Normal to feel rubbish after stopping?

[CabbageHippy]

I stopped drinking last weekend as I noticed my consumption at weekends had got out of hand & I was also drinking a bottle of wine some night's during the week.

Question is, although i'm sleeping well i'm still waking up feeling tired & groggy & have no energy at all. Is this normal given how much I was drinking or un-related & when will I start to feel real benefits for stopping?

In my experience, what you’re feeling is totally normal.

I’m 8 weeks in and I was a weekend binger too. For the first 6 weeks I had very low energy, my mood was flat, I broke out in spots and just generally felt rubbish! I kept reading about all these people who had so much energy from about 2 weeks in when giving up, but it certainly wasn’t the case for me.

8 weeks in and I’m feeling so much better. My sleep is good, energy levels are returning, my skin is clear and emotionally I’m on a pretty even keel and i’m looking forward to seeing just how much better it keeps on getting!

That's very helpful as I am feeling rubbish too and I am nearly 4 weeks in - spots have come out, my mood is very flat and I don't feel that energetic - my sleep hasn't improved yet either (I have a fit bit). It sounds like I will start to reap some benefits in 2+3 weeks time!

The good thing is that I am find myself thinking about a drink less (from several times a day to maybe once every two days of so)

It's perfectly normal. Your neurochemistry is adjusting.

How’s everyone doing? 10 weeks in now and it just keeps on getting better! That’s not to say that I haven’t had my moments and craved a cold glass of wine but I’ve managed to get through them.

Not sure how easy it’s going to be come those warm evenings in the summer though, where I’m use to sitting out in the garden with a glass in hand... but keeping in mind the reality which is that I would end up doing most of the bottle, wake up through the night with a pounding heart and anxiety and feel terrible the next day, hopefully will keep me off it!

Well done. 10 weeks is truly amazing!! I managed 5 weeks off and then I came in holiday and had 1 glass of wine one night, a beer a other night and a glass of wine another night too - so 3 nights out of 6 so far. I don't massively regret it and I might have another one before I lea e but I plan to go back teetotal when I get home....

To compensate I have gone on really long walks so I feel better about it!!! 😆

I’m resurrecting this thread as I was on it just over 6 years ago, where I managed to quit for 18 months; felt amazing, mental and physical health so improved and fitter than I’d ever been. I then got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that changed my life and I thought ‘F’it might as well drink - good logic there 😄

Anyway, back to weekend binge drinking, although last week I managed to fit it Tuesday too and I’m too old and and my health really can’t take the onslaught of a bottle of wine and then some. I’m depressed, puffy, lacking in motivation, exactly as I was prior to giving up last time.

So it’s day 5 today and I still feel like crap but I’m hoping that something has changed this time… I really am fed up of the hangover and the fact that it takes 3 to 4 days to feel even slightly ok and then just as I’m feeling better I do it again!

I’ll be using this thread as accountability for when the weekend hits and hope that it helps to focus me and of course for anybody else that wants some support/motivation too.

Good luck @somewheresorted , amazing knowing you've done so well off alcohol previously. I'm going into my 4th week off booze. The benefits have been slow, still not a lot of energy but great mental clarity, skin and sleep is way better too.
I feel more at peace with not drinking currently.

@Teaforthetotal Well done, 4 weeks! I guess you’re really getting into your stride now and believe me, it really does keep on getting better, it’s just not an overnight fix and it was probably 4 months in that I really started to get my bounce.

I feel slightly more together today but this is where it all falls down as by tomorrow, physically and mentally I feel better and convince myself to do it all over again 😄 you know the story, but, actually something does feel different this time, I so want to feel like I did when I quit last, I know that there are so many gains to be had and I was genuinely so much happier.

Keep us updated with how you’re getting on - you are quite a motivation!