Hello there,
I am 5 weeks sober. The first 2-3 weeks were pure hell. Then I sort of was on a high around 3-4 weeks where I finally started to feel better physically and my sleep was coming back. now that I am 5 weeks I am feeling a particular type way as of the last few days.
Feeling incredibly lonely, and as though I am not feeling any new benefits to sobriety? I have been attending AA meetings daily but I am very shy and don’t know how to open up without alcohol. I guess I am just wondering if anyone has ever felt this way?? I’ve never felt so alone as my daily activities used to include drinking with friends. I am also a couple months post breakup within all of this too. I have replaced partying with going to the gym and working on myself. Do the benefits continue because I sure feeel in a lull right now as if what is the point?
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Congratulations on the 5 weeks Vixen.
Gosh it’s really hard work being sober. Especially early on and all the emotions and just life in general.
I find gratitude when I’m feeling that way. I do a gratitude list every day right here.
I read it write it out and try to live it. There really is so much to be grateful for when I’m sober. Some days, even weeks are really hard. That’s when I’d spend a lot of time on here checking out all the threads. The fun ones with pets and nature pics. And looking around to help support people or just blow off some steam. The meme thread is always good when things suck.
ODAAT.
Hang in there.
This too shall pass.
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Thanks for your kind response
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The benefits do continue, but sobriety ebbs and flows. Some days or weeks you’re on a high, other days you’re on a low. Sometimes those lows feel crushing.
Don’t get discouraged. You’re making the right moves. Just rmember, if it were easy, there wouldn’t be any addicts.
Congrats on 5 weeks! That’s pretty amazing! 
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Thanks for the encouragement. Yeah I am an addict through and through, because I love the highs and can’t handle the lows
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Congrats on the 5 weeks i am a little over 5 weeks. Just got a sponsor tonight and feeling better about things
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Congrats on your time sober and we all have emotions kick in.For me them early weeks i was up and down happy go lucky n then down and lonely. I felt like am sober but nothing exciting is happening besides am bored n lonely. As i kept going to meetings bc i was not engaging with others early on i would go to meetings then leave. No sharing just listen then go but one day i stayed n wiped the tables off and that gave others to come up to me and start conversation with me. Unknown to me it was service work that got me to communicate with others n open up. I started sharing and i stared feeling like i belong to something. So all in all this gave me the chance to start hsnging with others. Wish you well on your journey.
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OMG! Yes, yes, yes. First thing first. A huge Congrates to you.
Id do remember that feeling just like yo. At first. I experience the pink cloud. But then I hit the preverbial “Wall”. I was told to be very careful during this time. Because that’s when the cunning and baffling comes in to play. Knuckle down on your prayers and play the tape all the way thru. I.E- be grateful. You mentioned sleeping better, think of your health, diet, are you remembering things better?, for me I started procrastinated less often, the list is much longer I promise if you “workon that list of gratitude” you will begin to feel more positive. As far as going to meetings and being shy. I too am very shy. at first I just stated my name, then I became more comfortable. I don’t remember when it happened but before long I was talking to others and feeling very eager to be with them and share my story.
Hang in there, these are just growing pains. The promises do come true. If you work for them.
2yrs with life to go (24hrs at a time).
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Yes, it does get better. And eventually real fun. 21yrs sober. I did it one new friend at a time. One day at a time
Lonely is a symptom of withdrawing and becoming sober. Do your best not to let it become your new addiction
Yeah, being sober comes with feeling great for feeling alive. Work in one issue at a time
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We all feel out of our comfort zone at first but stick around the meetings and im sure it will get better get some phone numbers and sometimes a extra effort is all thats needed wish you well
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Forgive me if I am taking this too literally- that is one of my many flaws. I have found myself in this thinking trap before many times. Often times, it precedes a relapse because I have convinced the better part of my brain that all my efforts are pointless, I am in control, and/or why do I work so hard for a life with little reward. Big nope. Danger track. Any time I’m in this place, I know I need to double down on staying sober.
But to get to the point about the point of it all- after a while, it does get better because I get myself out of that depressive wave, and when I come out sober, it changes my perspective completely. I feel proud of myself. And I see that the lows exist, may return, but I can use them to sharpen my resolve, rework my strategies, and reflect on how good the happier moments are by contrast. Then I have that little glow if I start to feel low again. I know it will end. I know how good I will feel when it ends, and I honored my commitment to sobriety.
Everyone at your meeting has felt the way you do now. Maybe just share what you did in this great, honest post? You might see lots of friendly faces light up for you.
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Sobriety ends the future consequences that overuse of drugs and alcohol would have caused us. It does not change the past and does not address underlying mental health issues.
Its not something that causes us to wake up and live happily ever after in a good mood. Too many people expect something from it that its not.
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Congrats on your 5 weeks!! You got some good responses here for sure. For me, sobriety eventually became just part of who I am. It definitely did not solve issues of loneliness, mental health challenges, what to do with feelings, now what kind of questions. But…sobriety did and does offer me the opportunity to look at my life and self with clear eyes and tend to my mental health issues, learn about myself and learn healthier ways of living and feeling my emotions…as well as healthier ways of being in relationships with myself and with others. And yes, it definitely takes a lot of getting used to. So you are normal in being like what now??? I guess what I am trying to say is once we are a bit free from alcohol, that is when the inner work can begin on how do we truly begin healing our self and digging into the what and why we were looking for escape in the first place…and how to heal.
Idk if that helped at all. 
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