Welcome to "MIP". I went through a rough patch in early sobriety -especially with my pending divorce and some serious health concerns, but that didn't deter me from exploring the vast riches of sobriety. I also suffered through some heavy withdrawal symptoms and "acute pancreatitis" early on as well, so it was important for me to get active and reduce my chances at a possible relapse. And "AA" is where that all started for me.
Believe me, it does get better, so stick with it and never give up hope. Recovery hasn't been easy for any of us, but I feel comfortable today unlike my previous life. And that's what matters most of all. I'm sober today by the grace of God and the fellowship of "AA" -in that order, and that's been my mantra ever since. So welcome Kellie, once again. We're looking forward to our daily chats here on "MIP" as we watch you grow into the sober person we all can become.
~God bless~
-- Edited by Mr_David on Wednesday 29th of February 2012 04:35:57 PM
Hello, I am a newly recovering alcoholic. I am thirty four years old and have four children.
I have only been sober fore eight days. I wanted to know what others went through at such an early stage. What they felt physically, emotionally, etc....
Recovering with children, especially young children, seems to be the hardest thing on earth. Are you a stay at home Mom like me? I am soooooooooooooo looking for support in this area. You may not feel like you could be supportive to me, and I don't feel like I could be to you, but just being in the same place is so important... and I've been waiting for you to walk through these "doors".
Thanks everyone for the welcomes!! Tasha, I am not actually in Chicago. I live in one of the suburbs. I have 11 year old triplets and a 6 year old. Yes, I am a SAHM. Where do you live?
Hi Kellie and welcome to the board. You'll probably experience some drastic highs and lows, and you may feel the need to sleep quite a bit. These are normal. It's imperitive that when you feel like drinking you go to a meeting or come here and talk to someone about it. This is a very progressive disease and even though you stop the drinking, it will still be working on your mind for a while. No matter what, DON'T DRINK! it won't help anything.
__________________
"Never make someone a priority who makes you an option"
I recall feeling fragile, yet hopeful because I knew this time I wasn't doing it alone. Physically, every day was different but one thing is for sure, it kept getting better. :)
Welcome to MIP!
__________________
I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
The first five nights, I had the wackiest dreams that made no sense. I was waking up about every hour. I would start crying during the day for no reason. Or, maybe it was the fear of never having another drink. My mood is getting better. The first six day was horrible. One minute I was happy and the next minute I was a irritable Bitch!! My husband and kids have been very understanding about the whole thing. I almost went to a rehab but then thought against it. I did not want to be isolated from my family for 32 days. I've had no contact with my extended family. The embarrassment is still too fresh. My appetite has come back. ( hope I don't gain 30 pounds. ) The first couple of days I had diarrhea. I suppose it was my body cleansing itself. I'm actually urinating during the day on a regular basis. My morning urine is finally not a dark color anymore. I have more energy, but "Sr. Member" is right. I have been wanting a lot of sleep in the last week. I went to bed last night around 10:30 and didn't want to get up by 8:30. I made myself get up. I'm still a mom and I have crap to get done.
Welcome Kellie, it's nice to have you here. I have often felt those mood swings you talk about are simply due to the removal of the chemical alcohol from your system. Alcohol is a depressant and it seems when we stop taking it the first thing that happens is our mood goes up, then it comes down, then it goes up again, swings all over the place. I had a bad time with this in my first rehab when I was about 19 and I tried to persuade the doctors that the whole thing was due to a head injury. They smiled indugently, they knew I just would do anything not to be an alcoholic, even be a certified nutter, as long as I could continue drinking. I wasn't ready to stop that time, but by age 22 I was beat. The mood swings came again in early sobriety but they eased off quite quickly as I kept attending meetings and began to work the steps. I Think I relate to your feelings on rehab too. I had the chance to go to Queen mary hospital which was a very good rehab that practically every new AA member went to in those days, but I did not feel the need to go and my sponsor, who also got sober in AA alone, was understanding about this. Part of my thinking was based on my previous experience with rehab where I quickly learned how to manipulate the system which resulted in self defeat and I feared I would do the same thing again. The proponents of this particular programme made it sound like a holiday complete with golf and horse riding (far from the truth as I later found out) but I thought that a soft option like this sounded would not be good for me. I also had the feeling that I needed to face my responsibilities, not hide from them, and so I decided to carry on.Other than a six week break from work, I tried to just get on with life and immersed myself in AA at every opportunity. It seems to have worked. Now that QMH no longer exists we are seeing more and more AAs recovering without the need for rehab, so it can be done. Just last night at a meeting, I talked to a lady with 4 children, no husband, who has just over 20 months up and she is doing great. You are doing fine as well Kellie, we are glad you are here.
Welcome Home Kellie! I hope you will take a few moments to watch the video at the top of this message board, and you'll stick around here. We're a fun group of people, but underneath it all is the seriousness of recovering from alcoholism.
Hi Kellie - I live in WI. I experience terrible mood swings. I feel like a terrible mother because I can get really irritable with my kids. My kids are young, 5 and 3, so it's very hard to break away from them and give AA the chance it deserves. I don't even get to pee alone, so I NEVER ever have any me time to meditate, or do my readings. And if I do read, and spend time on here, I'm interrupted constantly, so I very seldom finish a thought. I'm hoping you can relate to that, and can tell me, now that your children are a bit older, that this will get better : )
I hope you have a great day, and look forward to talking with you! You can PM me if you'd like!
Tasha, I don't understand the not being able to pee alone...? I am home alone all day. The kids are in school. It is all me keeping myself from driving to the store and buying Vodka.
Ha ha - my kids follow me everywhere. My daughter who is almost 3, still will barge in on me going to the bathroom all the time! LOL All I meant was I don't get a second to myself... not even there! I'm happy for you, that you will have the time home alone to read the big book (have you picked that up yet), and go to meetings, there must be tons of option for those in Chicago! Have you been to a meeting yet? I'm trying to figure out a way to get to day time meetings so that our family time at night isn't jeopardized.
I'm doing fine. I have had a Bible since I was little. I grew up in a very Christian home, but the alcoholism on both sides got a hold of me. My father says he is saved, but I really don't see the love of God in him. He drinks a large bottle of wine every night. I believe he is an alcoholic. My uncle, on my mom's side, drank heavily for 35 years. He cold turkey quit about 5 years ago.
God has been with me all these years but I chose a very bad habit. I'm glad that He is getting me through this along with my mother's prayers and her friends' prayers.
That's great Kellie! The book I was referring to was the AA big book. You can find it online and read it for free. Or you can pick one up at any AA meeting.
Having this disease in your genes seems really unfair at first, but you may find it to be a blessing in disguise as you grow with AA. Sounds weird now I'm sure. You did not choose a bad habit, you were born with a serious disease. It's medically recognized, and there is help here and at meetings. The big book will be a real eye opener, I hope you find it!
Hope to hear how your day is going again tomorrow : ) Tasha
