dwtbd

I think it varies from person to person and consistent with whatever bio/physical damage ethanol caused and what if any medical remediation is required.

But by and large it is analogous and scalable to say a cold/flu: you know when you are starting one , and have relative timeframe in mind of the duration ie a couple of days, if during the first day you concentrate on waiting to feel normal it will probably exacerbate the way you feel that day. But like a week later you realize you felt better every day to a degree and it just strikes you all of a sudden you feel all the way normal. It be hard to say when exactly that happened , right? like hmm last night at 8 was my throat still scratchy ? gone at 9:08 ? It's like that , for the most part .

The piper will collect his due, but nothing sucks forever , again congratulations on your decision, rootin for ya

Kdon853

Delilah1

Congrats on 11 days, that's fantastic!

AtomicBlue

Great work! Keep it going!!!

My sleep was all over the place for maybe 3 months. I decided it didn’t matter though because generally felt less tired overall compared to when I was drinking.
I did start losing weight pretty early. However this greatly varies with each person. Some people tend to replace alcohol with sweets and gain weight. I wouldn’t focus on weight though. Whatever it takes to get through at this stage. No matter your weight you’ll be much healthier than when you were drinking.

Congratulations on your great progress

Broncosys

Don't sweat the sleep 5329guy. It will be the last thing to return to "normal" in your life. Tired but clear headed is infinitely better than toxic and sick after an 11-hour beer coma. I tell folks to seize those night moments. Appreciate being able to be awake in the night and know exactly what is going on, know that you aren't going to feel like **** in the morning, know that when you rise to meet the day, the day is now SO much longer than it used to be. So much more life to be lived every day. Hours and hours. Even in the dead of night, you are present and clear headed and feel free I'll bet. Let that be a source of happiness and gratitude. When I am awake at night, I feel thankful for those moments. By the way, the way you planned your quit was pretty amazing. I will forward your post and plan to others as just one more way to get at it.

Broncosys

One more thought, I think your weight and health issues are due to being malnutritioned and very soon those things will begin to change rapidly. My guess is that your body was metabolizing only alcohol and getting rid of anything else you ate as superfluous. Once your body was forced to start processing food again, it probably went into bunker mode as your pancreas and stomach weren't quite sure what the *** was going on. I think you'll see in the next few weeks those things start to normalize too. I remember 2 weeks or so for all of the systems to start working together again.

least

It took me a few weeks before I started feeling better. Not that I was feeling crappy all the time, it went up and down. But I started feeling decent for real around a month or two sober.

Around three months I was still feeling a little 'flat', uninterested in life. It was suggested to me that I start practicing gratitude every day. Every day think of at least one thing you're grateful for. Besides a more positive attitude, it can make you happier.

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

5329guy

Exactly Bronco! This really hits home for me. One of the "little things" that I am so very amazed and granteful for in my early recovery is that moment when I first climb into bed (voluntarily). As I mentioned, I used to drink about 15 or so beers, pop an ambien, and eventually zombie-walk to bed each and every night, somehow making it into bed with minimal issues (thank God for that). That was my "going to bed" routine. EVERY NIGHT.

Now, I actually decide, "hey, it's getting kind of late/I'm feeling kind of sleepy from a full day/I should probably get to bed." I typically read a bit, say my prayers (imagine that! I'm coherent enough to pray!!") and, right after turning off the light, relish in an amazing feeling. The feeling of climbing into clean, soft sheets after a long day! I don't know exactly why I find it so enjoyable, perhaps it's because it's a sensation I haven't felt in 15 or so years. It literally sends shivers down my body. Anyway, I really appreciate what you said about being grateful during this time. I'm loving climbing into bed now! (and my sleep is definitely improving even since my last post).

5329guy

I don't know about amazing, but thank you, genuinely. As many (MANY) people pointed out when I first posted my plan here on SR, it's probably not the most appropriate/advisable/realistic way to approach getting sober for a lot of folks, but for me at least, I really liked my chances with it as opposed to just upping and going cold turkey without any sort of prep work. Having said that, however, I realize that only time will tell though. While I found that my time in "pre-covery" was absolutely essential for getting into the right headspace personally, the real work begins with the true "recovery" part of my plan.

Today makes day 18 for me, and I have no intention of taking my foot off of the pedal anytime soon. After all, if it was supposed to be easy I would have gotten and stayed sober decades ago!

Thanks again for your (and everyone's) support here

5329guy

Thanks Least!! You are spot on! My prayers have shifted a lot lately, from asking for things (I still ask to help me stay sober, duh ha) to thanking God for all that he is doing in my life right now, seen and unseen. Just to be able to say thank you for another day of sobriety is more than I could have ever asked for a month, year, or decade ago. Now, I not only get to thank Him for that but for so many other wonderful things that so many in this world are without.

I am going to read the article you linked to now, thank you!

5329guy

Hey All!

Just wanted to drop by and post a very short update.

Today marks 60 days of continuous sobriety! I'm still doing well on the not drinking front (seems as though my subconscious truly was made to believe that I will not, for ANY reason whatsoever, pick up a drink). That part has been easy thus far.

Learning to deal with life on life's terms, trying to rectify/make up for so many years of lost time, and generally just seeing the world (and myself) with a brand new set of eyes, that has been the more challenging part. Anyway, I know it will take time (and a lot of work) to develop and mature my "emotional sobriety", so I just have to be patient and keep putting in the work.

I know that I know that it will all be worth it. It already is in so many different ways.

-Guy

Dee74

Congrats on 60 days Guy

D

least

Congrats on two months sober!

5329guy

Thank you both!