I have been sober for over a year, since then I have started smoking and overeating. At the beginning of my recovery I suffered depression and fatigue, this is still the case. I don't understand what is happening to me or what I can do
Hi Thanks, It's common for folks to switch addictions. Trying to find balance in your life is important. The basics of a good sleep scedule (take naps if you have to to make your 8 hours a day). 3 healthy meals and some exercise (which is the #1 treatment for depression- aerobic exercise). Getting to meetings daily when you are going through a rough path and to keep from doing so. We're never out of the woods, and getting to a year is great, but it takes time (a few years one day at a time) to get really comfortable with our sobriety. How does your meeting schedule/ relationship with a sponsor/ involvement with the fellowship look like?
Welcome to the family,Thanks.yes unfortunately we are obsessive/compulsive people.During my 1st 2 years of recovery I switched from using ALCOHOL and hanging and dealing in the environment to gambling on thoroughbred race horses, another compulsion I acquired at an early age.Although I was making sporadic meetings I was doing 'NO WORK".I really struggled for years before I began not just staying sober and abstinent but actually working the process.This disease is always with us Its an uphill journey,without effort we slide back down the hill but the progression of thedisease is ongoing "even during abstinence!!We suffer pHysically,spiritually and mentally!I would suggest getting around people in recovery,remember where you came from and refocus on 'WHAT YOU DID TO STAY IN 'RECOVERY"Stick around let us know how your doing.Its good you can "see yourself coming" but now I can only suggest you seek the solutions.. Hope to hear back from ya!!
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Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
I might have learned something new here and got an answer for why I picked up other compulsions to fill the time I didn't spend drinking? Hmmmmmm I may be abstinent from alcohol but not from the compulsion to put other thing in my mouth to keep me occupied. Thanks...Thanks for the thread...gonna do some inventory work on it and will come back with a discovery hopefully.
Jerry is right I think. Orally Fixated would be the term and it applies here for many of us I think. As far as the overeating thing...my best solution (other than exercise like Dean said) would be just to switch up the things you overeat on to healthier things. I wolf down lots of cereal...it would not be the best thing for me, but it's better than cheeseburgers...raisins, yogurt...whatever. And yes, they are high in sugar, but it's alright for now.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
There's a longtimer up here that says substitution is like switching seats on the Titanic. The end result is the same. And we all know what happened to the Titanic.
One of my favorite lines is "If one works this good, just think what ten will do."
Dear Thanks, Your problem is a common one, I'm afraid. Once sober I discovered the joy of chocolate and caffeine--two substances that had never played much of a role in my life until then. I did other things in excess---spending, working, smoking, etc. It was all in an effort to fill the emptiness; I could never get enough. I responded to a visceral urge and thought I had no choice but to answer it. I have since quit drinking coffee, quit smoking cigarettes, developed more responsible spending habits, and recognized that work will not love me back. I've had to readjust my barometer, so to speak, and acquire a different definition of normal. Just as I eventually denied the call of alcohol, I have gradually stopped trying to get my "fix" from other external sources. I try to fill myself from within. You've received some good practical advice re: diet, exercise, mtgs, etc. My tendency to over-indulge (in what ever) is usually my cue that I'm not quite centered. It's an inside job.
-- Edited by murrill on Friday 12th of February 2010 03:15:02 PM
There's a longtimer up here that says substitution is like switching seats on the Titanic. The end result is the same. And we all know what happened to the Titanic.
One of my favorite lines is "If one works this good, just think what ten will do."
Have a great day unless you got other plans.
Couldn't have put it better myself. God knows how many of us try to replace the booze with something 'less harmful' cos we figure anything's better than drinking eh? It's only when we realise that the one true thing which is better than drinking AND will lead to a happy, joyous and free life - the 12-step recovery programme - is staring right at us, practically screaming at us 'Hey dude, over here!!'
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Serenity is Wanting what you have, not having what you want
Always remember non-alcoholic beers are for NON-ALCOHOLICS
For me, when all else failed, I also saw my doc...who is knowledgible enough about alcoholism, mental/emotional issues, heath issues etc., & aware of what he does not have expertise in (equally important) ...and he pointed me in several right directions. For me, that turned out to be the right way to go...in addition to, and in support of, my step programs. Some of my issues were related to the post-acute withdrawal process and early recovery, but others have a life of their own and are not tied to the "quality" of my recovery. But the key to teasing out which is which is having a very knowledgible health practicioner...just any 'ol doc won't necessairily do.
I Have been suffering from depression before and after I got sober 5 years ago. Last March 11 months ago I quit smoking again I'm 20 pounds larger than I should be and my daughter is getting married in June.
I can buy a bigger suit for the wedding but I can't have a drink, because I do not want too!!
Cunning, Bavelling and Powerful. I spelled bavelling wrong twice now but I'm human.
The booze will play games with your mind for awhile until you keep reinforcing your own mind that you do not need a drink.
Speak up at your next meeting and get this off your chest it helps. I used to see a psychatrist for my drinking and depression.
AA enabled me to get sober not the doctor!! But I now see the doctor for my depression and my depression only which he can help me with.
I stay active in AA because of the fellowship and I fully understand without my meetings I will drink again.
Talk it out again and again it helps but a drink will not make it any better. See a doctor for your depression and s/he can help.
