DaleF

Just completed a brutal four day medical detox. The facility I went to for detox felt like prison. Saw the doctor each day for less than 30 seconds. The meds they gave me helped with the shakes, but other than that I felt like I was in jail. In hindsight, I should have done more research. The place has terrible reviews.

Today I don't have anxiety as much as 100s of thoughts about what I need to do next. Like I'm trying to solve all my problems right now. I'm guessing this is normal, but just felt like sharing.

I think this time might finally be it for me and my drinking career, and it makes me sad. And scared. I really love to drink. Six days sober today.

biminiblue

...and exhilarated (!?!?)

Congratulations on taking back your life, and welcome to the site. Speedy/spinny thoughts are common in early days. Do the next right thing, stay busy. Breathe. Peace and contentment are yours for the taking if you stay sober. Give it time. It gets so much better.

Do not pick up a drink. That was my #1 Priority in life for the first few months. I did whatever I had to do to make that happen.

ScottFromWI

Congrats on making it through Detox. It's definitely normal to feel scared, and even sad. It's important to remember that our "drinking careers" are much better ended voluntarily. If we continue they eventually end up causing nothing but pain and sorrow for us, and those around us. And quite frankly many times they end death.

There's definitely a lot to think about, most of us have to make massive changes to our lives moving forward - the actual detox process is only the first step. Changing what we do, where we do it and who we do it with are some of the common places to start.

You definitely don't have to change everything today though...it takes time - weeks, months, even years for some people. But the reward is a new sober "career" that will get you farther then you ever could have while you were drinking.

Have you considered follwing a structured recovery plan of any kind? This is a great read if you have not.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...at-we-did.html (Recovery Programs & What to Expect (What We Did))

Horn95

I too enjoy drinking—in moderation. Problem is, I can’t stop when I drink, and it ALWAYS leads to me drinking to more and more to deal with the problems the initial, and continued drinking causes. It truly is a snowball effect.

Heck yeah! In a perfect world, I love a single malt scotch or two. But I can never leave it at that. It just isn’t for me. I now realize that. That is the case for most of us.

Anna

Six days sober is great! I'm sorry the detox place was less than good, but, you achieved what you set out to do.

I think it's important to not get overwhelmed at this point. Like you, my head was spinning with things I needed and wanted to do. I found that making a to-do list for each day/week really helped. I would cross off one or two things each day so I could see progress.

I hope you continue to read and post.

DontRemember

I remember the spinning thoughts/urgency to 'make right' all of my wrongs immediately. F2F meetings got me to calm down a lot on those thoughts in the early days. Just listening to someone share their journey to a happy sobriety made me not feel so confused and all over the place with my thinking. It gave me a more focused feeling.

MindfulMan

Bingo. Good that you recognize this fact and feelings.

My psychiatrist recommended a treatment plan that included inpatient rehab after medical detox. It gives you a safe place to go through the "I'm a scared raw nerve place" following physical withdrawal, as well as some tools to maintain sobriety.

Medical detox alone has a dismal record of continued sobriety.

That's not to say that you can't get sober after detox alone, but I think you need to get into some sort of program with support from other recovering addicts/alcoholics as well as come up with a sobriety plan.

Try to rest and relax as much as possible for now, if you can and have a safe place to do so. But your work has only just begun, and you need help from others. Starting with here. You've already got a community. Use it.

Dee74

Congrats on 6 days Dale - welcome

I was scared and a little sad too - but I'm glad I stuck with this. I love who I am and I love my life now.

I could never say that as a drinker

give yourself a little time to get used to the change

D

least

It's normal to feel so up and down in early recovery. With more sober time, that will pass. It gets so much better if you stick with it.

Hevyn

Welcome, Dale. I'm glad you got through it and can now focus on your new life. Keep talking to us - we all understand & want to encourage you.