alphaomega

This concept baffles me. Although, from first hand knowledge, I know it to be true.

Any ideas as to why ? I understand the brain is indelibly changed from abuse, but how does it actually continue to "get worse" even though we are abstinent ?

Thanks in advance.

Fly N Buy

Not sure about that - I've gotten a lot better in last year! I have read about the dangerous consequences of multiple relapses though.

A friend in the rooms told me when I first came in - if you're going to drink again don't quit. It will kill ya.......

Haven't forgot that lurking specter!

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...lly-again.html

zjw

Yeah one i heard was. "i might have another relapse in me but I dunno if i got another recovery" that one really sunk in for me. recovery was so horrible initially I'm not sure i could dig myself out of that pit again I really dont know how i did it the first time to be honest.

2muchpain

This is my two cents (or one). To me, it means that, like you said your brain changes permanently after years of alcohol abuse. So, if you start drinking again, you pick up where you left off. If you were a total wreck when you stopped drinking, that's pretty much where you will start off if you start drinking again. John

chickippo

I like to remind myself every so often that if I let the beast out of the box I might not have the strength to lock it away again.

I was nearly dead by the time I quit. I know where a drink will lead me so I get through each day without picking one up. it's served me well for 14 months now.

Serenidad

From my experience, this is true. I was sober from 2008-2013. When I relapsed last year, within a month or 2 I was right back where I was in 2008. This time has been much harder to stop too. I am also 7 years older than I was in 2008 so that may play a part.

I've never really understood how it "progresses" when you are sober. I don't believe that to be true. I think as long as you don't drink it's arrested or in "remission". But the minute you pick up again you are drinking the same or worse than when you quit. (I know from experience). :-(

What makes it even harder is all the shame and guilt if having relapsed. At least that's how it has been for me.

Many people never make it back after a relapse.... :-(

I'm on day 5.

Serenidad

By the way...when I commented....I forgot to say I agree with Johns (toomuchpain) post above. ^^^^^

biminiblue

I don't know about progressing, but it doesn't magically heal - that much I know. It's a physiological thing, like once I got too heavy, I now had forced my body to produce new fat cells to hold all those excess calories that I was eating. They never go away. So, for my lifetime I will have to be mindful of eating, because my body is ready to go to put that weight back on.

The brain does the same thing, it produces excess receptors, ready to go at any time we ignite them.

Here is a good layman's article someone posted a couple days ago:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ml#post5443860

There's also reverse tolerance, which is a whole other very bad stage of alcoholism.

SoberLife90

I understand what you are saying. I have heard this around the rooms that if you go bavk to drinking after you stopped...you dont pick up where you left off...you go bavk to drinking as if you never stopped in the first place. I don't understand why this is true but I know thst if I went bavk out to drinking today I believe I would be going much "harder" as if the games were over. Bottom line i wiuld be drinking just as heavy if not heavier and drugging more. Maybe not initially but i bet my tolerance would go right back up. Anyways im saying a lot of stuff but its only from what I hear around here and in AA. I have no personal experience. Wonderful question though!

SweetBaby

Its everywhere! Commercials, eating places, and I can even sit and watch my neighbor across the street with a beer in his hand anytime of day.

Fly N Buy

Hi friend !
How are you doing today?????

Glad you're here with us - yes, alcohol is pervasive in our society- no doubt. After some sober time, most of us find it like seeing McD's on every corner. We know it's there, but I don't feel the urgent need to slam a Big Mac every time I see a commercial or location

Thank goodness........uck!

Axiom

Hang in there SweetBaby! Sticking close to SR at first was all I could really do. I would walk down the street with it pulled up on my phone. I needed to know others in this world were sober too and able to stay that way. With time I promise it gets easier to deal with.

As it has already been said I agree that we probably just forgot how bad we really were at the end. I know I definitely don't want to find out first hand.

SDH73

I've heard this before, but I have no first-hand experience with it. I don't know if it does get worse, per se. Maybe it seems worse in comparison to any preceding significant sober stretch? I can say that when I drank again after some good sober time I could see how insane it was to be drinking like that, even as I poured more vodka down my throat. That was the difference for me, don't think I drank more than I ever did during one of my epic binges, I just drank with a vague sense of "this is wrong, what the hell am I doing" which definitely made it seem worse.

What I assume the OP means is a more significant amount of sober time, though. Maybe a year and up? No, I'm still too new to know anything about that. It's an interesting thought.

alphaomega

This is a great explanation. Thank you Bim !

tomsteve

I know a man who had over 20 years sober that went back out. Only out for a month, I was very glad to see him back at an AA meeting.
Something I don't want to forget hearing him say:
I didn't pick up where I left off. It was as if I never stopped.

Why it's like that I don't know. But I believe it and accept it.

zjw

scary stuff. last night i was worried about some stuff as i stared at the ceiling wishing i could sleep. and I thought if X happens i'll just start drinking again screw it who cares anymore at that point etc..

reading this just reminds me how scary that idea could be.

alphaomega

I can attest to multiple relapses becoming worse and worse.

The article Bim linked really helped explain what goes on in the brain.

freshstart57

I haven't had a drink in almost four years. It doesn't seem reasonable to think that I am a worse drunk now or that my addiction to alcohol has progressed in any way since August 2011. It doesn't even seem rational.

If this is true, I will be in really tough shape after a decade or two of sobriety.

PurpleKnight

For me I know my addiction doesn't magically hit some sort of reset button with a period of abstinence, no matter if it's weeks or months, if I drank now things would spiral, maybe not on day 1 but within a matter of weeks things would be as bad as ever once again!!

Been there and got the T-Shirt many times!! . . . the only way to beat alcohol was to quit having that first drink, take alcohol completely off the table, no more moderation experiments, no more shades of grey, simply part ways on a permanent basis!!

Life has been looking up ever since!!

Soberpotamus

I think it's because of tolerance and kindling. If we stay abstinent, I don't think it gets "worse" but if we drink again, it'd be as bad as where we left off after a couple episodes of drinking. That seems to be how it works anyway. It took me a few times of drinking, and soon I was back at the same tolerance level. Apparently there are some permanent changes in the brain and brain chemistry.