igottobesober

I started drinking when I was 12, so the sense of feeling strong emotions has always been few and far between. lately, after 27 days clean, I have been really emotional and having some real eye opening realizations about myself. This maybe the reason for my previous post about wanting a drink. I have been in therepy before, but quit. I think I might have to give it another try.

2granddaughters

AA fills the bill for me re: sobriety and sanity.

AA's "How It Works" says 'even those with grave emotional and mental disorders do recover if they have the capacity to be honest'.
Would that satisfy your needs ?

Wishing you the best.

Bob R

LoftyIdeals

IGTBSober...I think the answer to your question is different for everyone. I know for me, I started abusing substances of all kinds in my mid-teens, and, to a certain extent, that's when I stopped growing emotionally. I know I stopped feeling certain emotions over the years, mostly the healthy ones. And, I stopped interpreting situations with rational emotions. Little by little, my world closed in to being me and my bottle of whatever, or me and my DOC. In the end, the substance(s) of choice of the day became my only solace in life. Everything else was either a battle, or I was numb to. More and more, I couldn't handle the battles, and chose numbness, and assured it with booze.

Finally, one day, after I had allowed it all to just go to pot, I realized my mistake. And I made a decision for myself. One that I vowed to keep at any cost. And, for the past 8 months, I have abided by that. I hate fighting, but I am now fighting for my life, for my sobriety, for my dignity. And I don't care if I have to start everything over to set things right. I love my wife and family, but that may not be enough; it may be too late and too broken. Only time will tell.

So...I admonish you to stay sober, and be ready for the emotions that are coming, but don't let them make you drink. Once you get sober, the hard work starts, and that involves sorting through the myriad of emotions.

I wish the best for you. I hope you have a program that will help you along in knowing you are not alone. AA is great for that, and so are the 12 steps. And, I hope you have a spiritual system that will guide you. I know I'd be nowhere without the help and blessing of God. Take care, and hang tough through this!

NYCDoglvr

What's was hard for this alcoholic to "get" is that things change. Feelings change, people change and sobriety gets BETTER. Nothing was ever harder for me than my first 90 days, I think I cried every day. I described as 24 hour/day PMS in a full moon. I kept going to meetings and things got better at least in terms of my emotions. I had no idea that there were emotions like being sad. That I just sit with it and it passes too. You deserve a gold star!!

Firehazard

Hi igottabesober, Love your handle it speaks volumes. At around five months I began to really allow myself to feel things deeply and it hurt and was also joyous. These are all emotions that I drank to supress and now that I trust GOD to protect and heal me they have balanced out. However, to stay sane I have been consciously taking the emotional middle road which is Serenity and avoiding those wild highs and lows. It takes time and practice but we do get better one day at a time one emotion at a time.

:ghug3

least

My feelings were all over the place at first but between three and six months they settled down a lot. Now at two years I can deal with my feelings without going off the deep end. Give yourself time.

yo466

I would say that the toughest part for me was not the actual quitting, but repairing relationships and interacting with new people and people I already knew as a sober person. That's when the emotions got to me. I'd go through a whole range of stuff: Anger at myself for all the wasted time drinking, anger at others for not supporting my decision to get sober, despair that it was too late for me to rebuild my life, etc. Every time things got a little crazy and I thought about drinking I would just tell myself "If you have one beer, just one, you will be repeating a cycle you've gone through over and over a million times before"

I think the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome, I finally decided to stop the insanity, deal with my emotions in a sober way and I always feel stronger when I come out on the other side.

Dee74

It's definitely rough dealing with emotions and feelings and all kinds of situations in the beginning - but like others have said, we learn those new skills, we reach out for help when we need it, and it gets better, igottobesober

You're not alone in this - hang in there

D

Surlyredhead

For me it was quite a while after I was sober...then one day, I was watching TV and a sappy commercial came on...I cried like a baby!!! Then I was all over the place, crying at the silliest things. Eventually it all leveled out!! I can laugh now, thinking about the puppy in the commercial.....letting the flood gated open, what a sight I was!! It wasn't a few tears either, I was sobbing, nose running, makeup all down my face...what a sight...LOL.

Just know, that when the feelings to surface, that you are not alone...and it will get better!

Cathy