Jasoni5567

I had a blood test done for a job and when I got the results in the mail my wife was hysterical. I got the job but the good news was bitter sweet considering the letter said I have some liver problems at the age of 26 and I need to see a doctor. I got scared and stopped drinking immediately, I am on day two now.

After lunch today with my wife and her co workers I realized its not easy to stop. First off I have no idea why they wanted to meet at a Chinese buffet, I have never in my life herd of anyone enjoying that and I learned my lesson about Chinese buffet food in Arizona years ago. This guy my wife works with baby talked loudly to his infant daughter the entire lunch and if any attention was directed away from his baby for a split second its almost like he got louder. The chairs were so uncomfortable it was painfull it sit in them while eating the crap food.

For years I have insant messaged a guy around my age who is a fellow truck enthusiast in Arkansas. This kid posts paragraph after paragraph about nonsense I could give to ***** about all the time, for example right now he is telling me all about chainsaws an sending links to chainsaws he wants as well as video's of them cutting trees.

I dont normally think like this or let small stuff bug me but I feel like there is no buffer in life anymore and am considering if this really is better than being dead.

Im on day 2, I have been drinking juice and water during the day and a 6 pack of Odouls at night for a non alcoholic treat. The Near beer seems to be helping but I still have this extreme irritability and a feeling of hopelessness.
Does anyone have any advice for me?

FenwayFaithful

Do something that calms you down

Running, lifting, meditating, shopping, working on a car, driving...just anything where you can get your mind off things for a while.

If someone you're talking to is annoying you tell them you gotta go. I still don't do a lot of talking to people. They just annoy me.

You have to learn to live your life sober, find friends whose company you enjoy and who you have things in common with besides just drinking or using. I've found that a lot of my "friends" weren't really friends but rather excuses for reasons to drink or use, since that's all we did together.

Right now your emotions will be a little out of whack it does get better but for now just be kind to yourself and take it easy when you can. If you don't want to talk about chain saws try and change the subject or just say you have to go.

For me running saved me in my first two weeks of sobriety. And it continues to keep me sane. I like baking too because everything has to be exact and it's measuring and stuff and it's calming for me.

If you need to take it easy on the social life for a while then do it. No reason why you can't enjoy a quiet night at home with your wife or a movie. I've been sober a little over a month but haven't really felt up to going out much, although I've also been sick, but still I think you need to ease yourself into sober social situations.

Are you participating in any sort of recovery program? I'm still trying to decide how much I like AA but it has been great meeting people who don't drink and who are positive and understand what I'm going through

Happier

Irritability, frustration, anger, crazy emotions are all common in the early days. Stick with it and find your way through. Keep reading and posting here and you very quickly see that you are not alone. Things can get better though.
Welcome

Jasoni5567

Thats encouraging to know, I think I am going to go buy a bicycle as soon as I can. I started building plastic models again recently, I am about half way done with the most complicated one I have ever attempted and up to this point I had been drinking beer the entire time I was working on it. For the first time today I was actually enjoying working on it sober.

Jasoni5567

How long do these symptoms last usually? I understand there are several levels of severity and situations but how long can I expect to feel this way?

DisplacedGRITS

it's a pretty normal feeling at first because, for me at least, i was feeling like i'd just had my favorite treat taken away. why? i'm a freaking adult, not a child! no one's supposed to be able to do this to me anymore! give it back and get out of my way! but that's my addiction talking. i know it's gonna drive you crazy hearing this but it does get better. in a way, you have had a buffer removed. it's not a bad thing but you're having to relearn how to live in a world without alcohol now. the chairs were uncomfortable before then, the dad's babytalked their kids, the Chinese buffet food was bad and the chainsaws were boring to anyone who wasn't an enthusiast. but for now, all these things are going to feel like they're hitting you all at once. for me, i find that when i get overwhelmed, i remove myself from the situation when i can and get to a quiet place where i can regain a little composure. there's nothing wrong with that. i've had to talk myself off a few ledges. try to remember that what you're experiencing, as wacky and maddening as it may feel at the time, is actually pretty normal for you right now. you're not going mad and the world isn't as crazy as it seems. you're just experiencing it differently now and that's going to take some time to get used to but you will. i've gotten really good at taking deep breaths and forgiving people their quirks that would otherwise drive me nuts. in the past i would pick them apart in my head and that just doesn't do me any good. and if i can't do that, i get up, get centered and go back with a little armor on. i know now that i'm a lot happier with how i handle myself in public and even in private. it just takes time and like i said, it does get better.

Happier

Tough question. Everyone is different and I suspect it depends on other factors as well. It is very common though. I think the key is to not let it cause you to drink and to find the program or steps that help you heal to a better place as quickly as possible. Have you thought bout AA, SMART, AVRT, Rational Recovery or any other type of program or help.

Jasoni5567

This all unfolded so fast, I was literally about to crack a beer open when my wife started freaking out about this letter. I have never really given my drinking problem any serious thought or looked into getting help. I still have not figured out how bad my problem is. Maybe I was just irritated today given the situation, I was also had just failed an eye exam trying to get my CDL back and was told I am to wear glasses if I drive anything.

I went without a single beer for nearly a week recently when I was helping my father in law with a project. I thought about beer here and there but its not like I had to have it. As of now, its Friday night and I have a fridge full of ice cold Coors light and I am perfectly fine sitting here on the couch sober. usually I would be all over it like I had zero will power. This is all confusing, is there like a happy medium here? If I can nurse my liver back to normal over the coarse of the next months to come can I casually drink beer or is it generally black and white if you had an alcohol problem in the past?

corneille

I am in no position to give advice to someone about drinking. But I would suggest getting rid of that beer. No matter how much you spent on it, it's not worth it when you feel like drinking.

Happier

I can only speak for myself. I tried the moderation approach several times and failed miserably.
Sorry. I know it can be a confusing time. It was and still can be for me as well. Maybe it would help to just spend some time reading old posts in these forums. I was amazed at how much I found in common with them.
We don't need to find all the answers or make all the decisions overnight. It is good to just start asking the questions and starting the process.

Jasoni5567

This sounds like some weird thought process but I feel like if I have the option to go grab a cold one I feel stronger mentally for not doing it. That excuse worked on my wife several times and it worked for me because I still got to drink the beer but now that my liver health is involved I really dont feel like drinking it, but I know I can.

corneille

When you can no longer resist the urge to grab that beer, what are you going to do? That beer will be there for you to grab. If you don't want to drink it anymore, you have to get rid of it. I've kept alcohol thinking I could resist it. In the end, I couldn't.

Sazzle

Hi Jason & welcome

I was so irritable at first when I stopped drinking. Short fuse, lots of swearing in my head at other people's sheer idioticness, angry, demanding (if I'm not drinking, I'm sure as heck going to eat the best food etc), tired, emotional (crying at dog adoption tv adverts), fearful etc

Time is a great healer and although I don't feel fabulous, I certainly broke the back of most of my negative feelings on day 5.

Regarding going back to normality: I've never had blood works done but I was scared for my internal organ health. I had dull aches where my liver was, heart palps and sweats after drinking. I tried moderation for over 18 months. Some days I was good at it, few glasses if wine with a meal out like an adult. Some days I was spectacularly bad at it, irritable and waiting for a social event to finish so I could drink more etc. I'm here now because I know that if I tried a glass of wine at Christmas, by Feb/March I'd be binge drinking to blackout again but worse than every time before.

I KNOW this and I'm not willing to risk it. In the past I've given up booze say, for Lent, and my first thoughts at the end is fit wine and curry. Now my reward is clothes and inner peace.

Sorry I've rambled!

S x