NeilJ

Hi all,

I just passed 10 weeks sober and have been troubled by issues that were actually not a problem earlier, even though I was hammered every day for the last year.

Though my head feels clear, I feel well rested, have been exercising regularly and am losing weight, etc etc... I have trouble recalling words- for example finding a synonym for a word, I have had minor instances of dizziness, I have started exhibiting symptoms of dyslexia- mixing up word order in a sentence, remembering names/places/times, etc. Individually, none are particularly damaging, but collectively, I actually feel as if my mental capacity has decreased since becoming sober. If they continue I will go see a doctor, but I thought I'd check here to see if anyone else has experienced anything similar. All the threads I have seen refer to people experiencing better mental capabilities following sobriety.

Thanks in advance for any response.

Boleo

Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms - Relapse Prevention Strategies

happybeingme

Hi Neil,
Your symptoms are absolutely normal. I still have occasional problems like that and I have three years. In the beginning it was so bad I thought I had brain damage. It's not. Your brain is just trying to fix itself. Be patient. I noticed the more I focused on the problem the worse it got. Just try to go with it. It will improve.

FeenixxRising

If it continues, see your doctor. It may have nothing to do with alcohol and it could be another medical issue altogether.

sugarbear1

it is not long term, at least it wasn't for me, but it was quite annoying.

then I couldn't do simple arithmetic in my head, that was also short term.

NeilJ

Seems like my original reply didn't get posted...

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to all of you for offering suggestions & support. :-)

NightsWatch

This. When I first started noticing similar mental issues, I became very anxious. The more I struggled, the more I would focus on it, and I would struggle even more. Then I came here and I read other people's experiences that gave me some level of reassurance that it would go away. I'm not 100% yet, but letting things happen in their own time has taken a lot of the anxiety away, which in turn has helped with those simple mental tasks.

cakehat

Yes, I had that brain fuzz. Couldn't reach words. I knew what I meant but it was like the section of my brain between a thought and forming a word was under a blanket. It has cleared up (after one year and five months sober). But ANOTHER SIMILAR QUESTION FOR ANYONE READING THIS THREAD:

I want to know if anyone has experienced this weird, hard-to-describe mental "trip" is really the only way I can explain it. I first starting getting it a year or so before I quit drinking. Then after I quit, it increased in regularity until I had about 8 or so months sober. Its so hard to describe, mostly because part of "it" is not being aware of what I'm thinking the second after I think, but in essence this:

Your going along like normal and then all of the sudden your brain freezes like its on the verge of a deja vu....you start hearing a sentence or "reading it" in your mind. Perhaps its a situation you're recalling. And you suddenly can't tell if its actually happening right then or if its all in your head. And you start to talk to whomever is near, trying to explain what's happing or asking if what is going on in your head was just said/is happening/is on TV right then, etc...and the person you are talking to cannot understand you. You remain fuzzed and confused. unable to form a solid thought for a while and then you kind of slide out of it. with no memory of what you were thinking. what it was that you heard or saw in your head. It's like maybe something that was said or that you saw triggered some weird loop in your brain and then you disassociate? It's also like having hazy memories of something and being totally uncertain of what they are or if they are memories or just happening that moment...

Sometimes, I'm certain i hear a sentence or see it in my head and then it defies time and comes to me right then on the radio or on the TV I'm watching. I know this sounds completely crazy, but it definitely feels like time gets screwy and I can't tell if I just heard something or thought it and then heard it--almost like it dropped into my brain before it came on the radio...like I'm some kind of clairvoyant. I of course don't believe that. Just want to know if anyone else has had this and if so, perhaps its a side effect of heavy drinking and now my brain is rewired odd and working out the kinks?

--signed Sounding Like A Crazy Person

ghostdad

Cake - I knew you were going to post that.

My brain is playing tricks on me too - I am in early recovery. Please let me know if you get any vibes on today's lottery numbers.

SoberLeigh

I experienced 'fuzzy brain syndrome' for a full six months before it gradually started to clear up. Hang in there, Neil, and congrats on 10 sober weeks.

sickofthiscrap

Yes, yes, yes. Struggling to find a word was very common for me in the first couple of months. It seems to be going away now.

Sioux

Yes, had it in the early days after giving it up. I have had it since. I suspect it will come again. Routine became important - putting the keys in the same place when I walk in the door has been a big help. Journal, smile, read, learn the joy of not speaking until it passes.

Rutheb79

Thank you, Boleo, for the website link; a good site, informative and professional.