Sunshinedays

I'm so glad I found this forum. I am most definitely an alcoholic. I had a terrible week long bender in which I am currently struggling with the withdrawals of, most specifically anxiety, in which I have suffered from all my life.
I want to end this addiction so I can take control of my life again but right now it feels impossible... even though I know I just have to buckle down and get thru it. Easier said than done. I feel like I want to jump out of my skin with the anxiety.
Anyways just wanted to post because I've been reading thru the forums for a while today. It's nice to not feel alone. Anyone have any advice on the withdrawals?

Dee74

I think anxiety is pretty common,. I just tried best I could to do normal things, even mundane things like house keeping - anything to bring the panic down a notch or two.

support helps too and you;ll find a lot of that here

welcome

D

badgerden

Welcome and hello Sunshinedays! #1 advice on withdrawls is to not take chances and see a dr, my other is to drink gallons of water, take a multi vitamin. Stay away from caffeine.

And your never alone here, super safe place to be with tons of support. We have all been there done that, didnt get a t shirt to show for it.

Keep posting!

Badge

Sunshinedays

Thank you D and Badge for the warm welcome. I will definitely be posting more. I honestly can't remember the last time I was sober for even a week, it's gotta stop. I'll definitely be coming here for more support as the days go by

Meraviglioso

Hi and welcome to you. I definitely second the advice to see a doctor if withdrawals get to bad. However, if you can manage at home I think a good thing to remember is that the really bad part does pass in a relatively short period of time. Things start to turn the corner after about 3-4 days, at about a week or 8 days you start to feel somewhat like a normal person again. The residual effects can last for an extended period of time but the very best way to deal with all of this is to not drink any amount at all.
Water, eating healthily and -I have found- especially exercise really help.

Good luck to you, keep posting here for support!

Sunflower84

Hey Sunshinedays...

This sounds similar to me, heavy binge drinking that got worse and worse...

I've only just quit, I'm just on day 11 sober and it all came to a head also after a 7day binge. I was so ill with withdrawals, the anxiety was through the roof. You do have to ride out the worst bit in the first 3 or so days but I found a strong vitamin B complex helps, works on energy and the nervous system and also lots of chamomile tea really helps me!

Hope you stick around and feel better soon

K x

Sunshinedays

Thank you for the welcome Mera, and yes, today I tried to get onto my yoga mat for some yoga but just couldn't bring myself to get there. I'm hoping tomorrow I can get on it for some exercise and stretching, even if it's just for ten minutes. Today just felt physically impossible. I'm reeeaaallly looking forward to feeling normal again... or I'll even take sorta normal.

Sunshinedays

Kit2017.... that's exactly my situation. Been a binge drinker for about three years now, and they have consecutively got worse and worse, and then this last one was the worst one I've ever had. I felt out of control and was disturbed at how out of it I was this time.....even though I'm sure my other benders I was just as out of it... . I'm hoping that I can stop this cycle this time.
Congrats on your 11 days.

It feels good to be able to talk to people here. I don't have much of a support system besides SR, I'm feeling, because most of my community are drinkers. That's going to be a hard one to navigate too.

Sunflower84

Thanks Sunshindays...

Yeah SR is a huge lifeline, it really is! I only found this site on day 2 and I've been hooked since! My sleeping patterns all over at the moment while my body repairs so waking in the night it's straight on here, I'm checking in everyday and feeling stronger all the time from hearing others stories and feeling I'm not alone. We're not alone in this and can all help each other!

I've tried to stop before but this time I feel different, I can't bare to go on just existing a life of a binge then scary withdrawals then back on a binge again as soon as I pick back up. So many people on here living such a happy amazing life sober so this inspires me. It can be done and we can do it!

Here anytime you want a chat I know it's helping me so much so it's nice to give some back

Keep in touch and try some chamomile tea if you can, I find it helps when in WD's and it's re-hydrating too being caffeine free.

K x

Meraviglioso

Yoga sounds great, I'd like to add that into my exercise regimen myself. I've only tried it a couple of times but found it surprisingly hard! Which is a good thing, but maybe not right this moment for you. What about a light walk? Even just 10 or 15 minutes, very slow, put on some music if you have an iPod or music on your phone. That is something you can take as light or as hard as you want. Maybe push yourself to go faster for 30 seconds and then slow down again. I just really found that working up a sweat helped me enormously. In the early days it only seemed to have a short term effect, I felt a LOT better immediately after but then it kind of wore off and I was back to feeling bad. But I kept pushing through it and eventually the positive effects lasted longer and longer until I really started to feel some healing. Best of luck to you. Just keep moving forward and whatever you do do not take a drink- that sets you right back to square one.

Strawberry18

The first 3 days of a expiry were do scary for me too... I'd try to lie down but after a few minutes jump up and want to rip my skin off. Checking my BP every 10 min and google I g everything and convinced I was during . A week later I feel normal again now. A exits still a little bad... Still google everything g I feel it see on my bodyas in scared of the damage I have done to my liver... Stay strong ... We're all in this together x

Stronger2017

Welcome to Sr Sunshinedays😃 There’s lots of great support on the site, which has been really helpful for me getting sober over the last few weeks. Good luck!

anxiousrock

Welcome.
The anxiety gets me too. It’s awful.
There’s a lot of support in these forums.

August252015

Welcome! Glad you are here.

For me, I just had to get through the withdrawals (my were severe, then I experienced extended PAWS). Sleeping, a lot of hydration and beginning to eat as I could were part of what I did to help the process along.

Time takes time, as they say.

Stick with us- perhaps join the class of Oct under Newcomers Daily Support Threads and get to know folks in the same time frame as you.

Take care.

Meraviglioso

I love this, so true. Along the same lines I have heard "the number one thing that will make it better is time, unfortunately that is the one thing you can't do anything about" It sounds negative, but I actually take it in a positive way, to not try and fight things, that sometimes you just have to sit through it and let the time pass.

Sunshinedays

Hello checking back in. Currently struggling with insomnia and I know from previous times I tried to stop drinking, that this is a part of it, which I find absolutely unbearable but I know it's a part of it.
Today was a hard day at work hearing my co workers talk about my last bender. All the things I did... falling all over the place , looking for my phone when it was in my hand, the cab driver not sure he wanted me in his cab... ugh, etc, etc. Just so much embarrassment to listen to, but I guess I have to hear these things.
Mera, this morning before work though... I did go on a walk and it did help. Just a very short one but it helped.
I've been having so much anxiety all day listening to everyone talk about my actions though, today was a hard day. It just makes me feel so dumb, but I also feel like it's things I need to hear.... but then it makes my anxiety worse feeling like my mess is the main topic of conversation.
Thank you for the continued support here. Again I'm really grateful to have found this forum. Thank you for listening you guys.

Sunshinedays

Also thanks for the welcome anarock, stronger2017, august252015, and loui84. I really appreciate the thoughts and advice.
Time takes time is something I am having a hard time with, but I need to hear it.

Berrybean

Yes - most of my community seemed to be drinkers as well. But the longer I was sober, the more sober people I seemed to meet. Think was, while I was actively drinking I was seeking out people who drank like me (or worse if possible) and was blind to all the other things going on.

What about getting along to some AA meetings and meeting others who've managed to kick the booze and have been finding out what there is to offer other than drinking in your area?

Volunteering is a great way to meet people in a non-driking environment and really does give a boost, not only to esteem and sense of self-worth, but in other ways as well. There was one particular Christmas day where I remember feeling very generous about gifting my time (a few hours - big deal huh!!) but came home in no doubt that I had recieved far more than I had given - the people I met there, and worked alongside really restored my faith in humanity. When I have a bad experience with people now I think back to that day to get some balance back. Anyway - that's just one example.

Sobriety holds things in store for us that we can't even imagine. We just need to hang around and stay sober long enough for the magic to begin.
And that starts with getting through day 1.

Wishing you all the best for your recovery and sobriety.
BB

Muffin2

Today for me day nr 1 again as well. But how long does it take before the magic really works? At some occasions I have been sober for 7 months and still relapsed. Can't understand how fast we forget the negative things about drinking. After a while I always seems to minimize the problem ...

least

Welcome to the family. Extreme anxiety is one of the symptoms of withdrawal. It gets better the longer you're sober. I hope our support can help you get sober for good.