Help a new guy
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern Maine
Posts: 23
Help a new guy
Hello all, I am new here. I just got home from jail today after recieving my third oui. I have struggled with mental health issues my whole life and I have only made things worse with alcohol. I have had enough of my own nonscense and want to take control of my life. Its going to be very hard for me. I am looking for any advice, help or comfort chatting with others. Please help
Sobriety is Traditional
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Orcas Island, Washington
Posts: 9,065
Welcome!
I, too, have some mental health issues, but feel that vigorous honesty has given me a happy life without alcohol.
Read around and post often--it works if you work it!
I, too, have some mental health issues, but feel that vigorous honesty has given me a happy life without alcohol.
Read around and post often--it works if you work it!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern Maine
Posts: 23
Tonight is my first night home alone. Three days sober thus far. It after 1am and I keep catching myself needlessly pacing and restless when I try to sleep. I slept well In jail, but I think that was mostly due to mental exhaustion and oddly enough, the relief from getting caught. Any advice on sleep for the first several days of sobriety? Thank you everyone, I'm looking forward to better health and participating in this community. Help me see this thru!
Sober since 10th April 2012
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 6,047
Hi gottastop, my best tip is to look after yourself with good nutrition and staying well hydrated. Exercise if you can.
Your body will probably interpret any physical need as a call to drink, which has been your default refuge up until now. Another hint is break up any habits that included drinking; you may be able to return to it later, but habit is a strong incentive to drink.
Your body will probably interpret any physical need as a call to drink, which has been your default refuge up until now. Another hint is break up any habits that included drinking; you may be able to return to it later, but habit is a strong incentive to drink.
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Memphis TN
Posts: 68
Glad you came here...Struggling with mental heath is hard enough then throw addiction in, and it's hell!! Just remember, getting drunk and high only worsens our depression and anxiety!! Please stay strong..listening to relaxing music off youtube or storm sounds really helps me clear my head and get sleep! I'm here if you need support! I am also new in my sobriety...check out my posts if you'd like!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern Maine
Posts: 23
I'll be honest, no I don't have a personal plan yet. I have a mandatory plan via the justice system, but my only plan at the moment to keep up those requirements is legal fear and toughing it out at the moment. I realize my plan needs to be personally motivated and not legally. I guess that is what brings me to this forum, to seek help with a plan and what had worked for others. I understand that what works for one person may not be ideal for another's personality, but it's a first step and I think just being here is a first step for me. Thanks for letting me introduce myself and vent tonight. Going to give sleep another try. I hope to doze off for a while and check in in the morning. Thank you
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,391
Check out this link - there's a lot of cool ideas:
https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/conten...0/SMA-3720.pdf
D
https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/conten...0/SMA-3720.pdf
D
Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 295
Hello there and welcome. Yep, addiction just makes it all worse. I drank yesterday for anxiety and now I feel much more anxious from the alcohol withdrawal.
This "disease" is unbearable but some people stop drinking forever and so can we.
This "disease" is unbearable but some people stop drinking forever and so can we.
The hoop you have to jump through is a lot wider than you think!
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 150
Hope you slept well. Sugar helps actually. Chocolate. Alcohol is filled with sugar your body is craving sugar right now. It may be a little chubby when I first got sober but it really did help me out. Also I watched a lot of Star Trek marathon's lawn order marathon any kind of marathon I just Kaina laid in bed and went through my withdrawals. But you should seek help with the mental situation that can be dangerous I am mentally disabled also and I'm under the care of Dr. I'm not saying that's for everybody but it's worth a try. At least get a psychological a valuation.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 6,902
Hi. Welcome to Sober Recovery. I hope you did get some sleep.
I'd echo Verte's thoughts about getting a plan together at some point soon - entering into a new phase of sobriety without one if like an army going into battle without one. Things are likely to get fuzzy and confused over the next week or so (I got bad washing-machine head in the first weeks) and just felt completely disorientated. A plan means you can check back on it so you can spot when you're not looking after yourself how you resolved to.
Basically coming up with a sobriety plan is a bit like working through a risk assessment for your drinking / drugging (or whatever other compulsive behaviours / addictions are messing your life up).
Some things are common to all. These are the HALT triggers: Hunger; Anger; Loneliness; Tiredness. So you would think not only, 'yeah, okay, I'll avoid those things', but think about HOW you'll avoid them, and how you'll know that you haven't avoided them (often in the early days I thought I was doing everything I should and had an almighty craving and then when I looked at my journal I could see that one of those things hadn't been watched carefully enough and maybe I'd started skipping lunch, or not getting as much rest as I should, or allowing myself to dwell on unhealthy resentments, or isolating at the weekends).
The other things to think about are your own risky areas for triggers.
Who are your slippery people? Can you avoid them? If not, how can you minimize their impact on you?
Where are your slippery places? Can you avoid them? If not, how can you minimize their impact on you?
When are your slippery times? How can you minimize their impact on you - this forum has been invaluable to me when working out strategies for dealing with some occasions that were challenging. (Eg. a hen weekend in Berlin; best mates wedding; Christmas holidays; and many more.)
My personal sobriety plan includes AA meetings and the 12-step recovery program. It did, at one point, include a counsellor. Some people include rehab; SMART meetings; Psychological assessments; Doctors appointments; etc.; etc.
Your plan shouldn't stay the same for ever. It should be a work in progress , and change as you change, and adapt to allow you to deal with whatever life throws at you. You might try things and find they don't work, and have to rethink it. Trial and error will pay off in the end.
I've found that now I've lost my obsession for alcohol, the strategies in my plan are still vital for my recovery, as they help me experience a good quality sobriety with as little anxiety involved as possible. No point in being sober and mad as a fish or miserable or anxious. I want to enjoy this sober life.
Anyway - welcome to the forum. I found it very helpful to post and read on here. The advice and support I've had from the community on this site has been awesome.
I'd echo Verte's thoughts about getting a plan together at some point soon - entering into a new phase of sobriety without one if like an army going into battle without one. Things are likely to get fuzzy and confused over the next week or so (I got bad washing-machine head in the first weeks) and just felt completely disorientated. A plan means you can check back on it so you can spot when you're not looking after yourself how you resolved to.
Basically coming up with a sobriety plan is a bit like working through a risk assessment for your drinking / drugging (or whatever other compulsive behaviours / addictions are messing your life up).
Some things are common to all. These are the HALT triggers: Hunger; Anger; Loneliness; Tiredness. So you would think not only, 'yeah, okay, I'll avoid those things', but think about HOW you'll avoid them, and how you'll know that you haven't avoided them (often in the early days I thought I was doing everything I should and had an almighty craving and then when I looked at my journal I could see that one of those things hadn't been watched carefully enough and maybe I'd started skipping lunch, or not getting as much rest as I should, or allowing myself to dwell on unhealthy resentments, or isolating at the weekends).
The other things to think about are your own risky areas for triggers.
Who are your slippery people? Can you avoid them? If not, how can you minimize their impact on you?
Where are your slippery places? Can you avoid them? If not, how can you minimize their impact on you?
When are your slippery times? How can you minimize their impact on you - this forum has been invaluable to me when working out strategies for dealing with some occasions that were challenging. (Eg. a hen weekend in Berlin; best mates wedding; Christmas holidays; and many more.)
My personal sobriety plan includes AA meetings and the 12-step recovery program. It did, at one point, include a counsellor. Some people include rehab; SMART meetings; Psychological assessments; Doctors appointments; etc.; etc.
Your plan shouldn't stay the same for ever. It should be a work in progress , and change as you change, and adapt to allow you to deal with whatever life throws at you. You might try things and find they don't work, and have to rethink it. Trial and error will pay off in the end.
I've found that now I've lost my obsession for alcohol, the strategies in my plan are still vital for my recovery, as they help me experience a good quality sobriety with as little anxiety involved as possible. No point in being sober and mad as a fish or miserable or anxious. I want to enjoy this sober life.
Anyway - welcome to the forum. I found it very helpful to post and read on here. The advice and support I've had from the community on this site has been awesome.
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