Benedict

This is day 2 for me, so I had my first night sober since... I can't even remember. It was pretty tough:

- Slept in short intervals. And the sleep was of low quality. Restless.
- I feel sick. Dizzy, nausea, no appetite, no energy.
- I had anxiety attacks throughout the night and am still terrified.

The last thing I want to do now is drink though. I can't even stand the thought.

So the night was tough. I spent most of the time in the fetal position, shaking with fear and feeling so cold, clenching the covers trying to get some warmth.

I hope this doesn't last for too long, I need to get back on my feet.

sweet1

Im sorry 2 hear u had a rough night. I'm on my 2nd day today I feel terriable also. I hear it only gets better. I hope so cuz this is so hard and I'm terrified. Congrats on ur 2nd day. Keep it up. God Bless and take care

FreeOwl

hang in there! it does get better.

Benedict

I've heard it only gets better as well. Which is what I'm looking forward to. The feeling terrified is my worst problem right now. I can deal with feeling ill for a while. But that fear. I hope it goes away soon.

If you don't mind: do you also feel cold but are sweating a lot at the same time? It's one of the more prominent symptoms I'm having.

Best of luck to you!

MarathonMan

Benedict - hi, just wanted to know you're not alone...I'm on day 3 and although I don't think i feel as bad as you do I sympathise with the broken sleep and feelings of anxiety which I'm also experiencing. Let's hope if we stay strong this is the only time we'll have to go through it, maybe we'll even have bright futures to look forward to at the end of it all.

LadyinBC

Like FreeOwl said it really does get better. Hang it there, you can do it!

abcowboy

Hi benedict, the feeling cold but sweating happened to me as well, for just a few nights. I think it was more mental, not physical, because I went to bed wondering if I could get through another day without a drink. Those thoughts also went away after a week or so when I proved to myself I could get by without drinking..... hang in there, you'll be amazed at how good you can feel when you have control!

Benedict

Good to hear I'm not alone and that it will get better. I'm spending my time browsing a bit and looking up info on alcohol withdrawal. I just found a place where they confirmed that what I'm going through is classic withdrawal:

I just tried to post but I'm not allowed to post links yet. But a simple Google search will get you the same info.

It's good to know that it's at least within what one can expect.

This part I found to be a relief:

"Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually occur within 8 hours after the last drink, but can occur days later. Symptoms usually peak by 24 - 72 hours, but may persist for weeks."

Even if I end up being one of those people for whom it persists for weeks, I'm ok with that. I doubt it will take that long since from as I understand that part, it's not common. But even if it takes a few weeks, it's fine by me. Compared to how long life is, I can handle those weeks as being the healing process that opens up my new life.

They usually peak by 24-72 hours. Ok. That's perfectly doable. It may be bad, but it's short-term. A common cold or a mild flu is something like that as well.

Now that I've read up about this, I've cleared my schedule and I'm taking the rest of the week off.

serious

it's going to pass. and you'll never have to go through that again...

the sleep will improve slowly, but surely. your body is recovering, it's an unpleasant process, but a necessary one. things will be much easier after 10 days, after about 5 days most of the physical discomfort is usually gone.. but everyone is so different, it's hard to tell.

think of it exactly like a flu! sometimes it can be really nasty, but it passes and you feel great after that.

Benedict

The thought of never having to go through it again is very appealing to me serious.

One thing I just realized is, how damaging alcohol must be if my body requires such a heavy detox. Fortunately the human body has a remarkable ability to heal. Not from everything of course, but given that I haven't been any serious symptoms because of drinking or anything out of the ordinary, I think I'll heal.

And yeah, I do think of it like a flu. It will pass. And the positive thing is that this "flu" is good for me since it gets rid of the mess.

Roostercod

I find my self suffering from rapid heartbeat and anxiety which make it hard to sleep. Also sweats, and nightmares. I hope things get better for you. Stay strong and you can do anything.

serious

stay strong. your body is healing.