Hello--I'm new here

[skydancer804]

I read My Way Out and discussed the program with my doctor last Monday. One of my cousins told me about this program, and has given me the MWO hypnotherapy tapes. My doctor prescribed Naltrexone, which I started taking 5 days ago. I am finding the tapes, along with the Naltrexone, very helpful. I've found I can get through the day--at least for now--without an overwhelming desire for a drink. BUT--I'm having trouble adjusting to a new way of life, and I have no energy. I don't feel happy about not drinking, but I know that I must. My doctor's orders. I've joined this group in the hope that I'll meet people who are going through the early stages of living free from alcohol, and will be interested in how they feel. Wish me luck! I really need it.

[USMgirl]

Hello--I'm new here

skydancer!....'Love your name!!! I'm certainly not a role model for being/staying sober!!! It's the same ole'/same ole' with me...go a day or too without it (like this week-end) and promise to clean up AND f---up again....(drank Monday night/drank Tuesday night) :damn: But I am on my way to docs office to talk to him about Topamax.....
We've all got to find our own 'no doubt' reason why we must quit....for me, I want to stop poisoning my body....period. Of course there are about a zillion other reasons, but for me, that is my #1.
What is yours?
This program is helping me....the first thing that has in many, many years....keep posting, reading, studying......
Good luck and God Bless.:h

[elainey]

Hello--I'm new here

hello skydancer

nice to read your post, i was reading yours as well. i am feeling the same as you in the aspect of not looking forward to giving the alcohol up. but i know it is making the problems in my life worse. my husband and i had a bingeful thanksgiving weekend as well as this past. i went through alot of withdrawal symtoms. weak, sweaty ,trembling, very hard time sleeping.i felt hopeless monday, today has been a better day for me i feel i am thinking more clearly. let me know how you are feeling....thank you for posting!

[sweetpea]

Hello--I'm new here

:welcome: Skydancer

You have come to the right place because everyone here has been through what you are experiencing right now and know what you are going through

The first few days can be rather bewildering but remember that your body has to get used to a new regime which means getting used to doing without the daily fix of alcohol

I am in my 24th day Alcohol Free which is making me see and realize that I CAN LIVE WITHOUT BOOZE AND BE HAPPY. I have drank everyday for nearly the past 30 years and never in my wildest dreams thought I would survive the day without a drink in my hand. But I have done it and now want to see if I can start moderating or whether I have to make the decision to remain AF for the rest of my life.

Plenty of people on this site have gone from drinking very very heavily to drinking in a moderate fashion so I know it can be done - the jury is out on that one for me as far as I am concerned at the moment

You will get tons and tons of support from everyone here. Just keep posting and be honest about what you are going through regarding drinking and you will get tons of support, advice and love to help you reach the goals you want

Take care

Keep posting
:h Sweetpea :l xx

[sandie_stevens]

Hello--I'm new here

Hi skydancer

I am new here too you are doing better than me haven't managed one day yet, well done, I haven't got any Topamax yet hasn't arrived so just the supplements and cds. I to really want to do this and I to hate the thought of giving up one of my lifes few pleasures! But i figure when life dosn't evolve around having my evening drinks. Then I will find other pleasures and will have a clear head to sort out my life. I have two sons at home who are wonderful and during the day I think I am a very good mum, but in the evening its my time!!! and I get really snappy if they disturb me!! I hate that. Lets look forward to the time when we can do what ever we want to and be content without having alcolhol. Best of luck love Sandie X

[Eastender]

Hello--I'm new here

Welcome Skydancer,
Through drink, my body had been giving me nudges over the years that what I was doing was poisoning myself, I chose to ignore this and the remarks of family that maybe I should 'cut down'.
It was only when I found this site (by accident) whilst researching the effects of alcohol that things changed.
The physical thing meant less to me than the fact that drink was controlling me!
I had never let anyone or thing control me and decided to fight!
Today I am 30 days AF, I still crave a drink at times basically because I like it and it has been part of my life for so long!
I know now that only I can make the decision whether to drink and I choose today not to.
Without the help of the warm supportive folk on this site I do not think I could have succeeded this far.
I wish you all the luck plus determination to succeed.

[Finding Me]

Hello--I'm new here

SkyDancer,

Hi, I like your post. It does ask an interesting question, one that I have been asking myself these past few days. Why am I not happy now that I am not drinking? I have been AF for 18 days now! The first week or so I was busy getting ready for Thanksgiving then having Thanksgiving...now this week I am bored, have headaches and am just plain grumpy at my myself and at my husband. I don't seem to be taking it out on my kids, just the hubby, lol! Any one else have this issue or no why and if it will pass. Shouldn't we be happy that now we are not drinking? Maybe it is still new and just a phase!

Good luck SkyDancer and congrats on you AF days! Keep in touch and hopefully we will bounce out of our grumpies.

Finding ME / AF day 18!

[skydancer804]

Hello--I'm new here

THANK YOU!

Wow, what a lovely welcome! I am so pleased that I found this site--quite by accident, while cruising the 'Net for information about help for alcoholics. Good to know that I'm not the only person in the world who has felt guilty and hated myself for not resisting my one and only alcoholic drink, a white Italian wine. Tomorrow will be my first week AF. I expected to feel a lot more energy, but I don't. I think my body and mind are trying to adjust to living without that bottle of wine every day. On the positive side, I certainly feel less depressed, and am feeling a bit of self-confidence shining through the starless night of living in an alcoholic haze. Friends, let's all hang in there. We're traveling such a rough road, and it seems as though it is full of false turns and switchbacks. But I just know we will all reach our goal! Love, Peace, Om Shanti to you all!

[skydancer804]

Hello--I'm new here

I have a question

Does anyone know whether you can take Kudzu while taking a prescribed medication [mine is Naltrexone] to help withdraw from alcohol? That's one aspect of My Way Out I forgot to discuss with my doctor.

Someone--I'm sorry that I have forgotten h/er name--wanted to know why, now that she has been AF for awhile, s/he does't feel happy. After reading the book with its journal entries, I can tell all of you that I haven't had the exhilerating moments the authors did, seemingly almost immediately. I do not feel as depressed as I did while living in my alcoholic have, but I'm not at all happy. I feel as though an important part of my life had been kicked out from under me. I'm lost. I'm a stranger in a strange new world, and don't find any road signs that will lead me back to anything familiar.

I guess every body has a different response to the initial stages of being AF. I would be interested to hear how others feel.

[Lowercas]

Hello--I'm new here

Same Here

Hi Sky
I also started here today. Hope things go well
Cheers

[Cinders]

Hello--I'm new here

Skydancer,

Fresh out of rehab myself and on day 18 sober.

We actually discussed this issue in rehab. Depending how long you have been drinking and how much, it is often the case that when we sober up, we are not happy at first. In fact, we have been drinking to avoid feelings. Now we are experiencing feelings and do not necessarily know what they are and what they mean.

We had to describe our feelings every day in rehab and discuss them. One important thing of note: Do not think it is "bad" to have a negative feeling or emotion. Those are simply a part of everyday living and all people experience them, we just avoided them.

Part of your recovery should be to learn how to live with your feelings sober and accept them. Happiness will come as you travel through the journey, but so will anger, sadness, frustration, anxiety, euphoria, joy, excitement.

For someone like me, who has been drinking since my teens and now 51, I am not really sure who the heck I am and what I feel. I am somewhat excited at the prospect of getting to know me!!

I hope I like me.

Another issue is Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) that causes over reaction to emotional stimulii, physical clumsiness, forgetfulness and other symptoms. These will fade in time as your brain chemistry gets back to normal.

Some days I am happy and excited to be sober and some days I am depressed because the life I knew is gone. When I get depressed, I try to remember I have opened a new door and while that may be somewhat scary, it sure is exciting and challenging.

I hope sharing this helps you a bit. You are doing very well!!

Cindi

[beatle]

Hello--I'm new here

As Cindi says, being unhappy in the initial period of AF is not unusual.

I will add my experience here... I have gone AF many times over the past 3 years (from about the time I realised I had a major problem). The longest I ever lasted was 5 weeks. I was depressed before quitting drinking and my doc told me the depression would lift when I stopped drinking. But guess what, it didn't.

So, I kept slipping back into drinking, thinking, if I feel so lousy sober, what's the use?

However, I know that 5 weeks is not long enough for the body's chemistry to adjust. And also, I was not really addressing other issues, both physical and psychological, that were making me depressed. Just stopping drinking was not enough. I needed to heal physically and I needed to address my issues.

I'm still working on it. I hope y'all won't give up. Work on it from all directions and remember you cannot undo years of abuse in a couple or even a few weeks.

[Riker]

Hello--I'm new here

the happiness factor

Welcome Skydancer,

I know exactly what you are saying and I have the same questions. I am on day 4 AF and I have mentionned it in other posts, I feel as tired now as I did when I was drinking 8 to 12 beers a night. The only difference is that my head does not feel heavy with a hangover. But other than that, I am as tired. The happiness factor is an interesting one and I guess everyone reacts differently. For me, I am not happier, in fact it's the contrary, I find everything really boring, and I have no patience, I'm grumpy, I get no enjoyment from life etc.. When I drink I am very happy, everything seems a lot more enjoyable, cooking, watching a movie, listening to music even surfing the net..Of course with that fake happiness comes a price to pay. I am sure that one day, once I re-discover, or maybe just discover for the first time, how life "feels" whithout booze I can start to be happy.. it's all relative, what is happiness ? there are a lot of reasons to be happy, like better health, longer life, less worries about doing stupid drunk things etc..etc... the list of reasons is long.. but reasons are not enough for me.. I have to FEEL happy, not just know that I SHOULD be happy because of the reasons.. When I drink I FEEL happy, but again, it's that damm price on the other side of the equation.. It boils down to deciding that the price is to high to pay for that FAKE happiness.. I know it's fake, but I don't care, because I can feel it and that's what matters to me. The ultimate goal of course is to get that FEELING of happiness without the alcohol coursing through my veins.. and that my friend, I have no idea how to get it, when is going to be here, how long is going to take.. no clue.. so for now, it's not happy, but not drinking..

My 2cents,

Riker

[AMELIA]

Hello--I'm new here

Welcomer Skydancer!!!
Change can be uncomfortable no matter what you are talking about.
We are talking about changing our behaviour and consumption around and of a substance that we have decided does not work in our world.
I will be tough at times (probably), however, I have strung enough AF days together enough times to know that AF wins hands down all the time.
Keep on going forward towards where you want to be.
And, stick around on the boards.
xx

[pepper]

Hello--I'm new here

Sky,

I am also taking Naltrexone. I also neglected to ask my doc about taking the supps with the Naltrexone, but I am pleased to report that I am taking all of the recommended supps including kudzu without any adverse affects (effects?). I get really drowsy in the evenings when I take my naltrexone and calms forte but that is fine with me as one of my issues was my inability to sleep without my alcohol.

Welcome, good luck and hang in there. I'm fairly new too...on my 23rd day AF today--hoping to moderate after my 30th day.

Pepper