Recovery time line

[decided]

On a bit of a downer and was hoping some of you would share your recovery timelines! It's been 6 months and I'm looking forward to seeing how my own will pan out.

Unfortunately for myself I stopped posting after a couple months and now I wish I hadn't as I missed out on all the little improvements is made up until now and I wish invading be cause NOWWWW I could really use something to pump me up a little if you will. Lol

I find myself in a frustrating spot because I've gotten use to not drinking but I feel like I still haven't regained full control over all the things I wanted to get a move on once I got a gold of the drinking problem. I feel lazy, unproductive, lethargic, an am having a hard time getting on a schedule to make positive changes Or to find the motivation to do so? I work on contract so when things are slow...I have a hard time doing much of anything it seems.

Anyways I'm just ranting now. But if anyone's around and would like to share the short and or long term progress in body am mind I'd really appreciate it

[Byrdlady]

Recovery time line

Hey decided!
I was you.
In the period between 6 and 9 months, I had been long enough to have had the euphoria that comes with first quitting, and then the ups and downs, and then there I was....just sort of drifting. I call this the In-Between Time. It's not an easy time, and it's a time when a lot of MWO's think they have this thing beat and test the waters. Whatever you do, don't do that!!

As I approached 9 months, a friend of mine, Nelz, was at 6. He was describing this wonderful awakening he'd had and self confidence and all that, that I just wasn't feeling. I was 3 months ahead of him and he was feeling better than I was! But I hung in there...and somehow magically....it happened. The fog began to lift and I felt lighter and HAPPY! My purpose was being made more clear. Everything was clearer. I think that when we begin to abuse AL, our emotional growth stops. When we are finally sober for an extended period, that emotional growth catches up to where we are age wise. It takes some time to even things out. But once you get thru this stage, things just seem to fit better....as if you finally fit in your own skin. I will tell you it is worth the wait! This In-Between Time sucks in many ways....you can't drink and you can't go back. The only way out is forward....All I would ask is that you give yourself a bit more time to settle in. You will find your way. I was a very resistant case and my fog cleared at 9 months.

This is one of the many phases you will pass thru. Each one gets better. I'm glad you reached out... Please see Ann Carolina's thread today...'It's a New Life'...she talks about the fog lifting in there....stay connected here is my best advice! Protect your quit as if it were a pot of gold!!! All the best, Byrdie

[Pinecone]

Recovery time line

Hi Decided and congrats on your AF time! I recall some periods around 6 months that sorta felt like the doldrums to me too. I think there is still a lot of physical and brain repair going on at these points. Are you sleeping enough and staying hydrated? Do you excercise? Even some small improvements in how we take care of our physical selves can pay big dividends in how we feel. It's counterintuitive to excercise when we feel tired but sometimes it is exactly what we need. Like Byrdie says, just go with the flow and watch out for complacency!

[Turnagain]

Recovery time line

Hi Decided...

I also experienced a lull like Byrdy and Piney. And sometimes, I still have mini-lulls, if you will, but I think that is just life. Normal life. Yet, my blah times now are exponentially better than my blah times when I was drinking.

While there is no conclusive proof, I have read about the theories that there is a large candida (yeast) die-off once we cut off the sugar from alcohol in our lives. Some don't experience that because they are still putting sugar into their systems in other forms. In severe cases of candida overgrowth, it may take more than simply avoiding sugar and eating whole, healthy foods to overcome the damage from years of candida overgrowth from drinking. It may take specific meds. There are a lot of sites on the google where you can read more about the alcohol/sugar/yeast connection. Just something to consider.

Like Piney, I have also found that exercise has helped me live a happier, healthier life. I spent some of the money I used to waste on smoke and booze for a personal trainer for awhile. Built some nice muscles, lost some weight. I still try to exercise everyday. Lately, I've been doing vigorous interval training at home in front of the TV which has pushed the scale down even more. Research suggests that this kind of exercise is exceptionally beneficial for the brain and stimulates the release of human growth hormone which is great for anti-aging benefits and brain health as well. This is precisely what we need after years of addiction.

In this past year, I have benefited greatly from taking brain health in another direction as well by learning how to meditate. I was hesitant about meditation for years... thinking it was just a New Agey type of trend (not that there's anything wrong with that - it just wasn't for me - or so I thought.) When I did try to meditate, I felt as if I was failing. My mind runs around like Chicken Little in a Texas hail storm sometimes. Then, I found a simple app that I downloaded called, Simply Being. It helped me learn how to do mindfulness meditation a little bit at a time and it has really made a difference. I spend a a few minutes at night meditating (puts me to sleep asap most of the time) and I do a few minutes in the morning and cap that off by running through my gratitude list. Starts the day off right no matter what might be ahead. At the very least, meditation gives busy minds a little bit of well deserved rest. I have since downloaded other meditation apps along with some hypnosis apps that have helped me become fairly adept at practicing deep relaxation and mind peace.

As it turns out, brain research also shows that meditation is physically beneficial to the brain. It can actually help produce more gray matter which is the stuff that thought is made of. And practicing that attitude of gratitude also lights up the functional MRIs. In a way, it's a lot like building physical muscles.

Like you, I also work on contract, which means I have to deal with internal discipline. I'm either so busy that it's hard to see straight - or I have a lot of unstructured time on my hands. I am learning the art of structuring my day in those slack times to remain productive. A daily schedule helps me. I am also learning the art of not beating myself up when I don't achieve everything I set out to do for the day. I sure let a lot of stuff go in the final years of addicted drinking. Step by step, I am catching up. I haven't always been kind or patient with myself. I'm learning.

As Piney and Bydy noted....all this can take time. I think there is a lot of comfort to hear that what you're experiencing is normal. You are six months into building a healthy, positive new life free of addiction...this is really great! As you keep cultivating and adding to this solid foundation you'll soon find yourself looking back and marveling over how far you've come. And you'll always have what's ahead to look forward to with happy anticipation. But most of all, I hope you'll be able to fully appreciate where you are right now because it is a good place and now is all we really, truly have.

[NoSugar]

Recovery time line

Hi, Decided

FallenAngel posted this in the Daily Encouragement thread a few months ago. It was what I needed to read then and it still rings true. I hope it helps you, too. :h NS



In-between
by Melody Beattie

Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be willing to be in-between.

One of the hardest parts of growth is the concept of letting go of what is old and familiar, but what we don't want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for them to be filled.

This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in-between pain and the joy of serenity and acceptance.

Being in-between can apply to relationships. To prepare ourselves for the new, we need first to let go of the old. This can be frightening. We may feel empty and lost for a time. We may feel all alone, wondering what is wrong with us for letting go of the proverbial bird-in-hand, when there is nothing in the bush.

Being in-between can apply to many areas of life and growth. We can be in-between jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in-between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. This can apply to behaviors that have protected and served us well all of our life such as care-taking and controlling.

We may have many feelings going on when we're in-between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety, fear, and apprehension about what's ahead. These are normal feelings for the in-between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.

Being in-between isn't fun, but it's necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we're standing still, but we're not. We're standing at the in-between place. It's how we get from there to here. It is not the destination. We are moving forward, even when we're in-between.

[NoSugar]

Recovery time line

Turnagain,

We are definitely on the same page when it comes to diet and exercise :l ! I downloaded the Simply Being apps a couple of months ago but have not managed to develop that habit. Your post has motivated me to try again - thanks!

I have been doing some HIIT using this: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/0...-workout/?_r=0.

There is an app that shows the exercises and does the counting. Two x 7 minute rounds of this and I'm more worked out than after 45 min on the hated elliptical! I'm working up to adding a third - that still would be only 21 minutes!

[decided]

Recovery time line

Thanks to all OF you for taking the time you all make a good point the I haven't considered...the inbetween stage. This describes how in feeling to the T, and your right , it does make me feel better to know that it's part of the process...now i Feel more like its just ? New challenge and ? chance to grow and I can et and make my new focus learning to do just that: learning to let go a bit and allow the inbetween to do its thing.

I also didnt realize that I was still in a fog but your right ! I thought that because I'm feeling so much more clear that that part had pAssed lol. Strangely enough I also feel better knowing that I have that "lifting of the fog" to look forward to.

I use to exercise quite a bit even when I was drinking...more so even! I'm gong to slowly reintegrate that back into my schedule even if it's just one day a week to start. It had never failed to get me out of my head and put me in a better mood in the past, so I'm going to make a short list of things to do daily and weekly and that will be one of them. ( I say short because I ten to take in more than is realistic and windup crashing before I get off the ground lol) so this week, one day at the gym at least.

I'm not very good with meditation but I do have a hypnosis app that I was listening to earlier in the quit that I quite enjoyed...so playing that as I fall asleep every night is #2 on my list...

Waking up and going to bed with gratitude was another positive habit I was developing and stopped so that's number 3...

And making sure I get consistent with my supplements will be number 4

And visiting this sight will be the 5th.

I definitely don't want to go backwards and I cut it close enough as it is...so I'm going to face this one head on and refocus on the small things that will eventually make up the bigger things. I'm also going to check out the various links and leads you have posted

Again, thank you! Much luv

[NoSugar]

Recovery time line

Decided,

I bumped this thread: https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...-26-71728.html

One day when I was really, really down I read the whole thing and then started reading it every day. It is full of little gems!

Hope you are having a good day! :h NS

[decided]

Recovery time line

Thanks NS I am feeling a bit better, will go check it out

[sugarbeat]

Recovery time line

NoSugar;1526566 wrote: Hi, Decided

FallenAngel posted this in the Daily Encouragement thread a few months ago. It was what I needed to read then and it still rings true. I hope it helps you, too. :h NS



In-between
by Melody Beattie

Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be willing to be in-between.

One of the hardest parts of growth is the concept of letting go of what is old and familiar, but what we don't want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for them to be filled.

This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in-between pain and the joy of serenity and acceptance.

Being in-between can apply to relationships. To prepare ourselves for the new, we need first to let go of the old. This can be frightening. We may feel empty and lost for a time. We may feel all alone, wondering what is wrong with us for letting go of the proverbial bird-in-hand, when there is nothing in the bush.

Being in-between can apply to many areas of life and growth. We can be in-between jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in-between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. This can apply to behaviors that have protected and served us well all of our life such as care-taking and controlling.

We may have many feelings going on when we're in-between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety, fear, and apprehension about what's ahead. These are normal feelings for the in-between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.

Being in-between isn't fun, but it's necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we're standing still, but we're not. We're standing at the in-between place. It's how we get from there to here. It is not the destination. We are moving forward, even when we're in-between.

I love love love this piece, it sums so much up for me, I remember being there in the first couple of months and I remember slipping and relapsing there too and I can still drop in there in some areas of my life and its crappy to say the least but now having come out the other side its worth it, things will unfold beautifully, the trick is spotting it, hang tight things will improve and try not to give your head too much attention, its so full of negative, exaggerated, false sh*t and so believable because you know no better, keep learning, keep reading, keep changing and trying new things and ways of thinking and attitude. You will be amazed what can happen. All the best Decided