drukenbstard

well everyone I thank you all for your great advice .I'm gonna try to get some zzzzzzzzz gotta be up at 5:30 for work.Thank you all for your support and help and best wishes for all of you.Good night to all

JamesAdams

Sugar - yeah I craved it like crazy for awhile. Your body uses the calories in alcohol as fuel, and if you are not giving your body that fuel it looks for it in other sources. For me that is sugar, and I have seen a lot of other people posting about it as well.

The melatonin idea somebody suggested is a good one, as is chamomile tea. I like tea for a lot of reasons, it gives you something to drink when your mind wants a drink, and there is something just so therapeutic about a nice hot cup of tea.

ForMy2Boys

I used to be outgoing as well. that changed with my 10+ years of alcohol abuse. I can look back and see where and when I lost friends and where I just decided to shut myself in and drink my loneliness away. Alcohol has such an amazing force on our brains. Many people that do use alcohol regularly will feel depressed and socially withdrawn. When you are ready to quit, you may lose a bunch of the negative feelings. Not saying you will, but that's what happened with me. I woke up feeling more positive. I would wave and chat with people at the grocery store (even though that may seem trivial or just plain stupid, it was a big step, and even better, I didn't realize I did it until after the fact)
I hope you find a way to sleep without the alcohol. Look up info on alcohol and depression. If anything, it will give you a conversation point for when you can finally see a doctor. Also make sure you tell the doctor about your alcohol use, as it interferes with most medications, and many times the reactions can be severe (i.e. seizures).
Best Wishes!

shoreladylu

Ever tried meditation? It teaches you how to turn off all the stuff that keeps running through your mind. You learn to focus on your breathing. By giving all your attention to breathing, you have no room to think about the stuff that's keeping you awake. Plus it's very relaxing. This site has free guided meditations that you can download. I have some of them on my phone and I listen to them before I go to sleep sometimes. The Meditation Podcast - Episodes

Dee74

I removed some posts that contravene our Rule 10 on med advice

Here is the SR Rule in full....


There is a line between sharing our experiences and recommending specific drugs and treatments for others. What happened to you and how you overcame it may not be suitable for others, and may well keep someone else from seeking the professional assistance they need.



D

SnwFlower

I put movies on and take a melatonin and sip on warm chamomile tea. Also try reading. Those work really well, and the benefit is that waking up the next morning feels great. I'm 52 days sober and it's the most sound I've slept since I was a little kid.

quitforme79

The first month sleep was tough to come by and the 2nd month all I wanted to do was sleep. Time frames are different for everyone so it could be quicker for you. All I know is when I leveled out I was so grateful I hung in. I used to wake up at 6 am no matter what. After getting sober I found that I like to sleep in. Kind of ironic huh? lol

ou812

try reading a self help book... something that will help ur inner self...thats what i do..just a thought..) good luck hun..xo

Dee74

Please stick to your experience guys.

Do not recommend treatments, do not suggest prescribed drugs and do not recommend using a drug for a purpose for which it is not designed - your posts will be removed

D

ou812

u can do it..its inside u..im not giving up on u...)

Grymt

I had this extremely bad exacerbated by prolonged jetlag followed by a six month binge. For some reason I never got over the jetlag. It took me years to get back into a regular sleep. Primary things that have helped are:

not eating heavy (carbs particularly) foods before sleep. avoiding foods that place demands on my liver
get up when I wake and try to stay awake during the day.
do things that don't give me things to worry about and not do things that can make me worry.
prepare for sleep by dimming lights for a time before sleep.
learned how to relax. there are plenty of methods.
a light sprinkling of lavender and or eucalyptus oil on the pillow.
sleeping next to an open window. (if climate doesn't permit, make sure some fresh air circulates and keep warm with extra bedding rather than sleeping in a stuffy room. (some plants in the room could be an idea)
if I don't sleep I try not to make that something to worry about knowing that if I at least rest my body knowing that even if I only get snippets of sleep I'll cope.
make sure I go to the toilet.

Most of these are really about realigning my habits with what nature meant for me in the first place.

Over time things have realigned and now I do sleep well. Took a long time to get there though. I needed help from books, doctors and I suppose common sense.

JamesAdams

I'm the complete opposite. I used to be so hungover I didn't want to, or couldn't get out of bed. I would try to sleep the hangover away. Now being sober I find I like getting up early in the morning, seems there is a morning person in me after all.

Coldfusion

One more little suggestion...

Don't have a digital clock that you can look at. It can actually keep you awake, and inhibits drifting in and out of dream state.

According to the animated feature "Waking Life" the following are signs of the dream state: you can't control the lights, fine print is blurred, and digital clocks don't make sense.