tranquilseeker

i am on day 23 of 0 alcohol. i feel good....much better than when drinking but somehow am not feeling the sheer joy i normally bfeel when i am on the wagon for this long...i am even exercising but somehow can't get that awesome feeling of hope and zest for life I have experienced in the past when sober...i normally lose lots obf weight when i stop drinking for a few weeks...but that is not happening either.

I don't crave a drink.....barely think of it....but can't pull myself out obf this slump and am worried it is going to result in me losing motivation for staying sober....the only motivation now is not having to suffer physically from hangovers...i guess i am facing a depression that had been masked.....it's ok to rest and lick your wounds in these early days right? maybe i am just in that phase.

least

Hang in there! Practice gratitude every day. It gets better.

Dee74

I was barely getting out of bed by day 30 - I think you need to be a little patient

I feared losing enthusiasm and zest was a permanent thing - the price I had to pay - but it wasn't.

I just underestimated the damage I'd done to mind and body.

I started to feel joy and all those other things again after about 3 months - naturally I hope your time will be shorter

D

entropy1964

Congrats on 23 days. Totally normal, the way you are feeling. Sometimes there is a 'pink cloud' sometimes not. When I think about it, the pink cloud is kind of a 'high' so really its more 'dangerous' than not being on one. Eventually the pink cloud pops and reality hits. Feelings are just that, they are as real as I allow them to be. And in early abstinence its usually a bit of a roller coaster. Hang in there. You're doing the hardest part. It will get better provided you don't drink....and it could get worse for a bit too. But it will pass. I try to seek contentment as opposed to happiness because that feeling comes and goes.

August252015

Dee shared my thoughts exactly - I had done such damage that being patient to heal was all I could do, except contribute to the process by not drinking again, starting to eat/eat healthily, work on sleep (and take lots of naps), lots of non-caff bevs....I also started my dedicated AA program so perhaps some kind of action in terms of a program is a great thing to go ahead and do - one, meetings and the like take up at least an hour at a time of your day, and can start to learn how to live in recovery.

Hope to see you around. Best to you.