poolside

Anyone here as impatient as I am? (114 days). Driving myself crazy.

I have to keep reminding myself, it's not even 4 months yet! A lot of the biggest changes, from what I understand, don't even occur until the 6-12 month mark.

In other news, my appetite continues to grow. I'm craving stuff like pizza and cheeseburgers.

PippoRossi

Did someone say pizza and cheeseburgers?!?!?!

As far as patience goes, I'm the worst at having it. That being said, what I try to tell myself is that it didn't take me overnight to make my life a mess by drinking, so it will take awhile to rebuild it. Slow and steady wins the race.

And congrats on your progress - it really is great.

CreativeThinker

Congrats on 114 days...awesome!

I didn't realize that the biggest changes occur during the 6-12 month mark. I thought it was after 1 year. Well then...I have a lot to look forward to!

Time really does seem to slow down once alcohol is taken out of the equation. Sometimes I feel that I should already be at 6 months. I try to keep myself busy, get as much out of therapy and here on SR as possible and get regular workouts in.

Dee74

Yweah I learned patience in my recovery.

I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't end up where I was overnight, so it was going to take a little time to get to where I wanted to be.

Keep reaching out for support here, poolside - 114 days is great!

fini

what are you wanting to get to?

learning to be where i am, instead of wanting to be somewhere else, and being okay in that, has been a huge challenge and a huge benefit.

where is there to get to?
if where you are now is not so hot, maybe reframe as one of those damn growth opportunities?

least

Congrats on 114 days sober! Keep going, it gets better.

poolside

Thanks!

poolside

When I stopped drinking, my goal was to lose weight and get back in shape, and then back into work. (I wasn't grossly out of shape, but I wanted my abs back). I figured it would take a few weeks. Well, it's taken a lot longer than that. I just need to deal with it.

CreativeThinker

I too thought that I would drop a lot of weight once I stopped drinking. I began working out regularly, ate well, took my vitamins... What I wasn't prepared for was the sugar cravings. I gave myself a break and treated myself with sugar and carbs for a while, as my sobriety was more important than anything.

It's taken a lot longer than I expected for the scales to begin moving in the right direction but I'm sober and feeling healthy again. Give it some time, your body will eventually catch up and you will begin to see the rewards.

CreativeThinker

Good questions. I read somewhere that once you hit 6-9 months the chance of relapse is a lot less. No?

Mizzuno

Im not sure what changes are supposed to happen? Getting your six pack will take work, if this is what you are going for?

Changes for me:
Energy
Emotionally level
Mentally stable
Productive
Bank Account has more money
Clear skin
Good Sleep
Self care is on point
Life is all around better.

poolside

I pretty much succumbed to the sugar cravings, too, in the form of fruit. I've never eaten so much fruit before. It was a mistake. I was a staunch Paleo eater when I was drinking, so I'm giving up the fruit and transitioning back to the Paleo. It's time.

Maybe medical warnings should be attached to people recommending fruit? haha

The remaining 'bloating' in my belly, I'm convinced, is just fat leftover from my drinking days plus the effects of all the fruit I've been eating in recovery. Next step is to get back out there and start exercising again.

gregknight

Congratulations on 114, poolside! That is a big accomplishment!

On the cautionary side, not only will you crave sugars and bad carbs due to post-alcohol physiology, but mentally/emotionally, it is easy to use something else, to replace the booze with. Food is an easy one. Try to stay healthy and always stop and let your sober brain do the thinking.

poolside

Thanks, Greg, that's important info!

I guess it cracks me up when I see all these people on SR claiming they gave up drinking 2 days ago--but now they're in the gym every day, walking 5 miles every morning, doing Crossfit, running 10k races. Too funny!

fini

you can read most anything somewhere

in general. it seems that the longer you are sober, the less the incidence of relapse. statistically speaking.
OTOH, what makes sense to me is the increasing difficulty and dissatisfactions after a few months, as all the other stuff, real life and all, comes to the forefront and can be overwhelming and lack of "lifeskills" can become apparent.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-recovery.html

CreativeThinker

I've found that exercise makes all the difference! Not only does it make me feel great, but I'm less apt to overeat.

This week I've begun replacing sweets with a piece of a protein bar. PBs have very little sugar but it cures the sugar craving.

CreativeThinker

Already have all that! I guess for me, the impatience is basically getting out of the "danger zone"...although, I guess we never are 100% out?

CreativeThinker

I guess I'm still in the pink cloud stage...everything feels positive and good right now...sort of dread coming down off this feeling. I suppose over time we begin to forget how bad things were when we were still drinking, hence the burst to the pink cloud?

My therapist is a huge help to me adapting to life skills.

poolside

Physical changes, mostly. Needed to take things to the next level.

KPForever

114 days is amazing! Live in the moment and celebrate being sober day by day. Each day sober is a celebration. One binge can have severe consequences. You've had 114 days of blessings...though it may not seem that way...wish you 114+ more.