waking up almost into day 4. Dreams are already getting insane. Had a dream I made my family think they sent me to prison for the wrong thing… what??? And just visions of dogs going crazy and having to be held down or back by their leash. Lots of chaos when I close my eyes already. And to top it off… I had a shot of some coconut liquor and I just convinced myself that it was ok. Woke up sooooo happy I didn’t. But how is this already starting? Have I really put myself so in the dark that when I try to get sober again I don’t know how to deal with my mind?
I’ve had a rough start to my first time at sobriety. I should be day 6 but I’m on day 1 instead and my dreams have been intense all week.
I’ve been dreaming of people from my past, not all good either, I’ve been dreaming of things going wrong at work, to dreaming that my husband is leaving me. I wake up in a sweat.
Our brains sure do go into overdrive!
Now that I’m sober the dreams are extremely weird. Like random face and animals.
I love all the strange dreams you never know what’s gonna happen next,or why??!!
How weird is it that since I stopped 67 days ago…most my dreams did too. Still a few, but before I lived in an alternative universe when I passed out? Or…maybe its because I can’t seem to sleep anymore😳.
Our subconscious controls our dreams. It could come from anxiety, emotions, etc. It is portrayed in symbols when we dream. I always google what different things mean. There are multiple websites that have dream analysis. Once I find out what it could mean, then it all makes sense. But I’m still trying to find out why John Wayne offered me a drink around my 4th month Luckily I turned it down LOL It’s normal. Congrats on your sobriety! Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks for sharing, makes it easier.
How long have you been sober? Yea it was like scary dogs for me last night lol
Woahhh yea that sounds crazy. Ever thought about Melatonin?
Thank you so muchhhh. And thanks for the clearing your head input. Maybe meditating would be good before bed.
That is sooo funny. So random lol!! Thanks for your input though. Appreciate it
Dreams have meaning and it’s sometimes disturbing. That doesn’t mean they’re a threat to your sobriety - if you go to see a horror movie it doesn’t threaten your sobriety either - just that they show images and symbols that have troubling meaning for you.
Some parts of life are troubling. That’s a difficult reality, but it is part of life: there are disturbing things in the world and in our lives. (There are also beautiful, wondrous things in the world, blessings that lift us up! But this question is about the disturbing stuff.)
In our addictions we buried ourselves; we numbed ourselves. We slipped into the blind darkness of passing out. Our lives were starved of meaning - and we felt starved of it (that’s the empty feeling we get in addiction) - because we numbed out: we made ourselves unfeeling.
In sobriety our buried emotions return. This is normal emotional behaviour for most humans - but for us in the early days it’s overwhelming, because we’ve been burying it for so long: it’s a flood. (It will settle as the time passes.)
Be gentle with yourself: hot drinks, walks, rest. Take up some activities to help you process the symbols and the feelings. Search up some YouTube videos on sketching. Sketch what you saw. Maybe do sculpting. Write a short story based on it. Externalizing it like that can make it seem less scary: as you look at it, you see it has limits, it’s not consuming you. It also helps you reflect on what it may mean for you. Be gentle with yourself and keep an open, courageous mind.
Attend a meeting. It helps to talk with others in recovery. There are Women for Sobriety meetings, there’s AA, there’s others:
Resources for our recovery
Remember: you’re a good person who deserves a safe, sober life where you can be your full self.