90 days clean today! It has been a journey and a constant fight with myself. The cravings are hard but occur less frequently. My 90 days have been filled with enthusiasm about my future and pride of my sobriety. The hard times do hit and they hit with force. They cause melt downs, long drawn out melt downs about me not being able to drink.
I heard recently in a AA meeting someone mention the pink cloud in sobriety. I think I have been on this pink cloud on and off. Is it possible to be on and off this “pink cloud’”?? Does anyone know what I am referring to?
Yes indeed. If you check the search, it comes up from time to time. Totally normal, and in my experience also can come and go.
I had been taught it can also refer to the enjoyment of that initial surge of support, and how that might seem like it fades as we learn through that support to find our own footing.
It’s why we are here though. Combining our experience, strength and hope to gain balance again.
You’re doing great, though. For me at least, with time and a program, things did level out as I kept on trucking!
It didn’t hit me hard when I came down from mine it was more like I had just adjusted to being sober, it had become the new normal so the natural high that I’d gotten from doing this thing subsided.
#Resurrecting thread
I’ve been asking myself questions about this feeling for myself. Just searched and red about it. I feel kind of in this way. I am not in denial of this, as I am experiencing it since a couple of days… But I am still skeptical a bit.
I’ll just say that everyone, non-addicts included, can experience this from time to time for different reasons. I feel like we see the “bad” sides of this in recovery because of the dark side of it, the fall for it and the fall after its passage. We can all be up-and-down, jumping on an expansive mood and dropping to a normal that feel like depressing after the jump, or to a border-maniac mood to a real depressive one. Of course, not everyone, always…
Anyways, I feel like this is a natural process. In an evolutionary perspective, moods and emotions are informations about our relation to the environment and our adaptation to it. In this perspective, I would say that taking actions that “fits” our body’s and environment’s needs will lead to a generalized better feeling and might even bring euphoria. Naturally, biologically, this process of “feeling good after doing good” aim to make us want to do this again, like, for example connections with others and orgasms (for reproductions purpose…).
Anyways, maybe I am in a bit of denial of the pink cloud feeling. But I refuse to accept that it is something bad for addicts in recovery. We have passed by so many hards days!! I think we can use this feeling by taking action towards a better self while keep our focus on recovery and following a program (or a individualized plan) so we do not loose track of sobriety in a burst of euphoria or in the way back to into normal/depressive mood following every normal high in life.
Would be curious to read some opinions about this as I feel I am getting through this.
I think the pink cloud is a honeymoon period when we realise the benefits of getting and feeling sober. It varies from person to person but typically, I believe, lasts about 6 months. We have adjusted to “normal life” by then and the initial motivation can wane a bit, I think that was true for me when I first had a significant period of sobriety from alcohol. I relapsed another year or so later but I don’t think that was related to falling off a pink cloud.
The other thing to be aware of in recovery is PAWS - post acute withdrawal syndrome, a period when we may feel like the early days of withdrawal again and that can hit any time in the first two years. When the end of the pink cloud collides with PAWS that can be pretty difficult and is a big cause for relapse. That is why we have to build a solid foundation and not just feed off the high of feeling good again in sobriety. I keep reminding myself of that. Keep practicing on taming that addiction voice before it bites you.
Is it a pink cloud, or just really enjoying life for a change, because we are sober? Is it an end to the pink cloud, or just taking on a challenging day…sober?
Like @CaptAZ, I can have feelings of euphoria, when I reflect on the contrast of my life today, with my life when drinking. Happened just the other day. My bride and I traveled to our new mountain-top property, to inspect the access road we’ve just had put in. Surveying our land, which we own free and clear. My wife’s excitement over the new accessibility, when she told me exactly where her “sitting spot” would be. I realized none of this would have happened, had I not chosen to never drink again.
I have 107 days sober today and I think it’s fair to say I’m still in the pink cloud. I had never heard of it until I joined TS, which was also my first day sober.
I tend to agree with @Yoda-Stevie that to me,
it seems to be less of a phase and more of a new found appreciation for life. Life that I never really new existed or was possible before I was sober.
I have had one or two times during my sobriety so far where I wasn’t over-the-moon excited about it but that maybe lasted a few hours each time. With the exception of those two, very short lived instances, I can honestly say I’m in love with being sober. I’m not saying that it’s easy because it’s not, but it’s my new way of life and my life is a hell of a lot better than it was when I was drinking.
So here’s to the pink cloud never ending and a new found love for a (sober) life
And as @Yoda-Stevie said about the new challenge in life sober , I don’t think we really fall off a pink cloud… we’re just continuing our path to getting better and this can bring us to the top of the mountain we chose to climb, juste like Stevie did
Sincere congratulations, it’s an amazing view and a lovely place to enjoy your achievement.
I had a period of unabashed joy in early sobriety. I think it lasted until about 5 months. Then depression which I haven’t really come out of for any significant period of time apart from a few weeks here, a month there. So the idea of the pink cloud is something I can relate to.
I think it’s good to be aware of stuff like that - after feeling so amazing even the slightest dip in mood can feel like something catastrophic. Especially if you are prone to some of those negative thinking traps - all or nothing, catastrophising, emotional reasoning etc - that go hand in hand with a lot of mood disorders. Knowing that ups and downs are normal, that bad times help you appreciate the good, that change (good and bad) is inevitable… These are helpful things.
Totally agree that ups and downs are a normal part of life. I think the thing about sobriety is it can feel like we can see after so long in the darkness, it’s more intense so the other side can be more intense too.
But clearly, enjoy the good times while they are here. And even in bad times there are things to be grateful for
Some may say it’s the pink cloud be be mindful that it also can be your emotions in general Nd not knowing how to deal with them in a proper way I’ve been in recovery for 11/12 months I picked up 6 times but I use to be up and down for me it was about managing the highs and lows in my recovery when there was a hiflgh I stopped nmyself going manic high BC what goes up must come down and when I was low I was cautious not to go really low .for me this isn’t althe pink cloud I see that as being happy and ontop of the world all of the time BC we have been shown a different way .just my take congratulations on 90 days.recovery is about managing your life on lifes terms including your emotionally wellbeing.
This link was shared approx. a year ago. I found it very useful, so did my non-alcoholic husband ( re: understanding what I’m going through).
The video talks about 4 stages. Stage 2 is called the honeymoon period, aka the Pink Cloud. I’m at 11 months and haven’t experienced that yet. Not everyone does.
Anyhoo, here it is (it’s in English, with xyz subtitles )
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