I only have three days free of alcohol. Every day I am waking up with headaches. I’m currently at my parents visiting because they are my support bubble. I’m supposed to be staying to eat with them but the waiting is making me feel out of control and incredibly anxious. It’s making me think of drinking. Any advice on how to replace these thoughts would be gratefully appreciated.
Hey congrats on 3 days. Just enjoy the time with your parents and chit chat? Do they drink or something that is making you feel anxious? Maybe have a lil snack to kill some time, or possibly go for a small walk and get some fresh air. Just tell yourself no, you don’t drink anymore. The first 10 days are tough a lil bit. But drink plenty of water, and just be easy on yourself. Maybe even take a lil nap. just take it a minute at a time and enjoy it all gets easier and better.
No the anxiety is not about drinking. They do drink but other people drinking doesn’t make me want to drink per se. I’ve had anxiety for several years and it seems to be worst when I feel out of control. At that point I tend to leave whatever situation I am in as soon as possible and usually drink to stop feeling anxious. I don’t know if the anxiety is a by product of the extent of my alcohol consumption over those years or something separate.
The hardest thing to do is to exempt yourself from those situations. I had to tell my family that I won’t go to their house due to our family relationships were based on drinking.
Best thing to do is to make a schedule up for the next month. Getting a routine going is a main factor during the first process of quitting.
Gym, driving around, work, eating ect ect.
Well I suffered really bad with anxiety as well and drinking definitely doesn’t help it. Nor ever helped it. I would say just try to get a small walk in, and enjoy the nature, just focus on what you can hear, smell, taste and see when you go for the walk. Exercise helps relieve anxiety naturally and helps increase are dopamine. I get where your coming from and how anxiety in the early days can be hard. But it does get better with time, we have to remember we did years of damage so it will take time to heal. You are going to experience post acute withdraw for up to ten days. Actually up to a year. But the first ten are some of the harder days. There is a good saying when we are thinking about drinking. H.a.l.t. Am I hungry? Angry? Lonely or tired. So I would try the snack, maybe try the walk, or a nap. And drink plenty of water. I promise you sobriety is worth it, were living life on life’s terms now. The anxiety will get better
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I appreciate what you say about routine. I had a day off of work yesterday and woke very early because I hadn’t been drinking until the small hours. It got to the point in the day when I didn’t know what to do with myself and at that point I would normally go and buy wine. I didn’t tjouhh, and that’s a positive step.
Thank you for that. It’s difficult because I don’t want to tell them why am so anxious because they don’t know the extent of the problem. I know I should tell them because that would make it easier but I don’t feel like I’m in a place where I could do that without feeling judged, even though I know they wouldn’t judge me and we just want to help me. It’s a silly catch 22 I find myself in. All of the imagined yetSeemingly real in the moment that it’s causing you the anxiety.
Ok yes I absolutely understand why your anxious then and that’s perfectly understandable. With that being said listen to what feels right. If you want to tell them you’ll probably feel a big relief after, sometimes we have to face that fear of what if. Remember you’re doing sobriety for yourself, so regardless it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or who thinks you do or do not have a problem. Their is only one person who gets to decide that and that’s you. There is nothing to be ashamed of with saying I have a problem and I can’t drink. I myself proudly say I am a alcoholic/ addict, being proud and owning it is what’s making me who I am today.