newbie here (to the forum and pretty new to sober life too)
Been 3 1/2 months now and to be honest most of the time since i admitted my problem to myself (everybody else in my life knew) it has been pretty good. but there are times like now (its 4.30am here) where I cant sleep and the old thoughts of "wtf, a couple will chill me out and help me sleep" come rushing back.
A meeting would be good round about now but get the feeling we dont have any at this time of day here......lol, so I prayed and prayed for the strength to remember why I quit in the first place and low and behold the thought of a message board entered my mind.......and here I am......thank you HP.
this site does indeed seem like the next best thing to a live meeting, and can see myself visiing here often
Welcome, this too shall pass, what I do sometimes is pretend I drank and just woke up, that feeling of shame, guilt and I can almost feel the hangover, then I remind myself I didnt drink and that I dont have to feel that way.. do anything else, anything but take that first drink, you can do it!!!
__________________
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
I also have serious insomnia problems and the middle of the night is when I most need a meeting. Most areas have a 24-hour AA hotline where alcoholics sign up to do shifts and someone (should) always answer, even at 4:30am. Next time, call and talk to the person who answers about how you feel. You will be surprised atwhat a relief it can be. Just Google "AA 24-hour hotline [your nearest metropolitan area]".
Welcome Lufc! I can hear my Sponsor: this is temporary and will get better. It took time and some work; but as I worked The Program: Meetings, Sponsor, Steps, HP & Helping Others my racing thoughts quieted down and when my head hits the pillow now it's usually lights out.
Whats your Program look like? Maybe we can share some experience in that area...
What helped me alot in the first few month when I could'nt shut off the brain is reading.I never picked up a book before I got sober ,but now I like to read things that inspire me.It takes time to change our thinking but the steps and fellowship will help;WELCOME ,KEEP COMING BACK AND DON'T DRINK!!!!1
I have a document on ACUPRESSURE to treat insomnia if you would like to give that a try. I believe all the answers are in the Big Book however, I did have a friend who didn't sleep for days and after she tried acupressure, she slept for 14 uninterrupted hours. She has never stopped thanking me.
For me personally, I meditate before bedtime. In meditation, I sit with God and I let go. During my divorce however, I had a hard time getting quiet and letting go! So I tried a FENG SHUI cure: sit a fresh glass of water on your night stand and sprinkle rock salt on the floor, circling your bed. (Works for me to just use a bowl of rock salt on my night stand too.) It was explained to me, that since water and salt are natural cleansing purifiers from the earth, they naturally remove the negative energy in the room, and help me to sleep. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER OR USE THE SALT AFTERWARDS.
If you would like the document on Acupressure, please PM your email addy to me and I will gladly send it to you. (I also have a document on Acupressure for Panic Attacks as well........)
-- Edited by gladlee on Monday 31st of January 2011 12:39:27 PM
-- Edited by gladlee on Monday 31st of January 2011 12:51:05 PM
-- Edited by gladlee on Monday 31st of January 2011 01:30:53 PM
How much coffee are you drinking? :) When I started going to meetings I drank gallons of coffee, even late at night, and didn't make the connection as to why I wasn't sleeping well! DUH! lol
What works for me is to switch to decaf after 4pm, or drink herbal decaf tea, take a rejuvinating walk after a healthy, well balanced dinner, focus on my breathing, read the big book or 12 and 12 in the bathtub (don't drop it), meditate for a good 20 minutes, pray, then sleep like a cute cuddly baby!
Good luck, friend! I think it's common to suffer from sleep issues in the first several months sober. Don't worry about it! You will most likely get all you need. Heather
LUFC, Welcome! I came here as a newcomer (at around 60some days) myself for the same reason pretty much. That was over 2 years ago. This board did serve to keep me connected to other alcoholics at times when there was no meeting.
Specific to your sleep problem...Yeah, it took me a while to get normal sleep back too. Here is one thing that helped me: I reminded myself that I used to function on no sleep and with a badass hangover most of the day, so lack of sleep was not going to kill me, but getting drunk was. The worst part of insomnia is worrying about not sleeping.
I saw others address caffiene and smoking too and that was a huge part of my initial sleep problems (as was depression....I mean you are only 3 months from hitting bottom so that would be normal too).
In any case, thanks for reaching out and hope to hear more from you.
Mark
__________________
Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
Yeah I guess I should have offered some of my tips as a lifelong insomniac: - Do not have any caffeine (remember tea and coke have caffeine) - Do at least 30 minutes of card every day, preferably in the morning - Expose yourself to sunlight or bright light early in the morning - Don't watch TV or use the computer for at least an hour before bed - Read quietly with low light on before bed - Sleep in a completely dark room, if noises wake you up use earplugs - try listening to a guided meditation CD as you go to sleep - Try melatonin, let it dissolve under your tongue rather than swallowing it - Try a warm bath in the evenings - Try doing a yoga DVD in the evenings or your own stretching routine
