Quitting Drinking
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 31
Johnny, did you ever try light therapy*? I'm planning to get a lamp for next winter, even if they are on the pricey side (the winters are horrible here, but besides that I love my place). And I love the way you're speaking about the relapse, you have been sober 95*% of the time (and the same applies for me, I had one night of drinking since April 20th where I would have been drinking every other day)
DG0409 your posts on days 52 and 55 were very insightful, thanks for sharing all that*! I'm gonna read the emotional management thing too when I have more time. Sorry you've been feeling down, but it's good you are able to deal with all these negative feelings without a drink. And 8 weeks*? That's awesome and inspiring. I think it's important what you are saying at the end of day 55*: this is only the beginning of a long journey, but I thin it's a very rich and interesting journey even if it's difficult sometimes. We have to learn how to change our thinking patterns and it does take a long time.
Sobreia, I'm happy things seem to be going well for you, congrats on 5 week sober*! Usually AD meds take about 10 days to kick in, but who knows*?
Ladybug, way to go, 28 days, awesome*!
BrightFuture I drink waaaay to much diet soda at parties too, spending half of my evening drinking it, the other half peeing it. But it's still better than alcohol. And THEY do enjoy their wine exactly for the reason you mentioned*(I personally am able to stop at three... bottles).
I haven't been on because of some Internet issues, but it seems to be OK now. Still sober, even without my daily SR visits, and that's a good thing, it means I can even stay sober if I don't have access to SR support.
I actually bought some codeine last week planning to get high on that last week-end, and finally threw it away (it's cheap – cheaper than drinking - and you can buy it in any pharmacy in France). I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. And codeine high is not even that fun, I guess it was that stupid AV guy who took control at some point but I was able to come back and shut him up. I was actually feeling very well and strong, and proud of myself and it felt so much better than being high.
I have been improving my routines. I'm now doing 10 salutations to the sun every morning, and 40 mn of elliptical bike every day. I also started to eat more healthy meals. I'm feeling stronger and less overwhelmed by my emotions. My sleeping patterns are improving, and most of the time my mood is a little more stable.
The sun is back, and even with that, I'm not feeling as manic as I usually feel in the summer. I hope that I'm more stable now I'm sober (I do have some mood swings, but I really feel the bipolar is improving when I don't drink) and exercising, and eating and sleeping better. I know how much a good lifestyle means for bipolar people, I see it on myself every time.
Big news: I'm starting to work again, tomorrow. No teaching, but as a school librarian. It's only part-time, and it an internship kind of thing, but it will tell me if I'll be able to actually become a school librarian. Teaching is mentally impossible for me, the bipolar, the borderline traits and the perfectionism make that I was literally driving (and drinking) myself crazy with that job. I hope that if I'm under less stress at work I'll be able to cope more easily (part of my drinking and drug use on week-ends was due to my need to forget about my job, what I was not able to do).
Have a great sober day, April folks*!
DG0409 your posts on days 52 and 55 were very insightful, thanks for sharing all that*! I'm gonna read the emotional management thing too when I have more time. Sorry you've been feeling down, but it's good you are able to deal with all these negative feelings without a drink. And 8 weeks*? That's awesome and inspiring. I think it's important what you are saying at the end of day 55*: this is only the beginning of a long journey, but I thin it's a very rich and interesting journey even if it's difficult sometimes. We have to learn how to change our thinking patterns and it does take a long time.
Sobreia, I'm happy things seem to be going well for you, congrats on 5 week sober*! Usually AD meds take about 10 days to kick in, but who knows*?
Ladybug, way to go, 28 days, awesome*!
BrightFuture I drink waaaay to much diet soda at parties too, spending half of my evening drinking it, the other half peeing it. But it's still better than alcohol. And THEY do enjoy their wine exactly for the reason you mentioned*(I personally am able to stop at three... bottles).
I haven't been on because of some Internet issues, but it seems to be OK now. Still sober, even without my daily SR visits, and that's a good thing, it means I can even stay sober if I don't have access to SR support.
I actually bought some codeine last week planning to get high on that last week-end, and finally threw it away (it's cheap – cheaper than drinking - and you can buy it in any pharmacy in France). I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. And codeine high is not even that fun, I guess it was that stupid AV guy who took control at some point but I was able to come back and shut him up. I was actually feeling very well and strong, and proud of myself and it felt so much better than being high.
I have been improving my routines. I'm now doing 10 salutations to the sun every morning, and 40 mn of elliptical bike every day. I also started to eat more healthy meals. I'm feeling stronger and less overwhelmed by my emotions. My sleeping patterns are improving, and most of the time my mood is a little more stable.
The sun is back, and even with that, I'm not feeling as manic as I usually feel in the summer. I hope that I'm more stable now I'm sober (I do have some mood swings, but I really feel the bipolar is improving when I don't drink) and exercising, and eating and sleeping better. I know how much a good lifestyle means for bipolar people, I see it on myself every time.
Big news: I'm starting to work again, tomorrow. No teaching, but as a school librarian. It's only part-time, and it an internship kind of thing, but it will tell me if I'll be able to actually become a school librarian. Teaching is mentally impossible for me, the bipolar, the borderline traits and the perfectionism make that I was literally driving (and drinking) myself crazy with that job. I hope that if I'm under less stress at work I'll be able to cope more easily (part of my drinking and drug use on week-ends was due to my need to forget about my job, what I was not able to do).
Have a great sober day, April folks*!
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 31
Ooh sorry DG, I posted in the wrong place! I'm gonna edit this and post it in the April thread. Silly me! Thanks for noticing!
OK actually we can't edit all posts, it seems. I'm gonna cut and paste it in the April thread, then.
OK actually we can't edit all posts, it seems. I'm gonna cut and paste it in the April thread, then.
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,439
You can edit all posts, but only for 15 minutes after posting. After that, if it's important, you can talk to a mod about it, but copy and pasting probably works for this one.
And no worries... I posted something the other day, and then couldn't find it where I thought it was... no idea if I posted it somewhere else or lost it, lol. All these threads look alike!
And I like your post here... I just didn't want anybody else to miss out on it over in the April thread because I thought it was a great post.
And no worries... I posted something the other day, and then couldn't find it where I thought it was... no idea if I posted it somewhere else or lost it, lol. All these threads look alike!
And I like your post here... I just didn't want anybody else to miss out on it over in the April thread because I thought it was a great post.
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,439
60 days
It feels good to be here. Things haven't all been easy... I've had to work hard each step of the way. But it feels good.
I find myself thankful for the simple things in life. Long walks, playing on the playground, spending time outside, the satisfaction of crossing things off my to-do list at work, waking-up not hungover, eating regularly, being able to remember things, being able to plan things out and actually do them, having a sense of humor. I keep up on my gratitude thread every day. Many times, I think of things for it and then forget them by the time I go to post, but that's ok.
I don't run from my feelings and emotions so much. I deal with things. It's slow going sometimes and it's not always fun. But I feel like things are getting better.
I am thankful for all of the things that have become easier with not drinking. I am thankful that not drinking has forced me to be creative and do other things with my time.
I am thankful to SR for all of the support and the wonderful people here. I really don't know that I would have made it this far without this place. It helps so much to have support and also to understand how many of the things I experience are common to us all.
I guess I didn't really imagine how long this would take and how many things I would have to face. Sixty days and I feel like I have taken care of a lot and made many needed improvements. But I still see where my life still has a lot of places that have been neglected due to the drinking. I know I have further to go in my recovery journey before I'll be to more of the sort of place I'd be if I didn't ever have a drinking problem. I'm still realizing how deeply alcohol had affected me. It's kind of scary sometimes.
I know I don't want to go back to how I was.
It feels good to be here. Things haven't all been easy... I've had to work hard each step of the way. But it feels good.
I find myself thankful for the simple things in life. Long walks, playing on the playground, spending time outside, the satisfaction of crossing things off my to-do list at work, waking-up not hungover, eating regularly, being able to remember things, being able to plan things out and actually do them, having a sense of humor. I keep up on my gratitude thread every day. Many times, I think of things for it and then forget them by the time I go to post, but that's ok.
I don't run from my feelings and emotions so much. I deal with things. It's slow going sometimes and it's not always fun. But I feel like things are getting better.
I am thankful for all of the things that have become easier with not drinking. I am thankful that not drinking has forced me to be creative and do other things with my time.
I am thankful to SR for all of the support and the wonderful people here. I really don't know that I would have made it this far without this place. It helps so much to have support and also to understand how many of the things I experience are common to us all.
I guess I didn't really imagine how long this would take and how many things I would have to face. Sixty days and I feel like I have taken care of a lot and made many needed improvements. But I still see where my life still has a lot of places that have been neglected due to the drinking. I know I have further to go in my recovery journey before I'll be to more of the sort of place I'd be if I didn't ever have a drinking problem. I'm still realizing how deeply alcohol had affected me. It's kind of scary sometimes.
I know I don't want to go back to how I was.
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,439
10 Weeks!!
I'm proud of myself. Life is much better and the more time away from the alcohol, the more I see how messed up it was making me and my life. I am SO thankful that I decided to quit. I am so thankful that I am quit.
I struggle to handle things in my life sometimes, but I don't ever consider alcohol as an option. I have made progress in so many other areas in my life. Sometimes, it's not as fast as I wish, but it's going. It is a little hard to sober up and realize how much is wrong with my life from drinking, but those memories will help keep me sober.
These days, I'm more focused on other goals than I am on quitting drinking. So, I think that is progress.
I'm proud of myself. Life is much better and the more time away from the alcohol, the more I see how messed up it was making me and my life. I am SO thankful that I decided to quit. I am so thankful that I am quit.
I struggle to handle things in my life sometimes, but I don't ever consider alcohol as an option. I have made progress in so many other areas in my life. Sometimes, it's not as fast as I wish, but it's going. It is a little hard to sober up and realize how much is wrong with my life from drinking, but those memories will help keep me sober.
These days, I'm more focused on other goals than I am on quitting drinking. So, I think that is progress.
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Today is 90 Days!!!
First, I must say: thank you SR and everyone on here!!
I can honestly say that things are much better not drinking. I still have a lot more progress to make as well. I didn't really realize when I was drinking how deeply alcohol was affecting my life. It's been a shock in some ways to realize how much I need to work on and fix. It's been slower than I imagined it would be. I thought that at 90 days it would be 'done'. At least in as much as not drinking is ever done. I know that it takes one day at a time still. But I feel like I am just beginning.
I can remember a few years ago, I quit drinking for 11 days during one of my moderation attempts. It was MUCH easier then that the first 11 days was this time. Within a few years, my alcoholism had really spun out of control and physically and mentally, it was much harder to bounce back this time. PAWS symptoms were intense. My brain was fuzzy at times, I needed a ton of sleep, my memory was shot, etc. One of the many, many, many reasons I don't want to go back to drinking is that I suspect that the next time would be even worse.
Reading my first post in this thread now is interesting to me. It's almost laughable that I called myself a "relatively well-functioning alcoholic." The only thing I was doing well in my life was drinking... and that is hardly something to be proud of. Sure, I wasn't living in the gutter... yet.
I was so afraid of life without alcohol. I couldn't imagine enjoying anything without it. It has taken some considerable time for my brain to get back to normal, and I can tell it's still not entirely. But I love my life without alcohol now. The idea of going back to where I was is way more scary than the idea of living without alcohol.
I'm learning to just be with my emotions. To feel them. There's a lot that I buried. There was a lot that I didn't want to face. I am starting to accept that the only way they will ever go away though is if I go through them. I'm starting to be ok with that. In some ways, it's nice to feel again. Even when it hurts. At least I'm not just numbing my feelings.
It's nice to be able to remember things again. Conversations with bf no longer all have "Really? I don't remember that." somewhere in them. I can remember drum music now. That is precious to me.
It's nice to go on long walks at night. It's funny, because I almost take them for granted now. But I can remember the first one I went on was like magic because it was so rare that I was actually out doing things at night drinking. Sure, there were a few rare times when I'd be out walking at night drunk, but they weren't really all that frequent.
It's nice to not wake up hungover or going through alcohol withdrawal. It's nice to not be craving a drink straight out of bed.
It's nice to trust myself with my money. I get cash from the ATM and a week later, I might still have all of the same cash still in my wallet!!
It's nice to be taking care of myself and scheduling doctors appointments. I eat healthy now. I get my exercise. I feel better because of it. I do yoga to relax and it is more relaxing than a drink ever was.
Things that happened in my life make more sense. So many things that I would dwell on that were confusing and painful have become so much easier to understand. I am no longer baffled by decisions I make. I made so many poor decisions as an alcoholic and then I'd be so confused as to why I made them. Now, it is painfully, simply obvious.
I could spend all day listing things that are nice about not drinking, but I'll stop here.
I can honestly say that I'm proud of myself. It's a good feeling to have.
First, I must say: thank you SR and everyone on here!!
I can honestly say that things are much better not drinking. I still have a lot more progress to make as well. I didn't really realize when I was drinking how deeply alcohol was affecting my life. It's been a shock in some ways to realize how much I need to work on and fix. It's been slower than I imagined it would be. I thought that at 90 days it would be 'done'. At least in as much as not drinking is ever done. I know that it takes one day at a time still. But I feel like I am just beginning.
I can remember a few years ago, I quit drinking for 11 days during one of my moderation attempts. It was MUCH easier then that the first 11 days was this time. Within a few years, my alcoholism had really spun out of control and physically and mentally, it was much harder to bounce back this time. PAWS symptoms were intense. My brain was fuzzy at times, I needed a ton of sleep, my memory was shot, etc. One of the many, many, many reasons I don't want to go back to drinking is that I suspect that the next time would be even worse.
Reading my first post in this thread now is interesting to me. It's almost laughable that I called myself a "relatively well-functioning alcoholic." The only thing I was doing well in my life was drinking... and that is hardly something to be proud of. Sure, I wasn't living in the gutter... yet.
I was so afraid of life without alcohol. I couldn't imagine enjoying anything without it. It has taken some considerable time for my brain to get back to normal, and I can tell it's still not entirely. But I love my life without alcohol now. The idea of going back to where I was is way more scary than the idea of living without alcohol.
I'm learning to just be with my emotions. To feel them. There's a lot that I buried. There was a lot that I didn't want to face. I am starting to accept that the only way they will ever go away though is if I go through them. I'm starting to be ok with that. In some ways, it's nice to feel again. Even when it hurts. At least I'm not just numbing my feelings.
It's nice to be able to remember things again. Conversations with bf no longer all have "Really? I don't remember that." somewhere in them. I can remember drum music now. That is precious to me.
It's nice to go on long walks at night. It's funny, because I almost take them for granted now. But I can remember the first one I went on was like magic because it was so rare that I was actually out doing things at night drinking. Sure, there were a few rare times when I'd be out walking at night drunk, but they weren't really all that frequent.
It's nice to not wake up hungover or going through alcohol withdrawal. It's nice to not be craving a drink straight out of bed.
It's nice to trust myself with my money. I get cash from the ATM and a week later, I might still have all of the same cash still in my wallet!!
It's nice to be taking care of myself and scheduling doctors appointments. I eat healthy now. I get my exercise. I feel better because of it. I do yoga to relax and it is more relaxing than a drink ever was.
Things that happened in my life make more sense. So many things that I would dwell on that were confusing and painful have become so much easier to understand. I am no longer baffled by decisions I make. I made so many poor decisions as an alcoholic and then I'd be so confused as to why I made them. Now, it is painfully, simply obvious.
I could spend all day listing things that are nice about not drinking, but I'll stop here.
I can honestly say that I'm proud of myself. It's a good feeling to have.
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 315
Congratulations. You have so much to be proud of. Reading your posts these past few days has been invaluable to me. This one in particular gives me hope that things will get better--and I remember feeling that way when I had long periods of sober time. I'm at Day 4 feeling exactly like you described: terrified of a life without alcohol but certain that it HAS to be better than what I've been doing and how I've been feeling while pouring gallons of alcohol down my throat trying to escape my feelings. I'm also very health-conscious, so it inspires me that you're feeling so much healthier and exercising more. I actually like going to the gym, but many days am too hungover, sometimes unable to move. Thank you for the hope today.
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16 WEEKS- Attitude of Gratitude
Today, I have been thinking about the concept of having an Attitude of Gratitude and how important it is. I really feel that attitude goes such a long way in being successful and happy when quitting drinking, or quitting any other addiction.
So, I wanted to take a little time to think about (and to share) things I am grateful for about quitting alcohol.
I am grateful to be feeling proud of myself.
I am grateful for the feeling of accomplishment.
I am grateful to be feeling way less guilt and thinking "I need to quit drinking."
I am grateful that I no longer have things like passing out on the bathroom floor happen.
I am grateful that I am more in control of my temper and the things that I say.
I am grateful that it's let me work on other goals like eating healthy, exercising and quitting smoking weed.
I am grateful that it's brought me to SR and I feel like part of a community.
I am grateful for quitting before more bad things happened to me... I know things would have gotten worse.
I am grateful for the bad things that did happen because they remind me why I want to stay sober.
I am grateful for each day that I don't drink.
I am grateful that I no longer wake-up going through alcohol withdrawal.
I am grateful that the anxiety, depression, and fear are much less.
I am grateful to be regaining my brain powers. I can remember things again. I can think more clearly.
I am grateful that I get real sleep rather than just time passed out.
I am grateful that I no longer feel the need to drink.
I am grateful that I don't drive drunk anymore.
I am grateful for the money I save.
I am grateful for the time I have to do other things.
I am grateful I can work through other issues rather than avoiding them.
I am grateful for deciding my feelings are important and learning to feel them and listen to them rather than drowning them.
I am grateful that many things are much easier for me to understand these days.
I am grateful that I have so many things to be grateful for.
I am grateful that I could make this list a lot longer if I didn't have other things to get done today. The things to be grateful for about not drinking are endless.
Edited to add: I am also grateful to everyone who has read this thread and offered me support and advice along the way. Thank you!!
Today, I have been thinking about the concept of having an Attitude of Gratitude and how important it is. I really feel that attitude goes such a long way in being successful and happy when quitting drinking, or quitting any other addiction.
So, I wanted to take a little time to think about (and to share) things I am grateful for about quitting alcohol.
I am grateful to be feeling proud of myself.
I am grateful for the feeling of accomplishment.
I am grateful to be feeling way less guilt and thinking "I need to quit drinking."
I am grateful that I no longer have things like passing out on the bathroom floor happen.
I am grateful that I am more in control of my temper and the things that I say.
I am grateful that it's let me work on other goals like eating healthy, exercising and quitting smoking weed.
I am grateful that it's brought me to SR and I feel like part of a community.
I am grateful for quitting before more bad things happened to me... I know things would have gotten worse.
I am grateful for the bad things that did happen because they remind me why I want to stay sober.
I am grateful for each day that I don't drink.
I am grateful that I no longer wake-up going through alcohol withdrawal.
I am grateful that the anxiety, depression, and fear are much less.
I am grateful to be regaining my brain powers. I can remember things again. I can think more clearly.
I am grateful that I get real sleep rather than just time passed out.
I am grateful that I no longer feel the need to drink.
I am grateful that I don't drive drunk anymore.
I am grateful for the money I save.
I am grateful for the time I have to do other things.
I am grateful I can work through other issues rather than avoiding them.
I am grateful for deciding my feelings are important and learning to feel them and listen to them rather than drowning them.
I am grateful that many things are much easier for me to understand these days.
I am grateful that I have so many things to be grateful for.
I am grateful that I could make this list a lot longer if I didn't have other things to get done today. The things to be grateful for about not drinking are endless.
Edited to add: I am also grateful to everyone who has read this thread and offered me support and advice along the way. Thank you!!
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120 Days
I can definitely say that I have no regrets about quitting and am so glad that I gave sobriety a shot. And today, I also have 20 days no weed. For the first time in years, I am clean and sober. I'm proud to be able to say that.
I am looking forward to making more improvements in my life. It's nice to be able to make progress in so many areas where I wasn't able to work on my goals before.
I can definitely say that I have no regrets about quitting and am so glad that I gave sobriety a shot. And today, I also have 20 days no weed. For the first time in years, I am clean and sober. I'm proud to be able to say that.
I am looking forward to making more improvements in my life. It's nice to be able to make progress in so many areas where I wasn't able to work on my goals before.
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165 days
So, I have 5+ months now, and thought I'd update this thread.
Many things are much, much better now, and many of them I guess I've started to take for granted. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to wake up hungover or going through withdrawal. Eating 3 meals a day has become normal as has exercising and actually brushing my teeth twice a day. I don't even want to think about those times when I'd pass out without brushing my teeth and awake the next morning. How did I ever live like that?
I've made some progress on some other serious goals. I now have 65 days no weed, something that never would have happened when I was drinking. 20 of the last 21 days I've been caffeine free, something else that never would have happened had I been drinking.
My memory is much better and I'm generally able to think much more clearly. Financially, things are slowly starting to look up for me. I've paid off all over-due bills, taxes, etc.
I think I still have some serious PAWS symptoms that show up at times, both from quitting the alcohol and cutting out the weed. Lately, I think I've been experiencing some effects from cutting out the caffeine as well. Things aren't all rainbows and butterflies. Some days, I just feel tired of this. I become frustrated that progress doesn't happen more quickly. I'm bored with the same recovery behaviors day in and day out. My social circle is down to just about nobody. I cut out the drinkers and drug-users from my life, which I don't regret. But I'm a shy person, I experience a certain amount of social anxiety and factors like where I live and my occupation have made it really hard to make new sober friends. I get to feeling down and alone at times.
That said, I know I'm making progress. It may be slow, but I am seeing real differences in my life. I know I still have more progress to make. Real recovery doesn't happen over-night, it takes time. I have to remember that I am still just at 5+ months and that in the scheme of things, that's really not much. When I was drinking, no matter how much I thought about my goals and I wanted to make improvements, somehow, it simply didn't happen. Now, even if progress isn't as fast as I might like, there is progress!! Sometimes, it is hard to see the progress because it happens in such small increments, but it really does add up.
I'm making progress learning to deal with emotions. I no longer have any addictions to hide behind, so I'm learning to turn to healthy coping mechanisms. Thankfully, my emotions are also becoming a lot more stable. The anxiety, depression and other bad feelings from all the drinking, etc. have pretty much disappeared. Although, I still get to feeling pretty down at times, which I attribute partly to life and maybe partly to PAWS. At the end of my drinking career, I had no self control and was a mess emotionally, I can remember punching a whole in a door one day not long before I quit, and it was just kind of scary because it was a 'me' that I really didn't know or like. Now, even when I feel bad, I am a lot more calm and in control. The early months quitting were a roller coaster, too. I'm still getting a little of that, but now it's more of a kiddie ride than one of those giant coasters.
I'm looking forward to hitting six months soon. And also looking forward to the changes in the next six months after that.
So, I have 5+ months now, and thought I'd update this thread.
Many things are much, much better now, and many of them I guess I've started to take for granted. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to wake up hungover or going through withdrawal. Eating 3 meals a day has become normal as has exercising and actually brushing my teeth twice a day. I don't even want to think about those times when I'd pass out without brushing my teeth and awake the next morning. How did I ever live like that?
I've made some progress on some other serious goals. I now have 65 days no weed, something that never would have happened when I was drinking. 20 of the last 21 days I've been caffeine free, something else that never would have happened had I been drinking.
My memory is much better and I'm generally able to think much more clearly. Financially, things are slowly starting to look up for me. I've paid off all over-due bills, taxes, etc.
I think I still have some serious PAWS symptoms that show up at times, both from quitting the alcohol and cutting out the weed. Lately, I think I've been experiencing some effects from cutting out the caffeine as well. Things aren't all rainbows and butterflies. Some days, I just feel tired of this. I become frustrated that progress doesn't happen more quickly. I'm bored with the same recovery behaviors day in and day out. My social circle is down to just about nobody. I cut out the drinkers and drug-users from my life, which I don't regret. But I'm a shy person, I experience a certain amount of social anxiety and factors like where I live and my occupation have made it really hard to make new sober friends. I get to feeling down and alone at times.
That said, I know I'm making progress. It may be slow, but I am seeing real differences in my life. I know I still have more progress to make. Real recovery doesn't happen over-night, it takes time. I have to remember that I am still just at 5+ months and that in the scheme of things, that's really not much. When I was drinking, no matter how much I thought about my goals and I wanted to make improvements, somehow, it simply didn't happen. Now, even if progress isn't as fast as I might like, there is progress!! Sometimes, it is hard to see the progress because it happens in such small increments, but it really does add up.
I'm making progress learning to deal with emotions. I no longer have any addictions to hide behind, so I'm learning to turn to healthy coping mechanisms. Thankfully, my emotions are also becoming a lot more stable. The anxiety, depression and other bad feelings from all the drinking, etc. have pretty much disappeared. Although, I still get to feeling pretty down at times, which I attribute partly to life and maybe partly to PAWS. At the end of my drinking career, I had no self control and was a mess emotionally, I can remember punching a whole in a door one day not long before I quit, and it was just kind of scary because it was a 'me' that I really didn't know or like. Now, even when I feel bad, I am a lot more calm and in control. The early months quitting were a roller coaster, too. I'm still getting a little of that, but now it's more of a kiddie ride than one of those giant coasters.
I'm looking forward to hitting six months soon. And also looking forward to the changes in the next six months after that.
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Posts: 5,439
6 MONTHS!!
Well, I can officially claim to have 6 months under my belt. I am super proud of myself. And a world away from where I started out. Re-reading this thread this morning was kind of cool. It's interesting the things that have changed. I cracked up laughing about one of my early comments about how there was no way I was giving up coffee... and today is day 29 no caffeine.
Months 3-6 were generally kind of a bit 'blah' for me. I felt down and unmotivated a lot. The last couple of weeks though I've been starting to feel more stable and a bit better. Not perfect by any means, but much better. From reading around, it seems like it's kind of common for people to struggle with months 4 and 5. The novelty of sobriety is over, PAWS is in swing with full force, the brain is still healing and there's still a lot of leftover 'stuff' from drinking days that needs dealt with. I'm afraid to speak too soon, but I think I'm coming up out of that. I will say that I am WAY more stable emotionally than I was the first couple of months. I've grown so much and am much more able to handle stress.
I'm really looking forward to the next 6 months of sobriety and making more changes. I'm half way to a year, and I'm definitely already looking forward to that year.
I've made so much progress since I quit drinking: 6 months no alcohol and eating well and getting exercise, learning to deal with emotions, quitting smoking weed as well (I'll have 90 days clean and sober in less than a week!!), quitting caffeine, taking up yoga, catching up on multiple doctor's visits that were over-due, making a bit of progress at work, making some progress around the house, and more.
I am so glad I made that decision to quit drinking 6 months ago.
A special thanks to everyone that has helped me along the way.
Well, I can officially claim to have 6 months under my belt. I am super proud of myself. And a world away from where I started out. Re-reading this thread this morning was kind of cool. It's interesting the things that have changed. I cracked up laughing about one of my early comments about how there was no way I was giving up coffee... and today is day 29 no caffeine.
Months 3-6 were generally kind of a bit 'blah' for me. I felt down and unmotivated a lot. The last couple of weeks though I've been starting to feel more stable and a bit better. Not perfect by any means, but much better. From reading around, it seems like it's kind of common for people to struggle with months 4 and 5. The novelty of sobriety is over, PAWS is in swing with full force, the brain is still healing and there's still a lot of leftover 'stuff' from drinking days that needs dealt with. I'm afraid to speak too soon, but I think I'm coming up out of that. I will say that I am WAY more stable emotionally than I was the first couple of months. I've grown so much and am much more able to handle stress.
I'm really looking forward to the next 6 months of sobriety and making more changes. I'm half way to a year, and I'm definitely already looking forward to that year.
I've made so much progress since I quit drinking: 6 months no alcohol and eating well and getting exercise, learning to deal with emotions, quitting smoking weed as well (I'll have 90 days clean and sober in less than a week!!), quitting caffeine, taking up yoga, catching up on multiple doctor's visits that were over-due, making a bit of progress at work, making some progress around the house, and more.
I am so glad I made that decision to quit drinking 6 months ago.
A special thanks to everyone that has helped me along the way.
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