Natasharae

Hi everyone
Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Natasha and Im a 32 yr old single mother of a beautiful 10 yr old boy. I have been a severe alcoholic for the last 8 years, following the death of my father and then shortly after my sons father.
I have had a few duis and still that never stopped me. For the last year I have been contemplating on quitting, and finally 3 days ago I finalized that decision.
My question is, I am having aweful side affects. Night sweats, insomnia, headaches, and bloating. When will these subside? And why am I bloated if I havent drank? I havent changed anything in my diet, and I eat extremely healthy and.have always drank tons of water.
Its making me depressed and I want it to go away already. Any suggestions?
And.also has anyone lost weight as a result of quitting?

Thanks

Anna

You are having normal withdrawal symptoms and everything you mentioned is to be expected.

Have you talked to your dr? Detoxing from alcohol can be very dangerous and it's unpredictable.

Natasharae

No. I havent. I woke up Wednesday and just decided this is the day. I probably should, but I really dont have the money to see my doctor. Ive just been downing water, and excersizing in hopes this helps.

bitmap

I have gone through the same things Natasharae. The first two dry days I didn't sleep at all. The third day a bit and the fourth was much better..I am on day five and feeling super tired but I know this too shall pass.

Congratulations on your decision to quit.

Natasharae

Thank you. I was really shaky the first day, thats stopped but none of the other things have. ugh.

Dee74

Hi and welcome natasharae

I agree with Anna that seeing a Dr is important if you can manage it.

There are a lot of free or low cost clinics around - if there's one in your local area you might get some medical advice there?

Free/Low-Cost/Sliding-Scale Clinics
2-1-1 Call Center Search

D

pinkdog

Hi Natasha, good job for quitting. You can google alcohol withdrawal symptoms and get a lot of good information. I had the bloated stomach too. It went away after about two weeks. It's the toxins getting out of you, which is great. I also think sweating with hard exercise and lots of water helps to get these toxins out too. Good for you!

EndGameNYC

All expectable, though temporary, conditions in early sobriety. This is one reason why so many people don't stay stopped.

visch1

Welcome. It's good to have your motivation. When I went to AA ages ago it was suggested to consume sugar items as the body is looking for it because the alcohol conversion to sugar is not happening......No promises! but it has some logic to it. BE WELL

kelly2000

I quit two days ago and I am having the same symptoms, I feel so bloated , almost like its hard to breath, but the breathing could also be from my anxiety, I feel like a wreck

Dee74

welcome to you too Kelly

Like I said I think seeing a Dr is a great move - best to be reassured everythings ok.

D

Hevyn

Hi Natasharae & Kelly. I had those symptoms too - and everything settled down after a week or so. I hope you'll both begin to feel a bit better soon. You never have to go through this again once it's over. Glad you are here.

Natasharae

Thanks everyone for the info. Never knew a place like this could be so informative and helpful. My cravings are really bad tonight and I thought about eating something sweet,.but I really try to stay away from refined sugar for the obvious reasons of its calorie content and the fact that its just not good for you. So with this being said does anyone have any suggestions of healthy food that may help curb these cravings? Cause I swear if they dont go away im goimg to have to call it a night and go to sleep and its only 530 my time. But its really bothering me right now.

kadidee

How about some sort of chocolate or vanilla pudding? It has some protein from the milk and is only about 100 calories/serving. Or dark chocolate and raspberries?

Natasharae

good idea. thank you!

kelly2000

eating a pickle can stop.sugar cravings

soberclover

The first few days are tough. Don't let money issues stop you, however, should you feel really sick from going to the Emergency Room. Be good to yourself. Exercise is great but let yourself rest if your body is telling you that is what you need. Your body and your mind are in the early healing stages. Low-fat/no-sugar frozen yogurt is my go-to when I have a craving for something sweet. Your blood sugar level will eventually even out. Watermelon also works well for me. I also went to be really early...just to get the day over with sometimes plus I was exhausted. Keep up the good work!

DorianLastname

Those side effects are normal. And I am also experience weight loss (which I needed).

First of all, it's wonderful that you quit. And it does get easier. And that doesn't take long.

Given your situation, I'd go check with your doctor.

I went to my doctor when I was unsure about my withdrawal symptoms. What I expected was judgement, but none of that was there. It was just a cool, relaxed doctor visit about what was going on. It was actually quite pleasant.

So go and see your doctor to be sure. What I have learned is that they've seen people with and alcohol problem come along 1000's of times. They're cool about it.

Wish you well!

DorianLastname

For the time being, eat anything you want. As long as it's related to detox. After that, plan a healthy diet.

You can't afford a doctor you said and I'm not in your country. But there must be options.

Be well!

DorianLastname

Just to help you accept the side-effects. Sorry people, this ain't going to be pretty. But they're normal, human responses.

To let you know: in the first couple of days I felt like something was stuck in my stomach. I spontaneously burped so hard in my sleep that it woke me up. I passed wind that had a terrible smell. I almost had to throw up but didn't, though you might. And I had violent diarrhea.

If the above appeals to you, call me at... lol. Just kidding.

They're just normal human responses. Your body will react. It's normal and a good sign since it means your body is detoxing.

And as always, do try to find a doc if you can. At least get health insurance as long as they don't know you used to have a problem with alcohol.