So im 37 days alcohol free today, and its been pretty smooth. I have virtually zero cravings anymore and ive shifted my energies into exercise and actually taking the responsibility for my life. I feel extremely fortunate its going so easily for me, at this point at least. Given how heavily and how long i drank, this feels… like a trick or something. Idk.
A problem im having though, is i am feeling extremely empty and restless on an almost constant basis. I want to be entertained but literally nothing can do it. Nothing appeals at all. No subject matter of youtube video, no form of music, no video game, book, tv, musical instrument, or general activity touches it. I just want to zone out rigidly into space, little to no thought in my head. Its really annoying. Im aware this sounds like textbook depression, but ive never felt it like this before and ive suffered from depression my entire life since puberty. Is this alcohol cessation related or am i just experiencing a flavor of depression thats brand new to me? Ive also been doing immense amounts of cardio (too much, i found out.) So that might also be playing a role, but i just wondered if anyone has any experience with negative mental fluctuations within month 2. Thank you for any input.
Yes this is very normal. I myself felt like this. For me, I lost my best friend, alcohol, the thing for me that cured boredom, and was there when I was happy or sad. It took a lot of work, and a lot of time to pick up and stick with new habits that helped to fill that void. Here is a link to a topic I made in my journey maybe everyone’s replies would be of use to you. Best of luck my friend!
Also would like to add im coming up on a year sober and I do not currently have these feelings anymore. You will get on the other side of this if you just don’t drink no matter what!
Hey there, I’m on day 41 and I kind of feel the same so I decided to go camping. I keep drifting off in the deckchair but keep waking in a panick because my dog keeps wondering off. I’ll leave him home next time.
Alcohol is a mood enhancer and being under the influence of alcohol more than not, you get “used” to this “enhanced mood”. While under the infulence, everything is exaggerated: joy, happiness, humor, sadness etc. When you become sober, you start to feel things as they really are, and for most people, that’s boredom. Some people have described it as “losing life’s sparkle”.
Things might not be so sparkley now, but it comes back, just stick with it.
This is very normal and is either a psychological adjustment taking place due to the removal of alcohol from your body chemistry or yes it could be depression or some other mental health concern.
Its still kind of early for you to know this. The longer it goes on the more likely it is depression etc.
Part of getting sober is re-learning how to live. In the beginning it was about keeping myseld occupied.
One of the things I did…I always wanted to cook…i could warm stuff in the microwave like a champ. I always wanted to cook from scratch. Kinda hard to learn in when you are drunk.
On my days off I scratch cooked all 3 meals. It tool a lot of time. 1 finding actual recipies, watching videos of chefs actually cooking to learn professional skills…ect, ect, ect
Sounds like boredom to me. You need to get re-engaged with your life, find what truly interests you and gets you going. This can take awhile, so give yourself time and space to explore who you might become. I know that my drunk life would be unbearably boring to me in sobriety. We change a lot, and not just in one direction only.
Congrats on your sober time. Glad you’re having an easy time of it!
The first few weeks I felt like my head was stuffed with cotton. I couldn’t think correctly and zoned out a lot. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and your head will catch up. If you are ever tempted to drink again take a screenshot of your original post so you can remember how it felt to start your quit. You are doing great. Onward!!
Can I just say “fucking boredom”? That’s a challenge in the early days for sure. So much time spent drinking. I’m glad I was heading into Spring season when I finally accepted that I had to get sober. Being outside and walking a lot with good and supportive friends helped.
The thing is that from days 18-30ish, i was just fine. I actually got sucked into a video game in a way that i almost never did the entire time i was drinking and nearly beat it in a couple days. I was engaged, and felt great. Felt musically creative, was enjoying consuming a variety of media. All of a sudden its all gone. Stopped playing the game when it was almost over, come home from work and stare at my monitor because zero stimulation is coming out of it. Maybe i was just bouncing back from poisoning myself all the time, and now that ive stabilized, theres no more mental sigh of relief, so to speak.
Out of sheer desperation Ive been cleaning and forcing myself to read like an hour a day at the very least, even when im so disinterested im nearly staring through the book. Exercise has helped quite a bit, but the general struggle is still a problem.
Thanks for the replies and support, everyone. Puts my situation into a bit of perspective.
I’ve gone through this from time to time, and it did all pass. With continued sobriety, I also started to be more comfortable with the “slower” paced life that comes with sobriety. After all, life was chaotic when I was drinking. You grow used to it.
It’s good you have other things you are trying. Do you have any sober buddies or supportive friendships in real life? I really had to fight isolation and that horrible habit i developed when drinking.
I can relate, your are describing what I call an “antse” feeling of restlessness.
I solved it with a combination of physical exercise, hands on crafts an activities (like crochet, wood carving or building Lego) and learning an instrument.
Find something for your hands and brain. Try new things that you would not have considered trying before
