new to this saying 'hi' can't get past 7 days
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Southern California
Posts: 66
new to this saying 'hi' can't get past 7 days
Hi,
I'm not new to a bunch of failed attempts at recovering, but I am new here. Wanted to say hello and thank you for being here and that I just can't seem to get past 7 days. That is the most I've gotten in the last three months at serious attempts to quit. My drinking is where I just hate it. I only do it now because I can avoid going through the agony of withdrawal, the insomnia, the aches and pains, anxiety. I always thought if I got a few days in, it would smooth out. I have been drinking 2 bottles of wine per night for at least the last 13 years, and before that I was a regular social drinker for many, many, many years. I have a loving supportive family, but it's the physical aspect of it that keeps me going back to the thing I hate the most in my life. If anyone can give me some hope that I can make it through the tough withdrawal part and how long that's going to take before I can get more than an hour of sleep in the wee hours and bla bla bla. I guess my first post will be this book I just wrote.
Looking for some practical hope.
Have a wonderful night!
I'm not new to a bunch of failed attempts at recovering, but I am new here. Wanted to say hello and thank you for being here and that I just can't seem to get past 7 days. That is the most I've gotten in the last three months at serious attempts to quit. My drinking is where I just hate it. I only do it now because I can avoid going through the agony of withdrawal, the insomnia, the aches and pains, anxiety. I always thought if I got a few days in, it would smooth out. I have been drinking 2 bottles of wine per night for at least the last 13 years, and before that I was a regular social drinker for many, many, many years. I have a loving supportive family, but it's the physical aspect of it that keeps me going back to the thing I hate the most in my life. If anyone can give me some hope that I can make it through the tough withdrawal part and how long that's going to take before I can get more than an hour of sleep in the wee hours and bla bla bla. I guess my first post will be this book I just wrote.
Looking for some practical hope.
Have a wonderful night!
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,435
Hi sobercalmwishes 
SR has been a godsend to me and a lifeline. You'll be understood,. find a lot of support and a little hope too
If the physical withdrawal has you concerned can you see a Dr?
D
SR has been a godsend to me and a lifeline. You'll be understood,. find a lot of support and a little hope too
If the physical withdrawal has you concerned can you see a Dr?
D
Crazy Cat Lady
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 2,661
Seeing a physician is an excellent early step to take. One of the most important ones, really. Detoxing from alcohol can be not just uncomfortable and exhausting. It can be deadly! Many people cannot break past the first few days of sobriety because they are driven back by the physical dependence our bodies have developed to alcohol. Your doctor can help you determine how to detox safely and with the least amount of discomfort.
Being honest with a doctor can be very difficult. Not only are you admitting your struggles with alcohol to another person, you're admitting it to a person who has perceived authority in your life. A doctor! Just remember, doctors see people dying from untreated alcoholism every day. Every day, they work to help people live with the physical difficulties brought into their lives by unhealthy lifestyles. Every day, they ask people to do something for their own health and later see the same people not changing and continuing to change.
Do you know how great it is to see someone come in, admitting their problems and looking for help to get a handle on them? When I told my doctor, he was so happy for me! The nurse was smiling ear to ear and told me that she had a family member that was a recovering alcoholic. I never felt like they were judging me or looking down on me. I had a new relationship with my doctor and he was always happy to hear about my sobriety.
Consider seeing your doctor. It can help you in more ways than you realize.
Being honest with a doctor can be very difficult. Not only are you admitting your struggles with alcohol to another person, you're admitting it to a person who has perceived authority in your life. A doctor! Just remember, doctors see people dying from untreated alcoholism every day. Every day, they work to help people live with the physical difficulties brought into their lives by unhealthy lifestyles. Every day, they ask people to do something for their own health and later see the same people not changing and continuing to change.
Do you know how great it is to see someone come in, admitting their problems and looking for help to get a handle on them? When I told my doctor, he was so happy for me! The nurse was smiling ear to ear and told me that she had a family member that was a recovering alcoholic. I never felt like they were judging me or looking down on me. I had a new relationship with my doctor and he was always happy to hear about my sobriety.
Consider seeing your doctor. It can help you in more ways than you realize.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Southern California
Posts: 66
Thank you both. I had not thought of seeing a Doctor. I just got insurance for the first time in 7 years, and I never thought of going in and seeing a Doctor for this. I really don't want to be prescribed anything, but if that has worked for you, maybe it's worth a try.
I love your perspectives, you are so encouraging and have hope in your replies. Thank you so much for taking the time to serve a stranger.
I love your perspectives, you are so encouraging and have hope in your replies. Thank you so much for taking the time to serve a stranger.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Southern California
Posts: 66
Originally Posted by Dee74 
Hi sobercalmwishes
SR has been a godsend to me and a lifeline. You'll be understood,. find a lot of support and a little hope too
If the physical withdrawal has you concerned can you see a Dr?
D
SR has been a godsend to me and a lifeline. You'll be understood,. find a lot of support and a little hope too
If the physical withdrawal has you concerned can you see a Dr?
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Southern California
Posts: 66
Originally Posted by sobercalmwishes
Dee what is SR?
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,435
LOL you got it
Seeing a Dr's not really about meds for me, it's about making sure you're not going to have a difficult detox with blood pressure and the like.
You may be prescribed meds, or you may not - you can always express your wish not to have them too
D
Seeing a Dr's not really about meds for me, it's about making sure you're not going to have a difficult detox with blood pressure and the like.
You may be prescribed meds, or you may not - you can always express your wish not to have them too
D
Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Georgetown, Ontario
Posts: 44
I've been clean 3 weeks and 3 days. So I know how you feel in large part because this is the longest I've gone in nearly half a decade although my addiction differs in substance.
Have you considered Detox? I apologize if it was already mentioned I haven't slept yet and it's 4:35am here and focus is hard. 7 days is something to be proud of and never minimize a supportive family. I have new hope being here. This was my first post. I think SR will help us both.
Sincerely,
NorthernGirl76
for coming out here and posting (I know it takes guts)
Have you considered Detox? I apologize if it was already mentioned I haven't slept yet and it's 4:35am here and focus is hard. 7 days is something to be proud of and never minimize a supportive family. I have new hope being here. This was my first post. I think SR will help us both.
Sincerely,
NorthernGirl76
for coming out here and posting (I know it takes guts)
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: CA
Posts: 176
I can't speak from personal experience, but after going through an outpatient program and reading stuff, I think it's important to detox properly because of something called delirium tremens (DT) which can be dangerous.
I get horrible insomnia too and I've come to accept that this is just part of the process. It sucks, but I believe that I'll feel sooooo much better once my brain chemicals get back to normal (however long that takes), and that thought keeps me going.
Keep posting here. It helps being with people who are going through the same thing or have been through the same thing.
I get horrible insomnia too and I've come to accept that this is just part of the process. It sucks, but I believe that I'll feel sooooo much better once my brain chemicals get back to normal (however long that takes), and that thought keeps me going.
Keep posting here. It helps being with people who are going through the same thing or have been through the same thing.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Leeds
Posts: 399
Ah, 7 days. My nemesis. For me this was the number I couldn't defeat too. All I can tell you is keep on trucking, it gets easier. Don't wallow in self pity if you relapse. Just dust yourself off and try again. Everyday you don't drink is a victory, so be kind to yourself. You'll get there.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Southern California
Posts: 66
Wow thank you everyone! I just checked my email and found there were more welcoming and kind posts to my lament over my 7 day hurdle. Thank you all for the wonderful support and advice.
The good news is, I accidentally found something that helps and this time around is so much easier. For starters I stay far away from ibuprofen, I discovered this a few weeks ago, that it causes me severe leg tingling and aches and depression. I was using it to curb the effects of withdrawal. Also a lady invited me to an essential oils thing at her house, and it interested me, so I did a lot of research on my own (not wanting to be a part of a multi level marketing company) and bought a few essential oils at my local health food chain. I was doing this research initially for a family memeber's bad back pain, and I ended up mixing fractionated coconut oil (2Tbs) with ten drops of Lavender essential oil (French pure distilled you have to read the label) and 8 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil (pure distilled....again read the label to be sure) and I tested it on myself first, putting it on the bottom of my feet before bedtime (the skin on your feet apparently absorbs things nicely) and I noticed ((while I was still drinking)) that I would sleep through the entire night, dreamlessly. This is a first for me. I am wakeful even when I'm drinking. So, I have two days now and I used my lavendar eucalyptus concoction and I do seem wakeful in the early hours after midnight probably when my body is looking for the alcohol, but then I doze off over and over again peacefully. I feel rested and calm. I am only sharing this in case anyone else wants to try it for themselves. I am a terrible skeptic and I don't like taking meds at all, I'm addicted enough to Chardonnay without adding anything else. I didn't even take the pain meds they gave me after my two children were born. I was so easily hooked on booze at an early age that I feared what I may do with anything else.
All that to say, if you're having trouble sleeping, this is well worth a try. If you don't have a local health food store you can order these things online. Don't worry, I won't try to sell you anything, that is not my style, and also please do not ever take essential oils internally. They are meant to be inhaled or absorbed, they are 700 or so times more potent than the actual plant itself because of the distillation process.
I hope what I have found can help somebody get through the tough nights.
Glad I found you all.
Have a blessed day!
The good news is, I accidentally found something that helps and this time around is so much easier. For starters I stay far away from ibuprofen, I discovered this a few weeks ago, that it causes me severe leg tingling and aches and depression. I was using it to curb the effects of withdrawal. Also a lady invited me to an essential oils thing at her house, and it interested me, so I did a lot of research on my own (not wanting to be a part of a multi level marketing company) and bought a few essential oils at my local health food chain. I was doing this research initially for a family memeber's bad back pain, and I ended up mixing fractionated coconut oil (2Tbs) with ten drops of Lavender essential oil (French pure distilled you have to read the label) and 8 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil (pure distilled....again read the label to be sure) and I tested it on myself first, putting it on the bottom of my feet before bedtime (the skin on your feet apparently absorbs things nicely) and I noticed ((while I was still drinking)) that I would sleep through the entire night, dreamlessly. This is a first for me. I am wakeful even when I'm drinking. So, I have two days now and I used my lavendar eucalyptus concoction and I do seem wakeful in the early hours after midnight probably when my body is looking for the alcohol, but then I doze off over and over again peacefully. I feel rested and calm. I am only sharing this in case anyone else wants to try it for themselves. I am a terrible skeptic and I don't like taking meds at all, I'm addicted enough to Chardonnay without adding anything else. I didn't even take the pain meds they gave me after my two children were born. I was so easily hooked on booze at an early age that I feared what I may do with anything else.
All that to say, if you're having trouble sleeping, this is well worth a try. If you don't have a local health food store you can order these things online. Don't worry, I won't try to sell you anything, that is not my style, and also please do not ever take essential oils internally. They are meant to be inhaled or absorbed, they are 700 or so times more potent than the actual plant itself because of the distillation process.
I hope what I have found can help somebody get through the tough nights.
Glad I found you all.
Have a blessed day!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Southern California
Posts: 66
Well, here I am on the eve of day 7, and I'm not going to drink even though I'd like to kill one person, slowly, I have a migraine-a small one- and now that I have SR, I don't have to fight this off alone. Thanks to you all, I can see this is normal. You know how you can feel really great and on fire for a couple sober days and then WHAM you get blind sided with agitation and anger? That happened yesterday afternoon. Thanks to MRBen mentioning that 7 days was his nemesis, I was looking out for it!
I'm still here, sober, today. I'm even sleeping well. I did not find a doctor, and I think I will stick with going au natural like they did in the old days before we had rehabs. My blood pressure when down over 20 points on top and 10 on the bottom. Another reason to never pick up two four packs of twist off wine and run over the neighbor's custom made cat shaped mail box in the neighbors yard after a few rounds of golf <<that last one was in the 90's. I've since learned to hide my addiction and the mailboxes are all safe>>
I'm still here, sober, today. I'm even sleeping well. I did not find a doctor, and I think I will stick with going au natural like they did in the old days before we had rehabs. My blood pressure when down over 20 points on top and 10 on the bottom. Another reason to never pick up two four packs of twist off wine and run over the neighbor's custom made cat shaped mail box in the neighbors yard after a few rounds of golf <<that last one was in the 90's. I've since learned to hide my addiction and the mailboxes are all safe>>
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