Sean30

Hi Amber,
Just woken up to face day 4 as you will soon. Right now I feel ok but there is this sense of rawness I can't shake. I guess that's being alive with no anaesthetic like alcohol. The last 2 days I've spent alone, I try to get out of the flat but there's this feeling of anxiety I can't shake and something keeps telling me I just have to ride out these few awkward days and I will bounce back soon. I'm reading the aa big book furiously and trying to stick to a routine. SR has been a big habit too. It's all a bit muddled in my head but I feel a strange sense that the sun is coming up after a bad storm.
I'm not going to pick up a drink today no matter what and I really hope you are doing ok too. Let me know

Good luck today

Peace

amber1988

You know, I completely understand what you mean by the raw feeling. I was thinking about this myself over the weekend. I think you're right - it's being *present* throughout the day and night, not vacant/stupified by drink. There suddenly seem to be a lot of hours in the day, and it can kinda feel overwhelming, especially as I'm naturally sensitive and anxious. An overthinker, I've been called many times. I start to think about other, deeper issues which I believed alcohol solved, like the anxiety and spells of depression. I guess this rawness we feel means now we are experiencing life properly and presently, it is the perfect opportunity to learn to handle it and enjoy it whilst being fully here, which we could never do whilst smashed on drink.

Do you find you prefer to be alone at the moment, or is that just the way it's happened? Is isolation something you have chosen? I felt an amazing sense of calm and confidence at work this morning which I have not felt since.. well, I literally can't remember ever feeling like that. I really hope you can make this your time for the sun to come up, as you say if long term sobriety feels how I felt this morning, we have got a lot to look forward to!!

I hope your day 4 goes well! I'm just about to turn out the bedside light and say goodbye to day 3. Sending strength and support to you from across the globe! Let me know how your day 4 goes, I'm really interested to hear

Bettalife

Day 3 for me and early morning relating very much to the feeling of rawness and feeling overwhelmed.. I'm another anxious over thinker and have used drink to try and have some kind of control over this .... Not having this so called coping mechanism is leaving me feeling very raw... Hopefully this will pass and I can ride out all the uncomfortable feelings I'm struggling with right now. Goodluck to u both..

Sean30

Made it through day 4. Very low day to be honest but I reached out to a few people and managed to just ride out the lows. I can't say I really wanted to have a drink, I just accept that my brain is out of whack from the very recent pounding it has taken and it will take time to feel balanced again.

My isolating isn't helping my situation but it just felt like one of those days. Tomorrow is a new day and I don't know what it will bring but I know waking sober tomorrow morning is a gift of it's own.

I hope my other friends here made it through the day ok, thoughts to you from Australia

Sean

VirginiaWoof

Well done on getting through Day 4.

I stayed sober for 6 weeks back in Feb/March and got so much done around the house it was untrue. I ended up with loads of flat packed furniture that I put together - which for me is a HUGE feat! - to the extent I had too much so gave it away to a local charity.

Then I got too confident about my ability to control my drinking hence being back on Day 1. What I do remember though is how great I felt after a couple of weeks.

Hang on in there - you can do it and it is worth it