escapist

I have been having drinking dreams lately. I had a few this past week. I went months without any and it's now every other night. I don't wake up stressed out about them like I used to. I think it's strange how they are coming so frequently and my reaction to them is indifference. I really don't want to drink. There are times I wish I could escape like so many other people I know but I don't. I am totally convinced that I cn't control it. Last Wednesday the instructor of a class I am taking asked me to go for drinks. I was pleasant but declined. I told her I don't go to bars. She said Ok lets go to Starbucks. We did and we sat outside talking until midnight. Being sober is not a problem for me socially. I am just worried about these damn dreams I guess. Whats more alarming is my lack of alarm when I have one.

July2413

I'm really new at this escapist but maybe your indifference isn't really a problem. At first for me fear was a real motivator to quit. I quit drinking a lot of times unsuccessfully when I was afraid that I might be an alcoholic. Now that I've said, "I AM and alcoholic" I don't feel afraid of drinking anymore because I know I can't. There is no uncertainty about who I am and my capabilities and I'm ok. I was much more "alarmed" when I was trying to convince myself I didn't have a problem than I am now that I KNOW I have a problem.

I'm glad you had a nice time enjoying a coffee with your instructor. In the short time I haven't been drinking I've found that I've received so much more in terms of personal interaction with others than I did when I was drinking.

I hope you can find some peace from these dreams.

Isaiah

So you know, recovering alcoholics have dreams about drinking ALL THE TIME. I mean to put caps lock on for that emphasis. It's extremely common.

The scientific jury is still out as to why we dream at all, but there's strong evidence that having anxiety often leads to dreams correlating to what we're anxious about. There's good reason to think that when we dream about drinking (I get them time to time myself) it's not our brains secretly urging us to drink, but a response to our fear of drinking again.

This came up the other day in another post. It lead me to think of another common dream that people get where they find themselves suddenly naked at school, the store, etc. The common explanation is that the dream is fear about being exposed in public, people seeing us too much for who we are. It's not regarded as a sign that we're closet nudists. I think that's a good analogy to apply to drinking dreams.

least

I have them sometimes but they don't worry me cause I'm happily sober and want to stay that way. don't let them bother you, it's just a dream.

dwtbd

I started to have drinking dreams when I was(??!!) drinking, weird to type that in past tense, still just first week, but hey its something right

Nighthawk8820

Using dreams are pretty normal and can happen for years after quitting. Its just your brain processing the changes and old memories coming up from past experiences and situations. There is absolutely no reason to get alarmed or think its your mind trying to get you to drink again. Dream are strange! I still have dreams of being in the club with my ex-bestie tearing it up and being wild. They are just past experiences and your brain in working through them and sorting things out.