I think I finally understand that I must take my recovery one day at a time. I have this stupid cognitive dysfunction that I won’t sleep well if I don’t drink. I keep a journal and it’s the same old story every day. I won’t drink, but I end up drinking anyway. Yesterday I blacked out…how long will it take me to understand that this is brain damage. I’m discouraged.
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Hello Alice! What have you been doing to stay sober, besides the journal?
What is the cognitive dysfunction? Do you just believe you sleep better when you drink? Drinking actually disrupts the sleep cycle and affects rest in negative ways. Maybe it’s time for a new sleep ritual that gets you in a place to get quality sleep? I have a strong addict voice myself, so I am saying this in an encouraging way- if this cognitive dysfunction isn’t something diagnosed by a doctor, it sounds like an excuse your addict voice has invented to drink nightly. Research the truth about the effects drinking has on sleep. You can work with your doctor to develop healthy sleep rituals. Rest is so important and vital to working a sober program that will move you from feeling discouraged to empowered.
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Yeah, it’s stinking thinking… Basically my brain being hacked by the power of alcohol. I walk a lot and do yoga.
Is this keeping you sober?
Hi
I used to think this too, that I needed a drink to get to sleep. My sleep was so bad for years, maybe 10 years. All that time I blamed my partner’s snoring - I’d wake up at 2 or 3 or 4am and blame him for waking me up. Then I couldn’t get back to sleep, looking back I really don’t know how I managed my day because I was in this cycle night after night.
Now and again I’d have a couple of nights off the booze, not be able to get to sleep and on the 3rd night of not sleeping I’d hit the wine to make sure I’d sleep… I did until 2 or 3 am! The cycle would continue.
I’ve been sober over a year now and sleep is the thing that I love the most about stopping drinking. I sleep through the night and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day, no more shitty groggy mornings, gulping down tea to try to sober up.
Stick at it, minute by minute, you’ll read this a lot on here but it really IS worth it 