Hi Shedcrazy, well done for taking this step ! Are you getting to plenty of meetings?
Have you seen the book 'living sober' ? There are some good practical tips in there for the early days, weeks and months...
From my experience I can say that when I was drinking I NEVER had a good nights sleep, id have very intermittent sleep, perhaps getting knocked out from booze for a few hours then waking up every hour/every few hours. When I stopped, I personally had about 2 weeks of struggling to sleep or eat properly and people kept saying it gets easier with time... and it certainly does !! After a month I had the best sleep I ever had, sleeping solidly for most of the night, deep and refreshing sleep - so please know that you will get there!
When I was struggling though, I didn't want to take any medication for it, but I did try some herbal remedies to help me sleep and other general sleeping tips like going to bed the same time each night, avoiding daytime naps, getting in a routine, warm milk at bed time, warm lavender bath, etc.etc they helped...
I think overall its just very important and useful to take this time to really look after yourself. Take it easy. Make sure you are eating well and enough good foods, and perhaps take some gentle exercise ? I found it all helped.... hope this helps and all the best with it, just try not to be too hard on yourself, its a process of recovery and it just takes a little bit of time...
Man, thanks for the reply. Funny, I already use melatonin and velarian root to sleep and this is in conjunction with drinking myself to sleep. My sleep is a wreck and has been masked by alcohol for the last 4-5 years. Now the wreck will be back. uugggh. I have yet to go to a meeting as I have just made my decision. I know where two clubs are and will be going. I was in AA for 6 years, 11 years ago. The last chip I got was my 6 year chip. Figured I had her wooped and it sure seemed as if I did. I was doing pretty great till about 1 1/2 years ago. Drinking till i was "lit" every night. Panic attacks began and work performance has gone in the dumper.
well good for you for getting back ! yep - I had all the panic attacks when I was drinking - in fact most days were just one big long panic attack! but thank god that it all behind me now Im on the path... you can get some pretty good herbal teas to help with sleep too - I think contains valerian and chamomile? Hopefully, in the grand scheme of things it won't take too long to get your sleep back on track... good luck ! and try not to get too stressed about it, cos I know when i have, it just makes it worse !!
I too had a little bit of a hard time sleeping after I stopped drinking but it got better after time. I take antidepressants now and it has been helping me to sleep well. I was a little bit scared too when I stopped drinking. I was never depressed though. I think my depression was worse when I was drinking because alchohol is a depressant and only made me feel bad about myself. I have a good self image now and have been more positive then ever.
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You have to live life to the fullest because you don't know what you got till it's gone.
long term, I am not concerned with depression. The immediate term, I am. I am on the good side of confidence and self image but it's that nagging void in the pit of your belly that I am reffering to. Maybe depression is the wrong word to use.
I can definitely see depression becoming an issue very soon if I do not stop drinking. I'm already building anxiety and have had panic attacks.
Just curious, what are the antidepressants for if you are not depressed? Another use?? sleepy time stuff?
Hellos Shedcrazy and welcome to the board. You will lose some sleep in the first few days of withdrawal from alcohol. Sleep when you can. Avoid caffeine and sugar. Try and eat 3 good meals, get some exercise, drink lots of water. You can try in eat foods that are high in trytophan, a natural sedative found in turkey and other good foods.
My psychiatrist, who is the main Doctor that has always dealt with my alcoholism put me on trazodone the second day of my detox/sobriety. I have been on it ever since. She says that it is no-addictive. It is cheap (at my pharmacy it is on the $4/30 days list) and has woked well. I too have some major sleeping problems.
Hello, for myself, and my sleeping problems seemed to revolve around the people I hurt in some way or another. When (in the beginning) I finally feel asleep I would dream about all of them and for me I had to confront them, write letters, do whatever I could to get that off my heart and my mind. That helped me I hope it will help you.
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Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is!
In my first month I had constant cravings for water. I would drink water glass after glass. People told me to keep sugar on hand to deal with cravings when I had them, but that made no sense to me at all. It was not until about 2 months that I suddenly got mad sugar cravings out of nowhere. I did not sleep normal for about 2 or 3 weeks and have had ongoing issues here and there at times, but not so bad. I always remind myself that I used to drink until 4 am then go to work with a bad ass hangover and would make it through the day somehow (even though it sucked). Knowing that, I also know I can make it through a day on 4 hours sleep sober if I have to and that is even easier. Thankfully I found someone early on in meetings that was there to talk to nightly to help me through the detox phase and that helped a lot too. Depression and anxiety socked me in the face too but that was a combination of things...Mourning the end of a 7 year relationship, moving into a place of my own for the first time in my life, having a long history of periodic bouts with depression and anxiety which runs in my family, and getting sober all at once. Thankfully, however depressed I was or am in a day 99 percent of the time I feel better after I go to a meeting and I know picking up alcohol this time will just extend any depression I have. I also dropped 50 pound FAST...but that was okay cuz I needed to lose that weight anyhow. Part of that was from not being able to eat for a bit. What I had was a rock hard alcohol gut...not flab. I looked pregnant and bloated all the time and that went away very fast. You know a lot of this stuff already though because you've done this before. I commend your courage and I do think it will be easier for you because I'm sure the tools you picked up in your sobriety earlier will come back much faster than having to learn them fresh...perhaps one of the few benefits from coming off a relapse from AA.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
shedcrazy- The last time I quit drinking I had a horrible time with lack of sleep. While I was drinking, I had two great fears- not sleeping/running out of alcohol..when I quit drinking my fears were- not sleeping/going crazy. I used melatonin as well and it helped a little but ultimately it wasn't the answer. Many nights in those first 15-20 days, I would consider drinking so I could sleep but an AAer told me- "No one ever died from not sleeping, but plenty have from picking the bottle back up"...and he was right. It just takes time my friend..take some comfort in knowing that your fighting the good fight and you just have to go through this phase...think of it as another memory that will keep you from going back out. Instead of lying awake and being angry about it (i would get soooo pissed) or worrying about it, just get up and write, or read, or just watch a movie...I learned there was no sense in "trying" to sleep until i was just completely exhausted...that was my experience. We've all been sleepless and scared so don't worry about it...congrats on your new path to sobriety!
PS- Chocolate milk helped me in those early days (and still does) with craving and seemed to help me fall asleep a little quicker.
-- Edited by Dodsworth on Wednesday 3rd of June 2009 11:11:54 AM
I am 4 days sober, now. Cravings are as heavy as ever. I went through withdrawls but I think most are done. My liver started to really hurt but not today.
Haha, yeah, I look pregnant, too. fucking beer. why couldnt i have been hooked on vodka. I am able to wear my wedding band again. swelling is going down enough to slip it back on AND off.
all in all I am doing pretty well. got a sponsor immediately, thanks to him, not me. been to two meetings so far and am reading my big book.
I was in AA once before and had 6 years before relapse. I am happy to be back working the program
