I feel better... now what?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 48
I feel better... now what?
It's been a weird few days for me. On Friday I woke up and for the first time since quitting alcohol I felt fine. Like, totally, completely fine. No aches, pains, well-rested... just normal. It's been about 3 months to get to this point.
I thought that this would make me really happy. I am happy when I "think" about it but my gut reaction is to drink. I've had passing thoughts of drinking in the last few months but I've felt so rotten that when it would enter my mind the thought was practically met with revulsion. This is like a persistent thought in the back of my mind... an annoying, compulsive thought that I could just have one drink, one shot, and no one would know and it wouldn't hurt anything.
I haven't had anything to drink, and I'm not going to drink. I just wish I could rid of this thought telling me to drink. I've been keeping myself busy but it doesn't seem to help. I wonder if this is my new normal or if this will pass like the aches and pains of healing from alcohol abuse did.
I thought that this would make me really happy. I am happy when I "think" about it but my gut reaction is to drink. I've had passing thoughts of drinking in the last few months but I've felt so rotten that when it would enter my mind the thought was practically met with revulsion. This is like a persistent thought in the back of my mind... an annoying, compulsive thought that I could just have one drink, one shot, and no one would know and it wouldn't hurt anything.
I haven't had anything to drink, and I'm not going to drink. I just wish I could rid of this thought telling me to drink. I've been keeping myself busy but it doesn't seem to help. I wonder if this is my new normal or if this will pass like the aches and pains of healing from alcohol abuse did.
I will NOT drink to that!
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Baltimore MD USA
Posts: 634
I have been sober for like 26 days so I don't have much experience yet. I am still experiencing my AV messing with me. As days go by it is easier & easier to just say "NO"....but I still hear those thoughts too.
I will NOT drink to that!
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Baltimore MD USA
Posts: 634
I have been sober for like 26 days so I don't have much experience yet. I am still experiencing my AV messing with me. As days go by it is easier & easier to just say "NO"....but I still hear those thoughts too.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,501
I think there are moments when the disease knows that you are winning and it puts out one last attempt to lure you in. Sit quietly with your accomplishment and know that you are doing great.
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Now what? now you start to build a life to be proud of, new activities, new projects, new goals, all of those things alcohol took away through the constant fog and hangovers we used to endure!!
Happiness won't come over night, we need to carve out a new lifestyle, a new Sober life, decide what we now want to achieve in life and go and grasp it!!
Hang in there!!
Happiness won't come over night, we need to carve out a new lifestyle, a new Sober life, decide what we now want to achieve in life and go and grasp it!!
Hang in there!!
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Originally Posted by Chrysalides 
I haven't had anything to drink, and I'm not going to drink. I just wish I could rid of this thought telling me to drink. I've been keeping myself busy but it doesn't seem to help. I wonder if this is my new normal or if this will pass like the aches and pains of healing from alcohol abuse did.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 48
ScottFromWI - I haven't made a formal plan but I can see how that would be a good idea now that I am further into living a sober life. I started adding some structure to my non-work hours over the last few weeks. On Saturdays I volunteer at our local humane society and on Sundays I attend UCC church and go for a hike with my husband. I attended a few AA meetings early on and did not feel like they were for me but maybe I'll try again. It would be nice to meet with other people who are going through the same or similar experience.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: England
Posts: 808
See it as an opportunity my friend! The old nasty habits of drinking will take time to replace but just think of all the oppurtunities you can now experience sober, pick up some new hobbies or learn something. The world is truly your oyster now!
For me, personally, it was about getting some exercise to fill the void, and BOY did it fill that void!
Try to remember that any thoughts about drinking are your addiction trying to get you back and that continuing to ignore the temptation means it WILL go away.
For me, personally, it was about getting some exercise to fill the void, and BOY did it fill that void!
Try to remember that any thoughts about drinking are your addiction trying to get you back and that continuing to ignore the temptation means it WILL go away.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,432
I had a cycle where, for whatever reason I would stop drinking...feel like death.
After a few days I'd feel better...rationalise that if it only took a couple of days to feel good again I must not have that big of a problem and I'd drink again.
The way out of that cycle is support. SR helped me a lot. Not only could I refer back to my own posts but I could read my story again and again in other peoples posts.
It was reinforced to me, over time, that I really did have a problem, it would not go away and that the only really effective treatment was abstinence
D
After a few days I'd feel better...rationalise that if it only took a couple of days to feel good again I must not have that big of a problem and I'd drink again.
The way out of that cycle is support. SR helped me a lot. Not only could I refer back to my own posts but I could read my story again and again in other peoples posts.
It was reinforced to me, over time, that I really did have a problem, it would not go away and that the only really effective treatment was abstinence
D
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,358
I understand, Chyrsalides. I'm at about 96 days sober and have had a lot of thoughts to drink "in the back of my mind". Especially with the holidays coming up I find myself trying to do a work around. Like its a problem that I am not drinking and there HAS to be some sneaky little solution. Let's just weather this out together, shall we?
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Georgia
Posts: 3,062
I think the cravings became much less for me once I focused more of my attention on the reality...the acceptance...that I cannot drink like other people. I am an alcoholic. I drink like an alcoholic. Bad things happened to me when I drank. I spent more of my thinking time of this type of thought vs. the glamorizing of drinking. When I had a craving to drink the scene in my head was a beautiful glass of wine in a beautiful environment with beautiful people talking about beautiful things. Yea right. It wasn't really like that. I was drinking cheap wine in a sleazy bar with sleazy people talking about stupid things. Now acceptance......acceptance that I cannot drink alcohol like other people....now that is a beautiful thing.
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