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Alcohol Nightmares?

Old 04-10-2014, 10:21 AM
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Alcohol Nightmares?

So 9 days sober here... Started having really bad nightmares 2 weeks ago, I think the Buspar I was on for a few days was getting out of my system. Anyways the nightmares I have had since I quit drinking have all involved alcohol in some way. Two were about me out and about at a sushi place and I look down and my sprite magically turned into alcohol and I had been unknowingly drinking it, then I want to leave but I've been drinking... The bad one last night I was running up my highway at night and I was in the liquor store about to buy two bottles of wine. I don't know if I bought them or not but I didn't drink them.

My main question is, are these common? And if so, are there any bedtime rituals I could do to help clear my mind so I can stop dreaming about alcohol and all the bad things I repressed with alcohol?

Thanks guys
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:35 AM
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I'm 8 1/2 months sober and I had a few last week.
I write it off as being related to so many years of drinking.
It's going to take a while before my brain is completely rewired.
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:36 AM
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They are for me. I've had dreams since quitting drinking that i've gotten royally messed up and arrested or even as mild as just had a drink accidentally and felt lime I'd lost all my progress.
More frequently in my first two sober weeks but occasionally since.
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:37 AM
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The cool thing is its a relief to wake up and know all is actually good!
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Old 04-10-2014, 02:38 PM
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I think they're very common - they were for me.
They usually fade in intensity and frequency after a while.

I figure alcohol was very important to me for a long time - it's natural my subconscious should reflect that for a while.

D
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:11 PM
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common, but not lasting that long. they will go away. your brain needs to learn to sleep normally again.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:25 PM
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Sober since April 1, had just about everything from nightmares, Vivid dreaming, one lucid dream I was stuck in. That was the worst, I knew I was dreaming, thought I was waking up but still inside the lucid dream.

Until I concentrated, my 7 year old son appeared in my dream, I told him to slap me as hard as he could so I could wake.

It worked and I woke up. LOL! I was totally petrified. Did some prayers and fell back asleep ok this time.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:34 PM
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Yep. Have dreams related to alcohol pretty regularly when I abstain...
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:35 PM
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Yes these very vivid, lucid dreams - often involving alcohol in some fashion - are common to many here. I used to wake up in a cold sweat and more than once had to get out of bed and walk around to convince myself it was a dream. These lasted for a while and were very spooky. The cool thing is, they are just dreams! And as your brain gets used to the "new normal" you'll find that they will fade away.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:39 PM
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It's quite common but they will fade as you have more sober time.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:56 PM
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Yes I think common and I've definitely had my fare of them. I think these kinds of nightmares are related to the hyper-activation of specific brain areas. Some of the same mechanisms that our brains produce in high anxiety, fight-or-flight states. These "games" of our brains often tend to make us feel worse than a situation deserves, to perceive danger where there is none or little... and these anxieties of course follow us into our nighttime musings (dreams) since it's still the same brain producing them.

You are very early in sobriety and what you are experiencing makes perfect sense neurobiologically. It will get amazingly better with time especially if you are actively working on your recovery. One thing that always helps me is trying to face challenges head on in my waking life... trying to solve as many problems as possible instead of procrastinating (that I am prone to, driven by anxiety).

I only have about 2.5 months sobriety right now but can tell you the anxiety and everything will get unbelievably better if you hold on!
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Old 04-10-2014, 04:00 PM
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interesting, I was unaware of this phenomenon. I had a some weird dreams, but not involving alcohol.
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Old 04-10-2014, 05:17 PM
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For me I had a handful of scary dreams the first week and a half, I'm pretty sure its nothing unusual given the tangled mess that our brain is in those early days
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