Day three and just tired
Day three and just tired
Last night I didn't sleep well, been up since 4 a.m. and feeling completely exhausted. I don't feel like moving from the couch. Probably a little crabby, too. I definitely do not want to drink today but I worry that by this evening, I'll talk myself into that "just one to help me sleep". Talk me out of, please!
I tell myself the same lie.. oh, it will help me sleep, but it doesn't.. Whenever I drink I wake up at 3 am and am awake for at least an hour..
Last week I had 6 days sober. The first 2 nights I didn't sleep well at all.. The next 3 nights I slept the best I had in a long time..
One thing I notice is that no matter how little sleep I get when I haven't had any alcohol, I still feel better the next day than if I would have been drinking!
Last week I had 6 days sober. The first 2 nights I didn't sleep well at all.. The next 3 nights I slept the best I had in a long time..
One thing I notice is that no matter how little sleep I get when I haven't had any alcohol, I still feel better the next day than if I would have been drinking!
Ah, poor sleep and crabbiness. That was me! I think you just have to be patient with your brain strawberryblond - you've just taken away one of it's favorite things, and it's sulking. It's going to struggle to re-adjust and in the meantime is going to act like a petulant child at times. It will readjust in time but it's going to let you know it's grumpy on the way.
Don't drink - life will get better if you don't, though some things are not as fast as we'd like. That's always seemed grossly unfair to me - we give up our favourite drug and we feel rubbish to start with rather than better. So we begin our sober life tired, grumpy, lethargic and we may have bad cravings on top of that. I complained to God a lot about that (still do).
Don't drink - life will get better if you don't, though some things are not as fast as we'd like. That's always seemed grossly unfair to me - we give up our favourite drug and we feel rubbish to start with rather than better. So we begin our sober life tired, grumpy, lethargic and we may have bad cravings on top of that. I complained to God a lot about that (still do).
SB I've been sleeping and still been exhausted (day 12) but today - WOW I have bundles of energy and feel amazing.
I have not felt this alive in 15 years+ so it is worth it - in the first few days I was taking a long bath before bed (I treated myself to nice bath oil with the money I'd saved on wine) and asked my hubby to give me a back massage and that helped me relax if not sleep. It does get better, honest. I also used the extra wake time to do something nice for me - read a favourite book, gave myself a pedicure - all little luxuries that don't cost a lot but showed me that I care about me.
Hope that makes some kind of sense? And I hope you have a better nights sleep tonight.
I have not felt this alive in 15 years+ so it is worth it - in the first few days I was taking a long bath before bed (I treated myself to nice bath oil with the money I'd saved on wine) and asked my hubby to give me a back massage and that helped me relax if not sleep. It does get better, honest. I also used the extra wake time to do something nice for me - read a favourite book, gave myself a pedicure - all little luxuries that don't cost a lot but showed me that I care about me.
Hope that makes some kind of sense? And I hope you have a better nights sleep tonight.
It took a few weeks for me to get back into semblance of a regular sleeping schedule. Your body is just adjusting to not being constantly sedated.
If you have any inking at all of drinking again tonight, go back and read some of your posts about how bad you felt the next day after a relapse...works every time for me.
If you have any inking at all of drinking again tonight, go back and read some of your posts about how bad you felt the next day after a relapse...works every time for me.
The nights were the worst for me, too. Do you have alcohol in your home? I got rid of the alcohol that was around and it really helped to not have to worry about those long nights. Congratulations on Day 3.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 104
I also had a hard time sleeping during the first few weeks. However, I've heard that alcohol-induced sleep isn't as good as "real" sleep, so think about that. Your brain and body need to be able to rest without trying to process alcohol.
I'm not providing medical advice, but Valerian root worked really well for me. I'd check with your doctor to make sure it won't interfere with any medications you're taking, but it really helped me relax and fall asleep. (Warning: It smells terrible when it's in the bottle!)
I'm not providing medical advice, but Valerian root worked really well for me. I'd check with your doctor to make sure it won't interfere with any medications you're taking, but it really helped me relax and fall asleep. (Warning: It smells terrible when it's in the bottle!)
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: east coast
Posts: 1,711
So much great advice here already. I barely slept in the first four weeks ( a couple hours here, there etc). But I read- recovery literature, on SR, posted, took baths, worked on my budget, journaled. After work, I ran if I had the energy but if not a walk would even help. You won't regret not drinking tonight. Just believe all of us when we say it does get easier!
Your body and mind are going through so many amazing changes, working so hard to regenerate and repair. It does take a lot out of you, but hang in there. Drinking might make you feel better in the immediate short-term, but much worse in the long-term. Try to stick it out, and be easy on yourself.
And whenever I think, "just one," I remind myself that if I was able to have just one, I probably wouldn't be here posting.
Good luck! It will get easier and better!
And whenever I think, "just one," I remind myself that if I was able to have just one, I probably wouldn't be here posting.
Good luck! It will get easier and better!
Thank all of you, I am still not drinking . I didn't nap like I wanted to simply because it messes up my internal clock if I do, so just waiting this out until I can turn in for the night. Oh, and I have some melatonin that may help (I hope!). Day 4 tomorrow..
Wow.
Wow.
It's horrible at first. It really does get better fairly quickly. I'd get the urge to drink "Just tonight" I would tell myself "Let's pretend like we already did that last night like you relentlessly pestered me to do all day yesterday."
Lol! That's a good one, thanks!
After the sleepless restless nights are over you can look back and realize that it was part of getting your head right! It takes a minute to lift the fog -give yourself a chance. Once the fog lifts, energy returns...and for some of us its been years since we've had energy and clarity...and I remember one day I was just beaming. I had so much pent up energy and happiness and pride that I felt like I was going to explode into the universe. From then on, I remember 2 things...the way I felt on the last day I drank and the way I felt on the first day of the rest of my life.
Peace.
Peace.
After the sleepless restless nights are over you can look back and realize that it was part of getting your head right! It takes a minute to lift the fog -give yourself a chance. Once the fog lifts, energy returns...and for some of us its been years since we've had energy and clarity...and I remember one day I was just beaming. I had so much pent up energy and happiness and pride that I felt like I was going to explode into the universe. From then on, I remember 2 things...the way I felt on the last day I drank and the way I felt on the first day of the rest of my life.
Peace.
Peace.
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