SarahB60

You can always go to the ER, if things get rough. Alcohol W/D's are a dicey road and can be dangerous.

Stang

Cronic alcohol abuse causes anxiety and insomnia. The only cure is to stop drinking. I've been lucky my anxiety would be terrible for a couple days after drinking but would then go away. The insomnia would take about a week to go away. Some people it takes months. Either way your only way out is to quit. Oh yea a lot of it is low blood sugar and dehydration. Drink water and eat, I know you don't feel like it but you have to eat.

Kero

Absolutely. I used to think I needed alcohol to deal with these issues, but they were just making them 1000 times worse. After a few weeks sober, my insomnia is nearly gone and my anxiety is very manageable.

I knew that alcohol was causing issues, but I had no idea how terrible it was making me feel.

Hang in there and just remember - you'll feel better every sober day. Tomorrow you will feel even better, and the day after that more improvement.

courage2

Skaterdude -- welcome! Take good care of yourself now -- the early days can be pretty bumpy, but the good news is that if you make a plan and get sober now, you never have to go through early recovery again. And getting sober is incredibly worth it! For me, all things, even bad things, are much better when alcohol is out of the picture.

When I had about a week sober, I told my husband no more for me. Ever. He knows I do AA, and he knows it's serious. Otherwise, we don't talk about it a lot, but he sees all the changes in me, and he appreciates them. I'm glad I told him, it's brought us closer.

SarahB60

Ditto. My anxiety and panic was off the charts the days before I went into detox. I was popping xanax left and right on a daily basis just to keep the anxiety at bay. Now, I think I used xanax (for sleep) twice in 15 days.

SkaterDude

I really appreciate all the words of encouragement here. Tomorrow will mark my first week sober in a very long time. I feel like this past week has been going by extremely slow, which for me is a good thing because I think I accomplished a lot because I stayed sober. I took care of more small projects with the house, got ahead on ongoing assignments at work, and spent more time with my kids. I also went to the doc for my first physical in about 10 years, and he gave me a clean bill on the outside, but still waiting for lab results next week on the damage I have done to myself. I also got through my first night last night out with a long time (drinking) friend where he drank some beer and I didn't have a drop. My cravings still come and go, and I usually get a snack or a coke to help me through. I know my journey has just begun, but I want to thank the SR community for helping me through my first week. Now its off to the skatepark!

Dee74

Congrats on your week SD

D

courage2

Way to go, Skater! Have a great time at the park!

strategery

Congrats skaterdude! That is wonderful!