Honeymoon over for anyone else?

[Mia]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Thank you Mario. You are a wealth of wisdom! x My hero!

[Unwasted]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Nelz,

This book is helping me a lot!

12 Smart Things to Do When the Booze and Drugs are Gone by Allen Berger

(especially the chapter on emotional sobriety).


I've tried to moderate for years and am ready to clear the hurdle that you describe. Reading helps trememdously!

Good luck!

[retteacher]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Hi Everyone: I didn't have a honeymoon or sometimes it's called The Pink Cloud. I was so low & so terrified about living sober & changing my life that for a good 6 months went by before I felt better. I'm now 2.5 years sober & am feeling great about living sober. I've done just about everything as a sober person:
-parties where alcohol is served.
-weddings w/an open bar.
-various triggers that used to get me to drink.
-life's ups & downs...& I've had one particularly serious down.
-etc.

I think that after a while, my brain readjusted to the fact that i can live quite well wo/alcohol. I don't have to drink to have fun. I do have a big bunch of friends who don't drink at all. I also have friends who drink normally. I don't associate w/heavy drinkers/alcoholics.

It was important for me to admit I was an alcoholic. As long as I was in denial, I heeded the siren call of booze. I don't feel I'm missing out on anything positive w/an alcohol-free lifestyle. Now I don't have to:
-hide my drinking.
-habitually lie.
-get rid of bottles sneakily.
-feel crummy physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

After a while, I can only feel the benefits of being sober.

Mary

[FlyAway]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

I went through a honeymoon period starting about 2 weeks in where I was incredibly energized and happy. Now at a month AF I feel it dwindling. My sleep has been okay, but my energy is gone. But overall I'm much happier than I was when drinking! Now off to read the recommendations.

[Barbara1234]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Hey Nelz,

I am at day 80 and funny that you should post your feelings about the honeymoon being over. I was feeling the same way. Just started thinking....what the heck is going on???

I think the posts about depression may have some credibility. I just had bunch of blood work done to see where I stand in the physical realm of things. I think I may have a little depression as well.
Depression symptoms are different for everyone. Doesn't mean we have to jump on meds. I am going to get some Amoryn and Mellodyn (thank you, Lav) and along with whatever shows up in the blood work, take care of it as it comes. Because as alcoholics, that's what we do! Right? :H
I also agree with coming to MWO on a regular basis. I got really busy at work and didn't check in daily as I had done for so long, and I noticed a change. Not that I wanted to drink, just that I felt different not engaging daily, I missed my support group.
There are so many people here to help with whatever we need, we came here because we couldn't do it alone, and this is always where I find my answers. Good luck Nelz, I really think it's just a little bump...
Keep us posted...:l

[Hypernova]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Hey Nelz ~~ I feel exactly the same way!! Today is 6 weeks for me. Last nite I came about as close to having a cocktail as I guess you can w/o actually drinking. I think it is the fatigue that is getting me. I am so tired when I feel like I should be rested. Muscle aches on top of the fatigue. Don't think it is depression b/c when I am truly depressed suicidal thoughts creep in. For now I am just hanging, eating well, sleeping and exercising what I can tolerate (& of course working{maybe the work is causing the fatigue} time will tell. I think it is probably just old bones trying to figure out how to right the ship without the Jet Fuel. I believe in the innate wisdom of the body. I am afraid of caving in to be honest though and drinking. Kind of in limbo w/o a paddle. I need some direction. Maybe I am just worried about the upcoming vacay & staying AF. Feel like I am rambling so I will just end by wishing you well and hoping you are feeling O.K. or better.

[Lavande]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

It really is all about changing your thinking

I'm finding that reading, meditation, etc. help so much! Try different things until you find something that works for you. Being pro-active in keeping your thinking positive is the way to go

[momof3]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Hello All,

I definitely felt a period of feeling blue and depressed about 2 months after I quit drinking. I think it is a normal and natural phase. Our bodies and brains are healing and adjusting to the abrupt ending of daily alcohol intake.

When the initial thrill of accomplishing what I thought I never could (i.e., stopping drinking) wore off, I posted my dilemma on MWO and got lots of great advice. What I learned is that I had to find something to replace all of the minutes, hours, and days that I spent either thinking about drinking, actually drinking, or recovering from drinking. I began to set some goals for myself. For example, I committed myself to eating more healthy and exercising. That mushroomed into running a marathon my first year of being AF!!! Since then, I have joined a church, volunteered for several community service organizations, expanded my business, etc. Next month, I am entering yoga teacher training. I have so much going on in my life that there is no room for alcohol.

If you take a look at the daily or weekly abstinence threads, you will see that those of us who are AF live very busy and fulfilling lives. And, I think that all of us felt the way that you do now. If you just push through a little bit, take action and get active in anything that interests you, you will do great.

M3:h:

[Unwasted]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Thanks so much for these posts by those of you who have some long-term sobriety. It really helps!

[Doggygirl]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

My experience has been a bit like M3. (although no marathon running for me! :H) Sitting around on my butt feeling sorry for myself that I wasn't drinking any more was no fun at all.

I too changed my eating and started exercising. I now do voluteer work which is very rewarding. I started attending AA and now among my various activities there I sponsor other women which is infinitely rewarding. I started a Mary Kay business and in one more week I am returning to college to become an addiction counselor.

There is plenty to do out there. I had to just dive in. I've tried a lot of different things. Some I like and keep doing, others I drop. There is a LOT of life out there that was passing me by when I was sitting on my :moon: all day planning to drink, drinking and recovering from drinking. Just putting the bottle down didn't automatically put me in the main stream of life. I have to go out there and grab it every day. It's worth it.

Pick something and get started. If you don't like it, change it. Enjoy your life!

DG

[Nelz]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Doggygirl;1163485 wrote: My experience has been a bit like M3. (although no marathon running for me! :H) Sitting around on my butt feeling sorry for myself that I wasn't drinking any more was no fun at all.

I too changed my eating and started exercising. I now do voluteer work which is very rewarding. I started attending AA and now among my various activities there I sponsor other women which is infinitely rewarding. I started a Mary Kay business and in one more week I am returning to college to become an addiction counselor.

There is plenty to do out there. I had to just dive in. I've tried a lot of different things. Some I like and keep doing, others I drop. There is a LOT of life out there that was passing me by when I was sitting on my :moon: all day planning to drink, drinking and recovering from drinking. Just putting the bottle down didn't automatically put me in the main stream of life. I have to go out there and grab it every day. It's worth it.

Pick something and get started. If you don't like it, change it. Enjoy your life!

DG

That is AWESOME, I had that very same thought, I would really like to do that myself......good for you!

[Doggygirl]

Honeymoon over for anyone else?

Nelz;1163569 wrote: That is AWESOME, I had that very same thought, I would really like to do that myself......good for you!

You should look into it!!! It's never too late to pursue our dreams as long as we are still breathing.

DG