quitting drinking and tiredness

[PennyLayne]

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!