Ethos23

Any tips on how you made it through the first few days would be appreciated. Thank you.

duane1

Sounds silly, but I went to bed early and hugged my pillow till morning. Didn't sleep much, but I didn't care.

doggonecarl

Back in early March I asked if you had a plan to prevent you from going on another binge. You wrote:

My plan is to:

1. Post here,
2. Exercise consistently (this really really helps me. I got a workout in today and feel much better).
3. Think things all the way through. While I would never want to feel like I did the other day again, I also never want to forget that feeling. If there is Hell, that was it!!

Do you see any holes in your initial plan? Things you missed? What else do you need to do to get on and stay on the recovery path?

Hope you find your way clear.

least

In my first few weeks any time I had a craving I'd walk my dogs. It got me out of the house and out in the fresh air and sunshine! (the dogs liked it too) It kept me busy and reminded me that I wanted to get sober to take better care of my dogs.

Ethos23

funny. I have two beautiful Labs here. Im taking them for a walk in a bit. Decided not to head to work today. Drove there and had a major panic attack on the way . . . turned and came home to the pups. Im very anxious right now.

ScottFromWI

I did whatever I could find to keep myself busy and my mind off drinking. I read a ton here, and posted a lot. I laid around and tried to sleep, cleaned, cooked, drank tons of water and tried to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Things I'd recommend against - surfing the web to try and figure out your symptoms - anything that might cause major additional stress, etc. Greasy/fatty food can make you feel really crappy on top of withdrawals too.

bryangt

Keeping busy helps. Making a plan definitely helps. Following thru on the plan is critical.
Going to meetings & being around sober people helps also. Staying in the now, not worrying about tomorrow is also key.

Louise82

Take vitamins, drink plenty of fluids, eat a bit of something sugary when you have an alcohol craving, eat foods that will be gentle on your stomach, watch DVDs, call friends and family who support your recovery, sleep when you need to, figure out which long-term recovery method(s) you're going to try and check out their websites.

shirlygirly

Went to meetings every day, got numbers, and actually used them. You can do it!

Ethos23

Thank you all

Goat

I'm on day 2, but I can tell you what I am doing.

First of all, I've been on this website pretty much continuously for more than 24 hours.
I went to a meeting yesterday and I'm going to another today.

But.... I'm still in that first few days. Falling off the wagon is not a big risk today. I don't want anything to do with alcohol right now. But, in a few days or weeks I will start to feel better. That is when I need to be extra vigilant.

So, what I'm saying is that I am trying to lay the groundwork to be able to handle that when it comes up. I'm going to meetings. I'm telling my family that I'm in recovery. I'm trying to fortify myself as best I can so I can keep this up when things get better.

kiki26

I was on this forum a ton reading and browsing. I tried to stay busy but also was easy on myself. I watched movies, read books, took walks, indulged in sweets (which was nice because I hadn't enjoyed food while drinking). The first few weeks were tough, remember to be kind to yourself

Dee74

Support is pretty important I think.
If SR is all the support you have, I'd use the heck out of it.

Basically whatever you put into your recovery you'll get back in spades, so don't stint Ethos...

D

Zebra1275

Go to an AA meeting, in early recovery they actually had a calming effect on me.