Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

[patrice]

Hi all,

I know there are a few of us here at around the same stage. I've been feeling very positive the last few weeks and haven't struggled much with thoughts of drinking. I am using all strategies at my disposal ( supplements of all kinds, eating very well, moderate exercise, mindfulness, MWO, changes in routine etc)

But the last couple of days, I've been feeling so flat and unengaged, just going through the motions. There hasn't been any catalyst these past few days, everything has been going fine..!

Has anyone else had / having these feelings at 3 weeks off the booze?

Hope your'e all having a great day!
Patrice

I should be feeling really good now?

[199days]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

patrice;1377003 wrote: Hi all,

I know there are a few of us here at around the same stage. I've been feeling very positive the last few weeks and haven't struggled much with thoughts of drinking. I am using all strategies at my disposal ( supplements of all kinds, eating very well, moderate exercise, mindfulness, MWO, changes in routine etc)

But the last couple of days, I've been feeling so flat and unengaged, just going through the motions. There hasn't been any catalyst these past few days, everything has been going fine..!

Has anyone else had / having these feelings at 3 weeks off the booze?

Hope your'e all having a great day!
Patrice

I should be feeling really good now?

Pretty standard, I am 8 months off the booze and can still feel like this.

But I also am getting great feelings, like I am beginning to see through the fog.

Your body will take a long time to re adjust, I was drinking for 25 years plus, my brain has been soaked in a ghastly poison called alcoHELL for a long long time.

I see 8 months as really nothing in sobriety considering the amount of time I was drinking, think its going to take a lot longer for me to really feel good.

Grind these feelings out, going back will give you what ?

Absolutely nothing.

[Guitarista]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

Amen Molly and 199.

Stick with it Patrice! You're doing great.

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

[QUOTE=199days;1377007

Your body will take a long time to re adjust, I was drinking for 25 years plus, my brain has been soaked in a ghastly poison called alcoHELL for a long long time.

I see 8 months as really nothing in sobriety considering the amount of time I was drinking, think its going to take a lot longer for me to really feel good.

Grind these feelings out, going back will give you what ?

Absolutely nothing.
I totally agree with you 199. I have drunk heavily for 23 years and was working my way up to it for years before. I reckon 2--3 years before normality will properly return.

I quit for 9 weeks last October for the first time and am now on day 12. I am really observing everything this time as I intend it to be the last time!

A question to you both ....... Have you noticed that days when you feel really crap and tetchy are ALWAYS followed by a day when you feel so much better?

My theory is that detox and recovery are a stepped not linear process. The body releases toxins and/or rewires the brain in chunks or steps.

To those still not accepting of lifelong sobriety these days are perceived as 'craving', but to me craving is just our brain 'knowing' from years of drinking that these horrible feelings can be eradicated by taking alcohol.

If we drink in response to these intermittent detox days we will push the body, mainly the liver, backwards into alcohol processing mode. This gives us temporary relief and deludes us into thinking we CANT quit.

If I am right we should welcome these shitty days as a sure sign that our brains and bodies are shifting up another notch in the recovery process. They are frequent at the beginning of sobriety and become less and less frequent and this is what we describe as PAWS.

So Patrice, in answer to your question , I believe you are feeling flat because today is a detox/rewire day for you . Tomorrow you will feel a LOT better ....... As long as you do not drink.

BTW ...... How many years did you drink for and how much? If you don't mind me asking?

KY

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

And hi Molly and Mr G ...... Nice to see ya

[Guitarista]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

kuya;1377014 wrote:

To those still not accepting of lifelong sobriety these days are perceived as 'craving', but to me craving is just our brain 'knowing' from years of drinking that these horrible feelings can be eradicated by taking alcohol.

If we drink in response to these intermittent detox days we will push the body, mainly the liver, backwards into alcohol processing mode. This gives us temporary relief and deludes us into thinking we CANT quit.

Hiya KY,

Your above hypothesis is fairly spot on in my experience and from all i've read on the subject. For me, my body thinks it needs alcohol as a fuel to survive, so my brain sends out the cravings in order for me to seek the stuff out. But! Once we re-wire, re-train our bodies/brains that alcohol is not the preferred fuel, and is not normal, and in fact a poison, and we give ourselves nutritious fuel, then the cravings become less frequent. This has been my experience anyway.

Rock on Patrice!

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

Guitarista;1377038 wrote: . But! Once we re-wire, re-train our bodies/brains that alcohol is not the preferred fuel, and is not normal, and in fact a poison, and we give ourselves nutritious fuel, then the cravings become less frequent. This has been my experience anyway.

Rock on Patrice!

Also G do you think there is an added factor for many who spend the good days feeling deprived and envying those who ARE drinking then,when there is anoccasional bad day of genuine detox (to my mind a sure sign that we are getting better) it is just the last straw for those unhappy in sobriety. Instead of being able to celebrate these odd days of feeling shitty As signs of recovery..... They drink.

I suddenly felt terrible last night at 6pm, food didn't fix it nor anything else, it was like I was coming down with something. It took till 3am to pass and then I slept for only 4 hours! Today I felt bloody fabulous, on top of the world and I know it was not because I had wanted to drink, and fought it.......... Because THAT thought NEVER crossed my mind ..... I believe the shitty feeling was a detox leap, my body and brain were clearing stuff and it made me feel ill.

So much of recovery is about perception and mindset. So chin up, Patrice you are probably in for a rocking day tomorrow. Let us know.

KY

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

Hey Molly you still there?

[patrice]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

Great replies
Thanks Kuya - a fellow countrywoman Kia ora! I have been drinking for 25 years, the last 15 of which heavily and I'm 49... (stopped for 9 months when pregnant 7 yrs ago). your post is excellent

Thanks Molly - yours too! and G - your encouragement is really valued.
I will keep going and suddenly I feel much better about today and tomorrow!
x
Patrice

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

InI the words of Auckland yehya !!!!!!!

Fantastic mate, fantastic

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

So are you in NZ or expat somewhere?

[Guitarista]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

kuya;1377044 wrote: Also G do you think there is an added factor for many who spend the good days feeling deprived and envying those who ARE drinking then,when there is anoccasional bad day of genuine detox (to my mind a sure sign that we are getting better) it is just the last straw for those unhappy in sobriety. Instead of being able to celebrate these odd days of feeling shitty As signs of recovery..... They drink.

Yes, yes, and yes KY. That has been my experience. So! I cultivate a gratitude mindset. Gratitude thinking over deprivation thinking. I do find that i need my mind and some logic to take control of my feelings and lazy AL thoughts when they arise, and remind myself of where the first drink always leads me. It'll lead me to a quiet little spot somewhere, where i'll just sip away happily on my own till stumps. Thing is, i'll want to do it the next day, and the next etc, then all day.......so i know very well where it leads me, and the evidence can't be ignored. I'm not interested in getting back on the merry go round again. It soon leads to hell. As well as a gratitude mindset, I also work on my self respect and self love, and really try to look after myself and value who i am and what i can become. My alcohol abuse is self abuse.

[kuya]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

Ditto to that G....... NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN

[jenniech]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

hey kuya...thanks SO MUCH for leading me to this thread!!! What an awesome way to think about bad days....And you are so right. I am not the happiest person being sober, even on a good day so when bad days come, things can get dangerous for me. Your theory is going to HELP ME SO MUCH on bad days....it isn't really a bad day! IT is a marvelous day because I am getting better! And I have hope and faith that soon I will be a very happy sober person...on good days and bad days. I just need to retrain the brain. I mean, if I think about it, I have been drinking since I was 14 and past 3 or so years drinking a bottle of wine a night (I am 48)...that is 34 years of drinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost feel like I am going through a rebirth....

And as far as sleep goes, geesh, I am having trouble waking up too early (like 4am) So I get up and read one of the many books I have purchased about recovery.

Anyway, thank you SO SO much!!!!!!!!!
:l:thanks::h

[allankay]

Into week 4 and feeling... flat and glum??

Hello Patrice,

I know how you feel. On one hand I experience more energy, great improvement in my senses, particularly smell and taste. However, on the other hand, the emotional roller coaster really gets me down. Yesterday I was feeling happy and excited. Confident and grateful for 12 days AF. But today a feeling of sadness and loneliness hit me for no reason. What is strange, that the weather is nice and sunny, I am surrounded by people but feel like a schmuck ???!?!?!?

ALLAN