6 months - Mood Swings?
 

I have a little over 6 months of sobriety and I'm now experiencing some wicked mood swings. I react severely inappropriately to things that happen. I just see red and act out. Throw tantrums. I can observe this happening - but I don't stop. I feel angry and justified. Afterwards it makes no sense to me. Has anyone else experienced this kind of reaction?

Did you have this problem before recovery TLOD?

have you considered seeing a Dr?

D

no. not before. I am incredibly sad about the summer. Angry that I cannot enjoy it with my friends, that my life is different. I am so resentful of people who can. I don't recognize this extreme anger.

Perhaps seeing a counselor would be helpful. Or see your doctor to see if you have anything going on to cause mood swings like that. :hug:

Is it the fact that your friends can drink and you cannot what you resent, or just that you can't enjoy anything in general?

I resent that I don't know how to have fun. All my friends engage in activities that involve cocktails. I have been going to work, going home, not socializing.

I don't know- I am experiencing grouchyness and moodiness - I just wondered if anyone else did 6 months after getting sober.

I experienced a little of that around 2-3 months but to be honest by 6 months I'd made a lot of changes - I rediscovered how to have fun sober, I was growing to like who sober me was, I'd lost most of my drinking friends and made new sober or more normal drinking ones...I was building a sober life I wanted to live.

I think there's two phases to recovery - the first is stopping drinking...and the second is learning to be ok with that.

How much work have you done on the second phase?

D

well, I suppose I haven't done as much work as you.

I'm not big noting myself.

Not knowing how to live sober, or not wanting to live sober, was a big thing for me for years and most times it led me back to drinking.

In the end, for me the key was building a sober life I really loved and didn't want to screw up...

I dunno what that would entail for you but for me I needed a sense of purpose.

I found eventually that not only did I no longer miss drinking, or resent others, I actually preferred being sober.

Yeah it was a lot of work and a little time to get there, but it was worthwhile work.

D

I am working on it - its hard to carve out a life that is different when you only know one way. I am going to meetings, but I need more.

6 months huh? Google PAWS. I suspect you may have a touch of this, but its nothing to be alarmed about. Its actually pretty normal for everyone in recovery and seems to come at intervals like clockwork. 90 days, 180 days, 9 months, 1 year, and so on. If you know what it is, you can spot those emotions and know you dont have to pay them too much attention. You just have to let it run its course, but it helps being educated about it. Seriously, look it up.

I think that I also found that I could still be a little upset at times and I'm also a little over six months sober. I think my reason to had to do with summer and missing drinking with friends but when I've put thought into it, it's not that big of a deal and whether its summer or winter, alcohol has the same effects on us and it didnt do me many favors. I'm about to be on house arrest for the next five months and rather than be angry about it I've chosen to embrace the time ill be at home and do more reading and research resulting in more recovery. I'm happy as ever in my sobriety.

You can enjoy the summer with your friends, and you dont need alcohol to do it. Its that type of thinking that can destroy your sobriety. You mean to tell me you cant have fun without alcohol? Think about this, you didnt drink till you were how old, right? I bet you had plenty of fun as a kid and weren't a prisoner to alcohol and addictive thinking. You can get back to feeling good naturally.

Six months no prob, at nine months I'm feeling a little depressed and anxious (not too bad tho), grumpy, generally out of sorts. Could be paws, Idk. Also, seemd to coincide with the reduction in the number of meetings I was going to. I was getting lazy and complacent. I started to go to more meetings and started to feel better. Not saying a meeting fixes everything, but it got me back to focusing on gratitude,melting others, etc, stuff that gts me out of my head. Are you in a recovery program?
Six months is awesome! Congratulations!

I struggled with some intense emotions but noticed that I leveled off at around 6 months. I have been having fun socializing with people from AA. You said you have been going to meetings...have you tried making friends with people outside of the rooms? For me it has made all the difference. I need to LIVE life not just be sober and stay home you know?

I'm at 8 months and these feelings of resentment and anger have almost derailed me. Like you I go to meetings but I had missed a few weeks and I hadn't got a sponsor. It annoyed me at first when people asked if I had a sponsor. I was sober. I didn't need to do the 'god' thing and face my wrongs. Anyway I committed to going to a meeting every night and found a fab sponsor who is a little bit 'mother nature/natural' like me and she's taking me through the steps. I know I had to do this as being bitter wasn't good for my soul.

I hope you find a way to work on yourself. As I've discovered, putting down the drink is the easy (!) bit!

I am slowly getting my inner peace and stillness back. Keep looking for clues everywhere in life. The other day I was stopped at the front of a queue of traffic at the traffic lights and the 'no u-turn' sign spoke to me. Lol. There are little reminders everywhere if you look.

Good luck

S x