Stewy84

How does everyone deal with the horrible general anxiety you get when first stopping drinking?

This is day one for me and it's already starting up

Don't feel able to hold a conversation, feel jittery, worn out, irritable

A lot of the physical feelings I expect given I've been drinking most nights for the last 2 months

Just wondered if anyone else has had this and what they did to counteract it

ChloeRose63

Calming teas! I took natural suppliments and drank lots of coconut water. I listened to soothing music to relax my mind and body. I also read lots of posts and counted the sober minutes and hours for 3 days when I knew all the alcohol was out of my body. In those days I made my sobriety plan.

Stewy84

Thank you, I will try these suggestions out, good thinking about making the plan in the first 3 days!

ChloeRose63

This may sound silly but, I did talk outloud to myself. I have a treadmill and when I found myself 'bouncing off the wall" I would walk and talk myself into having to stop the drinking madness, get myself on a positive plan to change for the better and commit to becoming what kind of person I always wanted to be in this lifetime....and that was not a drunkard. I would look at myself in the mirror and say only positive things and encouragements. I was taking back my control. No more being a mess! Enough is enough...drinking was wasting my life...and life is short!

Stewy84

It doesn't sound silly at all, it makes sense to me especially about the positive self talk and looking in the mirror.

There is a tendency to engage in self pity. I know as I've been doing it for a while now so time to make some positive changes

Stewy84

Thanks Chloe!

least

You're in physical withdrawal and the only way round it is thru it. Just ride it out, it will get better the longer you're sober.

tomsteve

ditto. keep going around the mountain or decide to go over it. going over the mountiain requires a plan.
anxiety at lots of different feeling and emotions are going to happen early on. i suggest accepting its going to happen- if you look back at when you got sober before, youll probably see it happened then.
take drinking off the table as a solution.

when i went through chemo, it took a long time to recooperate. lots of mental and emotional stuff happing through recovering from that.
more chemo wasnt the solution. T.I.M.E. was

D122y

Stewy,

Aa meetings are great if you keep relapsing.

Folks go to several a day. It fills the day and you get f2f direction/control if you want it.

I saw a guy that was 8 months clean and he was shaking like a leaf.

It gets better if you stay stopped. I was a wobbly mess. I am still a teeny bit wobbly, but better than before.

There were several wobbly folks at the meeting. I think that is a sign of irreversable brain damage. Folks are sober, but they are still not that steady on their feet.

Each relapse...it gets worse.

Organ failure is how some folks die from this thing.

Dr.s can't save us at that point.

Fear booze. This thing we deal w is the Grim Reaper.

Thanks.

Anna

Stewy, above all, know that it will lessen and you will get through this. Anxiety is tough but you can ride it out. For me, walking is usually the best answer, with music a close second. Eat well, sleep when you can, take care of yourself.

Stewy84

Thanks everyone, good news is I'm sober and it's bed time

I will incorporate some walking into my routine along with playing my guitar

Let's see if I can get through day 2 tomorrow and really set the wheels in motion

Dee74

Anxiety is a fairly common and unavoidable part of withdrawal, Stewy.

I hope you'll feel a little less anxious with every passing sober day

D

CreativeThinker

Whoo Hooo

Keep giving it all you've got Stewy!

Quit290117

Another day 1 for me. I know that the numbness I feel now will be gone in a few days/ weeks (for me anyway) then it's just a case of not having the first drink. Stick with it mate if you get through it you will never have to experience it again.

kel08

I found some really good hypnosis type videos on you tube that you play whilst you sleep. I don't know for sure if they helped, but I did notice I woke fresher and generally happier. The anxiety is the kicker for me too. that idea isn't for everyone but I got desperate for anything to help

PhoenixJ

HALTS
HungryAngryLonelyTiredSad..fix them or talk with someone...triggers for anxiety. I use this always.

AnvilheadII

don't drink, NO MATTER WHAT.

tomsteve

whats up,stewy?

SoberLeigh

Wondering the same thing as tomsteve, Stewy.