SoberTraveller

Hi Guys,

I'm on my second go at sobriety after walking through the doors of AA 1 year ago today.

I achieved 164 days last year and then got ahead of myself and had a drink. First bender resulted in me in a Spanish Jail cell, the second bender a few weeks later, an Indonesian hospital. Enough was enough and got back in the rooms and now on Day 160.

Now while I'm coping with not picking up a drink and my obsession for it slowly going away, the anxiety and depression seems to be at an all time high and my general well being is awful. I have muscle tension, headaches and fatigue all the time. Ive cleaned my diet and exercise regular enough but I feel flat and battling with anxiety and self esteem issues constantly.

Anybody felt like this with nearly 6 months sobriety?

Dee74

Hi Sober Traveller - Welcoem

I know its an obvious question but have you considered seeing a Dr about your depression and anxiety?

D

FreeOwl

I felt all sorts of emotional struggle the first year of sobriety.

I agree with D, speak with your Dr.

For me it was tolerable with exercise and meditation and therapy and time and patience. But in Year 4 I finally did decide a seasonal SSRi was worth a try....

In any case don’t drink and keep doing the active work of recovery. Just ‘not drinking’ can leave us with all sorts of things not being tended to.

Gottalife

I felt exactly like that before I went to AA, and while going to AA and not working the steps. The only difference was that I could not last 160 days before getting so incomfortable I returned to the old solution. 21 days was all I could manage.

Just don't drink no matter what, and going to meetings, was not sufficient to bring me relief.

02022018

I would see your doctor. Stopping drinking is not always the magic bullet to stop anxiety and depression.

SoberTraveller

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses.

Yes, I actually went this week and he said that maybe see a psychologist and or SSRI. Now ive been on SSRI before as i suffered with depression and anxiety since I was a kid but I never liked them. Probably because I never stopped drining and using on them, so been reluctant to go back on but its affecting me day by day now. Alcohol and booze were my solution previously and after 23 yrs of drinking and then stopping, my anxiety has come back with a vengeance and then some. I am so tense at times my body is in pain from subconciously being in stress positions. Its horrendous.

My back ground is 37 yr male and heavy binge drinker/drug user. Could do 1-3 months off no problem to detox, but was just waiting for it to end so I could get back on it. I wouldn't even class these periods as sobriety, they were just breaks as I physically needed to abstain. In these times I practically never done anything social. Again, fuelling my social anxiety to feel I had to drink in certain situations.

MindfulMan

There are other solutions besides SSRIs for depression. It could also be bipolar depression. Cognitive therapy is a non-med tool as well

A good psychiatrist with experience with both mood and substance use disorders would be a great resource