Day 4...very irritable.
 

I'm on day four and struggling today. I'm very irritable and have some major anxiety. I have talked to my parents and my husband about my struggles with alcohol lately, and now I feel like I'm constantly being watched. My mom and dad have called all day long, and when I went to the store my husband felt like I was gone too long. I know they love me and just want to make sure I'm okay, but it's making me want to poke their eyes out...

Any help with the irritability?

I don't know - I just tried to accept that it was part of the process. It really didn't last that long for me, several days at most.....

You could talk to your family/husband and tell them about some of what you're going through, so that they don't take it personally. Keeping things as simple as possible really helps, too. Stay with it - you won't feel this way forever!:grouphug:

Time took the irritability away for me. After a few weeks I started to be more calm in situations and able to voice how I felt about things. Maybe talk to them about what you just posted, maybe not about poking their eyes out though haha!

I know that me being so irritable isn't really me. It's me being pissed that I can't have a drink. I just hate feeling this way. I feel like I'm trying to crawl out of my own skin.

Has anyone ever tried any meds for anxiety? I really have always tried to stay away from meds, but don't know how much longer I can feel so anxious.

Thanks for the replies!:grouphug:

Hi Birdie. I felt a lot like that, too. We go through many phases as we begin to heal - you'll come through this phase and feel much better before long. What you're feeling right now is completely normal. Don't be discouraged - you're doing great.

I think it's just a natural part of the process Birdie - recovery is not very comfortable in the early days for a lot of us.

I found it helpful to keep active and productive if you can - and try to focus on the good things in your life rather than the stuff that's annoying you :)

D

Breathe deeply, No caffeine (drink only water), get sleep, eat right, go to a meeting, read the big book, talk with sponsor. All that helped my anxiety a lot. Especially the 'no caffeine' part.

Learned that today! No more coffee for me for a while.:gaah

I don't know about you, but from what I've read from people on here.... and my own personal experience. That anxiety goes away, a lot quicker than I thought it would for myself. That alcohol gave me ridiculous amounts of anxiety during the beginning, but like I said, it passed. My confidence is coming back too!

Man, that irritable stuff is the pits, but you get through it. Next week around this time, you may reflect on how much better things are, maybe not though. It takes time to get through this stage of the game. Hang in there--you will feel great you did.