strawberryblond

I think I am an impatient person. Instead of congratulating myself for being on Day 5, I just want to be better NOW. Emotionally, I'm all over the place and I truly hate the anxiety that I feel. Did sleep better last night, but I've been an insomniac all my life so I don't expect that to become a rule (but oh, how I would love it if it did). Anyway, you could give me a million dollars right now and I don't think I could muster up a "Yay!"

least

Your feelings are normal for this stage of recovery. Five days is very early. Your body and brain are not healed yet or back to normal functioning. Give yourself time and good treatment and it will get better.

doggonecarl

Five days is awesome. I remember when I went five days for the first time. I hadn't gone that long is twenty-something years of drinking.

However, it's only five days. Very early in recovery. You are just going through what everyone of us went through...the roller coaster of emotions that come with new found sobriety.

Stay strong.

LadyinBC

Believe me I wanted to be over it right away too. 5 days is great congratulations!

You will start feeling better, the anxiety and emotional rollercoaster won't last forever. I know it is hard, all you need to do it just get thru today. Try to get thru it one day at a time. This really worked for me.

2granddaughters

When I first read your post i thought you said "I think I am an inpatient person" ...

My recovery began in a 90 day recovery home program then right into AA. I couldn't do it alone. Today I wouldn't think of trying.

All the best.

Bob R

GracieLou

I have been there too and in some ways I am still impatient. We want what we want and we want it now. I am used to getting an easy fix. I had couple drinks and life appeared easier.

Even though we both know that is not really the truth. I had a couple of drinks to hide from life in general, well more than a couple.

These days I have learned to be grateful for what I have rather than what I don't have.

You have 5 DAYS of sobriety. Hold on to that. Another 24 hours. One day at time.

This too shall pass. The emotional roller coaster will slow down. It may start up again, but it will slow down again. You just have to ride it out. The more you dive into a recovery plan the easier it gets.

tootsl1

Oh lor, I know all about that! Even At 50 days I was ' yeah ok, but I've so much further to go!'
I knew I could do it I just always wanted to be further down the line than I was. Now I realise, that like wanting Christmas to hurry up when I was a kid, I can't change things, I should just carry on enjoying the rest of my sober life, and let the days count themselves. Every now and then I think to have a count up, or see a date on a calendar that looks familiar, and I am rightly proud of my progress. Be proud of every baby step, they add up to miles in a shorter time than you realise.

whiskeyman

keep going, five days is incredible. I dont know how many times i was at day four. Day four day four day four, oh the repititon.

my biggest miracle is i am at two years next week.
and i was in the gutter. if i can do it you can too.
and you are worth it. just keep going one more day.

weldmast

5 days, well done, that's a great achievement. My advice is to take a very short term view. With me it was 1 hour, then a morning, then an afternoon, then a weekend, a week and so on to 13 years now. If you look to far ahead and think of going without liquor, you won't be able to face it up.
A very inspiring excerpt from the Bible, book of Lamentations 3 v22 "it is of Jehovah's loving kindness we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning" You can absolutely rely on that very single day, no matter how you feel. It won't change God's view of you.

trikyriky

Quote " It's time to put on my big girl pants " Unquote. This is you speaking not too long ago. Stop letting your inner child control your thoughts...... Nothing.......worthwhile

( SOBRIETY ) is easy. Congarulations 5 Days is AWESOME

Dee74

Everyone wants to be better NOW.
I did too.

what I didn't really understand then is it's the *journey* that helps me heal and get better - not the destination.

Try and enjoy the journey SB - you'll learn stuff, I promise

D

soberclover

Sobriety has really slowed my life down in many ways. I try to be mindful and to stay in the moment. It is amazing what I notice now. It's not easy at times but worth it.

hayley86

Day five is amazing, really rooting for you strawberryblond.

Nuudawn

Congrats on getting through the first 5. Ya know, I was kind of kicking myself around this morning thinking I'm really not accomplishing much here despite my big intentions for sobriety. I'm just over 2 weeks in ..lol. And then I started thinking..well, as an addict I'm a slave to instant gratification. I have poor impulse control and want what I want RFN..including all the promises of recovery and I want to be doing what I figure I should be...ya know accomplishing things!
So although our frustration differs, its still a product of our instant gratification mentality. I ended up soothing myself with "well, I am accomplishing something day by day cuz I'm navigating my life sober". I don't think I realize that as the emotions thaw out and bubble to the surface..I'm dealing with them. I had a meltdown yesterday with a family member (and I've had many with him). After the incident I realized, you know I really got a put a distance between myself and his critical, negating attitude. Guess what? If I was still drinking I STILL would have been ticked off..but I wouldn't have come up with a solution...I would just drink and thinks negative thoughts bout him and put myself in the same situation with him over and over and over...instead of keeping my distance..at least while I recover. Who knows perhaps he'll figure out a thing of two by my distance.

strawberryblond

When I first typed that, I thought maybe I SHOULD be an inpatient person, lol!

All of you- I hope you know how much you help me - and others - in this struggle. Saying isn't enough. I am just so grateful for this community. Even though today I really did feel like my 4 year old grandson when he needs a nap, I will just go forward, one minute at a time.

weldmast

Although recovery is a struggle, you find that you friends and peers actually are not sure what to think. They previously may have sympathized when you got smashed and made a fool of yourself, but they now actually start to get worried secretly because they know, many of them, that if they had to face what you're doing they'd never manage it. They're not prepared to get the backbone to do it.
It takes, guts and moral fiber to face something head on, and that's what you're doing. All credit to you, and keep going - you're not alone. We're here to support in some little way!

Michael66

Hey there strawberryblond

Impatient for what? You're already living the sober life now

But, yes, it does take time to settle down and adjust to the new life you're already living. I was pretty tired, cranky, grumpy, fidgety, and miserable for about 3 months, though I'm sure some adjust faster and some adjust slower.

Here's a "Yay!" for you, so you don't need to do it for yourself at the moment - Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!