Good morning, fellow sobernauts, IWNDWYT, 😁!
We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we’re here together!
Welcome to the 24 hour pledge! I’m pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same. Maybe you’re new to c/stop drinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you’re like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you’ve been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.
It doesn’t matter if you’re still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, let’s not drink alcohol!
IWNDWYT Day 5
Yesterday by 3 pm I was dragging, just out and out exhausted. I went home and took a little nap but was still very low energy, could barely still keep my eyes open, nevermind do any exercise. I hope today is different. My work area yesterday was very fast paced and I was running all over the unit helping out. Today I am in a different setting. We will see… I suppose I probably have a big sleep deficit. I am working tomorrow for a half day so still have to get up early etc. I am trying to keep up with my self-care such as taking my vitamins and meds every am (which I was not doing when I was drinking). I plan to make a manicure/pedi appointment to celebrate 7 days so I am looking forward to that (which I didn’t do before because I was spending so much money weekly on wine). Anyhow I hope everyone has a great Friday!
Alcohol upsets everything. Hormones, digestion, sleep, you name it, alcohol screws it up. These early days, frankly, suck. Your body is still operating in the old, toxic past where it has to deal with poison on the regular, and everything’s out of whack.
The good news is that this too shall pass. According to my sobriety app, you’re past the withdrawal systems, and in the next week or so, you should start seeing improvements in things like your immune system, digestion and energy. Sleep should also start improving round about now. I wrote a post on stuff you can do to help your sleep improve.
And good idea on the mani/pedi appointment, treats and rewards are important.
Thank you for that link, it was a good sleep routine post.
Good for you. Keep sticking with it. The sleep cycle and related energy does indeed work itself out based on my experience but as said, your system is recalibrating and balancing out. It takes a bit of time.
For me, I am in my third month and while sleep became more restful towards the end of the first month, it is only in the past couple of weeks that I have been getting solid almost uninterrupted deep sleep. But it is feeling great. Everyone is different.
I will try to dig up a link to a podcast on addiction that talks about this but what this particular researcher found was that journaling and self-talk about what you like about not drinking and what you don’t like about drinking (actually any form of addictive behaviour you are trying to change not just drinking) really helps to reinforce the positive direction you are heading in.
IWNDWYT
Thank you for the suggestion on the journaling and self talk. Now that I think about it, that is kind of how I quit smoking many years ago. I focused on parts of it that bothered me. Soon after quitting… I became pregnant and almost every time I smelled tobacco smoke, it gave me nausea which was an excellent reinforcer.
I dug up the pod cast related to overcoming addiction. Podcast name: Hidden Brain. Episode name: The Curious Science of Cravings. They are interviewing psychiatrist Judson Brewer. It “aired” April 15, 2024. I believe he has written a book on his approach.
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Congrats on day 5!! You should be through the worst now… it gets so much better!! 🥰
I did not drink with you today!
