14 months in and worried
 

Hi,

I'm now 14 and a half months into my sobriety and still going strong. However I was wondering if people at my stage still get very vivid dreams about drinking alcohol.

I still get very vivid dreams about drinking alcohol and relapsing, and when I wake up I physically feel hungover and can actually taste the beer in my mouth even though I haven't touched any. I got these when I first quit drinking and thought that they would have subsided by now. Anyone still getting these?

Thanks
Twoworlds

I think it's quite common, as our minds continue to adjust, sleeping and dreaming can still be affected!!

Hang in there!! 14 months is fantastic!! :You_Rock_

I had those, but not as long as you. I think it took my brain awhile to adjust to being sober after so many years of abuse. I hope they go away for you soon.

I am currently 8 months sober. When I get a drinking dream now I just laugh at it.

Doesn't make me want to drink at all. and in fact makes me happy that I am sober.

I am glad it isn't just me. I am so proud with my 14 months as I have managed this first time. I have come so far since I quit it is unreal. I just want these nightmares to go away now. I am not going to relapse as I am very strong willed now but I thought they would have gone by now.

Twoworlds

I'm 5 years in and my drinking dreams have changed. They are not the total panic variety but are a deep sense of disappointment in myself. I don't pay too much attention to them other than they remind me I still an alcoholic

I'll be a year sober on Aug. 23, and I 've had the had same thing the past few weeks.

Some of my dreams were so vivid I woke up and somehow thought I relapsed!

I guess there is some tension as I just want the day to be over with, and maybe I'll go back to normal dreams agains.

Congrats on 14 months..

I'll be 14 months sober in a few days and I notice I've had something very similar to your experience and so can relate to that.

I've had some restless dreams lately (and bizarre). In the dream when I remember it I walk a road and I hold a bottle of beer in my other hand and wonder what it is doing there. There are thoughts of 'hey, got to have something to drink for the morning'. Just complete nonsense.

I also recognize that this is something very similar to what took place in earlier sobriety. Maybe it's some kind of cycle of adaptation and brain chemistry. It sure looks that way now that I'm not the only one who's had that kind of dreams and disturbance.

So yeah. It propably is recovery related.

I have 20 months sober and still get these. It doesn't mean we are going to relapse. My sponsor tells me God is showing me how I would feel if I really did relapse. I like that so they don't bother me as much as they used to.

Well you could be detoxing again with no sleep quality, vivid nightmares, and feelings of black figures hovering over you.

Your choice. :-)

I keep getting emotional and cry a lot! I have just had very vivid dreams about life events so far, like past things that have happened.

Hi twoworlds :)

I never paid much mind to my dreams - like I'm fond of saying, I still dream of high school but I don't want to go back there :)

If dreams are the only thing troubling you recovery wise, I wouldn't tend to worry too much.

Unless you have reservations about your recovery when you're awake, try and relax :)

D

In and out of sobriety, I personally have come to the conclusion, that I dream out my worst fears and failures. Because I almost never have a good dream, I know my dreams are not the truth of my life. And, so I don't put much stock in them. I dismiss them as my worries that I push back coming true, but they are only dreams and not reality, and it is very important to dwell on the things that are TRUE and REAL only.

It's important for me, at least, to dwell on how valuable I am, no matter what anyone or any dream thinks of me. Most of us have taken up the drink or drug to kill the pain of not being truly who we are, and that's ok. Now, we are finding that out, and we WILL live it out. We are valuable and everyone around us needs us to be encouraging and healthy. It's a great goal. And there are many more goals that we will set for ourselves, and we will reach them, in time. For now, dreams are not real. If they are confusing or painful, it's our worries playing out. If you have a dream that is peaceful and kind and lovely, and it's something you long for or want, I believe that is God showing you to "go" and reach out for it. I know life is hard, but when it comes to how we live out our lives, I think God wants us to think higher, and believe more about ourselves. It's why we drink and use. We know there is so much more.........

Great love and comfort coming your way.

Dear lord, I could've written this post! I'm about 17 months in, and I started having my most vivid drunk dreams after I hit my one-year mark. I had one two nights ago that woke me up wondering if I was drunk. It was absolutely terrifying.

I don't really worry about the dreams too much, really. I mean after all, I drank alcoholically for 12 straight years. So while physically I've detoxed, and mentally I've detoxed (significantly, though nowhere near completely), my subconscious is probably still pretty busted.

Plus, I stayed sober for the first year completely out of fear. I was so feared up and constantly sharing about it at meetings, talking about it to sober friends with more time than me, etc. But when I hit that year, I stopped talking about it. I guess I felt like, 'Okay, time to stop obsessively talking about how terrified you are of getting drunk.' Probably because I'm not consciously scared of it anymore.

So, I'm convinced that all that really matters is that the dreams I'm having keep me on my toes. I'll take waking up and realizing I'm sober over waking up and realizing I blacked out and am now just coming to any day.

Thank you guys so much for all your posts. At least I know that I am not the only one that is having these. I thought before that it may be that my willpower was weakening but I am strong and thinking about it in the way of my fears and it is in fact just dreams has helped me greatly. Thai you guys so much

Twoworlds