Feeling everything once sober

Hi there I’m brand new here, today I am 4 weeks sober and have never been able to stay alcohol free this long, im really struggling with having to feel absolutely every emotion and process every thought on my own with out my “ole” ex best friend alcohol (beer and wine to be precise) will I ever get through a day without crying? I’m incredibly sensitive… I feel so raw now like every emotion, stress or daily task is like rubbing salt into a metaphorical wound…
does this pass or get easier? Thanks

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Welcome to the community and congrats on your 4 weeks! That’s amazing and you should be super proud.

Yes, it does get much easier once sober becomes your new normal and you learn to process emotions without the fog of alcohol. It just takes a while. It’s also important to remember that sobriety alone doesn’t fix the issue(s) that originally caused us to drink. It’s crucial to address the underlying problems we have that led you to drinking in the first place.

This thread has a lot of links that you might find helpful:

Welcome to the forum! 2022

I hope this helps :slightly_smiling_face:

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It’s complete normal and actually a very good thing. There are tools in recovery you can use to make it easier. 4 weeks is a huge accomplishment. What are you doing or have you been doing to support your sobriety and manage all the “feels” that come with getting sober? Congrats on making a great decision to quit alcohol. That shit is poison.

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Welcome! And congratulations on your 4 weeks…that is some hard fought time for sure!

And yes, it is perfectly natural to feel raw…I cannot think of a more apt word…in early sobriety. So much going on physically, mentally and emotionally…our bodies minds and spirits need time to settle and heal. It gets way better. :heart:

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Thank you for sharing this. You are always so kind. As is everyone on here. I don’t post a lot but I couldn’t have come this far without this community.

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From one sensitive soul to another it does get easier. I used to feel like my emotions ran me. Now that I’m sober I’ve worked on identifying those tricky emotions that pop up and feeling them. Now I feel much more in control. Stick with it and ride out the tough days with support. :heart::heart:

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Hi Bec, i really identify with what your saying, its tough when after so long weve numbed feelings with alcohol, quick fix after quick fix…the problems are always still there in the end though and often worse or made worse by the drinking…try and think of it like this…yes we dont have our quick fix anymore but in sobriety we get the chance to work through the problems/emotions and to sort them out properly. A wise person on here told me once that in sobriety you have to re learn patience because we get so used to having that quick fix. Sorting out the shit is tough but this way you actually can sort it out so give yourself that time and grace. Well done for choosing sobriety, we are all here for you and im on this journey with u too x

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Absolutley! I cried at everything in the beginning. It will get better.

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As with all scars time is the only true healer. Like a scar it can be healed but not forgotten. As with mental health it is important to stay present and making choices better then our past as thats the only true thing we can change. As humans we make mistakes in life and we have a choice to learn from them or be ignorant toward them. Emotions can be very intense and dealing with them sometimes space to ourselves is needed to process them. Looking into DBT therapy techniques may help manage these emotions your experiencing. Being sober does have its perks but it also has its troubles. Being sober doesnt just cure us from anything as many of us suffer from mental illness and personality disorders that we used drugs or alcohol to cope and mask our problems when things got difficult…which in the end just kicks the can down the road til it leads us to a disaster of a lifestyle. that leaves us begging to escape to be sober after we wake up from the coma that its just making life unmanageable.

I personally found that the emotions were massive in early sobriety. My theory is that I drank my emotions away but they never really were “away” but only into a dark closet. Once the alcohol was gone that closet opened and 30 years of emotions came pouring out PLUS the normal emotions from the now.

Let these emotions process. Do not try to shove them away again. It is only by going through it that you can get past it. Eventually your emotions will normalize.

YOU CAN DO IT!!

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I am very sorry you are going through that. It does get better. I’ve been sober 5 years and the feeling your feelings is always going to be something of a struggle but it gets easier the longer you are sober. Also learning healthy ways to cope with having to feel all the emotions will help to. Meditation, jogging, reading, and playing piano are just examples that have helped me. There is still bad days and those are the days you have to just remind yourself these feelings are temporary and tomorrow is a new day. You got this and you’re doing great!