Springforward

I have been sober 50 days, still not feeling good yet?

I am in my mid-fifties, waking up in the morning with stiffness, shoulder muscle pain, anxious, fuzzy thinking, depression.

I was a hard-core daily heavy drinker, a 5th of vodka daily.

I have been eating good, drinking lot's of water, taking a good vitamin, program.

I am not sleeping well, just seem not being able to fully relax.

I seem to be thinking way to much, worried that there something wrong with my health.

I have had a complete physical, blood work , every came back normal, other than mild elevated AST, ALT Liver enzymes.

What are your thoughts, experiences with sobriety?

BDTL

Looks like you are doing a lot of things right however I see one thing missing. If you had a good report from your doc, why not join a gym and work those blues out. Trust me once you get in a routine of going 3 or 4 days a week you will be hooked! Your body will feel MUCH better and your mind will clear. What ever you do don't go back to drinking and put poison back in your body. You only wake up to a serious headache and even more aches. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise and watch that depression move out of town.

soberclover

I found that it took many months for my body and my mind to heal from the excessive drinking. Basically we've been putting a toxin in to our body on a regular basis and it wrecks our body. Healing takes time.

For me, I also found it was sooooo much more then putting the drink down and the right things back in to my body. I drank for a reason...to quiet the nightmare in my mind. I did a lot of reading of recovery literature as well as counseling. And checking in on SR on a regular basis....lots of great information here!

least

I suggest you start practicing gratitude every day. It works wonders and can make you happier.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0

Ghostlight1

Hello.
You drank quite a bit, and congratulations on your sober time.
I'm in my mid-fifties, too. And I still wake up groggy, sore and fuzzy thinking and I've been sober over nine years.

It could be your body adjusting to your sobriety or it may just be the way you feel, like me.
Not everything turned into something great when I quit. I had drank for twenty five years.
With me, maybe it's just the reality of my age. I'm older .I was drunk for a long time I don't know how a person, non-alcoholic is supposed to feel. Perhaps this is it. Dunno
You're not alone, though. As I stated I still go through some of the same things, and I take very good care of myself. Hang in there, it still sure beats drinking and it's side effects.
Best to you.

Dee74

Hi spring forward
I drank hard for around 20 years - I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to feel good again once I quit.

For it took about 90 days to start feeling good again.

Try and be patient - have faith you're doing all the right things

D

Anna

Congratulations on 50 days of sobriety!

I wonder what other changes you've made in your life, along with stopping drinking? Have you started any kind of exercise program or new hobbies? It could be that if you add some fun things to your life, you will begin to feel better.

Delilah1

Congratulations on 50 days!

When I finally got sober for good I made recovery all about healthy choices both physically and emotionally. I made exercise, mindfulness, and self care a part of my recovery plan. I read and post here daily. I try to operate with a positive mindset at all times, even when things are a little bumpy. I have found nature to be something that always helps me feel better, lakes, mountains, beach...

What have you been doing as a support during recovery?

Kdon853

54 yrs old, got some arthritis in my hands painful in the morning. I have 7 months sober. The first 100 or so days were tough mind racing lousy sleep trying to keep myself busy, AA meetings etc. It did get better although I am smoking more and drinking a lot of coffee.
I never have been a great sleeper, getting around 6 hrs a night. I do feel “at ease” though.

AnvilheadII

even without drinking, mid-fifties ain't no picnic.....we're talking 50+ year old parts that just don't work quite the way they used to. then we add in all the stuff we forced our bodies thru, with too much this that and the other thing......

50 days is an awesome achievement! treasure that. but also know, recovery is a process and your body needs more time to heal. it just does.

don't lost hope. don't lose sight of the goal. achy and fuzzy headed is still better than achy and fuzzy headed AND hungover!!! learning to eat well is a very good step in the right direction, but a couple salads or five smoothies does not lead to instant glowing health. we also have to learn to listen to our bodies.....just because the food on the plate is considered healthy and balanced, it might not be exactly what OUR body needs. explore and experiment.

learning to look for the joy and the good in our day is also a process. some days the only thing that gets me into my car for the drive to work is that i get to pick up on my audiobook and find out what happens next. there is something about leaving people in a snowstorm or flooding basement....i can't just "leave" them stranded! LOL

in the Big Book they call it Trudging the Road to Happy Destiny. not skipping, frolicking or cartwheeling. trudge on and you WILL get there!

tekink

After 50 days I didn't feel any better either. I drank everyday for 25 years and it took a solid 6 months to even begin to feel better and a bit over a year to actually feel "good". Now I'm feeling better than I have in decades.

biminiblue

I can tell you that "getting loaded" is not the answer.

The answer is, "Time takes time."

You already have plenty of experience with getting loaded. Give a sound body and mind a good effort and you'll be repaid many times over.

Elevated ALT/AST numbers will not be improved with alcohol, either. They may improve with complete abstinence. I wouldn't chance a downturn in that.