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Long Overdue - My life starts again!

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    #1

    Long Overdue - My life starts again!

    Hi all, I have been dipping into this forum for a little while now, not posting, just reading and taking encouragement from all of the brave and heart warming posts. Based upon what I have read about the support and help that this forum shares I finally got up the courage to quit drinking!

    I am now on day 6! :thumbs:

    Well, I can honestly say that it feels good to have managed 6 straight days without a drink, I don't think I have ever managed 2 straight days in the last 20 years of drinking. Now I am under no illusion that this is going to be easy, all I can say for sure is that I have not had a drink today, I might tomorrow, who knows.

    I know there is no miracle cure for alcoholism and I am under no illusion that things will improve overnight but I would just like to ask some advice about withdrawal symptoms and others experience of them.

    Since having stopped drinking I am constantly fatigued, to the point of needing to sleep during the day, I do have trouble sleeping, especially falling asleep, but once asleep do manage 5-6 hours. Also for the first couple of days I had a constant headache and pain around my eyes, this was not too bad and easily manageable with paracetamol. The main thing worrying me at the moment is intense pain that has suddenly started in my wrists, hands, fingers, shoulders, neck, knees and ankles. Mostly only when I move and it seems to vary day to day. I am concerned as to whether this could just be coincidental and I may be mistaking something real for a temporary withdrawal symptom.

    Any tips or advice would be most welcome!
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    #2
    Long Overdue - My life starts again!

    Hi asmwp! :welcome:

    Great job on 6 days AF!! :goodjob: You should find that the first week is the toughest physically. So the booze is all but completely out of your system now. But alcohol is a fuel that your body was used to using. Now that it's no longer getting it, your body needs to learn to better use food as a fuel. Hence the fatigue now while this happens. The fatigue will eventually go away, but make sure to eat lots of really healthy food right now.

    Headaches, sleep disturbance - all normal and will eventually pass. I have the same issue right now - tough to fall asleep but once I am asleep I sleep straight through the night. If you can, start going up to bed a little earlier, maybe with a cup of herbal tea, and start a new night time routine - tea, deep breathing, maybe a nice warm bath.

    The physical symptoms I'm less sure about. I've not really heard anyone mention them on here. As I said, the booze should be all but out of your system now. I suspect that they are coincidental - perhaps they were there all along but you just didn't notice when drunk or hung over? Or perhaps your body is just re-awakening to the feeling of nothing but healthy oxygenated blood running through your system - kind of like when your foot falls asleep and then you re-adjust and the blood flows back in?

    Perhaps someone else will be along with more info. I just wanted to say great job and welcome!
    Well it's all right now. I've learned my lesson well. You see you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself.

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      #3
      Long Overdue - My life starts again!

      Just said hello to you in the Newbies Nest

      Lots of people have mentioned flu-like symptoms when first quitting but it doesn't last forever. I know I felt all sorts of aches & pains myself in addition to getting little to no sleep. Just take good care of yourself & you will soon feel much better, honestly

      Lav
      AF since 03/26/09
      NF since 05/19/09
      Success comes one day at a time :thumbs:

      Comment

        #4
        Long Overdue - My life starts again!

        Hey asmwp!

        Congratulations! I am exactly 39 days ahead of you. Living proof you can do this!!

        It WILL get better I promise! You just need to get the poison out of your system. It really changed for me once I no longer felt "deprived" of it.

        Here for you!

        Rip

        Comment

          #5
          Long Overdue - My life starts again!

          Hey, I had flu like symptoms the first 2 weeks. I also had twitching in my legs! I have restless legs, and I take something for that, this was different, it was during the day! Almost like when the dr does a reflex test on your knee. It went away in a few days...I was worried I'd uncovered some hidden illness. I would say that anything odd you notice in these first few days is most likely part of the process and normal (altho it doesn't feel like it at the time). You will be feeling better than your old normal soon!!! Byrdie
          All you gotta do, is get thru this day. AF 1/20/2011
          Tool Box
          Newbie's Nest

          Comment

            #6
            Long Overdue - My life starts again!

            Don't you hate it when you finally give up the drink and then all these symptoms appear? For me it was as if my body was concealing everything until I was sober. Now that I have nothing to mask the discomfort, it arrives full force. Oh well. This too shall pass.
            Tipplerette

            I do this for my children, my grandchildren, my health, my peace of mind, and mostly for the opportunity to learn to live with my true, unfiltered, clear-headed, vulnerable self.

            "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."
            ? Lao-Tzu

            Comment

              #7
              Long Overdue - My life starts again!

              ASMWP

              It gets better! Congrats on your 6 days!

              So glad you found this lifesaver place. MWO is my salvation (along with antabuse)

              Everyone here has been there and done that so stick around

              Comment

                #8
                Long Overdue - My life starts again!

                Hi all, thanks for your all your welcoming comments, I really do intend to stick to this and will be visiting daily, and yes it does, at the moment, it does feel like drink was masking all of these other aches and pains and because I have stopped my body is saying 'have this then instead' :thanks:

                Comment

                  #9
                  Long Overdue - My life starts again!

                  Hi asmwp and welcome!

                  I agree with the others, the aches and pains are normal. Your body is trying to adjust and recover from years of abuse. Be patient and be kind to yourself. Everything will settle down in due time. Don't expect miracles overnight, but DO expect them eventually...they WILL happen! Stick close!

                  K9
                  :heart:I love my daughter more than alcohol:heart:

                  Believe in yourself. You are stronger than you think.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Long Overdue - My life starts again!

                    Hi, day 7, Yay! :wow: Who would have thought it! Today I have actually started to feel a little weird (in a good way) perhaps that is what normality feels like (been so long I cant remember) :H

                    Just been to my Doctors, he is very happy for me and has prescribed some vitamin supplements that may help. He also offered to prescribe me something to help me sleep and ease some of the pains but I kindly declined as I thought I should be experiencing these discomforts as part of my recovery.

                    Target 1 hit, come on week 2!

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Long Overdue - My life starts again!

                      One week is fantastic. You are doing so well, you should be super proud of yourself. Keep at it and don't let your mind convince you to have "Just the one.." We all know where that leads. Congratulations!!
                      Tipplerette

                      I do this for my children, my grandchildren, my health, my peace of mind, and mostly for the opportunity to learn to live with my true, unfiltered, clear-headed, vulnerable self.

                      "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."
                      ? Lao-Tzu

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Long Overdue - My life starts again!

                        CONGRATS on 7 AF days asmwp

                        Hang in there, you won't be sorry

                        Lav
                        AF since 03/26/09
                        NF since 05/19/09
                        Success comes one day at a time :thumbs:

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Long Overdue - My life starts again!

                          YES YES YES!! That's exactly what happened to me.

                          The overwhelming fatigue and pains in my joints.
                          I was concerned that there was something seriously wrong with me, because I also have a family history of some serious stuff.
                          I got tested for Thyroid problems, and a whole range of auto-immune problems including Rheumatoid Arthritis. All my tests were clear.

                          I am doing a lot better now - the pains are almost gone and I have finally got some energy again. But It took almost 2 months and things did get pretty bad before they got better.

                          I didn't take pain killers either -just rested and took lots of hot baths and used heat packs to warm my joints.
                          I'm not really into alternative medicine that much, but I am thinking that there might be something in the theory of a "healing crisis" - when a healthy change can actually make you feel worse before you feel better.
                          There is also talk about the sugar connection with alcohol - and I am a total chocolate and sugar addict. In the first few week I just had to have a lot of chocolate etc to survive the cravings - and I did notice that
                          would also help the pains a bit. I've reduced my chocolate and sugar intake a bit recently .... I don't crave it or need it as much.
                          I have no idea if these connection mean anything.... But it is interesting

                          I hope it helps to know that you are not the only one
                          Congratulations on 7 days - that is a great accomplishment... it really does get easier from here

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