Brain Activity (and No Hangovers This Weekend!!!)
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Midwestern U.S.
Posts: 33
Brain Activity (and No Hangovers This Weekend!!!)
Today is Sunday and I am not hungover.
For several years, I could not type that sentence with any honesty whatsoever. It is 9:30 a.m. here and I am enjoying a cup of coffee, typing with a clear, sharp mind and no mental fog. I am not in bed; I am not dry-heaving over the commode; I am not burning valuable time watching stupid six-second videos on Vine. In fact, I was up at 6:00 a.m. to run several miles, as I am training for my first long-distance race in about 7 years.
I just wanted to take a moment and celebrate that....now that that's out of the way, I had some thoughts lately about the increase in brain activity as a sober person.
For the first time in many years, random memories have come flooding back out of nowhere. Songs that my mom used to play around the house when I was a kid; the smell of freshly cut grass at my grandparents' house in the midwest during the heart of summer; girlfriends and first kisses; good (and not so good) times that my little sister and I shared growing up. I could go on and on. I don't just remember them...I feel like I'm there again. It's kind of an emotional experience.
The only way I can describe it is that it's like the electricity coming back on after a power outage. I was wandering around in the dark for so long, and then the lights came back on and everything booted back up again.
The other thing I've noticed is that I sleep HARD when I'm sober. Not the type of sleep where I pass out drunk and wake up feeling like I didn't rest at all, or the kind where I zonk out for three hours and then lie awake until sunrise. It's the regenerating, refreshing, full REM-cycle sleep that makes me get up and feel like I can take on the world. It's awesome. I've heard that alcohol messes up your sleep patterns, and after an extended time of basically just passing out most nights, I believe it.
I've also had very vivid dreams. Good dreams, too. There have been times that I've had horrifying nightmares after massive binges. The change is welcome.
Just wanted to share...thanks for reading
For several years, I could not type that sentence with any honesty whatsoever. It is 9:30 a.m. here and I am enjoying a cup of coffee, typing with a clear, sharp mind and no mental fog. I am not in bed; I am not dry-heaving over the commode; I am not burning valuable time watching stupid six-second videos on Vine. In fact, I was up at 6:00 a.m. to run several miles, as I am training for my first long-distance race in about 7 years.
I just wanted to take a moment and celebrate that....now that that's out of the way, I had some thoughts lately about the increase in brain activity as a sober person.
For the first time in many years, random memories have come flooding back out of nowhere. Songs that my mom used to play around the house when I was a kid; the smell of freshly cut grass at my grandparents' house in the midwest during the heart of summer; girlfriends and first kisses; good (and not so good) times that my little sister and I shared growing up. I could go on and on. I don't just remember them...I feel like I'm there again. It's kind of an emotional experience.
The only way I can describe it is that it's like the electricity coming back on after a power outage. I was wandering around in the dark for so long, and then the lights came back on and everything booted back up again.
The other thing I've noticed is that I sleep HARD when I'm sober. Not the type of sleep where I pass out drunk and wake up feeling like I didn't rest at all, or the kind where I zonk out for three hours and then lie awake until sunrise. It's the regenerating, refreshing, full REM-cycle sleep that makes me get up and feel like I can take on the world. It's awesome. I've heard that alcohol messes up your sleep patterns, and after an extended time of basically just passing out most nights, I believe it.
I've also had very vivid dreams. Good dreams, too. There have been times that I've had horrifying nightmares after massive binges. The change is welcome.
Just wanted to share...thanks for reading
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 12,000
"The only way I can describe it is that it's like the electricity coming back on after a power outage. I was wandering around in the dark for so long, and then the lights came back on and everything booted back up again."
THAT'S BRILLIANT!
congrats on waking up sober and everything else. it's interesting how we repress thoughts and suddenly...
THAT'S BRILLIANT!
congrats on waking up sober and everything else. it's interesting how we repress thoughts and suddenly...
Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: the beach
Posts: 37
I feel the same! Had a conference for work this weekend and both days got there early at 6:30 am. No hangovers, no foggy thinking, no worrying about if I looked hungover or if I still smelled like wine from the night before. It truly is fantastic! Day 23 and while there has been struggle, feeling like I'm winning!
Enjoy your sober Sunday
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