Please tell me it gets easier.

[Missgxt]

13 days sober today. No craving but my body is weak and my health anxiety is sky high.

iI have been missing alcohol for 10-12 years (2 pregnancies excluded). I an 8 months post partum and only now have i realised i have an issue. It is scary how the mind tricks you into thinking you are invincible and as long as you are functioning then you are fine.

apart from a lack of B vitamins I am supposedly okay. (Doctors have helped me with this and I should be getting an infusion on Monday privately.

I have no cravings at all whatsoever (it’s like a light just switched on to be done forever) but the levels of
fatugue and brain fog is worrying. I am hoping this is nothing serious and just withdrawal?

I used to indulge in spirits daily before I found out I was pregnant. Now it’s wine. I am done with alcohol I just want to feel better and be the best mother I can be. Part of me feels like I’ve left it too late and my body is turning against me. I hope this is anxiety related.

My thoughts have become dark which I am trying to fight against. Worried I won’t be here due to damage I may of caused. Blood works are fine at the moment. I have had thoughts to privately go and pay for heart scans etc etc. I hope this passes soon.

13 days is a massive achievement. Well done!

Well done on your 13 days.
It gets easier. It really does.

I remember there was a time when I didn’t go a day without thinking about alcohol, now it rarely crosses my mind.

I do think the early days are hard, you expect to sleep like a log and feel brilliant, but I think it actually took around 3 months before I woke up feeling amazing, rested and having had a great sleep. You also have very young children. All parents of young children feel knackered…for years! So I wouldn’t be concerned about the fatigue. If your b vitamins are low, I know low B12 can seriously contribute to fatigue and brain fog, even iron in the lower end of the normal range can make you feel like that.

Try not to worry, I hope you feel less anxious about it all soon and start to feel the physical and mental benefits soon too.

Congratulations on your 13 days. Yes it does- much. But i remember those early days very clearly and they are hard- but I knew it would only get worse to go back, so I knew I had to go forwards no matter what.

it’s not for everyone but I found AA very helpful and go the numbers of some of the women and called them when I wanted to pick up a drink. They say keep it in the day, but some days I had to just keep it in the hour. I wouldn’t promise myself I wouldn’t ever drink again, that was too much. But just not drinking for the hour seemed doable and then I would repeat.

I have an amazing life these days- not perfect, no life is. I know if I ever started drinking again I’d lose it all. I’m 13 yrs in but not complacent it can still catch me unawares.

you can do this. And you should be very proud of yourself for making that decision.

You will never regret stopping drinking. It's hard work and you won't feel instantly better, but you're on the right path, just stick with it.

It doesn't sound like there's any reason to be concerned about your long term health. I remember my GP saying something about the size of my red blood cells (or was it white blood cells) was a good long term indicator, and my liver function tests were absolutely fucked. Since yours are okay, I would treat these negative thoughts with scepticism. They sound a bit to me like you wanting to persuade yourself 'well, if my health is knackered anyway I might as well have a drink'. Trust me, literally any situation can be turned into an excuse to drink, bad, good, sad, happy, celebrating, commiserating, bored, busy ... all of it.

You will feel tired as your body starts to recover. It just needs time. Keep up the good work.

Congratulations on reaching 13 days! You’re doing so well. I’ve read on numerous sites that you will feel terrible the first month or so, very tired etc. The lack of B12 will make you more tired and rubbish. But by 3 months everything changes and you’ll feel like a different person. It’s great that you have no cravings, you can do this! You just need to get through this horrible phase and it will be so worth it in the end.