Would love to hear about your first few months after stopping!

From what I've heard and read, it's so drastically different person to person. Some people feel amazing after two weeks whereas others don't until a few months down the line, longer even. Brain's re-calibrating and whatnot. I'm curious to know when anxiety levels came down, when cravings lessened, when your brain started to come back and the fog started to lift. Whatever else!

I was never a daily drinker but I'd never go more than a couple of days without, and every time I drank to blackout and until I passed out, with it taking less and less drinks to get there. So drinking enough to always be a little or a lot hungover.

The last week or so I feel just brain dead. Having issues stringing a sentence together to be honest. And I feel like I could sleep til 3pm every day. Flat as a pancake.

And I know this is normal for some people at the start! So yeah.. just curious how it was for y'all. Love reading everyone's accounts on here, it's been so fundamental to getting me through the last two weeks. IWNDWYT!

in stopdrinkingby kneejerknao18 days

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nateinmpls

I will share my experience with AA because that's how I've been sober over 12.5 years. I went to AA off and on a couple years before I was ready to get sober. Obviously I didn't abstain more than a few days or a week. I quit going to meetings because I wasn't ready to stop. I drank for a couple more years and in that time I started blacking out daily. When I was sure I really wanted to quit, I returned to meetings.

I don't think I could've done it alone. I made a bunch of friends early in recovery. I was told to call people when I felt like drinking. I made many phone calls early on. My sponsor told me to call a few people every week, so I did that as well. My friends and I got together frequently. We went to shows and did various other activities at bars or other places where liquor was served. I felt like drinking all the time, but I talked about it and got strength from the sober people around me.

I had to open up about my feelings, admit that I was struggling, and listen to the suggestions. I was told to be helpful to others because I can obsess about my feelings, anger, loneliness, etc and that can lead back to drinking. When I focus on other people, I am not thinking about how miserable I may feel or how good a drink sounds.

I like AA meetings, I feel a part of a community. I am able to share my feelings with people who understand. That's important to me because normal drinkers just don't get it. I learned that it's common for problem drinkers to be selfish, self-seeking, resentful, have low self esteem, feel like they don't belong, etc. I found I have more in common with alcoholics than just drinking too much! No matter what I say, people get me.

By learning the things above and how they affect my life, I am able to work on those issues and become a better person. I did that by doing the steps with somebody who had done them before (a sponsor). AA isn't the only way to get sober, but I feel like for me, I have issues that go deeper than getting drunk. I was unable to stop drinking once I started and when I took away the alcohol, all those things that can lead to drinking were still there. I learned that recovery is a continuous process, and I'm actually working through the steps again with another sponsor.

I had mood swings frequently. I would be feeling amazing one minute and the next minute I felt miserable. My friends would bring me to meetings whether I wanted to go or not. I was told that when I don't want to go to a meeting, it's time to go to a meeting. I was told it's important for me to get out of my comfort zone and I agree. If I don't get out of the house and talk, if I don't open up, if I don't listen when people share their experiences, if I don't push myself to try new things, I don't grow as a person.

In time the mood swings improved. My attitude and outlook on life improved. When I got to AA I thought maybe I'd stop for a few months and go back out but one evening something clicked in my head and I realized I can be sober long term. I never picked up a drink after I returned to AA. It was difficult but I have a support network and I've met some really awesome people.

spavolka

2198 days

Thank you for sharing. This is how I’ve been sober for 6 years now.

nateinmpls

You're welcome!