Gabs. 26
I am 1 month and a week sober from alcohol. People are saying they’re so proud of me and they’ve noticed a positive change in me lately, so why do I still feel so horrible? I’m so sad and tired and feel so empty and ashamed and lonely and unloveable all the time. Does this part ever go away? How do you guys handle it?
Gabs you should be proud of your sober time.
The beginning is hard as we are finding an alternative way to cope with all our feelings that we’ve been suppressing. Also our bodies are detoxing from all the poison.
Be gentle with yourself. It does get easier
You will be tired - allow yourself to sleep and rest. Your body needs this as it’s cleansing your body.
Talking out your feelings and struggles helps sort through them. This is a great site for that as we are all struggling with overcoming addictions I find that talking with folks here helps cause then I don’t feel so alone.
Alcohol is a depressant and when we stop drinking it feels like a big hole is left behind. Find ways to forgive yourself and love the person you are now. I know for many going to meetings and following the steps helps with amends and making you whole
Hope to see you around - stay strong my friend. Sobriety dies yield beautiful rewards 
I’ve been sober roughly the same amount of time as you and have experienced some similar emotions and physical symptoms. I think one thing we need to remember is that we have put our body and mind through so much for so long and that the trauma incurred just doesn’t heal because we have stopped drinking for a few weeks. This is going to take time. It’s like if we were to break our leg. We go to the doctor to have surgery and get it set. We don’t just feel better immediately because we had the procedure to correct our ailment. There is a recovery time involved. Even though we’ve quit drinking and performed the procedure to cure our dependency there is still a recovery time required before we will feel better. And depending on the extent of our alcohol abuse and the underlying issues driving us to drink that recovery time may be longer or shorter than someone else. Alcohol is deceptive. Even when you are not drinking it can fool you. Don’t forget what drove you to quit in the first place.
I can empathize with you. I don’t have as many sober days as you yet but enough to be experiencing very low mood, persistent negative thoughts and for lack of better description…depression and anxiety.
I’ve done lots of reading on the subject and it’s normal. Unfortunately there is no definitive time when our worries will fall away and our spirits, mood and hope will get better. This is the shitty part of sobriety I’m afraid.
The good news is that things will improve and if other people are giving you props and supporting you, they are seeing things in you that you can’t just at the moment.
Hey Gabs - how are you doing today?
I have about the same amount of time you do. I still get depressed but not as bad as the second and third week was. What’s hard for me is the physical recovery from gaining tons of weight from drinking. My blood tests are ok, but they’re not great like the used to be before I drank heavy. I feel like it’s going to take a whole year to get back to normal, and sometime it just feels like time drags a lot. I think because working out and running are so laborious right now I don’t have a sense of reward from them, which is frustrating, and also am still alone so that also feels like there is no reward yet. For me it helps to compare this depression and shame currently with the depression and shame I felt when I first stopped … because those were definitely chronic and so deep I never imagined they would go away, but they did. I’m just hoping my body continues to heal and that I didn’t do any permanent damage. The not knowing is always tough. I like what someone said in your replys about “remember what drove you to drink the the first place” … I know I haven’t fully figured that out yet and I’m working to because I know that will be the ultimate answer in getting and staying healthy. Best of luck to you. I know you feel alone but you’re not. I’m right there with you even though we don’t know each other. Steady onward.
Sorry. I fell off the face of the planet but I am alive, and I am now 75 days alcohol free!
75 days is amazing! Great to hear from you and glad you are doing well.