quitting drinking and tiredness

I was just wondering.....  I quit drinking 3 months ago.....  i used to drink daily, then i cut down to just the weekends....  i never woke up and started drinking, but i would drink heavily most of the time when i did drink.  back then, when i was not drinking, i was tired, and then i would drink and i would wake up.
now that i have not been drinking, i am ALWAYS tired.  I am not over weight, i eat pretty healthy, work out 3-4 times a week, take vitamins and drink a lot of water.  i have even had my blood tested and everything is in order...... and yet, i am still, always so tired....  i don't understand what is wrong with me or even if the not drinking and tiredness are related.....  the only time that i feel good is right after a refrshing shower or after i have a latte.  :-(  i want my energy back.....  

[working dog]

i would get tested for hep c...that will make you tired...lack of energy...maybe your just depresed..that will make you tired..you might have to just give the no drinking more time...i would think your body needs at least 6 months .......good luck...billy

[PennyLayne]

thank you for your reply.  i have already been tested for hep c and i am negative for that.....  well, i guess i can just see how the next three months will go.....  

[ibizan]

alcohol has a lot of refined white sugar in it...i have read in book written in late 80's Eating Right to Live Sober by Anne Mueller that when people come off it these residues of sugar remain in body until sobriety and good diet banishes them.the exercise and lots of water drinking is very good.....keep that up along with good diet sans the alcohol and i bet u'll feel better soon.Alcohol also destroys brain cells that do regenerate!I'm living proof!:)))))

[uberadtx]

Ibizan has good advice.  Get your diet straightened out.  Also, you don't mention how long you were drinking.  Keep in mind that your brain and body has been abused by the excessive drinking.  You need to increase the niacin, B6, B12 and all the other fun B vitamins, alcohol depleted those.  If you are a woman, you have to monitor your iron intake. Your body can't absorb the iron without the Vit B & C.  You will probably benefit from some OJ with an iron supplement.  It takes a long time for the body to recover and start functioning after drinking.  Everyone is different as far as recovery.  

[Caitlin01]

Your tiredness could be the result of depression since you are grieving something that became so much a part of your life.  I am going through major grieving right now as a result of giving up alcohol and nicotine.  I am definitely off-schedule and very tired.  I am aware that it may take a year for my body to get everything straightened out and get back on schedule.  That is great though that you are able to exercise 3-4x per week, on top of the fact that you have been successful in your sobriety!  Good luck.

[ibizan]

Caitlin tripped my memory...alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and brain like sponge soaking it up while it destroys cells.These cells do regenerate  in time but in early sobriety person feels very off kilter.....depressed...anxious....xcessive caffeine and snack foods will aggravate this but u ber has good advice with what she's reccomending with the vitamins and diet.remember u like us didn't get the way we did overnite so with time sobriety and good nutrition u will feel better!

[fastaire]

I am in the same boat as you. I am on day 110 of not drinking alcohol. I used to just drink on week ends, about 24 to 30 beers each week end. Now that I have stopped drinking I get tired easily and am ready for bed a 10 pm every night. By 9:30pm I have to fight to keep my eyes open. Before I would go to bed at midnight and still have a difficult time sleeping and be up by 6am. Now I have a hard time just getting up by 7:30am. I don't know if this is good or bad.

One other thing that used to happen to me. when I was drinking just on week ends. During the week when I wasn't drinking I would wake up two to three time in the middle of the night absolutely drenched with sweat. I got to the point that I would go to bed with towels next to me to dry off the sweat. After about thirty days of not drinking at all this no longer happened to me. I don't know if this was withdrawal from not drinking alcohol during the week or some other side effect of the alcohol.  Anyone have any idea what caused the night time sweating episodes?

[ibizan]

u drank that much for how long?months?a few years?any other drugs or misuse of RX medication or use of RX medication?what u described is a withdrawal from alcohol.....30 days is not uncommon for what happened to u to happen!

[fastaire]

Thanks izban. That was helpful.

I usually would drink about 24 to 30 beers in total Friday and Saturday. I was drinking that much for about 5 years. No drinks at all Sunday through Thursday. I took no other drugs or medication nor do I smoke cigarettes. I didn't realize it but I must have been physically addicted to alcohol and withdrawing during the week. Now that you mention it I did not wake up sweating when I went to bed after a night of drinking.

[ibizan]

thats a lotta brewskis there!when u were drunk u would just conk out with all that in u.....imagine the body and the brain is like a giant soaked sponge from drinking.....when u stop soaking the sponge it will wring itself out!hence your body....my body...our bodies here of recovering folks posting... the former sponges!i had very bad insomnia and anxiety after stopping all the alcohol/drug use...and i really had to watch the caffeine and chocolate for that aggravated it as well!it took me about 6-9 months to get in2 a regular sleeping pattern.I found that reading helped.....read til eyes got real heavy and nitey nite!

[musclerocker]

Ask youre doctor if you have Hypo Throid. That sounds like you might have it. Have a blood test on that because I have hypo throid. I felt very depressed and tired. Also I was losing hair. Have that checked. out.

[Jacker]

Alcohol effects the central nervous system, and I've come to believe that it takes some time for your body to readjust.  Like you, I would become more awake after a night of drinking although in the end, I would wake up with extreme anxiety (at the end of my daily drinking days).  I honestly think that it will pass with time.  

Have you ever heard of PAWS?  It stands for Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome.  Google it when you get a chance.  It discusses the many changes that your body goes through when you remove alcohol from your life.  

[TJack]

Hey Penny, lots of good advice on here for you.  I know my doc told me to take b complex, b1, b6, and i also give myself a b-12 shot twice a month.  It could be a combination of alot of things for you.  Depression had me so down i couldn't get out of it and had no energy at all.  So that could also be a biggie for you.  Talk to your doc and if they can't help you, get another doc.  Sometimes it takes that to get real help.
Good wishes to you.  Please keep posting.  I have been without a drink 8 days shy of 2 months and i feel like I am a walking miracle.  It can be done and you can get there too.  Heck you are well on your way with 3 mos. sobriety. congrats on that.  Tjack

[mellen58]

I am 51 and have been drinking fairly steady since age 13 with a few Months off in-between the many years of heavy drinking. I have worked very hard in factory and shipping in the printing industry in excess of 26 years. I often worked twelve hour days voluntarily for the money. Of course, in this type of working situation, one meets many friends and drinking after work is just part of job, I think, or so I thought..

Bottom line: I am now not working due to medical reasons and for the last 5 years have drank the most in my life. This included on average 15 beers per day for a base and often mixed drinks with gin, vodka, tequilla or rum or a bottle or two of red merlot. Often drank from am to pm with a nap ( possible pass out ) in-between. My last drink was on May 30th, 2010. I also ate so I did get some nutrition.
This time, 22 days is the longest I have quit in a row in many, many years.

I realize my drinking was extreme and I probably should not have went cold turkey but I read some and took some valuim and thiamin etc while coming off of it. I imagine my body is still quite toxic but I really don't feel so good yet.
Kind of wondering how long it will take to feel normal.

As I read, I see many of you are experiencing some of the same things.

I just wanted to thank you all for all your great comments. I am all alone 10-12 hours a day with a boat load of booze in the house and not drinking it gets difficult.
My problems seems to be, once I start drinking, quitting is not an option until I am loaded.

Reading things like this helps keep me from not opening a bottle when I feel discouraged.

I too, am going through tough changes.
I was wondering why I am so......tired all the time. I also have big time body pain and headaches.
I just started walking 1 mile per day, I take multi-vitamins, thiamin, calsium, d, fish oil and unfortunately 3 blood pressure pills and 1 cholesterol pill.

The sick part of this all is in the back of my mind I think if I can get myself healthy again, maybe there is a chance I will be able to drink socialably again one day, however, if I stay true to myself, I am thinking this may not be the case.

Thx again for having a place for people like me to read for support.
I do appreciate your comments and good luck to all of you.
Guess what, I now have to take a quick nap to keep functioning and will check back again later..

[Jacker]

I think the amount of time will vary by person, depending on your metabolize, genetics, how much you drank, and how much damage you did.  During my first real detox, it took over a month to feel better.  At the end of 5 weeks, I started drink on/and off to a lesser extent so I never got to experience true recovery.  Next time through, I had a liver problem and I was tired the whole time.  The last time I stopped (and I plan to stay stopped) it took about 6 weeks to feel really decent.

I think this gets harder on us as we age, and also harder when we pick it up and put it back down.  One thing that helped me "stay stopped" is journaling about all of my drinking experiences over the last few years.  In doing this, I was able to stop fooling myself into thinking I could drink normally.......all the evidence pointed to the contrary.  

Stay the course Mellon58, and consider getting some blood tests to see how things are functioning.  If you have any problems from the alcohol consumption, you're best off being aware of them and treating them. It's your best chance for recovery.

By the way, get rid of the booze in your house- dump it out (I'm serious about that).  Good job on your 3+ weeks!

[ibizan]

jacker is right on......get rid of all the booze in the house......it has invisible tentacles.....and i don't think u can be a social drinker in the near future.Google PAWS..Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome.....read..and see if any of the info applies to u!

[charley27]

i myself have been thinking the same as mellen 58 if i have a few months off the drink and my lfts come back normal, which they have done in the past, does that allow me to drink in the future, but i know that its the little demons that seem to reside in my brain sometimes,  telling me it will be fine. i am going on holiday in 6 weeks to quite a lively tourist area i have been looking forward to it for months, but somehow since ive decided to give up its not seeming to appealing. i know thats sad, but im worried how im going to get through the week without drinking cause i know the people that i will be with will be. drinking loads and im the sort of person that 1 drink will lead to 10  from day 1 to day 7 hence the reason for quitting. anyone got any tips

[ibizan]

i think its highly unlikely that u can go on a vacation with heavy drinkers and not drink.If you really want to quit drinking u will mus not go with these ppl!thats the only sane tip i have for u!

[ibizan]

oops!typos!i meant to say you must not go with these ppl if u want to stop drinking!

[Jacker]

I spent years thinking like this.  I'd take a break, and then tell myself that I was "okay now" and that I could control myself.  Your alcoholic brain will often lie to you, and all you have to do is look at the evidence. If you always end up in the same place, then you have your answer.  I have to say that I agree with Ibizan- it's too early to be around alcohol.  You might be able to handle it when you are firmly established in sobriety and know who you are, but it takes some time.  Don't tempt yourself.  Do everything within your power to stay sober for now, and make it your first priority.  You need time to grow.  

[Purbeckgirl]

I don't know if you know Tenerife, it's a 'party' island. The nightclub is opposite out apartment! We went last year and ok I did it, I stayed in every night in bed with a book not drinking and listening to a party atmosphere going on around me. It wasn't easy. I have refused to go this year and have booked a house for my husband and I up in Scotland with the two dogs!

The benefit of not drinking was that I was the first one in the pool every morning in Tenerife!

[mellen58]

Thank you so much for your thoughts. Jacker, it makes since to journal about journeys down the alcoholic path. It does curve my appetite for the drink when I ponder all my experiences. I am starting to be ok with out alcohol for the most part.
It made a lot of since about you quitting drinking and starting back up again and the part about fooling yourself into thinking you can drink normally again. I am still struggling with that demon..

When the thought about having a drink comes into my head, I just get something else to drink and I don't dwell on it or surely I would be mixing one. Thought is 1/3 of the deed.
I don't stock my most dangerous choice of alcohol and that is Miller lite. I used to have 3-4 cases in a fridge at all times. It's way to easy to just have ( one ), and unfortunately one is not in my vocabulary or I would not be on this site.. I have 33 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of vodka in a wine rack locked. Vodka is, however, my second choice of liquor.

I have fatty liver but when I got my blood checked for high blood pressure every 6 months or so, I had quit booze about a week or two prior, drank lots of water and my liver counts came out normal. I guess that is a good thing. Us alcoholic's can be clever when it comes to hiding the amount of alcohol one is drinking. I hear fatty liver can be reversed. I never knew that alcohol broke down into carbohydrates and fats, triglicerides (triglycerides), ( hense the high blood pressure ). I thought surely it would have broke down into sugar.

Ibizan, thank you for your reference to paws. I checked out the site and it also has a lot of good info. It is good to know what to expect and know you are not the only one going through all these aches and pains and emotions.

I feel bad for you Charlie 27 and your vacation delema. For me friends, laughter, little unbrella drinks, snacks and the good life is very hard to resist. I wish you luck!!

I rode my adult trike ( balance issues ) down to the dentist for a cleaning today and actually feel just a little better on day 23 of sobriety. I look forward to getting totally out of the fog.

Thanks again both of you and those of you who take time to read this. I enjoy reading about your experiences and it keeps me focused. Have a good day. I am...so far :)

[Jacker]

I had fatty liver too, and I remember being very tired during that sober period.  I think your body is healing, at that's a big part of the tiredness.  

It took about 6 months of sobriety for the fatty liver to go away, and I've heard this can vary widely by individual.  I"m not very heavy and I'm very active, so that may have helped me.

Please remember that it's a short walk from Fatty Liver to cirrhosis.  Once that fat turns to scar tissue, the damage is permanent.  As far as what's in your house, that is A LOT of booze!  If you can't bring yourself to pour it out, then why not give it to someone who doesn't have an alcohol problem?  I would not have it in the house.......too much temptation.  I don't mind having alcohol in my fridge prior to a social event, but when the event is over, all of the alcohol goes out the door with the guests.  I don't mind people drinking around me, but I do not want it in my house for any length of time.  

[charley27]

how does one know they have a fatty liver, i have had countless liver function tests which have come back normal, im just waiting for my next one to come through, i have had 3 so far this year, not because of my drinking because im rather a secret hypercondriac well i suppose it was because of my drinking but my doc didnt realise i had a problem until last week and sent me for another one. my problem is not how often i drink but how much i drink. i can go for months without drinking as i dont drink at home (unless i am on a binge) and i dont have much of a social life as i have 4 very demanding children, so baby sitters are far and few between. when i do go out i will basically drink myself into oblivion. i dont seem to have any happy medium i go from being merry to completely obliterated. feel still drunk when i wake up so then carry on the next day. i knew this was not right but just couldnt control it. realised this def had to stop when i then carried on the day after that as well. so i would end up on a 3 day binge just from one night out. i then wouldnt drink again for about 4 to 6 weeks then one night of drinking would start it all over again. very very vicious cycle. to purbeck girl i know tenerife its nice there, im going to gran canaria for a friends 30th birthday. which is going to be hard not too drink but im going to give it a go. my counsellor has told me not to beat myself up about it if i do and if i really must just have 2. not really the advice i wanted to hear. its almost giving me permission.  hopefully i can post something in aug saying didnt drink and feel proud of myself. fingers crossed x

[Jacker]

I'll just answer the medical part for now, in regards to my personal experience.  My bloodwork was always good, but that's because I always knew that I had a blood test coming and I'd abstain from alcohol.  Your liver function (in regard to enzyme levels, etc). will often read normal after some time off.  A person with Cirrhosis of the liver can have normal bloodwork, if all of their "good" liver cells are functioning properly.  In my case, I had sharp pains in my right side under the rib cage. They came and went for some time, but eventually they stayed.  I stopped drinking and the pain actually got more severe.  My bloodwork was normal, so they sent me in for a CT scan and it showed fatty infiltration of the liver.  Actually, your liver has no nerves, but the "sack" that encloses it has nerves and if the texture or size of the liver changes, you can feel pain.

My bloodwork did show low platelets, which is a sign of an enlarged spleen. This is often the case when you have liver issues, because your spleen filters blood through the liver.  When the liver is not functioning correctly, there's a bit of a back-up in the plumbing and your spleen function is effected.  

But a liver issue is one of many problems you can get from too much alcohol consumption.  

[mellen58]

Gm- I wish I would have known that cirrhossis was a short walk from fatty liver disease about 6 years ago. I may have quit sooner.

Charlie the way I found out was I had a high liver bloodwork count when I went in with stomach issues. I was sent in for an ultrasound and that is where they saw the fatty liver.

Jacker, you sure have a lot of valuable information that is both interesting and informative. I am learning and I like that.

[Purbeckgirl]

I have been thinking about the brain soaking up alcohol like a sponge all day and am set for a sober evening. Thanks

[JamieTheMac]

Well I am being treated for alcoholism , my Doctor prescribed Naltraxone , and it really help , but im also on prozac as well cause of issues in my life.

I was binge drinking at weekends drinking upto 20 litres of beer, not sure how much that is in cans,

All i can say is I dont have alcohol in the house now and I avoid the alcohol line at the supermarket.

good luck to everyone

[Cricketcookie]

I have been an alcoholic for nearly 7 years. Not a long time compared to others, but it has done alot of damage. I've had a few weeks of sober respite. The longest being 3 weeks, and by the end of the three weeks I felt so exhausted, like I needed a crane to lift my feet just to walk. I am now about to start  a recovery program for the third time. I agree that recovery symptoms differ for everyone. I am currently on a regimen of medication to help with some of the physical and emotional symptoms that may have caused my addiction in the first place. It's hard to tell if it helps, and it definitely won't keep me from drinking. Only I can keep myself from taking the first drink. It's time knuckle down and grit my teeth and do this sober thing. My last drink was 3 days ago. Wish me luck and luck to all of you!!!

[ibizan]

3days is a start!better than no days!u keep it up..one hour at a time....one day at a time!so much good support here for those serious about their recovery as i'm sure u have read!

[monoliso]

I begin my new journey , i've been sober since 12/08/2010 and reading your comments seem like deja vu . I dont know anyone in this city and feel all alone but remain faithful.
I feel this is a battle that must be fought alone with the help of God. That's right I said it. I believe in God. this sickness requires strength and faith. I have completely eliminated alcohol from my life and my mind. I am determined to fight with the All Mighty next to me.  I hope that the side effects are not as severe as some of you have experienced. but I did notice that I too, im going bald....gonna get some blood tests done and keep you guys up to date, you dont need the twelve steps, I just say no thank you !akcuf ahtum.

[ibizan]

so glad u've been reading here and have begun ur sobriety journey......stick w/us....there is some very good recovery in this forum and many glad to help u w/whatever they can!:)

[Trying2soberUP]

WOW I have been drinking for too long, heavily since I turned 21 always after work until bed.  I'm 45 now, you've answered so many questions that I've had and didn't know where to find the answers.  My wife drinks daily with me but she doesn't have the issues I feel that are affecting me.  I'm sure my diet doesn't help, but knowing the drinking is affecting my triglycerides which were very high in December 2010 has me concerned.  My blood work came back OK...just have to knock it off a drink at a time for a cpl to three days then knock another drink off...It's the elephant in the room and I have to address the situation before it's too late!  Thank You everyone for all you've written!  Wish me luck!  I'm scared to death!

[kewlUK]

This a great thread and really inspiring.

I've been drinking to pass-out stage most days for about the last 25 years , but I watched an excellent series on the beeb called 'Inside the Human Body' made me appreciate that I was damaging myself. I stopped drinking the next day (after passing out on the sofa again!!!).

Today is my 14th day of sobriety and it's damn hard, I feel like I've been out the night before on a massive bender and passed-out then rolled down a big hill (it's happened before), but feel like it everyday. Dehydrated, headaches and sore. I'm glad to read that this is just part of the process.

Good luck to everyone.

[ibizan]

u keep going dude!all of us here in recovery have been where ur at in the past...its all one hour atta time...one day atta time!stay w/us here...we can help if u but let us and do ur best to help urself......good recovery here!

[ultraDave]

i've been sober now for 4 months and am tired easily, go to bed early, etc. Think it has something to do with having lived on sugar rich diet(alcohol) for so long. "Eating right to live sober" is a great book. Read it a few years back when I quit for 7 years. Started up again as i thought it was no longer a problem. Checked myself into rehab a year ago. They tried to get me into AA and other programs. Saw an addiction therapist. That stuff doesn't work for me because it just makes me dwell on alcohol and not having  it.

Best remedy for not drinking: you get lots of stuff done. Am writing a novel and believe me, it's much easier without the booze. But the tired thing is getting me down. Exercise and lots of greens helps. Going back to getting drunk every day is not an option. Something clicked in my head. I'm off it. Good luck. Best solution, get busy doing something you love to do, or just want to get done. The drinking accomplishes nothing.

[rpooo]

Hi Dave,
I just wanted to congradulate you on your sobriety. It sounds like you have got it figured out now! It has been about 15 months for me and I never tried any of the other methods but for you and I we just got our own way I guess. Hang in there man and again congradulations!

Randy

[rich8381]

The best way to replenish all the vitamins and minerals,is by the foods we eat. Our bodys synthesize vitamins through digestion of good food much better then supplements. The potency in whole foods is much greater then pills and there is much to be said about eating live nutrients.the absorbtion rate of pill form is extremely low and the quality is poor. Having said the most important thing to replenish is the source in which the vitamins are absorbed, digestive enzymes(pro-biotics). Alcahol (alcohol) has destroyed a lot of the enzymes meant for breaking down fats vitamins etc.. One of the other reasons people gain lots of weight other then the high amounts of sugar and calories. Now that doesn't mean to go out and stock up on activia yogurt. That's just a marketing scheme as they haven taken a grip of the supporting science of the importance of pro-biotics by marketing. You would have to eat a large salad bowl of yogurt a day to see benefits and even then its only a few spectrums, and being that its pasturized its all dead anyway.You can buy quality pro-biotics that have been taken from humans and grown in labs from a good health food store. These are the 2 best things you can do to replenish. Remember withoout the good enzymes to absorb the nutrients   ,its like putting gas in a car with a hole in the tank.

[cire35]

I have been an alcoholic for about 17-18 years now. I am now 35. I would be considered a functioning alcoholic I suppose as I work and currently am in the final year of a master's program as a returning student. The problem is, I drink at least 6 days a week and have at least 5 drinks for 4 of those days and maybe 15 the other two with friends. I have contemplated stopping for about 2 years now, but to no avail. Can someone tell me a success story about how they quit and if they needed help to do so? Thank you.

[phsycodog]

Wow! This took off in a whole different direction that I thought it would...

My name is Jim, and I am the one who originally started this post; where I was going is that this is my first attempt at sobriety in 20+ years (I am on day 45), I went through detox which was a piece of cake, but now everyone is on my case to go to AA meetings, which I am not comfortable with. I know my family cares and loves me and I appreciate their concern, but I need them to back off a little. How to I say that to them after all they've done for me?

Is there anyone out there like me that truely wants to quiit drinking without going to AA?

Is there a forum for that?

[phsycodog]

My apologies, I posted my reply to the wrong forum; hop I didn't offend anyone.

[rdh82]

my friend isnt ur typical drinker but hes at a stage of his life wher he has been on the drink for the past 5 days ,none stop and its.the hard stuff ,he wont eat either he is out of it since he drinks ....then after 6-7.days he stops drinkin then has to go through the been sick all the time and head aches, shackes ...... but when he comes off the drink he can go 6-7months with out drinking so i just dont get it... hes tried most things like the groups even hypnosis.! any1 any ideashes on antidepressents too

[rdh82]

my friend isnt ur typical drinker but hes at a stage of his life wher he has been on the drink for the past 5 days ,none stop and its.the hard stuff ,he wont eat either he is out of it since he drinks ....then after 6-7.days he stops drinkin then has to go through the been sick all the time and head aches, shackes ...... but when he comes off the drink he can go 6-7months with out drinking so i just dont get it... hes tried most things like the groups even hypnosis.! any1 any ideashes on antidepressents too

[ibizan]

AA has been a big help to many of us here....today i am 28 years sober/clean....and AA helped in that.I needed sober/clean ppl to associate w/and role models that this could be done as well as living xamples of recovery.I could not have achieved that sitting alone in my apt.w/my siamese cat in 1983!So u choose not to go to AA?Fine!if this forum is not enough for u then it would be wise to find some type of support group you could attend....there are alternatives like Rational Recovery and SMART which is an offshoot of RR.Many find support through a church or sober activity.And if u choose not to go to support groups with humans then this may have to suffice!

[magicnana]

glad you are coming to the idea of stopping. I am now 56 and had been drinking and smoking for most of my adult life. I went to NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) and it worked wonders, I stopped smoking 1 year ago and alcohol approx 7months ago. all without medication or any stress about missing either of this. the only effect I still have is tiredness, but from what I read this is a passing phase. Find a NLP practitioner in your area, It only took 1 session for me for each addiction from ALAN CARR . It was worth the money

[laddy741]

hey i wanted to write to you because you seem somewhat similar in the problems you had.  I am very active including being a distance runner, biker, and i work in the fire service but I admit that I like to drink alot and often.  Mostly with friends who like to do the same.  I tried to stop drinking cold turkey which was not so difficult but I immediately noticed a huge decrease in my energy no what I ate I could not find energy. I felt miserable while doing a training drill one day like I never felt before.  I then thought well the only thing could be my change in drinking so I started up again to see if it made a difference and it seemed like I felt normal again.  I really want to stop drinking but Im afraid since my job does not allow for time to heal and be without energy.  I am a new fireman and cannot take off time yet and really dont want to. Any suggestions you have would be great. thanks.

[12Tess]

came on this site to see why I felt so tired, having stopped drinking.  I was drinking way too much - everyday, bottle of wine plus.  I still managed to get up for work at 7 and never felt hungover.  Now I feel a wreck - I am on day 7 with no booze.  I can harldy keep my eyes open at work but sleep restlessly in bed, waking almost every hour.  I am guessing this is normal as my bod chemistry reajusts to not have booze in me.  Good to know others out there managing, and have done it for longer than me - so will keep on going.  The person going on holiday has me thinking about my week away in May with my hard drinking boyfriend and how I will manage that?  How will I manage that?

[rpooo]

You are right about the sleep problem. It is one of the with drawals but it wont last and you will be sleeping normal again. Congradulations on your choice of sobriety!

Here is how you handle the BF thing. Let him know that you have stopped drinking. He should be very proud of you and supportive. IF not then I would think he's not much of a boyfriend and maybe you should look around for someone that will care and be supportive. Having the support of our loved ones is key to successfully quitting and managing this disease.

Also just because you quit surely does not mean he is going to. Are you prepared to accept that? An alcoholic does not quit because other people want them too, they may try but rarely will it last. They quit when they are ready for whatever that reason may be.
Randy

[12Tess]

thanks for your post

good advice re BF, and my sleep is getting better, so fingers crossed for another sober week.....taking it one day at a time.