but it took about four and a half months to get to the point where I didn't have to worry about those frigging thoughts of whiskey popping up so much.

I was drinking undiluted hard liquor (scotch/whiskey/gin) all day every day for about two years at the end, and daily for at least twice that long prior (though not all day), so you'll have to keep that in mind. Theoretically, you should improve much faster than I did, and I would wager that around 90 days or so you should be doing fairly well. I really can't be certain, however, but hang in there. You really don't want to start that nasty cycle again, since each subsequent quit usually gets more difficult.

Reset

Let's see...

The first week was surprisingly easy and then the next month and a half were pretty brutal.

After about 3 months I started to notice improvements but very small ones. I didn't have any kind of epiphany like "wow my life is so much better" until around 6 months in.

Keeping my mind busy was very important in the process though. Books, magazines, movies, Netflix, SR and other forums kept my mind engaged. Reading a bit about the science behind the affliction and recovery process helped a lot too. I did all of that basically from day 1.

Hope that helps.

mandosca

Thanks for the responses. I know it will be different for each person but its reassuring to hear that it wont last forever and your words give me something to look forward to
reset, how much did you drink and how often? When I do quit for a small amount of time (say a week) its usually easy as you said and then I start to really crave.. I think this time its worst sooner jus because I know this time I really mean it amd know I wont be drinking again for a long time, if ever.. kinda like losing your bestfriend and worrying about how to fill the void. Well its one in the morning and I am still wide awake BUT I made it through another night.

ReadyAndAble

Hi, mandosca. Welcome to SR! For me feeling better was not a matter of time; it was a matter of making a mental leap. The breakthrough was when I stopped looking at recovery as being about loss. It's not about giving up the booze. It's about gaining back my life. That void—that feeling that I needed alcohol to both enjoy or endure life—was created by my addiction. Alcohol was the cause, not the cure. Best friend? I know what you mean; at first I couldn't imagine life without alcohol. But that's one relationship I don't miss at all, and you won't either.

DayTrader

Recovery.....the process of getting recovered......can be really quick. For me it was totally contingent upon the actions I took and/or didn't take. I was surprisingly defiant though....and I dragged my feet a lot....and it cost me - it dragged things out a lonnnng time.....many many months.

Ppl used to tell me, "Yanno, it doesn't have to be like that" but those comments just went over my head. I was too stubborn and too convinced that I'd know what was best for me.

Here's the litmus test: If you're enjoying sobriety, if you're having a ball in recovery........there's little chance you'll go back to that old lifestyle. On the other hand, if sobriety is a chore, if it's constant work, and if you don't "like" it.......(and if you're an alcoholic)......you will go back, more than likely.

It's entirely possible and it happens all the time - to hit that state of contentment, peace and joy........and stay there......TODAY. You can have it, and keep it, now.

MemphisBlues

For me? A year. Seriously, I was on a roll for about a decade, and had a great shrink (pusher) who enabled be to sprinkle benzos with each beer, so my road might have been a tad more difficult than most.

Ha! Who am I kidding...I spent 10 days in the hospital and a few months calling a day I showered and crawled out the door to buy smokes a success.

Can't relate? Good! Go back to drinking for a few more years, then tell me what day 11 is like.

I couldn't have done it without face-to-face support from others who had bottomed out like me. Keep posting! Keep reading. Keep trudging. It does get better.

sugarbear1

What did you do on the 3 nights you didn't drink?

MentalLoop

There is a clutch point for me in the evenings when my body just begins to shut down (i.e. sleepy for bed). Up until that point, from 5PM on, i am fighting a decent crave. But just at that clutch point, I am all of a sudden excited that I know i made it, and that my morning is about to be glorious - clear headed and not hung over. Once i really got the hang of focusing on that euphoric feeling, it started becoming self fulfilling - a reason to not drink while craving. The high / fix that alcohol used to provide, i am now starting to get whenever my brain makes the connection that tomorrow morning is going to be awesome .